Islam
Islam
Islam and
Muslim
The
Origin
God's Oneness and Uniqueness
The Five Pillars of Islam
The
Qur'an
The Tradition of the Prophet (Sunnah)
Man, a Free Agent and a Pure Being
Man's Accountability to God
The Law (Shari'ah)
Human
Rights
Science and Technology
Islam: The Cure for Modern Ills
The
Realm
Islam means "self-surrender to God" and a Muslim is "one who surrenders himself to God." It calls for the complete acceptance of the teachings and guidance of God manifested through the Holy Qur'an and the tradition of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. Islam offers humanity the complete code of life which brings for man peace, harmony and success in both this world and the hereafter.
Islam is not a new religion and goes back to the dawn of human history. It is, in essence, the same message and guidance which God revealed to all His messengers, from Adam to Muhammad, peace be upon them.
Say: "We
believe in God and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham,
Isma'il, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the Books) given to Moses, Jesus,
and the Prophets, from their Lord: we make no distinction between one and another
among them, and to God do we bow our will (in Islam)."
[Qur'an
3:84]
In this sense all messengers of God are Muslims. Seen from this vantage point, the message of the Prophet is a continuation of the proclamation of Islam and a confirmation of the messages of the previous messengers. Whenever and wherever people have submitted themselves to God alone and shunned the worship of idols, they can be considered as Muslims.
"And verily
We (God) have raised in every nation a messenger, (proclaiming): Serve God and shun
false gods."
[Qur'an
16:36]
At the same time it is a corrective to the deviations in the course of time from the purity of the original messages. The religion of God was perfected by Islam, as revealed to Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, the last of all prophets (Qur'an 33:40).
"This day
have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour unto you, and have
chosen for you as religion Al-Islam."
[Qur'an
5:3]
The cornerstone of Islam is the belief in the one and only God, that is the faith in God's oneness and uniqueness. By repeating it in so many varying formulations, the Qur'an has abundantly made this clear. One can also see this summed up in the 112th Chapter of the Holy Qur'an:
"Say: He is God the One and Only; God the Eternal Absolute; He begetteth not nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him."
Belief in the one and only God frees man from superstitious feelings of dependence on all sorts of imaginary powers or forces of nature and brings home to him that he depends exclusively on and is responsible to, the one and only power that is real in the deepest sense of the word. Furthermore, it requires that we look upon all humanity as one family under the omnipotence of God - the Creator and Nourisher of all. Islam rejects the idea of the "chosen people," making pure intention, faith in God and good deeds the only way to reach heaven. Thus, a direct relationship is established with God, open to all alike without any discrimination or intercession.
Every action that is done with the awareness that it fulfils the Will of God is considered an act of worship in Islam. But it is the specific acts of worship termed the Pillars of Islam which provide the framework of Muslim spiritual and social life. These are given below:
1. The declaration of faith: "I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except God and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger." The Prophethood of Muhammad obliges Muslims to follow his exemplary life in every respect.
2. The Five Daily Prayers: Prayers are prescribed five times a day as a duty towards God. Prayer strengthens and enlivens belief in God and inspires man to higher morality. It purifies the heart and controls temptation, wrong-doing, and evil.
3. Fasting: According to the Islamic definition, fasting means total abstention from food, drink, smoking, and conjugal relationships from dawn to dusk. Fasting is due during the Muslim lunar month of Ramadan. It teaches love, sincerity and devotion. It develops patience, unselfishness, social conscience and willpower to bear hardship.
4. Zakah: Zakah (the purifying dues) is a proportionately fixed contribution collected from the wealth and earnings of the rich. It is spent on the poor and needy in particular, and the welfare of the society in general. The payment of Zakah purifies one's income and wealth and helps to establish economic balance and social justices in the society.
5. Pilgrimage to Makkah: Financially able Muslims journey to Makkah for the pilgrimage at least once in a life time. While sharing in its prescribed activities, many Muslims experience the power and grandeur of community unity.
The following Qur'anic verse alludes to the basic beliefs, refers to its major practices and summarizes the meaning of righteousness:
"It is not
righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is
he who believeth in God and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the
Prophets; and giveth his wealth, for 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 observeth
proper worship and payeth the poor-due. And those who keep their treaty when they
make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such
are they who are sincere. Such are the God-fearing"
[Qur'an
2:177]
The Holy Qur'an is the final revelation from God, given to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Distinguishing between right and wrong, the Qur'an guides those who are willing to be guided through the path of God. It was revealed in the pure Arabic language during 22 years of the Prophetic mission and was immediately written down after every revelation. The revelations were also memorised by the Prophet and his companions. In this way, every care was taken to preserve the Qur'an from the very beginning. This was achieved so successfully that the Arabic text of the Qur'an we have today is exactly the same as was revealed to the Prophet more than 1400 years ago. Not even a single letter has yielded to corruption during the passage of centuries and so it will remain forever, as promised by God.
"We have
without doubt sent down the Message; and We verily are its Guardian."
[Qur'an
15:9]
As mentioned before, the original and complete text of the Qur'an is in Arabic and translations of its meaning in almost every language are available in major libraries and bookstores. Apart from clearly defining the basic ideas of Islam, that is the oneness of God, the Prophethood and the hereafter, the Qur'an deals with a variety of other subjects such as morality, worship, knowledge, law, politics, economics, etc. In other words, the Qur'an gives guidance for all walks of human life.
The Tradition of the Prophet (Sunnah)
In spite of the clarity and the inner coherence which the Holy Qur'an undoubtedly has, it was never intended to be used independently of the personal guidance of the Prophet. This guidance is embodied in the system of his tradition, that is, the authentic recordings of his deeds, utterances and his unspoken approval. Because of this reason, the true Muslim follows the tradition of the Prophet in addition to the Holy Qur'an. The following verse taken from the Holy Qur'an eloquently clarifies this concept:
"Ye have
indeed in the Apostle of God a beautiful pattern of (conduct) for anyone whose hope
is in God and the Final Day and who engages much in the praise of God.
[Qur'an
33:21]
Man, a Free Agent and a Pure Being
Man in Islam is the highest creation of God, to whom free-will is given to enable him to make his own decisions. Since God created man as a pure being, he does not carry any burden of the so-called "original sin." Therefore, Islam categorically rejects the idea that a person's sin could be "atoned for" by another person's redemptive sacrifice. All of these points are clearly manifested in the following verses:
"We have
indeed created man in the best of molds."
[Qur'an
95:4]
"Nor can
a bearer of burdens bear another's burden. If one heavily laden should call another
to (bear) his load not the least portion of it can be carried (by the other) even
though ! he be nearly related. Thou canst but admonish such as fear Ii their Lord
unseen and establish regular Prayer and whoever purifies himself does so for the
benefit of his own soul; and the destination (of all) is to God."
[Qur'an
35:18]
Man's life is not limited to the short span of earthly existence. On the Day of Judgment, the entire human race will be resurrected; everyone will appear before Almighty God and face the consequences of his deeds in this life. Thus, life in the Hereafter is destined by our worldly life:
"Then shall
anyone who has done an atom's weight of good see it! And anyone who has done an
atom's weight of evil shall see it."
[Qur'an
99:7-8]
"We shall
set up scales of justice for the day of Judgment, so that not a soul will be dealt
with unjustly in the least."
[Qur'an
21:47]
Belief in man's accountability to God gives sense and meaning to life and differentiates human beings from animals and inanimate objects. It serves as a reminder against crime, corruption, immorality, and injustice.
Islam is founded on four sources: the Qur'an; the Sunnah (canonical tradition); Ijma' (community consensus); Qiyas (analogy). The first two are of special importance. The Qur'an is the eternal, infallible and unalterable Word of God, inscribed on the preserved Tablet and mediated by revelation through the angel Gabriel to Muhammad, peace be upon them. The sunnah is the words and deeds of the Prophet. Various collections of his words and deeds are carefully scrutinized by pious Muslims to preserve the true traditions from what is extraneous. The sunnah is indispensable for interpreting the Qur'an. Both the Qur'an and the Sunnah form the basis of the Shari'ah, Islamic Law and the perfect manifestation of God's will and guidance for mankind. The Shari'ah serves as the point where God and mankind meet and moulds Muslims into the truly Islamic community,
"the best
community (ummah) that has been raised up for mankind."
[Qur'an
3:110]
It is God's Law versus all other human codes of law; God's Law, regulating all aspects of life and allowing for no separation of sacred and secular; God's Law, offering solutions for the world's problems since the multiplicity of its sources allows a great deal of flexibility and conformity to changing times.
"Is not God
the wisest of Judges?"
[Qur'an
95:8]
Islam protects all noble values and human rights. Freedom, equality, justice, and the right to life, liberty, and the security of person are of prime concern in the Islamic law. The principle of justice is considered as one of the most fundamental elements in the value of the system. Islam places great emphasis on social justice. It opposes all those who exploit, oppress and deal unjustly with people.
"When you
judge between people, that you judge with justice"
[Qur'an
4:58]
Islam implements justice equally between all people regardless their background or ethnic origin.
"Stand out
firmly for God, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to
you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice"
[Qur'an
5:8]
Islam ultimately protects human life.
"We decreed
for the Children of Israel that whosoever killeth a human being for other than manslaughter
or corruption in the earth, it shall as if he had killed all mankind."
[Qur'an
5:32]
Compulsion is incompatible with religion. Religion depends upon faith and will, and these would be meaningless if induced by force.
"Let there
be no compulsion in religion."
[Qur'an
2:256]
The first Qur'anic revelation to the chosen Prophet had displayed the tools of his mission, its elements reading, writing and knowledge, not myths, or superstition.
"Read! And
thy Lord is Most Bountiful. He Who taught (the use of) the Pen. Taught man that
which he knew not."
[Qur'an
96:3-5]
Islam encourages the use of science and the scientific method. Acquisition of knowledge is obligatory on every Muslim, male or female. In Islam, science and technology should be used for moral ends and serve the legitimate needs of mankind. Moreover, both are viewed as yet another means to understand and see the power and glory of God.
"It is He
who hath created for you all things that are on earth."
[Qur'an
2:29]
The Qur'an
laid the foundation for exploring the earth and its integration with the surrounding
universe, and liberated all related sciences from myth and superstition.
"Behold! In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the alternation of night
and day,- there are indeed Signs for men of understanding."
[Qur'an
3:190]
The Qur'an commanded the Muslims to cross the earth in search of God's patterns in nature and in the affairs of mankind unlike those who attempt to extract a pseudo-history from the myths.
Travel through
the earth and see what was the end of those who rejected Truth.
[Qur'an
6:11]
Islam: The Cure for Modern Ills
Racism is a major problem in many materially advanced countries. Prejudice and discrimination against racial groups is a common phenomenon even today. For 1400 years, Islam has shown in practice how racism can be ended. The Islamic social scene, particularly during the Pilgrimage, is a unique example of the brotherhood of men of all races and nations under One God.
"O mankind!
We created you from a single (pair) of a male and female, and made you into nations
and tribes, that ye may know each other. Verily the most the most honoured of you
in the sight of God is the most righteous of you."
[Qur'an
49:13]
Similarly, the family, the basic unit of civilisation, has also become something of a problem in present day society. It is in visible decay. The family system of Islam brings the rights of husband, wife, children, and relatives into a fine equilibrium. Islam nourishes generosity in the family and holds it together under the clear Qur'anic laws and teachings of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. In short, as mentioned before, Islam brings peace and harmony into human life.
Islam summons all peoples into the fold of Islam. It has never really known geographic or ethnic barriers. Serious Muslims must be seriously mission-minded. Today's Muslims are about one billion, that is one person in six on the face of earth stretching onward in all continents. Islam, today, is growing faster than any other major religion.
"The righteous,
shall inherit the earth."
[Qur'an
21:105]
