What is Islam and who are
Muslims?
Islam (Islaam) is a religion
(faith) that is based upon the surrender to God, who is One. The very name of
the religion, AL ISLAM is an Arabic word that means submission, which means
submission to God's will and commandments. Islam therefore considers itself not
to be an innovation but a reassertion of the one universal truth of all the
previous revelations since God has done the same through the ages. By sending
Messengers with commandments and expected the people to "submit"
to His commandments.
Muslims (Moslems) is an Arabic word
that means "Those who are in submission". Muslims believe in
One, Unique, Incomparable God; in the Angels created by Him; in the prophets:
through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in the Day of Judgment
and individual accountability for actions; in God's complete authority over
human destiny and in life after death. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets
starting with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph,
Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus (peace
be upon them).
Just like every religion,
where they have those who hold wrong beliefs, those whom we call extremists,
Islam does too.
ALLAH (Allaah or Alah): Just like
in any other language there is a different word for "God",
for example in the French language it is Dieu, in Spanish it is Dios,
also in the Arabic language it is ALLAH -Ilah or Elah depending on
the accent and the grammar. Allah is the equivalent to the word Elohim in
Hebrew; it is also the equivalent to Eloi, or Eli in Aramaic, the language
spoken during the time of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). As the French
would use the word Dieu, and the Spanish the word Dios in their
own language to refer to God, all Arabic speaking Christians and Jews use
the same word "Allah" to refer to God.
Muslims usually prefer the word
"Allah" because the word "Allah" is the proper
"Name" of God in Arabic. It is a unique term that has no plural form,
like (gods), and it is the noun that God chose to use in all of His scriptures.
·
In many palaces in the Quran, God refers to Himself as "We",
this is not to indicate any form of plurality. The word "We" in the
English dictionary, as well as many other languages, could be used for
"I" when the speaker is a king, an emperor or a president. Also, an
author who is speaking of his publication can use the word "we".
Muhammad
(Mohammed) (peace
be upon him) was the last of this
long line of messengers, and Islam (Accepting God and His commandments in
submission) is the final expression of the Abrahamic faith and teachings.
Islam shares with the other religions their original ethical teachings such as
living in peace, helping the elders, loving the neighbor, doing right and
forbidding evil, sharing with the poor, other basic laws as well and above all,
the belief in the One God.
Muhammad (pbuh) is not
considered to be divine, but a human being, chosen by Allah to reveal His Word.
Muslims don't pray to Muhammad or through him. Rather, they pray directly to
Allah.
Muhammad (pbuh) was born in
570 A.D. in one of the most powerful tribes in the Arabia at that time, for it
had guardianship over the Ka'bah in Makkah (or Mecca). As an orphan, he was
brought up by his grandfather and then later by his uncle. The young Muhammad
displayed exceptional virtue as a trustworthy individual whom members of his as
well as those of neighboring tribes would invite to act as an arbitrator in
their disputes
Arabs present only about 18 % of
the world Muslim population, the rest (about 82%) are all colors and races. By
calling and visiting your local Islamic Center, you should be able to see
Muslims and new converts to Islam from all walks of life, race and color, many
of them were originally born and raised under other religions.
E-mail us:
introducingislam@yahoo.com