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Welcome to the WHAT & HOW ?
page, this page is composed of
different questions & answers that are most frequently asked. If you have any
question or any confusion u can search and find the required information.
However if you are unable to find your answer, or still want some satisfaction
then I must recommend you a web-page that you must visit. Its address is
http://www.ask-imam.com
you may find your
Q & A there or you can ask your question in detail there.
JazakAllah.
Few Questions Frequently Asked
1. What is Islam?
A: Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through
all His prophets to every people. For a fifth of the world's population,
Islam is both a religion and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a
religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority has nothing to
do with the extremely grave events, which have come to be associated with
their faith.
2. What does Islam mean?
The Arabic word Islam simply means 'submission', and derives from a word
meaning 'peace'. In a religious context it means complete submission to the
will of God. 'Mohammedanism' is thus a misnomer because it suggests that
Muslims worship Muhammad (peace be upon him) rather than God. 'Allah' is the
Arabic name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike.
3. How do we know Islam is the truth?
A: 1- It is the only religion that holds Allah as One, Unique, and Perfect.
2- It is the only religion that believes in the sole worship of Allah, not
Jesus, not an idol, and not an angel, only Allah.
3- The Quran does not contain contradictions.
4- The Quran contains scientific facts, which are 1300 years ahead of their
time. The Quran, while revealed 1400 years ago contains scientific facts,
which are only now being discovered. It is not in contradiction to science.
5- Allah has challenged the world to produce the like of the Quran. And He
says they won't be able to.
6- Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the most influential man in
history. In the book "The 100 most influential men in History", written by
non-Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was #1. Prophet Jesus
(peace be upon him) was #3. It should be noted that even the Prophet Jesus
(peace be upon him) was a prophet sent by Allah. Would Allah allow a false
prophet to be so successful? No. Even the Bible refers to this in
Deuteronomy 18:19. A false prophet would die!!! Yet Prophet Muhammad (peace
be upon him) did not die till he completely conveyed, and taught Allah's
religion.
7- He had many prophecies, and all of his prophecies have come true, or are
still coming true.
4. Why does Islam often seem strange?
Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Perhaps this is
because religion does not dominate everyday life in the West today, whereas
Muslims have religion always uppermost in their minds, and make no division
between secular and sacred. They believe that the Divine Law, the Shari'a,
should be taken very seriously, which is why issues related to religion are
still so important
5. Do Islam and Christianity have different origins?
No. Together with Judaism, they go back to the prophet and patriarch
Abraham, and their three prophets are directly descended from his
sons-Muhammad (peace be upon him) from the eldest, Ishmael, and Moses and
Jesus, from Isaac. Abraham established the settlement, which today is the
city of Makkah, and built the Kabah towards which all Muslims turn when they
pray.
6. Who are Muslims?
A: One billion people form a vast range of races, nationalities and cultures
across the globe, from the southern Philippines to Nigeria, are united by
their common Islamic faith. About 18% live in the Arab world; the world's
largest Muslim community is in Indonesia; substantial parts of Asia and most
of Africa are Muslim, while significant minorities are also to be found in
the Soviet Union, China, North and South America, and Europe.
7. What do Muslims believe?
A: Muslims believe in One, Unique, Incomparable God in the Angels created by
Him, in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind;
in God's complete authority over human destiny and in life after death.
Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam and including
Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David,
Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist and Jesus, (peace be upon them). But
God's final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a
summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) through Gabriel.
8. Who is Allah?
A: Allah means God. It is a personal name, which Allah calls Himself in the
Quran. That is where it originates. It can also be found in an Aramaic copy
of the Bible, and even Christian Arabs say Allah.
9. Where is Allah?
A: Allah is the highest. He is high above ALL of His creation. He is
ascended upon a throne, which is greater than the heavens, and the earth; it
is much, much, much greater than the heavens and the earth. An area much
greater that the heavens and the earth could fit in the footstool of the
throne, and they would be like a ring thrown into an open desert. Allah is
certainly the greatest.
10. Does Allah look like us?
A: No, Allah is perfect. He is not like any of His creations. He has told us
that He has hands, eyes, a face, and feet, but all of these attributes are
befitting to His might and glory. A Muslim does not say a single thing about
Allah other than what Allah says about Himself. Allah is Perfect and Unique.
11. What does it mean to believe in Allah?
A: To believe in Allah means to believe in total perfection, and uniqueness.
It means to believe in His prophets because they are His, and He sent them.
We can not pick and choose. A Muslim must believe in all the prophets of
Allah.
It means to believe in the Angles! We must love them all. We cannot hate an
Angel say, for example, Michael to whom rain and the vegetation of the Earth
are attributed or Gabriel to whom revelation (bringing down the scriptures
to the prophets) is attributed.
It means to believe in Allah's predestination of good and bad.
It means to believe in the last day: The day of Judgment.
12. Can we see Allah?
A: Allah is not like the sun. Anyone can see the sun. But Allah is the most
beautiful. Nothing is as beautiful as Allah. Actually looking at Allah is
the greatest pleasure of the people in Paradise. This pleasure Allah does
not give anyone but the believers.
13.Does Allah see us?
A: Allah sees us and knows everything about us. He knows us better than we
know ourselves. There is not a leaf on a tree that blows away, or stays in
its place except that He knows it. There is not a dry spot, nor a wet spot,
nor a grain in the depths of the earth except that Allah knows it.
14. Does Allah answer my prayers?
A: We know that Allah answers all the prayers of the believers. This can be
in 4 ways:
1- Getting what we ask for!
2- Getting something as good or better!
3- Being spared something bad that would have happened otherwise.
4- Being rewarded on the day of Judgment with a much greater reward than
what we were asking for on earth.
15. When does Allah not answer our prayers?
A: 1- When it is bad for us!
2- When we ask, but not from our heart!
3- When we say: I asked and asked and He did not answer.
4- When we eat or drink unlawful food i.e. pork, wear unlawful clothes or
use or posses property that was earned either through interest from the bank
or that was stolen.
16. What can I ask of Allah?
A: Any thing, but don't ask Him to do things like make you a prophet because
He has already said that there will be no more prophets. You can ask Allah
for guidance, meaning you can ask Him to show you the correct religion.
17. Who is Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
A: Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in Makkah in the year 571 A.D., at
a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. Since his
father died before his birth and his mother shortly afterwards, so he was
raised by his uncle from the respected tribe of Quraish. As he grew up, he
became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity so much that he
was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. The historians
describe him as calm and meditative. Muhammad (peace be upon him) was of a
deeply religious nature, and had long detested the decadence of his society.
It became his habit to meditate from time to time in the Cave of Hira near
the summit of Jabal al-Nur, the Mountain of Light near Makkah.
18. How did Muhammad (peace be upon him) become a prophet and a messenger
of God?
At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad (peace be
upon him) received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel.
This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the
Quran.
As soon as he began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel, and to preach
the truth that God had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers
suffered bitter persecution, which grew so fierce that in the year 622 God
gave them the command to emigrate. This event, the Hijrah, 'migration', in
which they left Makkah for the city of Madinah some 260 miles to the north,
marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
After several years, the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his followers were
able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies and established
Islam definitively. Before the Prophet (peace be upon him) died at the age
of 63, the greater part of Arabia was Muslim, and within a century of his
death Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as Far East as China.
19. What is the Quran?
The Quran is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel
Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). It was memorized by
Muhammad (peace be upon him) and then dictated to his companions, and
written down by scribes, who crosschecked it during his lifetime. Not one
word of its 114 Surahs, has been changed over the centuries, so that the
Quran is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed
to Muhammad (peace be upon him) fourteen centuries ago.
20. What is the Quran about?
The Quran, the last revealed Word of God, is the prime source of every
Muslim's faith and practice. It deals with all the subjects which concern us
as human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is
the relationship between God and His creatures. At the same time, it
provides guidelines for a just society, proper human conduct and an
equitable economic system.
21. Are there any other sacred sources?
Yes, the Sunnah, the practice and example of the Prophet (peace be upon
him), is the second authority for Muslims. A Hadith is a reliably
transmitted report of what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, did, or
approved. Belief in the Sunnah is part of the Islamic faith.
Examples of the Prophet's sayings
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
'God has no mercy on one who has no mercy for others.'
'None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes
for himself.'
'Powerful is not he who knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who
controls himself in a fit of anger.'
(From the Hadith collections of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Baihaqi.)
22. Who is Jesus to us?
A: Jesus (peace be upon him) is a true prophet, sent by Allah like Moses,
Abraham, Lot, Noah, Jonah, Joseph, etc (peace be upon them).
23. Who were the parents of Jesus (peace be upon him)?
A: Jesus is the son of Virgin Mary and he had no father. Allah created
Jesus.
24. Can Jesus (peace be upon him), or Muhammad (peace be upon him) be
worshipped?
A: No, Allah does not accept that a prophet, a person, an angel, a cow, a
stone, or anything be worshipped in place of Him or even along with Him.
Worship must be to Allah, the Creator of them.
25. Is Allah the same as what Christians call "the father"?
A: Allah is the Creator, who Jesus (peace be upon him) worshipped. He is the
Creator who spoke to Moses and split the sea for Moses and his followers.
That is Allah. But Allah tells us: "Say Allah is one, He is Perfect, He has
never begotten, nor was He begot, and there is no one equal to Him."
26. Is there a trinity in Islam?
A:No. Allah is one and perfect.
27. Can anyone become a Muslim?
A: Yes anyone can. There are two declarations, which are necessary:
1- To bear witness that no one deserves to be worshiped except Allah.
2- To bear witness that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the
Messenger of Allah.
This makes a person Muslim. But it should be said in Arabic. Next a person
takes a shower and s/he is a Muslim.
Then what?
After a person becomes Muslim s/he is taught about prayers, fasting, alms to
the poor, and pilgrimage. These are the pillars of Islam.
Then what?
Muslims are brothers and sisters. A Muslim should love for his brother or
sister what s/he loves for him/herself. Allah's wealth does not run out and
Allah can provide for us all. We pray for each other, and love each other,
and love for our brothers and sisters what we love for ourselves.
28. What about someone who has never heard of Islam?
A: Allah is the most just. It is inconceivable to perceive of anyone acting
with more beneficence than Allah. Allah is the most just and in the Quran He
said: "We will not punish without sending someone to warn you". The "We"
here is the majestic we used in Arabic. So if a person never heard about
Islam, and was never warned clearly, Allah would have a special test for
that person that He knows is equal to the chance that person would have had
on earth.
29. When is the Day of Judgment?
A: Only Allah knows.
30. Are there signs for the day of Judgment?
A: Plenty, plenty, plenty. Many have already occurred.
To name a few:
*Objects will begin to talk.
*There will be much killing. The killer won't know why he killed, and the
person that was killed won't know why he was killed.
*The Antichrist will come.
*Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) son of Mary will return.
*Gog and Magog will be set free.
The sun will rise from the west (after this sign there can be no more
repentance).
31. What is it that keeps us from entering Heaven?
A: Worship of anyone other than Allah is the greatest sin. It is called
shirk, and this is not forgiven except through repentance.
32. What about non-Muslims do; they go to heaven?
A:Allah only accepts Islam. He says in the Quran: "Whoever seeks a religion
other than Islam it won't be accepted of him, and he will be one of the
losers in the hereafter". I would rather lose anywhere, but not lose in the
hereafter. This is because hellfire is eternal. It never ends and we never
die when we go there, if we go there.
33. Do we believe that Allah created the heavens and earth in 6 days?
A: Yes, we do.
34. Do we have free will?
A: Yes, of course. Allah does not punish us for something we did not do on
our own. But at the same time, our will is not inspired of Allah's will. We
cannot do anything if Allah does not allow it. In other words nothing goes
on in Allah's kingdom without His will.
35. Did Allah create evil?
A: Yes, Allah created the good and the bad. Whatever bad happens to us is
due to our sins. We sin and Allah pardons much of what we do; however, when
something bad happens to us it is our fault, and we are to blame. Bad things
that happen to a person are a chance for that person to reflect and ask:
"Why is this happening to me?" A chance for a person to return from his sin
and obey and worship Allah.
36. Who are my best friends?
A:Your best friends are the ones that care where you go after you are dead.
This is how the prophets acted. They cared that we go to heaven, even if it
meant some hardship on earth.
37. Who is my worst enemy?
A: That would be the devils, whether they are human devils (evil people), or
Jinn devils (like Iblis). The Arabic word for a devil is Shaytan (similar to
Satan). Satan wants us all to go to hell. He wants us to be bad on earth.
Whether we get rich or do lots of wrong things that we appear to enjoy, he
does not care that, but he wants to make sure we don't go to heaven.
38. Do bad things happen to the believers (good people)?
A: Yes, they do. But they appear bad to the believers because they are
things people don't like. Who likes breaking a leg? However, when a bad
thing happens to a believer this believer is patient. He praises Allah in
all circumstances. He knows Allah does not decree something unless it is for
his own good.
39. Why is the family so important to Muslims?
The family is the foundation of Islamic society. The peace and security
offered by a stable family unit is greatly valued, and seen as essential for
the spiritual growth of its members. A harmonious social order is created by
the existence of extended families; children are treasured, and rarely leave
home until the time they marry.
40. What about food?
Although much simpler than the dietary law followed by Jews and the early
Christians, the code which Muslims observe forbids the consumption of pig
meat or any kind of intoxicating drink. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him) taught that 'your body has rights over you', and the consumption of
wholesome food and the leading of a healthy lifestyle are seen as religious
obligations.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'Ask God for certainty [of faith] and
well-being; for after certainty, no one is given any gift better than
health!'
41. Why is the eating of pork forbidden in Islam?
A: 1. Quran:
Prohibited in no less than 4 different places-2: 173, 5:3, 6:145 and 16:115.
Allah says: “Forbidden to you (for food) are: dead meat, blood, the flesh of
swine, and that on which hath been invoked the name of other than Allah."
[Al-Quran 5:3]
2. Bible:
Prohibited in the books of Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Isaiah: "Of their
flesh shall ye not eat, and their carcass shall ye not touch, they are
unclean to you."[Leviticus 11:7-8].
3. Medical researches:
Can cause no less than seventy different types of diseases. A person can
have various helminthes like roundworm, pinworm, hookworm, etc. One of the
most dangerous ones is tapeworm, which can reach almost all the organs of
the body and can cause memory loss, heart attack, blindness, and liver
damage.
4. Fat:
Pork has very little muscle building material and contains excess of fat,
which gets deposited in the vessels and can cause hypertension and heart
attack.
5. Filthy animal:
Pig is one of the filthiest animals on the earth because it lives and
thrives on muck, faces and dirt.
42. What is the Kabah?
The Kabah is the place of worship, which God commanded Abraham and Ishmael
to build over four thousand years ago. The building was constructed of stone
on what many believe was the original site of a sanctuary established by
Adam. God commanded Abraham to summon all mankind to visit this place, and
when pilgrims go there today they say 'At Thy service, O Lord', in response
to Abraham's summons.
Sources:
1)
www.sultan.org
2)
www.alim.org
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