the product of chance. The entire Universe manifestsand points to the
realization of an All-Powerful Creator. Therefore, it is man's duty to
know his Creator, Allaah.
Indeed, Allaah )The Only True God( has told us about Himself through
the Divine guidance He sent to human beings. Humanity received this
Divine guidance through the Messengers, may Allaah exalt their
mention, who were chosen by Allaah to convey His message and to be
living examples for their people. These Messengers, may Allaah exalt
their mention, told man who his Creator is, the purpose of existence,
and what will happen to him after death. They all brought the same
message of Monotheism: the worship of Allaah alone. However, they
differed only in the canonical teachings that were presented to their
peoples.
Over a period, the earlier messages were distorted or lost by later
generations. As a result, the pure message was polluted with myths,
superstitions, idolatry and philosophical ideologies. However, Allaah,
the Compassionate, did not leave man straying. He sent Prophets, may
Allaahexalt their mention, to re-instate the original message and to
remind man of the right path. The last of those Prophetswas Prophet
Muhammad,, who presented Allaah's guidance in its final form: Islam,
for all times and for all people.
Islam is an Arabic word that denotes submission and obedience; as a
religion, Islam stands for complete submission andobedience to Allaah.
The other literal meaning of the word Islam is"peace", this signifies
that one can only achievereal peace of heart and mind, and peace in
society through submission and obedience to Allaah.
The Five Pillars of Islam
Worship in Islam is an all-inclusive term for all that Allaah loves --
private and public words and actions performed in accordance with His
teachings. Islam considers every virtuous action which is performed to
carry out the commandments of Allaah and in order to seek His
pleasure, an act of worship. The Five Pillars of Islam, stand as the
framework of the spiritual life of Islam. They include the following:
1. The Declaration of Monotheism
Monotheism is the cornerstone of Islam. A man joins the fold of Islam
by believing and declaring his submission to Monotheism: "There is
none worthy of worship but Allaah and Muhammad is His Messenger". It
is the acceptance or denial of this belief that differentiates a
Muslim from a non-Muslim.
2. Prayers
Every Muslim whose net annual savings are abovea certain specified
minimum must pay an annual amount of 2.5 percent of his wealth to the
poor and needy.Zakaahpurifies a Muslim's accrued wealth, fosters the
quality of sacrifice and rids him of selfishness and greed.Zakaahalso
helps reduce to resentment and envy between poor and rich members of
the society.
4. Fasting during the month of Ramadan
Muslims observe fasting once every year during the month of
Ramadan.They abstain from food, drink and sexual contact from dawn to
sunset. Fasting teaches sincerity and implants devotion. It develops a
sound social consciousness, patience, self-restraint, will-power and
an awareness of how the needy members of the society lead their lives.
It has been medically proved that fasting also helps to maintain good
health.
5.Hajj)Pilgrimage to Makkah(
Hajjis an act of worship, which is to be performedat least once in a
lifetime,if one can afford it both financially and physically.During
this time, Muslims meet from all corners of the world in a
congregation respondingto the call of Allaah. It demonstrates and
refreshes the belief that all Muslims are equal, irrespective of their
geographical, cultural or racial origins.
The Six Articles of Faith in Islam
The Muslim believes in the following articles of faith:
1. He believes inthe Oneness of God, Allaah, Supreme and
Eternal, Merciful and Compassionate, Creator and Provider of everything.
2. He believes inall Messengers of Allaah, may Allaah exalt their
mention, with no discrimination between them. Every nation had a
messenger )or more( sentby Allaah to convey His message, and to
exemplify it for his people or nation. The Quran mentions the names of
only twenty five of them and indicates that there have been many
others. Those twenty-five include Nooh)Noah(, Ibraaheem)Abraham(,
Ismaa'eel)Ishmael(, Ishaaq )Issac(, Yaaqoob )Jacob(, Moosaa)Moses(,
Daawood)David(, Sulaymaan)Solomon(, Yahya )John(, 'Eesaa )Jesus( and
finally, Muhammad,, may Allaah exalt their mention. Every Messenger
was sent to a specific nation, but Prophet Muhammad,, was sent for
mankind. This special status of Prophet Muhammad,as the seal and last
of all the Messengers puts the Muslim in the position, whereby
honoring Prophet Muhammad,, implies honoring all those Messengers who
came before him. There are numerous evidences or proofs that Prophet
Muhammad,, is an apostle of Allaah, mentioned in his biography. The
greatest is the Quran )the Word ofAllaah(, which could only have been
conveyed by aMessenger. The Biblical versions, even in their present
forms, clearly mention the advent of Prophet Muhammad,.]See Deut.
18:18, 18:15, 33:2-3, Isaiah 29:12, Songs of Solomon 5:16, John
16:12-14 and John 14:15-16.[
3. A Muslim believesin all the scriptures of Allaah, in their original
form. These scriptures contain the Divine message which the
Messengers, may Allaah exalt their mention, received to show their
respective peoples the right path of Allaah. In the Quran, a special
reference is madeto the books of Abraham)Suhuf(, to the Torah)Law( of
Moses, theZaboor)Psalms( of David and theInjeel)Gospel( of Jesus.
However, long before thebirth of Prophet Muhammad,, those revealed
books were corrupted or lost. Allaah revealed the Quran to Prophet
Muhammad,, as the final revelation and guidance for all humankind for
all times.
4. Muslims believe in theexistence of angelsas part of the unseen
world.Angels are purely spiritual beings whose nature requires no
food, drink or sleep; they perform specific duties assigned to them by
Allaah.
5. A Muslim believes inthe Day of Judgment. TheQuran teaches that life
is a test for man, to see whether he will follow the commands of
Allaah. Accordingly, one should prepare himself with good deeds for
the eternal life after death. People will be resurrected on the Day
ofJudgment to stand before Allaah for a just reckoning of their
worldly deeds and actions. People with good records will be generously
rewarded and warmly welcomed tothe Paradise of Allaah, while those
with bad records will be punished and cast into hell.
6. A Muslim believes thatwhatever happens in thisworld is ordered and
predestined by Allaah.Allaah is the Most Wise, sowhatever He does has
a meaningful purpose, although at times we may fail to understand it
fully.
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