11-Are there any other sacred sources? Yes, the Sunnah, the practice and example of the Prophet (peace be upon him), is the second authority for Muslims. A Hadith is a reliably transmitted report of what the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, did, or approved. Belief in the Sunnah is part of the Islamic faith. Examples of the Prophets sayings The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: God has no mercy on one who has no mercy for others. None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself. Powerful is not he who knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger. (From the Hadith collections of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Baihaqi.) 12-How do we know Islam is the truth? 1- It is the only religion that holds Allah as One, Unique, and Perfect. 2- It is the only religion that believes in the sole worship of Allah, not Jesus, not an idol, and not an angel, only Allah. 3- The Quran does not contain contradictions. 4- The Quran contains scientific facts, which are 1300 years ahead of their time. The Quran, while revealed 1400 years ago contains scientific facts, which are only now being discovered. It is not in contradiction to science. 5- Allah has challenged the world to produce the like of the Quran. And He says they wont be able to. 6- Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the most influential man in history. In the book The 100 most influential men in History, written by non-Muslim, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was #1. Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was #3. It should be noted that even the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) was a prophet sent by Allah. 13-Does Islam tolerate other beliefs? The Qur’an says: Allah does not forbid you with regards to those who do not fight you for [your] faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for Allah loves those who are just. (Qur’an, 60:8) There is no compulsion in religion. (2:214) It is one of the functions of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world. History provides many examples of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths. For example, when the caliph Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634, he granted amnesty to all and sanctioned freedom of worship to all religious communities in the city. Another example is Muslims who ruled the Spain had such tolerance of other beliefs that the Golden Age of Jewish Civilization flourished under the Muslim rule. Not only that, Islamic law permits non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts thus allowing them the autonomy to be judged according to their family law. 14-Do Islam and Christianity have different origins? Together with Judaism, they go back to the prophet and patriarch Abraham, and their three prophets are directly descended from his sons-Muhammad (peace be upon him) from the eldest, Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus, from Isaac. Abraham established the settlement, which today is the city of Makkah, and built the Kabah towards which all Muslims turn when they pray. 15. What do Muslims think of Jesus? (Peace be upon him) Muslims think highly of Jesus (peace be upon him) and his worthy mother, Mary. The Quran tells us that Jesus was born of a miraculous birth without a father. Lo! The likeness of Jesus with Allah is the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then He said unto him: Be and he is (Quran 3.59). He was given many miracles as a prophet. These include speaking soon after his birth in defense of his mothers piety. Gods other gifts to him included healing the blind and the sick, reviving the dead, making a bird out of clay and most importantly, the message he was carrying. These miracles were given to him by God to establish him as a prophet. According to the Quran, he was not crucified but was raised into Heaven. (Quran, Chapter Maryam) 16-How can you believe in God, when you cant see, hear, touch, smell, taste or even imagine what He is? We know from the teachings of Muhammad, peace be upon him, that no one has ever actually seen God - at least not in this lifetime. Nor are we able to use our senses to make some kind of contact with Him. However, we are encouraged in Islam to use our senses and our common sense to recognize that all of this universe could not possibly come into existence on its own. Something had to design it all and then put it into motion. That is beyond our ability to do, yet it is something that we can understand. We dont have to see an artist to recognize a painting, correct? So, if we see paintings without seeing artists painting them, in the same way, we can believe that Allah created everything without having to see Him (or touch, or hear, etc.).(1) 17- What are the pillars of Islam? There are five major pillars of Islam which are the articles of faith. These pillars are 1) the belief (Iman) in one God and that Muhammad (P) is His messenger, 2) prayer (Salat) which are prescribed five times a day, 3) fasting (Siyam) which is required in the month of Ramadan, 4) charity (Zakat) which is the poor-due on the wealth of the rich and 5) hajj which is the pilgrimage to Mecca once in a lifetime if one can afford it physically and financially. All the pillars should be of equal height and strength in a building in order to give the building its due shape and proportions. It is not possible that one would do hajj without observing fasting or without practicing regular prayers. Now think of a building which has pillars only. It would not be called a building. In order to make it a building, it has to have a roof, it has to have walls, it has to have doors and windows. These things in Islam are the moral codes of Islam such as honesty, truthfulness, steadfastness and many other human moral qualities. Thus in order to be a Muslim, one should not only be practicing the pillars of Islam but should also have the highest possible attribute for being a good human being. Only then the building is completed and looks beautiful. 18- What is the purpose of worship in Islam? The purpose of worship in Islam is to be God conscious. Thus the worship, whether it is prayer, fasting, or charity, is a means to achieve God consciousness so that when one becomes conscious of God, in thought and in action, he is in a better position to receive His bounties both in this world and the hereafter. 19- Do Muslims believe in the hereafter? God is Just and manifest His justice, He established the system of accountability. Those who do good will be rewarded and those who do wrong will be punished accordingly. Thus, He created Heaven and Hell and there are admission criteria for both. Muslims believe that the present life is a temporary one. It is a test and if we pass the test, we will be given a life of permanent pleasure in the company of good people in Heaven. 20- Will the good actions of the non-believers be wasted? No. The Quran clearly says that, anyone who has an atoms worth of goodness will see it and anyone who has done an atoms worth of evil will also see it (Quran 99:7- 8). By that it is meant that those who are non- believers but have done good will be rewarded in this world for their good deed. On the other hand, those who do good if they are Muslims, they will be rewarded not only in this world but also in the world hereafter. However, the final Judgment is up to God himself. (Quran 2:62)
Posted on: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 12:56:31 +0000
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