Understanding Islam

Denise Ozbudak

Boston Dialogue Foundation

05/20/04

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

Pillars of Islam

I. Witnessing (Shada) that Allah is One and Muhammad is his Messenger.

II. Prayer

III. Fasting (Savm)

IV.Obligatory Charity (Zakah)

V. The Pilgrimage (Hajj)

The Article of faith

I. Belief in One God (Allah)II. Belief in all Messengers of God

(Jesus, Moses, David,Muhammed) II. Belief in Holy book

IV.Belief in AngelsV. Belief in Life after Death and the Day of Judgment, Heaven and Hell

VI.Belief in Destiny (Qadaa and Qadr)

1- Belief in One God

•Allah is the Arabic name for God used by Muslims of the world as well as Arab Christians.

•Say “ He is God, the One and Only;  God, the Eternal, Absolute;  He begets not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him.”

(The Quran, Surah 112)

– Supreme– Eternal– Most Merciful– Most Compassionate– Creator– None equal to Him– He is God of all mankind– He loves– Most Generous

– The Provider– The Unique– Protector– Knows every thing– Hears every thing– Sees every thing– Most Forgiver– Most Powerful

2- Belief in all Prophets of God

• SOME PROPHETS : Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Ishaq, Jacob (Israel), Joseph, Benjamin, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Zakareya, Jesus, Muhammad•(peace be on them)

• Attributes Of Prophetsa) Sinlessb) Trustworhyc) Righteousd) Intellectual

3- Belief in all scriptures and revelations of

God • Original Old Testament (Torah)

• Original Psalm (Zabur)

• Original New testament (Injeel)

• Qur’an

Quran: The Holy Book

• Original intact as given by the Prophet in Arabic

• 23 Years of Revelations (610 - 632 C.E.)

• 114 Chapters; One Chapter, Multiple Revelations

• Chapter (Surah) names

• Historic Context matters

• Verses Explain Verses

• Commentary needed in the light of Arabic, History, and Sunnah

5- Belief in Life after Death and the Day of Judgement, Heaven and Hell

• This world as we know it will come to an end, and the dead will rise to stand for their final and fair trial. Everything we do, say, make, intend and think are accounted for and kept in accurate records. They are brought up on the Day of Judgment.

4- Belief in Angels

• They are purely spiritual and splendid beings created by God from Divine Light. They require no food,drink or sleep. They have no physical desires nor material needs. Angels spend their time in the service of Allah.

6- Belief in Destiny (Qadaa and Qadr)• A Muslim believes in Qadaa and Qadar which relate to the ultimate power of Allah. Qadaa and Qadar means the Timeless Knowledge of Allah and His power to plan and execute His plans.

World Muslims

• 1.2 billion, Muslims represent between 19.2% and 22% of the world's population.

• One of every five humans in the world is a Muslim

• Second largest religion in the world

• Fastest growing including Europe and America

World Distribution of Muslims

Africa 308,660,000 27.4%

Asia 778,362,000 69.1%

Europe 32,032,000 2.8%

Latin America 1,356,000 0.1%

North America 5,530,000 0.5%

WORLD 1,126,325,000 100%

Source:  Britannica Yearbook, 1997

American Muslims

• 6 million (The New York Times, Feb. 21, 1989)

• About 40% Afro-American

• Not all Muslims are Arabs, Not all Arabs are Muslims

• A Muslim believes that human beings enjoy an especially high ranking status in the hierarchy of all known creatures

• Every person is born FREE FROM SIN

Status of Human Beings

Salvation

• A Muslim believes that man must work out his salvation through the guidance of God

• In order to obtain salvation, a person must combine faith and action, belief and practice

• Allah does not hold any person responsible until he has shown him the Right Way

• No one can act on behalf of another or intercede between him and God

Saying Of Prophet Muhammed

"The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended.“

• Anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should not harm his neighbor, and anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should entertain his guest generously and anybody who believes in Allah and the Last Day should talk what is good or keep quiet. (i.e. abstain from all kinds of evil and dirty talk).

• The one who visits the sick is in fact like one who is in the fruit garden of Paradise so long as he does not return.

• "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger.“

• "If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity."

Woman in Islam

•The right and duty to obtain education. •The right to have their own independent property. •The right to work to earn money if they need it or want it. •The same injunctions and prohibitions of Islam equally apply to both sexes.

The right to provisions from the husband for all her needs and more. •The right to negotiate marriage terms of her choice. •The right to obtain divorce from her husband, •The right to keep all her own money •The right to get sexual satisfaction from her husband.

•The custody of their children after divorce•The right to accept or reject a marriage proposal free from pressure•The right of inheritance and the right of individual independent ownership unhampered by father, husband, brother, son or anyone else.

•"Heaven is under the feet of mothers", is a basic Islamic teaching.•"The best of you are the kindest to their wives and I am your best to mine",•The women are not blamed for the exile of human from heaven.

Islam’s approach to other religions

Islam is the religion of all prophets. Muslims believe that all the prophets were sent to their respective peoples from God (Allah). They all had the same mission and message - guiding people to the right path. The three revealed, monotheistic religions, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism, go back to Abraham.

People of the book (Christian and Jews)

"Verily those who believe, those who follow the Jewish (Scriptures), the Christians and the Sabians any who believe In Allah and the last day, and work righteousness shall have their reward with their Lord ;They will not be overcome by fear nor grief [2,62]. "There is no compulsion in religion 2:256

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) says: "Whoever oppresses any Dhimmi (non-Muslim citizen of the Muslim Country), I shall be his prosecutor on the Day of Judgment."

Muslims Contribution To Science

• Islam urges people to read and learn on every occasion. The verses of the Qur'an command, advise, warn, and encourage people to observe the phenomena of nature, the succession of day and night, the movements of stars, the sun, moon, and other heavenly bodies

• The Muslims invented the symbol for zero (The word "cipher" comes from Arabic sifr), and they organized the numbers into the decimal system - base 10. Additionally, they invented the symbol to express an unknown quantity, i.e. variables like x.

• Al-Khawarizmi, invented the subject of algebra (al-Jabr) Ibn Sina (d. 1037), better known to the West as Avicenna, was perhaps the greatest physician until the modern era. His famous book, Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb, remained a standard textbook even in Europe, for over 700 years.

• Many new stars were discovered, as we see in their Arabic names - Algol, Deneb, Betelgeuse, Rigel, Aldebaran.

Suleymaniye Mosque - Istanbul

For many Muslims, light is the symbol of divine unity. In Islamic architecture, light functions decoratively by modifying other elements or by originating patterns. Light can add a dynamic quality to architecture, extending patterns, forms and designs into the dimensions of time. And the combination of light and shade creates strong contrasts of planes and gives texture to sculpted stone.

Taj Mahal

Panoramic view of the Dome of the Rock

                                                                                                                                                                                  

A window at Alhambra Palace, Granada

                                                                                    

        The Blue Mosque - Istanbul

The mystic ceremony of the Whirling Dervishes - Konya

                                                                       

Selimiye Mosque - Edirne

         Halil Rahman Mosque - Urfa

• Alan Reynolds• Salih Yucel

Acknowledgements