United Muslim Masjid of CT
What is Islam?
Islam is the largest and fastest growing faith in the world. The word “Islam” is an Arabic word that means “peace, purity, submission and obedience to the will of Almighty God”. The word Islam comes from the Arabic root word “sa-la-ma”, which means peace.
So, the complete meaning of “Islam” is attaining a state of peace by submitting oneself to the Will of Almighty God (Allah or The One); and by definition, one who does this is called a “Muslim” (which also comes from the root word sa-la-ma), meaning someone who has submitted to the Will of Almighty God (a believer).
Unlike the names used for other religions, such as Buddhism, Hinduism and Christianity, the name for the religion of Islam was revealed by Almighty God and carries a deep spiritual meaning – only by submitting one’s will to Almighty God can one truly achieve peace, both in this life and the hereafter. Islam teaches that all religions originally had the same essential message – to believe in One True God and to worship Him and Him alone. Thus, Islam is not a new religion, but in fact it is the same divinely revealed Ultimate Truth that Almighty God revealed to all His prophets:
Adam, Idris (Enoch), Nuh (Noah), Hud, Saleh, Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma’il (Ishmael), Ishaq (Isaac), Lut (Lot), Ya’qub (Jacob), Yousef (Joseph), Shu’aib, Ayyub (Job), Musa (Moses), Harun (Aaron), Dhu’l-kifl (Ezekiel), Dawud (David), Sulaiman (Solomon), Ilias (Elias), Al-Yasa (Elisha), Yunus (Jonah), Zakariyya (Zachariah), Yahya (John), ‘Isa (Jesus) and Muhammad (pbuh), all were prophets of Islam mentioned in the Qur’aan and by Muhammad (pbuh).
“Say (O Muslims): ‘We believe in Allah and that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to Ibrahim (Abraham), Isma’il (Ishmael), Ishaq (Isaac), Ya’qub (Jacob), and to Al-Asbaat [the offspring of the twelve sons of Ya’qub (Jacob)], and that which has been given to Musa (Moses) and ‘Isa (Jesus), and that which has been given to the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we have submitted (in Islam)’.” [Qur’aan 2:136]
Each Prophet had the same message:
“And We did not send any Messenger before you (O Muhammad) but We revealed to him (saying): La ilaha illa Ana (none has the right to be worshiped but I (Allah)), so worship Me (Alone and none else).” [Qur’aan 21:25]
Islam is the religion of Almighty God since the beginning of time – from Adam and Eve ’til the Day of Judgment.
“Truly, the religion with Allah (God) is Islam…” [Qur’aan 3:19]
Who are Muslims?
It is estimated that there are over 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide. There are an estimated 10 million Muslims in America. The Arabic word “Muslim” literally means “someone who submits himself to the will of Almighty God”. The message of Islam is meant for all of mankind and whoever accepts the message of Islam becomes a Muslim. Some people mistakenly believe that Islam is just a religion for Arabs, but nothing could be further from the truth, since in actuality over 80% of the world’s Muslims are not Arabs! The Largest Muslim nation is Indonesia! Even though most Arabs are Muslims, there are Arabs who are Christians, Jews and atheists. If one just takes a look at the various people who live in the Muslim World – from Nigeria to Bosnia and from Morocco to Indonesia – it is easy to see that Muslims come from all different races, ethnic groups and nationalities.
From the very beginning, Islam had a universal message for all people. This can be seen in the fact that some of the early companions of the Prophet Muhammad were not only Arabs, but also Persians, Africans and Byzantine Romans. Being a Muslim entails complete acceptance and active obedience to the revealed will of Almighty God. A Muslim is a person who freely accepts to base his beliefs, values and faith on the will of Almighty God. In the past, even though you don’t see it as much today, the word “Mohammedins” was often used as a label for Muslims. This label is a misnomer and is the result of either willful distortion or sheer ignorance. One of the reasons for the misconception is that Europeans were taught for centuries that Muslims worshiped the Prophet Muhammad in the same way that Christians worship Jesus. This is absolutely not true since a Muslim is not permitted to worship anyone or anything besides Almighty God.
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Who is Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
Muhammad, the unlettered man, is the last and final messenger send by Almighty God to all of humanity, after Prophet Jesus. Muhammad was a living example of Islam. He explained, interpreted and lived the teachings of Islam through his example. He was the greatest of all prophets mainly because his mission brought more people into the pure belief in to the Oneness of Almighty God than any other prophet. Even though other religious communities claimed to believe in One God, over time they had corrupted their beliefs by taking their prophets and saints as intercessors with Almighty God. Some religions believe their prophets to be manifestations of God, “God Incarnate” or the “Son of God”. All of these false ideas lead to the creature being worshipped instead of the Creator, which contributed to the idolatrous practice of believing that Almighty God can be approached through intermediaries. In order to guard against these falsehoods, Prophet Muhammad always emphasized that he was only a human-being tasked with the preaching of Almighty God’s message. He taught Muslims to refer to him as “the Messenger of God and His Slave”.
To Muslims, Muhammad is the best of examples for all people – he was the exemplary prophet, statesman, military leader, ruler, teacher, neighbor, husband, father and friend. Unlike other prophets and messengers, Prophet Muhammad lived in the full light of history. Muslims don’t need to have “faith” that he existed and that his teachings are preserved – they know it to be a fact. Even when his followers only numbered a few dozen, Almighty God informed Muhammad that he had been sent as a mercy to all of mankind. Because people had distorted or forgotten Almighty God’s messages, Almighty God took it upon Himself to protect the message revealed to Muhammad (i.e. Al-Qur’aan). This was because Almighty God promised not to send another messenger after him. Since all of Almighty God’s messengers have preached the message of Islam (i.e. submission to the will of God and the worship of God alone), Muhammad is actually the last prophet of Islam, not the first.
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Resource: https://muslimunitycenter.org/what-is-islam/
What are the 5 Pillars of Islam and what are the teachings of Islam?
Ibn Umar narrates that the Prophet Muhammad said: “Islam is built on five (pillars): the testimony that there is no god except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; establishing prayer; paying zakah; fasting in Ramadaan; and Hajj to the House (the Ka”bah).” [Bukhari, 8; Muslim, 16]
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The Declaration of Faith – This consists of the two sentence declaration:
Ashadu an laa ilaha illallaah wa Ashadu ana MuhammadurRasoolullah (I bear witness that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah). -
Prayer – Muslims perform five obligatory prayers each day. Islamic prayers are a direct link between the worshiper and Almighty God. Islam has no hierarchical authority or priesthood. A learned Muslim chosen by each congregation leads the prayers.
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Zakah – 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.
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Fasting in the Month of Ramadan – Every year in the Islamic lunar month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from before sunrise until sunset. The fast is another method of self-purification.
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Pilgrimage or Hajj – A pilgrimage to Mecca, or Hajj, is an obligation for those who are physically, mentally and/or financially able to do so.
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Resource: https://muslimunitycenter.org/what-is-islam/