Islam is a monotheistic religion founded by the prophet Muhammad that teaches submission to the will of God (Allah) as revealed in the Quran and through the teachings and practices of Muhammad. It is the second largest religion in the world with over 1.8 billion followers. The core beliefs and practices of Islam are derived from the sacred texts of the Quran and Hadith, which provide the divine revelations and traditions of Muhammad respectively.
2. ISLAM is an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion teaching that there is
only one God (Arabic: Allah), and that Muhammad is the messenger
of God. It is the world's second-largest religion with over 1.8 billion
followers or 24% of the world's population, most commonly known
as Muslims.
3. The word “Islam” is derived from an Arabic word which means
“submission,” “surrender,” or “obedience.” A secondary derivative of the
Arabic word is “peace.” Taken together, “Islam” means that one can only
achieve peace through complete submission to the will of God as revealed to
his Prophet, Muhammad. The god of Islam is called Allah. The word
“Muslim” means a follower or one who is submitted to Allah and Islam as
revealed in the Qur’an and the sayings and practices (Sunnah) of Muhammad
recorded in the Hadith.
5. Muslims believe that Islam is a faith that has
always existed and that it was gradually
revealed to humanity by a number of prophets
such as Jesus, David, Moses, Abraham, Noah
and Adam, but the final and complete
revelation of the faith was made through the
Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century CE.
Muhammad was born in Mecca in Saudi
Arabia in 570.
6. Born approximately 570 CE (Year of the Elephant) in the
Arabian city of Mecca, Muhammad was orphaned at the age of
six.He was raised under the care of his paternal grandfather
Abd al-Muttalib, and upon his death, by his uncle Abu Talib.In
later years he would periodically seclude himself in a
mountain cave named Hira for several nights of prayer. When
he was 40, Muhammad reported being visited by Gabriel in
the cave, and receiving his first revelation from God. Three
years later, in 610, Muhammad started preaching these
revelations publicly, proclaiming that "God is One", that
complete "submission" (islām) to God is the right way of life ,
and that he was a prophet and messenger of God, similar to
the other prophets in Islam.
8. In Islam, there are two main sacred texts: the Quran (also spelled
"Koran") and the Hadith (or Hadeeth). These books teach and
illustrate Islamic beliefs, values, and practices. They are also
important historical documents (especially the Quran), which tell
the story of the origins of the Islamic faith.
9. - The Quran is the most sacred text, as it is
believed to be the literal word of God as
revealed to Muhammad.
- The word "Quran" means "recitation" in
Arabic.
- Most of the Quran is written in the first
person plural, with Allah as the speaker. When
Muhammad himself speaks, his words are
introduced by "Say," to clarify he is being
commanded by Allah to speak.
QURAN
10. - The sacred text called the "Hadith," which is
Arabic for "narrative" or "report," is a record
of Islamic tradition: it is a record of the words
and deeds of the prophet Muhammad, his
family, and his companions. It is the second
most important text in Islam next to the
Quran. Although not regarded as the spoken
Word of God like the Quran, the Hadith is an
important source of doctrine, law, and
practice.
HADITH
11. - It is "revered in Islam as a major source of
religious law and moral guidance" and has
been studied in Muslim religious colleges since
the Middle Ages by both male and female
scholars. The word "Hadith" technically refers
to a single piece of tradition (ahadith is the
Arabic plural), but in English it is used to refer
to the entire body of Muslim tradition as well.
HADITH
13. Muslims believe that Allah is One, the only true God. To
associate a partner with God (as they perceive the Christian
doctrine of the Trinity as doing) is to commit the unpardonable
sin of shirk. He is absolute in his omnipotence and so wholly
other that it is impossible to have a personal relationship with
him.
GOD
14. These are created spirit beings often called Allah’s messengers in
the Qur’an. Every human is assigned two angels to record his
good and bad deeds. At the lower end of angelic hierarchy are
jinn, most of whom are evil and can possess humans.
ANGELS
15. Regarded as a great Prophet, born of the Virgin Mary, Jesus was sinless, performed
miracles, and was given the title of Messiah. But Islam vehemently denies that
Jesus was divine or the Son of God. They also deny that Jesus was crucified (Allah’s
Prophet would not undergo such humiliation), and therefore was not resurrected.
Instead, He was taken up into heaven (paradise) and will come again from heaven,
defeat the antichrist, confess Islam, break all crosses and establish a millennium of
righteousness.
JESUS
16. In Islam, salvation is a complex issue and there are varying perspectives. In
general, salvation involves overcoming the effect of one’s personal mistakes
(weakness and forgetfulness), with a view of attaining paradise by obedience and
conformity to the straight path of Islam. Islam rejects original sin and the
substitutionary atonement of Christ. Balancing the scales is prominent in Islam,
salvation requiring that one’s good deeds outweigh one’s bad deeds. Paradise in
Islam means enjoying sensual pleasures including being served by numerous
virgins. Paradise is promised for those who die (martyrdom) serving the cause of
SALVATION
17. One’s fate is entirely in the hands of Allah, and Allah requires a true and
perfect understanding of, and a devotion of one’s life to, the cause and
law of Allah. These laws are known through Muhammad’s revelation in
the Qur’an and in his pattern of life (Sunnah) recorded in the Hadith. If
Allah decides to send a Muslim to Hell, he can be punished there for his
sins and then go to Paradise afterward. Unbelievers are sent to hellfire
for eternity.
SALVATION
19. - A common misconception is that "Allah" is the
name of a deity worshiped exclusively by Muslims. In
fact, Muslims hold that Allah is the God of Abraham,
the same God worshipped by Jews, Bahai and
Christians, whom they claim created the universe and
will be the judge of man on the Day of Judgement.
Indeed, Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians refer to
God as "Allah" and use the word "Allah" in their holy
texts. As further proof, there's an Islamic tradition
that the longer version of "Allah" is "Allahummah,"
which is an obvious cognate with the Hebrew
"Elohim" used in the Hebrew Bible.
20. -Unlike the Christians and Jews who generally refer
to God as male, Allah is neither male nor female. In
fact, it is a specific blasphemy to call Allah "male" or
"female." Allah is at one time both and neither.
Because of the nature of Arabic, when a pronoun for
Allah is used, it must be the male pronoun, huwa, but
this is based on the gender of the word, and not the
fact that it is a "male" thing.
21. -Unlike the Christians and Jews who generally refer
to God as male, Allah is neither male nor female. In
fact, it is a specific blasphemy to call Allah "male" or
"female." Allah is at one time both and neither.
Because of the nature of Arabic, when a pronoun for
Allah is used, it must be the male pronoun, huwa, but
this is based on the gender of the word, and not the
fact that it is a "male" thing.
23. Muslims include 84%–90% of all Muslims. Sunni means “tradition,” and Sunnis
regard themselves as those who emphasize following the traditions of Muhammad
and of the first two generations of the community of Muslims that followed
Muhammad.
A number of movements to reform Islam have originated mainly in the 20th
century. Some are limited to one country and others have a broader influence.
Most are Sunni movements, such as the Wahhabis, the Muslim Brotherhood, and
Jama`at-i-Islami.
SUNNI
24. Muslims comprise 10%–16% of all Muslims. Shi`ites are the “party of `Ali,” who
believe that Muhammad’s son-in-law `Ali was his designated successor (imam)
and that the Muslim community should be headed by a designated descendent of
Muhammad. Three main subgroups of Shi`ites are Twelvers (Ithna-`Asharis),
Seveners (Isma`ilis), and Fivers (Zaydis).
SHI'ITE
25. Islamic mystics. Sufis go beyond external requirements of the religion to seek a
personal experience of God through forms of meditation and spiritual growth. A
number of Sufi orders, comparable to Christian monastic orders, exist. Most Sufis
are also Sunni Muslims, although some are Shi`ite Muslims. Many conservative
Sunni Muslims regard Sufism as a corruption of Islam, although most still regard
Sufis as Muslims.
SUFIS
26. 19th-century offshoots of Shi`ite and Sunni Islam, respectively. Bahai’s consider
themselves the newest of the major world’s religions but recognize that historically
they originated from Shi`ite Islam in the same way that Christianity originated
from Judaism. Ahmadiyyas do regard themselves as Muslims. Most other Muslims,
however, deny that either group is a legitimate form of Islam and regard members
of both groups as heretics — people who have corrupted and abandoned Islamic
belief and practice.
Baha’is and
Ahmadiyyas
27. Are small, sectarian groups with unorthodox beliefs and
practices that split off from Islam. Druze and Alevis do not
regard themselves as Muslims and are not considered Muslims
by other Muslims. `Alawis have various non-Islamic practices,
but debate continues as to whether they should still be
considered Muslims.
Druze, Alevis, and
`Alawis
29. 1. Objects of criticism include the morality of
the life of Muhammad, the founder of Islam,
both in his public and personal life.
2. Issues relating to the authenticity and
morality of the constitutional scriptures of
Islam, both the Quran and the hadiths, are also
discussed by critics.[10] Islam has also been
viewed as a form of Arab imperialism and has
received criticism by figures from Africa and
India for what they perceive as the destruction
of indigenous cultures.
30. 3. Human rights in the Islamic world, both
historically and in modern Islamic nations,
including the treatment of women, LGBT
people, and religious and ethnic minorities, as
evinced in Islamic law and practice.