Islam means peace, submission, and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means - the way to peace and salvation through submission to the will and laws of God. A person who chooses this path is called a Muslim.
A common mistake is to refer to Muslims as Moslems. To call a Muslim a Moslem is to insult that person, as the two words mean different things in the Arabic language.
The word “Moslem” has its origin in the Arabic word Zulm. The word Zulm means to be unfair or unjust. To call someone a Moslem would therefore mean that person is unfair or unjust. The correct pronunciation is Muslim.
Anyone can become a Muslim, despite their religious background and does not have to be born a Muslim. When one decides to become a Muslim all his past sins are forgiven and he makes a fresh start. Islam gives no importance to a person’s color, nationality, culture or race. Rather the emphasis is on a person’s character and piety.
Islam holds answers to life's important questions. What is the purpose of life? How should life be lived? Who is God? Who are the prophets and what are their roles? What should one look for in a spouse? How should one raise children? What happens after death? These are all questions addressed in the Quran and Hadith (the sayings and practices of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him). When practiced as a total way of life it develops well-balanced individuals, and families. This then leads to peace and stability in society. Today it is challenged within and without. Yet, it is still the fastest growing way of life!
IS ISLAM A NEW RELIGION?
Islam, along with Christianity and Judaism is considered to be one of the three Abrahamic traditions. Abraham had two sons - Isaac and Ishmael. Prophets Moses and Jesus were from the lineage of Isaac. Prophet Muhammad was from the lineage of Ishmael.
To Muslims, Islam is not a new religion, but the way of life taught by all the prophets of God - Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them).
The Quran mentions the names of twenty-five prophets of God, and commands Muslims to accept and respect all of them. It further describes them and their followers (in their respective eras) as Muslims.
On accepting and living Islam one therefore accepts all the prophets of the past, recognizing that God's religion is one and historically connected. All prophets got their guidance from the same God, and each invited to the same way of life - ISLAM.
When Muslim parents teach their children the stories from the lives of the prophets, they not only teach about the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who Muslims believe was the last prophet from God, but also about:
(a) The miraculous birth of Jesus (peace be upon him), as well as the fact he was able to perform miracles by God's permission.
(b) The story of Moses (peace be upon him) and the Children of Israel. Moses’s upbringing and his eventual confrontation of Pharaoh’s oppression.
(c) Abraham's (peace be upon him) search for God. His destruction of the idols of his people and God's cooling of the fire when his people tried to burn him for his act of rebellion.
(d) The lives of Noah, Joseph, Solomon, Jonah, and other prophets (peace be upon them).
All these and other prophets' stories are in the Quran, God's final revelation to mankind. The Quran teaches:
“Say, we believe in God, and that which was revealed unto us, and that which was revealed unto Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob, and the Tribes, and in (the books) given to Moses and Jesus, and the Prophets from their Lord; We make no distinction between one and another among them, and to God do we bow our will (in Islam).” (Quran 3:84)
WHAT ARE THE NAMES OF YOUR HOLY BOOKS?
The teachings of Islam come from two sources, the Quran and the Hadith. Muslims believe the same angel (Gabriel) that came to prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus also came to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon them all). Muslims also believe that God, through the angel Gabriel, revealed the Quran to Muhammad (peace be upon him). Muhammad was 40 years old when he received the first revelation and 63 years old when the revelation was completed. This was done over a period of twenty-three years.
“Verily this (the Quran) is a Revelation from the Lord of the Worlds: With it came down the truthful spirit to your heart that you may admonish. In the perspicuous Arabic tongue.” (Quran 26:192-195)
Muslims consider the Quran to be God’s last revelation to mankind. In it is a message to all of humanity. In the Quran, God describes it as a healing for all who choose to follow its teachings. The Quran enlightens and guides over one and a half billion people from around the world. One in every five persons is a Muslim.
The beauty of the Quran is in its comprehensiveness, its agreement with science, its coverage of the history of prophets, its connection with the Old and New Testament and the general guidance it offers.
Verses in the Quran number in the thousands, and cover a variety of topics. As a family the Quran guides us through the day to day challenges of life, and we often use it for settling differences. Daily, verses from the Quran help to enlighten our souls.
The Hadith are sayings and practices of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Muhammad (peace be upon him) lived during the sixth and seventh centuries. Muslims accept him as God’s last prophet and messenger to mankind. He invited people to the same God that Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them) invited people to. The sayings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) number in the thousands, and cover a variety of topics.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF LIFE ACCORDING TO ISLAM?
The simple answer from God is life is a test and is temporary. Muslim believe that after death, there is life in the grave, followed by resurrection, a Day of Judgment and heaven or hell. God tells us:
“Blessed be He in Whose hands is Dominion, and He over all things has Power. He Who created Death and Life, that He may try which of you is best in deed and He is Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.” (Quran 67:1-2)
Our soul has the capacity to be good or evil, and it is up to each of us to direct it accordingly. Our challenge in life is to keep our soul from becoming corrupted and sinful. God reminds us:
“By the Earth and its (wide) expanse: By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it; And its inspiration as to its wrong and its right: Truly he succeeds that purifies it, And he fails that corrupts it!” (Quran 91:7-10)
Muslims seek to please God while enjoying life here on earth and preparing for the hereafter. In Islam worship is not just observing rituals, but encompasses all aspect of one’s life including family and community life. Good actions done with the right intentions are acts of worship. Worship includes how we treat people, animals and the environment. This saves Muslims from having to separate the spiritual from the material, and this world from the hereafter. Islam is perhaps the only religion that takes this approach to life. Muslims are required to live life not with a split personality, but within this spiritual framework. This makes Islam a spiritual attitude that can easily adapt in various cultural settings and borders. Muslims are encouraged to live their lives not in compartments or with split personalities, but as a whole person. This helps make Muslims spiritually secure and firm in their convictions.
In Islam we do not believe in original sin. A child is not responsible for a father’s sin nor is a father responsible for his child’s. Nor is there going to be a universal redemption of man’s sins because of Jesus (peace be upon him) dying on the cross. The Quran tells us:
“On no soul does God place a burden greater than it can bear. It gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill that it earns...” (Quran 2:286)
“Nothing shall be reckoned to man but that which he has striven for.” (Quran 53:39)
“When the earth is shaken to her (utmost) convulsion, and the earth throws up her burdens (from within), And man cries (distressed): What is the matter with her? On that Day will she declare her tidings: For that thy Lord will have given her inspiration. On that Day will men proceed in companies