Islam and Muslims What is Islam?

What is Islam?

Islam and Muslims

Islam is an Arabic word which means total submission to God, peace, purity, acceptance and commitment. As a religion, Islam calls for complete acceptance of the teachings and guidance of God. A Muslim is one who freely and willingly accepts the supreme power of God and strives to organize his life in total accord with the teachings of God. He also works for building social institutions which reflect the guidance of God. "Muhammadanism" is a misnomer for Islam and offends its very spirit since the Prophet Muhammad was a messenger of God, and not a divine being worshipped by Muslims. Muslims use the word "Allah" for the English word "God". The understanding of Deity in Islam differs from some of the connotations in the English word, God. For the convenience of English speaking readers, the word God is used in this brochure except when the word "Allah" is in the quotations from the Qur'an.

Continuity of The Message

Islam is not a new religion. It is, in essence, the same message and guidance which God revealed to all His previous messengers. "Say: We believe in Allah and that which was revealed to us, and that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and to the Prophets from their Lord; We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit". Qur'an 3:83. The message which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is Islam in its comprehensive, complete and final form.

The Five Pillars of Islam

Every action done with the awareness that it fulfills the Will of God is considered an act of worship in Islam. But it is the specific acts of worship termed the Pillars of Islam which provide the framework of Muslim spiritual life. These are given below:

1. The DECLARATION OF FAITH. "I bear witness that there is no one worthy of worship except God (Allah), and that Muhammad is His servant and messenger." The Prophethood of Muhammad obliges Muslims to follow his exemplary life in every respect.

2. PRAYERS are prescribed five times a day as a duty towards God. Prayer strengthens and enlivens belief in God and inspires man to higher morality. It purifies the heart and controls temptation, wrong-doing, and evil.

3. FASTING during the month of Ramadan. This means abstention from food, beverages, and sex from dawn to sunset, and curbing evil intentions and desires. It teaches love, sincerity, and devotion. It develops patients, unselfishness, social conscience, and willpower to bear hardship.

4. ZAKAH is a proportionately fixed contribution collected from the wealth and earning of the well to do and rich. It is spent on the poor and needy in particular, and the welfare of the society in general. The payment of Zakah purifies ones income and wealth and helps to establish economic balance and social justice in the society.

5. HAJJ, or pilgrimage to the Ka'bah in Makkah, once in a lifetime, provided one has the means to undertake the journey.