WHAT IS ISLAM : BASIC INFORMATION

ISLAM MEANING : WHO ARE MUSLIMS?

  Islam is an  Arabic  word which means " surrender, submission, commitment and peace." Thus, Islam can be defined as a path to attain complete peace through voluntary submission to the divine will.Thus who follows Islam is a Muslim.

In easy words one who submit himself or herself to ALLAH freely is a Muslim.

How did Islam begin?

Islam is a monotheistic faith centered around belief in the one God (Allah). In this regard, it shares some beliefs with Judaism and Christianity by tracing its history back to the patriarch Abraham,(alaihi wasallam) and ultimately to the first prophet, Adam(alaihi wasallam). All the prophets preached the same universal message of belief in one God and kindness to humanity. The last in the series of prophets, according to Muslims, was Muhammad( sallallahu alaihi wasallam). Muhammad(sallallahu alaihi wasallam) was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia around 570 CE. He worked first as a shepherd and then as a merchant. He was not happy with the people around him because of superstitions and social and economic injustice. The people were worshipping many gods and had forgotten the message of prophet Abraham(alaihi wasallam) to worship one Allah. Muhammad(sallallahu alaihi wasallam) loved to pray and meditate in the mountains. On one of those occasions, in the year 610 CE, when he was about 40 years old, he received a revelation from Allah through the angel Jibril(alaihi wasallam) (Gabriel). He continued to receive messages from Allah throughout his life and he began preaching to others what he had learned. His main message is that there was no other God but Allah and that people should lead their lives in a way that was pleasing to Allah.

How many Muslims are there in

 the world ?

It is the world's second-largest religion with 1.9 billion followers or 24.9% of the world's population, known as Muslims . Muslims make up a majority of the population in 51 countries . 

Islam : Some Basic Concepts 

 

Islam teaches that God (Allah) is One, Merciful, Eternal , Independent, All-Powerful, and Unique, and has guided humanity through prophets, revealed scriptures, and natural signs. The primary scriptures of Islam are the Quran, believed to be the verbatim word of God, as well as the teachings and normative examples (called the sunnah, composed of accounts called hadith) of Muhammad ( say SALLALLAHU ALAIHI WASALLAM). 

Who is Allah (God)?

"Allah" is simply the Arabic word for God. He is the same universal God worshipped by people of all faiths. The word "Allah" is sometimes preferred over God because it is neither masculine nor feminine. Also, there is no plural for "Allah."

ALLAH IS ONLY ONE . ALLAH CREATED THE UNIVERSE , and also us and all things we see or we can't. No one helps Allah creating or managing the whole universe .

What do Muslims believe?

Muslims have six major beliefs:

 -  Belief in one God (Allah)

 - Belief in the Angels

 - Belief in the holy books sent to all the prophets including Torah that was revealed to the prophet Moses,( Musa alaihi wasallam)Bible that was revealed to the prophet Jesus(Isha alaihi wasallam), and Qur'an  that was revealed to the prophet Muhammad,( sallallahu alaihi wasallam)

 - Belief in all the prophets sent by God including Noah(alaihi wasallam), Abraham(Ibrahim alaihi wasallam), Ishmael,(alaihi wasallam), Isaac(alaihi wasallam), Jacob(alaihi wasallam), Moses(Musa alaihi wasallam), Jesus(Isha alaihi wasallam) and Muhammad(sallallahu alaihi wasallam) Although Muslims believe in Isa or Jesus(alaihi wasallam) they don't think of Jesus(alaihi wasallam) as the Son of God the way Christians do.

 - Belief in the Day of Judgment and life after death. The best reward for performing good deeds is getting closer to God.

 - Belief in divine decree. This means that God is all-powerful and nothing can happen without His permission, however, he has given human beings freedom to choose whether to be good or bad. In the end, everyone will be questioned about how they lived in this life. 

What are the Five Pillars of Islam?

These are guides for daily life for putting the beliefs of Muslims into practice:

 1) Shahadah (declaration of faith)—to bear witness or testify that there is no god except one God (Allah) and Muhammad (sallallahu alaihi wasallam) is His prophet or messenger.

2) Salat (ritual prayer)—the five times daily prayers are performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and night. The prayers are offered in Arabic language and facing the direction of Mecca.

3) Zakah (alms tax) –Giving 2.5% of one's wealth to the poor and needy.

4) Sawm (fasting)—Muslims fast during the daylight hours in the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar called Ramadan. The purpose is to remind people of the goodness of what they have and to show equality with the poor. Ramadan is a time for study and self-discipline. 

5) Hajj (pilgrimage): Muslims believe in making a pilgrimage to Mecca to the Ka'bah at least once in their lifetime. The kA'bah is believed to have been built by Ibrahim( alaiwasallm) (Abraham) and one of his sons. Muhammad(sallallahu alaihi wasallam) restored it to worship Allah. For this reason it is a very sacred place to Muslims.

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