Will a Muslim please tell me about your faith?

Question

I always think that alot of the world's troubles are caused by ignorance, and, to my shame, I find that I know very little about your faith.

Answer 1

Five pillars of Islam:
1. To believe in one God (Allah)
2. To pray 5 times a day
3. To give charity (zakat)
4. To fast during the month of Ramadaan
5. To go on pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) at least once in a lifetime

DRESS-CODE
Women in public should wearing loose-fitting clothing which covers their bodies except for face, hands and feet - although there's a bit of debate around this (i went to Egypt last year and saw women wearing gloves and socks despite it being unbearably hot). Men should dress modestly too (although they can wear clothing that doesn't have to cover their legs from the knee downwards).

While in the comfort of your own home, you can wear whatever you want. When you go outside, it's a different ballgame.

INTERACTION BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN
A fundamental rule is that men and women cannot speak to people of the opposite sex who are unrelated to them (i.e. a person eligible for them to marry). Times are a bit different now and this rule has been bent because of cultural and economic factors (i.e. more women in the workplace so interaction between the sexes is necessary - from my understanding, this is for work-related purposes and therefore okay). Interaction between the sexes varies from country to country as cultural norms are not the same (i.e. If you go to the Middle East, a man will not speak to a woman - he could get arrested). Women should always be accompanied by a "guardian" in public (even if it is a young son).

As far as dating goes, it's forbidden by Islamic law (Shariah). But this has changed in many societies and now become acceptable to a degree (especially in the West).

GUARDIANSHIP OF WOMEN
Generally, women (and their honour) are supposed to be protected and this is usually achieved by them being under the protection of a "guardian" (often called a "wakeel"). By default, your wakeel would be your father (and if he's dead, it's your brother). If you don't have a brother and your father is dead, then your wakeel would be one of your father's immediate male relatives.

If a man dies, his sons will inherit more than what his wife and daughters will inherit. The primary reason for this is so that the son/s can look after his mother and sister/s as he will be their wakeel after his father's passing.

ISLAM AS A WAY OF LIFE
The qu'ran is a holy book which prescribes the code of conduct for all Muslims. Ideally, all Muslims should strive towards leading lives according to the qu'ran and the actions of prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him). Among the rules, Muslims should:
* Not consume alcohol (except for medicinal purposes)
* Not consume meat of pigs
* Eat only halaal (permitted) meat. That is, where the animal has been slaughtered according to Muslim rites (similar to what the Jews call "kosher"). If halaal meat (or any food) comes into contact with haraam (forbidden) meat or alcohol, it becomes tainted and cannot be consumed by Muslims.
* Not take part in gambling (i.e. wage money on a game/action that is purely based on chance in order to gain something, this includes playing the lottery)

Be aware that EVERY rule set out for Muslims can be traced back to a particular rationale (i.e. these rules aren't there to make you struggle). For example:
* Eating halaal meat - this is to ensure that the animal is killed in the most humane way (praying and then slitting the throat to make it swift). A prayer is always said because this animal's life is being sacrificed to sustain yours.
* Drinking alcohol clouds your judgement and can become addictive and can potentially ruin families (generally, ANYTHING that is addictive is forbidden as Islam aims to prevent slavery of the body and mind).
* Gambling is addictive and a social evil that ruins families
* Dressing modestly in public helps to protect your honour and reputation (a basic reason i hear from a lot of muslims are "why should i show off my body to absolute strangers in the street?").

What i've written above is only a glimpse into Islam, hope it helps. Please bear in mind that a lot of terrible things reportedly get done in the name of Islam - this is misconception where people confuse CULTURE and RELIGION.

I would like to believe that all muslims around the world have the same practices, but they don't - there a a number of sects which allow/forbid certain acts and there is a lot of debate and tension around these issues (e.g. the Sunni muslims vs the Shia's). An example would be "sex outside of marriage" or "pleasure/temporary marriages". There is a minority of muslims who condone this while the majority agree that it is strictly forbidden in Islam.

Answer 2

I am not a Muslim but have studied this faith - the basic concepts are pretty simple.

First the religion is a monotheistic religion. They belive in one god who they call Allah. They believe Allah is the only god and have a saying "there is no God but God".

The words of Allah have been sent to us via prophets. The first prophet was Adam. Other prophets include Moses, and Isa (Isa is the Arabic name for Jesus). The last prophet was Mohammad who lived in the 6th century AD. Mohammad wrote a book - the Quran (sometimes spelt Koran) in which the words of Allah were recoreded perfectly and so no more prophets will be needed. Muslims to not worship prophets but do respect them - they usually call Mohammad "Mohammad peace be upon him" and Jesus "Isa peace be upon him".

The language of Islam is Arabic as this is the language of the Quran. It is a holy language to some extent because the Quran is not considered sacred if it is translated. Muslims often practice caligraphy because of their love of beautiful Arabic words.

The main idea of Islam is thatb a man (or woman) must submit to the will of Allah as he is wise and guides us.

Islam can be likened to a building with five pillars supporting it. These pillars are basic aspects of Islam and essential to the Muslim way of life.
1- To recognise no other god but Allah and that Mohammad peace be upon him is the messenger of Allah.
2 - To give to charity (usually 5% decucted from your anual wage)
3 - To pray 5 times a day. When Muslims pray they do this at certain times and always face towards Mecca (Makkah) the city of Mohammad.
4- To make a pilgrimage to Mecca to see the places described in the Quran.
5 - To fast for one month each year to remember the needy and be closer to Allah.

Islam is a religion which seeks converts. In this respect it is like Christianity.

An Islamic priest is called an Imam and are amongst the wisest men in a community. A chief among Imams is an Ayatollah. An Islamic place of worship is a Mosque. A mosque is also a centre of the local community.

Islam has many laws and practices. These include a specific manner of dressing. Men should not shave and women should dress with modesty in public as to prevent letchery disrupting society. Muslims do not indulge in mastrubation and sex outside marriage.

Like with Jews certain foods are forbidden to Muslims. Acceptable food is Halal. Meat can only be Halal if the animal is killed in a certain way which Muslims consider clean and humane.

In the early years of Islam there were many wars against the Muslim peoples and as such the Quran describes some measures to preserve Islam during times of danger. Firstly Islam is not a pacifist religion - Muslims can fight to protect their faith. This idea can be expanded to the last resort of Jihad - a call to arms in which all available Muslim men unite to form an army of faith to protect their families and faith. Due to women not fighting in wars many women in the early times of Islam had no husbands and as such a wealthy Muslim man may support several wives to help maintain the population and keep these women from being single and childless all their lives.

These are some of the main points of Islam - I hope you will learn more about this religion and other religions. I agree that many problems are caused by ignorance and hope that you have a great day.

Answer 3

I can tell you the 5 basic things that our religion was built on as mentioned in a Hadith ( sth that Prophet Mohammed has said ):
First : You have to believe that there is only one God and that Mohammed ( p b u h ) is his messanger .
Second : The 5 prayers " at dawn , at noon , at afternoon , at sunset and in the evening
Third : Charity ( the poor has a right in your money
Fourth : Fasting in Ramadan
Fifth : El Haj ( and this one is a big story )

Is this so much ? The first one is the key to the others
Thanks 4 ur respect 4 knowledge

Answer 4

You know, faith is common in all religions. Muslims aren't different from Christians or Jews in faith. Faith isn't something complex. It's just believing God as the unique creator and loving him. Just that. Muslims aren't different because of their faith, they are different because of their ideas. Their TRUE ideas. The things that other religions do not accept them. But Muslims know that they are true. I think that other religions are making mistake because of this. They will believe Muslims, if they are really faithfully!

Answer 5

I've written a book about Islam. It's kind of an intro: it talks about
1-God (His qualities; what He wants from us, why He exists...)
2-The Stories of the prophets (lessons to be learned)
3-The History of Islam/life of prophet Muhammad PBUH (How he lived, why he was a prophet)
4-The Holy Qur'an (how it has been preserved, why it is from God)
5-The Misperceptions of Islam (e.g. terrorism, suicide, intolerance of others, misinterpreted verses of the Qur'an)
6-The Hereafter (death, Judgement Day, Hell, Heaven).

Seeing how you probably want to clear the lies from the truth about Islam, i would think that the best chapters for you to read are: 'The Misperceptions of Islam' 'Muhammad Part I, II, IIl", & "The Holy Qu'ran". It depends on how much you're willing to read/want to learn. Here's my home page if you're interested:
http://spaces.msn.com/slimayn/

Peace be with you

Answer 6

1. Belief in the Oneness of Allah and that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is His last messenger.
2. Praying five times a day (Salaat) facing Mecca.
3. Fasting during the month of Ramadan.
4. Giving 2% of your income to the poor every year (Zakaat).
5. Pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca at least once in your lifetime if you can afford it and are in good health.

These are the five pillars of Islam and every Muslim is required to abide by them.
We are required to dress modestly and no, we are NOT forced to wear the veil by our menfolk although it is compulsory to cover our hair, which I do. I didn't always and my father never forced me to even though he is a very religious man.

Thank you for asking.

Answer 7

Islam is th religion which came in existance when Adam was born...but due to satan men changed his faith and changed the books and made the partners of God and son of Him....
ISlam is te religion which depend on the word THER IS NO GOD BUT ALLAH>>>>
I can not tell u much about Islam....
read aout and research or go to this link
http://irf.net

Answer 8

Thank you for your interest in our religion!

Infact Islam is 'a way of Life' not just mere rites & rituals.

A Muslim is a person who "submits his will to Almighty GOD"

Islam literally has shades of meanings. Islam means "Submission" It also means "PEACE". Therefore if you concatenate the two meanings, it means "PEACE acquired by submitting your will to Almighty GOD"

Thats the spirit of Islam. This body which we proudly say "as my own body" is not ours. Infact its a gift from Almighty GOD. Islam is a Monotheistic religion. So we believe that there is only ONE GOD, who has created us and sent us in this world for a PERIOD.

Therefore, GOD Almighty being the 'Creator' knows what is best for our life. So we have to submit our will to GOD. For eg, Alcohol may appeal most to us. But infact it is injurious to both our health, social life etc. Therefore, it will be our own benefit to submit ourself to GOD.

Man has created lot many things, lets say the TV. Manbeing the Cretor of TV knows the entire anatomical and physiological structures of a TV.

It would be non-sense to say, that to understand the problems of a TV, or to repair it, Man has to become a TV and try. Instead he canjsut write an instruction manual that calls for proper opertation as per the rules of the "Manufacturer"

Similarly, WHY should GOD almighty take bodily form and come down to earth just to understand the problems of Humanity.

Know more about Islam with reference to science on
www.islam-guide.com

Watch some mind-boggling presentations on The purpose of life and creation at: www.harunyahya.com

Watch the videos for Comparative religion studies at
www.irf.net

Answer 9

somewhat, Shia Islam has very stable evidences, all recent in Sunni books. you need to learn. additionally, in accordance to the Quran, the ordinary public isn't interior the superb suited. examine Surah Wagha'a. (sorry if i've got misspelled that!) i'm a Shia Muslim. might God provide all actual strugglers in His way the superb advantages in this existence and interior the subsequent.

Answer 10

Muslims believe in the following:

- There is one and only one GOD " ALLAH", his highness is the creator of everything in this universe.
- GOD created Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed: they are all humans created by GOD, what differentiates them is that they are prophets and some of them are messengers.
- Mohammed is the messenger of Islam, he is the last prophet.
- We believe in Quran which is the only Holy Book in the whole world that has never been changed. What Quran says is what GOD says.
- Judaism Guidelines were changed by Moses followers, and GOD told Moses to tell his followers that a man will be sent in the future, he was Jesus, but Jews fought Jesus and tried to kill him and get rid of his followers.
Jesus followers have changed the Christian Guidelines and by that they changed the Holy Bible in a way that suits their wellfairs.
And in the original Bible GOD told Jesus that a man will be sent in the future whose name is Mohammed.
Mohammed was sent by GOD to earth to guide people in earth,
and his followers kept Quran as it is (original till now) and kept Islamic guidelines till now, so he was the last prophet sent by GOD. But sorrowfully a lot of people are exploiting some details in Islam to do some terror acts in the world trying to make Muslims look like terrorists so that people in the world hate them.

Hope if you have additional expalanations, I'm ready to tell you everything about Islam, because I really care about your question.

Thank you for your questions, hope you communicate with me to clear some issues up and to make a good conversation.

Sincerely

Mike