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ISLAM IS. ISBN 0-919158-0-6

Copyright 2002 Pete Seda All rights resered
1his book is copyrighted. Any or all parts o this book may be used or educational purposes as
long as the inormation used is not in any way quoted out o context or used or proit.
1his material has been reiewed and orwarded or publishing and distribution by the Lnglish
language section o the Department o Islamic Resources.
lorm 4: 22
Date: 5,3,1424
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Islam is.
An Introduction to Islam &
its Principles
3
1able of Contents
Preace 5
\hat Is Islam 6
Monotheism 8
1he Oneness o God in lis Lordship ,Omnipotence, 8
1he Deotion o All \orship to the One God Alone 9
1he Uniqueness and Oneness o God in lis Names and Attributes 11
1he Six Articles o laith 14
Belie in God 14
Belie in lis Angels 14
Belie in lis Books 15
Belie in lis Prophets and Messengers 16
Belie in the Day o Judgment 18
Belie in Diine Decree 19
1he lree \ill o the luman Being 21
1here Is No Compulsion in Religion 22
1he lie Pillars o Islam 23
1he Declaration o laith ,Shahadah, 23
Praying lie 1imes a Day ,Salah, 24
Paying the \early Alms ,Zakah, 25
lasting During Ramadan ,Sawm, 26
Making the Pilgrimage to Makkah ,lajj, 26
1he Qur'an 28
1he Prophet Muhammad and his Sunnah ,Peace be upon him, 32
1he Dangers o Innoations in Islam ,Bid'ah, 34
1he Story o Adam and Le 36
Jesus ,Peace be upon him, 39
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Sin and Repentance 41
Organizational Structure o Islam 43
Islamic Law 45
1he Islamic Dress Code 4
\omen in Islam 49
Male Chauinism and the Muslim \orld 51
Science and 1echnology 54
Summary 56
Lditor`s Note 58
5
Preface
1he purpose o this work is to present the authentic teachings o
Islam. \e do not present any speciic ersion or a unique inter-
pretation o Islam. \e present Islam as it is, without sugarcoat-
ing, and we allow it to stand on its own merits. 1here is only one
Islam and only one example o how it is to be lied - that o the
Prophet Muhammad ,,.
1
Our intention is to proide a basic
oeriew o the main tenets o Islam as gien in the Qur'an and
as exempliied by the Prophet ,,. \e also intend to address
some o the commonly asked questions about Islam.
Despite the act that oer one-ith o the world`s population is
Muslim, Islam is oten misunderstood and misrepresented in con-
temporary \estern societies. It is hoped that this work will help
shed light on Islam as it was diinely communicated to Muham-
mad ,, and dispel any commonly held misconceptions that per-
petuate prejudice and hatred. \e write this booklet in the hope
that people o all aiths will join us in making this a world o tol-
erance, kindness, understanding, and peace.
1
1he symbol ,, means Peace and Blessings be upon him ,or them,`. It is an
Islamic tradition to oer blessings o peace to all the Prophets and Messengers
o God. 1o respect God`s representaties is to respect God.
6
What is Islam?
1he Arabic word Islam literally means surrender` or submission.`
Islam, as a aith, means total and sincere surrender to God so that
one can lie in peace and tranquility. Peace ,Salam in Arabic, Sha-
lom in lebrew, is achieed through actie obedience to the re-
ealed commandments o God, or God is 1he Just, 1he
Peace.
2
1he name Islam
3
is uniersal in meaning. Islam is not named ater
a tribe o people or an indiidual, as Judaism is named ater the
tribe o Judah, Christianity ater Christ, and Buddhism ater Bud-
dha. Islam is not a name chosen by human beings, it was diinely
communicated rom God. Islam is a global aith, not o the Last
or the \est. Islam is a complete way o lie, implying total sub-
mission to God. One who surrenders his or her will to God, ol-
untarily,
4
is called a Muslim. It was not Muhammad ,, but Adam
,, who irst brought Islam to humanity. 1hen, each Prophet
and Messenger came to exhort the people to a clear understand-
ing o God`s commandments. 1hey oered teachings releant to
that time, until God chose the inal Prophet, Muhammad ,,, to
come with the Last 1estament reerred to as the Qur'an.
Allah is an Arabic word, meaning 1he One and Only 1rue
Deity', the proper name o 1he One who created the heaens
and the earth. Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians also call God
2
1he words in bold throughout the text indicate either a erse rom the
Qur'an or one o the names and attributes o God.
3
Some Muslims are uncomortable calling Islam a religion,` as Islam is not
an institutionalized aith. In Arabic Islam is reerred to as a Deen, \ay o
lie.` 1his is the same as early Christians who also called their aith 1he \ay.`
4
Voluntarily` in this sense means more than not being coerced.` It means
surrendering to God without ulterior moties or reserations, and with genu-
ine wholeheartedness.
7
by the name Allah. lor a Muslim, Allah is the greatest and most
inclusie o names or God, denoting 1he One who is adored in
worship, 1he One who created all that exists.
8
Monotheism
1he concept o monotheism ,known as tawheed` in Arabic, is
the single most important concept in Islam. Monotheism points
to the irst o the 1en Commandments, and in Islam eerything is
built upon the oneness o God. Islam calls humanity away rom
the worship o any part o creation to the worship o 1he One
and Only 1rue God. No act o worship or deotion has any
meaning or alue i the concept o monotheism is in any way
compromised.
Due to its importance, the concept o monotheism ,diine unity
and singularity, must be properly and ully understood. lor ease
o discussion, monotheism can be looked at rom the ollowing
three perspecties:
a. 1he Oneness o God in lis Lordship ,Omnipotence,
b. 1he Deotion o all worship to 1he One God Alone
c. 1he Uniqueness and Oneness o God in lis Names
and Attributes
1his breakdown is by no means the only way to approach the
subject that God is one and unique, but it allows the topic to be
easily analyzed and discussed. ,Monotheism is the key to under-
standing Islam, and reisiting this concept is recommended.,
1he Oneness of God in His Lordship
1he oneness o God in lis Lordship means that God, 1he
Originating Creator of the Heavens and the Larth, has abso-
lute and perect mastery oer the unierse. le alone is 1he
Creator o all things. le alone causes eerything to happen. le
is 1he One who proides all sustenance and who determines all
lie and death. le is 1he Powerful, 1he Omnipotent, abso-
lutely perect and ree rom any deect. No one shares in lis
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dominion. None can resist lis decree. le is 1he One who cre-
ated each o us rom a single cell and made us into what we are.
le is 1he One who created oer a hundred billion galaxies and
eery electron, neutron, and quark contained within them, keep-
ing all that exists and all the laws o nature in perect measure.
Not a lea alls rom a tree without lis permission. Lerything is
kept in a precise record.
le is ar greater than our imagination. le is so powerul that or
anything to be created le simply says, Be!` and it is. le created
time, space, and all the known and unknown worlds, yet le is
not part o any o them. Most aiths recognize that 1he Creator
o the unierse is one, without partner. Islam includes the knowl-
edge that God is not a part o lis creation and none o lis crea-
tion shares in lis power.
In Islam, to beliee that any o God`s creation shares in lis
power or attributes is considered polytheism and disbelie. Lx-
amples o such alse belies would be to consider that ortune-
tellers or astrologers can predict the uture, God, 1he All-Aware,
says that only le possesses the knowledge o the uture. Only the
Diine can gie diine help. No being except God has the ability
to gie diine help or diine guidance. Belie that good luck
charms and talismans hae any power is a orm o polytheism.
1hese concepts are renounced in Islam.
1he Devotion of All Worship to the One God Alone
Only God, 1he Appreciative, is to be worshipped. 1his was
proclaimed by all the Prophets and Messengers o Islam who
were sent by God throughout the ages, and is the core belie o
Islam. God tells us that the purpose o the creation o humanity
is to worship lim alone. 1he purpose o Islam is to call people
away rom the worship o creation and to direct them toward the
worship o 1he Creator alone.
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1his is where Islam diers rom other religions. Although most
religions teach that there is a creator who created all that exists,
they are rarely ree o some orm o polytheism ,idolatry, with
respect to worship. 1hese religions either call on their adherents
to worship other beings besides God ,though usually placing
these other gods on a lower leel than the God who is 1he Crea-
tor,, or they demand that their adherents call on other beings as
intercessors between themseles and God.
All the Prophets and Messengers o God, rom Adam ,, to
Muhammad ,,, called people to worship God alone, without
partner or intermediary. 1his is the purest, simplest, most natural
aith. Islam rejects the notion held by cultural anthropologists
that the early religion o human beings was polytheism - which
gradually eoled into monotheism. In act, Muslims beliee just
the opposite, human cultures descended into idolatry during the
interals o time between the many Messengers o God. Len
while the Messengers were among them, many people resisted
their call and practiced idolatry despite their warnings. Subse-
quent Messengers were commissioned by God to bring people
back to monotheism.
God created humans with an innate, natural inclination toward
the worship o lim alone. Satan, on the other hand, does his ut-
most to get people to turn away rom monotheism, enticing man-
kind to the worship o creation ,idolatry,. Most people hae a
tendency to ocus their deotion on something they can isualize,
something imaginable, een though they hae an instinctie
knowledge that 1he Creator o the unierse is ar greater than
their imaginations. 1hroughout human history, God sent a suc-
cession o Prophets and Messengers to call the people back to the
worship o 1he One and Only 1rue God. Due to the allure o
Satan, people repeatedly deiated to the worship o created be-
ings ,idolatry and polytheism,.
God created human beings to worship lim alone. In Islam, the
greatest possible sin is to worship anything or anyone other than
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God, een i the worshipper intends to draw nearer to God by
oering deotions to another being. God, 1he Sufficient, does
not need intercessors or intermediaries. le hears all o our
prayers and has complete knowledge o eerything that happens.
At the same time, God does not need our worship, but le says
that it is pleasing to lim. le is completely independent o all
things. All creation is dependent upon lim. I eery person in
the world were to come together to worship only God, it would
not beneit God in the least. It would not add an atom`s weight
to lis majestic dominion. Conersely, i all creation abandoned
the worship o God, it would not decrease lis dominion in the
least. By worshipping God, we beneit our own souls and ulill
the noble purpose or which we were created. God has no needs,
le is 1he Lternal, 1he Absolute.
\orship is not just traditional religious ceremonies or practices.
1he concept o worship is inclusie. Changing a diaper, honoring
and caring or one`s parents, as well as picking up a piece o bro-
ken glass rom the sidewalk - all can be orms o worship i they
are done with the primary intent to please God. I any sort o
gain, be it wealth, job, power, or recognition, becomes more im-
portant than pleasing God, een that is a orm o polytheism.
1he Uniqueness and Oneness of God in His
Names and attributes
1he uniqueness and oneness o God in lis names and attributes
indicates that God does not share in the attributes o created be-
ings, nor do they share in any o lis. God is unique in eery way.
le cannot be limited in any way, or le is 1he Creator o eery-
thing. God, 1he Most Great says,
God! None is worthy of worship but He,
1he Lver Living, 1he One who sustains
and protects all that exists. Neither slum-
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ber nor sleep overtakes Him. 1o Him be-
longs whatever is in the heavens and what-
ever is on the earth. Who is he that can in-
tercede with Him except with His permis-
sion? He knows what happens to them
His creatures in this world, and what will
happen to them in the Hereafter. And they
will never encompass anything of His
knowledge except that which He wills. 1he
pedestal of His throne extends over the
heavens and the earth, and He feels no fa-
tigue in guarding and preserving them.
And He is 1he Most High, 1he Supreme.
|Qur'an ,2,:255|
In Islam it is orbidden to attribute to God characteristics o lis
creation. 1he only attributes that may be ascribed to God are the
ones le reealed limsel in the Qur'an or those used by the
Prophet ,, to describe lim. Many o God`s names and attrib-
utes seem to hae equialents on the human leel, but this is only
a relection o human language. God`s attributes, like God lim-
sel, are unlike anything in our experience. lor instance, God has
diine knowledge. Man has knowledge. God`s knowledge how-
eer, is nothing at all like the knowledge o human beings. God`s
knowledge is unlimited ,omniscient, 1he All Knowing,. It is nei-
ther learned nor acquired. God`s knowledge encompasses all
things without experiencing increase or decrease. luman knowl-
edge, on the other hand, is acquired and limited. It is constantly
changing, increasing and decreasing, and subject to orgetulness
and error.
God, 1he Irresistible, has diine will. 1he human being also has
a will. God`s will always comes to pass. Like lis diine knowl-
edge, lis will encompasses all things that God wants to come to
pass in creation - past, present, and uture. luman will, on the
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other hand, is merely an intention, a desire. It can only come to
pass i God wills it to happen.
luman attributes cannot be ascribed to God. All human attrib-
utes are limited. God has no gender, weakness, or deiciency.
God is beyond the human and creation attribute o gender. lere
we hae used the pronoun le` only because there is no gender-
neutral pronoun in Lnglish,Semitic languages, and it ollows the
conentions o Lnglish usage. \hen the royal \e` is used in
the Qur'an to reer to God, it is or respect and in no way implies
plurality. 1o ascribe to God attributes o created things is a orm
o polytheism. It is likewise a orm o polytheism to ascribe to
cre ated things attributes that belong to God alone. lor instance,
anyone who beliees that any other than God is 1he All-Wise or
All Powerful has committed the sin o polytheism.
Blessed be the name of your Lord, full of
majesty, bounty, and honor.
|Qur'an 55:8|
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1he Six Articles of Iaith
1here are certain tenets one must beliee without any doubt in
order to be considered a Muslim. 1hese articles o aith are as
ollows:
a. Belie in God
b. Belie in lis Angels
c. Belie in lis Books
d. Belie in lis Prophets and Messengers
e. Belie in the Day o Judgment
. Belie in God`s Diine Decree
Belief in God
Islam emphasizes that God is 1he One without partner, 1he
Lncompassing of all that exists, and le is unique in eery
way. Only God, 1he Most Benevolent, has the right to be wor-
shipped.
Belief in His Angels
1he angels are creations o God. God, 1he Originator, created
them rom light. 1hey are powerul, and always do precisely as
they are commanded by God.
God has reealed to us the names and the duties o some o the
angels. A Muslim must beliee in the existence o angels. Gabriel
and Michael are among the angels mentioned in the Qur'an. lor
instance, it is Gabriel`s ,, duty to take God`s reelation to the
Prophets and Messengers.
15
Belief in His Books
Muslims beliee in all o the original scriptures reealed by God
to lis Messengers. A Muslim must beliee in eery scripture
mentioned by God in the Qur'an. God, 1he Giver, reealed
them and they were, in their original orms, the actual word o
God. 1he scriptures God mentions in the Qur'an are as ollows:
1. 1he original Scrolls as reealed to Abraham
2. 1he original 1orah as reealed to Moses
3. 1he original Psalms as reealed to Daid
4. 1he original Injeel ,Gospel o Jesus, as reealed to Jesus
5
5. 1he Qur'an as reealed to Muhammad ,which still remains in
its original orm,
Muslims do not consider the scriptures reealed beore the
Qur'an, which are presently in circulation in arious editions and
ersions, to be an accurate representation o their original re-
ealed orm. According to the Qur'an, people hae distorted
these scriptures or their own worldly gain. 1hese distortions
hae occurred in many dierent ways, such as additions or dele-
tions o text or changes in the meaning or the language. 1hese
distortions were adopted oer time and what remains is a mixture
o the original diine text with manmade interpretation and con-
tamination. Although Muslims beliee in all the preious reealed
books, the inal means by which they judge dierent matters and
seek ultimate guidance is sought through the Qur'an and the au-
thentic traditions o the Prophet Muhammad ,,.

5
1he dierent gospels in today`s Bible were written ater the time o Jesus
,, by other authors. 1he Injeel mentioned in the Qur'an reers only to the
reelations that came through Jesus ,,, the son o Mary.
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Belief in His Prophets and Messengers
1he Prophets and Messengers were indiiduals who receied
reelation rom God and coneyed it to the people. 1hey were
sent to humanity to return people to monotheism, to sere as li-
ing practical examples o how to surrender to God, and to guide
people to the path o salation. None o the Prophets and Mes-
sengers share in any part o God`s diinity. 1hey were merely
human beings. It is orbidden or a Muslim to worship them or to
use them as a conduit to God. A Muslim should neer inoke
them, make supplications to them, or seek God`s mercy and or-
gieness through or rom them. 1hereore, the term Muhamma-
danism` is an insult and should neer be applied to Muslims.
Lery single Prophet and Messenger taught that all such acts are
polytheistic, and anyone who engages in them is outside the old
o Islam.
1hroughout the ages, God, 1he Bestower of Good, has sent
Prophets to people all oer the world. A Muslim must beliee in
all o the Prophets and Messengers sent by God. God has men-
tioned some o them in the Qur'an. Among those mentioned by
name are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad
,,.
6
All the Prophets and Messengers o God brought the teachings
o Islam. 1hroughout history, all monotheistic people who
submit ted to the will o God and ollowed God`s reelation to
the Prophets and Messengers o their time are considered
Muslims. 1he entitlement to Abrahamic inheritance is acquired
through one`s adherence to Abraham`s monotheistic aith and
surrender to God, not by lineage alone. \hen Moses ,, came
and proclaimed Prophethood, all those who truly ollowed him in
monotheism were Muslims. Likewise, when Jesus ,, came and
6
1he Prophets mentioned in the Qur'an are: Adam, Lnoch ,Idris,, Noah,
lud, Salih, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Shu`ayb, Job, Moses,
Aaron, Lzekiel, Daid, Solomon, Llias, Llisha, Jonah, Zachariya, John 1he
Baptist`, Jesus, and Muhammad ,Peace be upon them all,.
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theism were Muslims. Likewise, when Jesus ,, came and de-
clared his Prophethood with clear signs and miracles, it was
obligatory or eeryone to accept him unconditionally i they
were to be considered Muslims. All those who rejected Jesus ,,
became disbelieers in Islam because o that rejection.

Rejecting
or disliking any o God`s Messengers disqualiies one as Muslim.
Muslims are required to loe and respect all the Prophets and
Messengers o God who called upon humanity to worship 1he
Creator alone without ascribing to lim any partner. All the
Prophets and Messengers surrendered completely to God, which
is Islam.
1he Prophets, rom Adam ,, to Muhammad ,,, were all
brothers in aith. 1hey all called people to the same truth. Dier-
ent Messengers came with dierent sets o laws sent by God to
guide and goern the people, but the essence o their teachings
was the same. 1hey all called people away rom the worship o
created things to the worship o 1he Creator, 1he Supreme.
In Islam, Muhammad ,, has the distinction o being God`s inal
Messenger and the Seal o the Prophets.
8
1he reason or this is,
irst, because God completed lis reelations to humanity and
perectly presered them oreer in the Qur'an, and second, lis
inal Prophet and Messenger ,, led an exemplary lie or the
twenty-three years o his Prophethood, establishing clear guide-

God reealed to Muhammad ,,, 1he same religion has He established

for you as that which He enjoined on Noah, that which We have sent by
inspiration to thee, and that which We enjoined on Abraham, Moses,
and Jesus: Namely, that you should remain steadfast in religion, and
make no divisions therein. 1o those who worship other things than God,
hard is the way to which you call them. God chooses to Himself those
whom He pleases, and guides to Himself those who turn to Him.
|Qur'an 42:13|
8
Some Muslims reer to the ollowing Biblical erses as the oretelling o the
Prophet Muhammad ,,: |Deut. 18:15, 18:18, John 1:19 - 21, 14:16, 14:1,
15:26, 16: - 8, 16:12 - 13|
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lines or all generations to ollow. God says in the Qur'an that no
Prophet or Messenger will come ater him. 1his is the reason
Muhammad ,, is known as the Seal o the Prophets. 1his means
the diine law that was reealed and embodied in the teachings o
Prophet Muhammad ,, is or all o humanity until the Day o
Resurrection ,Day o Judgment,. 1o be a belieer, it is obligatory
to beliee in Muhammad ,, and the laws that hae been re-
ealed through him, as well as in all the Prophets and Messengers
o God who came beore. Muhammad and the Prophets and
Messengers ,, beore him also had to beliee in, obey, and sur-
render to 1he Almighty God. Although Muslims beliee in all
the Prophets and Messengers ,, o God, they ollow and emu-
late the teachings and example o the inal Messenger Muham-
mad ,,. God 1he Most Glorious, states about Muhammad ,,,
And We have not sent you, but as a mercy
to the worlds.
|Qur'an 21:10|
Belief in the Day of Judgment
Muslims must beliee, without any doubt, in the Day o Judg-
ment and the physical resurrection, when the body will be recre-
ated and the soul will surely be reunited with the body by God`s
unlimited power. Just as God, 1he Gatherer of Mankind, cre-
ated us the irst time, le is surely 1he Resurrector who will
bring us orth rom death to stand in perect judgment beore
lim. Ater the Day o Judgment, death will no longer be, and our
existence will be oreer. 1he Day o Judgment is when each and
eery indiidual will stand beore 1he Creator and be questioned
about his or her deeds. On that momentous day, we will each see
in detail the results o een the smallest good and the smallest eil
we hae set orth in this lie. On that day, lying and deception will
no longer be possible. 1he ultimate reward is Paradise and the
19
penalty is lell. leaen and lell are literal places that actually ex-
ist. 1hey are not symbols or metaphors.
God, 1he Recognizer and Rewarder of Good, describes Para-
dise ,leaenly garden, as a wonderul place o pleasure, illed
with amazing eternal gardens with riers lowing beneath. In
Paradise, no heat or cold, no disease, atigue, or eil will exist.
God, 1he Giver of Security, will remoe disease rom the heart
and body o its inhabitants, and eerything one wishes or will be
granted. It will be said to those who enter Paradise, 1his Para-
dise you hae inherited as a result o God`s mercy and your good
deeds.` 1he greatest o pleasures in the lereater will be the be-
lieers` ability to see the ace o God, 1he Most High. Being a
Muslim in and o itsel does not assure Paradise unless one dies
in a state o Islam- submission to 1he One God alone.
God, 1he Reckoner, describes lell as an eternally horrible
place, beyond imagination, a ire whose uel is men and stone.
\hen stern angels place people in lell, they will say,
1his is that which you used to deny.
|Qur'an 83:1|
\e beliee God is 1he Most Compassionate and 1he Most
Merciful, howeer, le is also seere in lis punishment to those
who desere it.
God`s ininite justice is absolute and perect. On the Day o
Judgment, all deeds will be reealed and eeryone will be justly
treated. \e will not enter Paradise because o our deeds alone,
but by God`s mercy.
Belief in God's Divine Decree
God, in lis timelessness, knows eerything that goes on in lis
creation. lrom the perspectie o temporal beings like us, this
means that God, 1he Lver Watching, knows eerything that
20
happened in the past, eerything that is now taking place, and
eerything that will happen in the uture. God`s diine knowledge
is perect. God is 1he All Knowing, and all that le knows will
come to pass.
God, 1he Subduer, las absolute soereignty oer lis creation.
Lerything that exists within lis creation and eery eent that
occurs is a direct result o lis creating it. Nothing happens in
creation except by lis power, lis will, and lis knowledge.
21
1he Iree Will of the Human Being
An important aspect o Islam is that eery human being has the
ree will to choose between right and wrong. God, 1he Giver,
has honored humanity with this great git. It comes with heay
responsibility, and on the Day o Judgment, we will be account-
able or our use o this git.
luman ree will does not in any way contradict the act that God,
1he Witness, knows eerything that will eer occur in creation.
Someone might ask, I God knows that I am going to commit a
sin tomorrow, then it is unaoidable that I do so because God`s
knowledge is inallible, and what God knows will come to pass.`
God`s knowledge o this person`s decision does not mean that he
or she is being orced to make that decision.
luman ree will does not in any way contradict God`s absolute
soereignty oer eerything in creation. Neither does it contradict
the act that nothing happens in creation except what God wills.
Some might say, 1hereore, I hae no ree will. My ree will is
but an illusion.` On the contrary, God created within each o us
the ability to ormulate an intention. God wants us to be able to
make our own choices. \hen a person makes a choice, God, by
lis diine will, creates the actions and circumstances that allow
the person`s intention to be carried out. It is God`s will that hu-
man beings hae ree will. God is not always pleased with the de-
cisions people make, but le wants them to be able to make these
decisions by their own ree choice. An example o this is a per-
son`s will to do a good deed. 1he good deed may neer be carried
out, but God may reward the person or his or her intention to
do a good deed. I the good deed comes to pass, God`s will al-
lowed it to take place, and God will reward both the intention
and the action. In other words, God, 1he Judge, may reward
you or good deeds willed but not carried out, howeer, le does
not punish people or bad intentions not acted upon.
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1here is No Compulsion in Religion
lrom this emphasis on ree will, it ollows that Islam can only be
accepted by ree choice. 1he purpose o human lie is to worship
God o one`s own ree will. 1hereore, matters o aith hae alue
only i they are accepted on the basis o reedom o choice. I a
person is coerced into accepting any religion, that acceptance is
alse and has no alue. God, 1he Gentle, says,
1here is no compulsion in religion. 1ruth
stands out clear from error: whoever rejects
evil and believes in God has grasped the
most trustworthy handhold that never
breaks. And God hears and knows all
things.
|Qur'an 2:256|
23
1he Iive Pillars of Islam
1here are ie obligatory acts o worship that eery Muslim must
dutiully carry out. lailure to do so is a grae sin. 1he ediice o
Islam rests upon these ie pillars. One cannot be considered a
Muslim i he or she denies that any one o these acts is obligatory.
1he ie obligations o Muslims are as ollows:
a. 1he declaration o aith, to 1estiy that there is no true
deity except God, and that Muhammad is lis Messenger`
,Shahadah,
b. 1o pray ie times a day ,Salah,
c. 1o pay the yearly alms ,Zakah,
d. 1o ast during the month o Ramadan ,Sawm,
e. 1o make the pilgrimage to Makkah ,lajj,
1he Declaration of Iaith (Shahadah)
It is obligatory or eery person intending to enter Islam to be-
liee and to say, I testiy that there is no true deity except God,
and that Muhammad is lis Messenger.` \ith this simple, impor-
tant, and powerul declaration, a person is considered a Muslim.
1here is no initiation into the old o Islam.
1he concepts within the testimony o aith can be explained by
analyzing each o three parts within the testimony. 1he irst part
No true deity.` is a negation o polytheism.
9
It is a negation o
the existence o any true deity other than God, or any entity that
9
1his negation means that nothing is to be worshipped except God, nothing
has diinity except God, none share the attributes o God, and none can be
the creator or sustainer o creation except God, who is without equal or part-
ner.
24
shares in any o the diine attributes o God. 1he second part
.except God` is an airmation o monotheism. God is the
only one worthy o worship.
Muhammad is God`s Messenger` is the third part o the declara-
tion o aith. It is an airmation o the Prophethood o Muham-
mad ,, as the inal Prophet and Messenger o God.
10
1his re-
quires the unconditional acceptance o the Qur'an and the au-
thentic sayings and traditions o Muhammad ,,.
By belieing and saying the testimony o aith, a person rejects all
alse objects o worship and asserts that God is the only one to
be worshipped. God is without equal or partner. God promises
that once a person airms and sincerely says, I testiy that there
is no true deity except God, and that Muhammad is lis Messen-
ger,` all o his or her preious sins are orgien. One`s preious
good deeds may also be rewarded by God, 1he Most Iorgiving.
Praying Iive 1imes a Day (Salah)
It is required or eery Muslim to perorm ie obligatory prayers
a day. A Muslim turns toward Makkah ,Mecca, when perorming
these prayers, acing the irst house built or the worship o 1he
One God. 1his house is called the Ka`bah, an empty cube-like
structure which is located in what is now Saudi Arabia. It was
erected by Abraham ,, and his son Ishmael ,, or the wor-
ship o 1he One and Only 1rue God.
10
One may ask, I Islam teaches that all the Prophets and Messengers are
equal, then why does the testimony o aith only airm the Prophethood o
Muhammad without mentioning the other Prophets` It must be understood
that anyone who airms the Prophethood o Muhammad ,, is acknowledg-
ing all the Prophets and Messengers o God that came beore him. I one were
to testiy or example, that, 1here is no deity except God, and Moses is the
Messenger o God,` this does not necessitate the person`s acceptance o the
Prophets and Messengers that ollowed Moses ,,, such as Jesus,, or
Muhammad ,,.
25
One must remember that Islam does not hae any sacred relics or
symbols. \e are not worshipping the Ka`bah, we simply worship
God while acing the Ka`bah. lacing the Ka`bah to pray uniies
the worshippers in their prayer to 1he One God. Anyone who
worships the Ka`bah or any other created thing would be consid-
ered an idol worshipper. 1o put it plainly, the building materials
that make up this house are no more sacred than any other build-
ing materials.
1hese prayers take place throughout the day and night, and are a
constant reminder o a person`s duty and surrender to God. 1he
prayers are a direct link between the worshipper and God. It is a
chance to turn to God in worship, to gie thanks, to ask or or-
gieness, and to ask or lis guidance and mercy.
A Muslim may oluntarily perorm prayers more oten. Prayers,
in the general sense o supplication, can be oered practically at
any time or place.
Paying the Yearly Alms (Zakah)
It is a religious duty or eery Muslim who is prosperous enough
to accumulate and retain a suicient amount o saings to gie a
portion o his or her wealth to the needy each year. 1hese alms
are called Zakah in Arabic, which literally means puriication.` All
things belong to God, 1he Most Merciful, and wealth is held in
trust by human beings. Paying these alms is a way or people who
are inancially able to puriy the ethically gained wealth that God
has bestowed upon them. In addition, it is a means to directly
distribute wealth throughout society and help the poor and needy.
Zakah ,alms, also puriies the soul o the gier, reduces greed,
and strengthens compassion and generosity among humanity.
1he basic rate o these alms is two and a hal percent o the
wealth that has been held in saings or an entire year. 1hese alms
are leied on saings, not income.
26
Iasting During Ramadan (Sawm)
A physically able pubescent Muslim must ast during the lunar
month o Ramadan. 1his month is signiicant because the irst
reelations o the Qur'an to Muhammad ,, occurred during this
month. Since a year in the lunar calendar is eleen days shorter
than the solar calendar, the month o Ramadan gradually passes
through all seasons o the year. Just as almsgiing is a orm o
wealth puriication, asting is a orm o sel- puriication. lasting
begins at dawn and ends at sunset, local time. During daylight
hours, a asting person must abstain rom ood, drink, and mari-
tal sexual intercourse.
11
1hese actiities are permissible rom sun-
set to the ollowing dawn. lasting teaches sel-control and pa-
tience. Like prayer, asting is a way o turning to God in sincere
worship. 1he two holidays or Muslims are `Lid Al-litr which is
celebrated at the end o Ramadan, and `Lid Al-Adha which is
celebrated at the end o hajj. lasting reminds us o the conditions
o the needy and gies us appreciation or the simple blessings we
oten take or granted, such as drinking a glass o pure water or
eating ood at will.
Making the pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj)
Lery Muslim is to make the pilgrimage to the Ka`bah, in Mak-
kah, once in a lietime i he or she has the ability and means to do
so. Muslims rom all oer the world gather together or the pur-
pose o worshipping and pleasing God alone. Millions o pilgrims
isit the Ka`bah and perorm hajj annually.
1he rite o hajj originated rom the Prophet Abraham ,, and
was restored by Muhammad ,,. 1he pilgrimage to Makkah
compels the pilgrims to break down the racial, economic, and
social barriers that may still plague their societies. It also inites
each pilgrim to practice patience, sel-restraint, and piety. 1he
11
Islam requires chastity and orbids any premarital sexual relationships.
27
pilgrims wear simple garments that strip away the distinctions o
class and culture. Lach o these obligatory acts o worship keeps
the remembrance o God alie and reminds all Muslims that rom
God we come and to God we will all return.
28
1he Qur'an
1he Qur'an is the inal, inallible, direct, and complete record o
the exact words o God, brought down by the angel Gabriel
12
and
irmly implanted in the heart o lis inal Prophet and Messenger,
Muhammad ,,. 1he Qur'an was learned and memorized by
many o Muhammad`s ,, companions and passed down to us
ia meticulous oral ,primary, and written ,secondary, presera-
tion through the centuries.
1he books that came beore the Qur'an through God`s Prophets
and Messengers ,, were also sent by God. By reealing the
Qur'an, God`s message was restored and clariied. 1he Qur'an is
unique in a number o ways. God, 1he Guardian, has perectly
presered the Qur'an and guaranteed it rom corruption until the
end o time. 1he Qur'an is regarded, not just by Muslims but also
by historians o religion, as the most authentic religious text
among the world`s religions.
13
None o the other reealed books
hae reached us in their original orm or language. Some o them,
like the scrolls that were reealed through Abraham ,,, hae
not reached us at all. Oer the course o time, parts o other
scriptures were rewritten and some parts remoed, distorting
their message.
God did not allow this contamination to happen to the Qur'an
because it is lis inal book or all o humanity until the Day o
12
It is taught in Islam that the spirit o the loly One` is the angel Gabriel,
who should neer be worshipped. ,Belie in the trinity clearly contradicts the
core principle o the Islamic aith - monotheism.,
13
See Joseph an Lss, Muhammad and the Qur'an: Prophecy and Reela-
tion` in Christianity and the \orld Religions: Paths to Dialogue with Islam,
linduism, and Buddhism, edited by lans Kung ,Garden City, N\: Doubleday
& Co., 1986,, and Michael Sells, Approaching the Qur'an: 1he Larly Reela-
tions ,Ashland, OR: \hite Cloud Press, 1999,.
29
Judgment. No new Prophet or Messenger is going to be sent. I
God had not protected the Qur'an, it would hae neer reached
us in its original pure orm. lor this reason, God did not entrust
human beings with presering the Qur'an.
14
Diine preseration o the earlier scriptures was not as critical
because God continued to send a succession o Prophets and
Messengers to the people. 1he law as embodied in these older
scriptures was not in its inal complete orm. By God`s order, Je-
sus ,, came with modiications to the law, or instance, making
lawul some things that had preiously been unlawul without
making any changes to the core concept o monotheism.
Another unique quality o the Qur'an is that it is an amazing
miracle in and o itsel. A miracle is a phenomenon that goes
against the natural order o things and clearly demonstrates the
direct interention o God, 1he Almighty.
All the Prophets and Messengers brought miracles rom God that
clearly demonstrated the truthulness o their claim to
Prophethood. Abraham ,, suried being thrown into a blaz-
ing ire without being harmed. Moses ,, raised his sta and
the sea parted or him by God`s mercy. Jesus ,,, the son o
Mary, touched the dead and terminally ill and restored them to
lie and ull health by the permission o God. All o these mira-
cles reealed the legitimacy and alidity o the Prophets and Mes-
sengers, but these miracles could only be witnessed by the people
who were actually there at that time.
\hile the Prophethood o Muhammad ,, was similarly at-
tested to by arious miraculous occurrences, by ar the most im-
portant o all is the Glorious Qur'an. God challenges all those
who doubt the authenticity o the Qur'an to produce a single
14
1he Qur'an consists o 114 chapters and is a single book, unlike the arious
current ersions o the Bible. Protestant Christians count 66 books in their
ersion and Roman Catholic Christians count 2 books. 1here are een more
books in other ersions.
30
chapter similar to a chapter o the Qur'an. ,It should be pointed
out that the smallest chapter o the Qur'an is composed o just
three short erses., 1his has neer been accomplished though
there hae been many people throughout history who would hae
loed to discredit the Qur'an and do away with Islam. God`s chal-
lenge remains open until the Day o Judgment. One o the
Qur'an`s miracles is that it is the pinnacle o literary excellence. It
is the most eloquent Arabic prose in existence. It has a style like
no other work in the Arabic language, a style that is inimitable.
1he Qur'an is or all people and is aailable to us in its original,
liing language, Arabic, which is still greatly used throughout the
world by millions o people. 1he original texts o many other re-
ligious books hae been lost oer time and were originally written
in languages that are no longer commonly spoken.
Not a single word in the Qur'an is the word o Muhammad ,,,
but all are the words o God. Muhammad ,, actually did not
know how to read or write. le recited the Qur'an precisely as it
was reealed to him by the angel Gabriel ,,, while his compan-
ions, at his direction, recorded it in writing and memorized it. 1he
Qur'an is the direct word o God. 1hereore, the Qur'an is the
only book we hae today that is known to be authored by God
alone. 1here are no other ersions o the Qur'an. Although there
are many translations o the meaning o the Qur'an, they are not
nearly as magniicent and beautiul as the Qur'an`s plain Arabic
text. lere is a sample o the Qur'an, chapter 112 o the Lnglish
translation o its meaning:
In the name of God, 1he Most Gracious,
1he Most Merciful
J. Say: He is God, 1he One and Only,
2. God, 1he Lternal, Absolute,
3. He begets not, nor was He begotten,
31
4. And there is none comparable unto
Him.
32
1he Prophet Muhammad ( ) and his
Sunnah
Muhammad ,, was born in the year 50 CL rom the honorable
lineage o the two great Prophets o God, Abraham ,, and his
irstborn son, Ishmael ,,. Muhammad ,, grew up with the
title o 1he 1rustworthy`. At the age o orty, Muhammad ,,
was chosen by God to be lis last Prophet and Messenger.
1he Sunnah reers to the sayings, actions, and tacit approals o
the Prophet Muhammad ,,. 1he reports and narrations about
the Sunnah are known as ladith, and are collected in well-known
books. Like the Qur'an, the Sunnah is inspired by reelation rom
God through the Prophet Muhammad ,,. Unlike the Qur'an, it
is not the direct, literal word o God. 1he teachings came rom
God ,diine reelation, and the words were rom the Prophet
Muhammad ,, ,an example or humanity,. 1he Sunnah was also
meticulously presered.
It is obligatory or Muslims to ollow the Sunnah o the Prophet
Muhammad ,,. In the Qur'an, God orders the belieers to obey
the Messenger ,lis representatie,. God says,
Obey God, and obey the Messenger.
|Qur'an 4:59|
1he purpose o lie is to sere and obey God. 1his is achieed
through ollowing the teachings and practices o the Prophet ,,.
God says,
You have indeed in the Messenger of God
a beautiful pattern of conduct for anyone
whose hope is in God and the final day,
and who engages much in the praise of
God.
|Qur'an 33:21|
33
1he Prophet ,, showed Muslims how to perorm all aspects o
worship. le died at the age o 63 ,in the year 632 CL, and was
buried at his home in the city o Medina ,\athrib,. le always
greeted and parted rom his companions with salutations and in-
ocations o peace, which is recommended or all Muslims.
\ithin a century, Islam spanned three continents, rom China
across Asia, throughout Arica, and into Spain in Lurope.
34
1he Dangers of Innovations in Islam
(Bid'ah)
God ordered Muslims not to diide themseles into sects. Inno-
ations and diisions in matters o religion and worship within
Islam are considered to be contamination, error, and deiation.
Larlier heinous deiations rom monotheism, such as worship-
ping creation, resulted in condemnation by God. ,loweer, in-
noations in other matters, such as science and technology to im-
proe lie, are greatly encouraged., God, 1he Most Compas-
sionate, has told us through lis last Prophet Muhammad ,,,
when Muhammad ,, was nearing the end o his lie, that le had
completed the religion o Islam. Muslims must recognize that any
change in matters o worship is strictly orbidden. No change in-
troduced by humankind, who is constantly under the inluence o
Satan, could eer add anything positie and would only contrib-
ute to the degradation o the completed and perected religion
estab lished by God. All innoations in matters o religion lead to
straying, and all straying leads to hellire. People must not allow
any deiation ,addition or deletion,, een as small as one degree,
in matters o worship.
15
I any changes are allowed, those deia-
tions will be compounded by uture generations, and the result
will be another manmade religion, not the Islam as it was per-
ected by God, 1he 1ruth. 1o build a aith using a shopping
cart` approach or the blind ollowing o any religious leader is in-
admissible.
1he changing o God`s laws is orbidden in Islam. God con-
demns religious leaders who alter diine principles. One who at-
tempts to make changes places him or hersel on the same leel
15
Islam teaches that or an act o worship to be accepted by God it must ulill
two conditions: 1he intention must be irst and oremost to please God, and
the act must be done according to the Sunnah o the Prophet Muhammad ,,.
35
with God, committing polytheism. An example o this would be
to make the killing o innocents lawul. 1he laws o God are per-
ect and do not need to be modernized` by anyone. God allows
us the reedom to obey or disobey lim by choosing to ollow
lis aith or to ollow our own desires. loweer, le orbids us to
change lis religious principles.
,It is interesting to note that the crescent moon is not representa-
tie o the religion o Islam, as the Prophet Muhammad ,,
neer used or mentioned it. It was a pagan symbol and an innoa-
tion brought about by later generations as a political symbol.
Sadly, it is commonly adopted and mistaken as an Islamic sym-
bol.,
36
1he Story of Adam and Lve
1he story o Adam and Le is told in the Qur'an. Although it is
similar in many ways to what is ound in the suriing remnants
o the preious scriptures, some important principles dier.
God announced to the angels that le was placing a new species
on earth. God created Adam ,,, ashioning him rom clay. le
breathed the soul into Adam ,,, taught him the names o all
things, and created rom the same soul his wie, Le. God al-
lowed them to dwell in Paradise with ree will. God said to the
angels, Bow down to Adam ,1hey did so in a orm o respect,
not worship,. Satan was present among the angels, though he was
not one o them. le was o the jinn,
16
a race o beings, possess-
ing ree will, that God created beore Adam ,, rom a smoke-
less lame o ire. \hen God ordered the angels and those in
their company to bow down to Adam ,,, they all did so except
Satan, who reused out o pride and arrogance, claiming to be
better than Adam ,, because he was created rom ire, whereas
Adam ,, was created rom clay. Indeed, Satan was the irst rac-
ist.
Satan ell rom God`s grace. God, 1he Reckoner, condemned
him or his disobedience, but Satan, the accursed, asked God to
gie him respite until the Day o Judgment ,resurrection,, so he
could make Adam ,, and his descendants unworthy. Satan
said, Verily I will mislead them and surely I will arouse in
them vain desires. God granted him this respite as a trial or
humanity. God knows what Satan knows not. It is important to
note that there is no way Satan could eer war` with God, be-
16
1he jinn were created beore Adam, they hae ree will. Disobedient jinns
are demons. 1hey lie here with us in some manner by which they can see us
but we cannot see them unless they choose to make themseles appear. Sor-
cery, which is orbidden in Islam, is also perormed through them.
37
cause just like eerything else, he is God`s creation. Satan exists
only by God`s \ill, he is completely under God`s power. I God
did not want Satan or his helpers to exist, they would not be able
to remain in existence or een a moment.
Islam does not gie Satan any share o God`s diinity. It does not
attribute to him any godlike or diine qualities. Islam rejects the
notion that Satan went to war with God and took a third o the
hosts o leaen with him. Satan is an aowed enemy o human-
ity, but he is merely a creature, absolutely dependent upon God
or his ery existence.
1hough prideul, accursed, and allen rom the grace o God, Sa-
tan seres a purpose. God wanted humans to hae ree choice
between right and wrong. le granted human beings an innate
ability to recognize 1he Creator and turn to lim. 1he human
being is considered to be originally good by nature, born pure in
the state o Islam ,submission,. Satan and his hosts order eil and
oppose good, seeking to misguide humanity, his aowed enemy,
into eil and idolatry, away rom monotheism, righteousness, and
the path o God. God, 1he All Wise, inites Muslims to enjoin
good and orbid eil. Because we exercise ree will, by resisting
the temptation o Satan, humans can attain a great leel o honor.
1he ollowing is a summary o the trial o Adam and Le in
Paradise. 1hey enjoyed perect reedom and happiness in Para-
dise. God told them to eat o the ruits o the Garden with pleas-
ure and delight as they pleased. le orbade them rom approach-
ing one tree, and warned them that i they did, they will both be
o the wrongdoers. Satan came and deceied them, saying that
God only orbade them rom eating o that tree because it would
make them immortal or they would become like the angels. 1hey
were thus deceied by Satan and ate o the tree.
Adam and Le elt shame. 1hey turned to God in sincere repen-
tance and God, 1he All-Iorgiving, 1he Most Gracious, 1he
Most Merciful, orgae them. Islam clearly rejects the concept o
38
original sin, or the notion that all humans are born sinners be-
cause o the actions o Adam. No human shall eer bear the bur-
den o another ,or God is 1he Just,. Lery human being is re-
sponsible or his or her actions and is born as a Muslim, pure and
ree rom sin. It is important to note that Islam does not place
the blame on Le. Both Adam and Le had ree will. Both o
them ate o the tree. 1heir sin and disobedience was a joint en-
ture. Islam rejects the idea that women are wicked temptresses or
cursed with the burden o menstruation and pain o childbirth
due to the sin o Le.
God remoed Adam and Le rom Paradise and made them to
dwell on earth. God had earlier said to the angels that le was
placing a new being on earth. Larth is where God, rom the time
o creation, in lis timeless knowledge, wanted us to be.
39
Jesus ( )
Jesus ,, was a Prophet and Messenger o God. le called to
the oneness o God. le neer claimed diinity or himsel, nor
did he eer ask to be worshipped.
le was born o a irgin. 1his was one o the many miracles re-
garding Jesus ,, gien by God. Jesus ,, was born without a
ather. God says in the Qur'an,
1ruly the likeness of Jesus with God is as
the likeness of Adam. He created him of
dust and then said to him Be!' and he
was.
|Qur'an 3:59|
God created Jesus ,, as le created eerything else in exis-
tence. Jesus ,,, Adam and Le were all uniquely created: Jesus
,, was created without a ather, Adam and Le were created
without a ather or a mother. 1he rest o us were all created with
a mother and a ather. 1o beliee that Jesus ,, is the begotten
son o God or that God has any relaties such as a ather,
mother, son, or daughter, gies the attribute o procreation to
1he Creator.
1
Muslims beliee this to be polytheism and it is
absolutely orbidden in Islam. Likewise, giing attributes o 1he
Creator to lis creation is a great sin, which, in Islam, is clearly in
opposition to monotheism. 1his belie is in contradiction to the
1
It was in the ancient city o Nicea ,which was located in modern-day 1urkey
approximately 00 miles or 1100 km NN\ o Jerusalem near the eastern Ro-
man capitol, that the lirst Council o Nicea conened, 325 years ater the birth
o Jesus ,,. It was at this council that Jesus ,, was declared by the major-
ity o the council members to be diine rather than God`s Prophet and Mes-
senger. 1he concept o the trinity was established by declaring that Jesus ,,
was the same as and equal to God. 1his is in direct opposition to the Abra-
hamic principles o monotheism, which Jesus ,, himsel called people to
and airmed.
40
teachings o all the Prophets and Messengers o God.
18
God is
beyond any created or human attributes. Jesus ,, is the Mes-
siah, the Christ, the word o God, the anointed one, sent by 1he
Most Merciful God as a Prophet and Messenger.
God also inorms us that Jesus ,,, the son o Mary, is not
dead, and that le raised Jesus ,, up to lim. Muslims beliee
that the return o Jesus ,, will be a sign o the Last Day. \hen
Jesus ,, returns, he will not come in the capacity o a Prophet
and Messenger to bring new reelations. Rather, he will be the
commander o the aithul and will destroy the antichrist, who
will hae brought to the earth enormous trials and eil. Jesus
,, will ollow the inal maniestation o the law that was re-
ealed to Muhammad ,,.
18
Len though Christians and Jews may iolate some o the monotheistic ten-
ets o their original Abrahamic aith, Islam reers to them as the People o the
Book`. 1hey are reerred to in this way because they hae receied reealed
laws and scriptures rom God and do recognize some o lis Prophets.
41
Sin and Repentance
Sin is willully and knowingly disobeying God. 1he greatest o all
sins is polytheism, though any intentional iolation o the com-
mandments o God is a sinul act. God, 1he Preventer, has pro-
hibited a number o things that are harmul to the indiidual or to
society. Murder, assault, thet, raud, usury ,ootnote 19,, ornica-
tion, adultery, sorcery ,ootnote 16,, consumption o alcohol, eat-
ing pork, and the use o illicit drugs are all examples o sinul acts.
Islam rejects the doctrine o original sin. No soul shall bear the
burden o another, as this would be a great injustice, because
God, 1he Most Merciful , is 1he Just. Lach o us is accountable
beore God, 1he All-Seeing, or our own deeds. loweer, i
one person encourages another to commit a sin, both are punish-
able. One o them deseres punishment or actually committing
the sin, the other deseres punishment or encouraging it.
\hen a person commits a sin, he or she is desering o God`s
punishment. lortunately, God is 1he Most Compassionate and
1he Oft-Iorgiving. God acts out o ininite knowledge and jus-
tice. Muslims do not beliee that Jesus ,,, the son o Mary, had
to die or the sins o mankind. God, 1he Most Compassionate,
orgies whomeer le chooses. 1o beliee that it was necessary
or Jesus ,, to suer and die in order to hae our sins orgien
denies God`s ininite power and justice. God is unlimited in lis
mercy.
God, 1he Answerer, promises us that le will orgie us i we
turn to lim in sincere repentance. Repentance is a serious mat-
ter. It is the way a person can attain salation by the mercy o
God. Repentance cannot be taken lightly. Sincere repentance has
the ollowing conditions:
42
1. 1he person must recognize and acknowledge that he or
she has committed a sin and must truly regret haing
done so.
2. 1he person must humbly turn to God or orgieness.
3. 1he person must hae a sincere resole not to commit
the sin again.
4. I the sin caused harm to someone else, the person
must make eery possible attempt to remedy the harm.
1his does not mean that i the person returns to the same sin in
the uture, his or her ormer repentance is annulled. \hat is
needed is a serious commitment in the heart not to sin again. Be-
cause we do not know what the uture holds, the door to repen-
tance is always open. God, 1he Oft-Pardoning, is pleased when
the children o Adam turn to lim or lis abundant orgieness.
Repentance is a orm o worship.
No one can orgie sins except God. It is orbidden or a Muslim
to seek diine orgieness or sin through or by turning to anyone
else, as Muslims beliee this would be considered polytheism.
43
Organizational Structure of Islam
Islam places great emphasis on the indiidual`s relationship with
God. 1he ramework or this relationship ollows the guidelines
set out by the Qur'an and Sunnah. 1his relationship, in turn, de-
ines a Muslim`s relations with eeryone, which brings about jus-
tice, organization, and social harmony.
1he Qur'an says,
Verily the most honorable of you with
God are the most pious among you.
|Qur'an 49:13|
1he wise, the pious, the knowledgeable in Islam, and the true in
practice are Islam`s natural leaders.
Islam is not speciic as to who can become a scholar. Anyone
with enough intelligence, study, and determination can strie to
become a scholar, but not eeryone will hae the time and re-
sources to do so. All people should strie to learn as much as
possible, while recognizing that God is 1he One, 1he Bestower
o knowledge and understanding.
1he scholar plays a critical role in Muslim society. le or she de-
otes years to the study o Islam. Scholars cannot orgie sins,
bless people, or change the law o God. 1hey impart the inorma-
tion they hae acquired by reerence to the Qur'an and Sunnah,
by the nobility o their character they inspire others to be better.
Some hae used the word cleric` to describe a Muslim scholar.
1his is a misnomer. 1here is no ormal clergy, no ordaining body,
and no hierarchy. 1he relationship between the indiidual and
God is a direct one. No one besides God can declare what is law-
ul and what is sinul. No created being can bless another. Lach
indiidual is directly accountable to his or her Lord and Creator.
44
One isiting a mosque may see a person leading the congrega-
tional prayers. \heneer Muslims pray together, they must select
one indiidual to stand in ront and lead the others in prayer so
that all might pray in unity and harmony. It is best to select a per-
son who has the most knowledge o the Qur'an and Islam. 1his
person is called an Imam, which literally means the one who is
leading.` At midday on lridays, there is a special congregational
prayer. All Muslim men are required to attend, it is oluntary or
women. 1his weekly prayer is preceded by a short sermon. 1he
one who gies this sermon should be the best aailable in terms
o his deep understanding o Islamic principles.
45
Islamic Law
Islamic law is deried only rom the Qur'an and the Sunnah o
the Prophet Muhammad ,,. Like the Qur'an, the Sunnah is an
inspired reelation rom God. Islamic law coers all aspects o
lie. It deals with how to worship God and how to deal with oth-
ers. God commands the belieers to do certain things and bans
them rom doing others. God alone, 1he All-Knowing, 1he
Just, has the right to make some things lawul and other things
sinul and orbidden. An Islamic society can legislate any laws or
the improement o lie ,e.g., traic laws, as long as they are not
in contradiction to Islamic law. God, 1he Guide and 1he Di-
rector, encourages some things without commanding them and
discourages some behaiors without prohibiting them outright.
All o these injunctions, taken together, orm the law o Islam.
\hen we add the act that there are issues that Islamic law con-
siders simply permissible, this results in ie basic rulings under
which eery human action can be classiied :
1. Obligatory
2. Lncouraged
3. Permitted
4. Discouraged
5. lorbidden
Islamic law is o diine origin. 1he reason we obey these laws is
because God commands us to do so. \e are encouraged to un-
derstand the wisdom behind the law, yet we are expected to obey
een when we do not ully understand the reasons why. Under-
standing is an added git. lor example, eating pork is orbidden
because God made it so. \e rerain rom eating it or that rea-
son, and not because we also happen to know scientiically that it
contains unique diseases and is the least healthy meat. Len i
46
scientists were able to genetically breed pigs to be a disease-ree
and most nutritious ood, it would still be orbidden to eat pork.
,loweer, someone may eat pork to sae his or her lie i there
are no other options let, and there would be no sin in doing so.,
1he sources o Islamic law are the Qur'an and Sunnah. God con-
siders it polytheism to allow a religious leader to change God`s
command by making lawul what God has made orbidden, or by
making orbidden what God has made lawul.
19
In this world,
God alone determines what is good and what is sinul. In the
lereater, God alone has the power and wisdom to reward those
who do good and punish those who do eil.
19
Charging any amount o interest on a loan, or usury, was originally orbid-
den in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. loweer, Christians in Lurope rom
the time o the Middle Ages gradually changed this prohibition. 1oday, een
Islamic` countries hae allowed this gross iolation o God`s law.
47
1he Islamic Dress Code
Islam promotes modesty and seeks to minimize ice and immor-
ality in society. One o the ways it does so is by requiring modest
dress. Islam sets the standards o decency or both men and
women.
In most \estern countries there are laws deining what is decent.
1his usually amounts to the male haing to coer his genitals and
the emale haing to coer her genitals and her breasts. I this
minimum requirement is not met, the most a person can be
charged with is indecent exposure. 1he reason cited or the di-
erence in required clothing between men and women in this
matter is the dierence in their anatomies.
Islam prescribes a more conseratie minimum dress code or
both men and women. In Islam, both men and women are ex-
pected to dress simply, modestly, and with dignity. A man must
alwaysbe coered in loose and unreealing clothing rom his n a-
el to his knee. 1his is the absolute minimum coering required.
le must neer, or example, go out in public wearing a short
bathing suit. \hen leaing the home, a Muslim woman must at
least coer her hair and body in loose and unreealing clothing,
obscuring the details o her body rom the public, some also
choose to coer their ace and hands. 1he wisdom behind this
dress code is to minimize sexual enticement and degradation in
society as much as possible or both men and women. Obeying
this dress code is a orm o obedience to God. Islam orbids any
sex appeal and physical allurement outside o marriage. In con-
trast, Islam encourages sex appeal and physical attraction or both
men and women within the priacy between married couples.
Some \estern obserers hae assumed that the head coering o
a woman is meant to show her ineriority to men. 1his could not
be urther rom the truth. In Islam, a woman who dresses this
48
way commands respect, and through her modesty, she rejects
sexual seritude. 1he message that the woman gies when she
wears Islamic dress in society is, Respect me or who I am. I am
not a sex object.`
Islam teaches that the consequences o immodesty all not only
on the indiidual but also upon the society that permits women
and men to mingle reely, display themseles, and compete or
allure one another through sexual attraction. 1hese consequences
are signiicant and cannot be ignored. 1o make women into sex
objects or the pleasure o men is not liberation. In act, it is a
dehumanizing orm o oppression rejected by Islam. 1he libera-
tion o the Muslim woman is that she is recognized by the con-
tent o her character rather than by the display o her physical
attributes. lrom the Islamic point o iew, liberated` \estern
women- who must oten worry about their looks, igure, and
youth or the pleasure o others- are trapped in a orm o slaery.
49
Women in Islam
\omen and men are equal beore God. Both are accountable
beore God. 1hey equally receie their reward in the lereater
or their aith and good deeds.
Marriage is strongly encouraged and is both a legal agreement and
a sacred bond. Islam sees eery woman, married or unmarried, as
an indiidual in her own right. She has the same right to own
property, earn wealth and spend it as a man has. ler wealth does
not become the property o her husband ater marriage or di-
orce. A woman has the right to choose whom she marries and,
when married, does not change her last name, out o respect or
her lineage. A woman can seek diorce i her marriage does not
work out.
Lconomically, each man and woman is an independent legal en-
tity. Men and women hae the right to own their indiidual prop-
erty, engage in business, and inherit rom others. Both hae the
equal right to receie an education and to enter into gainul em-
ployment, as long as Islamic principles are not iolated.
Seeking knowledge is the obligation o eery Muslim, male or e-
male. 1he type o knowledge that is most emphasized is religious
knowledge. It is also required within a society to hae proession-
als o both genders aailable or the beneit o the public. lor
example, society requires doctors, teachers, counselors, social
workers, and many other important ocations. \hen there is a
shortage o qualiied personnel, it may become obligatory or
women or men to gain expertise in these ields to ulill the needs
o the Muslim community. In this situation, the guidelines o Is-
lam are to be upheld.
\omen are encouraged to seek Islamic knowledge, pursue their
academic endeaors within the ramework o Islam, and strie to
50
ulill their intellectual curiosity. 1o preent anyone rom getting
an education is contrary to the teachings o Islam.
A man is responsible or maintaining and protecting his amily
and proiding the basic needs such as ood, clothing, and shelter
or his wie, children, and ,i needed, other emale relaties in the
household. \omen are not primarily responsible or this, een i
married. 1he Prophet Muhammad ,, said that the most perect
in aith among belieers is he who is best in manners to his wie.
51
Male Chauvinism and the Muslim
World
Many people perceie Islam as a chauinistic religion that belittles
women. 1hey cite the condition o women in some Muslim`
countries to proe this point.
20
1heir mistake is that they ail to
separate the culture o a gien people rom the true teachings o
the religion they may proess. It is appalling that today the op-
pression o women still exists in many cultures around the world.
\omen in many 1hird \orld countries lie horrible lies. 1hey
are dominated by men and denied many basic human rights. 1his
does not apply to Muslim countries alone, nor does it apply to all
Muslim countries. Islam condemns this oppression. It is a tragic
injustice to blame these cultural practices on religious belies
when the teachings o the religion do not call or such behaior.
1he teachings o Islam orbid the oppression o women and
clearly emphasize that men and women are to be respected
equally.
Unortunately, oppressie practices against women that exist in
certain parts o the world hae mistakenly been associated with
Islam by some people. One o these practices is the ancient pagan
custom o emale genital mutilation, sometimes mistakenly called
emale circumcision, which originated and is still practiced in the
Nile Rier Valley and surrounding areas. It is practiced by a num-
ber o ethnic groups o a wide ariety o aiths throughout parts
o Arica, especially in northeastern Arica. Many women in A-
rica are ictims o this horrible, dismembering, barbaric custom.
lemale genital mutilation is an abomination and is absolutely or-
bidden in Islam. It is unortunate that, een though Islam orbids
20
Unortunately, an Islamic` country does not necessarily mean that the coun-
try`s goernment or the people are ollowing Islamic law ,Shari'a,.
52
it, certain ethnic groups hae perpetuated this practice een ater
their acceptance o Islam, leading some to assume that it is a part
o Islam. 1oday, as these people gradually gain a better under-
standing o Islam, they are abandoning this cruel pagan practice.
In Kenya, or example, one group o people who do not practice
emale genital mutilation are the Muslims.
Male circumcision, howeer, is clearly an Islamic practice and in
act was taught by God`s Prophets and Messengers, including the
Prophet Abraham ,,. 1here should be no conusion between
the prohibited act o emale genital mutilation and the encour-
aged act o male circumcision.
Another horrible practice is that o honor killing`, when a man
kills a emale relatie in his amily because he eels disgraced and
humiliated by her behaior. 1his conduct, although extremely
rare, is practiced by certain groups o people in the Indian sub-
continent, the Middle Last, and other places. 1his is outright
murder in Islam. It is not permissible or a person to kill anyone
out o some notion o honor`. It is by no means exclusie to
Muslims and Islamic` countries, and it iolates Islamic law. Ra-
cism, sexism, and all orms o bigotry or prejudice are also pro-
hibited in Islam.
Unortunately, orced marriage is practiced in many traditional
societies. It is another practice that is orbidden in Islam. Some
athers had orced their daughters into marriage at the time o the
Prophet Muhammad ,,. \hen the women complained to the
Prophet ,, o this, he nulliied their marriages or gae them the
option o ending the marriage een i it had already been con-
summated, establishing the clear precedent or Islamic law con-
cerning reedom o choice about marriage and putting an end to
this oppressie practice. Sadly, this still goes on in many parts o
the world today, including in a number o Islamic` countries. Al-
though this practice is illegal in almost all countries, many women
in traditional societies either do not know their rights or are too
araid to demand them.
53
All o these practices are against Islamic law, and it is the respon-
sibility o all Muslims to eradicate them in their societies. \es,
Islam is tolerant o cultural diersity and does not beliee in
eradicating the ways o lie o dierent people, nor does it orce
people to gie up their cultural identity when they embrace Islam.
loweer, when the cultural practices o a people contraene the
laws o Islam or deprie people o their God-gien, inalienable
rights and reedom o choice, it becomes a religious obligation to
abandon those practices.
54
Science and 1echnology
One o the hallmarks o Islam is its complete harmony with sci-
ence. A Muslim considers conlict between scientiic acts and
religion to be impossible. Religion comes rom God, 1he Iirst
and 1he Last, and so does the unierse that le alone created. It
is impossible or one to contradict the other.
A Muslim assumes that a natural explanation can be ound or
eerything in God`s creation- rom the ormation o the stars and
galaxies to the origin and diersity o dierent species. A Muslim
should neer rely on miracles to explain natural phenomena. A
Muslim beliees that miracles are instances where God contra-
enes lis own natural laws or a speciic reason, such as to assist
one o lis Prophets or to answer a prayer. Miraculous explana-
tions should neer be resorted to in order to explain something in
the natural world or to coer up human ignorance on a scientiic
matter.
1here has neer been a scientiic act or a alid scientiic theory
that contradicted the teachings o Islam. \hateer science un-
coers, it only increases our knowledge o God`s magniicent
creation. 1his is why Islam actiely encourages scientiic endea-
ors and why the Qur'an commands us to study God`s signs in
nature. In act, the Qur'an has many amazing scientiic reer-
ences, that with the help o today`s modern technological ad-
ancements, are just recently becoming ully understood.
Islam also allows us to ully enjoy the ruits o human ingenuity.
\e are encouraged to strie to better the world. Islam welcomes
technological adances. 1echnology can be employed or good or
eil. 1echnology itsel is neutral. It is our responsibility to use the
knowledge that God has blessed us with or the betterment o all
humanity.
55
In the early days o Islam, when people adhered to its belies and
principles, there was a lowering o science, culture, trade, and
technology. Scholars in the Islamic world researched and ad-
anced the ields o mathematics, chemistry, physics, medicine,
astronomy, architecture, art, literature, geography, history, and
more. Muslim scientists inented the magnetic compass, the as-
trolabe, and the clock pendulum, to name a ew. Many critical
systems such as algebra, the Arabic numerals ,which are the same
numbers that we currently use,, and the ery concept o zero ,i-
tal to the adancement o mathematics, were introduced to me-
dieal Lurope through Muslim scholars. 1he teachings o Islam
brought about this scientiic awareness, which eentually ignited
and propelled the Luropean Renaissance. It was only ater people
began deiating rom the simple original Islamic principles and
belies that the adancements and scientiic achieements o the
Muslim world began to cease and all into obscurity.
56
Summary
Islam is. a religion o justice, peace, mercy, and orgieness, a
aith which is oten misunderstood and misrepresented. Islam
means to surrender one`s will to God, 1he Peace. Islam is the
way o lie or anyone who chooses to accept that there is one
God only, and none is worthy o worship but lim. 1his world is
temporary and no more than a trial or humanity, ater which we
will all die and return to God, 1he 1aker. 1he lie o the lerea-
ter is oreer. God, 1he Light, or the guidance o the children
o Adam ,,, sent us Prophets: Abraham ,,, Moses ,,,
Jesus ,,, Muhammad ,,, all Prophets o Islam. God chose
Muhammad ,, as lis inal Prophet and Messenger and honored
him with the priilege o reealing the Qur'an through him. 1he
Qur'an is the direct unalterable word o God, not the word o
Muhammad ,,, who was an unlettered man. God has presered
the Qur'an with its teachings or all o humanity.
1he ie undamental acts o worship or Muslims are as ollows:
1. 1o testiy that there is no deity except God, and that Muham-
mad is lis Messenger`
2. 1o pray ie times a day
3. 1o pay the yearly alms
4. 1o ast during Ramadan
5. 1o make the pilgrimage to Makkah.
God states that there is no compulsion in religion. luman rights
and reedom o choice are sacred. In Islam, women play a ery
important role. \omen are equal to and required to be honored
by men.
God mentions in the Qur'an that le has perected Islam as a re-
ligion or all o humanity, thus completing lis aor upon us.
57
God has prepared or us the light o Islam as a guide or human-
ity`s return to lim.
58
Lditor's Note
\e are told by scientists that space contains oer 120 billion gal-
axies. \e know that eery one o us was created by God 1he
Most Magnificent, rom a single cell. \hen I think about this, I
can`t help but be humbled and realize my extreme insigniicance
in the light o God`s amazing splendor. Satan swore to deceie
humanity, to bring us misunderstanding, animosity, hatred, and
war. 1o do my part in opposing Satan, my moties are to please
my Lord by promoting peace through understanding.
Lie is short and precious, it is tragic to waste it by piling up tem-
poral material gain while ignoring the true purpose o creation: to
worship God alone. Many people spend their precious lies ac-
cumulating temporal material wealth. 1hrough Islam, God inites
us to turn to that which is eerlasting, eternal. On the Day o
Judgment, we will be accountable or what we knew and how we
had applied it. \e will be asked about our worship. Now is the
time or us to prepare or the answer.
1his book is based on the lectures I hae been giing on Islam
or the past two decades. It would not hae been possible with-
out God`s mercy and the help and assistance o my brothers and
sisters. I thank you, my readers, or your time and interest in un-
derstanding Islam, the aith o one-ith o the world`s popula-
tion. \e also welcome your questions as well as your comments
and eedback or consideration in this ongoing work. I inite you
to share any or all o this material. I ask only that you do not
quote this inormation out o context.
Please orgie me i in this work I hae oended anyone. Because
o my passion or Islam, I express my aith strongly. I greatly
alue indiidual choice and respect dierences. Understanding
and justice are the way to peace, and because Islam is oten per-
ceied in the \est as a religion o narrow-minded zealots out to
conert the world by orce, I eel it is ital that I coney my aith
in clear and unambiguous language to counter misconceptions.
59
May God bless us all with guidance. Any good that comes rom
this work is by God`s beneolence, and i I hae said anything
unhelpul, it is my shortcoming. God, 1he Lxalted and 1he
Loving, is perect.
Oh, 1he All learing, protect us rom all eil and guide us to the
truth.`
Peace be upon those who ollow the Righteous Guidance,
Pete Seda