What Is Islam ?
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 have nothing to do with the extremely grave events
which have come to be associated with their faith.
◊ Who are the Muslims?
One billion people from 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 to be found in the Soviet Union, China, North and South
America, and Europe.
◊ What do Muslims believe?
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 the Day
of Judgement and individual accountability for actions; 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
through Gabriel.
◊ How does someone become a Muslim?
Simply by saying 'there is no god apart from God, and Muhammad is the Messenger
of God.' By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all God's
messengers, and the scriptures they brought.
◊ 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
rather than God. 'Allah' is the Arabic name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims
and Christians alike.
◊ 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.
◊ 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 from the eldest,
Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus from Isaac. Abraham established the settlement which
today is the city of Makkah, and built the Ka'ba towards which all Muslims turn
when they pray.
◊ What is the Ka'ba?
The Ka'ba 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.
◊ Who is Muhammad?
Muhammad, was born in Makkah in the year 570, at a time when Christianity was not
yet fully established in Europe. Since his father died before his birth, and his
mother shortly afterwards, he was raised by his uncle from the respected tribe of
Quraysh. As he grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity,
so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. The historians
describe him as calm and meditative. Muhammad 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.
◊ How did Muhammad become a prophet and a messenger of God?
At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad 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 which 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 Hijra,
'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 and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their
enemies and established Islam definitively. Before the Prophet 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.
◊ How did the spread of Islam affect the world?
Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the simplicity
of its doctrine - Islam calls for faith in only One God worthy of worship. It also
repeatedly instructs man to use his powers of intelligence and observation.
Within a few years, great civilizations and universities were flourishing, for according
to the Prophet, 'seeking knowledge is an obligation for every Muslim man and woman'.
The synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas and of new thought with old, brought
about great advances in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture,
art, literature, and history. Many crucial systems such as algebra, the Arabic numerals,
and also the concept of the zero (vital to the advancement of mathematics), were
transmitted to medieval Europe from Islam. Sophisticated instruments which were
to make possible the European voyages of discovery were developed, including the
astrolabe, the quadrant and good navigational maps.
◊ What is the Quran?
The Quran is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel
to the Prophet Muhammad. It was memorized by Muhammad and then dictated to his Companions,
and written down by scribes, who cross-checked it during his lifetime. Not one word
of its 114 chapters, Suras, has been changed over the centuries, so that the Quran
is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad
fourteen centuries ago.
◊ 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.
◊ Are there any other sacred sources?
Yes, the sunna, the practice and example of the Prophet, is the second authority
for Muslims. A hadith is a reliably transmitted report of what the Prophet said,
did, or approved. Belief in the sunna is part of the Islamic faith.
Examples of the Prophet's sayings
The Prophet 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.'
'He who eats his fill while his neighbor goes without food is not a believer.'
'The truthful and trusty businessman is associated with the prophets the saints,
and the martyrs.'
'Powerful is not he who knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who controls
himself in a fit of anger.'
'God does not judge according to your bodies and appearances but He scans your hearts
and looks into your deeds.'
'A man walking along a path felt very thirsty. Reaching a well he descended into
it, drank his fill and came up. Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying
to lick up mud to quench its thirst. The man saw that the dog was feeling the same
thirst as he had felt so he went down into the well again and filled his shoe with
water and gave the dog a drink. God forgave his sins for this action.' The Prophet
was asked: 'Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?' He
said, 'There is a reward for kindness to every living thing.'
From the hadith collections of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi.