2. Basic Principles: What is Islam? (Part 2)
by
Wassim Dannawi, New South Wales.
The Five Pillars of Islam
Every action done, with the awareness that it fulfils the Will of God, is considered an act of worship in Islam. But it is the specific acts of worship, termed the Pillars of Islam, which provide the framework of Muslim spiritual life. These Five Pillars of Islam are given below:-
1. The DECLARATION OF FAITH. "I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except Allah (God), and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger." The Prophethood of Muhammad (peace be upon him) obliges Muslims to follow his exemplary life, in every respect.
2. PRAYING is an obligation. Praying is done five times a day, after performing Woudo (ablution), as a duty towards Allah. Prayer strengthens and enlivens belief in Allah, and inspires man to higher morality. It purifies the heart and controls temptation, wrong-doing, and evil. And is a means of communication with our Creator.
3. FASTING is done during the month of Ramadan, from dawn to dusk. This means total abstention from all food, beverages, smoking, water, bad or critical thoughts, words or deeds and abstinence from all sexual activity. It develops patience, unselfishness, social conscience, and will power to bear hardship, and curbs evil intentions and desires. It teaches love, sincerity, and compassion, through the development of real understanding, of the suffering that people of hunger and hardship endure.
4. ZAKAH (obligatory charity) is a proportionately fixed compulsory contribution, collected from the wealth of individuals, crops and natural resources, and paid to the needy, the welfare of the society in general and towards other causes as prescribed by Islam. The payment of Zakah purifies the income and wealth, in pursuit of establishing economic balance and social justice, in the society.
5. HAJJ, or pilgrimage, to the Ka'bah in Makkah is ideally performed once in a life time, provided one has the financial and physical means to undertake the journey.
The Oneness of Allah
Islam enjoins faith in the oneness and sovereignty of Allah, which creates an awareness of the unity and meaningfulness of the universe and of man's place in it. This belief frees him from all fears and superstitions by making him conscious of the presence of the Almighty God, and of man's obligations to Him. However, this realization must be expressed and tested in actions and deeds. Faith alone is not enough. Belief in the one God requires that we look upon all humanity as one family, under the universal omnipotence of God - the Creator and Nourisher of all. Islam rejects the idea that there is a "chosen people" and believes that by making pure intention, faith in Allah, and by performing good deeds, is the only way to Paradise (heaven); thus a direct relationship is established with Allah.
The Qur'an and Hadith
The Holy Qur'an is the last revealed word of Allah (God) to Muhammad (pbuh) and the source of Islamic teachings and laws. It deals with a variety of subjects including the beliefs of Islam, such as morality, worship, conducting business, knowledge, the rights of the individual and of the state, respect for the environment, wisdom, God-and-man relationships, and relations among human beings in general. Comprehensive teachings on social justice, politics, economics, legislation, jurisprudence, law and international relations can be sourced from the Holy Qur'an and Hadith. Though Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was illiterate, the Qur'an, as soon as it was revealed to him in the spoken word, was committed to writing. In this way every word was written down and preserved during his lifetime by his Companions. The original and complete text of the Qur'an is in Arabic, and translations of its meaning, in most known languages, are available in major libraries and bookstores. Hadith (the teachings, sayings and actions) of Prophet Muhammad, (pbuh) accurately reported and collected, by his devoted companions, explain and elaborate the Qur'anic verses.
Concept of Worship
Islam places great emphasis on individual intention and action. It does not teach ritualism. To worship Allah is to love Him and to act upon His commands, in every aspect of life; to enjoin goodness and forbid wrong-doing and oppression; to practice charity and justice and to serve Him by serving mankind. The Qur'an presents this sublime concept in the following manner:
"It is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East or West, but righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Scripture and the Prophets; and gives his wealth for love of Him to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and sets slaves free; and observes proper worship and pays the Zakah. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress; such are those who are sincere. Such are the God fearing". Qur'an 2:177.
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3. Misconceptions about Islam: All Muslims are Arabs
All Muslims are Arabs ....
Not true.
The Muslim population of the world is approximately 1.2 billion people.
One in six people are Muslim.
Muslims come from a vast range of nationalities, races and cultures, and are united by their common faith in Islam.
There are small communities of Muslims in almost every part of the world, including Latin America and Australia, and in larger communities in places like Russia, India and Central Africa.
Only an approximate 18% of the Muslim population lives in the Arab world.
The largest Muslim community is in Indonesia.
Most Muslims live east of Pakistan.
30% of Muslims live in the Indian subcontinent; 20% in sub-Saharan Africa; 17% in South-East Asia; 18% in the Arab world, and 10% in Central Asia and China. (What about the other 5% ???)
Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan make up 10% of the non-Arab Middle East.
There are about 6 million Muslims living in the United States of America, and about 282,000 Muslims living in Australia.
Sourced from the book entitled:-
Common MISCONCEPTIONS About ISLAM
by: Sister Huma Ahmad
edited by: Ibn Yasin, Queensland.
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4. The Voice of New Muslims
Contributed by Sister Nasirah Cavaney, Victoria.
The Voice of New Muslims
From ‘Considering Islam’ to Embracing Islam, as a way of life, the views of a convert.
The First Step - why discover Islam?
Qur’an Surat (chapter) 4 Ayat (verse) 122.
But as for those who believe and do good works We shall bring them into Gardens underneath which rivers flow, wherein they will abide for ever. It is a promise from Allah in truth; and who can be more truthful than Allah in utterance?
Islam is a wonderful religion which teaches kindness, love, consideration and equity. It is unfortunate however that in recent times people have been bombarded by images of terror, war and oppression and have come to think of this as the face of Islam. But even through these times of bad press, misinformation and prejudice, Islam continues to grow and has become the fastest growing religion.
Why is Islam the fastest growing religion?
Many people investigate Islam to understand it, or to try to prove it wrong but also to find out information, with an open mind, and thereby form their own opinion of Islam, based on the facts they have discovered for themselves.
Islam is not generally a faith that people would study, with the view to convert, as it appears foreign, radical and far different from the culture of ‘western’ man or woman. However, Islam does appeal to people. Islam is a religion that is strong, unwavering and not wishy-washy. It has structure and definite rules for living by, however it is at the same time simple, logical, and easy to understand.
In the world today there is a degradation of morals and generally a breaking down of society, rules and laws. Society is growing further away from the high ideals that once were common place in our society. Our life now tends to be filled with desires of materialism and status, more than anything remotely religious or spiritual. This does not concern some people, but to others they find themselves with a void, and don’t feel complete. They turn to various things to try and fill that emptiness, but some will search for God.
Although Islam may not head the list of possible faiths that people may explore, it is one that many do examine. Muslims believe we are born with the knowledge of the existence of God; we have a natural inclination to worship Him alone. This is our purpose in life. So how do people come to declare that Islam is their faith of choice? Some will discover Islam, through someone they know or through investigating and researching religions. Islam appeals to people as it is a very personal religion, it makes sense and there are very clear guidelines and rules for living.
I had a very important conversation with a Muslim brother, my neighbour, who later became my husband. At this time I knew absolutely nothing about Islam. All my reading (on Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Sikhism, etc) seemed to have taken me down every path except Islam. So when I asked him about his religion, he said: “It is a beautiful religion, a simple religion, a part of life.” His quiet, composed, assured conviction struck me. Here was someone who was so quietly certain about his religion that it needed nothing more than these simple few words to provide an answer, an answer that seemed whole and complete. And here was someone who described his religion as “beautiful”. I had never encountered this before. Religion had always been a duty, or an institution, something to be learned or endured, something burdensome and complicated and problematic – not something “beautiful”.
It struck my heart in a way I do not really understand.
This was one of those defining moments of one’s life – I recognised that something irreversible and wonderful was happening and I was open to it.....
Written by Jan Jackson, who converted to Islam in December 1999.
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5. Islam and Comparative Religion
by Muhammad Altaf, Western Australia.
The Concept of One God
In this, and the next few editions, we will attempt to prove the concept of the One God, from the three major religions in the world today, that is, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which are purported to be the monotheistic religions.
Let us discuss Judaism in this edition.
A Brief Historical Background
Judaism, according to Oxford dictionary means- : The religion of the Jewish people based mainly on the Bible (the Christian Old Testament) and the Talmud – Judaic Tradition or Law.
The followers of Judaism are known as Jews and in the Bible they have been mostly referred to as:-
A rebellious nation, An evil and adulterous generation etc. The Glorious Qur’an too has a great detail of information about these people. They are referred to in the Qur’an as Bani Israel, meaning The Children of Israel.
Israel is the name given to Yaqoob or Jacob (peace be upon him) as called in the Bible. Israel is a Hebrew word which, if translated into English, means Servant of the Cherisher and Sustainer and if translated into Arabic it would mean Abdul Rab.
The Jews believe in Monotheism. Jews are divided into several sects. They claim to have the original Tourah (The Law) given to Moses (pbuh) by God. However, there is no evidence for their claim. They are famous in the Bible and the Glorious Qur’an for being the most rebellious to Almighty God.
The Jews have amongst them Zionists. The movement of the Zionists is called Zionism. This, according to Oxford dictionary, is a political movement that was originally concerned with establishing an independent state for Jewish people, and is now concerned with developing the state of Israel. The Zionists are known for coercive activities, having expertise in using others to fight their enemies.
The two most popular books of the Jews, other than the “Tourah” which is the Old Testament, are:-
(1) The Talmud and (2) Misnad. The Jews rule themselves by the laws set out in these two books, rather than by the Old Testament directly.
Concept of God in Judaism
The following verse from the book of Deuteronomy contains an exhortation from Moses (pbuh):- “Shama Israelu Adonai lla Hayno Adna Ihad”
It is a Hebrew quotation which means:-
Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord. [The Bible, Deuteronomy 6:4]
The following verses are from the book of Isaiah:-
I, even I, am the Lord; and beside me there is no saviour. [The Bible, Isaiah 43:11]
I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me. [Isaiah 45:5]
I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me. [Isaiah 46:9]
Judaism condemns idol worshipping in the following verses-:
Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God.
[The Bible, Exodus 20:3-5] There is a similar message repeated in Deuteronomy 5:7-9.
These verses are sufficient proof to understand the true concept of God in Judaism.
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6. Why the Name 'Consider Islam’?
'Consider' according to Oxford Dictionary means:
1. Contemplate mentally, esp. in order to reach a conclusion
2. Examine the merits of
3. Look attentatively at
4. Take into account; show consideration or regard for
Hence, the name 'Consider Islam'.
