
                        ||                     ||    | ||                
                        ||   .                 || /| | ||                
        o_____|_____\ __|| |   |_____o_____\ __||  |_|_||  o______w_|    
       /   "         /     |___|            /             /        .     

                         INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM
                         =====================

     THE MEANING OF ISLAM

     ISLAM is  derived from  the Arabic  root "SALEMA": peace, purity,
     submission and obedience. In  the  religious  sense,  Islam means
     submission to the will of God and obedience to His law.

          Everything and every phenomenon in the world, other than man
     is administered TOTALLY by God-made laws  i.e. they  are obedient
     to God  and submissive  to His laws i.e. they are in the STATE OF
     ISLAM. Man possesses the quality of intelligence and choice, thus
     he is  invited to submit to the good will of God and obey His law
     ie. become a Muslim. Submission to the good will of God, together
     with obedience  to His  beneficial law, i.e. becoming a Muslim is
     the best safeguard for man's peace and harmony.

          Islam dates back to  the edge  of Adam  and its  message has
     been conveyed  to man  by God's Prophets and Messengers including
     Abrahim, Moses, Jesus  and  Muhammad.  Islam's  message  has been
     restored  and  enforced  in  the  last  stage  of  the  religious
     evolution by God's last Prophet and Messenger Muhammad.

          The word  Allah in  the Arabic  language means  God, or more
     accurately The  One and Only Eternal God, Creator of theUniverse,
     Lord of all lords, King  of  all  kings,  MostCompassionate, Most
     Merciful.  The  word  Allah  to  mean  God is also used by Arabic
     speaking Jews and Christians.

     ARTICLES OF FAITH 

     ALLAH, THE ONE AND ONLY GOD

     A muslim believes in ONE GOD,  Supreme and  Eternal, Infinite and
     Mighty, Merciful and Compassionate, Creator and Provider. God has
     no father nor mother, no sons nor was He fathered.  None equal to
     Him. He is God of all mankind, not of a special tribe or race.

          God is  High and  Supreme but  He is  very near to the pious
     thoughtful believers; He answers their prayers and help  them. He
     loves the  people who  love Him and forgives their sins. He gives
     them peace, happiness, knowledge and success.  God is  the Loving
     and the  Provider, the Generous, and the Benevolent, the Rich and
     the Independent, the Forgiving and the  Clement, the  Patient and
     the Appreciative, the Unique and the Protector, the Judge and the
     Peace. God's attributes are mentioned in the Quran.

          God creates in man the  mind  to  understand,  the  soul and
     conscience to  be good and righteous, the feelings and sentiments
     to be kind and humane. If we try to count His favours upon us, we
     cannot, because  they are  countless. In return for all the great
     favours and mercy, God does not need anything from us, because He
     is Needless and Independent. God asks us to know Him, to love Him
     and to enforce His law for  our benefit  and our  own benefit and
     our own good.

     MESSENGERS AND PROPHETS OF GOD

          A Muslim  believes in all the Messengers and Prophets of God
     without any discrimination. All  messengers  were  mortals, human
     beings, endowed  with Divine  revelations and appointed by God to
     teach mankind. The Holy Quran mentions the names of 25 messengers
     and  prophets  and  states  that  there are others. These include
     Noah, Abrahim, Ishmael, Isaac,  Moses, Jesus  and Muhammad. Their
     message is  the same and it is Islam and it came from One and the
     Same Source; God, and it is to submit to His will and to obey His
     law; i.e., to become a Muslim.

     REVELATIONS AND THE QURAN

     A Muslim  believes in  all scriptures  and revelations of God, as
     they were complete and in  their  original  versions.  Allah, the
     Creator, has not left man without guidance for the conduct of his
     life. Revelations  were given  to guide  the people  to the right
     path of  Allah and  sent down to selected people, the prophet and
     messengers, to convey it to their fellow men.

          The message of all the prophet  and messengers  is the same.
     They all asked the people of their time to obey and worship Allah
     and none other. Abrahim, Moses,  David,  Jesus  and  Muhammad who
     were revealed  their own  book of  Allah, were  sent at different
     times to bring back straying human being from  deviation to Right
     Course.

          The Quran  is the sacred book of the Muslims. It is the last
     book of guidance from Allah, sent down to Muhammad, peace be upon
     him, through  the angel  Jibraeel (Gabriel).  Every word of it is
     the word of Allah. It was revealed over a period  of 23  years in
     the Arabic  language. It  contains 114 Surahs (chapters) and over
     6000 verses.

          The Quran deals with man and his ultimate goal in  life. Its
     teachings cover  all areas of this life and the life after death.
     It contains principles, doctrines and directions for every sphere
     of human  life. The  theme of the Quran broadly consists of three
     fundamental ideas: Oneness of  Allah, Prophethood  and life after
     death. The  success of human beings on this earth and in the life
     hereafter depends on obedience to the Quranic teaching.

          The Quran is unrivalled  in its  recording and preservation.
     The  astonishing  fact  about  this  book of Allah is that it has
     remained unchanged even to a dot  over the  past fourteen hundred
     years. No scholar has questioned the fact that the Quran today is
     the same as it was  revealed.  Muslims  till  today  memorize the
     Quran word by word as a whole or in part. Today, the Quran is the
     only authentic and complete book of Allah. Allah is protecting it
     from being lost, corrupted or concealed.

     THE ANGELS OF ALLAH

          There are  purely spiritual  and splendid  beings created by
     Allah. They require no food  or  drink  or  sleep.  They  have no
     physical desires  nor material  needs. Angels spend their time in
     the service  of Allah.  Each charged  with a  certain duty. Angle
     cannot be seen by the naked eyes. Knowledge and the truth are not
     entirely confined  to  sensory  knowledge  or  sensory perception
     alone.

     THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT

     A Muslim  believe in  the Day  of the Judgement. This world as we
     know it will come to an end and the dead  will rise  to stand for
     their final  and fair  trial. On that day, all men and women from
     Adam to the last  person will  be resurrected  from the  state of
     death  for  judgement.  Everything  we  do, say, make, intend and
     think are accounted for  and kept  in accurate  records. They are
     brought up on the Day of Judgement.

          One  who  believe  in  life  after  death is not expected to
     behave against the Will  of Allah.  He will  always bear  in mind
     that  Allah  is  watching  all  his  actions  and  the angles are
     recording them.

          People with good records  will  be  generously  rewarded and
     warmly welcomed  to Allah's  Heaven. People with bad records will
     be fairly punished and cast into Hell. The real nature  of Heaven
     and Hell are known to Allah only, but they are described by Allah
     in man's familiar terms in the Quran.

          If some good deeds are seen not to get full appreciation and
     credit in  this life,  they will receive full compensation and be
     widely acknowledged on the Day of  Judgement. If  some people who
     commit  sins,  neglect  Allah  and indulge in immoral activities,
     seem  SUPERFICIALLY  successful  and  prosperous  in  this  life,
     absolute justice  will be  done to  them on the Day of Judgement.
     The time of the Day of Judgement is only known to Allah and Allah
     alone.

     QADAA AND QADAR

     A  Muslim  believes  in  Qadaa  and  Qadar  which  related to the
     ultimate power of  Allah.  Qadaa  and  Qadar  means  the Timeless
     Knowledge of  Allah and  His power to plan and execute His plans.
     Allah is not indifferent to this world nor  is He  neutral to it.
     It implies  that everything on this earth originates from the one
     and only creator who is also the Sustainer and the sole source of
     guidance.

          Allah is  Wise, Just  and Loving  and whatever  He does must
     have a good motive, although we may fail  sometimes to understand
     it  fully.  We  should  have  strong  faith  in  Allah and accept
     whatever  He  does  because  our  knowledge  is  limited  and our
     thinking  is  based  on  individual  consideration,  whereas  His
     knowledge is  limitless and  He plans  on a  universal basis. Man
     should think,  plan and  make sound  choice, but if things do not
     happen the way he wants, he should not  lose faith  and surrender
     himself to mental strains or shattering worries.

     THE PURPOSE OF LIFE

     A Muslim  believe that  the purpose  of life is to worship Allah.
     Worshipping Allah does not mean  we  spend  our  entire  lives in
     constant seclusion  and absolute  meditation. To worship Allah is
     to live life according to His commands, not to run  away from it.
     To  worship  Allah  is  to  know  Him,  to  love Him, to obey His
     commands, to enforce His laws in every aspect  of life,  to serve
     His cause by doing right and shunning evil and to be just to Him,
     to ourselves and to our fellow human beings.

     STATUS OF HUMAN BEING

     A Muslim believes that  human  being  enjoys  an  especially high
     ranking  status  in  the  hierarchy  of  all known creatures. Man
     occupies this distinguished position  because he  alone is gifted
     with  rational  faculties  and  spiritual  aspirations as well as
     powers of action. Man is  not  a  condemned  race  from  birth to
     death,  but  a  dignified  being  potentially capable of good and
     noble achievements.

        A Muslim also believes that every person is born muslim. Every
     person  is   endowed  by   Allah  with  spiritual  potential  and
     intellectual inclination that can make him  a good  Muslim. Every
     person's  birth  takes  place  according  to the will of Allah in
     realization of His plans and  in  submission  to  His  commands. 
     Every person  is born  FREE FROM SIN. When the person reaches the
     age of maturity and if he is sane, he become  accountable for all
     his deeds  and intentions.  Man is free from sin until he commits
     sin. There is no inherited sin,  no original  sin. Adam committed
     the first  sin, he  prayed to  Allah for pardon and Allah granted
     Adam pardon.

     SALVATION

     A Muslim believes that  man must  work out  his salvation through
     the guidance  of Allah.  No one  can act  on behalf of another or
     intercede between him and Allah. In order to  obtain salvation, a
     person must  combine faith and action, belief and practice. Faith
     without doing good deeds is as  insufficient as  doing good deeds
     without faith.

          Also, a  Muslim believes that Allah does not hold any person
     responsible until he has shown him  the Right  Way. If  people do
     not know and have no way of knowing about Islam, they will not be
     responsible for failing to  be Muslim.  Every Muslim  must preach
     Islam in words and action.

     ACCEPTANCE OF FAITH

     A Muslim  believes that faith is not complete when it is followed
     blindly or accepted unquestioningly. Man must build his  faith on
     well-grounded convictions  beyond any  reasonable doubt and above
     uncertainty.  Islam  insures  freedom  to  believe   and  forbids
     compulsion in  religion (one  of the oldest synagogues and one of
     the oldest churches in the worlds is in Muslim countries).

          A Muslim believes  that  the  Quran  is  the  word  of Allah
     revealed to prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. The Quran
     was revealed from Allah on various occasions to answer questions,
     solve problems, settle disputes and to be man's best guide to the
     truth. The Quran was revealed in  Arabic and  it is  still in its
     original and complete Arabic version until today. It is
     memorized by millions.

          A Muslim  also believes  in a  clear distinction between the
     Quran and the Traditions (called Hadits) of the Prophet Muhammad.
     Whereas,  the  Quran  is  the  word  of  Allah, the Traditions of
     Prophet  Muhammad  (hadits  i.e.:  his  teachings,  sayings,  and
     actions) are the practical interpretations of the Quran. Both the
     Quran and the Hadits of Prophet Muhammad are  the primary sources
     of knowledge in Islam.

     APPLICATION OF FAITH 

          God  has  laid  down  for  a  Muslim four major exercises of
     faith, some are daily, some weekly,  some monthly,  some annually
     and some  are required  as a minimum of once in a lifetime. These
     exercises of faith are to serve man's spiritual purposes, satisfy
     his human  needs and  to mark his whole life with a Divine touch.
     These major exercises of faith are:

        1. Prayer (Salah)
        2. Fasting (Seyam)
        3. Charity Giving (Zakah)
        4. Pilgrimage (Hajj)

     1.  PRAYER (SALAH)

     Praying, to  the Creator  on a  daily basis,  is the  best way to
     cultivate  in  a  man  a  sound  personality and to actualize his
     aspiration. Allah does not need man's  prayer because  He is free
     of all needs. Salah is for our benefit which are immeasurable and
     the blessings are beyond imagination.

          In salah, every muscle of the  body joins  the soul  and the
     mind  in  the  worship  and  glory  of  Allah. Salah is an act of
     worship.  It  is  a   matchless  and   unprecedented  formula  of
     intellectual   meditation   and   spiritual  devotion,  of  moral
     elevation and physical exercise, all combined.

          Offering of salah is obligatory upon  every Muslim  male and
     female  who  is  sane,  mature  and  in  case  of women free from
     menstruation and confinement due to child  birth. Requirements of
     salah: performing  of ablution  (Wudu), purity of the whole body,
     clothes and ground used for prayer, dressing properly  and having
     (or declaring) the intention and facing the Qiblah; the direction
     of the Ka'bah at Mecca.

     Obligatory Salah: Five daily salahs, the Friday's noon
     congregation salah and the funeral salah.

     Highly recommended salah: Those accompanying the obligatory salah
     and the two great festival salahs.

     Optional salah: Voluntary salah during the day and night.

     Times of Obligatory Salah:
     1. EARLY MORNING: after dawn and before sunrise.
     2. NOON         : after the sun begins to decline from its zenith 
                       until it is about midway on its course to set.
     3. MID-AFTERNOON: after the expiration of the noon salah time 
                       until sunset.
     4. SUNSET       : immediately after sunset until the  red glow in 
                       the western horizon disappears.
     5. EVENING      : after the expiration of the sunset salah until 
                       dawn.

          Salah should be offered in its due time,  unless there  is a
     reasonable excuse.  Delayed obligatory  salah must be made up. In
     addition to the prescribed salah, a Muslim expressed gratitude to
     God and  appreciation of  His favours  and asks for His mercy all
     the  time.  Especially  at  times  of,  for  example: childbirth,
     marriage, going  to or  rising from bed, leaving and returning to
     his home, starting  a  journey  or  entering  a  city,  riding or
     driving, before or after eating or drinking, harvesting, visiting
     graveyards and at time of distress and sickness.

     2. FASTING

     Fasting is abstaining completely from eating,  drinking, intimate
     sexual contacts  and smoking  from the break of dawn till sunset.
     It is a  matchless  Islamic  institution  which  teaches  man the
     principle of  sincere love to God. Fasting teaches man a creative
     sense of  hope,  devotion,  patience,  unselfishness, moderation,
     willpower,  wise  saving,  sound  budgeting, mature adaptability,
     healthy survival, discipline, spirit  of social  belonging, unity
     and brotherhood.

          Obligatory fasting is done once a year for the period of the
     month  of  Ramadan;  the  ninth  month   of  the   Islamic  year.
     Recommended  fasting  every  Monday  and  Thursday of every week,
     three days in the middle of  each Islamic  month, six  days after
     Ramadan following  the Feast Day and a few days of the two months
     before Ramadan.    Fasting of Ramadan is a  worship act  which is
     obligatory  on  every  adult  Muslim,  male  or  female if he/she
     mentally and physically fit  and  not  on  a  journey. Exception:
     women during their period of menstruation and while nursing their
     child and also in case of travel and sickness.

     CHARITY GIVING (ZAKAH)

     Charity giving is an act of worship and spiritual investment. The
     lateral meaning  of Zakah  is purity  and it refers to the annual
     amount in kind or coin which a Muslim with means  must distribute
     among the  rightful beneficiaries.  Zakah does  not only purifies
     the property of the contributor but also purifies  his heart from
     selfishness  and  greed.  It  also  purifies  the  heart  of  the
     recipient from envy and jealousy, from hatred and  uneasiness and
     it   fosters   instead   good-will   and   warm  wishes  for  the
     contributors.

          Zakah has a deep  humanitarian  and  social-political value;
     for  example,  it  frees  society  from  class  welfare, from ill
     feelings and  distrust and  from corruption.  Although Islam does
     not hinder  private enterprise  or condemn private possession, it
     does not tolerate selfish and greedy capitalism.   Islam adopts a
     moderate but positive and effective course between individual and
     society, between  the citizen  and the  state, between capitalism
     and socialism, between materialism and spiritualism.

          Zakah  is  paid  on  the  net  balance after paying personal
     expenses, family expenses, due credits, taxes, etc. Every Muslim,
     male or female who at the end of the year is in possession of the
     equivalent of 85 g  of gold  (approx. $1400  in 1990)  or more in
     cash or  articles of  trade, must  give Zakah  at minimum rate of
     2.5%.  Taxes  paid  to  government  do  not  substitute  for this
     religious duty.  Contributor should not seek pride or fame but if
     disclosing his name and his contribution  is likely  to encourage
     others, it is acceptable to do so.

          The recipient  of Zakah  are: the  poor, the  needy, the new
     Muslim converts, the Muslim prisoners of war (to  liberate them),
     Muslim in debt. Also employees appointed to collect Zakah, Muslim
     in  service  of  research  or  study  or  propagation  of  Islam,
     wayfarers who are foreigners in need of help.

     THE PILGRIMAGE (HAJJ)

     It is  a pilgrimage  to Mecca, at least once in a lifetime and it
     is obligatory upon every Muslim male and female  who is mentally,
     physically  and   financially  fit.  It  is  the  largest  annual
     convention of faith on earth (in 1989: 2.5 million). Peace is the
     dominant  theme.  Peace  with  Allah,  with  one's soul, with one
     another, with all  living  creatures.  To  disturb  the  peace of
     anyone  or  any  creature  in  any  shape  or  form  is  strictly
     prohibited.   

          Muslim from all walks of  life,  from  every  corner  of the
     globe assemble  in Mecca  in response to the call of Allah. There
     is no royalty but loyalty of all to Allah, the Creator. It  is to
     commemorate the  Divine rituals  observed by  the Prophet Abrahim
     and his son Ishmael, who are  the first  pilgrim to  the house of
     Allah  on  earth;  the  Ka'bah.  It  is also to remember the grad
     assembly of  the Day  of Judgement  when people  will stand equal
     before Allah.

          Muslims go to Mecca in glory of Allah, not to worship a man.
     The visit to the  tomb of  Prophet Muhammad  at Madena  is highly
     recommended  but  not  essential  in  making  the  Hajj valid and
     complete.

     ISLAM IS A CODE OF LIFE

     It is a Muslim belief that Muhammad's mission  was for  the whole
     world and for all the time; because:

     -    Its  universality  has  been  clearly  confirmed by the
          Quran (Surah 7: verse 158, 6:19, 34:28, 81:27).
     -    It is a logical  consequences of  the finality  of his 
          prophethood. He  had to be the guide and the leader for
          all men and for all ages.
     -    Allah has provided, through him, a  complete code which
          is  to  be  followed,  and  this in itself supports the
          concept of finality, because  without completeness, the
          need for other prophets would remain.
     -    It is a fact that during the last 1400 years no man has
          arisen whose life and  works  bear  even  the slightest
          resemblance  to  that  of  a  prophet.  Nor  has anyone
          presented a book which  could be  remotely considered a
          divine communication.  Still less  has there been a man
          to  claim  legitimate  authority  as  a  law-giver  fro
          mankind.

          The mission  of Muhammad,  as well  as of other prophets who
     brought the  universal message  of Islam,  does not  end with the
     announcement  of  the  message.  He  has  to  guide the people by
     explaining to them the implications  of  the  Islamic  creed, the
     morale code, the divine injunctions and commandment, and the form
     of worship that sustains  the whole  system. He  has to exemplify
     the  faith  so  others  can  pattern  their  participation in the
     evolution of Islamic culture and civilization. The believers must
     grow  under  his  guidance  into  an  organized community so that
     Allah's word will prevail over all other words.

     1.  Spiritual  Life:  prayer  (salah),  fasting,  charity  giving
     (zakah),  pilgrimage  (hajj),  love  for Allah and His Messenger,
     love for truth and humanity for the sake of Allah, hope and trust
     in Allah at all times and doing good for the sake of Allah.

     2.  Intellectual  Life:  True  knowledge based on clear proof and
     indisputable evidence acquired by experience or  experiment or by
     both. The  Quran points  to the  rich sources of knowledge in the
     whole universe. Islam demands faith  in  Allah  on  the  basis of
     knowledge and  research and leaves wide open all field of thought
     before the intellect to penetrate as far it can reach.

     3. Personal Life: purity and cleanliness, a healthy  diet, proper
     clothing,  proper  behaviour,  and  good healthy sexual relations
     within marriage.

     4. Family Life: A family is  a human  social group  whose members
     are  bound  together  by  the  bond  of blood ties and/or marital
     relationship and nothing else (adoption, mutual  alliance, common
     law, trial  marriage...etc.). Marriage is a religious duty on all
     who are capable of meeting its  responsibilities. Each  member of
     the family has rights and obligations.

     5. Social  Life: Man  is ordained  by Allah  to extend his utmost
     help and  kindness to  other family  members, relations, servants
     and  neighbours.  No  superiority  on  account  of class, colour,
     origin or wealth. Humanity  represents one  family springing from
     the one and the same father and mother. The unity of the humanity
     is not only in its origin but also in its ultimate aims.

     6. Economical Life: Earning one's living through decent labour is
     not only  a duty  but a  great virtue  as well.  Earning is man's
     private  possession.  The  individual  is  responsible   for  the
     prosperity  of  the  state  and  the state is responsible for the
     security of the individual.  The Islamic  economic system  is not
     based on  arithmetical calculations  alone but  also on moral and
     principles. Man comes  to  this  world  empty-handed  and departs
     empty-handed. The  real owner  of things  is Allah  alone. Man is
     simply a trustee.

     7. Political Life: The sovereignty in  the Islamic  State belongs
     to Allah; the people exercise it by trust from Him to enforce His
     laws. The ruler is only an acting executive chosen by  the people
     to  serve  them  according  to  Allah's  law.  The  State  is  to
     administer justice and provide security for  all citizens. Rulers
     and  administrators  must  be  chosen  from  the  best  qualified
     citizens. If an administration betrays the trust of Allah and the
     people, it  has to  be replaced.  Non-Muslim can administer their
     personal  life  of  marriage,  divorce,  foods   and  inheritance
     according to the Islamic law or to their own religious teachings.
     They may pay Zakah or a different tax tributes "Jizyah". They are
     entitled to  full protection  and security of the State including
     freedom of religion.

     8. International Life: Man has a common origin,  human status and
     aim.  Other  people's  interests  and  right  to life, honour and
     property are respected as long as  the  right  of  Muslim  are in
     tact. Transgression  is forbidden.  War is  only justified if the
     state security is endangered.  During war,  destruction of crops,
     animals and  homes, killing non-fighting women, children and aged
     people are forbidden.

     Source:
     1.   Sayyid Abu  Al-'Ala  Maududi,  Islam:  Its  Meaning and
          Message,  in  M.  Tariq  Quraishi (ed.), American Trust
          Publications, Indianapolis, Indiana, 1984, 12-14.
     2.   Islam,  An  Introduction.  Undated.   Compiled  by  Dr.
          Mohammed  Ibrahim  Elmasry  c/o KW Islamic Association,
          P.O. Box 823, Waterloo, Ontario, CANADA  N2J 4C2, (519)
          885-2225.


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