Quran (Koran)

The food that is allowed for Muslim to eat and what is forbidden for him to eat is based, mainly, on the following two Quran sayings (Meaning English translation):

1. Quran, Chapter 5, verse 3: " Forbidden (for food) to you (Muslims) are: Al-Maitah (dead animals-cattle-beast not slaughtered), blood, the flesh of swine (Pork), and that on which Allah's name has not been mentioned while slaughtering, (that which has been slaughtered as a sacrifice for others than Allah or has slaughtered for idols) and that which has been killed by strangling, or by a violent blow, or by a headlong fall, or by the goring of horns- and that which has been (partly) eaten by a wild animal-unless being able to slaughter it (before its death)-.... But as for him who is forced by severe hunger, with no inclination to sin by eating what is forbidden above, then surely Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful"
2. Quran, Chapter 5, verse 5: " Made lawful to you this day At-Tayyibat (all kinds of lawful foods, which Allah has made lawful (meat of slaughtered eatable animals, milk products, fats, vegetables and fruits). The food (slaughtered cattle, eatable animals) of the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians) is lawful to you and yours is lawful to them..."

From the above, it is clear that what is forbidden to eat, except in cases of severe hunger, are mainly dead animals, pork, blood, and what is not slaughtered under name of God.

Alcohol and other intoxicants are also forbidden in Islam.

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Muslim people have a strict diet. Because we cannot eat just any type of meat, the meat we eat has to be halal, as in, when the animal is being cut, it must be cut in a special way. As in the people who cut it have to say a special prayer. Saying that, they are cutting this animal in the name of Allah. Also, we cannot eat pork, even if it was cut in the special way, pork in forbidden in our religion. And we cannot drink alcohol, or anything with alcohol. That is also forbidden. Other than that, we can eat everything else. I don't know what an "Islamic" is, but if the question is about people who follow the religion of Islam, those people are called Muslims.

Islam is a faith, a belief system. The word "Islam" is an Arabic word which means "submission to the will of the One God" - the one Creator of mankind, the heavens and the earth.

Those people who follow Islam are called Muslims. In Arabic "Muslim" means "one who submits to the will of the One God", or even more accurately, "one who attains peace through submitting to the One God".

Since Islam is a faith and not an ethnicity, Muslims exist in nearly every country and culture in the world. Arabs are only about 15% of the Muslim population. Indonesia is the country with the largest Muslim population. There are about 6-8 million Muslims in America, but nearly 66 million in China. In Russia and countries which were part of the former USSR, the number is somewhere around 80 million Muslims. Ethnic Albanians and Bosnians are mostly Muslim.

In America, most Muslims are African-American. Many American Muslims are converts of all different cultural backgrounds.

Therefore, what Muslims eat depends much on their cultural background, the country they live in, and their own personal choices.

What Muslims are forbidden from consuming are:

- pork

- meat from carnivorous animals (ie only vegetarian animals allowed)

- meat from an animal that has not been properly slaughtered in the name of God, and

- intoxicants, such as alcohol.

"Halal" means that something is allowed.

What is Islam?: The name of the religion is Islam, which comes from an Arabic root word meaning "peace" and "submission." Islam teaches that one can only find peace in one's life by submitting to Almighty God (Allah) in heart, soul and deed. The same Arabic root word gives us "Salaam alaykum," ("Peace be with you"), the universal Muslim greeting.
Who is a Muslim?: A person who believes in and consciously follows Islam is called a Muslim, also from the same root word. So, the religion is called "Islam," and a person who believes in and follows it is a "Muslim."

• What is the difference between Muslim, Moslem and Islamic?

How Many and Where?: Islam is a major world religion, with over 1 billion followers worldwide (1/5 of the world population). It is considered one of the Abrahamic, monotheistic faiths, along with Judaism and Christianity. Although usually associated with the Arabs of the Middle East, less than 10% of Muslims are in fact Arab. Muslims are found all over the world, of every nation, color and race.

• Muslim population of the world

Who is Allah?: Allah is the proper name for Almighty God, and is often translated merely as "God." Allah has other names that are used to describe His characteristics: the Creator, the Sustainer, the Merciful, the Compassionate, etc.

Muslims believe that since Allah alone is the Creator, it is He alone that deserves our devout love and worship. Islam holds to a strict monotheism. Any worship and prayers directed at saints, prophets, other human beings or nature is considered idolatry.

• More about the nature of God
• "Names" of Allah

What do Muslims believe about God, prophets, the afterlife, etc.?: The basic beliefs of Muslims fall into six main categories, which are known as the "Articles of Faith":

• Faith in the unity of God
• Faith in angels
• Faith in prophets
• Faith in books of revelation
• Faith in an afterlife
• Faith in destiny/divine decree

The "five pillars" of Islam: In Islam, faith and good works go hand-in-hand. A mere verbal declaration of faith is not enough, for belief in Allah makes obedience to Him a duty.

The Muslim concept of worship is very broad. Muslims consider everything they do in life to be an act of worship, if it is done according to Allah's guidance. There are also five formal acts of worship which help strengthen a Muslim's faith and obedience. They are often called the "Five Pillars of Islam."

• Testimony of faith (Kalima)
• Prayer (Salat)
• Almsgiving (Zakat)
• Fasting (Sawm)
• Pilgrimage (Hajj)

Daily life as a Muslim: While often seen as a radical or extreme religion, Muslims consider Islam to be the middle road. Muslims do not live life with complete disregard for God or religious matters, but nor do they neglect the world to devote themselves solely to worship and prayer. Muslims strike a balance by fulfilling the obligations of and enjoying this life, while always mindful of their duties to Allah and to others.

• Morals and manners
• Business ethics
• Modesty in dress and behavior
• Dietary rules
• Marriage
• Care of children and elderly
• Racism and prejudice
• Relations with non-Muslims

First you have to believe sincerely that there is only One God and Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the messenger of Allah (God). Then you say the shahada (declaration of faith) "I testify that there is no God but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God." Ashahu ana la ilah ila Allah WA ashadu ana Muhammad Rasool ila".

if your going to believe in Islam you need to follow it you cant just say you re a Muslim you have to believe it you have to read the quran and pray but being a Muslim isn't just about praying or reading your quran you have to be honest and sincere and loyal to Islam in the quran it says if a man doesn't pray 5 times in a day they are a non religion we spend 1 hour approximately on praying the rest on to our business's. the only reason Allah created humans was so that they could worship Allah.

They are:

1. faith in Allah (God in English)
2. Faith in His prophets
3. Faith in His angels
4. Faith in His Holy Books
5. Faith in the 2nd life
6. Faith in God destiny

No, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) couldn not read or write that is a sign of his prophethood. Because he brought such a book which is full of scientific facts which were unknown to scientists 1400 years ago such as:

The Big Bang Theory

The exanding Universe

The Uniqueness of Finger Tips

The Water Cycle

Moon's light is reflected light

The Sun will extinguish

Darkness in the Depth of Ocean

The Flight of Birds

Foetus protected by 3 veils

Pain Receptors in the Skin

ALIENS IN THE UNIVERSE (God said you humans are not alone in the universe 1400 years ago!!!!)

and many more discoveries. Quran is not the book of science but the book of SIGNS. Because its the final book to humnity since human beings are getting progressed in Science that's why God Almighty sent such a book which can be believed and suppose to believe.

ANOTHER ANSWER:

The prophet Mohammed pbuh was an "ummi"(illiterate).

that time nobody was educated , (except the rich and the priests ,etc).

Mohammad pbuh had no parent, was a sheep tender, and was not so much in the "city".

Now you can ask who wrote the Quran (if it is not mohammed pbuh)?

Remember that the prophet pbuh always (when a revalation/inspiration came) he first repeated it so many times as he needed to memorise the verse or chapter.

dictated the revalation/inspiration (slow and clearly) to the people around him,

and immediately they started writing it down (and others memorise it).

The prophet always asked after they had written it down to dictate what they had written down (or memorised).

If it was fault, he then asked to write it down again and began to dictate the verse/inspiration again, if it was good he would say that it is good.

After a few wars many Muslims could write and read, because of the prisoners of war. They could get freedom back if they learned ten Muslims to write and read.

When Muhammad pbuh was on his deathbed, he gave order to write the quran, But Umar ibn Khattab ra said, no we have something betters (all the writings of it on a safe place and it is in our memory). Maybe Umar was scared that it would be a to difficult/ to heavy for the prophet pbuh because of his state (he pbuh was very sick) .

But it was Uthmaan ra that collected all the quran pieces, and made of it a book. Many quran hafiz(memorisers) of that time came to him from everywere (Arabic countrys) and they checked the quran. After they all agreed that there was nothing edited or incomplete. He pronounced to all the people that the quran is now in "book-form" available.

sahih bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Number 155:Narrated Qatada:Anas said, "The Quran was collected in the lifetime of the Prophet by four (men), all of whom were from the Ansar: Ubai, Muadh bin Jabal, Abu Zaid and Zaid bin Thabit." I asked Anas, "Who is Abu Zaid?" He said, "One of my uncles."

Some of the reasons for the founding of the NAACP were:

• The desire to oppose racism
• African Americans' desire for more opportunities

• Jim Crow laws
• Segregation laws

The Qur'an was written over a long period of time. The inception of many aspects of the Qur'an have been placed in pre-Islamic times and its final version was not collected in its current form until around the 8th Century

The Qur'an was written by scribes who wrote as Muhammad spoke. These notes were written down on anything that was close to hand. After Muhammad died Abu-Bakr & Umar set the canon but it was not for another 100 or so years that the various suras were collated into the form that it is today.

The quran was written over a period of twenty three years from the beginning of revelation to the year Mohammed pbuh died. the quran has a feature of being remembered easily; there was no need to collect it , however, the quran was collected in one set at the time of Abu Bakr three years after Mohamed's pbuh death. Nothing of quran's aspects existed in pre Islamic times. though the current shape that the quran has is irrelevant to the content. the shape includes the exiestence of what is called vocal movements, sign's that indicate how a certain letter should sound like.

Salah, the formal five-times-a-day Islamic prayer, is one of the five pillars of Islam. It is also the criterion that distinguishes a Muslim from a non-Muslim. Non-Muslims offer supplications, fast, tithe, and perform pilgrimmages, but only a Muslims offers salat. If you see someone offering salat, you may be sure that s/he is Muslim.

SALAT - formal prayer

How to Perform Ablution

http://English.islamway.com/flashpage.php?id=3&cat=1&file_name=ablution&width=782&height=438

Download File Here: http://English.islamway.com/flashes/1/ablution.exe

how to pray

http://www.jannah.com/learn/flashprayer1.HTML

http://www.ummah.org.UK/software/cyber/

This site gives you the words you need to say:

http://www.islamway.com/English/images/prayer/contents.htm

If you are a beginner who needs to learn the basic steps of Prayer in Islam.

(with sound - http://English.islamway.com/prayer/BegSound.htm)

(w/o sound - http://English.islamway.com/prayer/BegNoSound.htm)

If you want to learn prayers from A to Z including Sunnah actions.

(with sound - http://English.islamway.com/prayer/AdvSound.htm)

(w/o sound - http://English.islamway.com/prayer/AdvNoSound.htm)

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This one gives you the times:

http://www.solat.net/

Find a mosque near you!

http://www.islamcan.com/masjid/index.shtml

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Answer

Since Âdam (alaihissalâm), there was namâz [ritual prayer] once a day in every religion. All that had been performed were brought together and were made fard [commanded] for us. Although performing namâz is not a pillar of îmân [belief], it is a pillar of îmân to believe that namâz is fard. "Namâz" means "duâ." The 'ibâdat that is commanded by the Sharî'at and which we all know was named "namâ." Performing the five daily prayers of namâz is fard-i 'ayn for every Muslim who has reached the age of puberty. That it is fard is openly stated in the Qur'ân and hadîths. Five daily prayers of namâz became a commandment on the Mi'râj night. The Mi'râj happened on the twenty-seventh night of the month of Rajab a year before the Hegira. Before the Mi'râj, only the morning and afternoon prayers were performed. A child must be ordered to perform namâz at the age of seven and should be beaten if it does not perform it at the age of ten. It is also necessary to teach other ibâdats to children at this age, to accustom them to doing them, and to prevent them from sins.

For the purpose of showing the importance of fard namâz, Muhammad Rabhâmî (rahmatullahi alaih) wrote the Persian book Riyâd-un-nâsihîn, a collection from four hundred and forty-four books, in India in 853 A.H., in the twelfth chapter of the first section of the second part of which he said:

"In the two fundamental books of Islam called Sahîhayn [Bukhârî and Muslim], Rasûlullah (sall-Allahu alaihi WA sallam) asked in a hadîth-i sherîf reported by Jâbir bin 'Abdullah (radiy-Allahu 'anh): "If there were a river in front of one's house and if he washed himself in this river five times every day, would there be any dirt left on him?" We [Jâbir ibn 'Abdullah and other Sahâbîs present there] said, "No, O Rasûlallah." The Prophet said, "Likewise, minor sins of those who perform the five daily prayers are forgiven." [Some ignorant people, upon hearing this hadîth, say, "Then, I will both perform namâz and amuse myself as I wish. My sins will be forgiven anyhow." This thought is not correct because a namâz that is performed observing its conditions and âdâb and is accepted will cancel sins. In fact, even if minor sins are forgiven, continuing to commit or insisting on minor sins will become grave sins. And insisting on committing grave sins will cause kufr (disbelief.)]

Ibn Jawzî wrote in Tafsîr-i-Mugnî: "Abû Bakr-i Siddîq (radiy-Allahu 'anh) said that, when the time of a daily prayer of namâz comes, angels say, 'O the sons of Âdam, stand up! Extinguish the fire prepared to burn human beings by performing namâz.'" In a hadîth-i sherîf, it was said, "The difference between the Believer and the unbeliever is namâz," that is, the Believer performs namâz, and the unbeliever does not. Munâfiqs, however, sometimes perform it and sometimes do not. Munâfiqs will undergo very bitter torment in Hell. 'Abdullah ibn Abbâs (radiy-Allahu 'anh), the leader of mufassirs, said that he heard Rasûlullah say, "Those who do not perform namâz will find Allahu ta'âlâ angry on the Day of Resurrection."

The imâms of hadîth unanimously said, "People who do not perform a namâz in its due time intentionally, that is, if they are not sorry for not performing a namâz while its due time is ending, will become kâfirs or will lose their îmân during their death. What will become of those who do not remember namâz or see namâz as a duty?" The Ahl as-Sunnat savants unanimously said, "Ibâdât are not a part of îmân." But there was not a unanimity concerning namâz. The fiqh imâms, Imâm Ahmed Ibn Hanbel, Is'hâq ibn Rahawayh, 'Abdullah ibn Mubârak, Ibrâhîm Nahâî, Hakem ibn Hutayba, Ayyûb Sahtiyânî, Dâwûd Tâî, Abû Bakr ibn Shayba and Zubeyr ibn Harb and many other great savants, said that one who does not perform a namâz intentionally becomes a kâfir. Then, O Muslim Brother, do not miss any namâz and do not be slack; perform it with love! If Allahu ta'âlâ punishes according to the ijtihâd of these savants on the Day of Judgement, what will you do?

Tafsîr-i Mugnî says, "One of the superiors asked the devil what he should do to become damned like him. The devil was pleased and said, 'If you want to be like me, do not pay attention to namâz and take an oath on everything right or wrong, that is take an oath very much!' That person said, 'I will never neglect namâz and will not take any oath from now on. '" In the Hanbalî Madhhab, a Muslim who does not perform a namâz without an excuse will be put to death like a murtad [renegade], and his corpse will not be washed or shrouded, nor will his janâza namâz be performed. He will not be buried in Muslims' cemetery, and his grave will not be made distinguishable. He will be put in a hollow on the mountain. In the Shâfi'î Madhhab, one who persists in not performing namâz does not become a murtad, but the punishment will be death. That the Mâlikî Madhhab is the same as the Shâfi'î in this respect is written in Ibni 'Âbidîn and on the sixty-third page of the translation of Milal-nihâl. And in the Hanafî Madhhab, he is imprisoned until he begins namâz or beaten until bleeding. [However, he who attaches no importance to namâz or who does not know it as a duty will be a kâfir in all the four madhhabs. It is written in the subject of the afflictions incurred by the tongue in Al-hadîqa that he becomes a kâfir according to the Hanafî Madhhab, too, if he neglects namâz intentionally and does not think of performing its qadâ and does not fear that he will be tormented for this.] Allahu ta'âlâ did not order non-Muslims to perform namâz or to fast. They are not honored with the commandments of Allahu ta'âlâ. They are not punished for not performing namâz or for not fasting. They only deserve Hell, which is the punishment for kufr.

In the book Zâd-ul-muqwîn, it is said: "Early savants wrote that those who do not do five things are deprived of five things:

1- They who do not give the zakât of their property do not get any benefit from their property.

2- In the land and earning of people who do not give their 'ushr, there is no abundance left.

3- Health is absent in the body of a person who does not give alms.

4- People who do not pray will not attain to their wishes.

5- People who do not want to perform a namâz when its

time comes cannot say the Kalima-i shahâdat at their last breath. A person who does not perform namâz because of laziness although he believes that it is the first duty, is a fâsiq. He is not the peer of a sâliha [pious] girl, that is, he does not deserve and is not suitable for her." As it is seen, not performing the fard namâz causes one to die without îmân. Continuing to perform namâz causes the enlightenment of the heart and the attainment of endless bliss. Our Prophet (sall-Allahu alaihi WA sallam) declared, "Namâz is nûr," that is, it brightens the heart in the world and illuminates the Sirât in the next world." (Riyâd-un-nâsihîn)

A hadîth-i sherîf, quoted in the book Qurratul'uyûn,

declares, "If a person does not perform namâz though he has no good excuse, Allahu ta'âlâ will give him fifteen kinds of plague. Six of them will come in the world, three will come at the time of death, three will come in the grave, and three will come when rising from the grave. The six plagues in the world are:

1- A person who does not perform namâz will not have barakat in his lifetime.

2- He will not have the beauty, the lovableness peculiar to those who are loved by Allahu ta'âlâ.

3- He will not be given thawâb for any good he does.

4- His prayers (duâs) will not be accepted.

5- No one will like him.

6- Blessings that (other) Muslims invoked on him will do him no good.

Kinds of torment he will suffer when dying are:

1- He will expire in an abhorrent, unsightly, repugnant manner.

2- He will die hungry.

3- Much water as he may have, he will die with painful

thirst.

Kinds of torment he will suffer in the grave are:

1- The grave will squeeze him. His bones will intertwine.

2- His grave will be filled with fire, which will scorch him day and night.

3- Allahu ta'âlâ will send a huge serpent to his grave. It is not like terrestrial serpents. It will sting him at every prayer time each day. It will never leave him alone any moment.

Kinds of torment he will suffer after rising are:

1- Angels of torment that will drag him to Hell will never leave him alone.

2- Allahu ta'âlâ will meet him with wrath.

3- His account will be settled in a very vehement manner, and he will be flung into Hell."

• Adult, sane, healthy Muslims must fast from dawn to sunset during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Islamic fasting means refraining from eating, drinking, and marital intimacy between dawn and sunset. The ill and travelers are excused from fasting, but must make up the days they missed later in the year. Those who are permanently unable to fast may buy food to feed the poor, instead.

• Islam promises exceptional rewards to Muslims who also observe optional, or Sunnah, fasts on:

• Monday and Thursday of each week.

• The three days each month when the moon is full.

• The day of Ashurah and either the day before and or the day after it. (Ashurah commemorates the escaped of Prophet Moses (God bless him and grant him peace) and his people from Egypt.
• The 9th day of the 12th month of the Islamic lunar calendar (called Arafa day) if he/she is not on hajj (or pilgrimage)