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Articles of Faith New Muslims

God Has Chosen You to Be Muslim

As a new Muslim, what has led you to Islam? How did you respond to the call of God?

First, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations to you on your wonderful choice of Islam as your religion and I ask God to give you steadfastness on the truth, elevate your status, increase your faith, and strengthen your conviction.

God

Be joyful and pleased and thank Allah, the Exalted, as He has chosen you to be His servant.

A Gift From God

Dear truthful Muslim, Allah, your Lord, has sealed all previous divine laws with those of Islam and has sealed the coming of prophets with the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) and called humankind to accept these two things.

Those that accepted the call of Allah have become true believers, they are required to fulfill all religious obligations for which they are entitled to all rights afforded to Muslims.

Be joyful and pleased and thank God, the Exalted, as He has chosen you to be a servant of His amongst many who have been misguided. Your response to the call of Allah and His Messenger is the sole guarantor for a good life as He said in the Qur’an:

O you who have believed, respond to Allah and to the Messenger when he calls you to that which gives you life. (Al-Anfal 9:25)

And He also said:

Whoever does righteousness, whether male or female, while he is a believer – We will surely cause him to live a good life. (An-Nahl 16:97)

Why Islam?

Glad tidings to you and do not despair by what you see in regards to the condition of the Muslims as you have caught on to the mount of those who are making their way to Allah the Exalted and you have become one of them. Do you not know that this religion has spread throughout the four corners of the world and there is no city worldwide except that there are Muslims who worship Allah alone?

This religion has astonished thousands of educated and uneducated people alike who every year come into the fold of Islam convinced by its dominance over all other religions.

Don’t look back, that which has passed in your life has passed and Islam has guaranteed for you a new life free from impurities and sins as if you have been born in to this world again.

You are now unsoiled and pure as our Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said to one of his companions who wanted to enter Islam, but was afraid for the sins he had committed:

“Do you not know that Islam wipes out the actions that came before it?” (Muslim)

There is no religion that exists that is similar to the religion of Islam -which you have decided to enter- for your Lord is the Most Merciful of those who show mercy, your Prophet is a ‘Mercy to the Worlds’ and the divine laws were revealed through mercy and kindness.

In Islam there are no extreme hardships or impossible regulations, but all commands have come in harmony with your natural disposition and take into consideration your normal and urgent situations.

Be convinced that you will not find an Islamic rule that contradicts your natural disposition or contravenes your life from all angles; rather you will find that Islamic laws have combined between the complete obedience of God (Exalted be He) and your need to have a gracious, sophisticated and pure life.

Be Guided by the Qur’an

Read in the Book of your Lord –the Qur’an– and peruse in it and you will find what you had lost, for indeed it is a complete book that covers all spheres of your life including Tawheed (The Oneness of Allah), worship, anecdotes, history, morals and knowledge through which you will know your Lord as He wants you to know Him with His perfect attributes, His glorified description and His excellent, wise and fair injunctions.

Whatever your education and irrespective of your background, the Book of Allah, will amaze you by its style and words as it has come directly from Allah the Exalted. From Him it has come, to Him it will return, and no falsehood can be found within it.

In fact, there is not a single book in existence that challenges its readers to find a single, even minute mistake or contradiction as Allah the Exalted had challenged the people of eloquence and rhetoric (The tribe of Quraish- the most noble Arab tribe at the time of the Prophet Mohammed).

Then do they not reflect upon the Qur’an? If it had been from (any) other than Allah, they would have found within it much contradiction. (An-Nisaa’ 4:82)

True Belief/Full Submission

Reason, think, perceive, contemplate, traverse through the world and increase yourself in knowledge and understanding are the things that are wanted of you by your Lord in Islam as we find in the Qur’an in numerous places:

Perhaps they will give thought. (Al-Hashr 59:21)

Then will you not reason?  (Al-Baqarah 2:44)

So have they not traveled through the earth and observed… (Yusuf 12:109)

For everything in existence guides you to God and He has given you these senses then sought from you to use them to come to know and believe in Him.

Moreover, with this, our religion is one of acknowledgement and submission and it is Islam that you have chosen to follow to the end of your days until you meet your Lord.

Those things that your intellect and the combined intellect of humankind are unable to comprehend should be entrusted to Allah the Exalted.

You should have full faith in Him and completely submit to him in order to be a true believer.

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The article is excerpted from the book “A Beneficial Summary of Rulings for New Muslim”, published by The Ministry of Endowments & Islamic Affairs, Kuwait- 2nd Edition 1436/2015.

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Articles of Faith New Muslims

All Humans Are Inclined to Be Muslims

Allah (the Exalted) sent His Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) with a religion to complete all religions and He made it a judge over them and a nullifier of their commandments. Allah has guaranteed that He would preserve this religion from all corruption and alteration and he described it as the ‘Straight Path’ all humans naturally incline to it.

humans

As long as the heart remains capable of accepting truth, it will perceive and be guided to it.

Whoever walks on it will be safeguarded in this world and the Hereafter and whoever turns away from it and walks on another path will be misguided and in ruin because opposing it means that a human being contradicts the natural disposition which Allah has created him upon.

Allah the Exalted said:

So direct your face towards the religion, inclining to truth and turning away from all that is false, in accordance with the natural disposition which God has instilled into man. No change should there be in the creation of Allah. That is the correct religion, but most people do not know. (Ar-Rum 30:30)

All Humans Are Naturally Muslims

Allah created the human self in a way that it is naturally inclined to everything that is good, practical and beneficial and to dislike everything that contains evil, corruption and harm.

Therefore, you see humankind incline naturally to good food and drink which is tasty and wholesome and stay away from food that is filthy and harmful.

In the same way, humans incline towards keeping the company of those who have high morals and upright character and keep away from those who are immoral and ill mannered. They love and respect those who have faultless qualities treating such people with decency and respect and at the same time, they do not treat those who have many faults with the same decency and respect.

This is the natural disposition that Allah has created in the human heart and self and He has made the heart capable of accepting the truth as he has created the eyes capable of seeing and the ears capable of hearing.

As long as the heart remains capable of accepting truth it will perceive and be guided to it; but if the heart changes because of following whims and desires, then it becomes misguided and follows falsehood. As we find in the words of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) who said:

“Allah said: ‘I created my servants as monotheists, but the devils came to them and deviated them from their religion, prohibiting what I allowed and commanding them to ascribe partners to me for which I gave no authority’.” (Sahih Muslim)

“Verily, the Religion with Allah is Islam”

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has informed us that there is no human born into this world except that he is upon the nature that Allah has created him upon. Then external influences come along that affect and change this nature.

As we find on the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him):

“No child is born except on Al-Fitrah (Islam) but his parents make him Jewish, Christian or Magian, as an animal delivers a perfect young animal: do you see any part of its body mutilated?”

Then Abu Hurairah said: “Read if you will the following verse: “..the natural disposition which God has instilled into man. No change should there be in the creation of Allah. (Ar-Rum 30:30) (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)

Subsequently, the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) informed us that it is human nature to follow Islam and to not follow any other erroneous religion or misguided sect that was not revealed by Allah.

Notice how, in the previous narration the Prophet Mohammed did not say “or make them Muslim” as this shows that Islam is the religion of human nature and this is supported by another narration which clearly states this:

“There is no newborn baby, except that he is born on this religion until his tongue allows him to express himself otherwise.” (Muslim)

Why Islam?

Those that get to know the teachings of Islam recognize clearly that it is the truth that must be followed because its teachings nurture the healthy nature of humankind and promote it, and they do not revolt against it as it is made up of the following:

1- It commands us to worship Allah alone ascribing no partners to Him; He is the Creator of the whole universe and for him alone is sovereignty and He alone has power over all things. The healthy human nature requires that he who is described with perfection deserves respect and esteem, so how about He whose perfection is absolute and has no end or limits?

2- Islamic teachings have permitted all things of goodness and have forbidden all things that contain impurity because the healthy nature inclines towards all goodness and keeps away from impurity.

3- The teachings of Islam emphasize the adornment of oneself with good morals and an upright character and has forbidden obscenity and indecency because virtuous individuals prefer everything that is from goodness and reject everything that is indecent.

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), the Prophet said: “Then I was brought two cups in one of them was milk and in the other one there was wine and it was said to me: Select any one you like. So I selected the cup containing milk and drank it. Then I was told: You have attained what is natural (i.e. Islam) had you selected the wine your nation would have gone astray.” (Al-Bukhari & Muslim)

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The article is excerpted from the book “A Beneficial Summary of Rulings for New Muslim”, published by The Ministry of Endowments & Islamic Affairs, Kuwait- 2nd Edition 1436/2015.

 

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Articles of Faith New Muslims

Islam…What Makes It Special?

Why do we follow Islam? What makes Islam special? Why is Islam the universal and one true religion of all God’s prophets?

Islam

Islam is the universal and one true religion of all God’s prophets

Islam: Equality

0 mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed the most noble of you in the sight of God (Allah) is the most righteous of you. Indeed God (Allah) is Knowing and Acquainted. (Al-Hujurat 49:13)

Confirming this wonderful concept of equality in Islam, Prophet Muhammad, in his last sermon, said:

“O people, your God is one and your father is one. You are all from Adam and Adam is from dust. An Arab is not superior to a non-Arab, and a non-Arab is not superior to an Arab. A white has no superiority over a black, nor does a black have superiority over a white. You are all equal.”

Nobody has superiority over others except through piety and good action.

Islam teaches us not to hate or put down others based on their race, color of skin or eye, or nationality.

Islam is a practical remedy for the racial conflict and discrimination which the world witnesses.

In Islam, blacks and whites are just brothers and sisters in the same human race. They are all from the same father, Adam, who was created from dust. Thus, we are all from earth and we will go back to earth and turn to dust again.

This is an important lesson that we can derive from the above quotes from the Qura’n and the Prophets’ last sermon. And this was the lesson that Malcolm X learned when he went to Makkah to perform Hajj (pilgrimage).

So, why do some people feel or act with arrogance or false pride towards others?

Universality and Unity of Message

Say; We believe in God (Allah), and the revelation given to us, and that given to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob and the tribes, and that given to Moses and Jesus, and that given to all prophets from their Lord: We make no difference between one and another of them and we submit to God. (Al-Baqarah 2:136)

Muslims love and believe in all God’s prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon them all).

Prophet Muhammad said, “I am the nearest of all the people to Jesus, the son of Mary. For there was no prophet between me and him (Jesus). The prophets are just brothers; their mothers are different, but their religion is one.”

Allah and His Messenger

Islam is the universal and one true religion of all God’s prophets. God says:

It is He (Allah) who has sent His messenger (Muhammad) with guidance and the religion of truth… (Al-Fath 48:28)

Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets: and Allah has full knowledge of all things. (Al-Ahzab 33:40)

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The article is excerpted from the author’s Have You Discovered It’s Real Beauty?”

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Articles of Faith New Muslims

Between Heart & Limbs: How to Achieve Reality of Faith

If you contemplate the pillars of faith and Islam, you will see that they have combined between the actions of the heart and limbs.

faith

Based on your nearness to Allah, your knowledge of Him & His religion you will achieve the reality of faith.

“Whosoever testifies that None has the right to be worshiped but Allah Alone who has no partners, and that Mohammed is His slave and apostle, and that Jesus is Allah’s slave and apostle and His word which He bestowed on Mary and a spirit from Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, Allah will admit him into Paradise through any of its eight gates that he likes.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Faith.. Heart.. Body

Faith addresses the heart with Tawheed (Oneness of God) and conviction; and the pillars of Islam address the body with subservience and subjugation each of them complements the other.

Therefore, based on your nearness to Allah and your knowledge of Him and His religion you will achieve the reality of faith and the soul of Islam.

Look at the divine laws and rulings of Islam and you will see that it contains both ritual worship and daily transactions. The ritual worship is how we deal with our Lord and our daily transactions are how we deal with His creation.

Islam has not neglected any of these aspects at the cost of the other, rather as we are commanded to strive for excellence in our ritual worship we are also commanded to strive for excellence in the way we deal with people. Allah has said:

And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. (Al-Israa’ 17:23)

“Make things easy for people and do not make things difficult. Spread good news and bring them joy do not be harsh and turn them away.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

With these words our Prophet (peace be upon him) enjoined his companions to deal with people as our religion does not have any place for extremism or harshness. Seek closeness to Allah by performing voluntary actions when you have energy and a content heart and you will enjoy your worship and achieve your goals.

Ask Allah the Exalted to bless you with beneficial knowledge and virtuous deeds and sit in the gatherings of knowledge in your mosque and ask any questions that you have. Do not neglect yourself as questioning in Islam for those who want to practice and worship is obligatory as you find in the Qur’an that Allah (the Exalted) has said:

 So ask the people of the message if you do not know. (An-Nahl 16:43)

Path to Success

Your dedication to learning Islam is your path to success and the main cause for your stability so if you want to increase yourself in the strength of your faith then be steadfast in your obedience to Allah as a person’s faith increases and decreases.

It increases with obedience and decreases with sin, so be steadfast as you have been commanded to be by Allah and be punctual in your prayers with your brothers at the mosque.

Attend the religious celebrations and do not be lax in any of the pillars of Islam such as the five daily prayers, obligatory almsgiving, and Hajj as Allah has guaranteed that if you do this, your faith will become stronger, rather you will taste the sweetness of this faith.

The best friend that you have is the one that shows you goodness and helps you to remain upon it and who you can trust in your religious affairs. Find out where the Islamic presentation committees are and follow the way of the good people that work there and attend their educational gatherings and Islamic lectures as these contain many benefits.

Despair Not

Beware of feeling estranged on your path to Allah (Exalted be He). If Allah is with you does it harm you that no one else is with you? It is stated in the Qur’an:

And when the two companies saw one another, the companions of Moses said, “Indeed, we are to be overtaken!” (Moses) said, “No! Indeed, with me is my Lord; He will guide me”. (Ash-Shu`araa’ 26:61-62)

You are always close to Allah wherever you may be; do not despair in the mercy of Allah even if you have shortcomings. Turn to him and ask him for forgiveness for your sins as Allah the Exalted loves those who seek repentance and the door to repentance is open and your Lord is Oft-forgiving.

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The article is excerpted from the book “A Beneficial Summary of Rulings for New Muslim”, published by The Ministry of Endowments & Islamic Affairs, Kuwait- 2nd Edition 1436/2015.

 

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New Muslims Pillars of Islam

You Are a Muslim and Your Prophet Is Muhammad

Your Prophet is Muhammad (peace be upon him). You should read his biography and get to know him and you will read about the greatest human being that has ever been known.

muhammad

The Prophet whom you have got to know is colossal, you will accompany the most virtuous in the Hereafter.

Allah, Exalted be He, did not create anyone better than him nor did he create anyone similar to him in his sublime character. As Allah raised the ranks of all Prophets over the rest of creation, he too raised the rank of Muhammad (peace be upon him) over all the worlds.

Are you not aware that all the sublime characteristics are combined in his person?

Perfect Character

He was the kindest of people to live with and possessed the softest of hearts. He was the most easygoing person in his dealings, always smiling and never frowning at his companions. None had ever witnessed any evil from him, neither in Islam nor before the advent of it. He was the best of people in speech and he stated:

“The Muslim is the one whom other Muslims are safe from his tongue and hand.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

He was persecuted in the way of Allah, but was patient and was put through many ordeals in relation to his companions and family, but he bore them and forgave all. He was hurt by those who were closest to him, who expelled him from his home and the most beloved and sacred of cities and all for the sake of Allah the Exalted.

However, he was the most truthful of people in delivering the message of his Lord and the most forgiving of them.

He was the best of people towards his people and the most ascetic in what the people possessed; yet the most generous in what he possessed. He never refused a soul and never said the word ‘no’ to anyone. He would always be good to the people and only seek his reward with Allah the Exalted.

Best Example

He was the most courageous and outspoken of people when spreading the truth; never fearing for a moment. He would command his people to do good and forbid them from evil and was the first to fulfill these commands and was the best of role models for his companions.

No one ever saw him except that they would love him and any human who met him irrespective of their background and stature in society would become awestruck by him. He had the softest of hearts, the kindest of temperaments, and a strong stature. He was handsome and blessed with graciousness.

Sympathetic and loving, a sincere friend, the best of people in how he dealt with his family, the best in keeping ties of kinship. He would not get angry except for the sake of Allah and he never took revenge or made enemies with anyone for himself or through his own desire.

Know dear friend, that which you have believed in is great, and the Prophet Muhammad whom you have got to know is colossal and you will accompany the most virtuous in the Hereafter.

Muhammad & Other Prophets

Your faith in Prophet Muhammad is not correct if you reject Prophet Jesus (peace be upon them both) for you are required to believe in all of them and not to differentiate between them, however it was from the limitless wisdom of Allah that he decided to conclude all messages with the message of Islam. Whoever believes in the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) must believe in the complete message that he brought.

On the authority of `Ubadah ibn Samit (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

“Whosoever testifies that None has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alone who has no partners, and that Mohammed is His slave and apostle, and that Jesus is Allah’s slave and apostle and His word which He bestowed on Mary and a spirit from Him, and that Paradise is true, and Hell is true, Allah will admit him into Paradise through any of its eight gates that he likes.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

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The article is excerpted from the book “A Beneficial Summary of Rulings for New Muslim”, published by The Ministry of Endowments & Islamic Affairs, Kuwait- 2nd Edition 1436/2015.

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Divine Unity New Muslims

Islam, Muslims, and the One God

By Sulaiman Dufford

nature

A Muslim is any person anywhere in the world whose obedience, allegiance, and loyalty are to God.

Islam and Muslims

The name of this religion is Islam, the Arabic root of which is “silm” or “salam”, both meaning peace. “Salam” may also mean greeting one another with peace.

One of the beautiful names of God is that He is “As-Salam” (The Peace), but this Divine Name also means more than that: it means submission to the One God, and living in peace with the Creator. It means living in peace with one’s self, with other people, and with the natural environment.

A Muslim is supposed to live in peace and harmony with all these segments. Hence, a Muslim is any person anywhere in the world whose obedience, allegiance, and loyalty are to God, the Lord of the universe, and to the innate harmony of His Creation. Thus, Islam is a total system of living.

Muslims and Arabs

The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are not to be confused with Arabs. Muslims may be Arabs, Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians, Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Chinese, Russians, or other nationalities.

An Arab could be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew, or an atheist. Any person who adopts the Arabic language is called an Arab. However, the language of the Qur’an (the Revealed Book of Islam) is also Arabic. Muslims all over the world try to learn Arabic so that they may be able to read the Qur’an and understand its meaning.

Although personal supplications can be in any language, Muslims pray their five required daily prayers in the language of the Qur’an, namely Arabic, which is also, and perhaps not by coincidence, one of the most stable, sophisticated, and beautiful languages in modern history.

Thus, whereas some religions have their liturgical languages (such as the Catholics used to have Latin), the Muslims are blessed with more than that. The Muslims have a “revelatory language”, the unchanged and incorruptible language in which the Qur’an was actually received.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was confronted and entranced by the Angel Gabriel off and on over a period of years in both Makkah and Medina, and all of these segments of the Qur’an were immediately dictated to his Companions.

Yet, even though there are more than a billion Muslims in the world, there are only about two hundred million Arabs, of whom about ten percent are not Muslim. Thus, Arab Muslims constitute only about twenty percent of the Muslim population of the world.

Allah, the One and Only God

Although Allah is the name of the One and Only God, we may call Him by ninety-nine other beautiful names, such as: The Gracious, The Merciful, The Beneficent, The Creator, The All-Knowing, The All-Wise, The Lord of the Universe, The First, The Last, and others.

He is the Creator of all human beings. He is the God for the Christians, the Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhists, the Hindus, the atheists, and others. Muslims put their trust entirely in Allah, and they seek only His help and only His guidance.

Muhammad

Muhammad (peace be upon him) was chosen by God to deliver His message of peace, namely Islam. Muhammad was born in 570 C.E. (Christian or Common Era), in Makkah in Arabia. He was entrusted with the message of Islam when he was at the age of forty years. The revelation that he received is called the Qur’an, while the message is called Islam.

Muhammad is considered to be the summation and the culmination of all the prophets and messengers that came before him. He purified the previous messages from adulteration and completed the message of God for all humanity.

He was also entrusted with the power of explaining, interpreting, and living the teachings of the Qur’an. When asked why he did not perform miracles as other prophets before him were said to have done, he replied that the Qur’an was his miracle.

The Sources of Islam

The legal sources of Islam are the Qur’an and the Hadith. The Qur’an contains the exact words of God- its authenticity, originality, and totality are intact.

The Hadith are reports by Companions of Muhammad of indisputable integrity of the sayings, deeds, and explanations of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet’s sayings and deeds themselves are called “Sunnah”. Those related to explication of verses of the Qur’an are considered binding upon all Muslims.

Those Hadith related to Prophet Muhammad’s dress and personal behavior as an Arab are considered optional. However, the “seerah”, or writings of followers of Muhammad about his life and actions, provide examples of daily living for Muslims.

The Islamic Creed

Muslims, or those who wish to convert to Islam, must agree to and hold the following beliefs as inviolable:

1- Oneness of God

He is One and the Only One. He is not two-in-one or three-in-one. This means that Islam rejects the idea of a trinity, a son of God, or any man-god. By implication, people are created equal in front of the Law of God. There is no superiority for one race over another.

However, God has created the races with different ethnic cultures, colors, languages, beliefs, and skills, so as to interest and inspire one another. The Qur’anic teaching is that the different races are meant to be complementary, not confrontational. The concept is global, not tribal.

If there is superiority among mankind, it is only God Who knows what it really is. It is only God Who knows which men or women are among the truly pious or the truly righteous.

2- The Revealed Books

Christians, Jews, and Muslims are all “People of the Book“. All have received teachings revealed directly from God, and perhaps others before them have received revealed Books as well, even though their books may have been lost or fragmented.

The Qur’an, being the only fully authentic and unchanged of the revealed Books, is considered the final treasure given to mankind. Further advice is not needed, only deeper understanding of divine advice already given in the Qur’an, as well as earlier books. Muslims are required to believe in and respect all revealed Books that have descended to mankind throughout its history.

God promised in the Qur’an to protect its contents until the end of history, and evidence of that protection can be found in the thousands and thousands of children, as well as devout adults, who can recite the entire Qur’an by memory, from cover to cover, as well as the millions who can and do recite portions of it every day of their lives.

3- The Prophets of God

Muslims believe that God sent different messengers throughout the history of mankind. All came with the same message and the same teachings. It was the people who misunderstood and misinterpreted them.

Muslims believe in, among others, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ismail, Jacob, Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad. The prophets of Christianity and Judaism are indeed the Prophets of Islam. Even the Buddha may have been a prophet whose original teachings were lost or corrupted, since the Qur’an states that many prophets unknown to modern history also brought revealed Books and teachings. The Hindu Vedas may have been fragments of the Book brought by Abraham (Brahmanism).

4- Angels

Muslims believe that there are unseen creatures such as angels created by God for special missions in the universe. At the end of every prayer, Muslims give the greeting of “Peace” to the angels which accompany them over each shoulder – to the right, the Recording Angel for our good deeds; to the left, the Recording Angel for our sins.

The Qur’an was revealed and taught to Prophet Muhammad through the agency of the Angel Gabriel. The Prophet tells many stories in his Hadith about angels appearing in the world.

5- The Day of Judgment

Muslims believe that there is a Day of Judgment when all people of the world throughout the history of mankind till the last day of life on earth, are to be brought for accounting, reward, and punishment.

The Prophet enjoined all Muslims to hold the reality of this day in awe and trepidation, and to manage all their earthly affairs with the inevitability of this day in mind.

To that end, the Islamic rituals and actions have been given by God to the Prophet, and thence to all the Muslims, to protect and sharpen Muslims’ remembrance of the Last Day.

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Source: iiie.net

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Articles of Faith New Muslims

What is Islam, and How Is It Different from Any Other Religion?

Allah sent His Messenger Muhammad (peace be upon him) with a religion to complete all religions and He made it a judge over them and a nullifier of their commandments. Allah has guaranteed that He would preserve this religion from all corruption and alteration and he described it as the ‘Straight Path‘ all humans naturally incline to it.

What is Islam, and How Is It Different from Any Other Religion?

Islam is complete submission to Allah the Exalted through Tawheed.

Whoever walks on it will be safeguarded in this world and the Hereafter and whoever turns away from it and walks on another path will be misguided and in ruin because opposing it means that a human being contradicts the natural disposition which Allah has created him upon. Allah said:

So direct your face towards the religion, inclining to truth and turning away from all that is false, in accordance with the natural disposition which God has instilled into man. No change should there be in the creation of Allah. That is the correct religion, but most people do not know. (Ar-Rum 30:30)

What is Islam?

There is no religion on the face of the earth except that it traces its origin to a person or a nation. So we find that Jews trace themselves back to Judah, Christians back to Christ (peace be upon him), Buddhists back to Buddha, and similarly all other religions.

However, Islam traces its origin back to a special quality that is synonymous with subservience, obedience and the implementation of all commandments that were set by Allah; Islam means the total submission to Him alone. Allah called his religion Islam because the Muslim is required to submit to the belief that Allah alone is worthy of worship and that His commandments and prohibitions must be upheld without the least bit of hesitation or resistance.

All Humanity

From this word “Islam” it becomes clear that this religion is not the product of any human being, nor is it specific to a particular nation, and its only goal is that all of humankind possesses this quality that is unique to Islam only.

Furthermore, the specific understanding of Islam as the religion brought to us through the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) does not depart from this characteristic which includes the term ‘Islam’; for indeed his call was based on bringing humankind out from the worship of creation, whims, and desires to the worship and submission to Allah the Exalted, and to the compliance and obedience to everything He enjoined and avoidance of everything He forbade.

Therefore, Islam is complete submission to Allah the Exalted through Tawheed (Belief in the Oneness of Allah) and following Him through obedience until love for Him is firmly fixed in the heart of the Muslim; and it is the purification and clearing of the heart of any form of ascribing partners to Him or disbelief in any of its forms until its impurities are completely removed from the heart of the Muslim; as the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) guided us to when he said:

“And he should despise to return to disbelief as he would despise to be thrown in a fire.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

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The article is excerpted from the book “A Beneficial Summary of Rulings for New Muslim”, published by The Ministry of Endowments & Islamic Affairs, Kuwait- 2nd Edition 1436/2015.

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Divine Unity New Muslims

Islam: The Religion of All Prophets

Indeed every human on earth is obligated to be one who submits to Allah, is obedient to Him, following what He enjoined and avoiding what He forbade irrespective of differences in time or place, however when people changed their religion and began to follow their whims and desires they departed from the truth and began to follow falsehood.

Islam: The Religion of All Prophets

The religion of Allah that all Prophets came with was Islam.

So Allah the Exalted sent Messengers to take people by the hand and direct them to the path of guidance and truth and to return them to belief in the Oneness of Allah and his worship, as Allah has said:

And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, ‘There is no deity except Me, so worship Me’. (Al-Anbiyaa’ 21:25)

So whoever responded to their call deserved to be called “Muslim” which Allah the Exalted called all of His slaves when He said:

It is He (Allah) who has named you Muslims before… (Al-Hajj 22:78)

The Qur’an has also explained to us that the message of all Prophets was to invite to Islam and whoever followed them was from amongst the Muslims. In regards to the Prophet Noah (peace be upon him) the Qur’an states:

And I have been commanded to be among the Muslims. (Yunus 10:72)

And in regards to the Prophet Abraham and Ishmael (peace be upon them):

Our Lord! and make us Muslims and of Our offspring a Muslim nation for you. (Al-Baqarah 2:128)

And in regards to the Prophet Jacob’s (peace be upon him) advice to his children the Qur’an states:

Or were you witnesses when death approached Jacob, when he said to his sons, ‘What will you worship after me?’ They said: “We will worship your God and the God of your fathers, Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac – one God. And we are Muslims (in submission) to Him. (Al-Baqarah 2:133)

And in regards to the Prophet Moses (peace be upon him)

And Moses said: ‘O My people! If you have believed In Allah, Then put Your trust in Him if you are Muslims’ (those who submit to Allah’s Will). (Yunus 10:84)

And in regards to the Prophet Joseph (peace be upon him)

Cause me to die as a Muslim (the one submitting to Your will), and join me with the righteous. (Yusuf 12:101)

And in regards to the Prophet Solomon (peace be upon him) the Qur’an states:

Be not haughty against Me, but come to Me as Muslims (true believers who submit to Allah with full submission). (An-Naml 27:31)

And in regards to the Prophet Lot (peace be upon him):

And We found not within them other than a (single) house of Muslims. (Adh-Dhariyat 51:36)

And in regards to the disciples of Jesus (peace be upon him):

Verily, the Religion with Allah is Islam Then when Jesus came to know of their disbelief, He said: “Who will be my helpers In Allah’s Cause?” The disciples said: “We are the helpers of Allah; we believe In Allah, and bear witness that we are Muslims (i.e. we submit to Allah). (Aal `Imran 3:52)

One Religion

So the invitation of the Prophets was an invitation to Islam because their Lord was one and their religion was one even if their sacred laws differed somewhat as we will explain in the upcoming chapters. The Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him) said:

“The prophets are paternal brothers, their mothers are different but their religion is one.” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

Therefore the religion of Allah that all prophets came with was Islam. Allah says in the Qur’an:

Truly, the Religion with Allah is Islam. (Aal `Imran 3:19)

And Allah will not accept any religion from his creation other than that of Islam as He said in the Qur’an:

And whoever seeks a Religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and In the Hereafter He will be one of the losers. (Aal `Imran 3:85)

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The article is excerpted from the book “A Beneficial Summary of Rulings for New Muslim”, published by The Ministry of Endowments & Islamic Affairs, Kuwait- 2nd Edition 1436/2015.

 

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