What is Islam?The word
"Islam" means peace and submission. Peace means to be at peace with
yourself and your surroundings and submission means submission to the
will of God. A broader meaning of the word "Islam" is to achieve peace
by submitting to the will of God.This is a unique religion with a name
which signifies a moral attitude and a way of life. Judaism takes its
name from the tribe of Juda, Christianity from Jesus Christ, Buddhism
from Goutam Buddha and Hinduism from Indus River. However, Muslims
derive their identity from the message of Islam, rather than the person
of Muhammed (P), thus should not be called "Muhammadans".2. Who is
Allah?Allah is the Arabic word for "one God". Allah is not God of
Muslims only. He is God of all creations, because He is their Creator
and Sustainer.3. Who is 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 willingly submits to the will of God is a Muslim.
Thus, all the prophets preceding the prophet Muhammad are considered
Muslims. The Quran specifically mentions Abraham who lived long before
Moses and Christ that, "he was not a Jew or a Christian but a Muslim,"
because, he had submitted to the will of God. Thus there are Muslims
who are not submitting at all 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 individuals who have a Muslim name but in
their actions, they are not living or behaving as Muslims. The extent
of being a Muslim can be according to the degree to which one is
submitting to the will of God, in his beliefs and his actions.4. Who
was Muhammad? (PBUH)In brief, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was born in
a noble tribe of Mecca in Arabia in the year 570 AD. His ancestry goes
back to Prophet Ishmael (P), son of Prophet Abraham (P). His father
died before his birth and his mother died when he was six. He did not
attend a formal school since he was raised first by a nurse as it was
the custom those days, and then by his grandfather and uncle. As a
young man, he was known as a righteous person who used to meditate in a
cave. At age 40, he was given the prophethood when the angel, Gabriel,
appeared in the cave. Subsequently, the revelations came over 23 years
and were compiled in the form of a book called the Quran which Muslims
consider as the final and the last word of God. The Quran has been
preserved, unchanged, in its original form and confirms the truth in
the Torah, the psalms and the Gospel.5. Do Muslims worship Muhammad?
(P)No. Muslims do not worship Muhammad (P) or any other prophets.
Muslims believe in all prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, David,
Solomon, Moses and Jesus. Muslims believe that Muhammad (P) was the
last of the prophets. They believe that God alone is to be worshiped,
not any human being.6. What do Muslims think of Jesus? (P)Muslims think
highly of Jesus (P) and his worthy mother, Mary. The Quran tells us
that Jesus was born of a miraculous 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" (Quran 3.59). He was
given many miracles as a prophet. These include speaking soon after his
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 Quran, he was not crucified but was raised into
Heaven. (Quran, Chapter Maryam)7. What is the difference between Shia
and Sunni?Both have many things in common. They follow the same book -
Quran. They follow the same prophet Muhammad (P). Both offer their
prayers five time a day. Both fast in the month of Ramadan. They both
go for hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca. Those who follow Prophet Muhammad (P),
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 (P), are called
Shia. Shia means a partisan (party of Ali) and it started more as a
political party to help Ali in his conflict with his political
adversaries. Most Shias live in Iran and Iraq while the rest of the
Muslim world is mostly Sunni. Shias comprise about 16-percent of the
Muslim population.8. What are the pillars of Islam?There are five major
pillars of Islam which are the articles of faith. These pillars are 1)
the belief (Iman) in one God and that Muhammad (P) is His messenger, 2)
prayer (Salat) which are prescribed five times a day, 3) fasting
(Siyam) which is required in the month of Ramadan, 4) charity (Zakat)
which is the poor-due on the wealth of the rich and 5) hajj which is
the pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime if one can afford it
physically and financially. All the pillars should be of equal height
and strength in a building in order to give the building its due shape
and proportions. It is not possible that one would do hajj without
observing fasting or without practicing regular prayers. Now think of a
building which has pillars only. It would not be called a building. In
order to make it a building, it has to have a roof, it has to have
walls, it has to have doors and windows. These things in Islam are the
moral codes of Islam such as honesty, truthfulness, steadfastness and
many other human moral qualities. Thus in order to be a Muslim, one
should not only be practicing the pillars of Islam but should also have
the highest possible attribute for being a good human being. Only then
the building is completed and looks beautiful.9. What is the purpose of
worship in Islam?The purpose of worship in Islam is to be God
conscious. Thus the worship, whether it is prayer, fasting, or charity,
is a means to achieve God consciousness so that when one becomes
conscious of God, in thought and in action, he is in a better position
to receive His bounties both in this world and the hereafter.10. Do
Muslims believe in the hereafter?God is Just and manifest His justice,
He established the system of accountability. Those who do good will be
rewarded and those who do wrong will be punished accordingly. Thus, He
created Heaven and Hell and there are admission criteria for both.
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.11. Will the good actions of
the non-believers be wasted?No. The Quran 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" (Quran 99:7-8). By that it is
meant that those who are non- believers but have done good will be
rewarded in this world for their 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 Judgment is
up to God himself. (Quran 2:62)12. What is the dress code for
Muslims?Islam emphasizes modesty. No person should be perceived as a
sex object. There are certain guidelines both for men and women 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
navel and for women, their dress should cover all areas except the
hands and face. The veil is not essential.13. What are the dietary
prohibitions in Islam?Muslims are told in the Quran not to eat pork or
pork products, meat of the animals who died before being slaughtered or
the carnivorous animals (as they eat dead animals), nor drink blood or
intoxicants such as wine or use any illicit drugs.14. What is Jihad?The
word "Jihad" means struggle, or to be specific, striving in the cause
of God. Any struggle done in day-to-day life to please God can be
considered Jihad. One of the highest levels of Jihad is to stand up to
a tyrant and speak a word of truth. Control of the self from wrong
doings is also a great 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 the Quran and Sunnah