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Most Frequently Asked Questions About Islam
What is Islam? Who is Allah? Who is a Muslim? Who was Muhammad? (pbuh) Do Muslims Worship Muhammad? (pbuh)What Do Muslims Think of Jesus? (pbuh)Do Muslims Have Many Sects? What are the Pillars of Islam? What is the Purpose of Worship in Islam? Do Muslims Believe in the Hereafter? Will the Good Actions of Non-Believers Be Wasted? What is the Dress Code for Muslims? What are the Dietary Prohibitions in Islam?What is "Islamic Fundamentalism"? What is the Islamic Year? What are the Major Islamic Festivals? What is Sharia? Was Islam Spread by the Sword? Does Islam Promote Violence and Terrorism? What is Jihad? Does Islam Promote Polygamy? Does Islam Oppress Women? Islam?
The word
"Islam" means peace and submission. Peace means to be at peace with
yourself and your surroundings and submission means
submission to God and obey his commandments. A broader meaning of the
word Islam is to achieve peace by submitting to the will of God.
This unique religion with a name whcih signifies a moral attitude and a way of like. Judaism
takes it name form the tribe of Judah, Christianity from Jesus Christ,
Buddhism from Goutam Budha
and Hinduism from Indus River. However, Muslims should no be called
"Muhammadans".
Allah?
Allah is
the Arabic word for "one God", the same as Eloh
in Aramaic. Allah is not God of Muslims only. He is God of all cretions, because He is their Creator and the Sustainer.
a Muslim?
The word
"Muslim" means one who submits to the will of God. This is done by
declaring that "there is no God except one God and Muhammad is the
messenger of God". In a broader sense, anyone who willing submits to the
will of God is a Muslim, thus all the prophets preceding the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) were Muslim. The Qur'an
specifically mentions Abraham who lived long before Moses and Christ that,
"he was not a Jew or a Chrisitian bu a Muslim," because he had submitted to the will of
God. Thus there are Muslims who are not submitting to the will of God and there
are Muslims who are doing their best to live an Islamic life. One cannot judge
Islam by looking at those Muslims who have a Muslim name but in their actions,
they are not living or behaving as Muslims. The state of being a Muslim can be
according to the degree to which one is submitting to the will of God, in his
beliefs and in his actions.
Muhammad? (pbuh)
In brief,
Muhammad (pbuh) was born in a noble tribe of Mecca in Arabia in the year 570 A.D. His ancestry
goes back to Prophet Ishmael (pbuh), son of Prophet
Abraham (pbuh). His father died before this birth and
his mother died when he was six. He did not attend any formal school. He was
raised first by a nurse as it was the custom those dasys,
and then by his grandfather and unlce. As a young
man, he was known as a righteous person who used to mediatate
in a cave. At age 40, he was giventhe prophethood when the angel, Gabriel, appeared in the cave.
Subsequently, the revealations came over 23 years and
are in the book called the Qur'an which Muslims
consider as the finall and last word of God. The Qur'an has been preserved, unchanged, in its orginal form and confirms the truth in the Torah, the
psalms and the Gospel. Qur'an is the only scripture
in existence todat with its original Arabic text.
Muslims Worship Muhammad? (pbuh)
No.
Muslims do not worship Muhammad (pbuh) or any other
prophets. Muslims believe in all prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, David,
Solomon, Moses and Jesus (pbuh them all). Muslims
believe that Muhammad (pbuh) was the last of the
Prophets. They believe that God alone is to be worshipped, not any human being.
Muslims Think of Jesus? (pbuh)
Muslims
think highly of Jesus (pbuh) and his worthy mother, MAry. The Qur'an tells us that
Jesus was born of a mirculous birth without a father.
"Lo. The likeness of Jesus with Allah is the likeness of Adam. He created
him of dust, and then He said unto him: Be and he is!" (Qur'an 3:59) He was given many miracles as a prophet. These
include speaking soon after birth in defense of his mother's piety. God's other
gifts to him included healing the blind and the sick, reviving the dead, making
a bird out of clay and most importantly, the message he was carrying. These
miracles were given to him by God to establish him as a prophet. According to
the Qur'an, he was not crucified but was raised into
Heaven. (Qur'an, Chapter Maryam)
Muslims Have Many Sects?
Muslims
have few sects than Christians. In Islam, there are two major sects, the Shia and Sunni. Both sects have many things in common. They
follow the same prophet, Muhammad (pbuh). Both offer thier prayers five times a day. Both fast in the month of
Ramadan. They both go for Hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca. The difference bewteen these two sects are more like those found between
any two different schools of thought. Those who follow Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), in accordance with his sayings and actions, are
called Sunni and those who in addition follow the sayings and views of Ali (Muhammad's
son-in-law), as the rightful successor to Prophet Muhammad, are called Shia. Shia means a partisan
(party of Ali) and it started more as a plotical
party to help Ali in his conflict with his plocitcal
adversaries. Most Shias live in Iran and Iraq while the rest of the Muslim world
is mostly Sunni. Shia comprise
about 16 percent the Muslim population. Contrary to common accustaion,
neither Shia nor Sunni are militant. Their actions
sometimes are in a reaction to the oppression that they have suffered.
are the Pillars of Islam?
There are
five articles of faith commonly known as the five Pillars of Islam.
The Five Pillars of Islam
The belief in one God and that
Muhammad is His messenger (Iman)
Prayer which is prescribed
five times a day (Salah)
Fasting which is required in
the month of Ramadan (Sawm)
Charity which is the poor-due
on the wealth of the rich (Zakat)
Pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime if one can
afford it physically and financially (Hajj)
Pillars
are part of a building. The building in this case is the perfect human who
cares and protects rights of all creations and fellow humans thus establishing
a society in which justice and peace is supreme.
the Purpose of Worship in Islam?
The
purpose of worship in Islam is to make the person God-conscious. Thus the
worship, whether it is prayer, fasting or charity, it is a means to an end and
the end is to seeke the pleasure of God by becoming
God-conscious in thought and in action. Thus he is better placed to receive His
bounties both in this world and the Hereafter.
Muslims Believe in the Hereafter?
God is
Just and therefore, in order to exercise His justice, there has to be a system
of accountablity. Those who do good have to be
rewarded and those who do wrong have to be punished accordingly. Therefore, He
created Heaven and Hell and there are admission criteria for each of them.
Muslims believe that the present life is a temporary one. It is a test and if
we pass the test, we will be given a life of permanent pleasure in the company
of good people in Heaven.
the Good Actions of Non-Believers Be Wasted?
No. The Qur'an clearly says that, "anyone who has an atom's
worth of goodness will see it and anyone who has done an atom's worth of evil
will also see it". By that it is meant that those who do not believe but
have done good, they will be rewarded in this world
for thier good deed. On the other hand, those who do good if they are Muslims, they will be rewarded not only in
this world but also in the world hereafter. However, the final Judgement is up to God Himself. (Qur'an
2:62)
is the Dress Code for Muslims?
Islam
emphasizes modesty. No person should be perceived as a sex object. Guidelines
both for men and women are that their dress should neither be too thin nor too
tight to reveal body forms. For men, they must at least cover the area from the
knee to the navel and women, their dress should cover all areas except the
hands and the face. The veil is essential.
are the Dietary Prohibitions in Islam?
Muslims
are told in Qur'an not eat pork or pork products,
dead animals or the meat of the carnivorous animals (as they eat dead animals),
or drink intoxicants such as wine or use any drug product.
is "Islamic Fundamentalism"?
As opposed
to Christianity, there is no concept of "Fundamentalism" in Islam.
The Western media has coined this term to brand those Muslims who wish to
return to the basic fundamental principles of Islam and mould thier lives accordingly. Islam is a religion of medoeration and a practicing Muslim can neither be a
fanatic nor an extremist.
is the Islamic Year?
The Islmic Year started from the migration (Hijra)
of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D. It is a lunar year of
354 days. The first month is called Muharram. 1993 AD is in Islamic year 1413
A.H.
are the Major Islamic Festivals?
Eid ul-Fitr marks the end of the fasting in the month of
Ramadan and is celebrated with public prayers, feasts and exchange of gifts. Eid ul-Adha marks the end of the
Hajj or the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. After the public prayers, those
who can afford, sacrifice a lamb, goat, cow or camel to signify Prophet
Abraham's (pbuh) obedience to God, shown by his
readiness to sacrifice his son Ishmael.
is Sharia?
Sharia
is the comprehensive Muslim law derived from two sources: (a) the Qur'an (b) the Sunnah or
traditions of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). It covers
every aspect of daily individual living. The purpose of
Islamic laws are protection of individuals' basic human rights to
include right to life, property, politcal and
religious freedom and safeguarding the rights of women and minorities. The low
crime rate in Muslim societies is due to the application of the Islamic penal
laws. These however can only be applied in a society which has established all
other Islamic laws to ensure justice and protection of others' rights.
Islam Spread by the Sword?
According
to the Qur'an, "There is no complusion
in religion" (Qur'an 2:256), thus noone can be forced to become a Muslim. While it is true
that in many places where Muslim armies wnet to
liberate people or the land, they did carry the sword as that was the weapon
used at that time. However, Islam did not spread by the sword. In many places
where there are Muslims now, in the Far East like Indonesia, in China, and many
parts of Africa, there are no records of any Muslim armies having gone there.
To say that Islam spread by the sword would be to say that Chrisitianity
was spread by guns, F-16's and atomic bombs, etc., which is
not true. Christianity was spread by the missionary works of Christians.
Ten-percent of all Arabs are Christians. The "Sword of Islam" could
not convert all the non-Muslim minorities in Muslim countries. In India, where Muslims ruled for 700
years, they are still a minority. In the U.S.A., Islam is the fastest growing
religion and has 6 million followers and no sword is around.
Islam Promote Violence and Terrorism?
No. Islam
is a religion of peace and submission and stresses the sanctity of human life.
A verse in the Qur'an says that "anyone who
saves one life, it is as is he has saved the whole of mankind and anyone who
has killed another person except (in lieu of murder or mischief on earth) it is
as if he has killed the whole of mankind" (Qur'an
5:32). Islam condemns all the violence that is sometimes blamed on Muslims and
at times are committed by those who have Muslim names.
Christianity can not be judged by the violence which happened in the Crusades,
in Spain, in World War II, or by acts of
people like the Rev. Jim Jones, David Koresh, or the
atrocities commited in Bosnia by the Christian Serbs. Anyone who
is doing violence is not practicing his religion at that time. However,
sometimes violence is a human response of oppressed people as it happens in Palestine. These people have been displaced
from their homeland, been put in refugee camps, and watched their relatives
being killed and no one listens to their plight unless they do something to get
the attention of the media. Although this is wrong, this is the only way for
them to attrat attention. There is a lot terrorism
and violence in areas where there is no Muslim presence. For example, in Ireland, South Africa, LAtin America, and Sri Lanka. Sometimes the
violence in due to a struggle between those who have and those who do not have,
or between those who are oppressed with those who are the oppressors. We
need to find out why people do become terrorists. Unfortunately, the
Palestinians who are doing violence are called terrorist but when Tamils in Sri Lanka do the same, they are called
rebels.
is Jihad?
The word
"Jihad" means struggle, or to be specific, string in the cause of
God. Any struggle done in day-to-day life to please God is considered Jihad.
One of the hishest levels of Jihad is to stand up to
a tyrant and speak a word of truth. Control of the self from wrong doings is
the greatest Jihad. One of the forms of Jihad is to take up arms in defense of
Islam or a Muslim country when Islam is attacked. This kind of Jihad has to be
declared by the religious leadership or by a Muslim head of state who is following Qur'an and Sunnah.
Islam Promote Polygamy?
For Muslim
men to have more than one wife is a permission which is given to them in the Qur'an provided it's not to satisfy lust but to meet social
solutions and needs and then too, provided he is capable of treating them
equally. It is not an injunction. In the pre-Islamic period, men used to have
many wives. One person had 11 wives and when he became Muslim, he asked the
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) "What should I do with
so many wives?" and he said "Divorce all except the four." The Qur'an says "you can marry 2 or 3 and tp to 4 women if you can be equally just with each of
them." Since it is very difficult to be equally just with all wives, in
practice, most of the Muslim men do not have more than one wife. Prophet
Muhammad (pbuh) himself from age 24 to 50 was married
to only one women, Khadija.
In the Western society, some men who have one wife have many extramarital
affairs. Thus, a survey was published in "U.S.A. Today"
(April 4, 1988; Section D) which asked 4700 mistresses what they would like thier status to be. They said that "they prefered being a second wife rather that the "other
woman" because they did not have the legal rights, nor did they have the
financial equality of the legally married wives, and it appeared that they were
being used by these men." Historically, all the prophets, except Jesus (pbuh), who was not married, had more than one wife. So this
is nothing that Islam started; in fact, Islam regulated it.
Islam Oppress Women?
No. On the
contrary, Islam elevated the status of women 1400 years ago by giving them the
right to divorce, the right to have financial independence and support and the
right to be identified as dignified women (Hijab)
when the rest of the world, including Europe, women had no such rights. Women
are equal to men in all acts of piety (Qur'an 33:32).
Islam allows women to keep their maiden name after marriage, their earned money
and spend it as they wish, and ask men to be their protector as women on the
street can be molested. Prophet Muhammad (pbub) told
Muslim men "the best among you is the one who is best to his family."
Not Islam, but some Muslim men, do oppress women
today. This is because of thier cultural habits or
their ignorance about their religion.
