What does Islam teach?
Islam means "submission to the will of God". In its ethical sense, Islam signifies striving
after the ideal. A Muslim is one who submits to the will of god. "Islam" and "Muslims" derive from the same word as the Arabic for "peace". The traditional Muslim greeting is "peace be unto you."
Islam offers hope for salvation to the righteous and the god-fearing of all religions. Muslims believe in the divine revelation of many prophets including Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad, but do not believe that God assumed human form.
The Quran, Muslims believe, is god’s word and Final revelation to the prophet Muhammad. Revealed over a period of twenty-three years, the Quran was distributed to distant lands within twenty-five years of the prophet’s death in 632 A.D. This is the only Quran recognized by the Muslims.
Comparing laws, moral precepts and narratives (about how the prophets called the humanity towards God and the consequence of refusing or accepting their call), the Quran’s timeless text remains an inspiration for more than one fifth of humanity. Together with the Quran, the epitome of classical Arabic, Muslims’ lives are guided by the actions and sayings of the prophet. Hundreds of thousands of sayings have been attributed to the prophet. Some examples:
"The first thing created by God was the intellect."
"The most excellent Jihad is that for the conquest of self."
"The ink of the scholar is more precious than the blood of the martyr."
"One learned man in harder on the devil than a thousand worshippers."
"Riches are not from an abundance of worldly goods, but from a contended mind."
"Give preference to that which is eternal (life after death), to that which is finite (life of the world)"
"He who wishes to enter the paradise at the best door must please his mother and father."
"No man is a true believer unless he desires for his brother that he desires for himself."
"When the bier of anyone passes by you, whether Jew, Christian, or Muslim,
rise to your feet."
"The thing which is lawful but is disliked by God is divorce."
"Heaven lies at the feet of mothers."
"Actions will be judged according to intentions."
"That which is lawful is clear and that which is unlawful likewise, but
there are certain doubtful things between the two from which it is well to abstain."
"The proof of a Muslim’s sincerity is that he pays no attention to that which is not his business."
"That person is nearest to God, who pardons…him who intends to injure him."
"…yield obedience to my successor, although he may be an Abyssinian slave."
(Successor here means the inheritor of the Prophet’s knowledge)
"Assist any person oppressed, whether Muslim or non-Muslim."
"The creation is like God’s family…the most beloved unto
God is the person who does good to God’s family."
"Modesty and chastity are parts of the Faith."
Islamic law is based upon the Quran, examples and sayings of The Prophet, consensus among the learned, analogical deduction, and individual reasoning. Islamic society comes closer than any other society to democracy. All persons are equal before God; goodness is the only criterion of worth. There is no priesthood in Islam; a younger person, with greater knowledge of Quran than his elders, may lead them in prayers. To become a Muslim, one need only profess, "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the messenger of God"
For a list of sites to learn everything about Islam and get all your questions answered: www.geocities.com/khalid2277/aboutislam
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