An Introduction to the way of Life known as Islam
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All praise is due to Allah Lord of the Worlds, the Owner of all of the creation
Jun 6, 2008, 9:28:24 AM6/6/08
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An Introduction to the way of Life known as Islam
by Gary Miller
SOME FACTS
Islam has approximately 1 billion followers known as Muslims who
follow the final revelation to mankind, known as the "Qur'an",
revealed to Prophet Muhammad about 1400 years ago.
Contrary to the common misconception, only about 20% of all Muslims
are Arabs, the rest are Indians, Indonesians, Bosnians and so on.
WHAT IS ISLAM
Islam, unlike most other religions, is not named after any man.
Instead Islam means the submission of one's will to the only true god
worthy of worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a "Muslim".
The word also implies "peace" which is the natural consequence of
total submission to the will of Allah. Islam is the religion that was
given to Adam, the first man and the first prophet of Allah, and it
was the religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to mankind like
Jesus and Moses.
THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM
The most important message of Islam is the absolute Unity of God-that
there is only One Supreme Being who has no partners and is not
dependent on anyone or anything. He is the creator of everything and
the whole universe is under His control. Since the total submission of
one's will to Allah represents the essence of worship, Islam is the
worship of Allah alone and the avoidance of worship directed to any
person, place or thing other than Allah. In essence, Islam calls man
away from the worship of creation and invites him to worship only its
Creator.
Allah is the only one deserving man's worship as it is only by His
will that prayers are answered. Hence prayers to the non-living such
as the sun, fire, and to humans whether they be Jesus, Moses or even
Muhammad are rejected, as Allah informs us in the opening chapter of
the Qur'an, known as Soorah Al-Faatihah, verse 4: "You alone do we
worship and from you alone do we seek help."
A Muslim believes that Allah and His creation are distinctly different
entities. Neither is Allah His creation or a part of it, nor is His
creation Him or a part of Him. Ultimately, it is the belief that the
essence of Allah is everywhere in His creation or that His divine
being is or was present in some aspects of His creation, which has
provided justification for the worship of creation. Islam, hence, is a
clear call to the worship of the Creator and the rejection of creation-
worship in any form.
THE MIRACLE OF QUR'AN
"And if you are in doubt as to what We [Allah] have revealed.then
produce a Soorah (chapter) like thereunto"(Soorah Baqarah 2:23)
This was the challenge put forth by Allah in the Qur'an 1400 years
ago. As of yet, none has or will ever come close to meeting this
challenge. Hence, as a result, multitudes throughout the centuries
have believed and continue to believe in the Qur'an as a revelation
beyond any human capacity.
Modern scientists, for instance, have been amazed by the accuracy of
scientific information presented in the Qur'an. Here are just a few
examples: In his book of embryology-'The Developing Human' [W.B.
Saunders Publishing, 1982], Dr. Keith Moore added a whole chapter to
discuss the scientific accuracy of the Quranic discussion of this
science. Another eminent scientist, Dr. Maurice Bucaille wrote in his
book-'The Bible, the Qur'an and Science': "I could not find a single
error in the Qur'an.if a man was the author of the Qur'an how could he
have written facts in the 7th century A.D. that today are shown to be
in keeping with modern scientific knowledge" Facts about astronomy,
the animal world and other natural phenomenon, that were alien to
modern science not long ago, are scattered among the messages of
Allah's Unity and His Attributes throughout the miracle that is known
as al-Qur'an.
WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHER RELIGIONS
There are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements
in the world, all of which claim to be the right way or the only true
path to Allah. How can one determine which one is correct or if, in
fact, all are correct? The method by which the answer can be found is
to clear away the superficial differences in the teachings of the
various religions, and identify the central object of worship to which
they call, directly or indirectly.
False religions all have in common one basic concept concerning Allah:
they either claim that all human beings are gods or that specific
individuals were Allah or that nature is Allah or that Allah is a
figment of man's imagination. For example, Prophet Jesus invited his
followers to worship Allah but those who claim to be his followers
today call people to worship Jesus, claiming that he was Allah while
Jesus himself would deny this as Allah says in the Qur'an: "And behold
Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary Did you say to men, Worship
me and my mother as gods besides Allah; He [Jesus] will say-"Glory to
You I could never say what I had no right (to say')" (Soorah Al-
Maa'idah- 5:116)
Even though false religions might teach some good things, they all,
however, teach the greatest evil- the worship of creation. Creation-
worship is the greatest sin that man can commit because it contradicts
the very purpose of his creation, which is the worship of Allah as
explained in the following verses: "Verily Allah will not forgive the
joining of partners with Him, but He may forgive (sins) less than that
for whom so ever He wishes" (Soorah An- Nisaa 4:48 and 116) "I have
only created Jinns and men, that they may worship me" (Soorah
Zaareeyaat 51:56)
WHY SHOULD I BE A MUSLIM
Since the consequences of false religion are so grave, the true
religion of Allah must be universally understandable and attainable,
not confined to any people, place or time. Within the central
principle of Islam and in its definition, lies the roots of lslam's
universality. Whenever man comes to the realization that Allah is one
and distinct from His creation, and submits himself to Allah, he
becomes a Muslim and is eligible for paradise. This is the essence and
the corner-stone of Islam: "Laa Elaaha lllallaah" (There is no god
worthy of worship except Allah)
Its repetition and the sincere belief in it automatically brings one
within the fold of Islam and guarantees one Paradise. Thus, the final
prophet of Islam is reported to have said, "Any one who says: there is
no god but Allah and dies holding that (belief) will enter
paradise." (Reported by Abu Dharr and collected by Al-Bukhaaree and
Muslim).
THE BOTTOM-LINE
Islam is the universal message of Allah to mankind, and Muhammad is
the final and last messenger of Allah. Allah will not accept any other
way of life as He Himself asserts: "If anyone desires a religion other
than Islam (submission to Allah (God) never will It be accepted of
Him" (Soorah Aal'imraan 3:85) Please consider Islam as the only savior
from all of society's evils and most importantly the savior from hell-
fire and make the most important choice of your life. Please submit
yourself to the Will of Allah before it is too late. I thank you for
your time. May Allah guide all of us to the truth.
http://tinyurl.com/6gunaf
by Gary Miller
SOME FACTS
Islam has approximately 1 billion followers known as Muslims who
follow the final revelation to mankind, known as the "Qur'an",
revealed to Prophet Muhammad about 1400 years ago.
Contrary to the common misconception, only about 20% of all Muslims
are Arabs, the rest are Indians, Indonesians, Bosnians and so on.
WHAT IS ISLAM
Islam, unlike most other religions, is not named after any man.
Instead Islam means the submission of one's will to the only true god
worthy of worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a "Muslim".
The word also implies "peace" which is the natural consequence of
total submission to the will of Allah. Islam is the religion that was
given to Adam, the first man and the first prophet of Allah, and it
was the religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to mankind like
Jesus and Moses.
THE MESSAGE OF ISLAM
The most important message of Islam is the absolute Unity of God-that
there is only One Supreme Being who has no partners and is not
dependent on anyone or anything. He is the creator of everything and
the whole universe is under His control. Since the total submission of
one's will to Allah represents the essence of worship, Islam is the
worship of Allah alone and the avoidance of worship directed to any
person, place or thing other than Allah. In essence, Islam calls man
away from the worship of creation and invites him to worship only its
Creator.
Allah is the only one deserving man's worship as it is only by His
will that prayers are answered. Hence prayers to the non-living such
as the sun, fire, and to humans whether they be Jesus, Moses or even
Muhammad are rejected, as Allah informs us in the opening chapter of
the Qur'an, known as Soorah Al-Faatihah, verse 4: "You alone do we
worship and from you alone do we seek help."
A Muslim believes that Allah and His creation are distinctly different
entities. Neither is Allah His creation or a part of it, nor is His
creation Him or a part of Him. Ultimately, it is the belief that the
essence of Allah is everywhere in His creation or that His divine
being is or was present in some aspects of His creation, which has
provided justification for the worship of creation. Islam, hence, is a
clear call to the worship of the Creator and the rejection of creation-
worship in any form.
THE MIRACLE OF QUR'AN
"And if you are in doubt as to what We [Allah] have revealed.then
produce a Soorah (chapter) like thereunto"(Soorah Baqarah 2:23)
This was the challenge put forth by Allah in the Qur'an 1400 years
ago. As of yet, none has or will ever come close to meeting this
challenge. Hence, as a result, multitudes throughout the centuries
have believed and continue to believe in the Qur'an as a revelation
beyond any human capacity.
Modern scientists, for instance, have been amazed by the accuracy of
scientific information presented in the Qur'an. Here are just a few
examples: In his book of embryology-'The Developing Human' [W.B.
Saunders Publishing, 1982], Dr. Keith Moore added a whole chapter to
discuss the scientific accuracy of the Quranic discussion of this
science. Another eminent scientist, Dr. Maurice Bucaille wrote in his
book-'The Bible, the Qur'an and Science': "I could not find a single
error in the Qur'an.if a man was the author of the Qur'an how could he
have written facts in the 7th century A.D. that today are shown to be
in keeping with modern scientific knowledge" Facts about astronomy,
the animal world and other natural phenomenon, that were alien to
modern science not long ago, are scattered among the messages of
Allah's Unity and His Attributes throughout the miracle that is known
as al-Qur'an.
WHAT ABOUT ALL THE OTHER RELIGIONS
There are so many sects, cults, religions, philosophies, and movements
in the world, all of which claim to be the right way or the only true
path to Allah. How can one determine which one is correct or if, in
fact, all are correct? The method by which the answer can be found is
to clear away the superficial differences in the teachings of the
various religions, and identify the central object of worship to which
they call, directly or indirectly.
False religions all have in common one basic concept concerning Allah:
they either claim that all human beings are gods or that specific
individuals were Allah or that nature is Allah or that Allah is a
figment of man's imagination. For example, Prophet Jesus invited his
followers to worship Allah but those who claim to be his followers
today call people to worship Jesus, claiming that he was Allah while
Jesus himself would deny this as Allah says in the Qur'an: "And behold
Allah will say: "O Jesus the son of Mary Did you say to men, Worship
me and my mother as gods besides Allah; He [Jesus] will say-"Glory to
You I could never say what I had no right (to say')" (Soorah Al-
Maa'idah- 5:116)
Even though false religions might teach some good things, they all,
however, teach the greatest evil- the worship of creation. Creation-
worship is the greatest sin that man can commit because it contradicts
the very purpose of his creation, which is the worship of Allah as
explained in the following verses: "Verily Allah will not forgive the
joining of partners with Him, but He may forgive (sins) less than that
for whom so ever He wishes" (Soorah An- Nisaa 4:48 and 116) "I have
only created Jinns and men, that they may worship me" (Soorah
Zaareeyaat 51:56)
WHY SHOULD I BE A MUSLIM
Since the consequences of false religion are so grave, the true
religion of Allah must be universally understandable and attainable,
not confined to any people, place or time. Within the central
principle of Islam and in its definition, lies the roots of lslam's
universality. Whenever man comes to the realization that Allah is one
and distinct from His creation, and submits himself to Allah, he
becomes a Muslim and is eligible for paradise. This is the essence and
the corner-stone of Islam: "Laa Elaaha lllallaah" (There is no god
worthy of worship except Allah)
Its repetition and the sincere belief in it automatically brings one
within the fold of Islam and guarantees one Paradise. Thus, the final
prophet of Islam is reported to have said, "Any one who says: there is
no god but Allah and dies holding that (belief) will enter
paradise." (Reported by Abu Dharr and collected by Al-Bukhaaree and
Muslim).
THE BOTTOM-LINE
Islam is the universal message of Allah to mankind, and Muhammad is
the final and last messenger of Allah. Allah will not accept any other
way of life as He Himself asserts: "If anyone desires a religion other
than Islam (submission to Allah (God) never will It be accepted of
Him" (Soorah Aal'imraan 3:85) Please consider Islam as the only savior
from all of society's evils and most importantly the savior from hell-
fire and make the most important choice of your life. Please submit
yourself to the Will of Allah before it is too late. I thank you for
your time. May Allah guide all of us to the truth.
http://tinyurl.com/6gunaf
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