ISLAM IN GENERAL
Islam encompasses every aspect of one's life. It is
the only religion accepted by God. Due to the misrepresentation of
Islam in modern media and by various others, what the Islamic religion
actually is has been obscured to the general public. To understand
Islam, one should learn Islam from a qualified, trustworthy Muslim.
First of all, to be Muslim, one must believe that
there is only one Creator, and Muhammad is His Prophet and
Messenger. Muhammad (may Allah increase his honor) was the last
of many Prophets and Messengers, all of whom shared the same belief in
God. All the Prophets and Messengers were Muslims. This means Adam,
Noah, Abraham (Ibrahim), Issac, Ishmail, Solomon, David, Jacob Jonah,
Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (May Allah increase their honor) were all
Muslim. All the prophets practiced Islam none of them had another
religion.
The first Prophet and Messenger was Adam,
who taught his children Islam, he taught them to believe that there is
only one Creator. Adam taught them what God ordered him to
teach. The rules that they lived by at that time were called Shariat
of Adam. Shariat might be translated as the rules of the
religion. One of these rules was that a brother could marry a sister
who was not his twin. Later, another Messenger was sent, and in his Shariat
it was revealed that it had become forbidden for a brother to
marry his sister at all. This was a change in one of the rules but the
basic belief in Islam did not change.
God has been generous in having sent Prophets and
Messengers. We need Prophets and Messengers, because the sound
intellect alone cannot determine what is beneficial for us in the next
life. God gave the Prophets miracles to support their Prophethood. A
miracle is an extraordinary event that occurs in support of a claim of
Prophethood, it cannot be duplicated or opposed. This means that even
if something is marvelous, such as birth, or even if something strange
or unusual happens, it does not qualify as being a miracle. A miracle
is a clear proof that this man is a Prophet. People have to believe in
the Prophet because a miracle cannot be opposed, and therefore the
sound intellect requires us to believe in him. Those who do not
believe in Muhammad (may Allah increase his honor) are ignoring
the value of intellect. All the Prophets taught the same belief in
God, and Muhammad's Shariat is valid until the Day of Judgment.
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The rules of the religion, Shariat, cover
every aspect of oneˇ¦s life. God, being the Creator, knows everything
about the creations. God knows what happened, what is happening, and
what will happen, and has revealed the rules that people and jinn should
comply with. All the Prophets and Messengers were Muslim, and they all
taught Islam. Adam was the first Prophet and Messenger. By the
time of Noah , some people had become decadent, worshipping
something other than God. Noah was the first Prophet to call
people back to Islam.
Ibraheem
was a Muslim, a Prophet and a
Messenger. His faith was so great that when God ordered him to
slaughter his son, Ismayil, both he and his son were willing,
but God was merciful and provided a sheep to be slaughtered instead. Moses
too, was Muslim, and he did exactly what God ordered him to do. 'Aysa,
Jesus, (May Allah increase his honor) was also Muslim and ordered
people to believe that there is only one God. Muhammad (may
Allah increase his honor) was the last Prophet and Messenger.
All the Prophets knew Muhammad (may Allah
increase his honor) would come, and they ordered their people to
follow him if he appeared in their lifetime. By the time Muhammad
(may Allah increase his honor) was sent, people had changed the rules
brought by Jesus to the point that they had developed a new
religion called Christianity. Muhammad (may Allah increase his
honor) called people back to Islam. His Shariat (rules) are
still available today. They have been preserved in the Qurˇ¦an
and in Muhammadˇ¦s sayings (Hadith) which have been
transmitted by the Islamic scholars through the centuries.
All together, there were many Prophets and
Messengers. All the Prophets and Messengers from Adam to Muhammad
were handsome in appearance, well-mannered, intelligent, courageous,
honest, trustworthy and patient. They were always Muslim, and did what
God ordered them to do. They had miracles which God gave them to prove
their Prophethood. These characteristics, along with their miracles,
allowed people to know they were Prophets and Messengers and should be
followed.
Since Muhammad (may Allah increase his
honor) is the last Prophet and Messenger, today people must follow the
rules given to him. Jesus, when he returns to Earth, will live
and rule by Muhammadˇ¦s rules. Muslims believe that Jesus
was not crucified and did not die, but was raised to the sky, and he
will come down and fight the non-Muslims and rule by the rules
revealed to Muhammad (may Allah increase his honor).
Now, having a brief history of Islam, the basic
belief in Islam is to firmly believe that there is only one Creator,
His name is Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet and Messenger.
To understand how Islam is applicable today, it is
useful to see how Islam affected the Arabs. The Arabs were a very
superstitious, very primitive tribal people. In a very short time
after Muhammad (may Allah increase his honor) received his
revelation, the Arabs became united and changed their entire social
system.
Many of the Arabs used to worship stones, and if
they could not find a stone to worship they made one from earth and
worshipped it. This primitive practice changed when Muhammad
(may Allah increase his honor) taught what was revealed to him. Many
of the Arabs became Muslim and began worshipping God, the Creator.
Psychologically this was a huge step, to go from
worshipping something physical to worshipping the Creator who does not
resemble His creations. This change united the Arabs. But Islam is not
just for Arabs, it is for all people. Any person who is not Muslim can
become Muslim by saying the Creedal Statement with the intent to
become Muslim. When someone becomes Muslim, he has the same rights and
obligations as any other Muslim. Just as believing in God changed the
Arab society in the past, it can change societies today.
For example, sexual relationships are a real
problem facing the Western World today. The society cannot cope with
the problems caused by ˇ§sexual freedomˇ¨ in terms of diseases like
AIDS, parental responsibility or even the feelings between people. In
Islam however, there are clear guidelines for sexual behavior. There
are ways to deal with these normal sexual desires and needs in a way
that is productive. Through marriage both men and women can satisfy
their sexual desires, but both also accept the responsibility of that
marriage. Marriage is structured so that neither party is misused or
abused. It takes care that their emotional, psychological and physical
needs are met.
The rights of women is another example of the
justice of Islam. Women in Islam have rights that cannot be denied.
Women can work, become educated, and pursue careers such as medicine,
engineering, biology, business and so on. Khadijah, Muhammadˇ¦s
wife, was a business woman. Some women used to fight in the army. One
of the greatest scholars in Islam was Muhammadˇ¦s wife 'Aishah.
She taught many men and related many of the sayings of Muhammad
(may Allah increase his honor). Few women in the West have the rights
and respect guaranteed to the Muslim woman.
From these few examples one can see that Islam
changed the lives of Arabs and non-Arabs alike. It contains the
solutions to the problems of the past, the problems of today and the
problems of the future. It is rational and objective. It teaches
responsibility of the individual to himself and his society. It is as
applicable today as it was in the past and will be in the future. It
unites all Muslims in the belief that there is only one Creator, His
name is Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet and Messenger. This
is why Islam spread from China and the Far East to Spain and Europe.
Islam was accepted by many people. To the extent that you still find
Muslims there today, more than 1400 years after Muhammad
received his revelation.
The Muslim's belief includes believing in Godˇ¦s
attributes which are: God exists. God does not resemble any of His
creations. God is one, He has no partner nor counterpart. God has no
beginning and no end. God does not need anything. God has the
attribute of will, what God willed will be and what God did not will
wonˇ¦t be. God has the attribute of power, God has the power to do
whatever he wills. God sees without an organ. God hears without an
ear. God has the attribute of Kalam, Kalam may be translated as
speech, but it is not like our speech, made up of sound and language,
and God does not need either of these. God has the attribute of life,
but God's life does not resemble any creation's life. God knows
everything, God knows what happened, what is happening, and what will
happen.
In addition to believing in God, the Muslim's
belief includes believing in the Prophethood of Muhammad, and
also to believe in the Prophets and Messengers before Muhammad.
All the Prophets taught people to believe in God. They taught that
Heaven and Hell exist. Heaven is the place of reward for the Muslim,
and Hell is the place of punishment for the non-believer forever. They
taught that everything is predestined, and they taught people to be
obedient to God by following the rules He sent.
Today, people are responsible for following the
rules revealed to Muhammad (may Allah increase his honor),
which are as applicable today as they were during Muhammadˇ¦s life.
These rules are fair and just. They apply to both the rich and the
poor. They recognize the difference between men and women. They
provide guidelines for dealing with children and adults. Islam
provides rules for society, and laws for civil and criminal matters.
It provides regulations for the community and government. It is a
complete, feasible system.
It does not make sense to follow rules made by men,
because a man at any one time cannot know what is best for himself,
much less his entire community. For example, if a man knew that if he
went to work today he would be hit by a car, he wouldnˇ¦t go, even
though he needs to provide for his family. Just as a man does not have
the information about his personal life, he does not have the
information to give a complete set of rules to govern his life and the
lives of those in the community. Therefore, it does not make sense to
follow man-made laws. Whereas, God is the Creator and knows everything
about His creations, it makes sense to follow His laws, which we know
from the Prophet and Messenger of God, Muhammad (may Allah
increase his honor). To follow anything else leads to problems,
complications, and the unfair treatment of someone. Islam encompasses
all aspects of oneˇ¦s life.
