Values of Islam

Answer 1

The name Islam is an Arabic word which means submission or surrendering one's will. This word comes out of the Arabic word salam, which means peace. Therefore, Muslims believe that when one is in submission with Allah, they are also in peace. Who Muslims Believe In

Muhammad was the prophet founder of the Islamic Faith in the year 604 AD. They believe that Muhammad was a universal prophet, fulfilling the prophecies of those other prophets sent before him, such as Zoraster, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Muhammad carries the title of Seal of the Prophets. The name of their God is Allah. The Five Pillars of Islam These are the framework of Muslim life. They are: 1. Faith 2. Prayer 3. Concern for the needy 4. Self-purification 5. Pilgrimage to Makkah Six Pillars of Iman (Faith) Islamic law states that there is a dual obligation for man to follow. One is duty towards the Almighty and the other is duty towards fellow man. This dual obligation takes a lifetime to fulfill, and is the most difficult. Beyond these two duties are six articles, or pillars of faith, which is the basis of all faith. 1. Belief in Allah as the one true God 2. There are angels that are between Allah and his prophets. They are used as messengers. 3. Muhammad was a messenger from God, as were the other prophets before him. 4. The Quran is a Holy Book from God. The Bible, Old Testament, etc. are also Books from Allah. 5. The Last Day - This is the belief that the world will eventually come to an end. On that day, there will be resurrection and judgment. 6. Destiny - While Muslims believe that we have free will to choose between right and wrong, they also believe that Allah knows what our destiny is. Seven conditions of Testimony of Faith 1. Knowledge -If one has knowledge they can not be ignorant 2. Certainty - If one is certain, they will not have doubt. 3. Sincerity and purity 4. Truthfulness - If one is truthful they are not a hypocrite. 5. Love and devotion - This makes a believer know of Allah's true religion. 6. Submission - If one is submissive, they will not disobey. 7. Acceptance - If one accepts, they will not reject or deny. If these seven conditions do not exist, then a believer is Kufr or a disbeliever. Denial, arrogance, doubt, disregard, and hypocrisy are the five types of Kufr. Tauhid (Islamic Monotheism) This means that Allah is the only God and holds all of the attributes. There are three parts to Tauhid. 1. Tauhid-ar-Rububiyah - This is a declaration that Allah is One. He is the only one that can create, bring death, etc. 2. Tauhid - al - Uluhiyah - This is a statement that Allah is the only one to be praised and worshiped. 3. Tauhid - al - Asma - Allah holds all of the Divine names and attributes. Ibadah Ibadah are the attributes that man acquires and which Allah is pleased with. There are two conditions to Ibadah. They are sincerity to Allah and submission to Allah's messengers. Three fundamental Beliefs for Every Islamic Believer 1. Know your Lord 2. Know your religion 3. Know your prophet Prayer and Fasting Islamic worship consists of obligatory prayer and worship. Muslims are to pray five times a day, each time facing east. These prayers are to show submission to God. On every ninth month of the Islamic calendar, Muslims will fast. These days are called Ramadht. This means that there is to be no food, drink, or sexual relations from sunrise to sunset for an entire Islamic month. At least once in their life time Islamic believers will take a pilgrimage, also known as a Hajj. The journey is to be taken in the month of Zul-Hijja, the 12th month in the Islamic calendar. Living the Life Muslims believe that true happiness occurs when you are God-conscious and submissive to God's will. Freedom is freedom from human desires and man-made ideals. Through prayer and fasting, self-discipline and self-control become a focus of many Muslims. This also is a foundation for human dignity. Beyond these are several morals and values that Muslims carry to submit to God. Places of Muslim Believers There are an estimated 1.4 billion Muslims around the world. From 604 to present, it has spread from the reaches of Spain to China.

References: http://www.essortment.com/lifestyle/islammuslimfai_szgc.htm

Answer 2

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

Answer 3

• Submission to God, the one and only one God

• performing ritual worships per the five pillars of Islam and Islam principles.

• Following the Islam guides and moral per God commands in Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) teachings.

• Doing good deeds for the community, society, nature, and mankind

• Calling people for worship of God, the one and only one God with no partner, no son, no companion, no associate and no resemblance.

Refer to related questions below.

Answer 4

Muslims belong to the faith known as Islam religion. Islam religion calls for worshiping God (Allah) as the one and only one God, with no partner, no son, no father, no companion, and no resemblance. Islam is the religion of monotheism.

Islam religion is the religion per God revelation of Quran to prophet Muhammad (peace upon him) through the Angel Gabriel (Jibril). Quran revelation started in year 610 AD and continued until year 632 Ad (year of Prophet Muhammad death.

Islam religion calls that the only measure of superiority of one over another is his/her piety and his/her good deeds for benefit of his/her community regardless their race, gender, color, culture, etc. Prophet Muhammad (peace upon him) on his sermon on Hajj declared the human rights. He said that no difference among people due to color or race and that women and orphans rights should be respected. Human rights were declared in Islam religion in the seventh century before being declared by the United Nations in the twentieth century.

Muslim faith is based on the following values:

• Ritual worship and following Islam five pillars. Refer to the related question below for more information.
• Having faith in the oneness of God, God angels, all God prophets (including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, peace upon them), all God holy books (including Psalms, Torah, Bible, and Quran), Day of Judgment, and Destiny.
• Following Islam morals Guided by Quran and Sunna (Prophet Muhammad sayings and practices) and considering the Quran Golden rules. Refer to the related question below for more information.
• Performing good deeds for community and mankind benefit.

Answer 5

Islam is the universal God religion.

Islam is an Arabic word that means submission and surrender to God. The root of the word Islam is 'salem' that means being in peace. So, Islam is submission and surrender to Allah (God, the Creator) and hence fulfilling peace.

In this sense Islam began by the universe creation where all God creatures were created with full submission (Islam) to God. Upon start of mankind, people were taught through God prophets to be on full submission (Islam) to God. All prophet missions; including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, was to call for and teach people to hold submission (Islam) to the one and only one God, the Creator, with no partner, no son, no associate, no companion, and no resemblance.

In this sense:

• Islam per God revelation of Torah to Moses is called Judaism.

• Islam per God revelation of the bible to Jesus is called Christianity.

• Islam per God revelation of Quran to Muhammad is called the very name Islam.

This Islam universality manifests itself in the Muslims belief in:

• all God prophets, including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (peace be upon them all).

• all God holy books (including the Psalms, Torah, the Bible, and Quran)

The value of Islam religion, per revelation of Quran to prophet Muhammad (PBUH) lies in the two wings of Islam religion; namely:

• the first wing is to keep performing the ritual worships, and
• the second wing is to maintain Islam morals and to keep performing good deeds to the benefit of himself, family, community, and mankind.

As no bird can fly conveniently with only one wing or with one wing weaker than the other, you as Muslim could not be accepted in the God's Paradise unless you were keeping good balance of the above two Islam wings.

Regarding Islam ritual worships, you may refer to the question below on Islam five pillars.

Regarding morals, they are not so much different than that of many religions except in minor details. All revelation of heaven-sent religions (mainly, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) and other regions have one common objective (irrespective to faith or society issues as marriage, inheritance, etc). This common objective is to have the morals with which all mankind can live in love, peace, and harmony.

Some of the Islam morals are:

• No Sex without marriage Prostitution are prohibited
• Killing intentionally and with no legal authority is forbidden
• Robbery, cheating, breaking promise, laying, and dis-modesty are prohibited
• Intoxicants (as Alcohols and drugs) and gambling are prohibited.
• Islam has made it obligatory on Muslims to cover their private parts, which everyone naturally feels a sense of shame at exposing, especially on beaches
• Islam prohibits women to wear clothes which fail to cover fully body, including head and hair except face and hands. the cloth should not be transparent, revealing what is underneath. It is likewise prohibited to wear tightly fitting clothes which delineate the parts of the body. Face and hands are allowed to remain uncovered.
• forbidden to eat the flesh of dead animals and blood and the flesh of swine.
• The following also are prohibited:
• • Treating the parents, especially when getting old, without tender and without enough respect and care.
  • Mistreating wives and children.
  • Cruelty in treating animals.
  • Cutting trees without justification and spoiling water of rivers and springs.
  • terrifying innocents and civilians.
  • hate against other cultures and/or religion.

Some major teachings of Islam are:

• First is to worship the one and only one God and believe in his oneness.
• Second is to witness that prophet Mohamed (peace upon him) as God's prophet and messenger.
• Third is to believe in,and practice, ritual prayers, paying the compulsory charity (ZAKAT), fasting Ramadan, and performing Pilgrimage if possible.
• Fourth is to have faith in God, all His angels, all His holy books, all His prophets, day of Judgment, and destiny.
• Fifth is to fully obey God and his messenger Mohamed (peace upon him) by obeying what they order him/her to do and what they order not to do.
• Sixth is to do good deeds for the benefit of his community, nature, and mankind.
• Seventh is to observe the Quran Golden rules and Islam morals.

One may refer to the related questions listed at the bottom for more information.

Answer 6

Basic Beliefs of the Muslims:

1. Belief in Almighty Allah (God) Sura Baqra -2. Aya 163: And your Allah is ONE Allah, There is no god but He. He is the Sole Creator, Sustainer, Provider and Ruler of the Universe. He has No Son, No Parents, No off-spring. He is Omnipotent, Omni-Present, All-Knowing, All-Seeing, All-Listening. HE and He alone deserves worship. All powers lie in His Hands. He alone is the Master of the Day of Judgment. He has No Partner, No Associate whatsoever. No one can understand Him completely. There is Nothing like Him. He is Most Merciful, Most Gracious, Most Forgiving..

2. Belief in Angels Created by Almighty Allah Karim from light. They are obedient to Allah Karim. Carry out His commands.

3. Belief in all heavenly books, including Tora, Zaboor, the Bible, the last one being the Qur'an.

4. Belief in all the Messengers of Almighty Allah- No distinction among them. Hazrat Muhammad (SAW) being the last Prophet of Islam. NO Prophet after him.

5. Belief in the Day of Judgment. Almighty Allah Karim is the Sole Ruler/Master of that Day. He enjoys the absolute authority to send people to Heaven or Hell.

6. Good and bad Destiny being in the Hands of Almighty Allah. No One can change his destiny.

7. Life hereafter: All the dead will be raised again and judged according to their good or bad deeds. There will be no death to them.

8. Hell and Heaven (Paradise)

These may be further elaborated in the light of the holy Qur'an and the Sahih Hadith.

Five Pillars of Islam:

1. Shahadat: [testimony that there is no god except Allah (God) the One and Only One, having No Partner whatsoever. And Muhammad is His servant and Messenger],

2. Salah: (praying five times a day)

3. Zakah: (specific compulsory charity-2,5% of annual savings)

4. Saum: (fasting during Ramadan)

5. Hajj: (pilgrimage) for each Muslim once in lifetime those who can afford it.

Answer 7

The values that Quran teaches are listed below where the relevant Quran chapter and verse(s) are given in brackets at the end:

1. Respect and honor all human beings irrespective of their religion, color, race, sex, language, status, property, birth, profession/job and so on [17/70]
2. Talk straight, to the point, without any ambiguity or deception [33/70]
3. Choose best words to speak and say them in the best possible way [17/53, 2/83]
4. Do not shout. Speak politely keeping your voice low. [31/19]
5. Always speak the truth. Shun words that are deceitful and ostentatious [22/30]
6. Do not confound truth with falsehood [2/42]
7. Say with your mouth what is in your heart [3/167]
8. Speak in a civilized manner in a language that is recognized by the society and is commonly used [4/5]
9. When you voice an opinion, be just, even if it is against a relative[6/152]
10. Do not be a bragging boaster [31/18]
11. Do not talk, listen or do anything vain [23/3, 28/55]
12. Do not participate in any paltry. If you pass near a futile play, then pass by with dignity[25/72]
13. Do not verge upon any immodesty or lewdness whether surreptitious or overt [6/151].
14. If, unintentionally, any misconduct occurs by you, then correct yourself expeditiously[3/134].
15. Do not be contemptuous or arrogant with people [31/18]
16. Do not walk haughtily or with conceit [17/37, 31/18]
17. Be moderate in thy pace [31/19]
18. Walk with humility and sedateness [25/63]
19. Keep your gazes lowered devoid of any lecherous leers and salacious stares [24/30-31, 40/19].
20. If you do not have complete knowledge about anything, better keep your mouth shut. You might think that speaking about something without full knowledge is a trivial matter. But it might have grave consequences [24/15-16]
21. When you hear something malicious about someone, keep a favorable view about him/her until you attain full knowledge about the matter. Consider others innocent until they are proven guilty with solid and truthful evidence [24/12-13]
22. Ascertain the truth of any news, lest you smite someone in ignorance and afterward repent of what you did[49/6]
23. Do not follow blindly any information of which you have no direct knowledge. (Using your faculties of perception and conception) you must verify it for yourself. In the Court of your Lord, you will be held accountable for your hearing, sight, and the faculty of reasoning[17/36].
24. Never think that you have reached the final stage of knowledge and nobody knows more than yourself. Remember! Above everyone endowed with knowledge is another endowed with more knowledge [12/76]. Even the Prophet [p.b.u.h] was asked to keep praying, "O My Sustainer! Advance

    me in knowledge." [20:114]

25. The believers are but a single Brotherhood. Live like members of one family, brothers and sisters unto one another [49/10].
26. Do not make mockery of others or ridicule others [49/11]
27. Do not defame others [49/11]
28. Do not insult others by nicknames [49/11]
29. Avoid suspicion and guesswork. Suspicion and guesswork might deplete your communal energy [49/12]
30. Spy not upon one another [49/12]
31. Do not backbite one another [49/12]
32. When you meet each other, offer good wishes and blessings for safety. One who conveys to you a message of safety and security and also when a courteous greeting is offered to you, meet it with a greeting still more courteous or (at least) of equal courtesy [4/86]
33. When you enter your own home or the home of somebody else, compliment the inmates[24/61]
34. Do not enter houses other than your own until you have sought permission; and then greet the inmates and wish them a life of blessing, purity and pleasure [24/27]
35. Treat kindly" Your parents, Relatives, The orphans, And those who have been left alone in the society [4/36]
36. Take care of The needy, The disabled, Those whose hard earned income is insufficient to meet their needs, And those whose businesses have stalled, And those who have lost their jobs. [4/36]
37. Treat kindly " Your related neighbours, and unrelated neighbours " Companions by your side in public gatherings, or public transportation. [4/36]
38. Be generous to the needy wayfarer, the homeless son of the street, and the one who reaches you in a destitute condition [4/36]
39. Be nice to people who work under your care. [4/36]
40. Do not follow up what you have given to others to afflict them with reminders of your generosity [2/262].
41. Do not expect a return for your good behaviour, not even thanks [76/9]
42. Cooperate with one another in good deeds and do not cooperate with others in evil and bad matters [5/2]
43. Do no try to impress people on account of self-proclaimed virtues [53/32]
44. You should enjoin right conduct on others but mend your own ways first. Actions speak louder than words. You must first practice good deeds yourself, then preach [2/44]
45. Correct yourself and your families first [before trying to correct others] [66/6]
46. Pardon gracefully if anyone among you who commits a bad deed out of ignorance, and then repents and amends[6/54, 3/134]
47. Divert and sublimate your anger and potentially virulent emotions to creative energy, and become a source of tranquility and comfort to people [3/134]
48. Call people to the Way of your Lord with wisdom and beautiful exhortation. Reason with them most decently [16/125]
49. Leave to themselves those who do not give any importance to the Divine code and have adopted and consider it as mere play and amusement [6/70]
50. Sit not in the company of those who ridicule Divine Law unless they engage in some other conversation[4/140]
51. Do not be jealous of those who are blessed [4/54]
52. In your collective life, make rooms for others [58/11]
53. When invited to dine, Go at the appointed time. Do not arrive too early to wait for the preparation of meal or linger after eating to engage in bootless babble. Such things may cause inconvenience to the host [33/53]
54. Eat and drink [what is lawful] in moderation [7/31].
55. Do not squander your wealth senselessly [17/26]
56. Fulfill your promises and commitments [17/34]
57. Keep yourself clean, pure [9/108, 4/43, 5/6].
58. Dress-up in agreeable attire and adorn yourself with exquisite

    character from inside out[7/26]

59. Seek your provision only by fair endeavour [29/17, 2/188]
60. Do not devour the wealth and property of others unjustly, nor bribe the officials or the judges to deprive others of their possessions [2/188]

Answer 8

The Five Pillars of Islam are faith, prayer, alms, hajj, and fasting.