| UNDERSTANDING
ISLAM & THE MUSLIMS |
Islamic Affairs Department, The Embassy
of Saudi Arabia, Washington DC
In the Name of God, Most-Gracious, Most-Merciful |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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 (SAW) through Gabriel.
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| 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. |
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| 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
(SAW) rather than God. 'Allah' is the Arabic name for God, which
is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike. |
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| 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. |
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| 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 (SAW) from the eldest, Ishmael,
and Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them, 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. |
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| 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. |
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| Who is Muhammad? |
| Muhammad (SAW) 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 (SAW) 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. |
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| How did he become
a prophet and 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
(SAW) and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they
forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively. Before
the Prophet (SAW) 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. |
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| 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 (SAW) '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. The Prophet (SAW) said,
'Seek knowledge even into China': the Hui Shen mosque was built in
the seventh century. |
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| What is the
Qur'an? |
| The Quran is a record of the exact words revealed
by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). It
was memorized by Muhammad (SAW) 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 (SAW) fourteen centuries ago. |
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| What is the
Qur'an 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. |
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| Are there any
other sacred sources? |
| Yes, the sunna, the practice and example of
the Prophet (SAW), is the second authority for Muslims. A hadith
is a reliably transmitted report of what the Prophet (SAW) said,
did, or approved. Belief in the sunna is part of the Islamic faith. |
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| Does Islam tolerate
other beliefs? |
| The Quran says: God forbids you not, with regards
to those who fight you not for [your] faith nor drive you out of
your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loveth
those who are just. (Quran, {60.8::qs60.8})
It is one function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status
of minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have
flourished all over the Islamic world. History provides many examples
of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths: when the caliph Omar entered
Jerusalem in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship to all
religious communities in the city. Islamic law also permits non-Muslim
minonties to set up their own courts, which implement family laws
drawn up by the minorities themselves. When the caliph Omar took
Jerusalem from the Byzantines, he insisted on entering the city
with only a small number of his companions. Proclaiming to the inhabitants
that their lives and property were safe, and that their places of
worship would never be taken from them, he asked the Christian patriarch
Sophronius to accompany him on a visit to all the holy places. The
Patriarch invited him to pray in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre,
but he preferred to pray outside its gates, saying that if he accepted,
later generations of Muslims might use his action as an excuse to
turn it into a mosque. Above is the mosque built on the spot where
Omar did pray. According to Islam, man is not born in 'onginal sin'.
He is God's vicegerent on earth. Every child is born with the fitra,
an innate disposition towards virtue, knowledge, and beauty. Islam
considers itself to be the 'primordial religion', din al-hanif,
it seeks to return man to his original, true nature in which he
is in harmony with creation, inspired to do good, and confirming
the Oneness of God. |
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| What do Muslims
think about Jesus? |
| Muslims respect and revere Jesus (SAW) and
await his Second Coming. They consider him one of the greatest of
God's messengers to mankind. A Muslim never refers to him simply
as 'Jesus', but always adds the phrase 'upon him be peace'. The Quran
confirms his virgin birth (a chapter of the Quran is entitled 'Mary'),
and Mary is considered the purest woman in all creation.
The Quran describes the Annunciation as follows:
'Behold!' the Angel said, 'God has chosen you, and purified you,
and chosen you above the women of all nations. O Mary, God gives
you good news of a word from Him, whose name shall be the Messiah,
Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and the Hereafter, and
one of those brought near to God. He shall speak to the people from
his cradle and in maturity, and shall be of the righteous.'
She said: 'O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched
me?' He said: 'Even so; God creates what He will. When He decrees
a thing He says to it, "Be!" and it is.' (Quran, {3.42::qs3.42}-7)
Jesus (SAW) was born miraculously through the same power which
had brought Adam (SAW) into being without a father: Truly, the likeness
of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of
dust, and then said to him, 'Be!' and he was. ({3.59::qs3.59})
During his prophetic mission Jesus (SAW) performed many miracles.
The Quran tells us that he said:
'I have come to you with a sign from your Lord: I make for you
out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, and breathe into
it and it becomes a bird by God's leave. And I heal the blind, and
the lepers, and I raise the dead by God's leave.' ({3.49::qs3.49})
Neither Muhammad (SAW) nor Jesus (SAW) came to change the basic
doctrine of the belief in One God, brought by earlier prophets,
but to confirm and renew it. In the Quran Jesus (SAW) is reported
as saying that he came:
'To attest the law which was before me. And to make lawful to
you paff of what was forbidden you; I have come to you with a sign
from your Lord, so fear God and obey Me.' (3:5O)
The Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said: 'Whoever believes there is no god
but God, alone without partner, that Muhammad (SAW) is His messenger,
that Jesus is the servant and messenger of God, His word breathed
into Mary and a spirit emanating from Him, and that Paradise and
Hell are true, shall be received by God into Heaven.' (Hadith from
Bukhari)
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| Why is the family
so important to Muslims? |
| The family is the foundation of Islamic society.
The peace and security offered by a stable family unit is greatly
valued, and seen as essential for the spiritual growth of its members.
A harmonious social order is created by the existence of extended
families; children are treasured, and rarely leave home until the
time they marry. |
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