Islam teaches the submission and surrender to the will of God. It originated from the teachings of prophets throughout history, with the final prophet being Muhammad in the 6th century. The two main sources of Islamic teachings are the Quran, which is the direct revelation from God, and the Hadith, which are the sayings of the prophet Muhammad. One becomes a Muslim by declaring that "There is no object of devotion save God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God." This declaration wipes away all past sins and allows one to start anew in serving God.
2. What is Islam?
The name quot;Islamquot; simply means quot;Self-surrender to the Will
of God.quot; It is the way of life that all Prophets throughout
history have taught, from those known in the Western world
such as Abraham, Moses and Jesus to those sent to other
parts of the earth like Salih, Shu'ayb and Luqman, the African.
The last and final Guide was Muhammad, may he be
blessed, who lived in sixth century Arabia. A quot;Muslim,quot;(i.e.. a
self surrendered one,) is a follower of this faith. Nearly one in
every five persons alive today is a Muslim.
3. What does Islam teach?
Islam calls humanity to the service of the One, Omnipotent
Creator, Who is known as quot;Allah, quot; (for Muslims the greatest and
most inclusive of the Names of God) in the Arabic language. It
further instructs people on how they may live together in peace
and harmony regardless of race, class or beliefs.
The unity of purpose brought by all previous religious guides
is highlighted as well as traditional morality, the equality of the
sexes before God and the virtues of patience and humbleness.
He is God, the One God Independent and sought by all; He begets
not, nor is begotten, and there is none like unto Himquot; (The Holy
Qur 'an – 112)
4. Where do these teachings come from?
Muslims have two major sources from which they derive
their religious teachings.
The first is a book known as quot;the Quran,quot; the direct Revelation
of God to His last Prophet, the blessed Muhammad.
The second source is the collected sayings and
pronouncements of the Prophet which are complimentary to the
Revelation. These are known as quot;the Hadith.quot;
5. Who is Muhammad(pbuh)?
Muhammad (pbuh) was only a man among men who
received the special favor of God. No true Prophet of God
taught that any man must be worshipped, as if any human body
could contain the infinite.
God instructs us in the Quran about him thus:
quot;Muhammad is no more than Messenger. Many were the
Messengers who passed away before him...quot;((The Holy Qur 'an
– 3:144.)
*pbuh: acronym for “Peace be upon him”, a phrase that Muslims often say after saying the
name of the prophet Muhammad.
6. How does one become a Muslim?
There are no elaborate rituals or ceremonies to perform to
enter Islam (Self-Surrender to God), for Islam is the faith of
reason, and therefore it takes an exercise of reason to become
a Muslim.
Simply by declaring and believing in one's heart the
following phrase: quot;There is no object of devotion save God
and Muhammad is the Messenger of God,quot; one thereby is a
believer.
As a consequence of making this statement sincerely,
everything an individual did that was wrong or unethical in his
life up to that point, is forgiven by God, no matter what it was.
From that moment onwards, the slate is cleared and you begin
life again as a new person.