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Islam

This is a list of the Frequently asked questions about Islam and attempts to answer them using evidence from the main sources of Islam which are the Quran and teachings of prophet Muhammad + some views of some Muslim scholars. Some of these answers are a result of researching in various Islamic sources (which are usually written in Arabic). AS FOR THE OTHER ANSWERS, they were collected from other Muslim websites & we have given these sites credit by displaying the links to the original articles. HOWEVER, this doesn't mean that we approve everything mentioned in these site or in the articles; THAT'S why we have modified some of the content of some articles to suit the moderate approach we're trying to follow here. So please be aware that we maybe only agreeing on the articles we adapted from other websites & NOT NECESSARILY EVERY THING IN THESE WEBSITES. To read the answers click on the desired question. And if you have any other misconception on Islam or a notice / correction to any of the content featured here, please feel free to e-mail us.

Choose your specified topic related to Islam (Topics are Sorted Alphabetically)

Allah - Anti-semitism - Apostasy - Art(s) - Atheism - Capitalism - Christianity - Civilization - Clash of Civilizations -  Communism - Compulsion in religion - Criticism - Democracy - Dictatorship - Facism - Freedom - Homosexuality - Human Rights - Idol(s) - Introduction - Islamic State - Jesus - Jihad - Judiasm - Liberalism - Mary - Muhammad - Moses - Non-Muslims - Peace - Polygamy - Quran - Racism - School(s) of thought(s) - Sects - Secularism - Sex - Taliban - Terrorism - War - Women - Zionism

Introduction to Islam (i.e. a general idea)

What does Islam mean?
The Five Pillars of Islam
Groupings in Islam
The Phenomenal growth of Islam
Some Resources for more info

Islam (which means submission) originates from the word of the prophet Muhammad, born in Mecca in Saudi Arabia in AD 570.The monotheistic god or Allah gave his words via the angel Gabriel to Muhammad and is now found in the Quran.

Islam was not born in the 7th century A.D. Rather; it is the same religion that God revealed through His messengers (peace be upon them) to every people. Islam sometimes seems strange to non-Muslims because it is a religion which impacts every part of life, from eating and sleeping to working and playing. It is not only a personal religion, but also a social one.

Muslims seek to live in accordance with God's laws. By doing so, they strive to obtain nearness to God and victory over temporary trials and temptations in this world. All aspects of their practice including prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage are intended to help meet this goal. Although strict by secular standards, Islam is not an ascetic religion. Islam requires its followers to be active participants in their communities.

Muslims believe that God is one, indivisible, and they believe in all the prophets of the Christians and Jews including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist (peace be upon them) and as for Jesus (Peace be upon him), Muslims believe that he is a prophet as all other prophets just as the Unitarian Christians....(click here to read what Islam says about Jesus).

Muslims also recognize another prophet named Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), who is a direct descendant of Abraham through his first born son, Ishmael. His prophet hood is prophesied in the True Bible in several places, including Deut 18:18 and John 4:16.

The Quran is the holy book of Muslims. It contains many stories that are familiar to Christians and Jews. It was not created by man but was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) through the Angel Gabriel at the command of God (Click here to read…Did Muhammad write the Quran). It contains no scientific fallacies or internal contradictions. In fact, it contains much scientific knowledge discovered by scientists only in this century. The Quran is an unparalleled Arabic literary masterpiece. Furthermore, it survives in its original revealed form, unlike the Torah and the Gospel.

Followers of Islam, or Muslims date their Hijri calendar from the year Muhammad migrated from Mecca to Medina (now in Saudi Arabia), which can be calculated on the basis of AH 1420 being equivalent to AD 2000, although Islamic years are eleven days shorter than Christian ones. Islam is built on top of Judaism & Christianity, recognizing figures such as Adam, Moses, Abraham & Jesus (Isa) as prophets. Muslims are required to observe five practices in their life-the main five pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam^Top of the page^

They are the framework of the Muslim life: faith, prayer, concern for the needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.

1) FAITH^Top of the page^

There is no god worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is His messenger. This declaration of faith is called the (Shahada), a simple formula which all the faithful pronounce. In Arabic, the first part is (la ilaha illa Allah) - 'there is no god except God'; ilaha (god) can refer to anything which we may be tempted to put in place of God - wealth, power, and the like. Then comes illa Llah: 'except God', the source of all Creation. The second part of the Shahada is (Muhammadun rasulu'Llah): 'Muhammad is the messenger of God.' A message of guidance has come through a man like ourselves.

2) PRAYER (Prayer Performance)^Top of the page^

(Salat) is the name for the obligatory prayers which are performed five times a day, and are a direct link between the worshipper and God. There is no hierarchical authority in Islam, and no priests, so the prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Quran, chosen by the congregation. These five prayers contain verses from the Quran, and are said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation, but personal supplication can be offered in one's own language.

Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life.

A translation of the Call to Prayer is:

God is most great. God is most great.
God is most great. God is most great.
I testify that there is no god except God.
I testify that there is no god except God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.
Come to prayer! Come to prayer!
Come to success (in this life and the Hereafter)!
Come to success!
God is most great. God is most great.
There is no god except God.

3) THE 'ZAKAT' (Zakat Information Center)^Top of the page^

One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The word (zakat) means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth.

Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakat individually. For most purposes this involves the payment each year of two and a half percent of one's capital.

A pious person may also give as much as he or she pleases as (sadaqa), and does so preferably in secret. Although this word can be translated as 'voluntary charity' it has a wider meaning. The Prophet said 'even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is charity.'

The Prophet said: 'Charity is a necessity for every Muslim. 'He was asked: 'What if a person has nothing?' The Prophet replied: 'He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give something out of such earnings in charity.' The Companions asked: 'What if he is not able to work?' The Prophet said: 'He should help poor and needy persons.' The Companions further asked 'What if he cannot do even that?' The Prophet said 'He should urge others to do good.' The Companions said 'What if he lacks that also?' The Prophet said 'He should check himself from doing evil. That is also charity.'

4) THE FAST (Ramadan Information Center)^Top of the page^

Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from first light until sundown, abstaining from food, drink, and sexual relations with the spouse. Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey, and women who are pregnant or nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up an equal number of days later in the year. If they are physically unable to do this, they must feed a needy person for every day missed. Children begin to fast (and to observe the prayer) from puberty, although many start earlier.

Although the fast is most beneficial to the health, it is regarded principally as a method of self purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry as well as growth in one's spiritual life.

5) PILGRIMAGE  (HAJJ) (Hajj Information Center)^Top of the page^

The annual pilgrimage to Makkah - the Hajj - is an obligation only for those who are physically and financially able to perform it. Nevertheless, about two million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the globe providing a unique opportunity for those of different nations to meet one another. Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic year (which is lunar, not solar, so that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter). Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions of class, race, wealth and culture, so that all stand EQUAL before God.

Pilgrims praying at the mosque in Makkah.

The rites of the Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include circling the Ka'ba seven times, and going seven times between the mountains of Safa and Marwa as did Hagar during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand together on the wide plain of Arafa and join in prayers for God's forgiveness, in what is often thought of as a preview of the Last Judgment.

In previous centuries the Hajj was an arduous undertaking. Today, however, Saudi Arabia provides millions of people with water, modern transport, and the most up-to-date health facilities.

The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere. This, and the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the main festivals of the Muslim calendar.

Groupings in Islam^Top of the page^

There are a number of groupings within Islam. The great majority of followers are the Sunnis. The Shiites are a smaller group who reject the first three Caliphs or successors to Muhammad and say that Ali, (husband of the prophet's daughter & the fourth Caliph) should have been the 1^st Caliph. There are other groupings but has very much smaller number of followers than those 2 previously mentioned.

The Phenomenal growth of Islam^Top of the page^

Today there are more than 1 billion Muslims in the world. The places with the highest Muslim population are: the Middle East, North Africa, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan & Central Asia.

People living in the West and throughout the world should not allow themselves to be ignorant about Islam and Muslims. For example, there are six million Muslims living in the United States out of 1.2 billion in the world. Only 18% of Muslims live in the Arab world. Demographers say that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the U.S. (and the world) due to high birth rate, immigration, and high conversion rate. By the year 2000, Islam is predicted to be the second largest religion in America if it is not already, surpassing Judaism, Mormonism, Jehovah's Witness, and other religions.

More about Islam^Top of the page^

Teachings of Islam (Coming Soon)

Morals of Islam (Coming Soon)

Some Resources for more info^Top of the page^

Islamic Information & News Network - Islam FAQ

  Islam.org

For More Resources Check these useful links...Click here (Coming soon)

Does Islam=Terrorism?
Does the Quran order the Muslims to kill non-Muslims?
What is the meaning of "Jihad"?
Was Islam spread by the Sword?
Does Islam really allow killing apostates?
When Islam is against idol worship why do the Muslims worship, and bow down to the Kaaba in their prayer?

What does Islam say about dealing with people from other religions?
Why does Islam degrade women by keeping them behind the veil?
Why does Islam degrade women by allowing a man to have 4 wives & not allowing the opposite? Isn't this double standards?
Does the Quran order men to beat their wives?
Did Muhammad write the Quran?
When all the Muslim follow the same & only Quran then why are there so many sects and different schools of thoughts among Muslims?

What do great people of the world say about Muhammad?
The biography of Muhammad.
Was Muhammad a womanizer?
Was Muhammad a pedophile?
Responses of prophet Muhammad to certain Situations.

Women, Family, Slavery & Human Rights in Islam. (Coming Soon)
Is Islam really a "non-accepting criticism" religion?
Do Muslims worship the Moon?
Is Islam the religion of Arabs only?
If Islam is the best religion, why are many of the Muslims are bad?
Why does the Islamic faith sometimes seem strange in the western societies?

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