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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sirajstc" data-source="post: 14081027" data-attributes="member: 91140">- Brief Answers -Q: What is Islām?A:  Islām means submission to the will of God. Islām teaches belief in only  one God, the Day of Judgment and individual accountability for actions.  One who submits to God is called a Muslim – this being the precondition  to enter Paradise.Q: Who is Allah?A:  Allah is simply the Arabic word for God, the same God worshiped by  Christians and Jews. It is the God of Abraham and Moses, not a different  God. Christian Arabs also refer to God as Allah.Q: What is the Qur’ān/Koran? A:  The Qur’ān is the holy book of Islām. Muslims believe that the Qur’ān  was divinely revealed and is the last testament of God. The Qur’ān is  preserved in its original Arabic form and is unanimously accepted that  it has never been altered – preserved both orally and in written form.Q: What are the basic teachings of Islām?A: There are five Pillars in Islām: a.                          Declaration of the Faith:  To testify there is no deity worthy of worship except                                      God and Muhammad is the Messenger of Godb.                         Prayer:   Pray towards Makkah five times each day c.                          Charity: Donate a portion of your wealth to the poord.                         Fasting: Go without food, drink and having relations with your spouses from                          dawn until sunset during the month of Ramadane.                                            Pilgrimage: Visit Makkah and perform the Hajj once in a lifetime, if you have the means to do so.These pillars are built on the Articles of Faith – which can simply be broken down into the following:1)       God:  There is only one God with no associate or partner. All that happened  in the past, is happening now and is going to happen in the future is by  the will of God.2)       The Angels: Angels are created from light and execute the commands of God without question.3)       The Books of God:  These include the Torah, the Psalms of David, The Gospel revealed to Jesus and the Qur’ān.4)       Prophets of God:  There were thousands of prophets who preached God’s message. Prophet  Muhammad was the last prophet for all humanity and completed the message  of God.5)       Day of Judgment:  On this day all mankind will be raised back to life and judged by God.  Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds will be allowed to enter  Paradise and those whose bad deeds outweigh their good deeds will be  condemned to Hell except whom God has mercy on.6)       Divine Decree:  God’s predestination of all things and events and His Decree. Nothing  in the universe can occur without the knowledge of God. Whatever He  desires, it occurs and whatever He does not desire, it doesn’t occur.  There is no power or any movement except by God.7)       Life after Death:  The  eternal life in Paradise where one will be rewarded for living a  righteous life on Earth, or the fire of Hell where one will be punished  for the evil that one committed.Q: Why do Muslims pray five times a day? A:  Muslims pray five times a day because God prescribed it. For those who  do not know the values of prayer may think it is too much. For those who  practice the prayer, take solace in it as they are praising, glorifying  and talking to the Greatest. Hence at five times during the day no  matter what circumstances surround them they focus back to God and the  true realities of life. Indeed, some prefer to pray more in order to  attain happiness, peace and tranquillity. Q: In order to pray you perform the ablution. Why do you do such a ritual? Can’t you pray without ablution?A:  For every activity in life, there are rules and regulations. Sometimes  there are pre-requisites to the general requirements too. In Islām there  are also some rules and regulations for the systems that God has  legislated. In schools, each teacher has his requirements for every  course that he/she teaches. Through their knowledge and wisdom they have  designed the course and the requirement so that the students will be  able to pass the course. The prayer (salat) in Islām has its rules and  regulations. It has its spiritual and physical dimensions – spiritually  any minor sins that have been accumulated since the previous ablution  are cleansed and physically it removes and cleans the body from all  types of impurities. Islām also encourages the use of a toothstick to  clean our teeth and apply scent – all in preparation for the Believer to  presents him/herself before the King of kings, God himself.Q: Why do Muslims have to pray towards Ka’aba in Makkah?A:  The Ka’bāh is the first house built for the worship of God on earth. It  was originally built by Adam and then rebuilt by Abraham and his son  Ishmael. God has chosen the Ka’bāh as a focal point of unity of pray for  all the Believers all over the world. Q: What is a Mosque/Masjid?A:  A Mosque or Masjid is a place of worship for Muslims. Muslims pray in a  masjid in the same way that Christians pray in a church.Q: I know Muslims fast in Ramadhan. Why do you fast the whole month not eating and drinking anything during the day?A:  Fasting the whole month of Ramadan is the fourth pillar in Islām. This  month is the 9th lunar month of the Islāmic calendar and is the month in  which the Qur’ān was revealed. For the whole month Muslims fast from  dawn until sunset. During the Prophet’s life, the Angel Gabriel would  descend every night of the month and go over the verses that had been  revealed up to that point with him. In additional to the spiritual  cleansing of the soul, fasting has many religious, social, cultural,  economic and educational benefits to all – including the control of  egos, appetites and lusts. Fasting has also been prescribed on other  people before Islām too, like the Jews and Christians.Q: What is Hajj?A:  The pilgrimage to Makkah (the Hajj) is an obligation only for those who  are physically and financially able to do so. Nevertheless, over two  million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe  providing a unique opportunity for those of different nations to meet  one another. The annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islāmic  year. Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments that strip away  distinctions of class and culture, so that all stand equal before God.  The rites of the Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include going  around the Ka’bāh seven times and going seven times between the hills of  Safa and Marwa as did Hagar (Abraham’s wife) during her search for  water. The pilgrims later stand together on the wide plains of ‘Arafat  (a large expanse of desert outside Makkah) and join in prayer for God’s  forgiveness, in what is often thought as a preview of the Day of  Judgment. The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid al  Adha, which is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in  Muslim communities everywhere. This and the Eid al Fitr, a festive day  celebrating the end of Ramadan, are the two holidays of the Islāmic  calendar. Q: Who was the Prophet Muhammad?A:  Prophet Muhammad was the last and final prophet sent by God. He  completed the lineage of prophets which included Adam, Noah, Abraham,  Ishmael, Isaac, Moses and Jesus. He was born in Makkah in the year 570  C.E., during the period of history Europeans call the Middle Ages. The  Prophet Muhammad was the son of Abdullah, a noble from the tribe of the  Quraysh. His  father died before  his birth and his mother, Aminah died shortly afterwards. He was then  raised by his uncle, Abu Talib. As he grew up, Muhammad became known for  his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, earning the title of  al-Amin, the trustworthy one. He was of a contemplative nature and had  long detested the decadence of his society. It became his habit to  retreat from time to time in the Cave of Hira’ near the summit of  ‘Mountain of Light’ near Makkah.Q: How did Muhammad become a prophet and messenger of God?A:  At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, he received  his first revelation from God through the Archangel Gabriel. This  revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the  Qur’ān.  The Prophet Muhammad  began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel and to preach the truth  which God had revealed to him. The people of Makkah were steeped in  their ways of ignorance and opposed him and his small group of followers  in every way. These early Muslims suffered bitter persecution. In the  year 622 C.E., God gave the Muslim community the command to emigrate.  This event, the hijrah or migration, in which they left Makkah for the  city of Madīnah, some 260 miles to the North, marks the beginning of the  Muslim calendar. Madīnah  provided the Prophet Muhammad and the Muslims the safe and nurturing  haven in which the Muslim community grew and here he established the  Islāmic state. After several years, the Prophet and his followers  returned as conquerors. He was now supreme ruler of Arabia cleansing the  land from idolatry and dedicated the Ka’bāh to the worship of the One  God. He died at the age of 63 and within a century of his death, Islām  had spread to Spain in the west and as far east as China.Q: Is it true that Muslims worship Muhammad?A:  Not at all! Muslims only worship God alone. For this reason they are  not called Muhammadans. For example, Christians worship Christ and are  hence called Christians. It is the greatest sin in Islām to worship  anybody or anything else alongside God. Q: I thought that Muslims believe only in Muhammad as their Prophet. Is this true?A:  No! Muslims believe in all of the Prophets and Messengers that God sent  to mankind from the days of Adam to the days of the Prophet Muhammad.  God sent over 124,000 Prophets in the history of mankind. However, God  mentioned 25 names in the Qur’ān some of them being: Adam, Enoch, Noah,  Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph,  Job,  Moses, Aaron, King David, King Soleman, Jonah, Zachariah, John the  Baptist, Jesus and Muhammad. Muslims believe in all of them and do not  differentiate in their missions – all of whom were calling to the  worship of one God. Any time any Prophet’s name is mentioned, Muslims  say peace be upon him (pbuh).Q: I was surprised to know that Muslims believe in Jesus and Mary?A:  Muslims are obligated to believe in Jesus and Mary. They deeply respect  them and consider them to be amongst the greatest of human beings with  Jesus being one of the greatest Messengers of God and His mother the  greatest of all women. In the Qur’ān there is one chapter (sūrah) in the  name of Mary herself – sūrah 19. No other woman’s name was revealed  explicitly in the Qur’ān except that of Mary. Q: I am also surprised to know that Muslims believe in Moses. I thought Moses was the Prophet of the Jews only.A:  Moses was not the Prophet of the Jews. He was the Prophet of God to the  children of Israel. He was sent to save them from the persecution of  Pharaoh of Egypt. However, Moses was a Muslim. He preached the Message  of God and taught them to believe in God, the Creator of the Universe.  He instructed them to pray, fast and pay charity as well. Muslims  believe in Prophet Moses in as much as they believe in all the other  Prophets and Messengers without any discrimination.Q:  Is it true that Muhammad is the last Prophet and the last Messenger? If  yes, how come?! Don’t you think that we need more Prophets today?A:  Yes! Muhammad is the last Prophet and the last Messenger of God to all  mankind. His teachings are meant for Christians, Jews, Bhudists, Hindus  and others. The  originality, totality and authenticity of the Qur’ān are well  documented and proved to be intact. The teachings of Islām are meant for  all human beings. This was not true to the previous Prophets who came  for a particular tribe, nation, or even for a particular era and area.  The Qur’ān was revealed as the last testament to mankind. Q:  Christians believe that we were born sinful and therefore we have to be baptised. What does Islām say about original sin?A:  In Islām, every person is born free of sin. It would be inhumane and  unjust that God would create us with sins. God is so merciful. He  created us as pure as crystal ice. It is only after the age of puberty  that one will be accounted for his deeds and actions preceded by  intention. At that time, we will be rewarded ten times for any good  deeds and we will be charged once for every bad deed. If we ask  forgiveness from God, He will forgive us. Because we are born free of  sins, we do not need to be baptised. We are already born as Muslims.Q: In Christianity, one must believe in Jesus as our personal Savior to enter Paradise. What does Islām say about Salvation?A:  Salvation in Islām does not depend on someone else to do it for us. We  are responsible for our deeds and actions preceded by our good  intentions. Therefore, everyone has to work hard with good intention.  Our intention as Muslims is to please the Creator. Whoever believes in  God; in all the Prophets and Messengers that God sent to mankind; in the  Day of Judgment; and do good deeds to all without personal ego or  without exploitation; then and only then God assures us eternal  Salvation. Through His Mercy, Forgiveness and Blessings, people will be  given Salvation.Q:  Once I was talking to a Muslim saying to him that Christians believe in  the Unity of God. He informed me that Muslims do not believe in the  Unity of God but in the Oneness of God. I got confused. Would you kindly  elaborate the difference for me?A:  Thank you very much for raising a very fundamental principle in Islām.  Muslims believe in the Oneness of God. They do not believe in the  concept of Unity of God. The word unity may give a wrong impression  about the concept of God. It may mean two gods in one, or three gods in  one. Christians believe in three gods in one: God the father, god the  son and god the holy spirit. Three in One. This is the concept of Unity  of God. Muslims do not subscribe to this concept. God is the only One.  He is One-in-One. He begets no one; and no one has begotten Him. He is  the Creator of the whole universe. No one shares with Him His  Sovereignty.Q:  During Christmas, I realised that Muslims do not participate in this  celebration. Since Muslims believe in Jesus, why then do they not  celebrate Christmas? A:  Muslims believe in the Prophet Jesus. He was one of the five Mighty  Messengers of God. However, Muslims do not celebrate the birth of any  Prophet. Even those Prophets did not celebrate their own birthdays. Its  origins lie in the Pagan feast of the Roman Empire. </blockquote>

Verification: Hata thunen beduwama keeyada? (60 bedeema thuna)

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