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Some basic information about Islam
A short foundation for volunteers and readers. Islam is the religion of God. It was the religion of all the Prophets and Messengers from the beginning of time.
Islam is the only religion acceptable to God and is the only way to get to Heaven. Allah says in the Holy Quran:
وَمَن يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَن يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ
If anyone desires a religion other than Islam, it will not be accepted from him and in the hereafter he will be one of the losers.
Islam is monotheistic
In Islam we believe that there is only one God. The Arabic name of God is Allah. God is one, single, and unique. He has no son or partner. He is the creator of everything. Only one God deserves to be worshipped and obeyed.
قُلْ هُوَ اللَّهُ أَحَدٌ اللَّهُ الصَّمَدُ لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ وَلَمْ يَكُن لَّهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ
Say, He is God, the One and Only. God, the Eternal, Absolute. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And there is none like Him.
Thus to become a Muslim, belief in one God Allah is necessary. Those who don't believe in God, or who believe in more than one God, or who believe that God has a son or partner, are not believers.
Prophets and Books
God is very Kind. One proof of God's Kindness is that God sent Prophets and Messengers عليهم السلام for the guidance of people. God gave Prophets and Messengers Holy Books. God didn't leave people in darkness.
To be Muslims we have to believe in all the previous Prophets, Messengers, and Holy Books. Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was the final Messenger and Prophet of God. He was the messenger of God for all people in every place and time up to the Day of Judgment. Since he is the final messenger of God, there is no Prophet or Messenger after him. Belief in the finality of Prophethood is a basic Islamic belief.
The Holy Quran is the final Book of God, revealed to the final Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. It contains guidance and a complete way of life for all mankind from the time of the Prophet up to the Day of Judgment. The Quran has been preserved by Allah so it will never be changed.
إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ
We have, without doubt, sent down the Message, and We will assuredly guard it.
As Muslims we believe in the previous Prophets and the original Books that were revealed by God. Since the previous Books were changed and the originals do not exist anymore, we do not follow the ones existing today. Some of those original Books were: the Injil (Gospel) revealed to Prophet Jesus, the Tawrah (Torah) revealed to Prophet Moses, and the Zabur (Psalms) revealed to Prophet David عليهم السلام.
The Quran, along with the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم, are enough for our guidance. The Prophet said that he was leaving behind two things; if we hold fast to them, we will not go astray: the Quran and the Sunnah.
Reading the Quran
Reading and understanding the Holy Quran is necessary to have a strong foundation. A strong foundation will keep you from going astray. To keep ourselves from being misled we should concentrate on reading the Holy Quran and its explanation (tafsir).
وَلَقَدْ يَسَّرْنَا الْقُرْآنَ لِلذِّكْرِ فَهَلْ مِن مُّدَّكِرٍ
But We have indeed made the Quran easy to understand and remember; then is there any that will receive admonition?
The Quran is the Criterion (Furqan), so it helps you differentiate between right and wrong. Allah called the Quran Criterion in Surah al-Furqan.
تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي نَزَّلَ الْفُرْقَانَ عَلَىٰ عَبْدِهِ لِيَكُونَ لِلْعَالَمِينَ نَذِيرًا
Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion to His servant, that it may be an admonition to all creatures.
A good explanation of the Quran that you can read is Tafsir Ibn Kathir. The commentary should be read to properly understand the Quran.
Pillars of faith
To be a Believer (mu'min) we have to believe in all the pillars of faith (arkan al-iman). Those who don't believe in any one of them are not believers:
- Belief in one God
- Belief in Angels
- Belief in Messengers
- Belief in Holy Books
- Belief in the Last Day and Judgment Day
- Belief in the Divine Destiny, the good and bad thereof
Continue with What is Islam and the Da'wah Training page.