ISLAM

Worked by :Besa Azemi

"Islam is the religion of all the prophets from Adam to Noah to Abraham to Moses, Jesus and Mohammad.

- The life before Muhammad

Before the birth of Prophet Mohammad, the Arab society was sunk into darkness.

Arabs believed in the unity of God, but they also claimed that God has entrusted His duties to various gods, goddesses and idols, they had more than 360 idols.

They considered angels as the daughters of God.

They were ignorant of social values.

They were nomadic people who were dependent on cattle for their living.

There was no government or law. All power existed with the rich.

The society was full of barbarity and brutality.

What is Islam & who are the Muslims?

- Islam is a monotheistic religion based on the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad . The word ‘Islam’ is Arabic and literally means ‘surrender’ or ‘submission.’ As a faith, it means total and sincere submission to the One Almighty God • (Allah). A ‘Muslim’ is therefore one who has voluntarily submitted his or her will to

God. Islam is not named after a tribe of people or an individual as is the case with other

religions; rather it is a global faith and a universal call, preached not by just one individual but by all

of the Prophets and Messengers of God throughout the history of humanity, starting with Adam . The teachings of Islam dictate a complete way of life, and its core message is found in the two testimonies of faith: Laa ilaha illallah; Muhammadur

rasulullah– “There is no god worthy of worship except Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.” A person who willingly makes this testimony and truly believes in the meaning of these words becomes a Muslim.

Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad - Prophet Muhammad was born in the year 570 AC in the

city of Mecca (in Saudi Arabia) and lived for 63 years. He received the fi rst revelati on at the age of 40 and his tenure lasted for 23 years. He passed away in Madinah (Saudi Arabia) aft er fully delivering the message that was revealed to him by Almighty God through the angel Jibreel . The greatness of Prophet Muhammad lies in being successful in both the worldly and spiritual aff airs. A successful leader usually does not have ti me for his house and a righteous man may not be successful in the worldly aff airs. The case of Prophet Muhammad remains unique because he was successful as a worldly as well as a spiritual leader. He was a husband, a father, a businessman, a leader and the fi nal Messenger of Allah (Almighty God) to mankind; however, one role never infl uenced negati vely the other.

By studying the life of the Prophet, we can derive some very important principles of leadership, which he followed. Muhammad was a positive thinker in the full sense of the word. All his activities were result-oriented; he completely refrained from all such steps as may prove counter-productive.

• 1st Principle: To begin from the possible • 2nd Principle: To see advantage in disadvantage • 3rd Principle: To change the place of acti on• 4th Principle: To make a friend out of an enemy• 5th Principle: To turn minus into plus• 6th Principle: The power of peace is stronger than the

power of violence• 7th Principle: Not to be a dichotomous thinker• 8th Principle: To bring the batt le in one’s own favorable

fi eld• 9th Principle: Gradualism instead of radicalism• 10th Principle: To be pragmati c in controversial matt ers

How Does a Person Practice Islam?

Once a person accepts Is lam as his or her rel igion and way of l i fe, i t is obl igatory upon that person to observe the fi ve pi l lars of Is lam that make up the fundamentals of practi cing Is lam. These fi ve pi l lars are: 1) Testi mony of Faith – This is to openly declare: Laa i laha i l la l lah; Muhammadur rasulul lah– “There is no god worthy of worship except Al lah (God), and Muhammad is the messenger of Al lah.” In order for a person to become a Musl im, a person must recite this testi mony wil l ingly and sincerely. 2) Regular Dai ly Prayers – Musl ims observe 5 required prayers that are spread throughout the day during the fol lowing ti mes: Dawn, Noon, Aft ernoon, Sunset, and Night.

3) Fasti ng in Ramadan – Ramadan is the 9th month of the Is lamic ( lunar) Calendar.

During the month of Ramadan, Musl ims observe fasti ng beginning at dawn and ending

when the sun sets. During the fasti ng period, Musl ims do not drink or eat anything and

refrain from sexual relati ons with their spouses.

4) Annual Charity (Zakat) – Each year Musl ims are required to give 2.5% of their savings

to the needy. 5) Pi lgr image to Makkah – Musl ims who are physical ly,

mental ly, and fi nancial ly able are obligated to journey to Makkah and perform the Hajj

(pi lgr image) and al l of its r ituals. The pi lgrimage to Makkah is one of the most rewarding and

spir itual ly fulfi l l ing experiences a Musl im can ever embark on. It compels the

pi lgrims to break down the racial , economical , and social barriers that may sti l l plague their

society, and invites each pi lgrim to practi ce pati ence, self-restraint, and piety.

Who is Allah?‘A l l a h ’ i s t h e p ro p e r n a m e fo r t h e O n e Tr u e G o d i n A ra b i c a n d i s t h e g re ate s t a n d m o s t i n c l u s i ve n a m e fo r G o d . T h e n a m e h a s n o p l u ra l o r ge n d e r a n d re fe rs t o t h e G o d o f N o a h , A b ra h a m , M o s e s , J e s u s , M u h a m m a d a n d t h e re s t o f t h e P ro p h e t s a n d M e s s e n ge rs o f G o d .

Eve r y t h i n g i n I s l a m i s b a s e d u p o n b e l i e f i n t h e O n e n e s s o f G o d a n d ge tti n g c l o s e r t o H i m ( t h ro u g h r i g h te o u s d e e d s ) . I s l a m ’s c re e d i s fo u n d e d u p o n s t r i c t a n d a b s o l u te m o n o t h e i s m te r m e d a s Ta w h e e d i n A ra b i c . Ta w h e e d c o n s i s t s o f t h re e a s p e c t s : 1 ) O n e n e s s o f A l l a h i n H i s Lo rd s h i p – T h i s i s t o b e l i e ve t h at A l l a h ( G o d ) i s t h e o n e a n d o n l y S u p re m e Lo rd o f t h e U n i ve rs e , a n d t h at H e a l o n e i s i t s C re at o r, P l a n n e r, S u s t a i n e r, D e c re e r, B e s t o w e r, a n d M a s te r.

2 ) D e vo ti o n o f a l l Wo rs h i p t o A l l a h a l o n e – G o d c re ate d h u m a n s w i t h a n i n n ate , n at u ra l i n c l i n ati o n t o wa rd s b e l i e f i n H i m a s t h e i r C re at o r. A n d a l t h o u g h t h e va s t m a j o r i t y o f h u m a n i t y b e l i e ve s i n G o d , t h ey s ti l l w o rs h i p o t h e r b e i n g s b e s i d e s H i m c o n s i d e r i n g t h e m a s e i t h e r go d s o f a l o w e r l e ve l t h a n G o d o r a s i n te rc e s s o rs b e t w e e n t h e m a n d G o d . T h e p u r p o s e b e h i n d I s l a m i s t o c a l l p e o p l e a way f ro m t h e w o rs h i p o f c re ati o n a n d t o d i re c t t h e m t o wa rd s t h e w o rs h i p o f T h e C re at o r a l o n e . G o d i s n o t i n n e e d o f i n te r m e d i a r i e s o r

i n te rc e s s o rs , a n d H e i s fa r a b o ve b e ge tti n g s o n s o r d a u g h te rs . H e i s c o m p l e te l y i n d e p e n d e n t o f a l l t h i n g s , w h i l e a l l o f c re ati o n i s a b s o l u te l y d e p e n d e n t u p o n H i m . T h u s i n I s l a m , a t r u e b e l i e ve r i n G o d i s o n e w h o d i c t ate s a l l a c t s o f w o rs h i p , a b s o l u te d e vo ti o n , a n d u n c o n d i ti o n a l o b e d i e n c e t o H i m a l o n e . A M u s l i m h a s a d i re c t a n d p e rs o n a l re l ati o n s h i p w i t h G o d , s t r i v i n g t h ro u g h o u t h i s / h e r l i fe t o e a r n G o d ’s p l e a s u re a n d re wa rd , p u tti n g h i s / h e r t r u s t i n H i m a l o n e , a n d s u p p l i c ati n g a n d c a l l i n g u p o n H i m a l o n e w h e n i n n e e d .

3 ) O n e n e s s o f A l l a h i n H i s N a m e s & Att r i b u te s – G o d i s d e s c r i b e d w i t h t h e m o s t B e a u ti f u l N a m e s a n d Pe r fe c t Att r i b u te s . H e i s u n i q u e i n e ve r y way, n o t l i m i te d i n a ny way, a n d i s fa r re m o ve d f ro m a ny d e fi c i e n c i e s

What is the Quran? The Quran is the sacred book of Islam and serves as one of the two primary sources of Islamic teachings and law. Muslims believe the Quran to be the direct and infallible words of God, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through the Angel Gabriel fourteen-hundred years ago. The purpose of the Quran is to serve as a source of guidance and admonishment to all of humanity. It contains in it signs, miracles, parables, and lessons, in addition to its eloquence and beautiful style. The primary call of the Quran is belief in God, describing His Names and Attributes and His rights over us as His dependent creatures. It calls us to examine and ponder over the signs of God in the universe and over God’s innumerable bounties towards us so that we give due thanks and appreciation. It relates the signs of the Last Day, the events of the Day of Judgment, and the description of Paradise and Hell. It confirms the Books which came before it: the Torah and Gospel. It narrates the lives of the Prophets and Messengers and the stories of the earlier generations. It provides guidelines and detailed teachings for a just society, proper human conduct, and an equitable economic system benefiting the poor and misfortunate. It encourages everything righteous and discourages everything evil and immoral. It teaches the basics of good manners, noble morals, and how to deal with others in the best way. It gives glad tidings to those who believe and do good in this life with ever-lasting reward in the next life, and warns those who arrogantly disbelief and commit oppression and evil in this life with punishment and humiliation in the next life.

MOSQUES A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims, who often refer to it by its Arabic name, masjid. Although the primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place of prayer, it is also important to the Muslim community as a place to meet and study. Modern mosques have evolved greatly from the early designs of the 7th century, and contain a variety of architectural elements such as minarets.

ISLAM TODAY Islam, followed by more than a billion people today, is the world's fastest growing religion and will soon be the world's largest. The 1.2 billion Muslims make up approximately one quarter of the world's population, and the Muslim population of the United States now outnumbers that of Episcopalians. The most populous Muslim countries are Indonesia, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India. The number of Muslims in Indonesia alone (175 million) exceeds the combined total in Egypt, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Iran, the traditional heartlands of Islam. There are also substantial Muslim populations in Europe and North America, whether converts or immigrants who began arriving in large numbers in the 1950s and 1960s. In keeping with tradition, the two main branches of Islam today are Sunni and Shiite.Beginning in the 1970s and 1980s Islam remerged as a potent political force, associated with both reform and revolution. Given the large number of adherents, it is no surprise that Muslims incorporate a broad and diverse spectrum of positions in regard to liberalism and democracy. Some are secularists who want to disengage religion from politics. Others are reformers, who reinterpret Islamic traditions in support of elective forms of government. Still there are others who reject democracy entirely

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