Islam at a Glance
Discover Islam! The eternal and universal religion of more than one
billion people from every race and nationality.
MUSLIMS’ BELIEF IN A NUTSHELL
“Say: We believe in Allah (God Almighty) and that which
was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and
that which was given to Moses and Jesus and to the Prophets from their
Lord; we make no distinction between any of them, and to Him (God) we
submit.” (Holy Qur’an 3:83)
ISLAM AND MUSLIM
Islam is an Arabic word which means peace, purity,
acceptance and commitment. The religion of Islam is the complete
acceptance of the teachings and the guidance of God, (i.e. surrender to
the Will of Allah).
A Muslim is one who accepts freely and willingly the
supreme power of Allah and strives for total re-organisation of his life
according to the revealed teachings of God. He also works towards the
establishment of a just social order which would totally reflect the
guidance of God.
CONTINUITY OF MESSAGE
Islam is not a new religion. It is in essence the same
message and guidance which Allah revealed to all His Prophets. ‘Say: We
believe in Allah and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and
Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and that which was given to Moses and Jesus
and to the Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between any of
them, and to Him we submit.’ (Holy Qur’an 3:83)
The message which was revealed to Muhammad, the last
Prophet, is Islam in its comprehensive, complete and final form.
THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
Every action which is done with the awareness that it
fulfils the will of Allah is considered an act of worship in Islam.
Nevertheless, the specific acts of worship, termed the pillars of Islam,
provide the framework of spiritual life.
They are the following:
-
The declaration of faith: ‘I bear witness that there
is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His servant
and messenger; the prophethood of Muhammad obliges the Muslims to follow
his exemplary life in every way.
-
Prayers are prescribed five times a day as a duty
towards Allah. They strengthen and enliven the belief in Allah and
inspire man to a higher morality. They purify the heart and control the
temptation towards wrong doing and evil. It should be stressed that
while Allah does not need our prayers we cannot survive without His
blessings and guidance. “0 you who believe! Seek help with patient
perseverance and prayer, for Allah is with those who patiently
persevere.” (Holy Qur'an 2:153)
-
Fasting is observed once each year during the month
of Ramadaan. This means abstention from food, drink and intimate marital
relationship from dawn to sunset. and also from evil intentions and
desires. It teaches love, sincerity and devotion. It develops a sound
social conscience, patience, unselfishness and willpower. When we fast
by choice. Allah remembers our sacrifice.
-
Zakaat - payment annually of 2.5% of one's net
savings as a purifying sum to be spent on the poor and needy. Zakaat
implies that everything man possesses belongs to Allah and therefore
anyone in need has a share in it.
-
Pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah - once in a lifetime
provided one has the means to do so. Hajj implies man's temporary
suspension of all worldly activities and his realisation of himself as a
naked soul in front of Allah alone.
ONENESS OF GOD
Islam enjoins faith in the Oneness and Sovereignty of
God, which makes man aware of the meaningfulness of the Universe and his
place in it. This belief frees him from all fears and superstitions by
making him conscious of the presence of Almighty Allah and of man's
obligations towards Him. Belief in one God requires that we look upon all
humanity as one family irrespective of colour, class, race or territory,
under the Omnipotence of Allah the Creator and Nourisher of all. Islam
rejects the idea of a chosen people, making faith in Allah and good action
the only way to Heaven. Thus a direct relationship is established with
Allah, open to all alike, without any intercessor.
MAN, THE FREE AGENT
Man is the highest creation of Allah and chooses his
own way. Created with the highest potentialities, man is left relatively
free in his will, action and choice. Allah has shown him the right path
and the life of Prophet Muhammad provides a perfect example. Man's success
and salvation lies in following them. Islam teaches the sanctity of the
human personality and confers equal rights upon all without any
distinction of race or sex.
The law of Allah, enunciated in the Qur'an’ an and
exemplified in the life of the Prophet, is supreme in all cases. It
applies equally to the highest and the lowest, the prince and the peasant,
the ruler and the ruled.
LIFE AFTER DEATH
The world according to Islam, is a place of trial and
man is being judged in it. Man is accountable to Allah for all that he
does herein. Life on earth will, one day, come to an end: and after that a
new world will be resurrected. It will be in this Life after Death that
man will be rewarded or punished for his deeds and misdeeds. Allah will
judge man on the day of existence which leads to further blessings. or to
Hell, a stage of suffering and punishment.
QUR'AN AND HADITH
The Qur’an is the last revealed Word of Allah and as
such affirms and completes the total process of revelation which has come
from the Divine Guidance for the human race. The Qur’an is the basic
source of Islamic teachings and laws and deals with the bases of creed,
morality, history of humanity, worship. knowledge, wisdom, the God-man
relation, and human relationship, in all aspects. Comprehensive teachings
on which sound systems of social justice, economics, politics,
legislation, jurisprudence, law and international relations can be built,
are important contents of the Holy Qur’an. Prophet Muhammad himself was an
unlettered man who could not read or write. The Holy Qur’an was revealed
to him piece-meal over a period of 23 years and committed to memory and
writing by his followers under his supervision during his lifetime. The
original and complete text of the Qur’an is available to everybody in
Arabic, the language in which it was revealed. Translations of the meaning
into many languages are widely used.
Hadith, the teachings, sayings and actions of the
Prophet Muhammad, meticulously reported and collected by his devoted
companions, explain and elaborate the Qur'anic verses.
CONCEPT OF WORSHIP
Islam does not teach or accept mere ritualism. It
emphasises intention and action. To worship Allah is to know Him and love
Him, to act upon His laws in every aspect of life, to enjoin goodness and
forbid evil and oppression, to practice charity and justice and to serve
Him by serving mankind. Islam seeks to implant in man's heart the
strongest conviction that his every thought and action are known by Allah,
Who sees him at all times and in all places.
The Qur’an presents this concept in the following
sublime manner: “It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the
East or to the West, but righteous is he who believes in Allah and the
Last Day the Angels and the Books and the Prophets; and gives his wealth
for the love of Him to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the
wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observes proper
worship and pays the Zakaat. And those who keep their treaty when they
make one, and they are patient in the tribulation and adversity and time
of stress. Such are those who are Godfearing;” (Holy Qur’an 2:177)
ISLAMIC WAY OF LIFE
Islam provides definite guidelines for all people to
follow in all walks of life. The guidance it gives is comprehensive and
includes the social, economic, political, moral and spiritual aspects of
life.
The Qur’an reminds man of the purpose of life on earth,
and his duties and obligations towards himself, his kith and kin, his
community. his fellow human beings and his Creator. Man is given
fundamental guidelines about a purposeful life and then he is left with
the challenge of human existence before him so that he might put these
high ideals into practice. In Islam man is a wholesome, integrated unit
and not a collection of fragmented, competitive parts. The sacred and
secular are not separate parts of man; they are united in the nature of
human being.
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was born in
the year 570 A.C. in Makkah, Arabia. He came from a noble Arab family. He
received the first revelation at the age of forty. As soon as he started
preaching Islam, he and his followers were persecuted and had to face
severe hardships. He was therefore commanded to migrate to Madinah,
another city in Arabia. During a short span of 23 years, he completed his
prophethood and died at the age of 63. He was put to rest in the city of
Madinah. He left no wealth or property. He led a perfect life and set an
example for all human beings. His biography illustrates in real life. the
meaning and implications of the Qur’anic teachings.
ISLAM'S RATIONAL APPEAL
Islam is a simple, rational and practical religion. The
unity of God, the Prophethood of Muhammad and the concept of life after
death are the basic articles of faith. There is no hierarchy of priests
and there are no complicated rites and rituals. Everybody may approach the
Quran directly and translate its dictates into practice.
Islam stands for the middle path and the goal of
producing a moral man in the service of a just society. "Our Lord! Give us
good in this world and good in the Hereafter" (Holy Qur’an 2:201)
Islam guides towards a better and complete life
glorifying in all Its phases Allah, the Almighty Creator.
STATUS OF WOMEN
No discrimination is made on the basis of sex. Islam
recognises that the sphere of potential capabilities and hence
responsibilities of men and women are equally important in themselves but
not exactly the same. The roles of men and women are complementary to each
other.
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE
Marriage is a very important and sacred bond of
relationship between man and woman and a step towards a better, purer and
happier life. Islam gives both man and woman full right to divorce.
Nevertheless divorce is discouraged and is allowed as the last resort.
Islam allows limited polygamy only as a remedy subject to certain
conditions.
JIHAD
Jihad consists in exerting oneself to the utmost in
order to personally follow the teachings of Islam. A Muslim, therefore
expends all the powers of body and soul, his wealth, possessions and even
life in the fight against the evil forces of the world in order that
injustice, oppression and contumacy are annihilated and Allah's just order
is established. Therefore to struggle in the path of Allah with the pen;
speech or the sword is Jihad.
“What has happened to you? Why don't you fight in the
way of Allah in support of men, women and children, whom finding helpless.
they have repressed; and who pray, ‘0 Allah! liberate us from this
habitation which is ruled by tyrants.” (Holy Qur’an 4:75)
Islam has come to liberate man from the worship of man
and establish the worship of Allah.
ISLAM - THE SOLUTION FOR MODERN PROBLEMS
THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN
A major problem which modern man faces is that of
racism. The materially advanced nations can send man to the moon but they
cannot stop man from hating and fighting his fellow man. Islam, over the
last 1400 years, has shown in practice how racism can be ended. Every year
During the Hajj, the Islamic miracle of the real brotherhood of all races
and nations can be seen in action.
THE FAMILY
The family which is the basic unit of civilisation is
disintegrating in all western countries. Islam's family system brings into
a fine equilibrium the rights of man, wife, children and relatives. Islam
nourishes human unselfishness, generosity and love in a well organised
family system.
Human beings live according to their view of life. The
tragedy of secular societies is that they fail to connect the different
aspects of life. The secular and the religious, the scientific and the
spiritual seem to be in conflict. Islam puts an end to this conflict and
brings harmony to man's vision of life.
CONCLUSION
What is the state of the world today? Has man freed
himself from all superstitions, imbecilities and absurd beliefs? Has he
discovered the man from within himself? Has he liberated himself from the
yoke of worldly tyrants indulging in the exploitation of man by man? If
such a millennium has not been achieved despite all the developments in
science and technology, then Islam has still a great and glorious part to
play. |
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