In
the Name of Allah
the
Source of All Mercy the All Merciful
Islam
For Your Information . . .
Second
expanded edition
Anyone
wishing to reproduce this book in its entirety without making any changes,
additions or omissions may do so after receiving written permission from the
author. No part of this book may be reproduced
or utilised in any form or by any means,
including photocopying and recording or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without written permission of the publisher or the author
except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and
reviews or for study purposes.
Keysar@speednet.com.au
http://www.speednet.com.au/~keysar
Mobile:
0410 33 69 22
Sydney
Australia: 2001
ISBN:
0646386700
This book
is a FREE gift, it is NOT for sale.
First edition, Dec. 1999 5000
copies
Second edition 2001
All
gratitude to Allah, and peace and blessings upon His messengers.
Peace and
tranquillity come through following true guidance.
The
purpose of this booklet is to give a brief outline of the basic teachings of
Islam as these appear in the Holy Qur`an, the book that contains the words of
Allah the God and Creator of all that exists and as they appear in the Sunna of
the final messenger of Allah, Muhammad peace and blessings upon him.
I originally wrote this material in
1995 after dealing with many questions about Islam from Muslims and
non-Muslims. This booklet developed over
the years and was completely revised
and printed in 1999. The first
book was distributed within a short period of time, the need for more
understanding in our world led to the reprint and expansion of the information
in the book. I pray that the reader will
find the answers that they seek in this book.
As for those who find that they have acquired more than one copy, I
earnestly request that they distribute them to friends, acquaintances or
neighbours so that the benefit of the book can spread and reach the maximum
number of people.
As before, I welcome any
constructive comment with respect to this humble offering. My email address is on the previous page,
this will give you, my dear reader, easy access to me. If for some reason, I change my ISP, simply
search for my name on the internet and you will find my new email address.
Finally, I would like to thank all
those who provided constructive feedback with respect to the English terms that
I use in order to express Arabic concepts.
In particular, I would like to thank
my son Mohammad and my daughter Sanna for proof-reading the final
manuscript. I would also like to thank
my other children, their teachers, in particular Mr. Peter Calman and all those
who gave me feedback on the first edition
God bless
you one and all.
Your
brother
August 2001
The Three Foundations of Islam
2 - Muhammad is the messenger of Allah to all Humanity
Elements of Faith (Arkanul Iman):
The Degree of Beauty (Al Ihsan):
The best words that one may speak:
The Qur`an’s advice
concerning parents, neighbours and kin:
The Qur`an commands kindness to parents even when the
parents are evil:
The Qur`an Recommends the Promotion of Virtue and the
Prohibition of Vice
Dealing with those who cause you harm:
The position of the Qur`an with respect to earlier
revelations:
Why do we say Allah when referring to God?
Why do we often say that a person reverted to Islam, and
not converted?
Why do we call ourselves Muslims?
Islam is a religion that promotes peace
Islam promotes peace even during times of war
Islam is a religion that condemns transgression
Islam promotes forgiveness, tolerance and understanding
How Religions Developed Their Names
Does Islam Have Anything In Common With Christianity And
Judaism?
God forgives the sins of those who repent
Islam is a religion of moderation
Architectural standards of mosques:
When is a Muslim obliged to go to the mosque?
Feast / Festive Occasions In Islam
Inviting Others To Islam (A Few Examples)
How Does A Person Embrace Islam?
Is a revert obliged to adopt a new name?
A person cannot be forced to revert to Islam:
=============================================================
Islam is
established on three basic premises, these are:
There is
only one God, per Sura[1]
112 of the Noble Qur'an
In the name of Allah the Source of
All Mercy the All Merciful
"Say:
He is Allah the One, Allah the absolute, He does not beget, Nor was He
begotten, and there is nothing comparable to Him."
"Allah declares that there is
no god except Him, as do the angels (witness) and those who are learned (give
witness), He establishes justice, there is no God except Him, the Glorious in
Might, the Wise." (The Noble Qur`an Sura 3; Aya[2]
18).
The oneness of God is attested in
many other Ayat[3] in the
Qur'an, as it is also attested in other divinely revealed books. Please refer to Appendix A for more on the
names and attributes of God.
Muhammad
is the final messenger of Allah. Muhammad peace and blessings upon him was
happy to be referred to as the servant and devotee of Allah. Muhammad peace and blessings upon him was a
human being who was chosen by Allah to deliver the perfect and complete message
of Islam, as presented in the Noble Qur'an, and the prophetic traditions.
The Qur`an
says:
"Muhammad is the messenger of
Allah." (The
Noble Qur`an Sura 48: Aya 29)
"And Muhammad is no more than a
messenger, messengers have passed away before him." (The Noble Qur`an Sura 3: Aya 144)
Muhammad is the messenger of Allah to
all humanity:
"Say: People, I am the
messenger of Allah to you all." (The
Noble Qur`an Sura 7: Aya 158)
Resurrection is true; every thing
that lived in this world will be brought back to life and judged by God. This will take place after everything that
has been created perishes and nothing remains except Allah, the Owner of
Majesty and Honour.
"Then on the day of
resurrection you will be brought forth." (The Noble Qur`an Sura 23: Aya 16)
"Say: Yes, by My Lord, you will
be brought forth, then you will be informed of what you did." (The Noble Qur`an Sura 64: Aya 7)
The five
basic practices required of every Muslim (Arkanul Islam):
1. Testimony
of faith, this is referred to as Shahada, the Shahada is to bear witness that
there is no God except Allah and to bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger
of Allah.
2. Establishing
Salat, Salat may be described as prayer; Salat is the
formal form of worship that is performed by Muslims. The word Salat comes from the word Silat
which means connection, hence, Salat is the process where a Muslim
actually communicates with Allah and praises and worships Allah. In Salat, the Muslim recites the words
of Allah as these are learnt from the Noble Qur`an. Salat is a spiritual exercise that
actually helps a Muslim transcend the demands of the material world to focus on
his spirit and the ascension and growth of this spirit. The Salat is composed of words and
physical actions, the physical actions are: Standing, bowing, prostrating and
sitting[4].
The Qur`an states: “Establish Salat, pay Zakat and bow with
those who bow.” (The Noble Qur`an
Sura 2; Aya 43).
“Speak beautifully to people and
establish Salat.”
(The Noble Qur`an Sura 2; Aya 83)
“Believers! Seek help through
patience and Salat.” (The Noble Qur`an Sura 2; Aya 153).
“Salat is at appointed times for the
believers.” (The
Noble Qur`an Sura 4; Aya 153).
“Salat deters a person from evil and
shameful behaviour.” (The Noble Qur`an Sura 29; Aya 45).
Prior to engaging in Salat, the
Muslim must have a valid ablution: “Believers!
When you stand for Salat, wash your faces, your arms to the elbows, wipe your
heads and wash your feet to the ankles ...”
(The Noble Qur`an Sura 5; Aya 6).
3. Paying
the Zakat (prescribed obligatory charity), the Noble Qur`an states: “Establish Salat and pay Zakat.” (The
Noble Qur`an Sura 2; Aya 110).
“Establish Salat and pay Zakat and
obey the messenger.” The Noble Qur`an Sura 24; Aya 56).
“In fact, charity is (to be paid)
for the poor, the needy, those who work to collect it, those whose hearts are
ameliorated, to purchase the freedom of those who are unfairly detained or
enslaved, to assist debtors, in the path of Allah and for the wayfarer. This is imposed by Allah, Allah is
All-Knowing, All-Wise.” (The Noble Qur`an Sura 9; Aya 60).
4. Fasting
during the month of Ramadan[5],
the Noble Qur`an states: “Believers!
fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you.” (Sura 2; Aya 183).
5. Performing
the pilgrimage (Haj) to
1. To believe in Allah,
2. To believe in the existence of His
angels,
3. To believe in His books,
4. To believe in His messengers,
5. To believe in the day of judgement, and
6. To believe in the decree and measure,
the good and the bad of it.
Muslims aim for Ihsan (beauty,
perfection and proficiency) in all aspects of our activities.
“Allah commands justice, Ihsan and
kindness to kin.” (The Noble Qur`an Sura 16; Aya 90).
“Adopt Ihsan (in your actions),
Allah loves those who adopt Ihsan.” (The
Noble Qur`an Sura 2; Aya 195).
“The grace of Allah is with those
who apply Ihsan.” (The Noble Qur`an Sura 7; Aya 56).
The messenger of Allah, Muhammad
peace and blessings upon him stated:
"Allah has decreed Ihsan with
respect to every activity."
Ihsan has been described by the
messenger of Allah as: