Questions on Islam and Answers
Source: Islam On-Line
* What Is Islam?
The word, ‘Islam’ means ‘Submission to God’; it also means ‘Peace’. Islam is the religion decreed for mankind by God, Who revealed it to His prophets; and they in turn, taught it to the people around them. As the Religion of God, it implies ‘the Peace that a person can attain in this life and in the hereafter, by submitting his whole self to God’. From the beginning of mankind, God sent revelations with His chosen prophets. The first prophet was the first man, Adam, peace be upon him, and he was a Muslim, (i.e, one who accepted Islam; or one who submitted his whole self to God), as were all other prophets of God. They were all Muslims. Islam means “Complete and Unconditional Submission to Allah (God)”
* Who Is Allah?
Allah is the Arabic word for the One and Only God, Who is the Creator and Sustainer of the whole universe and everything in it. This means that Allah is not just the God of the Muslims, but of the whole of creation; He is the God of the Christians, the Jews, the Hindus and even of those who deny His existence. The Holy Qur’an says: “Say: He is Allah, the One; the Self Subsisting. He doesn’t beget; nor is He begotten. There is nothing (or no one) like Him.” (Allah is the Arabic word for God, just as Dieu is in French or Gott in German. Arab Christians also say Allah. Sakina)
* Who Was Muhammad?
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the last of God’s prophets. God revealed messages to him to guide mankind to a life of obedience to God. He was born to a noble family of Makkah (Mecca) in Arabia in the year 570 CE. When he was 40 years of age, the Angel Gabriel appeared to him and revealed the first verses of the Qur’an. He received further revelations from God on many occasions in his life until his death at the age of 63. In the light of this Guidance from God, he preached Islam and many who were worshipping the false gods of the Arab tribes became Muslims. These early adherents of Islam were brutally persecuted by the tribal leaders of Makkah: the name of their tribe was Quraysh. Muhammad (peace be upon him) had to emigrate with the Muslims to Madinah, a city about 250 miles to the north of Makkah. The people of Madinah were more tolerant and they gradually accepted Islam. It was from this town that Islam spread to other parts of Arabia.
* Is Islam’s God an Angry or Vengeful God?
No, not at all. This is a complete misunderstanding.Every chapter in the the Holy Qur’an begins with the sentence, “In the name of Allah the Beneficent, the Merciful”. And it is with the same formula that a Muslim should begin every activity, be it taking food, starting a business etc. The Qur’an gives so many epithets to God, like Forgiving, Kind, Loving, Compassionate, Merciful and so on. From the Islamic point of view, God is the All Merciful Creator and Sustainer of the whole universe. Besides, He has given us His Guidance too, to lead us out of darkness into light.
* Were There Other Prophets?
Certainly. The Holy Qur’an, which is the Muslim Scripture revealed to Muhammad, the Last Prophet of God (peace be on him), clearly states that from the beginning of mankind on the face of the earth, God had been sending prophets to guide the people who lived in different lands in different periods of history. These prophets taught their people basically the same religion; because they were teaching just those ideas and principles which they received from the One and Only God through revelation. (Such Prophets include; Moses, Noah, Abraham, and Jesus as the Messiah. (Sakina) Read the rest of this entry »
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