What
is Islam?
Islam is not a new
religion. It is the same truth that God revealed to all
His prophets throughout history. Islam is both a
religion and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a
religion of peace, mercy and forgiveness that should not
be associated with acts of violence against the
innocent.
Who
are Muslims and what do they believe?
There are an estimated
1.2 billion Muslims worldwide. No more than 20 percent
of Muslims live in the Arabic-speaking world. The
country with the largest Muslim population is Indonesia.
Muslims believe in One, Unique, and Incomparable God.
They believe in the Day of Judgement and individual
accountability for actions. Muslims believe in a chain
of prophets beginning with Adam and including Noah,
Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses,
David, Solomon, and Jesus. God's eternal message was
reaffirmed and finalized by the Prophet Muhammad (peace
be on them all). One becomes a Muslim by saying, "There
is no deity but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of
God." By this declaration, the person announces faith in
all of God's messengers.
What is the Quran?
The Quran is the record
of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel
Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. It was memorized by
Muhammad and then dictated to his companions. The text
of the Quran was cross-checked during the life of the
Prophet. The 114 chapters of the Quran have remained
unchanged through the centuries.
What are the "Five Pillars" of Islam?
1) The
Declaration of Faith -
This consists of the two sentence declaration
described above.
2)
Prayer - Muslims perform five obligatory
prayers each day. Islamic prayers are a direct
link between the worshiper and God.
Islam has no hierarchical
authority or priesthood. A learned Muslim chosen
by each congregation leads the prayers.
3) Zakat
- One of the most important principles of Islam
is that all things belong to God and that wealth
is held in trust by human
beings.
Zakat, or charitable giving, "purifies" wealth
by setting aside a portion for those in need.
This payment is usually two and a half percent
of one's capital.
4)
Fasting - Every year
in the Islamic lunar month of Ramadan, Muslims
fast from first light until sunset. The fast is
another method of self-purification.
5)
Pilgrimage - A
pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj, is an obligation
for those who are physically or financially
able.
What about the American Muslim community?
There are an
estimated 7 million Muslims in America. The Muslim
community in America is made up of people from a
wide variety of ethnic backgrounds and national
origins. There are almost 2,000 mosques, Islamic
schools and Islamic centers in America. Muslims are
active in all walks of life. Islam is one of the
fastest growing religions in this country and around
the world.
What about Muslim women?
Under Islamic law,
women have always had the right to own property,
receive an education and otherwise take part in
community life. Men and women are to be respected
equally. The Islamic rules for modest dress apply to
both women and men equally. (Men cannot expose
certain parts of their bodies, wear gold or silk,
etc.) If a particular society oppresses women, it
does so in spite of Islam, not because of it.
What is Jihad?
"Jihad" does not
mean "holy war." Literally, jihad means to strive,
struggle and exert effort. It is a central and broad
Islamic concept that includes struggle against evil
inclinations within oneself, struggle to improve the
quality of life in society, struggle in the
battlefield for self-defense (e.g., - having a
standing army for national defense), or fighting
against tyranny or oppression.
Legal
Will & Testament
In the
name of Allah, most compassionate, most merciful
Allah, the
Great and Almighty, stated, “It is prescribed for you,
when death approaches any of you, if he leaves wealth,
that he makes a bequest to parents and next of kin,
according to reasonable manners. This is a duty upon
the pious. Then whoever changes the bequest after
hearing it, the sin shall be on those who make the
change. Truly, Allah is all hearing, all knowing.”
Qur’an ch. 2 versus 180-181
The
Messenger, Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him, said,
”It is not permissible for any Muslim who desires to
bequeath something to stay even two nights without
having his last will and testament written and ready
with him.” related by ibn Omar
Therefore,
for these reasons, I hasten to write my last will and
testament before I meet Allah, the Great and Almighty,
and absolve from all that contradicts it for Allah is
the best of witnesses.
-
Verily, I bear
witness that there is no god except Allah, he alone
with no partners associated with him, and I bear
witness Muhammad is his servant and his messenger
and that death is certain, resurrection is certain,
the hour of judgment is certain, the fire of Hell is
certain, and Heaven is certain.
-
I decree that who is
present with me during my time of death to remind me
to proclaim the testimonial of the belief in the
oneness of Allah and if I pronounce it then do not
speak to me for I hope they are my last words in
this life.
-
I decree that men from those we
consider from the faithful in Islam and have legal
Islamic knowledge be put in charge of washing my
body after my death so that they will not fall into
any infringement from the traditions of prophet
Muhammad,
Allah’s blessing and peace be upon him.
With water, camphor, and Lotus tree leaves, they
will purify and wash my body three or five times or
more. They will perform ablution on my body and
shroud it in a white sheet without any theatrics or
exaggeration.
-
I decree my family
and loved ones neither strike their faces nor tear
their garments in grief over my death, nor to say
except what the Lord, glorified be he, has
sanctioned, namely, “Truly to Allah we belong, and
verily to Him we will return.”
-
I decree as many
Muslims as possible pray for me and that they
increase towards me supplications in the hope that
Allah will accept the prayer of one of them in order
that I may succeed in the afterlife.
-
I decree that I be
brought to my grave by those carrying me for them to
do so in tranquility and fear of Allah and for them
to be in remembrance of Allah without raising their
voices for the Messenger, Allah’s blessing and peace
be upon him, has already forbidden that. And when
they bury me, who is entrusted to do so to say, “In
the name of Allah and in Allah and upon the creed of
the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessing and peace
be upon him” while placing me on my right side with
my head pointing towards the Kabah. Then scatter
dirt upon me three times.
-
Those present
standing by my grave at the time when an animal is
slaughtered to Allah, distribute its meat and
increase for me sincere supplications asking for
Allah’s forgiveness of me for truly this is the time
for beseeching.
-
I further decree
mourning for me not be carried out by innovations
contrary to the guidance of Mustapha, Allah’s
blessing and peace be upon him, such as mourning for
five days or mourning a second time after the
fortieth day of my death, or actions similar to
these.
-
I also decree my
estate be distributed in accordance to Islamic law
like Allah, the most High, ordered after any debts I
may owe have been paid. I hereby proclaim that I
entrust you not to “exceed more than a third” of my
estate to the following charity(s):
-
Finally, I advice my
family and my Muslim brethren to fear Allah, for
that is truly the vessel to salvation and I remind
them about repentance to Allah, glory be to him,
from all sin and wrongdoing and to uphold Islam. I
conclude by asking Allah to provide us with
happiness and abundance for He is the provider and
protector for that.
Allah’s blessing and peace be upon our
Prophet Mohammad and upon his family and his companions.
