ISLAM
Islam is the second largest religion behind Christianity. Over one billion people profess that "There is no true god but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God." Many people attest to the fact that right now, Islam is the fastest growing religion not only in the United States but in the World. Many Muslims believe that Islam is the only true religion. But is this true? Is Islam true? We shall see in this article! My purpose is not to offend Muslims or anything about their religion. My purpose is to show that there is a God who wants all to be saved and that is why he sent His son, Jesus Christ, to become the ultimate sacrifice for our sins.
WHAT IS ISLAM?
Islam basically means submission to Allah. According to Islam, Allah is the only true God. The word Allah itself means in Arabic means "the God." Allah is one and he has no associate or consort. Muhammad is the Prophet of Islam. Despite the fact that there were many prophets and messengers sent by Allah, Muhammad exceeds them all and that he is the final prophet. Muslims believe that the Qur'an (Arabic for "the recitation") is the final revelation from Allah and that it is the authoritative scripture for Islam. They also hold that the sayings of Muhammad, the Hadith, are also scripture. They believe that the Bible we have today is corrupted and that the Law of Moses, the Psalms of David, and the Gospels (Injil) in their original revelation (before being corrupted) were superceded by the Qur'an. Muslims believe in God's angels and in life after death as well as the Day of Judgment.
There are five pillars in Islam are the foundation of Muslims and are considered acts of worship and devotion to Allah. Abul A'la Mawdudi in his book Towards Understanding Islam, says:
To help achieve this objective [total submission to Allah], a set of formal acts of worship is prescribed to serve as a course of training. They equip individuals with the necessary tools to work for Almighty God. The more diligently we follow the training, the better equipped we will be for the task ahead (116).
Here are the five pillars of Islam:
The Declaration of Faith - Muslims are to declare that "There is no true god but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God"
Prayer - Muslims are instructed to pray five times a day in the direction of Mecca
Giving to the Poor - Muslims are instructed to give as much as they want to the poor and various community needs
Pilgrimage to Mecca - Muslims are required to go to Mecca at least once in their lifetime
Fasting - Muslims fast during the ninth lunar month called Ramadan
Another important part of a Muslim's devotion to Allah is Jihad, which is the struggle to advance Islam by all and any means necessary. This is not considered to be a pillar in Islam even though it will garner many rewards for the Muslim that follows it (Surah 9:19). What I have presented to you are the basic teachings of Islam. Now lets look at the history of Islam.
THE HISTORY OF ISLAM
Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, was born in Mecca in AD 570. When he was the age of forty, he was in a cave meditating when he was visited by an angel named Gabriel who gave him his first revelation from Allah. After this Muhammad was convinced that Allah called him to be a prophet. For the next twenty-three years, Muhammad received many revelations in different forms: visions, dreams, by angels, by Allah himself, and when he was raptured to heaven. These hundred fourteen revelations that Muhammad received became the Qur'an. Muhammad started preaching what was revealed to him by Allah. Despite this, Muhammad and his followers were persecuted and it got to a point where Muhammad was commanded by Allah to flee Mecca. They traveled 260 miles north to a city named Medina. This event, which took place in 622 AD is known as the Hijra (migration). This event also marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, where every year after is reckoned from 622 AD. The year 2001 is 1379 according to the calendar. Muhammad would later return to Mecca a powerful man and he forced Mecca to surrender to his leadership. He cleared the Kabah of all idols and set up Allah as the only God for Arabs to worship. By his death in 632 AD, most of Arabia was Muslim and the influence of Islam reached to Europe (Spain) and Asia (China).
I have only article for now regarding Islam but more is coming on the way...
A comparison of Allah and Jehovah
Copyright © 2001 by STAT