INTRODUCING ISLAM   
       
   I. ISLAM AND MUSLIMS   
   The name of this religion is Islam, the root of which is Silm and Salam which   
   means peace. Salam may also mean greeting one another with peace. One of the   
   beautiful names of God is that He is the Peace. It means more than that:   
   submission to the One God,    
   and to live in peace with the Creator, within one's self, with other people   
   and with the environment. Thus, Islam is a total system of living. A Muslim is   
   supposed to live in peace and harmony with all these segments; hence, a Muslim   
   is any person    
   anywhere in the world whose obedience, allegiance, and loyalty are to God, the   
   Lord of the Universe.   
   II. MUSLIMS AND ARABS   
   The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are not to be confused with   
   Arabs. Muslims may be Arabs, Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians,   
   Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Chinese, or other nationalities.   
   An Arab could be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew or an atheist. Any person who   
   adopts the Arabic language is called an Arab. However, the language of the   
   Qur'an (the Holy Book of Islam) is Arabic. Muslims all over the world try to   
   learn Arabic so that they    
   may be able to read the Qur'an and understand its meaning. They pray in the   
   language of the Qur'an, namely Arabic. Supplications to God could be in any   
   language.   
   While there are one billion Muslims in the world there are about 200 million   
   Arabs. Among them, approximately ten percent are not Muslims. Thus Arab   
   Muslims constitute only about twenty percent of the Muslim population of the   
   world.   
   III. ALLAH THE ONE AND THE ONLY GOD   
   Allah is the name of the One and Only God. Allah has ninety-nine beautiful   
   names, such as: The Gracious, The Merciful, The Beneficent, The Creator, The   
   All-Knowing, The All-Wise, The Lord of the Universe, The First, The Last, and   
   others.   
   He is the Creator of all human beings. He is the God for the Christians, the   
   Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhists, the Hindus, the atheists, and others.   
   Muslims worship God whose name is Allah. They put their trust in Him and they   
   seek His help and His    
   guidance.   
   IV. MUHAMMAD   
   Muhammad was chosen by God to deliver His Message of Peace, namely Islam. He   
   was born in 570 C.E. (Common Era) in Makkah, Arabia. He was entrusted with the   
   Message of Islam when he was at the age of forty years. The revelation that he   
   received is called    
   the Qur'an, while the message is called Islam.   
   Muhammad is the very last Prophet of God to mankind. He is the final Messenger   
   of God. His message was and is still to the Christians, the Jews and the rest   
   of mankind. He was sent to those religious people to inform them about the   
   true mission of Jesus,    
   Moses, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham.   
   Muhammad is considered to be the summation and the culmination of all the   
   prophets and messengers that came before him. He purified the previous   
   messages from adulteration and completed the Message of God for all humanity.   
   He was entrusted with the power    
   of explaining, interpreting and living the teaching of the Qur'an.   
   V. SOURCE OF ISLAM   
   The legal sources of Islam are the Qur'an and the Hadith. The Qur'an is the   
   exact word of God; its authenticity, originality and totality are intact. The   
   Hadith is the report of the sayings, deeds and approvals of the Prophet   
   Muhammad. The Prophet's    
   sayings and deeds are called Sunnah. The Seerah is the writings of followers   
   of Muhammad about the life of the Prophet. Hence, it is the life history of   
   the Prophet Muhammad which provides examples of daily living for Muslims.   
   VI. SOME ISLAMIC PRINCIPLES   
   A. Oneness of God:   
   He is One and the Only One. He is not two in one or three in one. This means   
   that Islam rejects the idea of trinity or such a unity of God which implies   
   more than one God in one.    
   B. Oneness of mankind:   
   People are created equal in front of the Law of God. There is no superiority   
   for one race over another. God made us of different colors, nationalities,   
   languages and beliefs so as to test who is going to be better than others. No   
   one can claim that he is    
   better than others. It is only God Who knows who is better. It depends on   
   piety and righteousness.   
      
   C. Oneness of Messengers and the Message:   
   Muslims believe that God sent different messengers throughout the history of   
   mankind. All came with the same message and the same teachings. It was the   
   people who misunderstood and misinterpreted them.   
   Muslims believe in Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ismail, Jacob, Moses, David, Jesus,   
   and Muhammad. The Prophets of Christianity and Judaism are indeed the Prophets   
   of Islam.   
      
   D. Angels and the Day of Judgment:   
   Muslims believe that there are unseen creatures such as angels created by God   
   in the universe for special missions.   
   Muslims believe that there is a Day of Judgment when all people of the world   
   throughout the history of mankind till the last day of life on earth, are to   
   be brought for accounting, reward and punishment.   
      
   E. Innocence of Man at Birth:   
   Muslim believe that people are born free of sin. It is only after they reach   
   the age of puberty and it is only after they commit sins that they are to be   
   charged for their mistakes. No one is responsible for or can take the   
   responsibility for the sins of    
   others. However, the door of forgiveness through true repentance is always   
   open.    
   F. State and Religion:   
   Muslims believe that Islam is a total and a complete way of life. It   
   encompasses all aspects of life. As such, the teachings of Islam do not   
   separate religion from politics. As a matter of fact, state and religion are   
   under the obedience of Allah through    
   the teachings of Islam. Hence, economic and social transactions, as well as   
   educational and political systems are also part of the teachings of Islam.   
   VII. PRACTICES OF ISLAM   
   God instructed the Muslims to practice what they believe in. In Islam there   
   are five pillars, namely:    
      
   1.     Creed (Shahada): The verbal commitment and pledge that there is only   
   One God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, is considered to be the   
   Creed of Islam.   
   2.     Prayers (Salat): The performance of the five daily prayers is required   
   of Muslims.   
   3.     Fasting (Saum): Fasting is total abstinence from food, liquids and   
   intimate intercourse (between married couples) from dawn to sunset during the   
   entire month of Ramadan.   
   4.     Purifying Tax (Zakat): This is an annual payment of a certain   
   percentage of a Muslim's property which is distributed among the poor or other   
   rightful beneficiaries.   
      
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    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)