30 Facts About Islam

[checkmate]

In the Name of allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

 

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1) "Islam" literally means "peace through the submission to God".

 

2) "Muslim" literally 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 faiths.

 

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 literally 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.

 

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 daily

struggles against self-desire, the struggle against a tyrant ruler or

against the temptation of Satan, etc., etc.

 

23) Women are not oppressed in Islam. Any Muslim man that oppresses a

woman is not following true Islam. Among the countless teachings of

Prophet Muhammad which protected the rights and dignity of women is

his saying, "...the best among you are those who treat their wives

well." (Related by Tirmidhi)

 

24) Islam grants Muslim women numerous rights in the home and in

society. Among them are the right to work and earn money, the right to

financial support, the right to an education, the right to an

inheritance, the right to being treated kindly, the right to vote and

representation on a board, the right to a dowry, the right to keep

their maiden name, the right to worship in a mosque, etc., etc.

 

25) Arranged marriages are allowed in Islam but are not required. The

marriage decision is usually left to the individual. "Forced"

marriages are cultural practices, not religious practices mandated by

Islam.

 

26) Divorce is permissible in Islam, however, reconciliation is what

is most encouraged. Indeed, if there are irreconcilable differences

then Islam permits a fair and just divorce.

 

27) Islam and so-called "Nation of Islam" are two completely different

religions. Islam is a religion that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad

in the seventh century A.D. It is a religion for all races of people

and enjoins the worship of the One unseen God who has no sons,

daughters, or partners and who never took human form. The "Nation of

Islam", on the other hand, is a movement geared towards non-whites for

the elevation of minorities on a social scale. It teaches that God

appeared in the form of Fard Muhammad in Detroit in 1930 A.D. 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 Islam and "the

Nation", read the story about Malcolm X, his pilgrimage to Mecca, and

his subsequent comments to the media. Islam teaches unity and equality

amongst all the races (the 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 able-bodied Muslims each year. It is performed namely to

commemorate the struggles of Abraham, his son Ismail, and his wife

Hagar in submitting their wills to God.

[Wiilo]

Jizaakallaah.

 

Wabillaahi Towfiiq:

[Nur]

Good read for non-Muslims, and for some part time "Muslims"

 

 

Nur

[Reality Check]

There's no such thing as a part-time muslim. You either believe in the Oneness of God or you don't. Let the judging be left to the Ultimate Judge.

[FatB]

^^judge juddy???

[Nur]

Reality Check

 

So your defintion for Islam is belief in Allah alone?

 

 

Nur