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.
How does someone become a Muslim?
Simply by saying 'there is no god apart from Allah, and Muhammad
is the Messenger of Allah.' 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 Allah.
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.
Our Prophet ?
Muhammad, was born
in Makkah in the year 570.
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 Allah?
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.
