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I thought it should be not only in our thread but here as well...

Assalamu Alaikum, and welcome to M.U.G.!

Here we would like to give an overview of the basics of the Muslim faith, and, Inshallah, give you a better insight to our religion: Islam. We hope that you will keep an open mind when reading this, and this is very important. You may not agree with our faith, but this is simply to state what we believe. If you have any questions feel free to PM us and perhaps we can give you an explanation.

We also kindly ask that you respect our beliefs and not flame us.

Table of Contents
Basic Belief
The Five Pillars of Islam
Allah
Prophets
Angels
Satan
Judgement Day
Heaven and Hell
Qur’an
Views on the Bible and Torah
Misconceptions about Muslims
Links


Basic belief

A very important thing about Islam is that it is an entire way of life. It is not just going to a mosque once every Friday or holding it as some truth that you don’t have to really follow. As a Muslim we are to follow the rules and regulations set down by Allah. Man’s purpose in life is to worship Allah, although we are given a free will. Those who choose to follow Allah’s way attain heaven, while those who stray land in hell.

Our statement of faith, know as the Shahadah, goes as follows: Ash-hadu anna la ilaha illa Allah, wa ash-hadu anna Mohammadan rasoolo Allah. This means: There is no god but Allah, and Mohammad is His messenger.

I believe that is pretty self-explanatory. This declaration of faith is necessary for every Muslim to believe. Without this belief a person is not a Muslim. For further info click the linked words.

The Five Pillars of Islam

1. Shahadah, which was stated above.

2. Salah
Salah is arabic for prayer. This isn’t just your average prayer. Everyday we must say five obligatory prayers. To see what this is all about, check out the links section. There should be a website that explains how we pray. This time is taken out of our day to worship Allah. Each prayer is said at a certain time of day. They are Fajr, the dawn prayer, Zuhr, the noon prayer, Asr is the afternoon prayer, Mughrib in the evening, and Isha at night.

3. Zakah
Zakah is charity. Every Muslim is required to give 2% of their income annually in charity, except in special cases when a person has little money.

4. Fasting during Ramadan

Each day of Ramadan, which is a month by the lunar calendar, Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset. It is permissible, if sick, taking medication, or other excusable reasons, to break the fast. The fasting can be made up for in giving a certain amount of charity or feeding a certain amount of people.

5. Hajj

Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to the Kabbah, built by the Prophet Abraham, alayhis salaam, in the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Every Muslim must make pilgrimage to it at least once in his or her lifetime if he or she has the means to do so.

Allah

Ikhlas, Surah of the Qur’an reads as translated:



Those four verses summarize our beliefs about Allah.

Allah, Subhana wa Taala, as stated in the Shahadah, is the only One God. He is the same God as that of the Christians and Jews. However, we do not agree with the trinity theory. Our views about Jesus can be seen in the topic about Prophets. The Holy Spirit is, to us, Gabriel the angel, and not part of God.
There are 99 attributes as names for Allah in the Qur’an. I believe it is necessary to point out that Allah is called the “Most Gracious, Most Merciful” throughout the Qur’an.

Allah is Eternal and All-Knowing.

Prophets

Muslims view all Prophets of Allah as the same. They were all human, and each led a perfect life, to be an example for their followers.



Not all prophets are mentioned in the Qur’an. There are others, but Muslims believe in all of them. Some of the prophets are as follows:

Mohammad (Salallhu alayhi wa salaam)
Mohammad (Salallhu alayhi wa salaam) was the last and final messenger of Allah. He was the most perfect of all the Messengers. How is that possible, you may ask? Well, many of the other prophets never experienced certain situations. For example, Jesus (alayhis salaam) never went to war. Although we believe that if he had, he would have done everything to perfection, the situation never happened. Everything necessary for us to know occurred during Mohammad’s (Salallhy alayhi wa salaam) lifetime so that he could be the most perfect example for us to follow. His entire life, including many personal details, are recorded and available to everyone. Muslims are required to obey the Qur’an as well as Mohammad’s (s.a.w.) Sunnah, or basically the way he lived. To follow just one or the other is not enough. The Qur’an tells us to pray five times, but the Sunnah tells us when and how. Not all Sunnah is mandatory, however. Much of it is recommended for Muslims, but not required to follow. Mohammad (s.a.w.) was also unlettered (couldn’t read and write), making it impossible for him to have taken ideas from other books and such to write the Qur’an. It was revealed by Allah. It is relatively impossible for me to amply describe Mohammad (s.a.w.), but he was the greatest human and the perfect example.



Jesus (alayhis salaam)
We believe Jesus was a great Prophet, but as mentioned before, all prophets were human and mortal. Muslims also believe, as it is stated in the Qur’an, that Jesus was not crucified, although Allah made it seem so to men. He was raised to heaven, but will return before the Judgement day.
Moses (alayhis salaam)
Yes, we also believe in Moses. He did rescue the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He was also perfect.
Abraham (alayhis salaam)
Abraham was the father of Isaac and Ishmael, to whom Allah made a promise to bless and multiply his descendants and bless all peoples through them.
Ishmael (alayhis salaam)
Ishmael, son of Abraham through Hagar, and half brother to Isaac born through Sarah. If you are Jewish or Christian, you may know about the covenant Allah made with Abraham, that his children would be blessed and numerous, etc. The prophets came through the line of Isaac and Jacob, and so forth, but the promise also included Ishmael, as he was also a descendant of Abraham. Mohammad (s.a.w.) was descended from Ishmael, as were the arab people.


Angels

Angels are creatures of Allah. They were created solely to serve Allah and do His Will. They are perfect creatures and never disobey Him. Some angels have certain “tasks.” There is the angel of death, for example, and angels who are the keepers of hell. The head angel is Jibreel, or in English, Gabriel (Alaiyhimu salaam). Although there is some description of the angels in the Qur’an, we don’t know exactly what they look like. However, angels such as Gabriel are huge. Gabriel many times delivered the revelations of the Qur’an from Allah to Mohammad (s.a.w.). Sometimes when coming to earth the angels appear to humans as other humans, such as when the angels went to the Prophets Abraham and Lot.



Some examples:
Jibreel (Alaihimusalaam): Messenger to prophets of Allah
Mika’eel (Alaihimusalaam): Angel of Weather
Izraeel (Alaihimusalaam): Angel of Death
Israfeel (Alaihimusalaam): Angel that blows the horn on the Day of Judgement

Satan (Shaitan or Iblis as we call him)

Before discussing Satan, first I’ll cover what Satan is. Satan is a jinn, a creature created of fire. They are also part of the unseen. Although they live on the earth, they don’t typically get in human affairs. Just as man, they have prophets. Some are good and some are evil. Jinn were also created to serve Allah and have free wills just as we do.



At one time Iblis was the best of the Jinn, but when Allah created man, He ordered all to prostrate themselves to man. Satan, or Iblis, refused, and was therefore cursed and rejected for his disobedience. Satan then swore to wait in man’s path and cause him to stray from Allah’s way, and land them in hell.



Jannah/Jahannam (heaven and hell)
Jannah is the arabic equivalent of paradise. It is the reward for those who believed in did good, following the right path during their lifetime. Essentially, it is the perfect place, where there is perfect happiness and peace. Everyone would have everything they want there. There are many verses in the Qur’an which describe it:



That kind of leads us into the topic of hell, or Jahannam. Hell is the total opposite of heaven; it is the place of pure suffering. Those there would be punished for their unbelief and sins.

It is not necessary to be Muslim to go to heaven. Allah Judges with justice according to our deeds. Also, just being a Muslim doesn’t automatically mean one goes to heaven, although any Muslim that has done any good at anytime will eventually be taken out of hell and go to heaven.

Those whose good and bad deeds are equal are placed on “the heights,” or al-araf. Out of Allah’s Mercy, after everyone is judged, they will be taken to heaven.

Judgement Day

The Judgement Day is, in the most simple of terms, exactly what it states. That day Allah would judge all according to their sins and good deeds, which is recorded by the angels. All the souls will be raised and brought back to Allah that day. There is a lot more than that to the Judgement Day, but it is impossible to cover all things. I encourage you to read the Qur’an and some Islamic websites to find better explanations.





Qur’an

The Qur’an is the Muslim Holy Book, if you will. The first revelation of the Qur’an, since it was revealed in stages, was during the lunar month of Ramadan to the prophet Mohammad (s.a.w.). It is 114 chapters long, and each chapter varies in length, some as small as only three verses. Allah promised to protect the Qur’an, and it remains unaltered from how it was revealed. It lays down laws, gives comfort and peace to believers, and warnings to those who disbelieve.



Views on Bible and Torah

We believe that parts of the Bible and Torah are still true, but man has changed them and their messages over the years.



Misconceptions

1) The misconception about "women oppression" and "male chauvinism" in Islam.
In Islam, women are NOT lesser than men. A verse in the Qur’an clearly says so:



Also, it is also mistaken that Hijab is a symbol of inferiority for women in Islam. This is quite the contrary, since, when a woman covers in modesty, she refuses sexual servitude and commands respect. The message she sends is: "Respect me for who I am. I am NOT a sex object." In the past, women all over the world have been sexually abused and have been used as sex objects. They are held as inferior in many places, and are used only for their good looks. However, Islam tries to prevent this and protect women from such wrong. Hijab is just one example of how it prevents such things, since it causes a man to not marry the women due to her looks, but because of her personality: Something that many women today wish for, but never receive. Also, in this way, the eyes of the lustful may not abuse the woman’s body.

Additionally, in Islam, a woman cannot be forced into marriage. The following two ahadith state:





Also, it is encouraged for women to keep their last name in respect for their lineage.

Not only that, but in Islam, BOTH women and men are encouraged to seek knowledge. Both of them are encouraged to pursue different careers, and to learn more about the world and other things. Back in the time before women were wrongly oppressed in the Muslim countries (Mostly during Muhammad (saw)'s and the caliphs' time), the ratio of women scholars to men scholars in institutions were far greater than the ratio of women scholars to men in today's institutions in the U.S.

It is also a misconception that the reason why women can’t pray in front of men, or give a khutbah (religious talk) on Friday, is that they are inferior. This is very incorrect. The reason for women being behind men is that it is a weakness of men to be distracted by the women when they bend down in prostration (during prayer), so they are placed behind them in modesty, so that the men aren’t distracted. Also, the reason why a woman cannot give the Khutbah is because the one who gives the Khutbah is also the one who leads the prayer. The one who leads the prayer stands in front of the men, which women cannot do. Also, when leading the prayer, one will recite in a beautiful voice similar to singing, and Islam doesn’t want men to listen to women singing, since it could cause attraction outside of marriage.

2) The misconception about violence and terrorism in Islam.

Terrorism is against the teachings of Islam. Doing so kills many innocent civilians in a violent way, and such ways are forbidden. Following are two excerpts from the Qur’an:







In the first excerpt, it clearly states to NOT transgress limits, or to not go on killing frenzies and become thoroughly violent in the act. In the second excerpt, it makes it clear that, if the enemy stops fighting, then you must stop fighting as well. This is nothing like the ways of terrorism, where many acts of extreme violence are committed and where they are mostly fighting those who aren’t even fighting them.

Also, there are hadiths that forbid the mass killings of innocent people:









In the Hadiths, it forbids the killing of civilians, women, children, and the elderly. It also forbids “exceeding the bounds”, or going overboard. How is this like terrorism?

3) The misconception about Jihad

It is believed that Jihad is a “Holy War”, or a war to convert others to Islam forcibly. This is very incorrect, since there is a clear verse in the Quran that states:



This means that it is forbidden to force ANYONE into Islam. Hence, making the idea of a “Holy war” in Islam will never be permissible.

Jihad literally means struggle or exert effort. This applies to any great effort, not just to warfare. This could include the struggle within one’s self to find the truth, the struggle of refraining from fighting, the struggle to resist one’s own desires or evil inclinations, or even struggling to make peace.

Fighting in a war can be jihad, but only under the condition that one is fighting for the sake of being obedient to God and in accordance with his divine law. It is NOT jihad to fight for things such as honor, wealth, nationalism, race, territory, and even less for trying to forcibly spread religion.

4) The Misconception about the Prophet’s (s.a.w.) Marriages

Another huge mistake people make is saying that the Prophet (s.a.w.) couldn’t control himself or was lustful, etc., because he had nine wives. NOT TRUE!!! His first wife was actually quite a bit older than him, and many of the others were widows or those that sought support from him. Another thing, if they were so happy to marry him, which they were, it is not our right to tell them they shouldn’t be married. Some people I know that are Christians have attacked this, but if you read the Bible you’d see some people of the Bible had way more than nine wives (*cough*Solomon*cough*). Every marriage was also for a reason.

5) Misconception that Muslims Believe Allah’s Most Important Attribute is His Wrath

Allah is Most Gracious, Most Merciful and very forgiving, although some people believe we stress the wrathful attribute too much. It may seem that way because, no offense intended, Christians tend not to discuss the wrathful aspect of Allah, and any mention of it may seem more than usual to them. That is meant as a warning to those who refuse to obey Allah or listen to His Word, and the disbelievers. However, it is repeatedly mentioned in the Qur’an that Allah is the Most Forgiving, Most Gracious, Most Merciful, etc.



6) Misconception that Muslims Worship a ‘Black Box’ in the Desert

First off, the “black box” is the Kabah, built by Abraham and Ishmael. Allah told us to face in the direction of this when we pray, and although we prostrate in it’s direction, we are NOT worshiping it. Muslims ONLY worship Allah, the One True God.

7) Misconception that Muslims “milk it” by asking to wear hijab in school.

Muslim girls are only doing what is necessary and required in our religion.



Links

Three English Translations of the Qur’an

Another Translation of the Qur’an

Science and the Qur’an

Qur’anic verses about Geology & the Origin of the Earth

Scientific Evidence in the Qur’an

Islam and Women

Search for Specific Verses of the Qur’an

Speeches on the Hereafter

How to Pray

On a side note...The website "thequran.com" is a fake, and was actually created by a Christian Organization. If you're looking for Islamic information, that's not the place. They even created a fake chapter and put it in the Qur'an, and generally the whole site is false. Another bad website is http://www.answering-islam.org.

Thanks to all the members of M.U.G. for their input and support!

Special Thanks to:

Dark~Halcyon
Hotaru-hime
Baccus Cremaeus
GhaleonEx
Ayyar
Anima Maledicta

4laugh

How about making this thread sticky?

How do you make a sticky? sweatdrop sweatdrop sweatdrop

o.o can i join this muslim guild (although i am a christian sweatdrop ) i love to learn about different religions and when i scannned the facts above it helped me understand more!

where do i join?

Sure you can join. We appriciate this very much, especially nowadays. I think you go to the 'Guild Home'.

Well, you figured out how to make it a sticky.
...
I just love seeing my name on the credits thing there.

Baccus did it.