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| 1. |
What
is Islam? |
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Islam
is a religion. It belongs to the same traditions of Prophet Abraham,
which guides Judaism and Christianity. There are more common beliefs
in Islam, Christianity and Judaism than the differences between
them.
Islam means submission to God.
In it's literal sense, it means complete surrender to the will of God. Islam also means peace.
Formally, it means belief in the Unity of God and the belief in
Muhammad S as the Last Messenger of God.
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| 2. |
Who
are Muslims? |
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Muslim means
obedient to God. A person who believes in:
The Oneness of God,
All the revealed books (Qur-an, Torah, Bible etc)
All the Prophets (Messengers) of God like Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham,
Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Aaron, David, Ezekiel, Solomon, Elijah,
Elisha, Jonah, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Zechariah, John and Jesus etc.
In Muhammad S as the last and Final (Prophet) Messenger of
God
In the day of judgment and hereafter and wants to live
in peace with himself and rest of the world
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| 3. |
Is
Islam an eastern religion? |
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No, Islam is
a universal religion, and its Messenger Muhammad S was sent
for all mankind.
The Holy Qur-an declares:
Say (O Muhammad S), “O Mankind!
Verily I am sent to you all as the Messenger of Allah.”
(7: 158)
And We have sent you (O Muhammad S) not, but as a mercy for
the entire Universe. (21:107).
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| 4. |
Can
anybody become a Muslim? |
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Yes,
anyone can become a Muslim.
All are welcome to Islam, irrespective of their
color, caste, economic and social status, level of education and
geographical boundaries. Anyone who wants to sincerely submit
themselves to the will of God, and wants to live in peace with
themselves and the entire mankind can become a Muslim.
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| 5. |
What
do the Muslims believe in? |
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Muslims believe
in:
Oneness of God.
All the Prophets (Messengers) sent to mankind by God from time to
time, before Muhammad S, like Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham,
Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses, Aaron, David, Ezekiel, Solomon, Elijah,
Elisha, Jonah, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Zechariah, John and Jesus etc.
In Muhammad S as the last and final Prophet (Messenger) of
God
In all revealed books like Psalm, Torah, Bible and the Qur-an.
In the Day of Judgment and the Hereafter.
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| 6. |
How
many Muslims are there in the world? |
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There
are more than 1.25 billion Muslims in the world. Every fifth person
in the world is a Muslim.
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| 7. |
Why
are most Muslims Fundamentalists? |
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Yes, a true Muslim is
always a Fundamentalist.
Fundamentalist means one who faithfully and sincerely follows
the fundamentals of one’s religion.
In this way even a true Christian, a true Jew, a true Hindu,
are all fundamentalists.
The
word fundamentalist should not be confused with the word terrorist.
But the West has given a wrong meaning to the word fundamentalist.
It equates fundamentalism with terrorism, and thus use the word,
fundamentalist in a derogatory way, as an equivalent to terrorist.
This is a wrong connotation, which needs to be corrected.
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| 8. |
Why
some Muslim ladies dress strangely? |
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Muslim
women are obligated to observe a special dress code. They are
obligated to cover their bodies and hair properly. Muslim ladies
usually wear a long, loose garment over their clothes, and cover
their hair with a scarf. Wearing such a dress does not reveal
the contours of their bodies.
The
Christians followed a similar dress code also. The Roman Catholic
nuns are still following a more conservative dress code
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| 9. |
How
often does a Muslim pray? |
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Muslims offer
five prayers in a day:
The morning prayer, after dawn
and before sunrise. It is called Fajr Prayer.
The noon prayer, at midday, it is called Zuhr prayer.
The afternoon prayer. It is called ‘Asr prayer. It can be
offered till a little before sunset.
The evening prayer is a prayer immediately after sunset. This
is called Maghrib Prayer.
The night prayer is the last prayer of the day. It is offered
before retiring for the day. This night prayer is offered when
darkness covers the sky, it is called Isha Prayer. Its time lasts
till mid night.
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| 10. |
Do
I have to go to Mosque to offer Prayers? |
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One must
try to offer their prayers in a mosque with the congregation,
but it is not obligatory. If it is'nt possible, one can offer
them at home also. For the rest of the optional prayers ie.
(Tahajud, Sunat, Nafil) one can offer them at home or wherever
one likes. Because according to an authentic saying of the Messenger,
the entire earth is a mosque for a Muslim. Therefore, a Muslim
can offer prayer wherever he or she likes, provided the place
of prayer should be properly clean.
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| 11. |
Does
Islam teach violence? |
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Islam
never teaches violence. Violence is the worst crime in Islam.
But Islam being a natural religion cannot afford to be a silent
spectator of violence against humanity. Therefore, it has allowed
using violent means (swords or any other weapons) only in self-defense
or oppression. Self-defense and fighting against oppression cannot
be termed as violence in any civilized society.
Islam
is the first religion, which recognized, practiced and preached
human rights. In Islam, all human beings are equal irrespective
of the color of their skins, their place of birth or their social
status. Many developed nations have yet to achieve true social
equality.
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| 12. |
How
old is Islam? |
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Islam is the oldest religion. It is the religion
brought by the first man and the Messenger of Allah, Adam (A).
Many Messengers were sent to mankind at different times and places.
According to Qur-an, all Messengers brought one and the same religion,
i.e. Islam. Qur-an specifically states.
Nothing
is said to you (O Muhammad S) except what was said to the Messengers
before you. (Qur-an 41:43)
Hence,
every messenger propagated nothing else than Islam.
But,
historically the religion of Islam that we know now, is associated
with Muhammad S, the last Messenger of Allah, because, it was
perfected in his time.
Muhammad
S was born on 12th of Rabi ul Awwal in the first year of elephant
coinciding with August 20, 570 AD. At the age of 40 years, he
was appointed as the Messenger of Allah.
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| 13. |
Who
founded Islam? |
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Islam is
a divine religion. Historically, Muhammad S, the last Messenger
of God, gave Islam to us.
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| 14. |
Does
a Muslim have to marry four times? |
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No, it is
not at all necessary. Muslims are only allowed to have four
wives at a time if they so desire. There are some very stringent
conditions for having four wives; which can rarely be met in
today's society. Muslims are not at all compelled by Islam to
have four wives.
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| 15. |
Does
Science contradict Islam? |
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Science
never conflicts with Islam. On the contrary Islam approves of
scientific quests. Qur-an enjoins upon mankind to think and reflect
over the mysteries of the universe.
“And
thus Allah has made clear to you His signs so that you may reflect
about this world and the Hereafter.” (2: 219-20)
“Verily!
In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation
of the night and day, and the ships which sail through the sea
with that which is of use to mankind, and the water (rain) which
Allah sends down from the sky and makes the earth alive therewith
after its death, and the moving (living) creatures of all kinds
that He has scattered therein, and in the veering of winds and
clouds which are held between the sky and the earth, are indeed
signs for men of understanding.” (2: 164)
Muhammad S the Messenger of God is reported to have said:
“Acquire
knowledge even if you have to travel to China.”
“Acquisition
of Knowledge is enjoined upon every Muslim man and woman.”
All
these are clear proofs of the fact that Islam never forbids Muslims
from obtaining knowledge. In fact, the first revelation of Islam,
which was revealed to the Messenger, was about learning.
It
began with the word, “Read,” in the form of a command
to an unlettered person, who was unable to read. But God taught
him what he did not know so that he could enlighten the world
with knowledge and wisdom. And that is the reason why the time
before the advent of Islam is called the Days of Ignorance and
the time after the advent of Islam is known as the Period of Knowledge
and Wisdom.
Muslims
have made significant contributions to the field of science and
other fields of knowledge. The numerals we use are called the
Arab numerals. Credit for the invention of Zero and the decimal
system also goes to Muslims. They had made great contributions
to the field of Mathematics. Algebra is the invention of Arab
Muslims. They had also made significant contributions to the fields
of Medicine and Astronomy. One of the biggest contribution of
Muslims to the world is the preservation of Greek knowledge. All
the work of Greek philosophers and thinkers was saved by the Arabs,
by translating it into Arabic. That knowledge was passed back
to the Europeans.
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| 16. |
Can
Muslim girls/women work? |
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Yes, Muslim
girls and women are allowed to work. Islam never forbids them
from working. In fact the first lady of Islam and the wife of
the Messenger, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid R, was a famous business
woman of Arabia
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| 17. |
What
is fasting in Islam? |
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Fasting
is a kind of worship for self-discipline and self-cleansing, in
which Muslims abstain from all types of eatables, temptations,
wrongdoings and sexual indulgence from dawn to dusk. Muslims are
enjoined to observe month long fasting in the month of Ramadan.
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| 18. |
Why
do Muslims go to Saudi Arabia ? |
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Muslims
usually visit Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj and ‘Umrah.
Hajj and ‘Umrah is a kind of worship enjoined upon Muslims.
Muslims are enjoined to visit Mecca once in their lifetime to
perform Hajj, if they can afford it.
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| 19. |
What
kind of food Muslims eat? |
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Muslims
are allowed to eat all kinds of pure and clean food. However,
Qur-an forbids them from eating pork and drinking alcohol, and
anything that is impure and unhealthy.
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| 20. |
Why
can't Muslims drink Alcohol? |
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Alcohol
is unlawful in Islam because its consumption leads to the imbalance
of a person's mind. Islam tries to prevent a person to go out
of his/her senses. Therefore, Islam has strictly banned the
consumption of liquor
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| 21. |
What
is the difference between Muslims and Christians? |
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Muslims
believe in all the revealed books and the Messengers of Allah
right from Adam A to Muhammad S, and Muhammad S being the last
and final Messenger of Allah. But Christians do not believe in
Muhammad S as the Messenger of God, whereas they do believe in
all other Messengers from Adam to ‘Isa (Jesus). Moreover,
Muslims believe in ‘Isa (Jesus) as a Messenger like all
the other Messengers from Adam A to Muhammad S, whereas Christians
believe in ‘Isa (Jesus) as the only begotten son of God.
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| 22. |
What
is the difference between Muslims and Jews? |
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Muslims
believe in Moses as the rightful Messenger of God, whereas Jews
do not believe in Muhammad S as the last and final Messenger
of God.
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23. |
Can
a Muslim marry a Christian? |
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Muslim
men can marry Christian as well as the Jewish women because Muslims
are allowed to marry people of the Book. However Muslim women
are not allowed to marry the men of the people of the Book. If
Muslim women marry men of other religions, they might be forced
to live with a person who might not like their ways of worship.
On the other hand they might force them to convert to Christianity.
Christian women marrying Muslim men, need not worry about their
religious practices and worships. They can safely practice their
own religion in Muslims homes.
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