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"O ye that believe! Fear Allah (God), and believe in
His Apostle, and He will bestow on you a double portion of
His Mercy: He will provide for you a Light by which ye shall
walk (straight in your path), and He will forgive you (your
past): for Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful." (Qur'an,
57:28)
LEARN ABOUT ISLAM:
What is the extent of the Muslim presence worldwide? Is every
Muslim an Arab and every Arab a Muslim?
Muslims can be found all over the world, in every country.
Islam is a universal religion, the second largest faith world
wide. There are large concentrations of Muslims in Asia and
Africa, a Muslim majority in Turkey and Albania, and a large
minority in Europe, Russia, and India.
What does the word Islam mean?
The word Islam comes from an Arabic word Aslama, which means
to obey, and Salima, which means peace. By obeying the will
of God, one can obtain peace and happiness. Unlike the name
of other religions like Christianity from Jesus Christ, the
name Islam is not grounded on a person or a place.
Who is a Muslim?
The Quran, the Holy Book in Islam, speaks of everything
in the universe as being created according to a measure which
is set by the Creator. All heavenly bodies float through space
according to the laws set by God. Plants need sunlight to
grow and flourish. Anything which follows the laws measured
out for it by the Creator lives in a state of submission and
is thus a "muslim" which literally means "one
who submits". However, if a human being consciously acknowledges
God and chooses to follow His guidance, this person becomes
a Muslim (with a capital "M"). One who believes
in all the prophets, ending with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh),
and all the scriptures, ending with the Quran is a Muslim.
Did Muhammad invent Islam by copying from the Jews and Christians
since the Quran says many of the same things as the
old scriptures.
A Muslim would reply that the reason why the Quran
says many of the same things as the old scriptures is because
they come from the same source, the same God. All the prophets,
from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (peace
be upon them), were brothers, not competing for everyones
soul, but giving the same message. Their common message was
to ask people to believe in God, to enjoin the good, and to
avoid the evil.
What is the name of God in Islam?
In Islam, the name of God is Allah (swt). This word means
"the one and only". In many ways, it is better to
refer to God as Allah. It is not subject to plurality, such
as god or gods. It also does not lend
itself to gender, such as god or goddess.
Many say that Muslims are not referring to the same God as
the Jews or the Christians when they say Allah. However, when
a French person says "Dieu", no one says it is the
French God. It is the same God. In fact, the Christians, Jews,
and Muslims in the Middle East all call God Allah. Allah is
simply the Arabic word meaning God.
Was Allah the name of one of the many idols that the Arabs
used to believe in? Did Muhammad then take this name and use
it to describe the one god he wanted to preach.
Long before Prophet Muhammad, Prophet Ibrahim and Ishmael
introduced monotheism to the Arabs. So, at one time, the Arabs
used the name Allah in the true sense. But, in time, this
belief was perverted. When Prophet Muhammad came, monotheism
was restored. This is shown by the Kaaba. The Kaaba
was built as the first mosque for one God. In time, people
began to worship idols and put idols in it. But this doesnt
change its origin.
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