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In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful
Brief Introduction to Islam
ALLAH - for Muslims the greatest and most inclusive of the Names of God, an Arabic word of rich and varied meaning, denoting the one who is adored in worship, who creates all that exists, who had priority over all creation, who is lofty and hidden, who confounds all human understanding. It is exactly the same word which the Jews, in Hebrew, use for God (eloh), the word which Jesus Christ used in Aramaic when he prayed to God. God has an identical name in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Allah is the same God worshipped by Muslims, Christians and Jews.
"He is God, the One God Independent and Sought by all; He begets not, nor is begotten, and there is none like unto Him" (The Holy Qur'an - Chapter on Sincerity of Faith)
Islam teaches that all faiths have, in essence, one common message: the existence of a Supreme Being, the one and only God, whose Sovereignty is to be acknowledged in worship and in the pledge to obey His teaching and commandments, conveyed through His messengers and prophets who were sent at various times and in many places throughout history.
Islam, An Arabic word, rich in meaning. One important dimension is the "commitment to submit and surrender to God so that one can live in peace"; Peace (salam) is achieved through active obedience to the revealed Commandments of God, for God is the Source of all Peace. Commitment to Islam entails striving for peace through a struggle for justice, equality of opportunity, mutual caring and consideration for the rights of others, and continuous research and acquisition of knowledge for the better protection and utilization of the resources of Creation.
Islam teaches that the objective of the Commandments of God is that peace should be established in the human societies of this world, in preparation for a further dimension of human existence in the world to come, the Afterlife. Islam's vision of peace is therefore truly universal; it transcends time and belongs to the order of God's eternity.
Islam does not regard itself to be a new teaching, different or separate from that of other world religions. It is the
reaffirmation of the ancient yet living truth of all religions which can be expressed in the following beliefs:
the Uniqueness of the one and only God who is Sovereign of the universe; the Revelation of the teaching and commandments of God through Angels in heaven to Prophets on earth,
and written in sacred writings which all have the same transcendent source; these contain the will of God which marks the way of peace for the whole universe and all of humankind;
the Day of Judgment which inaugurates the Afterlife, in which God rewards and punishes with respect to human obedience and disobedience to His will.
Islam affirms these simple beliefs as the basis for the decent, civilized society towards which it strives. Its vision of society is, in essence, no different from that upheld by all monotheistic religions. This is particularly true of
Judaism and Christianity which share with Islam the direct spiritual lineage of the Prophet Abraham. Islam affirms the divinely-ordained missions of the Prophet Moses, through whom God revealed the sacred scripture called the Torah, and of the Prophet Jesus, through whom God revealed the scripture known as the Gospel. The
message of Islam is in essence the same as that which God revealed to all His prophets and messengers. The Prophet Muhammad (the peace and blessing of God be upon him) was commanded to recite in the Holy Qur'an:
"Say, we believe in God, and that which was revealed unto us, and that which was revealed unto Abraham and lshmael and Isaac and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which was vouchsafed unto Moses and Jesus and the prophets from their Lord; We make no distinction between any of them, and unto Him we have surrendered "
(The Holy Qur'an 3:84)
The success of civilizations and cultures is directly related to the extent of their practice of the righteous way of life revealed in the teaching and commandments of God, and set forth in the monotheistic religions which are
confirmed by Islam. God's revelation enshrines the highest values of humankind, and the divine commandments are essentially no different from the values which human beings have cherished and striven to maintain throughout
history, regardless of cultural, racial, linguistic and socioeconomic differences. Success in this life is directly related to the practice of these values.
The irreducible minimum of faith is to believe in God as the sole sovereign Lord of this world and the next, and to believe in the reality of the Afterlife for which human beings are to prepare by living righteously in this world.
God Alone is the Judge of human righteousness, and it is God Alone who rewards and punishes in this life and in the life hereafter.
Righteousness does not mean for you to turn your faces towards the East and towards the West, but righteousness means one should believe in God (Alone), the Last Day the angels, the Book and the prophets; and no matter how he loves it, to give his wealth away to near relatives, orphans, the needy, the wayfarer and the beggars, and toward the freeing of captives; and to keep up prayer and pay the welfare tax; and those who keep their word whenever they promise anything; and are patient under strain and hardship and in time of peril. Those are the ones who act loyally and perform their duty. (The Holy Qur'an 2:1 77)
A Muslim is one who is committed to peace by continuously striving to follow the way of righteousness and justice revealed by God; the Arabic word Muslim refers to a man, Muslima to a woman. In either case the literal meaning is "one who submits to God's teachings and commandments, which leads to peace."
Muslims have three distinct advantages to help them in the practice of Islam as their way of life:
- 1.The Sacred Scripture called the Qur'an, which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the 7th century of the Common Era, and which, after 1400 years, remains authentic in its original Arabic text, in the language which is still used and understood by millions of people throughout the world today; it contains God's guidance in teachings and commandments which are valid for all times and all places, and which encompass all spheres of human life.
- 2.The Prophet Muhammad, whom the Qur'an names as "the Seal (last) of the Prophets", and of whose life and mission there is a complete and authentic record in the Sira and the Hadith These show how he exemplified the teachings and commandments of God in practice, and elaborated the principles laid down in the Qur'an in order to provide a sure guidance for their interpretation and application for all later times and societies.
- 3.The Sacred Law, called the Shari'ah, which sets out the way of worship prescribed in the Qur'an and the Prophet's practice; it goes beyond the common understanding of worship as the performance of religious rituals, and encompasses the whole of human life, individual as well as social. Thus all so-called secular activities become acts of worship, provided they are performed with pure and righteous intention, seeking God's pleasure.
Muslims are enjoined to organize their lives on the basis of a series of ritual acts of worship which are ordained in the Qur'an as ways which discipline human beings to remember God constantly, accepting his Sovereignty and pledging to obey His
Commandments:
- 1.Declaration of belief (Shahada): is the initial act of faith, expressed in a simple statement which testifies to one's commitment to following the straight path of God's guidance upon which Muslims seek to live their lives; "I bear witness that there is no god but God; I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Prophet. "
- 2.Prayer (Salat), offered five times a day, has the effect of reminding the faithful that "remembrance of
God is indeed the greatest virtue", and helps them adhere to the path of righteousness, and to restrain from indecency and evil.
- 3.Fasting (Sawm), observed through the daylight hours of the 29/30 days of the Islamic month of Ramadan, involves abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking and marital intercourse; this reminds the believers of their dependence upon God, as well as their kinship with, and responsibility for the millions of human beings in the world who experience involuntary fasting because of lack of food, or its unjust distribution.
- 4.Purification of wealth (Zakat); this requires the annual giving of a fixed amount of excess personal assets for the benefit of the poor, the incapacitated, the deprived, and the welfare of the community; it serves to remind Muslims that all beneficence comes from the bounty of God, and is enjoyed only through His mercy; sharing becomes an act of purification both of the wealth itself, and of the giver whose soul is disciplined against greed by the practice of selflessness.
- 5.Pilgrimage (Hajj), which all Muslims should perform at least once in a lifetime, if personal circumstances permit; it gathers the believers as members of the diverse human family into a single community. They perform prescribed acts of worship at the Holy House of the Ka'ba in Makkah (Mecca) which, according to the Qur'an, was originally built by the Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael; and at Mount Arafat, where they remember the pure and original way of life of Adam, the progenitor of the human race, reaffirmed by the Patriarch of the entire human family, the Prophet Abraham, and finally perfected and completed by God for all humanity through the mission of the Prophet Muhammad - the way of life known as Islam which has at its heart the doctrine of the unity and uniqueness of the One God.
Each of these prescribed acts of worship bring Muslims daily and repeatedly before God Almighty as the Creator, Sustainer and Judge of all humanity.
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Through these acts of worship God helps Muslims to fulfill the obligation of striving which He has ordained for this life; the striving actively and freely to surrender one's own will in obedience to the Will of God, inwardly in intention and outwardly in word and deed; individually in personal conduct and collectively in the improvement of society; the striving for peace in the world through the proclamation of true faith, and its defense against all that threatens it. Islam presents human beings with a simple twofold invitation:
to witness that there is no God but God Almighty;
to witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.
This declaration is the door to a life of service, one of participation in a community of believers whose highest duty is to call on humanity to embrace what is righteous and good, and to reject what is evil and degrading. Muslims are brothers and sisters of all people of good faith, and wish to strive with them for peace in this world.
Fundamentals of Islam
Islam reaffirms the same beliefs which the previous prophets including Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be on all of them) propounded, namely submission to and commitment to obey commandments of the one and only God. All who accept this are Muslims. But since the advent of Islam only the followers of that religion are called Muslims.
Essence of the Fundamentals The essence of the Fundamentals of lslam is to be God conscious in all that we do and out of His love, commit to obey His commandments in every sphere of our activity. Thus Islam is in fact an ideology, establishing a way of life which is neither capitalistic nor socialistic but contains the best of both.
Basic Beliefs
- God created the universe and is the evolve, shaper, sustainer, owner and sovereign of the Universe and all that is in it.
- The reason for the creation was to test who among the humans would prove himself to be the best as His agent on earth. An agent can only use, enjoy and improve the resources placed in his trust and under his control by God. But he has no authority to deviate from the given directives or to damage or destroy them.
- For this purpose God among all His creations granted only the humans the faculty to learn and acquire knowledge and the power of thinking, reasoning and making decisions. All other creations are obliged to act and perform according to a set pattern and law.
- Humans were provided guidance from time to time through God's messengers and the Books revealed through them. But humans are not forced to follow the edicts contained in these books. They are however told of the advantages that would accrue in the Hereafter and in this world to them, to the society and to the world at large if they followed these and are warned of the consequences of ignoring or violating these. The decision is left to each individual.
- The Qur'an revealed through the last prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the last revelation from God and contains absolute moral commandments. These are mostly the same as contained in all other earlier revealed Books. It however also lays down principles to be observed in every day life and in all affairs, to help in establishing, preserving and maintaining an Islamic society. These principles cover all aspects of life and are stated in such universal terms that these remain valid for all time and are applicable at all stages of civilizations and for all different parts of the world.
- Each individual will have to render account on the Day of Judgment for all his actions in his worldly life. Those that believed in God and acted in their every day life according to His commandment as exemplified and amplified by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) can expect through His Grace to be granted eternal life of Bliss, Peace and Comfort. Others will have to face consequences of their disbelief and/or disobedience.
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Basic Facts
- It is a universally accepted fact that the Qur'an, 1,400 years later, still remains exactly the same as it was revealed by God to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It is the only such revealed book in existence today. It describes itself as the Book of Guidance.
It is in Arabic which even today is the mother tongue of millions. It is a very rich language and a number of its words have no equivalent word in any other language that can fully express their meanings.
For instance, the Arabic word "Ibadat" is usually translated as Worship. The actual meaning is "to commit and act out of love for Him according to edicts laid down by Him in the Qur'an." This full meaning of the word Ibadat makes every act of a Muslim in his everyday life an act of worship provided he carries it out in the above spirit and accordance with the Quranic edicts.
- The prescribed rituals of Prayers, Fasting, Hajj and Zakat and the ordained greetings, invocations, etc. are all important parts of worship (Ibadat) and one of their purposes is to make humans GOD CONSCIOUS in all their actions particularly those effecting or relating to other humans or creation. To constantly remind them that God is the creator and sovereign, while they are merely His agent authorized to act only in accordance with the directions given to them and are accountable on the Day of Judgment for their actions and deeds. A constant reminder has to have a benign influence upon the character of individuals and thus of nations. After all it is the ideals that form character. As one thinks in his heart, so is he.
- The Islamic teachings and commandments are essentially no different from the values which human beings have cherished and striven to maintain throughout history irrespective of cultural, racial, linguistic and socioeconomic differences. The success of civilizations and cultures, as study of history and of current affairs will prove conclusively, is directly related to the extent of their practicing these. The basic difference is that Muslims perform these as acts of worship and have no authority to make changes in the Commandments, while others do so to comply with the prevailing laws and conform to ever-changing values of their society.
The Objective of Islam The edicts contained in the Qur'an as amplified and exemplified by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are meant to guide humans to develop themselves to be as perfect as possible with maximum Godly qualities so that a society is established which at the very least:
- Comprises of people who fully utilize the faculties of learning and reasoning by acquiring knowledge for the purpose of making the world to be a better place to live in and not for its destruction.
- Is peaceful, just and ensures equal justice for all.
- Cares for the needy and oppressed.
- Preserves and protects mutual rights and obligations.
- Ensures that there is no exploitation.
- Ensures equality of opportunity for all.
- Ensures that the resources of the universe are employed to the best advantage and well being of the society equitably and without harming or damaging the resources but in fact maintaining a perfect balance.
Such a society is and has been the cherished ideal of all civilizations and ideologies.
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Current Situation People everywhere, under influence of the West in which these traits are most common, have tended to become materialistic and selfish. A number of them are imbued with and wedded to humanism and secularism. They solely depend on human wisdom to find ways to achieve the ideal society. Divine guidance is completely ignored.
Muslims are generally trapped family, cultural and sectarian practices.
In the search for the ideal society various ideologies and systems have been tried without much success. The failure of finding guidance strictly through human wisdom is manifested in a plethora of man-made laws which concentrate authority in a few at the cost of individual freedom. The populace is caught in mismanagement, high taxes, curtailed freedom, high crime rates, delayed justice which is turning it into "justice for the rich,- broken families, and, in the technologically developed societies, unfulfilled prosperity. Completely forgotten is the fact that human wisdom is not only limited but is invariably subject to the influence of self, other interests and desires. Without the Divine Guidance, establishment of an ideal society remains a mirage.
The Solution The only way for humans, who wish to achieve an eternal life of bliss in the Hereafter and have Peace of Mind and success in this life, is to accept the existence of one and only GOD with all the attributes and implement that acceptance by being righteous in thought and deed as laid down in the Qur'an and amplified as well as exemplified by the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
In order to learn what being righteous means and how he should live his life and how he can be steadfast in the same, it is necessary to follow the following Quranic edicts.
- To know and learn about God's guidance and commandments by personal study of the Qur'an and not learning it be hearsay or assuming somebody to be conveying the Truth. Any assumption without verification may lead to falsehood.
Those who do not know the Arabic language have access to many good translations and commentaries. However, no translation or commentary is perfect. Therefore, if at all possible, more than one translation or commentary should be studied. Also make use of the dictionary, "Lughat." The best way however is to learn the language of the Qur'an.
- To know and learn about amplification and the principles employed for application of the Quranic edicts by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by studying authentic sayings of his (Ahadith) and books about his life (Seerah). Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the role model for Islamic Way of Life.
- In every act of their everyday life, they should always bear in mind that they are doing so to please God and in obedience to His commands. This means being GOD CONSCIOUS (MUTTAQI) at all times. This would help them to steadfastly stay on the right path, in the face of stress and temptations, through God's guidance and help.
- To excel in knowledge which includes knowledge of own profession and try to be the best and be a leader and act as ROLE MODEL for others in their everyday way of life.
Original pamphlet prepared and published by Mr. Abdul Jalil, Chairman of Al-Huda Islamic Centre, P.O.Box 962, Elberton, Georgia 30635 (Tel:404-283-7510).
The Intention In producing this pamphlet has been to explain clearly the fundamental principles of Islam. It is hoped that this pamphlet will serve - by the Grace of God - to create a better understanding of Islam.
For additional information and literature on Islam contact may be made with:
The Islamic Teaching Center: Post Office Box 38 Plainfield, IN 46168 USA Tel:
The Institute of Islamic Information and Education: Post Office Box 41129 Chicago, IL Tel:
The Islamic Foundation Markfield Dawah Center: Ratby Lane Markfield, Leicester LEO ORN UK (Tel: (0530) 244 944)
Need more information? Check out the wide selection of Books on Islam provided by our Affiliates, Barnes & Noble.
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