what is islam?

Answer 1

If you really wish to know about Islam, you must study history and Islam side by side.

What Islam says and how history confirms it.

What caused expension of Islam ?

" The phenomenal success of Islam was primarily due to its revolutionary significance and its ability to lead the masses out of the hopeless situation created by the decay of antique civilisations not only of Greece and Rome but of Persia and China and of India."--[The Historic Role of Islam, by M.N.Roy,Foreword,Vora & Co.8 Round Building, Bombay-2]


Vem'bery says, " Islam is still the most democratic religion in the world, a religion favouring both liberty and equality. If there ever was a constitutional government it was that of the first Caliphs. "--Vem'bery, La Turquie d'aujard'hui et d'vant Quarante Aus.pg-58 ]

1. [][][][] ISLAM IS NOT A NEW RELIGION [][][][]


" Say : We believe in God and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham and Ismael and Issac and Jacob and the tribes and in that which was given to MOSES and JESUS and in that which was given to all prophets from their Lord. WE MAKE NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN ANY OF THEM
and to Him do we submit." ---The Quran.

"...Thus Islam appeared, not as a new religion, but as revival of pure Abrahamic monotheism, purified as one of the accretions of Judaism and Christianity and superseding them as the final revelation."--[Vem'bery, La Turquie d'aujard'hui et d'vant Quarante Aus. pg-44]


2. [][][][] BROTHERHOOD in ISLAM [][][][]

" We have not sent thee , O Mohammad, but [as] a mercy unto all creatures."-- The Quran,[xxi, p-326]

" And my mercy encompasseth all things." The quran,[ 7:156]

" O you men, surely we have created you of a male and a female and made you tribes and families that ye may know each other."--The Quran,[ 49:13 ]

" Who is the most favoured of Allah ? He from whom greatest good comes to his creatures."--The Quran

" All his creatures are Allah's family for thier subsistance is from him, therefore the most beloved of Allah is the person who does greatest good to Allah's creatures."--The Quran

These teachings were truely followed by the Muslims as History indicates........


"....when Jerusalem capitulated to Khalif Omer, the inhabitants of the vanquished city were left in possesion of thier worldly goods, and allowed the freedom of worship. A special quarter of the city was allotted for the residence of Christian population with thier Patriarch and his clergy."--[Rise and Fall of Roman Empire- GIBBON]

"We have never heard about any attempt to compel Non-Muslim parties to adopt Islam or about any organized persecution aiming at exterminating Christianity. If the Caliphs had chosen one of these plans, they would have wiped out Christianity as easily as what happened to Islam during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella in Spain; by the same method which Louis XIV followed to make Protestantism a creed whose followers were to be sentenced to death; or with the same ease of keeping the Jews away from Britain for a period of three hundred fifty years."
(Thomas Arnold in 'The Call to Islam.')


3 .[][][][] JUSTICE in ISLAM [][][][]

" Make peace among them with justice and act equitably, surely Allah loves those who act equitably."--The Quran [49:9]

This is also backed by History.........
.
The critical Gibbon coclusively proves that, "...to his Christian subjects, Mohammad readily granted security of thier persons, the freedom of thier trade, the property of thier goods and the toleration of thier worship. This profitable principle of toleration was observed with more or less strictness, not only by all the immediate successors of the Prophet, but over the whole period of Arabic ascendency."--[Rise and Fall of Roman Empire- GIBBON]

4. [][][][] TOLERANCE in ISLAM [][][][]

"And if anyone of the idolaters seeketh thy protection (O Muhammad), then protect him so that he may hear the word of God, and afterward convey him to his place of safety. "(The Qur’an 9:6)

Now what History says..............

" He himself [the prophet] gave letters of security and protection to the Jews and Christians in Arabia and never used any violence to them upon the account of religion."--[ An Account of The Rise And Progress of Mahometanism with the life of Mahomet- by HENRY STUBBE, M.A. of Christ Church- Oxford, From a manuscript copied by Charles Hornby of Pipe office in 1705, London,Luzac & Co. 1911, pg- 142-143]

5. [][][][] Respect for other religions [][][][]

" Say : We believe in God and in what has been revealed to us and what was revealed to Abraham and Ismael and Issac and Jacob and the tribes and in that which was given to MOSES and JESUS and in that which was given to all prophets from their Lord. WE MAKE NO DISTINCTION BETWEEN ANY OF THEM and to Him do we submit." ---The Quran

6.[][][][] Islam is the most practical religion [][][][]


"Fight in the cause of God those WHO FIGHT YOU, but do not transgress limits; for God loveth not transgressors. (The Noble Quran, 2:190)"

"But if the enemy incline towards peace, do thou (also) incline towards peace, and trust in God: for He is One that heareth and knoweth (all things). (The Noble Quran, 8:61)"

"And if anyone of the idolaters seeketh thy protection (O Muhammad), then protect him so that he may hear the word of God, and afterward convey him to his place of safety. "(The Qur’an 9:6)

"[2:190-192] And fight in the cause of Allah with those WHO FIGHT WITH YOU, and do not exceed the limits, surely Allah does not love those who exceed the limits. And kill them wherever you find them, and drive them out from where they drove you out, and persecution is severer than slaughter, and do not fight with them at the Sacred Mosque (in Makkah) UNTILL THEY FIGHT WITH YOU in it, but if they do fight you, then slay them; such is the reward of the unbelievers. But if they desist, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. And fight with them until there is no persecution, and religion should be only for Allah, but if they desist, then there should be no hostility EXCEPT AGAINST THE OPPRESSORS."

These instructions exactly correspond with the International law. And every nation and every person or set of people has the right to self defence and to defend his/their property.-----as per law of the land.

Answer 2

Islam is the submission of ones self to the will of Allah. In Islam we find peace as Islam is truly a religion of peace. There are those who defile the religion and use it's name to committ acts of murder and other atrocities. These people are heretics. Allah sent the Holy Qur'an to his prophet, Muhammed (peace be upon him.) It is sometimes called an Abrahamic faith, along with Christianity and Judaism. In Islam, we believe that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammed (pbuh) is his prophet. There are numerous websites that cover this subject. If you are interested in learning more, go to your local bookstore or library and get a copy of al-Qur'an. I hope that this has helped you some. Salaam.

Answer 3

The word 'Islam' itself means 'submission' or 'devotion' (i.e; Submission to the will of God SWT'.
In simple terms, Islam is a purely monotheistic religion. It is Abrahamic. It believes that God sends down prophets to warn people. Among those prophets are Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Solomon, David, Moses, Aaron, Jesus, and Muhammad.
Unlike (Trinitarian) Christianity, Islam rejects Jesus as holy; rather he was SENT by God; but humans should not worship him.
It is quite similar to Unitarian Christianity. Islam believes the last prophet is Muhammad of Mecca.
There are five main pillars in Islam.
The Shahada; Testimony of Faith; to Declare that there is no god except God SWT, and that Muhammad SAAWS is the messenger of God
The second is Salat; prayer; you pray five times a day
The third pillar is Zakat; charity; 2.5% of yearly income is donated to the poor
The fourth pillar is Sawm; fasting in the month of Ramadan each day from sunrise until sunset
The fifth pillar is to make a pilgrimage to Mecca

Answer 4

It is a religion of peace; it's followers are called Muslims. Islam is very well explained in the Holy Quran, whick is our holy book that contains the exact words of God. He explains that we must believe in Him and believe He is the one true God, and Muhammad (pbuh) is his prophet and messenger. We must believe in all His prophets, His angels, His book, and predestination. In Islam, Muslims are to recite the declaration of faith (which means to say that Allah is our one and only God and Muhammad is His prophet and messenger), pray 5 times a day, give charity, fast during the holy month of Ramadan, and if possible, make pilgrimage to Makkah.

Islam is unfortunately misunderstood by many. It is not a religion of violence or blowing things up; it is a religion of beauty and peace. Violence and killing is very condemned. It teaches us good things that will not do anything but benefit us, all thanks be to God!

Peace!

Answer 5

whats with that persecution complex? i routinely step in sometimes simply because there are no voices in support of islam in that particular section of the internet, that said, islam has many violent adherants and to absolve responsibility of the thousands of people encouraged by islam to take up violence is quite weak. if the truth suffered, cancerous children must know everything. 911 isnt the only attack thats been perpetuated recently.

Answer 6

1st of all I would like to put forward that anyone who hear abuses ISLAM is making them closer to fire(HELL) WHY CAN'T EVERYONE UNDERSTAND THAT THERE ARE GOOD PPL AND BAD PPL IN EVERY RELIGION?????? IF YOU ANSWER THIS QUESTION THAN REVISE YOUR ANSWERS BECAUSE YOU ARE GOING ASHTRAY AND FOLLOWING SATAN(THE DEVIL WHOM TO ONCE BOWED TO ALLAH AND WAS CREATED BY ALLAH, HE WAS MADE OF FIRE AND NOW HE TRIES HIS BEST TO SPREAD THAT FIRE AMONG MUSLIMS, CHRISTIANS, JEWS, ETC...) AND AS FAR AS YOUR QUESTION GOES THAN WELL ISLAM:

*Is the one true pure religion
*Muslims the followers of Islam pray to Allah(The one and only God) 5 times a day(prayers are called Fajr=4 rakat, Zuhr=12 rakat, Asr=6 rakat, Maghrib=7 rakat, Isha=17 rakat
*The last prophet to ever have come was Muhammad(S.A.W.)(P.B.U.H.) the revelations of the Quran were sent to him in Cave Hira by an angel, Angel Gabriel, From there spread te beautiful religion of Islam and it still continues to spread, Mashallah!
*If you want to learn deeply about Islam from side to side then you should study about Islam and purchase the Quran or download it from a site
*Follow the straight path, DON'T lie, cheat, steal, kill, eat pork, drink alcohol, plainly don't go against Islam and do the forbidden
*Give to the poor, if possible take a trip to MECCA to make Pilgrimage(Hajj and Umrah), never be rude to elders especially parents or youngers, treat everyone equally, and thank Allah for everything he has given you!

Answer 7

The word Aslama means to enter into a state of submission to God/Allah.

Once you have done this you are now a Muslim.

A Muslim believes in God/Allah, his angels, his books Torah, Injeel, psalms and the quran, the divine decree and that Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him) is the final messenger of God.

Please see this book for more details it called unveiling Islam by roger de pasquier

Answer 8

I thought there might be an extension to the question, but NO!
Around 600 AD a man called Mohammed (a descendant of Ismael, the first born son of Abraham/Ibrahim who was kicked out of the house/tent when Abraham's first wife suddenly had 'a son in her old age' - Isaac - Sarah was a really nice lady. Anyway, thanks to the intervention of the Angel Gabriel, who showed Ismael and his mother where to find water in the desert, Ismael survived.)
Mohammed accepted all the stories about the Old Testament prophets and also believed that Jesus was a great prophet, but not the son of God (something Jesus never claimed). Mohammed claimed to have a direct line to God, and God's words to Mohammed became the Qu'ran.
Those who followed the teachings of Mohammed became known as Muslims and the religion became known as Islam.
Then, as in Christianity, things started to go wrong. Arabic (as in Christianity Latin) became the language of Islam. Since most people couldn't read (cf. Christianity) they were obliged to believe what the priests told them.
Much was added to Islam which had nothing to do with the teachings of Mohammed (cf. Christianity).
Islam is monotheistic like Judaism and Christianity, although some Muslims have problems with the concept of the Trinity.
So-called learned men have hi-jacked both Christianity and Islam for egotistical and/or political reasons.

Answer 9

Islam is a religion which along with Christianity and Judaism share the Abraham heritage through Moses and the Prophets
It is a religion much maligned by people of low intelligence and very little understanding of basic Christian values

Answer 10

'Islam' means submission to the will of God. Muslims believe in one God, the prophets of God, Judgment Dya, Heaven and Hell. We believe that Jesus Christ (peace be upon him) is a prophet of God sent to convey God's true message. We believe he is the true Messiah who will return to kill the anti Christ, unite Muslims and Christians and bring peace to the world. There are 5 pillars of faith in Islam, they are:
1) SHAHADA - declaration of faith, "Ashadu alla ilaha illa Allah, wa ashadu anna Muhammed ar-rasool Allah".
This means, I bear witness that there is no God other than Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammed is His messanger.
2) SALAAT / 5 DAILY PRAYERS,
Prayers are required at least five times a day. Other obligatory prayer include the Friday congregational prayer, Eid prayers and the funeral prayer. Times of the five daily obligatory prayers:
.Fajr-Before sunrise.
.Zuhr-After the sun begins to decline from its zenith.
.Asr-Mid-afternoon.
.Magrib-Just after sunset.
.Isha-night.
3) ZAKAT / CHARITY, to help the poor and those in need
4) SAWM / FASTING, during the holy month of Ramadan
5) HAJJ PILGRIMAGE - one is required to make Hajj Pilgrimage at last once during their lifetime if they can afford and are in good health.

There is much more information about Islam you can learn, you can visit a mosque and speak to one of the leaders. You can read the Quran with english translations and there are many interesting sites you can visit too:

http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGkw6pyspGi.gAhw9XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE4aGZzcDF0BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMgRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA0Y5ODZfOTQEbANXUzE-/SIG=12ch139ot/EXP=1187781673/**http%3a//www.themodernreligion.com/basic/islam_pillars.htm
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGkxQvzcpGeUoAntNXNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE5b2J0N2d2BHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMTAEY29sbwNzazEEdnRpZANGOTg2Xzk0BGwDV1Mx/SIG=11f991dmq/EXP=1187782319/**http%3a//www.islam-guide.com/
http://rds.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0oGkkBHzcpGwLcABd1XNyoA;_ylu=X3oDMTE4YWhpMXRwBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDMQRjb2xvA3NrMQR2dGlkA0Y5ODZfOTQEbANXUzE-/SIG=11ig7q9d2/EXP=1187782343/**http%3a//www.beautifulislam.com/

Answer 11

Islam is the religion of only one creator God=Allah.First man and prophet Adam was Islam following other prophets were all Islam.Moses,Jesus,Mohammad were all Islam.The whole universe,hell,heaven,angels ,satans,demons,humans,animals,
all nature created by Allah.And Allah has no partner.Only one.