Islam

Bismi Allahi alrrahmani alrraheemi

AlqariAAatu

Ma alqariAAatu

Wama adraka ma alqariAAatu

Yawma yakoonu alnnasu kaalfarashi almabthoothi

Watakoonu aljibalu kaalAAihni almanfooshi

Faamma man thaqulat mawazeenuhu

Fahuwa fee AAeeshatin radiyatin

Waamma man khaffat mawazeenuhu

Faommuhu hawiyatun

Wama adraka ma hiyah

Narun hamiyatun

WA alaikum salam

____________________________________

Assalamu alaikum WA rahmatullahi WA barakatuh

is the full response to Asalaamu Alaikum. Typically it is believed that when you say it (and the response) Allah will indeed bless you.
The initial greeting can take on numerous forms depending on to whom it is offered:

As-Salāmu `alayk(a) -Peace be upon you (m. sing.)

As-Salāmu `alayk(i) -Peace be upon you (f. sing)

As-Salāmu `alayk(umā) -Peace be upon you (to two people of any gender)

As-Salāmu `alayk(unna) -Peace be upon you (f. plural - to three or more females only)

As-Salāmu `alayk(umu)-Peace be upon you (To a group of three or more people, where at least one is a male - or to a member of state such as a prime minister, president, king)

The correct response depends on who is addressing you. The same rules from above for singularity, duality, and plurality apply:

Wa `alayk(...) s-salām.

Praise be to Allaah.

There are two ways to do ablution (wudoo' in Arabic):

1 - Obligatory parts of wudoo', which are as follows:

(i) Washing the face completely once, which includes rinsing the mouth and nose.

(ii) Washing the arms up to the elbows, once.

(iii) Wiping the entire head, including the ears.

(iv) Washing the feet up to ankles, once.

What is meant by once in all the above is that the entire part of the body mentioned must be washed thoroughly.

(v) This must be done in order, so one washes the face first, then the arms, then wipes the head, then washes the feet, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did wudoo' in this order.

(vi) This must be done continuously, i.e., the parts of the body must be washed one after the other with no lengthy interruption between washing one part and the next.

These are the obligatory parts of wudoo' which must be done in order for wudoo' to be sound.

The evidence for these obligatory parts of wudoo' is the aayah in which Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"O you who believe! When you intend to offer As-Salaah(the prayer), wash your faces and your hands (forearms) up to the elbows, rub (by passing wet hands over) your heads, and (wash) your feet up to the ankles. If you are in a state of Janaaba(i.e. after a sexual discharge), purify yourselves (bathe your whole body). But if you are ill or on a journey, or any of you comes after answering the call of nature, or you have been in contact with women (i.e. sexual intercourse), and you find no water, then perform Tayammum with clean earth and rub therewith your faces and hands. Allaah does not want to place you in difficulty, but He wants to purify you, and to complete His Favour to you that you may be thankful" [al-Maa'idah 5:6]

2 - Mustahabb parts of wudoo'. These were narrated in the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the details of which are as follows:

(i) You must have the intention of purifying yourself and removing impurity. The intention should not be spoken out loud for its place is in the heart. This applies to all acts of worship.

(ii) You should say Bismillaah.

(iii) Then you should wash your hands three times

(iv) Then you should rinse your mouth three times, swirling the water around inside your mouth, and rinse your nose three times, blowing the water out and using the left hand to remove the water from your nose.

(v) You should wash you face three times, from the hairline to the jawbone and chin, and from ear to ear. A man should wash the hair of his beard because it is part of the face. If his beard is thin he has to wash it inside and out, and if it is thick and covers the skin, he should wash the surface of it only and run his wet fingers through it.

(vi) Then he should wash his arms up to the elbows three times. The arm extends from the fingertips, including the nails, to the lower part of the upper arm. It is essential to remove anything stuck to the hands before washing them, such as dough, mud, paint, etc, that could prevent the water from reaching the skin.

(vii) Then after that he should wipe his head and ears once with fresh water, not the water left over from washing his arms. The way in which the head is to be wiped is that you put your wet hands at the front of your head and bring them to the back of your head, then bring them back to the place where you started. Then put your index fingers in your ears and wipe the back of the ears with your thumbs. With regard to a woman's hair, she should wipe it whether it is loose or braided from the front of her head to the roots of the hair at the nape of her neck, but she does not have to wipe the entire length of her hair.

(viii) Then you should wash your feet three times up to the ankles, namely the bones at the bottom of the leg.

The evidence for that is the hadeeth narrated by Humraan the freed slave of 'Uthmaan, who said that 'Uthmaan ibn 'Affaan (may Allaah be pleased with him) called for water to do wudoo'. He washed his hands three times, then he rinsed his mouth and nose, then he washed his face three times, then he washed his right arm up to the elbow three times, then he washed his left arm likewise. Then he wiped his head, then he washed his right foot up to the ankle three times, then he washed his left foot likewise. Then he said, "I saw the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) doing wudoo' as I have done it, then the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, 'Whoever does wudoo' as I have done it, then prays two rak'ahs in which he focuses completely on his prayer, his previous sins will be forgiven.'" (Narrated by Muslim, al-Tahaarah, 331)

The conditions of wudoo are: being Muslim, being of sound mind, having reached the age of discernment and having the intention of doing wudoo'. Wudoo' is not valid on the part of a kaafir, an insane person, a small child who has not yet reached the age of discernment or one who does not have the intention of doing wudoo' because his intention is to cool himself down, for example. The water must also be pure (taahir), for impure (naajis) water cannot be used for wudoo'. One must also remove anything that could prevent water from reaching the skin and nails, such as nail polish.

It is prescribed to say Bismillaah according to the majority of scholars, but they differ as to whether it is obligatory or Sunnah. If one remembers to say it, it may be said either at the beginning of wudoo' or during it.

There is no difference between men and women in the way wudoo' should be done.

It is mustahabb to say, when one has completed wudoo': "Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, WA ashhadu Anna Muhammadan 'abduhu WA rasooluhu (I bear witness that there is no god except Allaah alone with no partner or associate, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allaah)," because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There is no one among you who does wudoo' and does it properly and does it well, then he says, 'Ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaahwahdahu laa shareeka lah, WA ashhadu Anna Muhammadan 'abduhu WA rasooluhu,' but the gates of Paradise will be opened to him and he may enter through whichever of them he wishes." (Narrated by Muslim, al-Tahaarah, 345). A report narrated by al-Tirmidhi adds: "Allaahumma ij'alni min al-tawwaabeena WA'j'alni min al-mutatahhireen (O Allaah, make me one of those who repent and make me one of those who purify themselves)." (al-Tahaarah, 50; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Sunan Abi Dawood, no. 48)

See al-Mulakhkhas al-Fiqhi by al-Fawzaan, 1/36)

And Allaah knows best.

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid

Source: Islam Q & A (http://www.Islam-qa.com/en/ref/11497/wudu)

Which describes how Islam came to exist in Africa?

Arabs brought it in the 8th century.

There are 5 main pillars of Islam and 6 main pillars of faith in Islam

The 5 pillars of Islam are:

1- Believing and bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and the bear witness that Mohammad is a messenger of the god (Allah).

2- The Ritual prayer of Islam. (SALAH)

3- Zakat, or mandatory charity, which is like a tax levied annually upon the Muslim's savings and investments.

4- The fasting of Ramadhan (a month of the Hijra calendar).

5- the pilgrimage, or Hajj. This is a duty binding only on those who are physically able and who can afford it.

The 6 pillars of faith in Islam are:

1- Believe in God (ALLAH).

2- Beilieve in God's Angels.

3- Believe in the Books of God; such as the Holy Qur'an (revealed to Momhammad), Torah (revealed to Moses), Psalms (revealed to David), Gospel (revealed to Jesus).

4- Believe in God's Messengers, who include among others, Adam the first man, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad, the Last of the Prophets. "There never was a people to whom a prophet was not sent." (Holy Qur'an).

5- Believe in the Last Day, the Resurrection of the dead, the Day of Judgment, and the Eternal Life Hereafter.

6- Believe in Divine Pre-ordainment. Every thing that happens here, whether good or bad, can happen only with the knowledge of God.

Yes,

Narrated Abdullah bin Qais: "Allah's Apostle said, "Two gardens, the utensils and the contents of which are of silver, and two other gardens, the utensils and contents of which are of gold. And nothing will prevent the people who will be in the Garden of Eden from seeing their Lord except the curtain of Majesty over His Face." (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Volume 6, Book 60, Number 401)"

Narrated 'Abdullah bin Qais: "The Prophet said, "(There will be) two Paradises of silver and all the utensils and whatever is therein (will be of silver); and two Paradises of gold, and its utensils and whatever therein (will be of gold), and there will be nothing to prevent the people from seeing their Lord except the Cover of Majesty over His Face in the Paradise of Eden (eternal bliss)." (Translation of Sahih Bukhari, Volume 9, Book 93, Number 536)"