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The Arabic word Islam means voluntary surrender
to the will of Allah and obedience to His commands.
Allah is an Arabic word, the proper name of God.
Muslims prefer to use the word Allah rather than
God. A person who freely and consciously accepts
the Islamic way of life and sincerely practices it is
called a Muslim.
BASIC BELIEFS
TAWHID
is the most important Islamic belief. It
implies that everything in existence originates from
the one and only Creator, who is also the Sustainer
and the sole Source of Guidance. This belief should
govern all aspects of human life. Recognition of
this fundamental truth results in a unified view of
existence that rejects any divisions of life into the
religious and the secular. Allah is the sole source
of Power and Authority and therefore entitled to
worship and obedience from mankind. There is no
scope for any partnership with the Creator. Tawhid
teaches man that Allah is not born, nor is anyone
born of Him. He has no son or daughter. Human
beings, like the rest of creation, are His subjects.
RISALAH
means Prophethood and
Messengership. Allah has not left humanity without
guidance for the conduct of our affairs. Since
the creation of the first human, Allah has revealed
His guidance to mankind through His prophets. The
prophets who received books from Allah are called
messengers. The message of all the prophets and
messengers is one and the same. They urged the
people of their time to obey and worship Allah alone
and none other. Whenever the teachings of a prophet
were distorted by people Allah sent another prophet
to bring human beings back to the Straight Path.
The chain of Risalah began with Adam, included
Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Lot, Jacob, Joseph,
Moses and Jesus, and ended with
Muhammad (peace be upon them all), as the final
messenger of Allah to mankind.
The revealed books from Allah are: the Torah
(Tawrah), the Psalms (Zabur), the Gospel (Injeel)
and the Quran. The Quran was revealed to Prophet
Muhammad (p)
1, as the final book of Guidance.
Among all these books, it is only the Quran that
remains unchanged, in its original revealed form.
AKHIRAH
means life after death. Belief in Akhirah
has a profound impact on the life of a believer. We
are all accountable to Allah on the Day of Judgment
when we will be judged according to how we
lived our lives. One who obeys and worships Allah
will be rewarded with a permanent place of happiness
and bliss in Paradise (
Jannah); One who does
not do so will be sent to Hell (
Jahannam), a place
of punishment and suffering.
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Islam has five pillars or basic foundations of action.
Acting correctly and sincerely on these foundations
transforms a Muslims life into one that is in harmony
with nature and thus in conformity with the
will of the Creator. Faithful practice of these duties
inspires her to work towards the establishment of
justice, equality and righteousness in society, and
the eradication of injustice, falsehood and evil.
1. SHAHADAH
, the first of the five basic foundations,
is the declaration, knowingly and voluntarily,
of:
La ilaha illal lahu Muhammadur rasulul lah. There
is no god except Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger
of Allah
This declaration is the basis of all actions in Islam,
and the other basic duties follow this affirmation.
2. SALAH
(compulsory prayer) is offered five times
a day. It is a practical demonstration of faith, and
keeps a believer in touch with her Creator. The benefits
of Salah are far-reaching, long lasting and immeasurable.
It develops in a believer the qualities of
self-discipline, steadfastness and obedience to the
Truth, leading her to be patient, honest and truthful
in the affairs of her life.
3. ZAKAH
(welfare contribution) is a compulsory
payment from a Muslims annual savings. It can
only be spent on helping the poor, the needy, and
the oppressed, and for the general upliftment of
society. Zakah is one of the fundamental principles
of Islamic economy, which insures an equitable
society where everyone has a right to contribute
and share.
4. SAWM
is the annual obligatory fasting during
the month of Ramadan - the ninth month of the
Islamic calendar. A Muslim, every day of this
month, refrains from eating, drinking, smoking, and
sex, from dawn to sunset. Sawm develops a
believers moral and spiritual standard and keeps
him away from selfishness, greed, extravagance
and other vices. Sawm is an annual training program
that increases a Muslims determination to fulfill
his obligation to the Almighty Lord.
5. HAJJ
(pilgrimage to the House of Allah) is an
annual event, obligatory on those Muslims who can
afford to undertake it, at least once in their lifetime.
It is a journey to the House of Allah (Al-Kabah) in
Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in the twelfth month of the
Islamic calendar. Hajj symbolizes the unity of humankind;
Muslims from every race and nationality
assemble together in equality and fraternity to worship
their Lord.
THE QURAN
The Quran is the final Book of guidance from Allah,
sent down to Prophet Muhammad (p) through
the angel Gabriel (Jibrail). Every word of the Quran
is the word of Allah. The Quran is unrivaled in its
recording and preservation. Unlike other scriptures
that were corrupted with human interpolations and
omissions, the Quran has remained unchanged
even to a letter for over fourteen hundred years. The
Quran is the last and final revelation to mankind
and covers all aspects of human life, and its relation
to the life after death.