BELIEFS:
La ila ha ill Lal Lahu Muhammadur rasul ullah”
Translation: “There is no deity except ALLAH (God), Muhammad is the Final Messenger of ALLAH (God).”
This simple statement of a Muslim’s basic beliefs is the starting point for all that follows. From this expression of belief in the Oneness and Uniqueness of God and the messengership of Muhammad stem all of Islam’s concepts, attitudes, moral values and guidelines for human behavior and relationships.
WHO, HOW & WHERE IS ALLAH (GOD)???
“Say (0 Muhammad): ‘He is God. the One, the Self-Sufficient. He begets not nor is He begotten, and there is none like Him.”‘ (QURAN 112:1-4)
“Whatever is in the heavens and on earth glorifies God, for He is the Mighty, the Wise. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. It is He Who gives life and death, and He has power over all things. He is the First and the Last, the Evident and the Immanent, and He has full knowledge of all things. It is He Who created the heavens and the earth in six days (stages or eons), and is moreover firmly established on the throne (of authority). He knows what enters into the earth and what comes forth from it, and what descends from the heavens and what mounts up to it: and He is with you wherever you may be. And God sees all that you do. To Him belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. and all affairs are referred back to God. He merges night into day and He merges day into night. And He has full knowledge of what is in the hearts (of people).”(QURAN 57:1-6)
“God! There is no deity except Him, the Living, the Eternal. No slumber can overpower Him nor sleep. His are all things in the heavens and on earth. Who is there who canintercede in His presence except as He permits? He knows what is before them and what is hidden from them, and they cannot comprehend anything of His knowledge except what He wills His kingdom spreads over the heavens and the earth, and the guarding of them does not weary Him, and He is the Exalted, the Almighty.”(QURAN 2:255)
THE MESSENGERS OF ALLAH (GOD):
“For assuredly We sent among every people a messenger (with the command), ‘Serve God and shun wickedness.’ Of them were some whom God guided and of them were some on whom error became inevitably (established). So travel through the earth and see what was the end of the deniers (of truth).”( Holy Quran 16:36)
“Say (0 Muslims): ‘We believe in God and in what is revealed to us, and in what was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the Tribes (of Israel), and in what was given to Moses and Jesus and in what was given to the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them (in believing them all to be God’s messengers) and to Him do we submit ourselves.” (Holy Quran 2:136, also Holy Quran 3:84-85)
FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM:
1. Shahadah:
The 1st pillar is Shahadah. Shahadah is to believe that there is no god but ALLAH and that Muhammad is his messenger.
Muslims Worships One and Only ALLAH, The Almighty. Islam Prohibits Worshiping Idols, Pictures or any Statues. There is no hierarchical authority in Islam and there are no priests.
We Worship ALLAH by facing to a fixed direction of Makkah and Pray as if He is seeing and listening us and Indeed He (ALLAH) is All Seeing & Knowing!!
2. Salaah/Prayer:
The 2nd pillar is Salaah. Salaah is prayers, that are performed five times a day. Prayers are led by an Imam in the Mosque. Each salaah is performed facing towards the Kaba. Salaah is compulsory on all Muslims. Children should start praying 5 times daily at the age of 10 or 12. Prayers help Muslims communicate and worship ALLAH.
3. Zakaat/Charity:
The 3rd pillar is Zakaat. Zakaat is a charity given to the poor and needy from the 2.5% of the annual earnings. Zakat means “purification.” Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakah individually.
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) said, “Even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is an act of charity.” The Prophet also said: “Charity is a necessity for every Muslim.”
4. Saum/Fasting:
The 4th pillar is Saum. Saum is fasting in the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. It is an obligatory act for all adults and children from the age of 10.It helps develop self-control and helps us to overcome selfishness, greed and laziness. You open your fast with a date. Muslims must abstain from food, drink, and sexual intercourse from dawn to dusk during this month. The fast is meant to remember the needy and seek nearness to ALLAH.
5.Hajj:
The 5th pillar is Hajj. Hajj is to visit the Kaba, in Makkah during the Islamic month of Zul – Hijjah. It is Sunnah for all Muslims who are sane to perform Hajj at least once in their lifetime. Everyone wears white clothes to show we are all equal.
The rites of the hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include going around the Ka’bah seven times, and going seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa as did Hagar (Hajir, Abraham’s wife) during her search for water. The pilgrims later stand together on the wide plains of ‘Arafat (a large expanse of desert outside Makkah) and join in prayer for God’s forgiveness, in what is often thought as a preview of the Day of Judgment.
The close of the hajj is marked by a festival, the ‘Id al Adha, which is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere. This and the ‘Id al Fitr, a festive day celebrating the end of Ramada-n, are the two holidays of the Islamic calendar.
islamisforeveryoneblog 