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What is Islam?
Who are Muslims?
What do Muslims believe?
How does one become a Muslim? What is
Islam?
What does Islam mean?
Who is Muhammad?
What is the Quran?
Are there any other sacred sources?
What are the ‘Five (5) Pillars’
of Islam?
What do Muslims think about Jesus?
Do Islam, Judaism & Christianity
have different origins?
What is the
Ka’ba?
How do Muslims view death?
What does Islam say about war?
What is Prohibited In Islam –
Haram? Islam is one of the three Abrahamic faiths. It
is not a new religion. It is in essence, the same original
message and guidance provided by God, revealed to all
His prophets.
Around one billion people from a vast range of races,
nationalities and cultures across the globe who believe
in the religion of Islam, that is believe in the oneness
of God, his final messenger Muhammad (PBUH – Peace
and Blessings be Upon Him) and the holy book the Quran.
There are at least 300,000 Muslims in Australia.
Muslims believe in the One God; in the Angels created
by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations
were brought to mankind; in the Day of Judgement; in
God’s complete authority over human destiny and
in life after death.
Muslims believe in a chain of prophets (messengers)
starting with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael,
Isaac, Jacob, Moses and Jesus to name a few. But God’s
final message to humanity, a reconfirmation of the eternal
message and summing-up of all that has taken place before,
was revealed to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through
the archangel Gabriel.
Simply by saying “there is no god apart from God
and Muhammad (PBUH) 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.
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. ‘Allah’ is the Arabic
name for God.
Muhammad (PBUH) was born in the city of Makkah (Arabia)
in the year 570 AD. At the age of 40, while engaged
in a meditative retreat, Muhammad (PBUH) received his
first revelation from God through the angel Gabriel.
The revelations which continued periodically for 23
years are known collectively as the Quran.
By the time the Prophet (PBUH) died at the age of 63,
the message of Islam had spread as far as Spain in the
West and China in the east.
The Quran is the sacred holy book of Islam and is believed
to be a collective record of the exact words revealed
by God in the Arabic language through the Angel Gabriel
to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It was memorized by
Muhammad (PBUH) and then passed on to his Companions
and written down by scribes. There are a total of 114
chapters which remain in the original text from 14 centuries
ago.
Yes, the ‘sunna’, the sayings and practices
of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), is the second authority
for Muslims. A ‘hadith’ is a recorded text
of what the Prophet (PBIH) said, did and/or approved.
Essentially there are two fundamental sources for Muslims,
the Quran and the Hadiths.
They are the framework of the Muslim life: faith, prayer,
charity, fasting & pilgrimage.
1 – Faith
There is no god worthy of worship except God and Muhammad
(PBUH) is His messenger. This declaration of faith is
called the ‘Shahada’.
2 – Prayer
Salat is the name for the daily obligatory prayers which
are performed five times a day. The prayer can be performed
alone or in congregation at a mosque. There is no hierarchical
authority in Islam and no priests, so the prayers are
led by a learned person who knows the Quran chosen by
the congregation. Verses from the Quran are read throughout
the prayer. Muslims face the direction of the Ka’ba
(holy shrine in the city of Makkah) during the prayer
and take ablution before beginning.
Prayers are performed at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon,
sunset and nightfall. Although it is preferable to perform
prayers in a mosque, a Muslim can pray almost anywhere,
such as in fields, offices, factories and schools.
3 – The ‘Zakat’: Charity
One of the most important principles of Islam is that
all things belong to God, and that wealth is therefore
held by humans in trust. The word ‘zakat’
literally means ‘purification & growth’.
The zakat involves the payment each year of two-and-a-half
percent of one’s capital which is given to the
poor and needy.
4 – The Fast
Every year in the month of Ramadan (the ninth month
of the Islamic calendar) Muslims fast from first light
and until sundown, abstaining from food, drink and sexual
relations. If they are unable to do so, they should
feed a needy person for every day missed. Although the
fast is also beneficial to the health, it is regarded
principally as a method of self-purification.
5 – Pilgrimage (Hajj)
Annually there is a pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah
(in what is today known as Saudi Arabia) – the
‘Hajj’ is a once in a lifetime obligation
for all able bodied and financially able Muslims to
undertake. Over two million Muslims each year, from
every corner of the globe, perform the Hajj, providing
a unique opportunity for those of different nations
to meet one another. The rites of the Hajj are said
to date back to Abraham.
Muslims respect and revere Jesus (PBUH) and await his
Second Coming. They consider him one of the greatest
of God’s messengers to humanity. The Quran confirms
his virgin birth and Mary is considered the purest woman
in all creation (a chapter in the Quran is entitled
“Mary”).
No. All three monotheistic faiths go back to the prophet
Abraham, and their three respective prophets are directly
descended from his sons; Muhammad (PBUH) from Ishmael
and Moses & Jesus from Isaac.
Muslims believe that Abraham established the settlement
which today is the city of Makkah and built the Ka’ba
towards which all Muslims turn when they pray.
?
The Ka’ba is the place of worship which we believe
God commanded Abraham and his son Ishmael to build over
four thousand years ago. The rectangular 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 humanity to visit this place and
when pilgrims go there today they say “At thy
service, O Lord” in response to Abraham’s
summons.
Like Jews & Christians, Muslims believe that the
present life is only a trial preparation for the next
realm of existence and that this existence is only a
temporary one whereas the hereafter is for all eternity.
Basic articles include: the Day of Judgement, Resurrection,
Heaven & Hell.
Islam permits fighting in self-defence and in defence
of religion. War is the last resort and is subject to
rigorous conditions. The term “jihad” literally
means ‘struggle’. It does not mean “holy
war”.
The prohibition of things is due to their impurity and
harmfulness. Pork, alcohol, drugs, gambling, adultery,
fornication and homosexuality are some haram items which
are deemed unhealthy for the individual and society
as a whole.
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