2) "Muslim" means "anyone or anything
that submits itself to the will of God".
3) Islam is not a cult. Its followers number over 1.5
billion worldwide. Along with Judaism and Christianity, it is considered to be
one of the three Abrahamic traditions.
4) There are five pillars of practice in Islam. These
practices must be undertaken with the best of effort in order to be considered
a true Muslim:
a. Shahadah - declaration of
faith in the oneness of God and that Muhammad is the last prophet of God.
b. Formal prayer five times a
day.
c. Fasting during the daylight
hours in the month of Ramadan.
d. Poor-due "tax" -
2.5% of one's savings given to the needy at the end of each year.
e. Pilgrimage to Mecca at least
once, if physically and financially able.
5) There are six articles of faith in Islam. These are
the basic beliefs that one must have in order to be considered a true Muslim.
They are belief in:
a. the One God.
b. all the prophets of God.
c. the original scriptures
revealed to Prophets Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad.
d. the angels.
e. the Day of Judgment and the
Hereafter.
f. the divine decree (or
destiny).
6) Islam is a complete way of life that governs all
facets of life: moral, spiritual, social, political, economical, intellectual,
etc.
7) Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in
the world. To become Muslim, a person of any race or culture must say a simple
statement, the shahadah, that bears witness to the belief in the One God and
that Prophet Muhammad was the last prophet of God.
8) "Allah" is an Arabic word that means
"God". Muslims also believe that "Allah" is the personal
name of God.
9) Allah is not the God of Muslims only. He is the God
of all people and all creation. Just because people refer to God using
different terms does not mean that they are different gods. Spanish people
refer to God as "Dios" and French people refer to God as
"Dieu", yet they are all the same God. Interestingly, most Arab Jews
and Arab Christians refer to God as "Allah". And the word Allah in
Arabic appears on the walls of many Arab churches.
10) The Islamic concept of God is that He is loving,
merciful, and compassionate. But Islam also teaches that He is just and swift
in punishment. Nevertheless, Allah once said to Prophet Muhammad, "My
mercy prevails over my wrath." Islam teaches a balance between fear and
hope, protecting one from both complacency and despair.
11) Muslims believe that God has revealed 99 of His
names (or attributes) in the Holy Qur'an. It is through these names that one
can come to know the Creator. A few of these names are: the All-Merciful, the
All-Knower, the Protector, the Provider, the Near, the First, the Last, the
Hidden, and the Source of Peace.
12) Muslims believe in and acknowledge all the
prophets of old, from Adam to Jesus. Muslims believe that they brought the
message of peace and submission (islam) to different peoples at different
times. Muslims also believe that these prophets were "muslims" because
they submitted their wills to God.
13) Muslims neither worship Muhammad nor pray through
him. Muslims solely worship the unseen and Omniscient Creator, Allah.
14) Muslims accept the original unaltered Torah (the
Gospel of Moses) and the original Bible (the Gospel of Jesus) since they were
revealed by God. However, none of those original scriptures are in existence
today, in their entirety. Therefore, Muslims follow the subsequent, final, and
preserved revelation of God, the Holy Qur'an.
15) The Holy Qur'an was not authored by Muhammad. It
was authored by God, revealed to Muhammad, and written into physical form by
his companions.
16) The Holy Qur'an has no flaws or contradictions.
The original Arabic scriptures have never been changed or tampered with.
17) Actual seventh century Qur'ans, complete and
intact, are on display in museums in Turkey and many other places around the
world.
18) If all Qur'ans in the world today were burned and
destroyed, the original Arabic would still remain. This is because millions of
Muslims, called Hafiz (or "preservers") have memorized the text
letter for letter from beginning to end, every word and syllable. Also,
chapters from the Qur'an are precisely recited from memory by every Muslim in
each of the five daily prayers.
19) Muslims do not believe in the concept of
"vicarious atonement" but rather believe in the law of personal
responsibility. Islam teaches that each person is responsible for his or her
own actions. On the Day of Judgment Muslims believe that every person will be
resurrected and will have to answer to God for their every word, thought, and
deed. Consequently, a practicing Muslim is always striving to be righteous.
20) Islam was not spread by the sword. It was spread
by the word (Islamic teachings) and the example of its followers. Islam teaches
that there is no compulsion in religion (the Holy Qur'an 2:256 and 10:99).
21) Terrorism, unjustified violence and the killing of
innocent people are absolutely forbidden in Islam. Islam is a way of life that
is meant to bring peace to a society, whether its people are Muslim or not. The
extreme actions of those who claim to be Muslim may be, among other things, a
result of their ignorance or uncontrolled anger. Tyrant rulers and those who
commit acts of terrorism in the name of Islam are simply not following Islam.
These people are individuals with their own views and political agendas.
Fanatical Muslims are no more representative of the true Islamic teachings than
Timothy McVeigh or David Koresh are of Christianity. Extremism and fanaticism
is a problem that is common to all religious groups. Anyone who thinks that all
Muslims are terrorists should remember that the famous boxer Muhammad Ali,
perhaps the most celebrated person of our era, is a practicing Muslim.
22) The word "jihad" does not mean
"holy war". Instead, it means the inner struggle that one endures in
trying to submit their will to the will of God. Some Muslims may say they are
going for "jihad" when fighting in a war to defend themselves or
their fellow Muslims, but they only say this because they are conceding that it
will be a tremendous struggle. But there are many other forms of jihad which
are more relevant to the everyday life of a Muslim such as the struggles
against laziness, arrogance, stinginess, or the struggle against a tyrant ruler
or against the temptation of Satan, or against one's own ego, etc.
23) Women are not oppressed in Islam. Any Muslim man
that oppresses a woman is not following Islam. Among the many teachings of
Prophet Muhammad that protected the rights and dignity of women is his saying,
"...the best among you are those who treat their wives well."
(Tirmidhi)
24) Islam grants women numerous rights in the home and
in society. Among them are the right to earn money, to financial support, to an
education, to an inheritance, to being treated kindly, to vote, to a dowry, to
keep their maiden name, to worship in a mosque, etc., etc.
25) Muslim women wear the head-covering (hijab) in
fulfillment of God's decree to dress modestly. From a practical standpoint, it
serves to identify one as attempting to follow God in daily life and,
therefore, protects women from unwanted advances from men. This type of modest
dress has been worn by righteous women throughout history. Prominent examples
are traditional Catholic Nuns, Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary, mother of
Jesus.
26) Arranged marriages are allowed in Islam but are
not required. Whereas "forced" marriages, usually stemming from
cultural practice, are forbidden. Divorce is permissible, however, reconciliation
is what is most encouraged. But if there are irreconcilable differences then
Islam permits a fair and just divorce.
27) Islam and the "Nation of Islam" are two
different religions. Islam is a religion for all races and enjoins the worship
of the one unseen God who, orthodox Muslims believe, never took human form. The
"Nation", on the other hand, is a movement geared towards non-whites
and teaches that God appeared in the form of Fard Muhammad in 1930 and that
Elijah Muhammad (a man who died in 1975) was a prophet of God. These beliefs
clearly contradict the basic Islamic theology outlined in the Qur'an. The
followers of "the Nation" adhere to some Islamic principles that are
mixed with many other teachings that are alien to Islam. To better understand
the difference between the two, read about Malcolm X, his pilgrimage to Mecca
and his subsequent comments to the media. Islam teaches equality amongst all
the races (Holy Qur'an 49:13).
28) All Muslims are not Arab. Islam is a universal
religion and way of life which includes followers from all races of people.
There are Muslims in and from virtually every country in the world. Arabs only
constitute about 20% of Muslims worldwide. Indonesia has the largest
concentration of Muslims with over 120 million.
29) In the five daily prayers, Muslims face the Kaaba
in Mecca, Arabia. It is a cube-shaped stone structure that was originally built
by Prophet Adam and later rebuilt by Prophet Abraham. Muslims believe that the
Kaaba was the first house of worship on Earth dedicated to the worship of one
god. Muslims do not worship the Kaaba. It serves as a central focal point for
Muslims around the world, unifying them in worship and symbolizing their common
belief, spiritual focus and direction. Interestingly, the inside of the Kaaba
is empty.
30)
The hajj is a simultaneous pilgrimage to the Kaaba made by millions of Muslims
each year. It is performed to commemorate the struggles of Abraham, Ishmael and
Hagar in submitting their wills to God.
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