This document provides an introduction to Islam. It begins by defining key Islamic concepts like Allah, the one true God, and the Qur'an, the final revelation from Allah. It explains that the Qur'an was preserved through memorization and writing during the life of the prophet Muhammad to prevent tampering. The document aims to concisely explain core beliefs and practices of Islam to provide context for non-Muslims.

1. IS]LANfl
IN BRIEF
BY,
MAHMOUDMURAD

2. ISLA]TI'NI BRIEF
ISLAM IN Mahmoud IUIurad
Mahmoud Murad
Printeda nd Published
Printed and By
Presidency of The Adminstration of
lslamlc Researchesa nd lfta.
Prlntlng and Translation Agency
Islamic Researches and Ifta.
Printing Riyadh- Kingdomo f SaudiA rabia
Riyadh - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

3. Teble of Contents
Introduction
Who is Allah?
What is Al-Qur'an?
Authenticity of Al-Qur'an
Miraculosityo f Al-Qur'an
ComprehensiveL egislation
Sciencea nd Al-Qur'an
The creation of the heavens and Human reproduction
Who is Muhammad?
What is Islam?
The pillars of Islam
The articles of faith
Suggestedm aterialsf or reading
Table of Contents
Introduction 5
Who is Allah? 7
What is Al... 9
AI..10
Miraculosity of AI-11
Comprehensive Legislation 12
Science and AI-14
t4
l6
the earth
16
19
21
2l
.. 22
25
28
31
Suggested materials for 3

4. Introduction
This is a messagefo r broad-mindedh
This is a message for every free thinking and broad­minded
umanb eing.I t everys eekero f human being. It is for every seeker of the truth
who might have, once wondered, what the religion of
Islam is all about, who Atlah goal of man'se xistenceo, r what happensa fter for theseq uestionsa nd many othersa re prompteda t
certaino ccasionsb,u t brusheda sideb y variousf actors.
Islami s indeeda misunderstooadn d religioni n the West. "This misconceptionis sur-prising",
about. Allah is, what is the ultimate
man's existence, or happens after death,
these questions and others are prompted at
certain occasions, but brushed aside by various factors.
Islam is indeed a misunderstood and misrepresented
religion in «This misconception is hardly sur­prising
r emarkst he FrenchD r. MauriceB ucaille,i n
», remarks the French Dr. Maurice Bucaille, in
his book, The Bible, The Qur'an Qurtan and Science. Science..'1 «r when
when
we consider considert the he way so many generations generationsis is the West
were werei instructed nstructedin in the religious religiousp problems roblemsf facing acingh human­ity
uman-ity
and the ignorancei n which they were ignorance in kept about
anything anythingr related elatedt to o IslamIslam".». H Hence enceI Islamic slamicid ideals ealsr remains
emains
obscure obscuref from rom the vastm vast majority ajority of non-Muslims.
Muslims.
This Thisb booklet ookletd does oesn not otc claim laimt to o answera answer all llt the heq questions
uestions
you you would like to be answeredH. answered. However. owever,t this his booklet
will openb open before eforey you ou a new dimensiono dimension of f thinking, a and
nd
will will enabley enable you ou to realizet realize the he importanceo importance of f your role
as a humanb eingi n this universe, t o help you under-standt
human being in to under­stand
the relationship between you Creator.
he relationshipb etweeny ou and your Creator,
l. The Book was originally written in French, entitled'La Bible, le Coran et la
1. written in French, entitled 'La Bible, Ie Coran et la
Science'. Its English version is published by American Trust publication ,!979.
Science' . version is published by American Trust publication, 1979.
5

5. God Allah. It presents Islam to you in a nut-shell,
God Almighty Allah. It presents Islam to you in a nut­sheU,
straightfonvard answers to many
and provides straightforward answers to many
questions about Islam and its credibility.
In this booklet, you will also be able to to know know Allah,
Allah,
the last of His Scriptures, the last of His Prophets and
Messengersw, Messengers, what hat Islam is, the role of man in this life
and other related issues.
Lest one may think that there of the Qur'an, I would like to draw the to the fact that Arabic is the only language of Qur'an.
Although the Qur'anic quotations and tradit­tions
is an English version
Qur'an, reader's attention
thef actt hat Arabici st he languageo f the Qur'anic Prophetic tradit-tions
preceded with <Allah
cited in this booklet are «says>o>n, ly meaningo f suchq uotationsa req uoted.
says», only the meaning ofsuch quotations are quoted.
ll. llurad
M.Murad
w",. ffirr J41'
lll0
September Seateri&*r 1."
1fr9
6

6. Who fs Allah?
Who Is Allah?
Allah is the proper name applied to the only true
God who existsn ecessarilbyy Himself,c omprisinga ll
the excellenDt ivinen amesa nda ttirbuteso f Allah is one andu nique;H e hasn o partnero r He is the sole Creator and sustainero f Everyc reatureb earsw itnessto onenessD. ivinity,
Lordship and the uniquenesso f attiibutes names. A llah's essenced oes not resembleo ther es-sences.;.
Allah is the proper name applied to the only true
God Who exists necessarily by Himself~ comprising all
the excellent Divine names and attirbutes of perfection.
Allah is One and Unique; He has no partner or equal.
He is the sole Creator sustainer of the universe.
Every creature bears witness to His Oneness. Divinity,
uniqueness of His attributes and
Allah's essence does resemble other es­sences;
«There is none like Him». He is the One,
Thereis nonel ike unto Him". one,
the Sale. sole,the t he Indivisible. IndivisihleH. He e is the rheG God od without withoutw Whom
hom
no no affairs are accomplished, accomplisheda, and nd to Whom whom Lordship
ultimately ultimatelyp pertains. ertainsH. He e neither neitherb begets egetsn nor or is begotten.
He does doesn not ot inhere inherei in n anything, nor n or does doesa anything nythingin in­here
-
herei in n Him. All creatures creaturest stand andi in n need needo of f Him. Him, but
He He stands standsin in need needo of f none.
Allah is the Omnipotent, t the he OmniscientW, Omniscient. Whose
hose
knowledge knowledgec comprehends omprehendisn in the mostp most perfect erfectm manner annera all
ll
things. things,h hidden iddeno or r manifestedB. manifested. But ut He is far greaterth greater than
an
to to be be encompassebdy encompassed by the knowledgeo knowledge of f His creatures.
Allah Allah the Supremeis Supreme is the Creatoro Creator of f everythingf,everything. for o r He
hasa has a free hand in the disposaol disposal of f all affairs. H He e is the
mostM most Merciful, erciful,w Whose hose unhoundedm unbounded mercy ercye encompasses
ncompasses
everything.everything. He He is far removed from injustice and
tyranny.tyranny. A Allah's llah'sj justice usticee ensures nsureso order rderi in n the universe,
which which has has no defect. There is no one to share His do-main.
do­main.
nor nor does He take aid or support from His crea-
crea-
7

7. s
tures. Yet, He is nearer
.to jugular Whenever a believer
tures. He is the God of the worlds. He is nearer
·man than man's 'calls
vein. in need or distress
calls on Him, responds. He above the Seven Heavens manner which suits His grandure.
Allah has revealed His final Scripture, al-Qur'an to
the last of His Messengers, Muhammad, peace be him, to convey the Message of Islam to He
is the Exalted Allah; Glory be Him.
He respondsH- e is
mounting His throne is the
grahdure.
hasr evealedH is a l-Qur'ant o
MessengersM, uhammad,p eaceb e on
conveyt he Messageo f Islamt o mankind. H e
to Him
8

8. What is is the Qur'an?
Qur'an?
The word <<Qur'an'i s understoodi n generalc on-notation
The word «Qur'an» is understood in its general con­notation
to mean speech to mean the speech of Allah which is neither
created. created. The The Qur'an Qur'an is the real word of Allah, which
which
was was delivered delivered by the" the angel Gabriel to Muhammad,
peace be on him. Prophet Muhammad, peace be be on
on
him, memorized memorizedt the he verses versesh he e received receiveda and ndr recited ecitedt them
hem
to his companions, who happened to be with him. He
then ordered them to immediately write the verses
down. He himself used to keep a copy of the revealed
portions in his house. The Qur'an Qur'an is the last of Allah's
Scriptures which Allah revealed in instalments over a
period of twenty-three three years. It [t is divided into 114 1 14 surafts
surahs
(chapters) of o f unequal unequall length ength.. It I t is one of the fundamen­tal
fundamen,
tal sources sourceso of f the Islamic Islamict teachings. eachings.Some S omeo of f its surafis
surahs
and verses were revealed at Makkah, and the rest
thereof were revealed at Madinah. The Makkan surahs
surahs
and verses are concerned mainly with the issues of
tawhid, or the belief in the oneness Oneness of Allah, the signs
of the existence of Allah, Resurrection, and life after
death. The creed of the oneness Oneness of Allah was the focal
point of the messagesw messages with ith which all the prophets Prophets and
Messengers were sent to mankind, beginning with
Adam and ending with Muhammad, peace be on them
all. The surahs revealed at Madinah at a latter period
of the life of the Messenger of Allah, peace be on him,
are concerned with legislations, rites of worship, and
transactions related to all aspects of life.
9

9. Authenticityo f the Qur'an
holified
Authenticity of Our'sn
There has been no nation which cared about, and preserved its Divine Scripture Ummah (nation) cared about, holified the Qur'an. Unlike the Divine Scriptures pre­ceded
as the Muslim
Ilmmah and preserved
Qur'an. which pre-cededit
, Qur'ani s kepti n theh andso f a particu-lar
it, the Qur'an is not kept in the hands of particu­lar
group or clan of Muslims so that one may suspect
tamperedw ith alteratedr;a ther,i t wasw ithin
it to be tampered with or alterated; rather, it was within
the reach of all Muslims. to recite it in their disputes for a final The Qur'an was compiled
at a time when those who committed it memory were
still alive. Allah has promised to preserve the Qur'an,
and it will be preserved till Judgment. The
Muslims today read and Qur'anic were read and recited during Muhammad, peace be companions: No
letter has been added Qur'an After examining the Qur'an, as­certains:
The Muslims are commanded
prayer and refer to it in all their
disputesfo r judgment. T he Qur'anw asc ompiled
whent hosew ho committedit to memoryw ere
hasp romisedt o preservet he preservedti ll the Day of JudgmentT. he
recite the texts that
the lifetime of the Prophet
p eaceb e on him, and his companionsN: o
to the or deleted from it.
Dr. Maurice Bucaille as-certains:
..Thanks its undisputed authenticity, the
a unique place among the books
revelation't.
l. Dr. MauriceB ucaillei s a surgeonw ho hast akeng reati nterestin the scientific
aspectso f the Qur'an. He learnt Arabic and managedt o study the Qur'an in
iu original tcxt. He was amazed with its precisc scicntific data. As a result of
this study.D r. Bucaillec onvertedto Islam.
t0
«Thanks to text of the Qur'an holds of revelation»l.
1. Dr. Maurice Bucaille is a surgeon who has taken great interest in scientific
aspects of the Qur'an. He learnt managed to in
its original text. He was amazed with its precise scientific As a result of
this study. Dr. Bucaille converted to Islam.
10

10. Miracufosityo f the Qur'an
Miraculosity of the Qur'an
Allah, Allah,the t heE Exalted xaltedh has asc challenged hallengetdh the eA Arabs rabsa and ndn non­Arabs
on-
Arabs to to produce produce a a qur'an qur'an similar similar to to the the Divine Divine one.
one.
The challengew ast hen reducedt o ten surahsa, nd yet
theyf ailedt o do so. Finally,A llah challengetdh emt o
producea singles urahc omparableto any of His. Al-though
The challenge was then reduced to ten surahs, and yet
they failed to do so. Finally, Allah challenged them to
produce a single surah comparable to any of His. Al­though
they were masters of eloquence during that period, the Arabs were incapableo f
taking up the challenge. They realized rhat never be from anyone other than the worlds.
The differenceb etweenm iracleso f thep reviousM es-sengersw,
hich proved their veracity, a nd thoseo f Messengeor f Allah, peaceb e on him, pre-vious
miracles were effective during everyoneo f them, whereast he miracleo f eur'an
remains effective, everlastinga nd unchallengedu ntil
the Day of Judgment.
t t
and rhetoric
during still incapable of
taking that it could
never Allah, the Lord of
the worlds.
The difference between miracles of the previous Mes­sengers,
which and those of the
Messenger of peace be is that their pre­vious
the lifetime of
everyone of whereas the miracle of the Our'an
remains everlasting and unchallenged until
the Day 11

11. ComprehensivLee gislation
consti-tutes
Comprehensive Legislation
Besides the finesse of its rhetoric, the Qur'an consti­tutes
comprehensivec oncepto f Islam on the
the most comprehensive concept of level, laws and legislation.
practical leveL the shari'ah, or the The Our'an is comprehensive because moral principles and the creed which every sub­scribes.
Qur'an it includes law,
Muslim sub-scribes.
T he Islamics hari' ah suitablen ot only for the
The Islamic
The Islamic shari'ah is suitable not Muslims, but for all mankind at all times. law governs all human acts, public duties
towards Allah and duties towards man.
Man-made laws are subject to alteration based on theories; whenever a new body assumes authority in a non-Muslim country theory appears and appeals to its government, are changed accordingly. The Divine laws, on hand, are unalterable and perpetual because Who made them is Everliving and Everlasting God. is the Creator Who created mankind and them what suits them till the end of time . reason,
the Our'an, being the last revealed to Prophets and Messengers. abrogates all previous Scrip­tures.
or private-duties
man
and are
of legislators
Muslim or a new
and the laws
changeda ccordinglyT. he o n the other
the One
madet hem Everlivinga nd EverlastingG od. He
ordained for
time. For this reason.
Qur'an, the last of
Prophetsa nd Messengersa. brogatesa ll previousS crip-tures.
prophesiesin Qur'an fulfilled to the
Many prophesies in the Our'an are letter. Allah promised those who believe deeds that He will surely make them successors on The early Muslims ruled a vast land encompassing many
countries in the world. The Our'an foretold the victory
and did good
deedst hatH e surelym aket hems uccessorosn earth.
Muslimsr uled vastl and encompassinmg any
countriesi n The Qur'an foretoldt he victory
t2
12

12. of the Romans Romanso over ver the PersiansPersianstA. 2
llah says:< The
Romansh aveb eend efeatedi,n the land a nd
they after their defeat, will be victoriouso.
A person who reads the objectively realizet hat the prophesiesin it are far removedf rom
conjunctureo r speculationTs.h isi s duet o factt hat
who revealed them is the one who predecreed eventsu ntil the Day of Judgment.
Z. 'Arrum' D. Qur'an to the letter.
l 3
• Allah says: «The
Romans have been defeated, in nearby, and
victorious».
Qur'an shall
realize that prophesies in removed from
conjuncture or speculations. This is due to the fact that
Who One all
events until 2. The reference to this prophesy is found in surah #30 entitled 'Arrum' or the
Romans. This refers to the battle which took place between the Persian and
the Roman in 614 A.D. when the Roman were defeated. Eight years after that.
the Roman defeated the Persians, and the prophesy to the Our'an was fulfilled
13

13. Science Science and and the the Our'an
Our'an
Along with the fact the Muhammad, peace be on
him, was illiterate; he could neither read nor write, he
Along with the fact the Muhammad, peace be on
him, was illiterate; he could neither read nor write, he
grew up in Makkah where there were no schools, and
he was far away from the scientific circles which existed
in Syria, Alexandria, Athens and the
scientific facts mentioned in Qur'an were not in the seventh century. Having the Arabic text of the Qur'an, where there were no schools, and
wasf ar awayf rom scientificc irclesw hiche xisted
in Syria, Rome. Moreover, the
scientificfa ctsm entionedin the Qur'anw eren ot known
studied and examined
the Dr. Bucaille marvels:
..I error in the Qur'an. I
hadt o stopa nda skm yself:i f a manw ast he author
«I could not find a single I
had to stop and ask myself: if man was the of the Qur'an, Qur'an, how could he have written facts in
in
the Seventh Seventhc century enturyA A..D. that todaya today are res shown hownt to
o
be in keeping with modern I had too acknowledge the evidence in me:
the Qur'an did not contain a single statement that
was assailable from scientific point of
view. I repeated the Testa­ment
scientific knowledge?
hadt oo acknowledgteh e evidencein front of me:
Qur'an containa singles tatementth at
assailablefr om a modern scientificp oint of
same test for the Old Testa-ment
Gospelsa, lwaysp reservingth e same
and the Gospels, always preserving the same
In the former, I did not even
objective outlook. 1 not even
have to go beyond the Genesis, to find
statements totally out of keeping with the cast-iron
facts of modern science».
Dr. Bucaille studied many of the scientific facts that
are mentioned in the Qur'an, such as the creation of
the universe, and other topics including astronomy, ani­mal
havet o go beyondt he first book, Genesist,b find
statementsto tally out of keepingw ith the cast-iron
facts of modern science>>.
Dr. Bucaille studied many of the scientific facts that
are mentioned in the Qur'an, such as the creation of
the universe,a ndo ther topicsi ncludinga stronomya, ni-mal
andp lant kingdoms,h umanr eproductiona ndo ther
and plant kingdoms, human reproduction and other
l4
14

14. relatedi ssuesF. or the sake'ofb revity,t wo of the above
issuesw ill be discussedin order to draw the reader's
attentiont o one of the objectiveso f this booklet.
related issues. For the sake"of brevity, two of the above
issues will be discussed in order to draw the re-ader's
attention to one of the objectives of this booklet.
r5
IS

15. The The Creationo Creation of f the the Heavensa Heavens and nd the the Earth
Earth
"Man's knowledge of the origin of the universe is
considerablyli mited. The scientistsh ave proposed
hypothesesa nd theorieso f evolutiont hat are centred
around one theme: the radiation era, the premordial
fireballa nd the premordialm attera nd antimatter. T he
theoriess tate universec onsistedm ainly of
strongly particles. Premordial matter and
antimatter,a ccordingt o EncyclopaediaB ritannica'
eventually each other; and the remaining
particlesf ormed presentu niverse"'.T he Qur'an
presentsth e developmenot f the universein relatively
iimpte says, directing His Messenger
Muirammad, be on him, to ask the unbelievers:
HMan's knowledge of the origin of the universe is
considerably limited. The scientists have proposed
hypotheses and theories of evolution that are centred
around one theme: the radiation era. the premordial
fireball and the premordial matter and The
theories state that the universe consisted mainly of
strongly interacting and
antimatter. according to Encyclopaedia Britannica.
eventually annihilated particles formed the present universe"~. The presents the development of universe in relatively
simple terms. Allah says. Messenger
Muhammad, peace "Say: Is it that ye deny Him created the earth
in two Days? And do equals with He is The Lord of on the
(earth) Mountains Standing firm, above it, and
bestowed blessings on earth. and measured therein
its sustenance in four alike for all) ask.
Then He turned sky. been (as)
smoke:He said to it and to the earth: H come ye together,
willingly or unwillingly".
They said: H do come (together), in willing obedi­ence".
denyH im Who createdt he earth
in A nd ye join equalsw ith Him?
(all) The Worlds. He set on the
MountainsS tandingf irm, high abovei t, and
bestowedb lessingosn the earth,a ndm easuredth erein
its sustenancien Days, a likef or (all) who ask'
to the sky,and it had been (as)
smoke:H e saidt o it andt o thee arth:" comey et ogether,
willinglyo r unwillingly".
They said:" we do come( together),in willingo bedi-gnce".
l 6
3. Macropedia. Vol. 18. p. 1008.
16

16. So So He He completed completed them them aS as seven seven firmaments firmaments in in two
two
Days, and He assignedto each heaveni ts duty and
command. We the lower heaven with
lights,a nd providedit ) with guard.
Days~ and He assigned to each heaven its duty and
command. and We adorned the heaven with
lights~ and (provided it) Such is the Decree of Full of Knowledge"-l.
(Him) The Exalted in Might,
Full Knowledge"*.
"Do Unbelieverss eet hat the heavensa nd
thee arthw erej oinedt ogethe(ra so neu nito f Creation),
~~Do not the Unbelievers see that heavens and
the earth were joined together (as one unit of Creation).
before We clove them asunder?
We made from water every living thing.
Will they not then believe?"''.
believe?":;.
"The concept of rending of one unit into two more.
the colestial «smoke» as referred to above verses
are fact to which corresponds the factual scientific data.
«Smoke», the English physicist and astronomer Sir
James Jeans wrote: We that. first conjectured, a chaotic mass of gas of uniform density and of dynamically unstable: nuclei, would tend to Form in around which the whole of matter would ultimately con­dense".
concepot f rendingo f oneu niti ntot wo or more,
colestial{ <Smokea}S>r eferredt o in the abovev erses
aref actt o whichc orrespondtsh e factuals cientificd ata.
<Smokerr,t he physicista nd astronomerS ir
have found that, as Newton
conjectureda, chaoticm asso f gaso f approximately
uniform very great extent would be
dynamicalluy nstablen: uclei,w ouldt endt o Formi n it,
aroundw hicht hew holeo f matterw ouldu ltimatelyc on-dense".
theory Newton proposed
On the basis of this celestiaol bjectso riginatedb y a procesos f frag-mentation.
that all celestial objects originated by process of frag­mentation.
Needlessto spacep rogramh elpedd iscover
homogenietyo f substanceosf whicht he moon,
earth and other are formed' "Such state-
Needless to say the space program helped discover
the homogeniety of the substances of which the the earth and other planets formed. «Such state-
4. Qur 'an4 1 : 9, 10,1 1,1 2.
5. Qur'an 2l : 30.
l 7
4. Our'an 41 : 9, to, 11, 12.
5. Our'an 21 : 30.
17

17. ments in the Our'an Qur'an concerning the creation which ap­peared
ap-pearedn
earlyf ourteenc enturiesa gon,D r. Bucaillec on-cluded,
.robviouslyd o themselvesto nearly fourteen centuries ago», Dr. Bucaille con­cluded,
«obviously do not lend themselves to a human
explanationnu.
6. lfXf8.
r8
explanation»6
•
Macropedia. Vol. 18. p. 1008.
18

18. Human Reproduction
complexitieso f reproductionw ere de-codeda
nd understoodo nly inventiono f the
The complexities of human reproduction were de­coded
and understood only after the invention of microscopwe hichw ash undredso f yearsa ftert he death
Muhammadp, eaceb e However. t he referst o stageso f developmentth at humane mbryo
undergoesA. llah "Man createf rom quintessenc(eo f clay);
microscope which was hundreds of years after the of Muhammad. peace be on him. the Qur'an
refers to the stages of development that human embryo
undergoes. Allah says:
HMan We did create from a quintessence (of Then we placed him of rest, Firmly fixed;
Then we made the sperm into blood; then of that clot We made a lump; then
We made out of that lump hones and clothed the with flesh; then we developed out another creature.
So blessed he Allah. The Best to create!,,7.
As it has been scientifically proven, stages of
human reporduction are: « 1- Fertilization of which takes place in Fallopian tubes. The agent is the sperm. 2- implantation of fertilized egg which takes pla~e at precise spot in female reporductive system: it descends into and lodges Once the embryo begins to be observable to the naked
eye, it looks in progressive stages which are very known today;
as (adrop of) sperm in a place
a clot of congealed
t heno f thatc lot madea (foetus) lu mp;t hen
madeo ut thatl umph onesa ndc lothedt he bones
t henw e developedo ut of it anotherc reature.
blessedb e Allah,T he Bestt o create!"'.
scientificallyp roven, the stageso f
humanr eporductiona re: "l- Fertilizationo f an ovule
whicht akesp lacei n the Fallopiant ubes.T he fertilizing
agenti s male 2 - The implantationo f the
fertilizede ggw hicht akesp lacea t a precises poti n the
femaler eporductivsey stemi:t descendisn to the uterus
in the body of the uterus.
Oncet hee mhryob eginsto beo bservablteo then aked
like a small mass of flesh. It grows there
progressivset agesw hicha rev ery well knownt oday;
l9
1. Qur'an 23 : 12. 13. 14.
19

19. theyl eadt o the bones tructuret,h em usclest,h en ervous
systemt,h e circulationa, nd viscerae, tcrr*.
In conclusionD, r. Bucaillea scertains,.:M oret hana
thousandy earsb eforeo ur time,a t periodw henw him-sicald
they lead to the bone structure, the muscles, the nervous
system. the circulation. and the viscera. etc»R.
In conclusion, Dr. Bucaille ascertains: «More than a
thousand years before our time. at a period when whim­sical
octriness till prevailed, m en knowledgeo f
doctrines still men had a knowledge of
theQ ur'an.T hes tatementist c ontainse xpresisn termst ruths of premordiali mportancew hich rnanh as
takenc enturiesto discovertr.
the Qur'an. The statements it contains express in simple
terms truths premordial importance which man has
taken centuries to discover».
L The Bible, the Qur'an and Sciencep, . 8. Our'an Science. p. 199.
20

20. Who is Muhammad?
peace be him, is the last of Allah's
Muhammad, on Messengers and Prophets. His name is Muhammad son
of Abdullah. He was born in Makkah 570 to the fine reputation he enjoyed among his they nicknamed him 'the Trustworthy'. 40, he was endowed with the prophethood when Allah
the Exalted, revealed to him, through the angel Gabriel
the first Qur'anic verses, Muhammad, peace be was asked to preach the belief in Oneness of and warn people against polytheism.
The Makkan polytheists opposed Muhammad, peace
be on him, and his few followers harshly, but not shake his faith nor waiver his steadfastness, nor it stop more people from responding to Finally, when the the embraced Islam, the Makkan Muslims took Madinah, Later on, the Messenger of migrated to Madinah to establish the Islamic State. Few
years later the polytheists of succumbed to the growing power and
Makkah was conquered. Some death of the Prophet Muhammad, Islam had already spread throughout the sweep­ing
Messengerasn dP rophetsH. is namei s Muhammads on
A.D. Due
reputationh e enjoyeda mongh is people,
'the At the age of
wase ndowedw ith prophethoodw henA llah
r evealedto throught he angelG abriel
thef irstQ ur'anicv ersesM, uhammadp, eaceb e on him,
wasa skedt o preacht he beliefi n the Onenesso f Allah
peoplea gainspt olytheism.
polytheistso pposedM uhammad,p eace
him.,a nd followersh arshly,b, ut that did
shakeh isf aith waiverh iss teadfastnesnso, r did
peoplef rom respondingto his preaching.
majority of people of Madinah
embracedI slam, Muslimst ook flight to
oD, Messengeor f Allah himself
migratedto Madinaht o establisthh eI slarnicS tate.F ew
yearsl ater polytheistso f Makkah and their allies
succumbedto growingp ower of the Muslims, a nd
thirty years after the
peace be on him,
Islamh ad alreadys preadt hroughoutt he world sweep-ing
greateset mpiresin existencet;h e Persian
the two greatest empires in existence; the 2 l
and the Roman.
21

21. What is Islam?
lslam?
The Arabic term ''Islam', Islam', meaning «..submissionsubmissionn,
»,
points pointst to o the fundamental fundamentarle religious ligiousc creed reedw which hichd dictates
ictates
that a Muslim submit to the will of Allah, inwardly and outwardly to His The religion of Islm lays great emphasiso n uncom-promisingm
onotheisma nd adherenceto creedsa nd actso f worship. I t enjoinss ubmittingto will of Allah and following life of Muhammadt,h e lasto f the Prophetsa ndM essen-gers.
m, ay peaceb e on them all.
Allah, the Exaltedc reatedt he universea nd in it that He be recognizeda s He createdm an and jinn only to celebrateH is and worship Him. His words "f created Jinns and men, Me"o.
The ways and acts of worship option or choice. Allah is the decreesa ll actso f worshipa ndt he meansin whicht hey
mustb e observedS. inceI slamd ealsi n everya specot f
life.'s pirituala ndp hysicali,t s jurisprudenceis basedo n
creeds, a ctso f worshipa ndo rdinancesre gardings ocial,
economicaal nd politicalt ransactions.
BecauseIs lami s a perfectw ay life, enjoinsm ain-taining
a refinedc ode of manners. T he Messengeor f
9. Qur'an 51 : 56.
a2
conforming
laws.
emphasis on uncom­promising
monotheism and strict adherence to certain
creeds and acts of It enjoins submitting to the
the exemplary way of the
Muhammad, the last of Prophets and Messen­gers,
may peace be Exalted created the universe and what is
recognized as the One and only God.
created man celebrate His praise
signify: I have only
linns that they may Serve Me").
are not left to man's
One Who ordains and
decrees all acts of worship and the means in which they
must be observed. Since Islam deals in every aspect of
life, spiritual and physical, its jurisprudence is based on
acts of worship and ordinances regarding social,
economical and political transactions.
Because Islam is perfect way of it enjoins main­taining
refined code The Messenger of
22

22. said:" Verily, haveb eens entt o accomplisthh e
Allah said: HVerily, I have been sent to accomplish the
fine mannersmanners".Allah A llah has hasp praised raisedt the he fine manners mannerso of
f
H. Messengesr aying:" And surelyt hou hasts ublime
His Messenger saying: ..surely thou hast sublime
mora)s"w. A'ishah, the wife of the Messenger of Allah,
peace be asked about She
said: HHis manners were Qur'an". A'ishah meant
that the Prophet, peace be on clung to Qur'an,
rules of discipline. its commands. its prohihitions, and
morals""'A. 'ishah.t hew ifeo f theM essengeorf Allah.
peaceb e on him, was askeda bout his manners. S he
said:" His mannersw ere al-Qur'an".A 'ishahm eant
thatt heP rophet,p eaceb eo n him, clungt o the it ruleso f disciplinei.t sc ommandsit.s p rohibitionsa, nd
the excellent., excellent,beautiful b eautifula and nd gracious graciousth things ingsc comprised
omprised
in it. For this thisr reason easonA Allah llah commands commandtsh the e helievers believertso
to
follow the exemplary exemplaryli life fe of His Messenger, Messengerp,peace e aceb be
e
on him. saying: saying:" "Ye Ye have havei indeed ndeedi in n the Messenger Messengeorf
of
Allah an excellent excellenet exempler"xempler"".
I'.
Islame njoinsg oodm annersfo r everyo ccasions:e ek-ingp
Islam en.loins good manners for every occasion: seek­ing
permission, greeting., sitting, eating, learning, teach­ing.
ermissiong,r eetings, itting,e atingl.e arningt,e ach-ing.
sporting. travelling. t ravelling.dressing. d ressingv. visiting. isiting.sleeping.
s leeping.
marriage, treating people, particularly relatives and
neighhours neighbourws with ith kindness, kindnesse. etc. tc.Codes C odeso of f all such suchg great
reat
manners mannersa are ref found oundi in n both botht the he Qur'an Qur'ana and ndt the heP Prophetic
rophetic
traditions traditionosf of the theM Messenger essengeorf of Allah. peace p eaceh he eo on nh him.
im.
The family familye enjoys njoysa a high highs status tatusin in Islam. It I t is thec the core
ore
of society; a healthyf amily meansa healthvs ocietv.
hence henceA Allah., llah, the Exalted Exaltedc commands ommandtso to treat treatt them hemw !ith
gentleness gentlenesasn and d suhmissiveness submissivenessasy saying:
ing:
HThy "Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but
Him, and that ye he kind to parents.
10. 68 : 4.
11. t3 : 21.
people., healthy family means a healthy society.
23
Qur'an Qur'an 33 21.
23

23. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy
life. life, say not to them aword of contempt. contempt, nor repel them
but address them, in terms of honour.
And. And, out of kindness, kindness. lower to them the wing of
humility, and say:
"My Lord! bestow on them thy Mercy even as they
cherished me in childhood" 12.
childhood"''.
Next comest he T he Messengeor f
to family comes the kindred. The Messenger of
Allah, peace be on him, said that Allah has promised
to he kind to him who hehaves kindly to his kindred.
kindred,
and to sever him who severs his kindred by bv unkind
hehaviour.
behaviour.
24
12. Qur'an 17 : 23. 24.
24

24. The Pillars of lslam
Messengero f peaceb e said: Islam
'1. ,a sh-Shahaada(ftrh e professiono f which must
Islam . ilaha illallah,
Rasoolullah) "There is no true
Messenger of
Allah". god worthy of being
worshipped
His Messenger
Muhammad, Salat( prayer). w hich mustb e performedf ive times
prayer. [two rak'aat (units)];
he sunrise.
Dhuhr, just afternoon.[ four rak'aatf.T he
Asr. afternoon, [four rak'aatl. The
Maghrib, [three rak'aatJim mediatelya fter sun-set.
Isha', ffour rak'aat), sun's red-ness
Prayer, however,
by which is washing hands.
face., forearms and
Prayeri s greatespt illarso f Islam. I t is the
about be asked on
I f acceptedb y Allah, then
25
Islam
The Messenger of Allah, peace be on him, said:" is built on five pillars:
1. ash-Shahaadah (the profession of faith) be recited by anyone embracing Islam. (La iJaha iJ/alJah.
Muhammad RasoolulJah) meaning: «There god except Allah, Muhammad is the Allah». This means that there is no worshipped but Allah, and that He must be only according to the teaching of Muhammad. peace be on him.
2. Salat (which must be performed five a day. The first is Fajr prayer . [two rak 'aat units)] ~
which may be performed hetween dawn and The second. Dhuhr. afternoon. [four rak'aat]. The
third Asr. in the later afternoon. [four rak'aat]. fourth. Maghrib. [three rak 'aat] immediately after sun­set.
The fifth. Isha '. [four rak 'aat]. after the red­ness
disappears from the horizon. must he preceded hy ahlution face, wiping over the head, washing the the feet.
Prayer is one of the greatest pillars of It first act of worship ahout which man shall he the Day of Reckoning. If it is accepted by

25. rest of man's good deeds are accepted too13
the resto f man'sg oodd eedsa re acceptedto o''.
Zakaf( thep oor-due)is o neo f theg reatesfti nancial
institutionos f Islam, l iterallym eaning'purificationin',-
dicatingth ats ucha paymenmt akesth e resto f theM us-lim's
wealthp ure. Zakat is levieda nnuallyo n certain
typeso f food grain, cattlea nd cashp ossessefdo r one
calendary ear to be giveno ut to the poor, the
needya nd others pecifiedc lasseosf people.
4. Sawm( fasting) t o be observedd uringt he month
of Ramadan(t hen inthm ontho f theM usliml unarc alen-dar).
t t beginsa t daybreak(d awn),a nde ndsa t sunset.
d rinking'ta nd sexuala ctivitiesw ith one'sw ife
forhidden.
Besidesh ealthb enefitsw hicho neg ainst hroughf ast-ing,
humblenessa nd sharet he feelingso f Hajj (pilgrimage) t o prescribedf or financially'' questioned by
Every one accountablefo r Hereafteri s eithere verlastingh appinesso r everlastingto rment.
juices alcholic drinks;
journey for his
26
•
3. Zakat (the poor-due) one of the greatest financial
institutions of literally meaning 'purification', in­dicating
that such a payment makes the rest of the Mus­lim's
wealth pure. levied annually on -certain
types of cattle and cash possessed for lunar calendar year given out needy and other specified classes of Sawm (to observed during the Ramadan (the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calen­dar).
It begins at daybreak (dawn), and ends at Eating, drinkingl~ and sexual activities with one's wife
are forbidden.
Besides health benefits which one gains through fast­ing,
it is an act of worship which helps one who observes
it attain piety, humbleness and share the feelings of the
beret and hungry in the community. Fasting also allows
one to be more benevolent and charitable.
5. Hali to Makkah, prescribed for those
Muslims who can afford the trip financiallyl5 and health
13. Man shall be held accountable for every minute and thing he does, and shall
stand all by himself on the Day of Judgment or Reckoning to be the Almighty Allah. Everyone shall he held accountahle for his own deeds.
The life in the Hereafter is either everlasting happiness or everlasting torment.
14. Drinking, refers to water, fruit and other non-alcholic and soft liquour and smoking are prohihited in Islam.
15. This means that one must have enough provisions for his and family during his absence.

26. wise, once in a lifetime. The Hajj rites take place during
the Islamic or lunar months of Shawwal, Dthul-Qi'dah
and the first ten days of Dthu-Hijjah only. It is a precon­dition
precon-dition
pilgrim lhratn'o at a
for the to enter the state of IhramJ6 certainp oint beforee nteringt he boundrieso f certain point before entering the boundries of Makkah.
16. Ihram hy a piece of cloth
16. Ihram is the intention to perform Hajj or Umrah wrapping covering his hody from the chest down. Another piece of cloth covers the upper
hody: excluding the head. Ihram makes it unlawful for the pilgrim to wear sewed
garments. garmcnts. shoes. to have sexual activities with his wife. to hunt and the like.
Under normal circumstances. circumstanceso. once nce a Muslim enters enterst the he state stateo of f Ihram. lhram. he may
not break it until he has completed all Hajj or Umrah rituals. But if one is held
hack back from completing Hajj or Umrah. for health reason. fear of enemy or great
danger. he may then quit his Thram lhram and sacrifice a sheep. goat. cow or camel
as an expiation.
27

27. The Articles of Faith
also articles of faith which include beside
There are believingi believing in n the Onenesso Oneness of f Allah:
1. Believing angels. created and tasked them undertake numerous duties beside
praising Him. They are His obedient salves. "in awe and reverence of His [glory]"17.
2. Beliveing in Allah's Scriptures, that were free
from any imperfection errors revelation. All Scriptures that preceded the Qur'an have
been tampered with or distorted by while
the Qur'an is protected by change or tamper­ing.
in the Allah has them
taskedt hem to undertaken umerousd utiesb eside
praisingH im. Theya reH is obedients alves". They stand
reverenceo f [gloryJ"".
Beliveingi n t hat they weref ree
or at the time of their
A ll Scripturesth at precededth e Qur'anh ave
beent amperedw ith distortedb y their people, w hile
Qur'ani s protectedb y Allah from changeo r tamper-ing.
Scripturesto Abraham, I sma'il,
Allah sent down Scriptures to Isma'il,
(Jacob) and his twelve sons, Moses,
Is'haq, Ya'oob Jesus, Jesusa, and nd Muhammad,
Muhammad.
3. Believing in Allah's Messengers. Among whom the
most and steadfast are Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be They
are human and slaves of Allah. Every Prophet or Mes­senger
Believingi n MessengersA.m ong whomt he
prominent steadfasta re Noah, Abraham,
J esusa ndM uhammadp, eaceb e on them. T hey
humana nd slaveso f EveryP ropheto r Mes-senger
Muhammad, peace be on him, was sent
people, b ut Muhammadp, eaceb e on him.
all mankind. Allah says: "Blessed is He
Criterion To His that it
Creatures;-"'*.
28
before to his own but Muhammad, peace be was sent to Who Sent down the Servant, May be an admonition to all Creatures;-"l~.
17. Qur'an 21 : 28.
1R. Our'an 25 : 1.

28. Messengerosr Prophetsc laimedt o
None of Allah's Messengers or Prophets claimed to
be a god or part-god. god. Allah says: "No son did Allah
beget, nor n or is there any god along alongw with ith Him: (if there
were many gods), behold, each god would have taken
awayw hath eh adc reateda, nds omew ouldh aveL orded
away what he had created, and some would have Lorded
it over others! Glory to Allah! (He is free) from the
(sort of) things they attribute to Him!,,'Him!"'9.
n.
4. Believing Believingin in the theL Last astD Day, "y, the Day of Resurrection.
hasp redecreeda for eachc reature,a nd a
Allah has predecreed a term each creature, and term for the life of this world. The world's termination
will be marked by the sounding souhding of the Trumpet, then
the trumpet will sound again and mankind shall be re-surrectedto
standb eforet he Lord of the worldst o be
questioneda boutt heir deedsi n this world. Thosew ho
believedin Allah andw ereo bedientw ill go to Jannah
or (Paradise)a, nd thosew ho disbelievedw ill end up in
Hell-Fire.
5. Believingi n predestinationA. llah hasc reatede v-erythingin
accordancwei th His decreep, redestination,
desire and will, and in due proportion. His determinat-tion
of the nature of things was establishedf ifty-thousandy
earsb eforeH e createdt he Heavensa ndt he
eaffhr". Nothing occurs or takes shape within the
heavenso r the earth but with His knowledgea nd by
His order.
1 9 .Qu r ' a2n3 : 9 1 .
20. Abdullah Bin Amr reported that the Messenger him,
said: "Allah had predecreedt he creationf ifty thousandy earsh efore the heavens and the earth into existence". (lmam Tir-midrhi).
29
re­surrected
to stand before the worlds to questioned about their deeds in Those who
believed in and were obedient will Paradise), and those who disbelieved will Fire.
S. Believing in predestination. Allah has created ev­erything
in accordance with decree, predestination,
determinat­tion
established fifty­thousand
years before He created the Heavens and the
earth20
• heavens or knowledge and 19. Qur'an 23 91.
of Allah, peace be on him.
"Allah predecreed the creation fifty thousand years hefore he hrought
existence", Imam Muslim, Ahmad and at-Tir­midthi).
29

29. Now that you readt read this his booklet, t the he decisionis decision is yours.
Everyone is heading for the same end, but may choose
any other route. Allah is so merciful; Allah is far re­moved
Everyonei s headingf or samee nd,b ut mayc hoose
re-movedf
from rom injustice; H He e says:" says: "Nor wouldw would we e punish
until. We had sent A messenger (to give warning),,21.
Out of our concern for you, we have prepared this
message.
messenge(rt o warning)"t'.
w€ 21. Qur'an 17 : 1 6 .
30
21.0ur'an 17 : Itl.
30

30. Suggested books for reading:
- Qur'an,( Englisht ranslationo f them eaning)
hy T. Al-Hilali.
- Sahih al-Bukharri, a collection the Prophetic traditions.
-Sahih Muslim, a collectiono f authenticP rophetic
traditions:
* The book of Prayer by * GeneralP rescriptosf Islam.
* Fasting.
* Exegesios f the openingc haptero f the * The Fundamentalosf Islam.
* The life andt he Aqeadaho f Ash-SheikhM. uham-mad
- The Holy Qur'an, (English translation of the meaning)
by Hilali.
- Bukharri, of authentic
- Sahih collection of the authentic Prophetic
* A. Saqib.
* General Prescripts of * * Exegesis of opening chapter of Qur'an.
* Fundamentals of * and the Aqeadah of Sheikh. Muham­mad
lhn Abdul Wahab.
3 l
Ibn 31