What is Islam?
Islam means “submission to the will of God.” Islam teaches belief in only one God, the Day of Judgment and individual accountability for actions. Islam greatly values peace; in fact the traditional Muslim greeting is “Salaam” which means “peace.”
What are the basic teachings of Islam?
The basic teachings of Islam are similar to those of Christianity and Judaism. Islam teaches the belief in one God, the Angels, the Day of Judgment, Heaven and Hell, Adam and Eve, Prophets, Prayer, and Equality. There are five core beliefs of Islam:
Oneness of God (Tawheed) Believe in one God with all His Attributes, that no one is like Him, He has no son, nor father, He is Almighty and All Just. There are other Attributes, well defined in Islam.
Justice of Almighty: Believe that Almighty God is Just. He will never do injustice.
Prophethood: Believe in all Prophets (124,000) and that they were sent by God to guide the mankind.
Imamat: Believe that Prophet Muhammad Peace be upon Him, did leave a successor to guide the mankind after him. An Imam does not bring his own Holy Book or Code of law, but just protects the established system left by Holy Prophet PBUH. The world is never without an Imam.
Day of Judgment: Believe that we all will be evaluated on the Day of Judgment. All those who committed sins and did not repent will be punished and all those who did good deeds will be rewarded. Almighty will carry out the justice.
Everybody will be asked about their actions in this world. Any person, a born Muslim or a Revert Muslim, is expected to accept these beliefs based on reason and logic. There is no compulsion and one cannot just copy or follow others in this belief system.
Who is a Muslim?
A “Muslim” is one who follows Islam and submits to the will of God.
How many Muslims are there?
There are currently 1.2 Billion Muslims in the world, with 7 million in the United States. Contrary to popular perception, only 20% of Muslims are Arabs and live in the Middle East. The countries with the largest Muslim populations are India and Indonesia with about 175 million Muslims each.
Who is “Allah”?“
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”.
What is Quran/Koran?
The Quran is the holy book of Islam. Muslims believe that the Quran was divinely revealed and is the last testament of God. The Quran is preserved in its original Arabic form and has never been changed.
What does the term Prophet means in Islam ?
In Islam prophet means a person, who has been inspired by God to guide the people towards the Right path. There were 124 thousands prophets sent by God over many years. Prophet Muhammad was the last of all, who completed the task of delivering God’s message to mankind. Some other well known Prophets are Adam, Noah, Jesus, Moses and Abraham.
Who was Muhammad?
Muslims believe that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a prophet and the last in a series of messengers of God. Muslims believe in many prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (Peace be upon them).
Who is an Imam ?
In Islam, Imam is considered a successor to Holy Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be upon him and his family). There are 12 Imams who came after the demise of Holy Prophet. The first one was Imam Ali and the last one was named Imam Mahdi. The latter is in occultation.
What does Islam say about Christians and Jews?
Islam teaches that Christians, Jews and Muslims are all descended from Abraham and are “people of the book”. By that it means that the three religions share the same basic beliefs articulated through their holy books. Muslims hold Jesus and Moses (peace be upon them) in high regard and believe that they were prophets blessed with the power of miracles to show the glory of God.
How does Islam view women?
Islam views women as equal to but different from men. Islam teaches that women must be respected and protected. Islam does not condone oppression of women but to the contrary provides many rights to women. In some Middle Eastern countries women may be limited in certain rights. This is not due to Islam but due to the culture of that area.
Why does a Muslim woman covers her hair?
Islam teaches modesty for women and men. Women are required to cover their bodies so that their figure is not revealed and that only their face and hands are shown. This requirement is designed to protect women and give them respect. The dress of Muslim women is very similar to that of Christian Nuns who also cover their bodies and hair.
What is a Mosque/Masjid?
A Mosque or Masjid is a place of worship for Muslims. Muslims pray in a mosque in the same way that Christians pray in a church.
How can one become a Muslim?
Islam states that anyone can become a Muslim , as long he professes from his heart, the belief that God is One, and there is none like Him and that Prophet Muhammad is his messenger. He does not have any son or any father and he has no partners.