An Introduction to ISLAM Sayyid Muhammad Rizvi In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the
Merciful WHAT IS ISLAM? Islam is a
religion which guides its followers in every aspect of their lives. It is a way
of life. Islam is the modern or latest version of the message sent by God
through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, Islam was sent to mankind through Prophet
Muhammad. Islam is "modern" in the sense that it has come to complement
the teachings which were introduced through Moses and Jesus.
Islam
is a religion which seeks to give a meaningful purpose to our life on this earth. It
seeks to guide us in fulfilling that purpose by creating harmony between ourselves, our
Creator and fellow human beings.
What
you will read below are some of the basic features of Islam. THE ONE & ONLY GOD Islam is a
monotheistic religion. It teaches that there is only one God who is the origin and
creator of the universe. This is the foundation stone of Islam, and is reflected in
the famous sentence which says that, "There is no god but Allah." (Allah
is the Arabic name of God.)
The
belief in God relates to us our origin and guides us throughout our life. The belief
in one God shows that man should not worship any material thing or person in this
universe.
By
teaching that there is only One God for all humans, Islam promotes the sense of
brotherhood and equality in human society - all are equally related to God in the same
way. The Qur'an, the holy book of Islam says:- He (God) is One, God is Eternal;
He has neither begotten,
nor has He been begotten;
and there is no one equal to Him.
(chapter 112) THE PURPOSE OF LIFE
Our life on
this earth has a specific purpose; it is not the result of nature's accident, nor is it a
punishment for eating the fruit of the forbidden tree. We are here according to
God's plan: the worldly life is a test; it is a chance to prove ourselves as
deserving of the eternal blissful life in the hereafter. God did not create
us just for few years of this life. To be created just for this world's life would
amount to a joke played by the Creator with the human species. Muhammad, the Prophet
of Islam, said, "You have not been created for eternal life." According to
Islam, the final destination of mankind is the life hereafter.
At
the end of time, all human beings will be resurrected and will be held accountable
for their worldly life. The life in hereafter will be an eternal life.
However, whether it will be blissful or full of sorrow depends on how we spend our present
life.
It
was help to mankind in achieving this objective that God sent various prophets and
messengers to guide them. Muhammad is the last prophet, and Islam is the final and
complete version of God's message. STATUS OF HUMAN BEINGS IN ISLAM
PRIME CREATION: Human
being is the prime creation of God. He says, "We have indeed honored the
children of Adam; spread them in the land and the sea, provided them with good things; and
preferred them in esteem over many things that We have created." (Qur'an: chp. 17,
verse 70)
BORN
SINLESS: Islam teaches that every human being is born sinless; no child carries
the burden of his or her ancestor's sins. God says, "No carrier shall
carry the burden of others." (Qur'an; chp. 35, verse 18) Each human being is
born with a pure conscience which can absorb and accept the true message of God. It
is only the social and familial influences which take a person away from God's
message.
ACCOUNTABILITY:
Islam also emphasizes on the issue of responsibility and accountability of human beings -
each person is responsible for his or her own actions. Although Islam teaches that
God has predetermined that span of our life and time of our death, but this does not mean
that even our actions are predetermined by Him. We surely are free in our actions
and are, therefore, accountable for them.
God
only provides guidance for us to know what is good and what is bad. He says,
"We created man of a water-drop...Surely We guided him to the right way-now whether
he (follows it and) be grateful or (goes astray and) be ungrateful is up to
him." (Qur'an: chp. 76, verse 3)
RACE:
Islam very categorically rejects racial discrimination. It promotes the feeling of
brotherhood and equality among its followers. God clearly says, "O
Mankind! We have created you from one male and one female, and then We made you into
different races and tribes so that you may know (and easily recognize) each
other." Therefore, no one can claim any superiority over others based on racial
or tribal differences. A person is to be judged by his character, not by his color
or race. God continues, "Surely the most honorable of you in God's sight
is the person who is most upright in character among you". (Qur'an, chp. 49,
verse 13)
GENDER:
Even gender does not count as a criterion of superiority. In Islam, women is as
a human as men. They are not evaluated on basis of their gender, but on basis of
their faith and character. Fourteen hundred years ago, the Qur'an recorded God's
clear statements on this issue. Out of the four verses, I will just quote one:
"Whoever, be it male or a female, does good deeds and he or she is a believer, then
they will enter the Paradise." (Qur'an: chp. 4, verse 124) So there is no difference
in the degree or level of woman's humanity or honor in Islam.
The
only difference there exists in concerning the role which Islam has envisioned for man and
woman. This has nothing to do with superiority or inferiority. In Islam, man
and woman are equal in rights; but equality is not synonymous to similarity. Islam
believes that man and woman are equal but dissimilar. Islam looks at their different
roles in society not as superior or inferior but as complementary to each other. ISLAM THE RELIGION OF PEACE Islam is a
religion of peace. This is evident even from the name "Islam"
itself. ("Islam" is an Arabic word.) The word
"Islam" and the Arabic word for peace, "salam" both come from the same
root, "salima".
Muslims are taught to greet each other by saying "salamun alaykum - peace be upon
you." The daily prayers also end with the same sentence. In Islam, one of
the names by which God is known is "Salam" which means peace.
However, one must realize that peace can never be achieved in vacuum. It is
inter-twined with justice. One can have peace only on basis of justice.
"Justice" means putting everything in its rightful place. If one starts
putting things in the wrong places, then he disrupts the social harmony and disturbs
peace. Islam seeks to promote peace on two levels:- 1. Peace Within One's Self:
A
person can achieve inner space by creating harmony and balance between his main emotions
(desire and anger) and his spiritual self. In other words, between his emotions and
his conscience.
Human's spiritual power or conscience is not a static phenomenon: it has the ability of
growth as well as decadence. God swears by the soul of human being and says,
"He inspired to it to understand what is good and what is evil.
Prosperous is the person who purifies it, and failed is he who seduces it." (Qur'an
chp. 91, verse 10) 2. Peace With Others: Islam very strongly emphasizes on the
rights which people have over each other. It seeks to preserve peace in society by
training and urging its followers to fulfill the rights of each other. In Islam,
salvation is not possible by just fulfilling the rights of God; one has to fulfill the
rights of other human beings also.
Unfortunately, because of the Middle Eastern events of last three decades, Islam has been
branded by the media as a religion of violence. In recent years, the word
"Islamic" has become one of the adjectives of "terrorism." In
this back-drop, firstly, one must realize that the events in the Middle East can be fairly
and fully understood only in the light of the post-WW1 history of that region, in
particular the promises given by the British to the Arabs. Secondly, no fair-minded
person would allow himself to blame the religion of Islam for the wrong-doings of those
who call themselves as Muslims. It is just like saying that the Catholic Church
promotes violence and terrorism because of the Irish Republican Army's activities!
DO YOU KNOW THAT:
- EVERY
FIFTH PERSON IN THE WORLD IS A MUSLIM?
- MAJORITY
OF THE MUSLIMS ARE OF NON-ARAB RACE AND NATIONALITIES?
- THERE
ARE 8 MILLION MUSLIMS IN THE U.S.A.?
- ISLAM
IS THE FASTEST GROWING RELIGION IN THE U.S.A.?
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