Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
Edited by
Al-Jumuah staf
-2Ministry of Islamic Afairs, Endowments, Da'wah and Guidance
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
"The author's views expressed in this publication do not
necessarily reflect the views of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs,
Endowments, Da'wah and Guidance."
First Edition
1428 H 2007 G
-3-
Table of Contents
1. Foreword 5
2. Islamic Beliefs 6
3. The Requirements of Islam 13
4. Muhammad the Messenger of Allah () 19
5. Questions and Answers 27
6. Creedal Issues 27
*Who is Allah? Do Muslims worship a diferent God? 27
*The Qur'an uses the word "We" when quoting God.
Does that mean that Muslims believe in more than one
God? 29
*The Qur'an says that Allah is merciful and that He gives
severe punishment. Is He forgiving or Is He vengeful? 30
*Some believe that Muslims worship Muhammad. Is it
true? 33
*Is Islam fatalistic? 34
*How can you confirm the existence of life after death? 36
7. The Qur'an and other Scriptures 40
*Is it not true that Muhammad wrote the Qur'an or
copied from the Bible? 40
*How does the Qur'an difer from other scriptures? 46
8. Jesus, the Messenger of Allah () 48
*Is it correct that Muslims do not believe in Jesus or
other prophets? 48
*What does the Qur'an say about Jesus ()? 50
9. Islam, science and health maers 52
*Is Islam opposed to knowledge and science? 52
*The Qur'an says that only Allah knows what is in
-4-
Discover Islam
Edited by al-Jumuah Staf
Foreword
Islamic Beliefs
Belief in Allah
Monotheism is the essence of Islam, and it emphasizes
the Oneness of Allah. Muslims believe in One eternal and
unique God. He is the Creator of all that exists, yet He
cannot be compared to anything of His creation. Muslims
acknowledge that Allah alone is divine, that He alone is
the Creator and Sustainer of creation. He is all-knowing
and all-powerful, completely just and merciful.
1
This symbol means, 'may Allah exalt his mention and render
[55:26]
Belief in Predestination
Muslims believe in predestination, whether good
or bad, which Allah has measured and ordained for
all creatures according to His previous knowledge
and as deemed suitable by His wisdom. Allah, the
All-Knowing, knows everything that happened in
the past, everything that is happening now and all
that will happen in the future. Humankind has been
given free will and the choice of whether or not to
follow what Allah ordained. He has been given a
mind with which he is able to reason and choose
wisely.
4. 'Siyam' or Fasting
Allah has enjoined fasting upon the Muslims as
He enjoined it upon previous nations. He, the
Exalted, says:
O you who believe! Fasting has been
prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those
before you, that you may become the pious.
[2:183]
5. 'Hajj' or Pilgrimage
Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Makkah (in Saudi
Arabia), is a once-in-a-lifetime obligation for those
who are physically and financially able to perform it.
Allah says:
Pilgrimage to the House (i.e. the Ka'bah) is
incumbent upon men for the sake of Allah,
(upon) everyone who is able to undertake the
journey to it. [3:97]
Nevertheless, millions of Muslims journey to Makkah each
year from every corner of the globe, providing a unique
opportunity for people of various nations to meet one
another as guests of Allah. Hajj is an expression of pure
faith and total submission to His command, and the
pilgrim
performs rites of unqualified obedience, seeking nothing
but the acceptance of their eforts and forgiveness of
their past sins. A person who has completed the Hajj
returns with a fresh outlook on life, a purified soul and
blessings from Allah.
Prophecies
Prophet Jesus () foretold the coming of another Prophet,
whose name would be Periqlytos or Paraclete or
Paracalon and who (that is, whose teaching) would last
forever, I will pray the Father, and He shall give you
another Comforter (Periqlytos), that he may abide
with
you forever. [John 14, 16].
The word periqlytos means illustrious, renowned and
praiseworthy and this is exactly what the name Ahmed
means. It is confirmed in the Quran that the Prophet
Jesus did prophesize that a Prophet named Ahmed
would come after him.
Allah, the Exalted, says:
- 52 -
() said,
To whomever He intends benefit, Allah grants
understanding of the religion.
Allah ordered the Prophet () to pray to Him for
advancement in knowledge:
Say: My Lord, increase me in knowledge.
[20:114]
And He said:
Indeed, We created you from dust. [22:5]
And He said:
Indeed We have created them from sticky
clay. [37:11]
In the preceding verses, Allah has mentioned
various stages of human creation. The creation of
man according to the Qur'an was first from water
and dust, which when combined became clay. This
24:45
77:20.
Women in Islam
Allah says:
Whoever kills a soul unless for a soul 15 or for
corruption [done] in the land16 it is as if he had
slain all mankind. And whoever saves one it
is as if he had saved mankind entirely. [5:32]
Such is the value of a single human life, that
Allah equates the taking of even one human life
- 83 -
- 93 -
A Final Word
We would now like our readers to ask themselves
what they think are the reasons for all the
propaganda and misinformation currently being
perpetuated about Islam. If Islam was just another
false religion that made no sense, would so many feel
a need to invent so many falsehoods about it? The
reason is merely that the ultimate truth of Islam
stands on unshakeable ground, and that its basic
fundamental belief in the oneness of Allah is above
reproach. Thomas Carlyle said:
A false man found a religion? Why, a false
man cannot build a brick house! If he does not
know and follow truly the properties of
mortar, burnt clay and what else he works in,
it is no house that he makes, but a rubbishheap.
It will not stand for twelve centuries, to
lodge a hundred and eighty millions; it will
fall straightway. A man must conform himself
to Natures laws, be verily in communion with
Nature and the truth of things, or Nature will
answer him, No, not at all! Speciosities are
specious - ah me! - a Cagliostro, many
Cagliostros, prominent world-leaders, do
prosper by their quackery, for a day. It is like a
forged bank-note; they get it passed out of
their worthless hands: others, not they, have to
- 98 smart for it. Nature bursts up in fire-flames;
French Revolutions and such like, proclaiming
with terrible veracity that forged notes are
forged. But of a Great Man especially, of him, I
will venture to assert that it is incredible he
should have been other than true. It seems to
me the primary foundation of him, and of all