In the arne of God , Most Gracious, Most Merciful

='
I'
What is Islam?
Islam is not a new religion , but
the same truth that God revealed
through all His prophets 10every
people. For a fifth of the world' s
population. Islam is both a religion
and a complete way of life. Musli ms
follow a religion of peace, mercy,
and forgiveness, and the majori ty
have no thi ng to do with the
extremely grave events which have
come to be associated with their
faith.
Who are the
Muslims?
On e bi Uion people from a vast range
of races, nati onalitie and cultures
across the globe - from the
southern Philippi nes to Nigeria-
arc uni ted by their common I larnic
faith. About 18% live in the Arab
wor ld; the world's largest Muslim
community is in Indonesi a; sub-
stantial part s of Asia and most of
LEH III the Name u( God, Most Gracious,
Most Merciinl , Praise be to God, '111<'
Chcrishcr 111111 usta iner uf tire Worlds;
Most Gracious, Most Mercii u): Ma ster
of t he Vay of Juds ell/Pll t . TI,e(' do we
toorship, Alld TIIlIIt' aid we seek. Slun
us the st raigh: wall, 1111! way ofthose Oil
tohtnn Thou hast hes tmoed TIIYGrace,
TI' 05e whose Ipo r tion) Is not iorath,
A"d tcho go not as t ras].
11115 O l ~ ' " i " g c11afJlt'r of TIlt' Qurllll, tile
Fatiha, is cmtra in Islamic1' my..r, I!
co"talllStil,' cssenc of Till' <..!lITll n a"d IS
said al til,' start of u \'r.'l Frayer.
Africa are Muslim, while sign ificant
min orities are to be found in the
Soviet Union, China, North and
Sout h America, and Europe.
What do Muslims
believe?
Muslims believe in One, Unique,
Incomparable God ; in the Angels
created by Him; in the prophets
through whom His revelations were
brought to manki nd ; in the Day of
Judgement and individual account-
abi lity for actions; in .od's complete
authori ty over human desti ny and
in life after death. Muslim believe
in a chain of prophets starting with
Adam and including I oah, Abra -
ham, Ishmael, I aac, Jacob, Joseph,
Job , Moses, Aaron , David, olornon.
Elia . Ionah, John the Baptist , and
Jesus, peace be upon them. But
God ' final message to man , a recon-
firmat ion of the eternal message and
a summi ng-up of all that has gone
before was revealed to the Prop het
Muhammad ;:- through Gabriel.
How does someone
become a Muslim?
Simply by sayi ng ' there is no god
apart from God, and Muhammad
is the Messenger of God .' By this
declara tion the believer announces
his or her faith in all God 's me sen-
gers. and the scrip tures they
brought.
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LEFT. Muslims i ll [crusalemoutside
the mosoue of AI Aqs.' uiith lite Ot'me of
the Rock i ll
ABOVE. Beneath the DOllie is the fock [r on:
wlti,11Multa/1/lI/ad ascended through the
St'L\' 1I lieaicns to Dioine presellce.
R1r . A M omccilIl ;11 I' raya
What does 'Islam'
mean?
The Arabic word ' Islam' simply
means ' submission' , and de rives
fro m a word mea ni ng ' peace' . In a
religious context il means complete
submission to the wi ll of God.
' Mohammedan ism' is thus a misn o-
mer because it suggests tha t Mus-
lims worsh ip Muhammad rather
than God. ' Allah' is the Arabic name
for God, which is used by Arab
Muslims an d Christia ns alike.
Why does Islam often
seem strange?
Islam may seem exotic or even
extreme in the modem world . Per-
hap s this is because religion docs
not dominate everyday life in the
West today, wh ereas Muslims have
religion always uppermost in their
minds, and make no division
between secular and sacred. They
believe that the Divi ne law, the
Shari'a,should be taken very ser-
iously, wh ich is wh y issues related
to religion are still so importan t.
Do Islam and
Christianity have
different origins?
No. Toge ther wit h Judaism, they go
back to the pro phet and patri arch
Abraham, and their three prophets
are directly descended from his sons
- Muhan;mad from the eldest ,
Ishma el, and Moses and Jesus
from Isaac. Abraham estab lished the
settlement which today is the city of
Makkah, and buil t the Ka' ba
towa rds which all Muslims turn
when they pray.
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What is the Ka'ba?
Th e Ka'ba is the place of worship
which God commande d Ab raham
and Ishmael to bu ild over four
thousand years ago. The bu ilding
wa s cons truc ted of s tone un wh at
many believe was the ori gi na l site of
a sanf tu<l ry established by Adam.
God comma nde d Abraham to sum"
mon all man kind to visit thi s place.
an d when p ilgrim s go there tod ay
they say 'At Thy service, 0 Lor d' , in
res ponse to Abraham' s summons .

Who is
Muhammad?
Muhammad f:t was bo rn in Milk-
kah in the yt'df 570, at a ti me when
Christianity was no t yet fully estab-
lish ed in Europe . Since h is father
died bef ore his birth, and his
mot her sho rtly afterward s. he was
raised by his uncle from t he
res pected tribe of Quraysh. As he
grew up, he became known for hi s
truthfulness, gen eros ity a nd
sinceriry.so tha t he was sought
after for hi s ability to arb i trate in
di spute s. The his tori ans d escribe
him <IS calm and meditati ve.
Mu hammad W <lS of <I deeply
religious nature, and ha d long detes-
ted the decadence of his society. It
became hi s habit to medi tate from
li me to time in the Cave of I li ra ne ar
the s ummit of Jabal al- Nur, the
'Mo untain of Light' near Makkah.
How did he become a
prophet and a
messenger of God?
At the age of 40, whi le engaged in a
meditative retreat, Muhammad ?::
received h is first revelation from
God through the Angel Gabr iel. Th is
revelat ion. whi ch cont inue d for
twenty-three years. is kn own ...s the
Quran.
As soon as he began 10 recit e the
word s he heard from Gabri el, an d to
prcech the tru th wh ich Cod had
revealed to him, he and h is small
group of followers suffered bitter
pe rsecution , which grew so fierce
that in the year f',22 Cod gave them
the command to emigrate . Th is
event, th e HiJra, ' migr at ion', in
which the y lef t Makkah for the city
of Madi nah some 260 miles to the
north, mar ks the beginning of the
Muslim calendar.
Afte r several years. the Prophet
and h is followers we re able to return
to Makkah, where they forg ave their
en emies and es tablished Islam
definitively. Before the Prophet sa
died at the age of 6), the grea ter part
of Arabia W<l S Muslim, and wi thin a
cen tury of his dea th Islam had
spread to Spai n in the West and as
far East as Ch ina.
TOr Mmml"ilJ of l.l,lIht Il,har Gabriel
It' MIlIW":I>wd,
Tile M ;dmah; til,
,'.>mr mdicmcs. Ihe wl!!"r,' his halN '
'Itnl al1du.'llc,-c lie I$/""i,',j
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How did the spread of
Islam aff ect the
world?
1 I' 'Iil) Matia), lurllll . EXTHl \ 1I LI H /11/ "111-
,'g ; /1/I1('11 IS il/ Caira, f !lSP/. f Ail LHT,
UQVI I'll,' d-.:lllwlI lI W ltll/1i /'li 5ill -':!1
O/Is"rlmo"/, 1",1ill. BEW \\' : 5111/1f l A,,'b m
1I;/T(I'WIII,'; Io<flll / . Ll f l :
uj stud, ,lil11llrii flllia . ABOVE, PrUI" rd
said, . ' ".:k ',l 'lI ;/1 10Chma: 1'11<'
HlI/ I/w"1u <' 1m ' lnult tn l ire",\'11 /1,
(:,' /11II I'y.
-
Among the reason for the rapid and
peacefu l sprea d of Islam wa the
simplicity of its doctrine-I slam calls
for fai th in on ly One Go d worth y
of worsh ip. It also repeatedly
instructs mall to use his po wers 0 1
intelligence a nd obser vation .
Within a few years, grea t .ivili-
za tions and uni versities wer e flour-
ishing, for acco rd ing 10 till'
Prophct ! ' ,'seeking knowl edge i
an obliga ti n for every Mu lim man
and wo man' . Th e s nthe is of
Eastern and W tern ideas a nd of
new though t with old, bro ug ht
about gre at adva nce in me dicine,
mat he mati cs, physic , ast ronomy,
geogra phy, archi tecture , a rt, litera-
ture, and history. Many cruci al s s-
I rn uch a a lgebra , the Arabi c
numerals, a nd also th COIK' pt of
the zero (vital to the advancem nt of
mnthcrnat irs). wer e trans miu zd to
medi eval Europe from I lam. a phis-
ticatcd inst rument s whi ch wer e 10
make po sible the Eur opea n voy-
ilges of di . m very we re deve loped ,
includ ing the astrolabe, the quad-
rant and goo d navigat ional maps.
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Wha t is the Qumn?
Th e Quran is.l recor d of th . exact
wo rds reve aled by ud through the
All gl'l ,ahril' l lo the l'rophe t
Mu hamllwd . It W.I S memorized
by Muham mad and th 'II d ie-
tated to h is ornp aruo ns. and
writ ten d'IWIl by scribes, who
cross-che ked It duri ng his lifet nne.
ot nne word nl its 11.1chapters,
5"ms, has been lh'lIlg xl over th
cen turies, so that the Quran IS III
c cry detai l the uniq ue and rmraru-
(IlUS tex t whi h W.1S reveal e-d to
MlIh. IIT1T11,ul fLlllril'l'n centuries
.1gO.
What is the Qurm!
nbout?
1111' Qur.m. Ih 1,1... 1rc vcah- I Wllld III
God, is the prim source of vverv
Muslim's Iaith and practice. It Je.lls
wi th .1111hc subject whi h xinccrn
us ,15 human b nngs : wisdom, doc -
trine wors hip, and law, bu l ils b,lSic
Itwme the reliltiul1shlp bctWCl'1l
,LId .1Ild Ilis -rC,l IUTl' . AI Ih l'
lime it provi des gu idl' linc. for ,1 just
. o iety. proper human cond u I and
d n CLJui l,l bll' I'CO110 111ic svstern
Are there any other
sacred sources?
Yes, th ' the pracrio -and
exampic of lhe Prophet <:<: , is the
s 'com! au thoritv for Muslim. . l\
liadllli is a rdial;lv transmitted report
of wh.u the Prop het sal d. did. or
approved. Bl'Ill'f III III , 111111111" part
of the lslami .. laith.
Examples of the
Prophet's sayings
TIl > Prophet i!: said
'Gil d luis 1/11 IIIaClI 01/ 01/(' 1/ 110 luis
I/O /lII' r (l/ Jo r ot hers. '
' NOlI" " ('/011 I nily unt il hr
wishes [ar lus broth..r u-lutt hc
tuishr /i,r ltitn cl], '
' I I,' 11,1/(1 cat his {ill trhi!his lll'igh-
uo,. wII/wIII {(Jot! is 1101 a
')('/;'7'1'/:'
'TIll' truthful and trusty bllSilleSSII/II I1
is associat ed with the prophets, 1/11'
saints. and the marturs, '
' Powerful is 1/01 he who kn ocks the
ot her dOWlI, indeed potoerfu! is he
toho COl/trois himself ill II fit of IIllger. '
' Cod does /101 j udge according 10
your bodi es and appearances but
Il l' SCIIIIS your hearts and looks into
YOllr deeds.'
'A "WIl walkillg al ong 1/ path felt
1Jery Ihirsl y. Reaching a well Ill'
descended int o it, drunk his fi ll and
ClI llle up. Then Ill' saw a dog ioith
its tongue hlll/gillg 0111, Iryil/g 10 lick
up ntud to quench its thirst . The
II/Il/I -mv that the dog was [eeling the
sallie thirst as he had {ett so he ioent
dOWI/ into the well again and f illed
his shoe toith wafer and galle the
dog II drink. Cod [orgaue his si ns for
thi s action,' TI,e Prophet -- was
asked: 'Messenger of we
rewarded for kindness towards ani -
mal s?' Il l' said, 'There is a rewa rd for
kindness 10 euenj Ii1Jillg thing.'
From the haditli collections of
Bukhari , Muslim, Tirmidh i and
Bayhaq i
What are the 'Five
Pillars' of Islam?
TIley are the fram ework of the
Muslim life: fait h, pra yer, conce rn
for the needy, self- puri ficat ion, and
the pilgrima ge to Makkah for those
wh o arc able.
FAITH
Th ere i no go d wort hy of worship
exce pt Go d and Muhammad is His
messen ger. This declaration of fa it h
is called the Shahada, a s imple
formu la which a ll the faith ful p ro-
nounce . In Arabic, the first pa ri is
{a il aha illa' Llah - ' the re is no
god I' .cept Cod ' ; ilaha (go d) can
refer to an thing which we may be
tempted to put in place of Cod -
wealt h, power, and the like. Then
comes illa'Ualr : ' except Cod' , the
source of all Cr ea tion. The eco nd
part of the Shuluuta is lvlulwlIl/1/adllll
msuiu' Llah: ' Mu ha mmad i th e
messenger of God : A messa ge of
gui da nce has come t hrough a man
like ourselves .
SEW W Shaha da i Il 5,Ti/"'d otvr el/ lral/c, ' III
OltonmnTtlp/illpi Palace(lltc 1/1II5['UI/l COl/-
Iilills a 1/U11/11t' i w m tlr,' ('rvp/i el . al l/Vl/S
otherIrensur/, s), I Sltl l/ lm/.
I
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ABOVE: New Mn ll:o, L1. .A. Pmyer call
[r omAlJiql/lII Mosqlle
A tra n slation of the all to Prayer i :
God is most grea t. God is mo st great.
God is most gr eat. God i mo st great.
[ tc tily that ther e is no god except Go d.
I Ie stify tha t ther e is no god except Go d.
I test ify that Mu ha mmad i th > messenger of od .
I test ify tha t Mu hammad i th me. senger of God.
Come to prayer! Co me to prayer!
Corne to succe ss (in this life a nd
the He reafte r)! orne to sue e !
God is mo st grea t. Go d i most grea t.
There i no god except Go d .
RI HT: COllrtyard of Grcai M o ~ q l l ' . Herat,
fs/ rallis/all
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A piou s person may also gi ve as
much as he or she pleases .1S SlIrlll q ll,
and does so preferably in secret.
Although this word can be trans-
lated as ' voluntary cha rit " it has a
wider meaning. The Pr phet - 'aid
' 1'l'1'1I meeting !l0llr brothrr toith II
cheeriu! [ace is chari ty. '
111l' Prophet said: ' Chllri ty is
a ncccssitu for 1'l'l'm III'
l 'IIS asked: ' l VI/tI1 if 1I1'I'rSOIl 1111
nothing?' TIll ' I'ropht'f replied:
'JIt' should u -ark uiith his 011'11
lutuds Ii" his I'I'III'/il IIl1d tlteng] ' 1'
something 0111 Ilf ' lIch earnings ill
cluiritu. ' tt asJ..,'d:
' l \'II,' t if II ' is 1101 able I" cork?'
nil' I'ro/,III'I sui d: 'JiI' shoul d
hclp puor /IIUlllcedYI'crsoll ", ' The
Compnmou [urthcr asked ' \vhI if
lu: cunnot do etvn that?' I},I'
Prophet said ' f it' shuult! III:':l'
othcr 10 do good. ' 17'l' 011/1'1111-
ions said '\VI"rt if III' lacks tltat
II!-tJ!' 71Il' Prophet , slIid '1/1'
should check himscl] (mill d"illS ''1,11,
'171111 is 11150 cltarit u.'
3 THE 'ZAKAT'
One of the most importa nt pri n-
ciples of I lam is tha t all things
belong to Cod, and that wealt h is
there fore held by human beings in
trust, The wo rd zakat means both
' puri fication' and 'growth' . Our po -
sessions are purifie d by etting
a -ide a proport ion for those in ne d ,
and, like the pruning of plants, this
cutting back balances and encour-
ages new growt h.
E.1 h Mu lim calculates his or he r
own :Ilkll l indi i Iually. Frill st
purposes thi involves th ' pay ment
each year of tw and a half pe ent
of one's capital .
/ll '\ I i."""Ilze 1]",";11, ' ,,'illtlll
,I .v. l "1m
1'1\J 'I I I '1 It, lit I ; 'r_" ,,,11/ III' , 1",/,/, I
\ 1. /111 1Il . 1 1....):""lIi, 111//11/1" 111'1 trriitrn
'''''11''.1 ' 11'" '" tlu: -tul "'111/'1'" 111".1 1/1
/'.'/ ill,111'//"10' ,
A BOVE: Persiall mihrab , wllielt indicates
dir ectio n or prayer. Oller A1uslims
prll yeri lOll'arris [erusatcm, but dur i ng II,e
Prophet'lifetime il ell/Hlged10
MaU ah. From the minbar, the pulpit, the
imam wlz o leadthe prayergzt'es lit e ermoll
at th.. Friday 110 011 commllluly prayers.
"r. ,
r -' f
, T ,
AIlOVE; Karl/ilia, Nigeria.
Z I' lv\YEI{
ulat is the name for the obliga tory
prayers whi ch are performed five
times a day, and are a direct link
between the worship per and Co d.
There is no hi era rchical aut hority in
Islam, and no priests , so the prayers
are led by a learn ed pers on who
knows the Qu ran, chosen by the
congregation. The e five prayers
conta in verses from the Qu ran, and
arc said in Arabic, the language of
the Revelation , but personal suppli-
cation can be offered in one's own
language.
Prayers are said at dawn, noon,
mid -aftern oon , sunset and nightfall,
and thu s det erm ine the rhythm of
the enti re day. Although it is prefer -
able 10 worship together in a
mosqu e, a Muslim may pray almost
anywhere, such as in fields, offices,
factories and un iversities. Visitors to
the Muslim world are struck by the
centrality of prayers in daily life.
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4 HIE FAST
Every year in the mont h vf Rama-
dan , all Mu sli ms fas t from first ligh t
until s und own, abstai n ing from
food, d ri n k, an d sexua l relat ions.
Those who are s ick, elderl y, or on a
journey, and women who preg-
na nt or nur si ng are permitt ed to
brenk th e fast and make up an eq ual
nu mber of days later in th . year. If
th ey ar physically unable to do th is,
the y mus t feed J n edy person for
l' \'Cry da misse d. Ch ild ren begin to
fast (an d to observe the pr, yer) fr rn
puberty, althoug h ma ny sta rt -arli cr,
Although the fast is most benefi -
cial to the health, it is regarded prin-
cipally as a method of self-
pu rifica tio n. By ult ing oneself off
from worldl y c rnf orts, vcn f r a
sho rt time, a fastlllg person gallls
true .ympathy with those who '0
hungry as w ,II <IS gro\ th in one's
spiri tua l life.
5 PILGR IMA GL (Hajj)
Th e an nual pi lgrimage to Makkah -
the Hajj - is an obliga tion only for
those who ar e physically an d finan-
cially able to perform it. Ne ve rt he -
less, a bout two mi llion people go to
Mak kah each year from every comer
of the globe providing a uniq ue
opportunity for thos of d iffe rent
natio ns to me t (In anot her.
t Ithou gh I la kka h i always filled
with visi tors, the annual l /ajj b gi ns
in the tw elfth month of the Islamic
year (whi ch is lunar, not olar ,
that Hllij and Ra mada n fall some-
times in summe r, sometimes in
win te r). Pilgrims wear special
clothes: SImple garment which
strip aWilY d istincti ons of class and
cultu re, 0 that all s t.md 'qual before
od.
-
,\ 1l 0vr" Pligrill/ ; prayill g III ttu: 1I1(I; tj l/ t' ill

l'ilsrill/ 1,'1/ IS,
HFLOW PI/SUII/S Ilmll' {rOIl/IlIl 011.'1 111l' lIw ld .
TIle ri tes of the Hajj, which are of
Abraharnic ori gin, include ci rcling
the Ka' ba se ve n times , and goi ng
seven times betwee n the mounta ins
of Safa and Marwa as d id Hagar
d uring her search for wa ter. Then
the pi lgrims tand together on the
wi de plain of Arafa a nd join in
p rayers for Go d's Iorgi ven e s, in
what is often tho ugh t of as a pre-
view of the Las t Judgemen t.
In pr evious centuries th Hajj was
an ard uous undertaking. Toda y,
however, Saudi Ara bi a provides
mi llions of people wi th wat er,
mod em tra ns port , a nd the most
up-to-date health facilit ies.
TIle close of the Hajj is marked by
a fest ival , the Eitt al-Adha, which is
celebra ted with prayer s and the
exchange of gifts in Mu slim commu-
nities everywhere. Thi s, and the Eid
1I 1- Fil r, a feas t-d ay commemorating
the en d of Ramad an. are the mai n
festi vals of the Mus lim calendar.
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Does Islam tolerate
other beliefs?
The Qura n says: God forbids yOIl
1101, toith regards 10 those who fight
yoII 11 01 for [your] [aith nor dri e yoII
0 11 1 of YOllr homes, [rom dmlillg
kindb] III/d jllstly toith them: for God
looeth those iolto lire [ust .
(Q u ra n, '0: ) .
It is o ne fun ction of Islamic law to
protect the pri vileged status of min -
orities, and this is wh non-Muslim
places of worship have flouri shed all
over the Islamic wo rld. History pro-
vides many examples of Muslim
toleran ce towards other fai ths : whe n
the caliph Oma r entered [erusalern
in the year 634. Islam granted free-
dom of worship to all religi ou s com-
muni ties in the cirv.
Islamic law also 'peml its non-
Muslim minorit ie to , et up their
own courts , which implement
family laws d r,PNn up by the mi n-
ori ties themselves.
ABOVE: Mosque oi Omar /IIul h/ndl of the
Holy Sepllichre, [erusalem. Wirellilremlillh
Omllr look [erusalemfrom IIII' ByZlIllIIllI'S,
he mststedall ellullllg tile Cll y unth ollly 1/
nnall llUmber of his comllll1riolls.
Proclaiming 10 the IIlhabll/llllSthat their
hues and properly Wer(' safe, alldtha! Ihl'/r
places of worship would lIellerbe II/ kell
[ramthem, he asked Ihe Clms liall llllirinrch
SoplrrOllll/ S10 accompallYhimall a visit !
all lire 1:01.11 places.
71, e Patriarch inuited him 10 pralj ill the
Churd! of IheHolySepulchre, blll 'I, l'
preferred 10 pray outside its gates, sayillg
tha! if Ire accepted, latergellerallol's of
illig III lise tus acti on I/S 1/11 , Cl/ ,,'Io
IlIrll it intoa mosque, About' is tile mosque
buil! all the 51'01tuhere Omar did pray.
Ill GHT: ArcorcJi'lg 10 tslatn, 1111111 is 1101 bam
111 'original sill' He is God's vicegerent on
earth, [ ve'll child 15 bom until the Iitra, ' /I I
illllale dlSFositioll lowards Vlrt ll e.
k'lowledge. and I,e/Hlly. lslanrconsiders
itself 10 be the 'primordial religion', din
aJ-ha nif; II seeks to rel ll n! 111111110
arigl1lal, lrue lIaltne illwhiri! he is ill
harmO/ llj wllh erealioll. l1lsTJired 10 dogood.
alldcollfirlll/llg Ihe O,/elless of God.
What do Muslims
think about Jesus?
Mus lims respe ct and revere
Jesus 'l:: ,and awai t his Seco nd
Co ming. 1111' 1' cons ide r hi m one of
the greates t of God' s messen gers to
mankind. A Mus lim never refers to
him s imply as ' le u ', but always
adds the phrase ' upon him be
peace' . 1111." Quran confi rms his vi r-
gi n birth (a chapter of the Quran is
enti tled ' Mary' ), and Mary is con-
side red the pure t woman in all
creation. 1111." Qura n descri bes the
Annunciat ion as follows:
'Behold!' lilt' Ange! said, 'God has
chosen 1/011, und purif ied yOIl, and
c/WSI'II yOIl above I "I' uionten of a//
I/II/ ioIl S. 0 Man} , God gives yOIl
good lIeW5 of II toord from
whose numc shall be 1"1' Me Sill",
[esus 50 11 of Mary, l IOII OYl'd i ll this
world II l1d the Herest[t er, untl aile
of those brought near 10 God. 111'
slutll ' peak 10 1"1' people f ro111 his
cradle II l1 d ill maturitu, II l1 d shull be
of the righ teous. '
She said: '0 Illy Lord! How shall
I hllve a 50 11 tok en 110 man lias
touched me?' He said: 'E I'll so; God
creates toluu He will . Whell He
decrees II thing, He sllys / 0 it, "Be!"
and it is.' (Quran. 3=42' 7)
Jesus ' .= W,lS born miraculous ly
through t h sa me power which
ha d brought Ada m :.:, into be ing
without a fat he r:
Tntly, the lik eness of [esus with God
is a - the likeness of dum. Ile ere-
atetl him of dust , and IIII'll said 10
him, ' Be!' and he WIIS. (Y 59)
During his prophetic mission j t' 5LJ :;
- performed many miracles.
The Qu ran tells us tha i hi' said:
I /11/ 'I' COli /(' /0 .'10 11 uiith II sign from
yOllr Lord: I I1Il1ke for yOIl alit of
d ay, as it wert' , th e f igllre of II bird,
1111/1 breathe int o it IIl1d it becomes
II bird by God's lelive. And 1 heal the
blind, ami Ihe lepers, and l raise the
dead by God's leaue. (:1 :41)
I either Muhammad nor jesus
. - lame to change the basi doc-
tri ne of the belief in One Go d,
broug ht by ea rlie r prophets, but to
confi rm a nd renew it. In th e Quran
jes us v. is r po rt ed as saying tha t
he cilme:
10 at tes t the law tohich was before
me. And 10 IIIl1ke latoful 10 yOIl purt
of tnhaI was fo rbidden YOII; I have
co111 I' 10 110 11 with a s ign [rom yOllr
Lord, so j'ear God II l1d obey Me. (3=50)
The Prophet Muhammad said:
WllOever bel ieves there is 11 0 god bill
God, 1110111' uiithout partner, thai
,\o1U/1/1II111I11d is His l1I essl?1Igel;
thai [esus is the seroaut and ntes-
seliger of God, His word breathed into
Mllry and /l spiri t t'lIl/l1I lIt illg f rolll
l1il1l, alld tI/tll Paradise alld Hell lire
Ime, shall be receiued III! God illto
1it'llvell. (Harlillt from Bukhari )
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'
Why is the family
so important to
Muslims?
. 1eIarnil . is the foundat ion of Is-
lamic societ y. The pc .1Ce and
sec urity offered b. .. s table fam ily
unit is great ly valued. and s n as
essential for the s piritua1zrc\ th of
its members. A harmonious social
orde r is creat ed by h i .tcn of
e tend ed families ; childr n are
treasured. and rarelv leave ho me
un til th li me they many.
AIlOV[ Af,,,hmll sti1ll. I HI 1<1155111 . (\[lOW;
['ok/stall . RIGI I!" c . \ ~ I I I 1 . !-AI( I<ICHI ElIslmlil.
/\ IlUVI" Morocw.
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What about Muslim
women?
( lam sees a woman , wh ether sing le
or ma rried, as an indiv idual in her
own righ t, wit h the right to own and
disp o e of her property and e<:J m-
ings. A marriage dowry is given by
the groo m to the bride for her own
personal use, and she keep s her own
family name rather than taking her
hu sband' s.
Both men and women are
expected to dr ess in a way which is
modest an d dignified; the trad ition s
of female dr ess found in some
Muslim countries are often the
express ion of local cu toms.
The Messenger of G o d ; ~ sai d:
'T"L' 1II0 t perfect i ll fait " 11 1110llgs1
bclieuers is Ill' toho is [JCSI i ll
JllII/II/('r and kinde st to "is wi fe.'
Can a Muslim have
more than one 'wife?
The religion of Islam was revealed
for all societies an d all times and 0
accommod ates wid ely differin g
soci al requi rements. Circumstances
may warran t the taking of anothe r
wi fe but the right is granted, accord-
ing to the Quran , on ly on con d ition
that the hu sband is scru pulous ly
fair.
(l OCKWISE MIISIII II.'; {mill Turkcsmu, 5((Jt
land, Saudi Ambln. D"Il l'II1,-k. .'181'1
Is Islamic marriage
like Christian
matriage?
A Mu lim marri age is not a ' sacra-
ment' , but a si mp le, legal agreement
in wh ich ei ther partner is free to
incl ude con ditions. Marri age cus-
toms thus vary widely from country
to country. As a result , divorce is
not commo n, althoug h it is no t for-
bidden as a last resort. Accord ing 10
Islam, no Muslim girl can be forced
to m,ln)' agains t her will: her
par en ts will simply suggest young
men they think may be su itabl e.
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The Prophet ;- aid : ' Ask God for
certaint u [of faith] 11 /111uiell-being;
for aj ter certaintu, I/ O one is gil't." til ,!!
gift bet ter than healt h!'
If tJ,t'Y seek peace, then seck y OIl
peace. Ami trust in God fo r HI' is th e
01/1' that heareth 1//111 knouieth all
thi ngs. (8:61)
War , the refore, is the last resort ,
and i ubject to the rigoro us condi -
tion s laid down bv the sacred law.
The term ji lrad liter ally mean ' tru g-
gle', and l us lims bel ieve that the re
are two ki nd s of ji lrad. The ot he r
'jilrad'i the inne r s truggle which
everyone wages against egotist ic
desires, for the sake of att ain ing
inner peace.
What about food?
Althou gh mu ch s impler tha n the
dietary law followe d by Jews and the
early Chris tians, the code which
M usli ms ob se rve forbids the con-
su mption of pig meat or an y kind of
intoxicating dri nk. The Prophet
tau ght that ' your body has rights
over you ' , an d the consumption of
wholesome food an d the lead ing of a
healthy lifestyle are seen as religio us
ob ligations.
Like Christianity, Islam pe rmi ts
fighting in se lf-defence, in defen ce
of religion, or on the part of those
who have bee n expelled forcibly
from their homes. It lavs down strict
nil es of com bat which' includ e pro-
hibit ions against harming civilian
and agai nst destroying crops, trees
and livestock. As Muslims see it ,
injustice would be t riumph an t in
the world if good men were not
prepared to risk their live in a
righteous cause. The Quran say ' :
figll l ill IIII' cause of God ilgaill sl
tI' OSI' toho fig ht yOIl, but do 1101
transgress limi ts. God does 1101 loue
transgressors. (2: J( )
What does [slam say
about war?
flow do Muslims
view death?
Like Jews and Christia ns, Muslims
believe tha t the pre ent life is only
a tria l preparation for the next
realm of existence . Basic articles of
faith include: the D.1Y of Ju lgerncnt ,
resurrection . 11,'.1ven an d Hell.
When a t\ uslim d ies. he or she is
wa shed , u<; u.,lly b. a family
member, vrapped III .1 clean white
cloth, and bu ried \ -ith a simple
pr;'lyt' r preferab ly the am day.
Mus lims ro n ider t h i ~ one of the
fina l se rvice thev C.1I1 do for their
r elatives, an d an ' oppurtunity to
remember their own bri ef existence
here on ear th . I'he Prophe t ;-
taught tha t thr e thi ngs l , n continu e
to hel p a per<; on even aft e r death;
charity which he ha d giv n, kn owl -
edg , which he had tau rht and
praye r: on the ir iehalf by a
righteous child .
[-]ow do Muslims
treat the elderly?
In the Islam ic world there are no old
people's homes. The s train of caring
for one' s parents in thi s most diffi-
cult ti me of their lives is con sidered
an honor and blessing , and an
opportunit y for great spiritual
gro wth. God as ks that we not on ly
pray for our parents, but act wi th
limit less compassion, remembering
that when we were helpless children
they preferred us to themselves.
[oth ers are par ticular ly honored :
the Prophet .: ~ taught that ' Paradise
lies at the feet of mothers' . When
they reach old age, Mu slim pa rents
are treated rn erci fullv, with the same
kindness and selfles sness.
In Islam, serving one 's parents is a
du ty second only to pr ayer, and it is
their right to expect it. It is con
sidc red desp icable to exp ress any
irr itati on when , through no fault of
their own, the old beco me di fficult.
The Qura n says: YOllrLord lias
commanded that yOIl toorship 110111'
[II/t Him, and be kind to parents . If
either or both of tI'ClII reach old age
toith yOIl, do 1I0t say 'uf]' t o them or
chide them, bill speak 10 them ill
terms ofhonor IIII/ i kindness. Treat
them wit h humilitu, and say, 'My
Lord! TIi/VI' lIIer cy 0 111111'11I, f or IJ".y
di d care f or IIII' tohen l Wi lSlittle'.
( l T 2 -'I)
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Cultural
diversity
reflected
in Mosque
Architecture
The Mosque of iii Id ull
Itns been n em lrr 0-1':;'1'11111I: since tltc IImr
969. Studellts attend fr01l1 Ul W the"lIIls-
lnn uorli! RIGHT' Ncu: Mrxlco, U.S.A.
FAR RI HT Iml/. EXTREME RIGHT: 1\1fal i .
)
..-,
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Islam in the United
States
It is almos t impossible to generalize
abo ut American Muslims: converts,
immigrants, factory workers, do c-
tors ; all are making their own contri-
but ion to Ameri ca' s future. This
complex community is un ified by a
commo n fai th, un derpinned by a
countrywide net work of a thousand
mosq ues.
Musl ims were ear lv arrivals in
No rth America, By the eighteenth
century there were ma ny thou sands
of 'hem, working as slaves on plan-
tat ion . Th ese earl y communities ,
cut off from thei r heri tage and fami-
lies, inevi tab ly lost their Islami c
identity as time we nt by . Tod ay
rn anv Afro-American Muslims play
an import ant role in the Islami c
community.
The ninet eenth centu ry. however,
saw the beginni ngs of an influ x of
Arab Muslims, most of whom
settled in the ma jor ind ustria l cen-
ters where they worshipped in hired
rooms. The earl y twentiet h century
witnessed the arri val of everal hun-
dr ed thou sand Muslims from
Eastern Europe: the first Albanian
mosque was opened in Maine in
1915; others soon followed, and a
group of Polish Muslims opened a
mosque in Brooklyn in 1928.
In 1947 the Wash ington lslarni
Center was founded during the term
of President Truman. and several
nat ionwide organi zations were se t
up in the fifties. The same peri od
sa w the establishme nt of othe r com-
muniti es whose lives wer e in many
ways mod elled after Islam. More
recent ly, numerous members of
these groups have entered the fold
of Muslim or thodoxy. Today there
are about five million Muslims in
Ameri ca.
IUCI I I . ..\ 60':( & n .\: I El : rill ' 1"/1111//(
Cul tuml CCIII..,. Wn.,lt i llg/o// Cl<:
BELOW- f'11!c, li"illlr ,".1//"lilll
III'XCOIl . L"II i', ,,ill ,' , }\('I/I//cl;.'/.
Hotu does Islam
guarantee human
rights?
Freedo m of consc ience is laid down
by the Quran itself: ' 11/1'1'1' is 110
compulsion ill religion'. (2:256)
Th e life and property of all citi-
zens in an Islamic s tate are con-
sidered sacred wh eth er a pc ' on is
Muslim or not.
Racism is inc rnprehen ible to
Iuslims, for the Quran speaks of
human equali in the foil wi ng
terms:
o mankind! IV... created you / 1'11111 (I
sing! 50111, male (lilt! [enui lc,
uuuic yOIl into nat ions (11/1/ t Tl/J('S, so
that you may COllie to kno v 0111' .
an othe r: Trulu, tile 1II 0St honared oJ
you in God's' sig/l t is the greatest .
of you ill piety. God is All-Knouiing,
All-Aware. (4lP3)
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Islam in the United
States
It is almost impossible to ge ne ralize
about Am erican Iuslirns: converts,
immigra nts, factory workers, doc-
tor s; all are maki ng thei r own contri-
bution to Ame rica's future. 111 is
comple x commun ity is u nifi ed by a
commo n fai th, un derp inned by a
co untrywi de net work of a thousan d
mo ques,
Mu slims were early arrival s in
No rth Am erica. By the ei gh teenth
cen tury ther e were ma ny thousands
of them, workin g as slaves on plan-
tati on s. These earlv communities,
cut off from thei r heritage and fam i-
lies inevi tably lost their Islamic
ide:llity as ti n", e went by. Today
ma ny Afro- Am er ican Musli ms play
an importan t role in the Islam ic
community.
The nineteenth cen tury. however,
saw the beginnings of an influx of
Arab Musl ims, most of whom
settled in the major industria l cen-
ter s where they worsh ipped in hired
roo ms . Th e ear ly twen tieth ce ntury
wi tne ssed the a rriv al of several hun-
d red thousand Mus lims from
Easte rn Europe: the first Albanian
mosque was ope ne d in Mai ne in
1915; others soon followed, and a
gro up of Polish Mu slims opened a
mosque in Brooklyn in 1928.
In 1947 the Washi ngton Islamic
Ce nte r was founded duri ng the term
of President Truman, and se ve ral
nationwide organiza tions were set
up in th e fift ies. 111e sa me period
saw th e esta blishment of other com-
munities whose lives were in ma ny
wa ys mode lled after Isla m. Mor e
recen tly, numerous members of
these groups have entered th e fold
of Musli m or tho doxy. Today there
are about five million Mu slims in
America.
Il lCI \'I : ,\H( lVL & ("1':\"1m The
Clll t lll11l ( "/ll cl , LX
BELOW Lcadl/l,\ [J1l1..stiuinn MIlslilll
SlIrgt'(lll , J-:t'IItlIcky.
How does Islam
guarantee human
right s?
Free dom of conscience is laid down
b r the Quran itse lf: 'There is no
compulsion in religion'. (2:256)
The life and property of all ci ti -
ze ns in an Isla mic state are con-
side red sa cred whether a pers on is
usli m or not.
Racism i incom rehen ible to
luslirns, for the Quran speaks of
human equality in th e following
terms:
o niankindl \\'e created y OIl [rom 11
si ngle 5 0111, 11/111(' and [cmale, l1/11i
made I/ VII into nat ions and tribes, SII
that /lillY come to knoui 0 111'
another: Trulu, tire most honored II/
y OIl ill God's' sight is ,the gnlIll'sl .
of yOIl ill piet y. God ts All-Knouiiug,
All-Awn re. (4<P})
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THI' WORLD
Ih , ' Mushrn pnpulanon 1)( the wor ld IS ar ound om billio n. Musl lmor;, 11 \,(" }\.uc1..:: hl
1(l ' (If Il vl' In the .... ubomtrnem , 2U' , i n ' Ut1S.l hllr dn At ti ca, l " In e;., tulhr .l "'l
1\...1.1. IS' in rh\' Ar...b world, lO' .. In the Union a nd Chm., Turkev, h omlind .
{lI l11Ni.... HI' of the non- Arab .'vl iJ J lt.' t.J::o t ther e Hi' rn .111""10,1
t' \ "l' r y .He.' . Ind udln): I,llin Anwr il"l an d AUfol r.Jliol. th'Y .111 most n urncrou In rh",
Unio n. Indl.t. a nd o-mral "' !r lr J I he ll' ;)lV rm lho n Muslim...In the Umlt"J SIJ IL'"
I 'HutOCRAPHIC Chester Librarv '\. e, 4. Ahs l.1H Duncan r; .2H Tt'xts
'J, , ... ,"i I ii, 15. lR, hi . ::!" JJ .l.'. :l ;, 14: b l.Hnir l"' rL.... S. 2,\. ::t1. RoJ. :md
SHn.J -I. n, u t, t j , '4 . ; 1. 1) . 2-1.16. 14: Pen-r lunJN " 1'I , 9. I;;. zz, :..t. 25, "7. 21'
A. Cas h 14 Sham ..-d-d in Tll",Il ,Hutcr 1 l),I'I.' il.! Runnaclc.. 22 Sygm.I :7
a manktnd! We created yOIl from a
0111, male and [enutle, and
made you into nations and tribe , so
that you may come to knoto Jl C
anotlu r. Truly , ttie 11I0 I honored of
you ill God's 'igJrI i. the greatest o!
YOll i ll piely. God IS All-Knotuing,
All-Aware. (Quran. 49: 1))
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