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| ISLAM AT A GLANCE |
Discover Islam! The eternal and universal
religion of more than one billion people from every race and nationality. |
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| Muslim's believe
in a Nutshell |
| “Say: We believe in Allah (God Almighty)
and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and
Jacob and the tribes and that which was given to Moses and Jesus
and to the Prophets from their Lord; we make no distinction between
any of them, and to Him (God) we submit.” (Holy Qur’an
3:83) |
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| Islam and Muslim |
| Islam is an Arabic word which means peace,
purity, acceptance and commitment. The religion of Islam is the complete
acceptance of the teachings and the guidance of God, (i.e. surrender
to the Will of Allah).
A Muslim is one who accepts freely and willingly the supreme power
of Allah and strives for total re-organisation of his life according
to the revealed teachings of God. He also works towards the establishment
of a just social order which would totally reflect the guidance
of God. |
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| Continuity of
Message |
| Islam is not a new religion. It is in essence
the same message and guidance which Allah revealed to all His Prophets.
‘Say: We believe in Allah and that which was revealed to Abraham
and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and that which was
given to Moses and Jesus and to the Prophets from their Lord; we
make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit.’
(Holy Qur’an 3:83)
The message which was revealed to Muhammad, the last Prophet,
is Islam in its comprehensive, complete and final form. |
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| The Five Pillars
of Islam |
| Every action which is done with the awareness
that it fulfils the will of Allah is considered an act of worship
in Islam. Nevertheless, the specific acts of worship, termed the
pillars of Islam, provide the framework of spiritual life. |
| They are the following: |
- The declaration of faith: 'I bear witness that there is none
worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His servant
and messenger; the prophethood of Muhammad obliges the Muslims
to follow his exemplary life in every way.
- Prayers are prescribed five times a day as a duty towards Allah.
They strengthen and enliven the belief in Allah and inspire man
to a higher morality. They purify the heart and control the temptation
towards wrong doing and evil. It should be stressed that while
Allah does not need our prayers we cannot survive without His blessings
and guidance. "0 you who believe! Seek help with patient perseverance
and prayer, for Allah is with those who patiently persevere."
(Holy Qur'an 2:153)
- Fasting is observed once each year during the month of Ramadaan.
This means abstention from food, drink and intimate marital relationship
from dawn to sunset. and also from evil intentions and desires.
It teaches love, sincerity and devotion. It develops a sound social
conscience, patience, unselfishness and willpower. When we fast
by choice. Allah remembers our sacrifice.
- Zakaat - payment annually of 2.5% of one's net savings as a
purifying sum to be spent on the poor and needy. Zakaat implies
that everything man possesses belongs to Allah and therefore anyone
in need has a share in it.
- Pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah - once in a lifetime provided one
has the means to do so. Hajj implies man's temporary suspension
of all worldly activities and his realisation of himself as a naked
soul in front of Allah alone.
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| Oneness of God |
| Islam enjoins faith in the Oneness and Sovereignty
of God, which makes man aware of the meaningfulness of the Universe
and his place in it. This belief frees him from all fears and superstitions
by making him conscious of the presence of Almighty Allah and of
man's obligations towards Him. Belief in one God requires that we
look upon all humanity as one family irrespective of colour, class,
race or territory, under the Omnipotence of Allah the Creator and
Nourisher of all. Islam rejects the idea of a chosen people, making
faith in Allah and good action the only way to Heaven. Thus a direct
relationship is established with Allah, open to all alike, without
any intercessor. |
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| Man, The Free
Agent |
| Man is the highest creation of Allah and chooses
his own way. Created with the highest potentialities, man is left
relatively free in his will, action and choice. Allah has shown him
the right path and the life of Prophet Muhammad provides a perfect
example. Man's success and salvation lies in following them. Islam
teaches the sanctity of the human personality and confers equal rights
upon all without any distinction of race or sex.
The law of Allah, enunciated in the Qur'an’ an and exemplified
in the life of the Prophet, is supreme in all cases. It applies
equally to the highest and the lowest, the prince and the peasant,
the ruler and the ruled. |
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| Life after Death |
| The world according to Islam, is a place of
trial and man is being judged in it. Man is accountable to Allah
for all that he does herein. Life on earth will, one day, come to
an end: and after that a new world will be resurrected. It will be
in this Life after Death that man will be rewarded or punished for
his deeds and misdeeds. Allah will judge man on the day of existence
which leads to further blessings. or to Hell, a stage of suffering
and punishment. |
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| Qur'an and Hadith |
| The Qur’an is the last revealed Word
of Allah and as such affirms and completes the total process of revelation
which has come from the Divine Guidance for the human race. The Qur’an
is the basic source of Islamic teachings and laws and deals with
the bases of creed, morality, history of humanity, worship. knowledge,
wisdom, the God-man relation, and human relationship, in all aspects.
Comprehensive teachings on which sound systems of social justice,
economics, politics, legislation, jurisprudence, law and international
relations can be built, are important contents of the Holy Qur’an.
Prophet Muhammad himself was an unlettered man who could not read
or write. The Holy Qur’an was revealed to him piece-meal over
a period of 23 years and committed to memory and writing by his followers
under his supervision during his lifetime. The original and complete
text of the Qur’an is available to everybody in Arabic, the
language in which it was revealed. Translations of the meaning into
many languages are widely used.
Hadith, the teachings, sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad,
meticulously reported and collected by his devoted companions, explain
and elaborate the Qur'anic verses. |
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| Concept of Worship |
| Islam does not teach or accept mere ritualism.
It emphasises intention and action. To worship Allah is to know Him
and love Him, to act upon His laws in every aspect of life, to enjoin
goodness and forbid evil and oppression, to practice charity and
justice and to serve Him by serving mankind. Islam seeks to implant
in man's heart the strongest conviction that his every thought and
action are known by Allah, Who sees him at all times and in all places.
The Qur’an presents this concept in the following sublime
manner: “It is not righteousness that you turn your faces
to the East or to the West, but righteous is he who believes in
Allah and the Last Day the Angels and the Books and the Prophets;
and gives his wealth for the love of Him to kinsfolk and to orphans
and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set
slaves free; and observes proper worship and pays the Zakaat. And
those who keep their treaty when they make one, and they are patient
in the tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are those
who are Godfearing;” (Holy Qur’an 2:177) |
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| Islamic way
of Life |
| Islam provides definite guidelines for all
people to follow in all walks of life. The guidance it gives is comprehensive
and includes the social, economic, political, moral and spiritual
aspects of life.
The Qur’an reminds man of the purpose of life on earth,
and his duties and obligations towards himself, his kith and kin,
his community. his fellow human beings and his Creator. Man is given
fundamental guidelines about a purposeful life and then he is left
with the challenge of human existence before him so that he might
put these high ideals into practice. In Islam man is a wholesome,
integrated unit and not a collection of fragmented, competitive
parts. The sacred and secular are not separate parts of man; they
are united in the nature of human being. |
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| Historical Perspective |
| Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
was born in the year 570 A.C. in Makkah, Arabia. He came from a noble
Arab family. He received the first revelation at the age of forty.
As soon as he started preaching Islam, he and his followers were
persecuted and had to face severe hardships. He was therefore commanded
to migrate to Madinah, another city in Arabia. During a short span
of 23 years, he completed his prophethood and died at the age of
63. He was put to rest in the city of Madinah. He left no wealth
or property. He led a perfect life and set an example for all human
beings. His biography illustrates in real life. the meaning and implications
of the Qur’anic teachings. |
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| Islam's Rational
Appeal |
| Islam is a simple, rational and practical religion.
The unity of God, the Prophethood of Muhammad and the concept of
life after death are the basic articles of faith. There is no hierarchy
of priests and there are no complicated rites and rituals. Everybody
may approach the Quran directly and translate its dictates into practice.
Islam stands for the middle path and the goal of producing a moral
man in the service of a just society. "Our Lord! Give us good
in this world and good in the Hereafter" (Holy Qur’an
2:201)
Islam guides towards a better and complete life glorifying in
all Its phases Allah, the Almighty Creator. |
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| Status of Women |
| No discrimination is made on the basis of sex.
Islam recognises that the sphere of potential capabilities and hence
responsibilities of men and women are equally important in themselves
but not exactly the same. The roles of men and women are complementary
to each other. |
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| Marriage and
Divorce |
| Marriage is a very important and sacred bond
of relationship between man and woman and a step towards a better,
purer and happier life. Islam gives both man and woman full right
to divorce. Nevertheless divorce is discouraged and is allowed as
the last resort. Islam allows limited polygamy only as a remedy subject
to certain conditions. |
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| Jihad |
| Jihad consists in exerting oneself to the utmost
in order to personally follow the teachings of Islam. A Muslim, therefore
expends all the powers of body and soul, his wealth, possessions
and even life in the fight against the evil forces of the world in
order that injustice, oppression and contumacy are annihilated and
Allah's just order is established. Therefore to struggle in the path
of Allah with the pen; speech or the sword is Jihad.
“What has happened to you? Why don't you fight in the way
of Allah in support of men, women and children, whom finding helpless.
they have repressed; and who pray, ‘0 Allah! liberate us from
this habitation which is ruled by tyrants.” (Holy Qur’an
4:75)
Islam has come to liberate man from the worship of man and establish
the worship of Allah. |
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| ISLAM - THE
SOLUTION FOR MODERN PROBLEMS |
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| The Brotherhood
of Man |
| A major problem which modern man faces is that
of racism. The materially advanced nations can send man to the moon
but they cannot stop man from hating and fighting his fellow man.
Islam, over the last 1400 years, has shown in practice how racism
can be ended. Every year During the Hajj, the Islamic miracle of
the real brotherhood of all races and nations can be seen in action. |
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| The Family |
| The family which is the basic unit of civilisation
is disintegrating in all western countries. Islam's family system
brings into a fine equilibrium the rights of man, wife, children
and relatives. Islam nourishes human unselfishness, generosity and
love in a well organised family system.
Human beings live according to their view of life. The tragedy
of secular societies is that they fail to connect the different
aspects of life. The secular and the religious, the scientific and
the spiritual seem to be in conflict. Islam puts an end to this
conflict and brings harmony to man's vision of life. |
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