The document provides an introduction to some key concepts in Islam, including definitions, spiritual motivations, pillars of faith and worship. It defines Islam as submission to God and explains the meanings of Muslim. It outlines three spiritual motivations (love of God, desire for paradise, fear of punishment). It discusses the six pillars of faith (belief in God, angels, scriptures, prophets, Day of Judgment, God's decisions) and five pillars of worship (declaration of faith, prayer, fasting Ramadan, charity, pilgrimage to Mecca).

1. Introduction to Islam

2. Topics Covered Definitions Three Spiritual Motivations Six Pillars of Faith Five Pillars of Worship Clarifying few misconceptions

3. Part I: Definitions: Islam=Submission to God The word ISLAM has a two-fold meaning: 1-Submission to God. This submission requires a fully conscious and willing effort to submit to the one Almighty God. One must consciously and conscientiously give oneself to the service of Allah. This means to act on what Allah enjoins all of us to do (in the Qur'an) and what His beloved Prophet, Muhammad (p.b.u.h) encouraged us to do in his Sunnah (his lifestyle and sayings personifying the Qur'an).

4. Islam= Peace 2- Peace: Once we humble ourselves, rid ourselves of our egoism and submit totally to Allah, and to Him exclusively, in faith and in action, we will surely feel peace in our hearts. Establishing peace in our hearts will bring about peace in our external conduct as well.

5. Muslim “ Muslim” means “submissive”, which means submissive to the guidance of God, not submissive to evil desires and evil inclinations This life is a test of submission. Those who pass the test are those who are submissive to the guidance of God, sacrifice time, money and effort for his sake, and fight their evil desires and inclinations By doing so, they have fulfilled the purpose of their creation and worshiped God by free will God created us because he wanted to be worshiped by a creation that has a free will

6. Purpose of Life All creation of God worship him without a choice. They can not choose not to worship him with the exception of human and Jinn kinds God created us and gave us free will to worship him with our choice. Worship even though we have the choice not to worship, obey even though we have the choice not to obey, sacrifice for his sake even though we have the choice not to, fight our evil desires and inclinations, even though we have the choice not to fight them, actually it is easier not to, but no pain, no gain This is why we were inspired with both good will and evil desires, so we have a free will Angels are inspired only with good will, so they do not have a free will and they always choose good. Consequently, they do not get rewards or punishments Satan kind is inspired only with evil desires, so they do not have a free will and they always choose evil. Satan has lost the free will after failing the test of submission by refusing to bow down to Adam

7. Part II:Spiritual Motivations in Islam Why do we need spiritual Motivations? To fight evil temptations To fight evil inclinations

8. Three Spiritual Motivations Love of God and Strong Desire to Please him Strong desire to Earn Paradise Fear of God’s Punishment and Strong Desire to Protect Oneself Against Analogy: What Motivates an Individual to Go To Work? Love of His job Desire to Earn the Salary Fear of Being Fired, or Fear of Poverty

9. To Fight Evil Inclinations Do and support what is right even if It causes pain It requires sacrifice You hate it Against your materialistic benefits Stop yourself from doing what is wrong and condemn it even if It causes pleasure You love it Brings materialistic benefits to you

10. Motivate you to Sacrifice for the Sake of God Sacrifice precious time, money and effort for the sake of God Do not expect any worldly gains, such as recognition, fame or materialistic gains Look only to be rewarded by God in the day of judgment Invest precious time, money and effort with God for the eternal retirement

11. Part III: Six Pillars of Faith 1. To believe in God: One God, the one Worshiped by Abraham, Moses, Jacob, Noah, Josef, Jesus …etc Perfect God, i.e. does not need to rest, does not make mistakes, all knowing, in full control, and has all the attributes of beauty and greatness. FLAWLESS. Did not beget nor was he begotten The Big Boss Not being able to see him ≠ does not exist, signs of his existence are every where

12. Allah Holy Quran chapter 114 In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. [1] Say: He is Allah, the One and Only; [2] Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; [3] He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; [4] And there is none like unto Him.

13. Allah :name in the bible ALLELUYA = YA ALLA HU = OH! Allah Elohim =Eloh +im (pleural), translated to Allah in Arabic bible.

14. Allah Arabs called Allah , the God of their father Ibrahim, the God of gods. Mohammed’s (PBUH) father name is Abdullah, meaning slave of Allah Jews used the name Abdullah before prophet’s birth. The word Allah is used in Arabic translation of the bible. Also it exists in some old versions of English translations.

15. Signs of God Existence

16. 2. To Believe in the Angels of God The Almighty Powerful King should have servants to carry on his orders and commands Created from Light Do not have a free will to obey or disobey No reward or punishment to them Satan was not an angel, he was from the Jinn created from fire They are neither male or female and they do not look like that

17. 3. To Believe in the Messengers of God They are teachers sent by God to teach the guidance of God and answer the questions: What is good, what is evil, what is right, what is wrong, what is moral and what is immoral? What is the purpose of our creation? Is there a God? Who is God? What is God expecting from us? What should we expect from God? Is there a life after death? Where do we go?

18. Chain of the Prophets Adam Idris Noah Lot Hud Abraham Jacob Joseph Moses David Solomon Isra John Jesus Mohamed All Prophets came with same message and taught the same guidance Muslims believe in all the Prophets without making any discrimination among them. They are all equally loved and respected Prophets are sent as mercy to human kind to take them out of darkness and to bring them to light

19. Muhammad – the last messenger of God to mankind Muhammad (pbuh) was an unlettered but wise and well-respected man who was born in Makkah in the year 570 C.E., at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. His first years were marked by the deaths of his parents. Since his father died before his birth, his uncle, Abu Talib, from the respected tribe of Quraysh, raised him. As Muhammad (pbuh) grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes.

20. Muhammad- received Quran from God through angel Gabriel It became his habit to retreat from time to time to the cave of Hira', to meditate near the summit of Jabal al-Nur, the "Mountain of Light", near Makkah. At the age of 40, while engaged in one such meditative retreat, Muhammad (p.b.u.h) received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel "Recite: In the name of your Lord Who created man from a clot (of blood). Recite: Your Lord is Most Noble, Who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know." [96:1-5] This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the Qur'an, the faithful recording of the entire revelation of God.

21. Muhammad faced rejection and persecution when he began to proclaim the message to others the Makkans rejected him. He and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution, which grew so fierce that in the year 622 C.E., God gave them the command to emigrate. This event, the Hijrah (migration), in which they left Makkah for the city of Madinah, some 260 miles to the north

22. Muhammad’s universal message prevails in Arabia and beyond After several years and some significant battles, the Prophet and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively. By the time the Prophet died, at the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia had accepted Islam, and within a century of his death, Islam had spread as far west as Spain and as far east as China. It was clear that the message was not limited to Arabs; it was for the whole of humanity.

23. 1 MUHAMMAD 570-632 My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels. It is probable that the relative influence of Muhammad on Islam has been larger than the combined influence of Jesus Christ and St. Paul on Christianity. It is this unparalleled combination of secular and religious influence which I feel entitles Muhammad to be considered the most influential single figure in human history. http://www.adherents.com/adh_influ.html

24. Mohammed PBUH GEORGE BERNARD SHAW said about him: "He must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness." "I have studied him — the wonderful man — and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ he must be called the savior of humanity." (The Genuine Islam, Singapore, Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936)

25. 4. To Believe in the Scriptures (Books) of God Teachers (Prophets) were teaching from a text book called “Holly Scripture” Prophets leave scripture to guide people and inspire them after their death Scriptures are the word of God Muslims believe in all original scriptures including; Bible, Torah (Old Testament), The books of Moses, David and Abraham

26. Islam and Christianity Islam is the only non Christian based religion in the whole world that requires believers to believe in Jesus and the Bible Believing in Jesus and the Bible is among the pillars of faith. Thus, (s)he is not a Muslim if (s)he does not believe in either Jesus or the Bible Muslims do not believe the Bible is 100% accurate because of translation issues and existence of different versions of the bible, e.g. Catholic Bible has seven more books than King James Version, however, Muslims believe in the portion of the Bible confirmed by the Holly Quran

27. Dictionary Game Because each translation is an interpretation, you start the game with one sentence in language A and end up with a totally different sentence Language A Translator 1 Language B Language C Translator 3 Translator 2

28. 5. To Believe in the Day of Judgment People will be resurrected and judged for their deeds by God If there is no day of judgment, then Hitler is having the same fate like Abraham, both are equally peacefully sleeping in their graves Criminals got away with their crimes People with Good will are losers because they have sacrificed for nothing Why should I sacrifice precious things if I am not expecting any reward back

29. 6. To Submit Yourself in Full Acceptance of God’s Decisions Many decisions are made by God, such as sex, color, race, birth place, choice of parents, family, …etc Must trust and respect God’s choices for you Can not question or look down to God’s decisions Can not look down to a person because of his color or race, it is the choice of God. Islam is COLOR BLIND religion

30. Trust God’s Decisions Even if you Can’t Understand them or Look Harmful to You God’s ways are above our ways, his thoughts are way above ours and his wisdom is way above ours Why did I get this cancer? Why did I loose my family in a car accident? It is okay to feel sad, but never think that God has been mean to you I am sad, but I still love you and respect your will and wisdom, and I will continue to worship you

31. Part IV: Five Pillars of Worship Worship is the practice of faith Faith without practice is not accepted It is hypocrisy to believe in a certain way and to act in an opposite manner God in the Koran never talks about those who believe, but always those who believe and act accordingly

32. 1. To declare that there is no Deity but God and Mohamed is his Messenger It is a quick way to renew the faith and remember God As we engage in materialistic life, we forget God Islam requires the frequent remembrance and consciousness of God Remembrance of God keeps the spiritual motivations up

33. 2. Pray Five Times a Day 1) Dawn Prayer before Sunrise 2) Noon prayer 4) Sunset Prayer 3) Afternoon prayer 5) Night Prayer

34. Why do we pray It is a way of expressing our thankfulness to God for all the blessings that he is providing to us, i.e. perform the worship of gratitude Maintain God’s remembrances Keep up the spiritual motivations Prevent sins

35. Opening of the book= Fatiha [1] In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. [2] Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the worlds; [3] Most Gracious, Most Merciful; [4] Master of the Day of Judgment. [5] Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek, [6] Show us the straight way, [7] The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace, those whose (portion) is not wrath, and who go not astray.

36. 3. Fasting Ramadan Spiritual exercise to train the spiritual muscle of self control Submission to God, we are in control of our evil desires, not they are in control of us Test of submission, do what God order even if it causes pain to us What if I sneak to the kitchen and eat? Remember those who have 24 hours a day seven days a week Ramadan IF I can fast from lawful things, can’t I fast from unlawful things

37. Fasting [Holy Quran 2:183] O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) self-restraint.

38. Fasting According to Islamic resources; Prophet David used to fast every other day. Prophet Noah fasted for his whole life . Prophet Mohammed used to fast 2 days every week; Monday and Thursday. Jesus "fasted forty days and forty nights“ (Matthew 4:2). Disciples were fasting: "they fasted and prayed" (Acts 14:23).

39. Fasting Means abstinence from eating and drinking from dawn to sunset time on the day of fasting Obligatory only in Ramadan(9 th month of Islamic lunar calendar) : healthy individuals able to fast. No fasting: Pregnant, nursing, ill, old, child and traveler. Fasting in days other than Ramadan: breaking oath, single unable to get married, optional.

40. Fasting Benefits Piety: Help believers to reach piety. Learn self-control: especially helpful to control bad habits like smoking, excessive eating and in the case of single unmarried persons; control sexual desire. Feel the pain of poor starving people. Feel the weakness of one’s body and the continuous need for God’s support. Bring Muslim families, and Muslims allover the world together, when they fast then brake the fasting at the same time.

41. 4. Zakat or Alms Giving. Pay the Obligatory Charity 2.5% of wealth in excess to your needs must go to the poor and needy, not to the greedy 20% of mines and oil 10% if crops irrigated by natural rain, or 5% irrigated by artificial ways. Must be paid on the day of harvest Can’t go to the funds of the Islamic Centers

42. Zakaah What is the solution? 3 billion people are poor. 1.1 billion are extremely poor <$1/day. World donations: $30 per person annually. Solution: rich nations should give to the poor ones.

43. 5. Hajj or Pilgrimage to Makkah at Least Once in Life Time Only to those who can afford it and healthy enough to make the journey Annual conference to all Muslims People travel for pleasure and business. This trip is travel for the sake of God

44. Story of Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) Ibrahim’s (PBUH) 2 nd wife , Hajar delivers Ismael, Ibrahim’s 1 st son. God orders Ibrahim to leave his wife and her baby in a valley that had no water or food, known as Bakkah (later known as Makkah). Ibrahim obeys the order and leave his family there. Hajar and her baby had no water. She starts looking for water going back and forth between two plains, Safa and Marwa. She walks 7 times between them with no success.

45. Continue-story of Ibrahim God sends the angel, Gabriel, to dig a well of water under the feet of Ismael. Hajar comes to the water and start holding the water between her hands saying zam-zam, meaning stop stop. Arab tribes come to Bakkah and ask Hajar to use her water and since she liked to have people around her, she agrees.

46. Continue-story of Ibrahim Ibrahim comes back to visit his family many times. One time, he is ordered in a dream to sacrifice his son, Ismael. Satan try to convince Ibrahim not to kill his son, so Ibrahim starts throwing stones on Satan. Ibrahim obeys but God saves Ismael through a miracle and orders Ibrahim to sacrifice a lamb instead.

47. Continue-story of Ibrahim Ibrahim and Ismael are ordered to build the house of God in Bakkah, called Kaabah. Ibrahim is ordered to make a call for Hajj. Ibrahim makes the call and every human being hears the call and those who are destined to respond will keep coming until the last hour.

48. Kaabah

49. [3;96] The first House (of worship) appointed for men was that at Bakka; full of blessing and of guidance for all kinds of beings: [3;97] In it are Signs manifest; (for example), the Station of Ibrahim; whoever enters it attains security; pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah, those who can afford the journey; but if any deny faith, Allah stands not in need of any of His creatures.

50. Forbidden in Islam Shirk: worshiping anybody/anything other than God. Treating parents badly: not obeying there orders, speaking to them in loud voice even if they have a different faith. murder, suicide. Stealing. Adultery, homosexuality. Usury: Mortgage, credit card with interest, bank interest. Gambling. Treating neighbors badly even if they have a different faith. Backbiting. Drinking Alcohol. Eating pork.

51. Behavioral aspects  Muslims should: Love Allah, his messengers and the believers. Be honest. Be generous. Visit the ill. Help the weak. Smile to others. Be clean. Remove dirt from the road. Dress conservatively.

52. Divine Law of Islam Islam is a complete way of life No civilized society can live without laws and constitution Islam provides divine laws to govern the society. In the framework of divine laws, detailed legislation is permitted to the elected representatives of the people. Islamic political system is very close to the democratic model.

53. Part V: Clarifying some misconceptions- Respect for Other Religions Christians and Jews hold a special place in Islam. They are called the People of the Book (Ahl al-Kitab), since the original Torah and Gospel were also divinely revealed . Islamic states have nearly always shown their religious minorities tolerance and respect and those communities flourished under Islamic rule.

54. Islam And Pluralism Pluralism in the life of Prophet Muhammad: The Constitution (Covenant) of Madinah. This Constitution set out many of the principles essential to the peaceful functioning of a pluralistic society.

55. Islam and Pluralism It gave equality to all its citizens and accepted the coexistence of different religions in the community. All religious, ethnic and tribal groups had equal protection, rights and dignity. These groups (Three Jewish and two Arab tribes) would live by their own beliefs and judge themselves by their own laws.

56. Islam and Pluralism Prophet Muhammad's inspiration for this pluralistic model was the Qur'an (Koran), which makes it incumbent upon Muslims to accept and respect all of the previous messengers without distinction and honor their communities.

57. The Qur’an Celebrates Diversity. “ O humankind Allah (God) has created you male and female And made you into diverse nations and tribes so that you may come to know each other. Verily the most honored among you is he who is the most righteous.” ( Qur’an 49.13)

58. The Qur’an Appears To Imply Diversity Is Part Of The Divine Design. “ To each of you (religions) God (Allah) has prescribed a law (shiratun) and a way (minhaj). If God (Allah) had willed he would have made you a single people. But God’s purpose is to test you in what he has given each of you. So strive in the pursuit of virtue. (Qur’an 5.48)

59. Peace and not violence &quot;Peace&quot; is the most common word on a Muslim's tongue. Whenever two people meet, they exchange greetings, wishing each other peace: &quot;Peace be upon you.&quot; Islam permits fighting in self-defense, in defense of the religion, or by those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes.

60. Jihad means struggle and not holy war It lays down strict rules of combat which include prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees, and livestock. The concept of Jihad (struggling in the cause of Allah) is stated in the Qur'an. Allah said: &quot;Fight in the cause of God those who fight you, but do not transgress limits. God does not love transgressors.&quot; [2:19] Jihad is never to be waged to force anybody to choose a particular religion. The concept of Jihad (struggling in the

61. Islam condemns terrorism . Terrorism, defined as the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes directly contradicts Islamic rules which prohibit targeting civilians Absolutely nothing in the Quran encourages terrorism. On the contrary, the Quran (Islamic Scripture which Muslims believe is the unchanged word of God) and hadith (Prophet Muhammad's sayings and traditions as recorded by his companions), which are the two primary sources of Islamic law places supremacy on the sacredness of life, security, and peace.

62. Suicide is prohibited in Islam . Suicide is strongly prohibited in Islam because no one has the right to take away the life that God has given, except God Himself. Committing terrorist acts, which kill innocent civilians, especially against women, children, old people, and religious people such as monks and nuns are prohibited. Even the cutting down of trees, killing animals, and destroying infrastructure are forbidden.

63. Should not stereotype Muslims Just as you should not stereotype, or make assumptions about an entire group of people based on their background, race, or religion, it is wrong to think of all people from the Middle East and those who are Muslim as being terrorists just because a few of them commit terrorism. One-fifth to one-fourth of the world's population is Muslim, but only a handful of criminals commit these deeds. This could be compared to asking if we should be afraid of all white young males because Timothy McVeigh was white, or afraid of all Christians because extremist anti-abortionists are Christian,

64. Women’s status in Islam Islam acknowledged women's equality with men in a great many respects. The Qur'an states: &quot;And among His signs is this: that He created mates for you form yourselves that you may find rest, peace of mind in them, and He ordained between you love and mercy. Lo, herein indeed are signs for people who reflect.&quot; [30:21]

65. So their Lord accepted their prayer: That I will not waste the work of a worker among you, whether male or female, the one of you being from the other. Quran (3:195) EQUALITY &quot;... And they (women) have rights similar to those against them (men) in a just manner...&quot; Quran (2:228)

66. &quot;... And treat them (women) kindly...&quot; Quran (4:19) KINDNESS Observe your duty to Allah in respect to the women, and recommend them to be well treated. Holy Prophet (SAW)

67. Prophet Muhammad’s statements about status of women Prophet Muhammad said: &quot;The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manners and kindest to his wife.&quot; [Abu Dawud] &quot;Seeking knowledge is mandatory for every believer.&quot; [Ibn Majah] This implies men and women. A woman is to be treated as God has endowed her, with rights, such as to be treated as an individual, with the right to own and dispose of her own property and earnings, enter into contracts, even after marriage. She has the right to be educated and to work outside the home if she so chooses. She has the right to inherit from her father, mother, and husband.

68. Numerical Facts About Muslims

69. World Muslims 1.2 billion, Muslims represent between 19.2% and 22% of the world's population. One of every five humans in the world is a Muslim Second largest religion in the world Fastest growing including Europe and America

70. World Distribution of Muslims Source: Britannica Yearbook, 1997 Africa 308,660,000 27.4% Asia 778,362,000 69.1% Europe 32,032,000 2.8% Latin America 1,356,000 0.1% North America 5,530,000 0.5% World 1,126,325,000 100%

76. American Muslims 5.8 million Muslims in the USA (World Almanac 2001) About 40% African Americans. Not all Muslims are Arabs, Not all Arabs are Muslims.