2a] Islam at a Glance

2a]
and human relationships in all aspects.
Comprehensive teachings on which sound systems of social justice,
economics, politics, legislation, jurisprudence, law and international
relations can be built, are important contents of the Holy Qu'ran.
Hadith, the teachings, sayings, and actions of the Holy Prophet
Muhammad ( SAW ), meticulously reported and collected by his devoted
companions, explain and elaborate the Qu'ranic verses.
Concept of Worship:
Islam does not teach or accept mere Ritualism. It emphasises intention
and action. To worship God is to know Him and Love Him, to act upon
His laws in every aspect of life, to enjoin goodness and forbid evil
and oppression,to practice charity and justice and to serve Him
byserving mankind. Islam seeks to implant in man's heart the strongest
conviction that his every thought and action are with God, Who sees
him atall times and in all places.
The Qu'ran presents this concept in the following sublime manner:
"It is not righteousness that you turn your faces tothe East or the
West, but righteous is he who believes in God and the Last Day and the
Angels and the Book and the Prophets; and gives his wealth for the
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 observes proper
worship and pays the Zakat. And those who keeptheir treaty when they
make one, and are patient in tribulation and adversity and time of
stress. Such are those who are sincere. Such are the God fearing". (
Holy Qu'ran)
Islamic Way of Life:
Islam provides definite guidelines for all people tofollow in all
walks of life. The guidance it gives is comprehensive and includes the
social, economic, political, moral and spiritual aspects of life. The
Qu'ran reminds man of the purpose of life on earth, and his duties and
obligations towards himself, his kith and kin, his community, his
fellow human beings and his Creator. Man is given fundamental
guidelines about a purposeful life andthen he is left with the
challenge of human existence before him so that he might put these
high ideals into practice.
In Islam man is a wholesome, integrated unit and not a collection
offragmented, competitive parts.
Historic Perspective:
Muhammad ( SAW ) was born in the year 570 A.C. inMakkah in Arabia. He
cameof a noble Arab family. As soon as he started preaching Islam, he
and his followers were persecuted and had to facesevere hardships. He
was therefore commanded
to migrate to Medina, another city in Arabia.
During a short span of 23 years he was put to rest inthe city of
Medina. He left no wealth or property. He had lead a perfect life and
set an example for all human beings. His Biography illustrates in real
life, the meaning and implications of the Qu'ranic teachings.
Status of Women:
No discrimination is made on the basis of sex. But Islam makes one
realise that the spheres of potential capabilities and hence
responsibilities of men and women are equally important in themselves
but not exactlythe same.
The roles of men and women are complementary to each other.
Jihad:
Jihad ( meaning Struggle ) consists in exerting oneselfto the utmost
in order to personally follow the teachings of Islam. A Muslim
therefore, expends all the powers of body andsoul, his wealth,
possessions, and even life in the fight against the evilforces of the
world, in order that injustice, oppression, and contumacy are
annihilatedand God's just order is established.
Therefore to struggle in the path of Allah with the pen; speech; and
his swordis Jihad.
"What has happened to you ? why don't you fight in the way of God in
support of men, women, and children, whom finding helpless, they
haverepressed; and who pray,"Oh God ! liberate us from this habitation
which is ruled by Tyrants". ( Holy Qu'ran )
Islam has come to liberate man from the worship of man and establish
the worship of God./

2] Islam at a Glance

2]
Islam And Muslim:
Islam is an Arabic Word which means peace, purity, acceptance and
commitment. The religion of Islam is the complete acceptance of the
teachings and guidance of God ( Allah being his proper name ). i.e.
surrender to the Will of God.
A Muslim is one who accepts freely and willingly the supreme power of
God and strives for total reorganisation of his life according to
revealed teachings of God. He also works towards theestablishment of a
just and equitable social order which would totally reflectthe
guidance of God.
Continuity of Message:
Islam is not a new religion.It is, in essence, the same message and
guidance which God revealed to all His Prophets ( May his peace be
upon them all ).
"Say. We believe in God and that which was revealed to us and that
which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the
tribes and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and to the Prophets
from their Lord: we make no distinction between any ofthem, and to Him
we submit. ( Holy Qu'ran ).
The message which was revealed to Muhammad ( May the Peace and
blessings of God be upon him ), the Last Prophet, is Islam in it's
comprehensive, complete and final form.
The 5 specific acts of Worship:
Every action which is donewith the awareness that it fulfils the will
of God is considered an act of worship in Islam. Nevertheless, the
specific acts of Worship, termed the pillars of Islam, provide the
framework of spiritual life.
They are the Following:
1. Shahada ( The declaration of Faith )
"I bear witness that there is none worthy of Worshipexcept God, and
that Muhammad is His servant and messenger"
The Prophethood of Muhammad ( SAW ) obliges the Muslims to follow his
exemplary life in every way.
2. Salah ( Prayers )
Prayers are prescribed five times a day as a duty towards God. They
strengthen and enliven the belief in God and inspire man to a higher
morality. They purify the heart and control temptation towards wrong
doing and evil. It should be stressed that while Allah does not need
our prayers we cannot survive without His blessings and guidance.
"O you who believe ! Seek help with patient perseverance and prayer,
for Allah is with those whopatiently persevere". ( Holy Qu'ran )
3. Sawm ( Fasting )
Fasting is observed once each year during the month of Ramadan. This
means abstention from food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn to
sunset, and also from all evil intentions and desires.It teaches Love,
sincerity and devotion. It develops a sound social conscience,
patience, unselfishness and willpower. When we fast by choice, God
remembers our sufferings. He appreciates it all :)
4. Zakat ( Charity )
Zakat payment annually of2.5% of ones net savings as a purifying sum
to be spent on the poor and needy. Zakat implies that everything man
possesses belongs to God and therefore anyone in need has a share in
it.
5. Pilgrimage ( Hajj ) to theHoly City of Makkah:
Once in a lifetime providedone has the means to do so. Hajj implies
Man's temporary suspension of all worldly activities and his
realisation of himself as a naked soul in front of God alone.
Oneness of God:
Islam enjoins faith in the oneness and sovereignty of God, which makes
man aware of the meaningfulness of the Universe and of his place in
it. This belief frees him from all fears and superstitions by making
him conscious of the presence of Almighty God and of man's obligations
towards Him. Belief in One God requires that we look upon all humanity
as one family irrespective of colour, class, race, or territory, under
the Omnipotence of God the Creator and Nourisher of all.
Islam rejects the idea of a chosen people, making faith in God and
good action the only way to HEAVEN. Thus a direct relationship is
established with God. Open to all alike,without any intercessor.
Life After Death:
The world according to Islam, is a place of trial and man is being
judged in it. Man is accountable toAllah for all that he does herein.
Life on earthy will, one day, come to an end; and after that a new
worldwill be resurrected. It will be in this Life after Death that man
will be rewardedor punished for his deeds and misdeeds. God will judge
man on the day of Judgement and send him either to Heaven, a stage of
existence which leads tofurther blessings, or to Hell, a stage of
suffering and punishment.
Qu'ran And Hadith:
The Qu'ran is the last revealed Word of God and as such affirms and
completes the total process of revelation which has come from the
Divine, for the Guidance of the Human race. The Qu'ran is the basic
source of Islamic teachings and laws and deals with the bases of
creeds, morality, history of humanity, worship, knowledge, wisdom,
God-man relationship ( He is our Master, Creator, and Lord, we are his
servants ), and human relationships in all aspects. :->

story - A Clever King-Advice to the Youth

I will share with you a story which shows the clever decision of a
youth on how to live this life. This story is only an example.
There was a country long time ago where the people would change a king
every year. The person who would become the king had to agree to a
contract that hewill be sent to an island after his one year of being
a king. So, one king finished his term and it was time for him to go
to the island and live there. The people dressed him upin expensive
clothes and put him on an elephant and took him around the cities to
say goodbye to allthe people. This was the moment of sadness for all
the kings who ruled for one year. After saying goodbye, the people
took the king with a boat to theremote island and left him there. On
their way back, they discovered a ship thathad sunk just recently.
They saw a young man who survived by holding on to a floating piece of
wood. As they needed a new king, they picked up the young man and took
him to their country. They requested him to be a kingfor a year. First
he refused but later he agreed to be aking. People told him about all
the rules and regulations and that how he will be sent to an
islandafter one year.
After three days of being a king, he asked the ministers if they could
show him the island where all the other kings were sent. They agreed
and took him to the island.The island was covered with thick jungles
and sound of vicious animals were heard coming out of them. The king
went little bit inside to see how it was and discovered the dead
bodies of all the past kings. He understood that as soon as they were
left in the island, the animals came and killed them. The king then
went back to thecountry and requested the people to provide him with
100 strong workers. He was provided with 100 workers and he took
themto the island and told them to remove all the deadly animals and
to cut down all the trees. He would visit the island every month to
see how the work is progressing. Inthe first month, all the animals
were removed and many trees were cut down. In the second month, the
whole island was cleaned out. The king then told the workers to plant
gardens in various parts of the island. He also took with himself
useful animals like chickens, ducks, birds, goats, cows etc. In the
third month, he ordered the workers to build big houses and docking
stations for ships. Over the months, the island turned into a
beautiful place. The young king would wear simple clothes and spend
very little from his earnings. He sent all the earnings to theisland
for storage. Nine months have passed like this. The king called the
people and told them that"I know that I have to go the island after
one year, but I would like to go there right now." But the people
didn't agree to this and said that he have to wait for another 3
months to complete the year.
3 months passed and now it was a full year. The people dressed up the
young king and put him on an elephant to take him around the country
to say goodbye to others. However, this king is unusually happy to
leave the kingdom. People askedhim, "All the other kings would cry at
this moment and why are you laughing?" He replied,"Don't you know what
the wise people say? They say that when you came to this world as a
baby, you were crying and everyone was smiling. Live such a life that
when you are dieing, you will be smiling and everyone around you will
be crying. I have lived that life. While all the other kings were lost
into the luxuries of the kingdom, I always thoughtabout the future and
planned for it. I turned the deadly island into a beautiful abode for
me where I can stay peacefullly."
We should take a lesson from this story about how we should also live
our life. The life of this world isto prepare for the life hereafter.
In this life, we shouldn't get lost into the beautiful things of this
world and forget about what is to come in the afterlife. Rather, even
if weare kings, we should live a simple life like our belovedProphet
Muhammad (SAW)and save all our enjoyments for the hereafter. May Allah
make it easy for us all.
( Love for Muhammad PBUH is the basic teaching of Islam.)... Islam is
not terrorism nor backwordness, but Islam isteachings of
peace."Ashadunna La illaha illallahu Wa Ashadunna Muhammadan Wa
Rasuluhu." "I bear witness that there is no god, but Allah, and
Muhammad is His Last Messenger."

*1a] Why do we count the age of Islam from the beginning of the Hijrah and not from the beginning of the revelation and the call?

*1a]
Why do we count the age of Islam from the beginning of the Hijrah and
not from the beginning of the revelation and the call?
~
because remembering it would renew their grief. So therewas no choice
left except the Hijrah. And they choseto regard Muharram as the first
month of the year rather than Rabee' al-Awwal because the plan to
migrate started totake shape in Muharram. The oath of allegiance
(bay'ah) – that was the precursor to the Hijrah – had taken place
during Dhu'l-Hijjah, and the first new moon after the oath of
allegiance and the decision to migrate was that of Muharram. So it was
appropriate to make it the first month of the year. This is the best
explanation I have come across as to why the year starts with
Muharram.
Al-Haakim narrated that Sa'eed ibn al-Musayyab said: 'Umar assembled
thepeople and asked them what the first day of the calendar should be.
'Ali said: (It should start) fromthe day when the Messenger of Allah
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) migrated and left the
landof shirk. So 'Umar did that.End quote.
The one who says that the age of Islam started with the Hijrah is
referringto the calendar and what the people agreed upon of creating a
system so that people could know the dates of events and define the
times of contracts, the dates of visits by delegations, and the like.
This is somethingon which the people agreed during the caliphate of
'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and it has remained so up until
the present day. The start of this calendar marks, as 'Umar intended,
the establishment of the (Islamic) state, which onlybegan with the
Hijrah.
As for the beginning of Islam itself and people's awareness of it, we
do not need to point out thatthis took place before thattime. Indeed
the meaningof the word Islam in general includes the religion that
Allah approved for His slaves and with which He sent His Prophets and
Messengers. But this is notwhat we are discussing here.
We do not believe that anyone could imagine that Islam only began with
the Hijrah and ignorethe years of da'wah during which the Prophet
(blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and those who were with
himin Makkah strove to establish the faith. No onewould say this.
And Allah knows best.