SOMETHING ABOUT ISLAM...

assalamualaikum,

alhamdulillah, selawat & salam ke atas rasulullah... just to share some points about islam here...

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Q: Who is Allah, and is He the same as God?
A: When talking about God, Muslims automatically think of Allah (swt). Allah, in arabic language, is "The God". He is the Almighty, the One Creator who created the universe, mankind and all other forms of life.

Q: Is it true that Adam was the first messenger of God (swt)?
A: Yes, Adam had the responsibility to convey God's message and laws to his descendants. From the beginning, Adam's message to the first generation of mankind was to worship the One True God, Allah (swt).

Q: Who is Satan and what is his name in arabic?
A: Satan belongs to another form of life "jinnkind" or spirits. His name in arabic is Iblis and he goes by another name "Shaytan" (Devil).

Q: Why does Satan despise humans and desire their destruction?
A: When God (swt) created Adam, God wanted to give Adam some sort of respect, value and position among the other creations. God (swt) commanded the Angels, including Satan from the Jinn, to prostrate to Adam as a sign of respect and not as a sign of worship. All prostrated to Adam but Satan. Satan was a mighty & distinguished Jinn. God (swt) asked him what made you not prostrate to Adam and disobey my commandment? Satan replied, I am better than Adam, you created him from clay and created me from fire. God (swt) cursed Satan. Satan vowed to destroy Adam and his descendants forever.

Q: I am still confused, I thought Satan was an angel like Gabriel and he has no free will but to worship God?
A: False. If Satan was an angel, then we wouldn't have any problems with him at all. Angels are a special creation of God (swt). God (swt) created Angels from divine light (Nur). Angles don't have free will in doing things but to worship God (swt) and obey his commandments. Satan, on the other hand, is a Jinn "spirit", and like humans, Satan and his race "jinnkind" have free will in their actions; free will of doing good and free will of doing bad. Ref. QURAN (18:50)

Q: Why did God (swt) send messengers, and why not instead communicate with us directly?
A: First, that is God's (swt) will. Second, and because of God's greatness and might, humans, in their earthly bodies, can't withstand God's direct presence. We would die instantly if God (swt) would to manifest Himself to us. Only from the mercy of God (swt) prophet Moses (as) fell unconscious when God (swt) began manifesting him self near the mount. The mount itself exploded to pieces. God's messengers are nothing but human beings, who ate like us, dressed like us, grew up amongst us, spoke our language in order for mankind to comprehend what they utter. God (swt) equipped His messengers with miracles to prove the authenticity of their message.

Q: What is Islam, and what does the word "Islam" mean?
A: Islam is God's eternal message to mankind. Islam originated by our father Adam (as) and then the torch was passed on to other God's elect messengers. Islam's message was, still and will be the belief in and submission to ONE God (swt), the Creator and the Sustainer of all things, the Exalted and the Redeemer of all things. The word Islam itself means "submission and surrendering" to God (swt).

Q: What is the deal with the term(s) "Mohamm adeen", "Muhammedanism" or Mohammedans in Islam?
A: There are no such terms at all. Other religions have been named after their founders or after the community in which the religion was prospered. For example, Christianity has been named after Christ. Judaism after the tribe of Judah, and Buddhism after Buddha. Westerners falsely gave the name "Muhammedanism" or Mohammadeen" to Islam after Mohammad (pbuh) the prophet of Islam, and also called his followers "Mohammedans". Islam and Muslims are the words of the QURAN (27:31), (3:19) & (22:78). Again, Islam is God's eternal message to mankind that originated by Adam (as) and sealed by prophet Mohammad (pbuh).

Q: I heard something about the 5 pillars of Islam and the 5 pillars of faith. Could you elaborate more on these pillars?
A: You are right! Islam has two different types of pillars: The pillars of Islam and the pillars of faith in Islam. The 5 pillars of Islam are: "Al-Shahad atan" the testimony that there is no God but Allah and Mohammad is Messenger of Allah, performing prayer (Salah), giving Alms (Zakah), fasting (Sawm), and performing Pilgrimage (Hajj) for those who are able.
The 5 pillars of Faith in Islam are: The belief in One God, Allah (swt), the belief in His Angels, the belief in His Scriptures, the belief in His Messengers, and the belief in Judgment Day.

Q: Who is Mohammad?
A: Mohammad (pbuh) was born in Mecca 570 AD. At age forty he was elected by God (swt) to convey His Message to mankind. The Message is to worship only One God, Allah (swt). Mohammad (pbuh) spent the last 23 years of his life conveying God's Message to all people. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) died at age 63 and his resting place lies in the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. He is God's final Messenger to mankind. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) came to re-institute Islam, the religion of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (as). The following pr ophecy is obtained from the Bible regarding Mohammad's cometh from Arabia. In HABAKKUK 3:3 " God (Jesus) came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise." The place of Teman is the area located southeast of Palestine, and Paran is the area of Mecca in Saudi Arabia where the Holy One (Mohammad pbuh) came from.

Q: Are you telling me both Moses and Jesus were Muslims? If so, prove it and I would like to see something from the Bible in this regard?
A: Both Moses and Jesus (as) were Muslims, since both had conveyed the very same Message, "Submission and surrendering" to One God (swt). Here is the proof from the Bible: Moses said: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is ONE Lord." (DEUTERONOMY 6:4). Approximately 1500 years later Jesus said: "...The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is ONE Lord." (MARK 12:29), and of course Prophet Mohammad (pbu h) came along approximately 600 years later, bringing identical message again: "And your God is ONE God: There is no God but He" (The QURAN 2:163)

Q: Are you telling me, all other religions are bogus and Islam is the only true religion?
A: Well, isn't that the case with all religions! Every religion claims that he is right and others are wrong. Islam is the belief in One God, Allah (swt), the Creator of all things. Islam doesn't believe in the "middleman" fallacy as the case with many religions including Christianity. In Christianity, to be saved you have to believe in Jesus (as) as the Son of God, and without such confession and belief in Jesus, you're most definitely going to Hellfire. Islam, on the other hand, declares that believing in One God, Allah (swt) and that Mohammad is His messenger, and obeying God's laws and His prophet's doctrine is the only passport to Heaven.

Q: Is it really sensible that God will reward He aven only to Muslims and punish others that can easily add up to millions or even billions of people of various religions?
A: Yes it is very sensible. If you read both the Bible and the Quran you will uncover that God (swt) severely punished the unbelievers and the wicked people through out the history of mankind. That includes the people of Prophet Noah (as), the people of Prophet Abraham (as), Lot, Moses (as), etc... Numbers don't mean a thing in the eyes of God (swt) and that shouldn't be considered as an exception at all. Only faith counts and not numbers.

Q: But what about people in our time! We don't know anything about Islam and Mohammad! Would that be considered against us on Judgment Day?
A: Yes it will be considered against you. Before the cometh of prophet Mohammad (pbuh), God (swt) vowed not to punish people or hold them responsible without sending messengers. Unlike Moses & Jesus (as), prophet Mohammad (pbuh) w as very distinct since he was sent to all mankind with God's final message to humanity and before Judgment Day. Everybody, the least, heard of Mohammad's name. We live in the information age, and within our fingertips, using computers or TVs, we can learn just about anything including religions. The Prophet (pbuh) told us that everyone of us is born a submitter " Muslim" to the One God, the Almighty Allah (swt), but many factors have tendency to force a person to deviate from the right path such as: Satan's influence, Parents, Society, etc.

Q: How many prophets and messengers did God send to mankind?
A: Our prophet (pbuh) told us approximately 124 Thousand prophets and messengers were sent to mankind. The Quran lists 25 of the most popular ones. They are: Adam, Enoch (Idris), Noah, Hud, Salih, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Lot, Jacob (Yaqub), Joseph (Yusuf), Shu'aib, Job (Ayyob), Moses (Musa), Aaron (Haroon), Ezekiel (Dhul-Kifl), David (Dawood), Solomo n (Sulaiman), Elias, Elisha (El-Yasa), Jonah (Yunus), Zechariah, John (Yahya), Jesus, and Mohammad, peace be upon them.

Q: Why can't Muslims accept the term "Son of God", even though it is in the Bible and referring to Jesus?
A: The term "Son of God" was used metaphorically speaking to those who were godly and pious men. It was never meant to be used literally as the case with Christianity toward Jesus (as). In fact, the term "Son of God" is used all over the Bible referring to people other than Jesus, check out the following verses: LUKE 3:38 " the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.", GENESIS 6:2 " that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.", EXODUS 4:22 " Then you shall say to Pharaoh, Thus says the LORD, Israel is My son, My firstborn." , JEREMIAH 31:9 "…For I am a father to Israel, And Ephraim is My firstborn.", ROMANS 8:14 "For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.". So how come Christians don't regard those people as Gods, the way they regard Jesus (as)?

Q: Why Muslims don't eat Swine (Pork) meat?
A: For the same reason both Moses & Jesus (as) refused to eat it. God (swt) commanded Muslims not to eat Swine meet. God (swt) also commanded Moses not to eat or even touch the Swine meat as in the following verses in the Bible: LEVITICUS 11:7-8 "and the pig, for though it divides the hoof, thus making a split hoof, it does not chew cud, it is unclean to you. You shall not eat of their flesh nor touch their carcasses; they are unclean to you."

Q: I am spiritually confused! What should I do?
A: You owe it to yourself to search for the truth, and I am sure if you have an honest intention searching for the truth, God (swt) will aid you in your endeavor. Read more about Islam and weigh your options. Read more about the early revelations & messengers of God (swt) and comprehend their law & guidance that they had conveyed to their people at that time, then compare all present religions and see which one coincide with the early revelations.

Q: But I am satisfied with my own belief, so why should I pursue other religion in the first place?
A: Remember, mankind has a free will to do whatever he desires, and we are all held accountable for what we do. If you are content with your religion, then you are solely responsible for your actions & belief and no one else.
Q: How do I become a Muslim?
A: Unlike other religions, Islam doesn't have certain rituals or baptism by religious groups or individuals. All you need to do is to declare the Testimony (Shahadatan). The Testimony is: "I testify that there is no God but Allah, and Mohammad is the Messenger of Allah". Once you establish this pure belief in your heart, then you can proceed unto the rest of the pillars of Islam. Many Islamic foundations and mosques will be able to help you getting started learning about Islam..

Q: I noticed various Islamic Sects! Could you list them for me?
A: About 84 % of Muslims are Sunni. The word Sunni is based on the word Sunnah which is an Arabic word means the Prophet's tradition. Sunnis believe in Allah (swt) as the One Creator and Mohammad is His last and final Messenger. Also, Sunnis believe in the Quran and Sunnah as the two main sources of Islam. There are, however, Muslim bunches who deviated from the right path of Islam such as: Shia, Baha'i, Sufi, Ahmadiya, etc. So be cautious in know ing whom you are dealing with.

Q: Why do Muslims pray so much, you know, 5 times a day! Isn't belief in Allah enough?
A: Besides the fact it's a Commandment from the Almighty (swt), the prayer (Salah) is considered to be a continuous and daily discipline for Muslims. It's true we have the belief in One God (swt) and His messenger Mohammad (pbuh) embedded in our hearts, but like earlier Muslims, God (swt) has proscribed Laws and Commandments for us to observe and adhere to. When we pray, we recite the Quran that has God's genuine words and directions. We also offer supplications and blessings to God (swt). The line of communication between Muslims and God (swt) never slows down ever. The prayer (Salah) itself is considered a supplication to the Almighty (swt). It is how we make our connection to God and remember him everyday. It is how we ground ourselves while at the s ame time elevating ourselves spiritually..
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wallahu a'lam...