Islam

1. Islam

2. Islam The Muslim population of the world is OVER 1 BILLION.30%of Muslims live in the Indian subcontinent, 20% in Sub-Saharan Africa, 17% in Southeast Asia, 18% in the Arab world, 10% in the Soviet Union and China. There are 5 MILLION Muslims in the US. Question 1 "What is Islam?” For a fifth of the world's population, Islam is both a RELIGION and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority have nothing to do with terrorism. The greatest difference between us is that we are a WORKS ORIENTED RELIGION while your faith is based on THE SHED BLOOD OF JESUS AS SAVIOR. Islam

3. A Brief History of Islam Islam, began in MECCA where the revelation of God (Allah), through the angel GABRIEL , came to the prophet named Muhammad. He was born around AD 571 His father's was ABDULLAH his mother AMINAH Muhammad was taught the family business and became successful. A wealthy widow named KHADIJAH arranged for Muhammad to oversee her trading business. She proposed marriage to him. Muhammad was 25 and Khadijah was 40 when they married. They had 6 children, 2 boys and 4 girls. On A TRIP he received his first visitation from GABRIEL who said, THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD, AND HIS NAME IS ALLAH, WORSHIP HIM.” Islam

4. Persecutions became so great that many of our faith fled to MEDINA for refuge. Muhammad commanded the Muslims in Mecca to migrate to MEDINA which became a wholly Muslim community. His tactics changed. He established himself as religious, political, and military leader, with the community of believers became more important than FAMILY OR TRIBE. Entire tribes and cities were "converted." under threat of war or by conquest. Success led to greater success. In the year 630, Muhammad returned to MECCA which made no resistance. City after city declared allegiance to Islam and it's prophet. The great prophet died in 632 at the age of 63. Allah had allowed him to establish a religion that is still dominant in the ARAB world today. Islam

5. Islam continued to flourish under the leadership of Mohammed's companions. ABU BAKR consolidated Islamic influence over the entire ARABIAN peninsula. The second caliph was UMAR He was in power from 634 to 644. SYRIAMESOPOTAMIA,EGYPT and Persia were added to the growing list of Islamic subjects. Eventually the caliphate evolved into the OTTOMAN Empire which lasted until the early 20th century. It would be wrong to think of Islam only as a RELIGION. Islam is also a SOCIAL and POLITICAL system. There are those of our fellowship who would claim that we are a united religion with no divisions. Islam is, in reality, DIVIDED into many different branches. Islam

6. With the wealth from PETRODOLLARS Islam, as a religion, is being successfully spread over the world. We are proud to be one of the fastest growing religions in the world, growing at an annual rate of about 3 percent. In 1900 we comprised about 12.4 percent of the world's population. By the year 2000, estimates put the figure at about 21.5 percent. WORSHIP We worship on FRIDAYS in our churches, which we call MOSQUES All Muslims pray facing toward EAST WOMEN: There are some major differences between us when it comes to the sexes. A woman's word in one of our courts carries 1/2 the weight as that of a man; a female inherits only 1/2 of a male's portion. "Men are in charge of women because Allah has made the one of them EXCELthe other." Islam

7. Because of these differences, we believe that it is lawful for a man to have 4 wives and to own concubines. If you wish a divorce, all you have to do is say, “YOU ARE DIVORCED.” Question 2 "Who are the Muslims?" One billion people from a vast range of races, nationalities and cultures across the globe--from the southern Philippines to Nigeria--are united by their common Islamic faith. About 18% live in the Arab world; the world's largest Muslim community is in INDONESIA Question 3 "What do Muslims believe?" Look at this list and check off if you agree with us. Muslims believe ___One, Unique, Incomparable God. Angels ___ ___ Prophets Day of Judgment ___ ___ Individual accountability God's complete authority ___ ___ God's final message was revealed to the Prophet. Islam

8. Allah refers to Himself by approximately 100names, each a descriptive attribute of God. We believe Allah's is True and every other deity is false. We believe He has the most magnificent Names. We believe He has no associate in His Divinity We believe God’s greatest attribute is: HE IS ONE. We know that you Christians believe in three gods: GOD THE FATHER,GOD THE SON, GOD, THE MOTHER. We believe that you and the Jews have CHANGEDthe Bible. I have proof. The next important attribute of Allah is: "the Most Merciful, the One who acts MERCIFULLY We believe that Allah's words are the most TRUTHFULin conveying information. We believe that He CREATEDthe Heavens and the Earth in six days We believe He exalts whom He wills and He abases whom He wills. We do not say that Allah is WITHwith His creatures on Earth. We believe that He is the Doer of what He wills. Islam

9. Question 4 "How does someone become a Muslim?" Simply by saying: “THERE IS NO GOD APART FROM GOD, AND MUHAMMAD IS THE MESSENGER OF GOD. Question 5 "What does 'Islam' mean?" The Arabic word 'Islam' simply means SUBMISSION and derives from a word meaning PEACE. In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God. 'Mohammedanism' is thus a misnomer because it suggests that Muslims worship MOHAMMAD rather than God. Question 6 "Why does Islam often seem strange?" Perhaps because religion does not DOMINATE everyday life in the West today, whereas Muslims have religion always UPPERMOST in their minds, Islam

10. Question 7 "Do Islam and Christianity have different origins?" Islam, Christians and Jews all count our origins from the same source: the prophet and patriarch ABRAHAM Three prophets are directly descended from his sons MUHAMMAD from the eldest, ISHMAEL and Moses and Jesus, peace be upon them. Question 8 "What is the Ka'ba?" The Ka'ba is the place of worship which God commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build over 4,000 years ago. The building was constructed of stone on what many believe was the original site of a sanctuary established by ADAM God commanded Abraham to summon all mankind to visit this place, and when pilgrims go there today they say ' AT THY SERVICE, O LORD ' Islam

11. Question 9 "Who is Muhammad?" He was a man of TRUTHFULNESS,GENEROSITY and SINCERITY Historians describe him as CALM AND MEDITATIVE Question 10 "How did he become a prophet and god’s messenger God gave a revelation which is known as the QURAN Question 11 "How did the spread of Islam affect the world?" Islam has brought about: MEDICINEMATHEMATICS PHYSICS ASTRONOMY GEOGRAPHY ARCHITECTURE ART LITERATURE HISTORY Islam

12. Question 12 "What is the Quran?" We believe that Allah sent down a Book with every CAT We are also told in the Quran to read three other holy books: 1. The TORAH which was revealed to Moses. 2. The GOSPELS which Allah revealed to Jesus. 3. The PSALMS which Allah gave to David. 4. Tablets of LAW TO ABRAHAM AND MOSES 5. The Glorious KORAN PREVIOUS SCRIPTURES CHANGED The previous scriptures were meant for a LIMITED period. They underwent DISTORTION AND CHANGE. Islam

13. The Final Book (Quran or Koran) Each book contained the same MESSAGE. Mankind was expected to GUARD these Books. 1400 years ago, God sent us another Book with the same basic message as the earlier ones, but with a small but very important difference. This time, God decreed THIS WOULD BE THE LAST BOOK AND HE WOULD PROTECT IT. The Quran is a record of the EXACT WORDS revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. It has a great deal of GUIDANCE and INFORMATION Question 13 "What is the Quran about?" Its basic theme is the relationship between GOD and CREATURES Islam

14. Question 14 "Are there any other sacred sources?" Yes, the SUNNA which is the PRACTICE and EXAMPLE of the Prophet. A HADITH is a reliably transmitted report of what the Prophet said, did, or approved. Examples of the Prophet's sayings The Prophet 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.' 'He who eats his fill while his neighbor goes without food is not a believer.' 'The truthful and trusty businessman is associated with the prophets the saints, and the martyrs.' 'Powerful is not he who knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger.' 'God does not judge according to your bodies and appearances but He scans your hearts and looks into your deeds.' Islam

15. Question 15 "What are the 'Five Pillars' of Islam?" In the Koran, we find the five pillars of Islam. They are our creeds. They are the framework of the Muslim life: 1. First Pillar: FAITH 2. Second Pillar: PRAYER -FOUR times a day 3. Third Pillar: ZAKAT OR CHARITY 4. Fourth Pillar: THE FAST DURING RAMADAN 5. Fifth Pillar: THE PILGRIMAGE (HAJJ) Question 16 "Does Islam tolerate other beliefs?" It is one function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of MINORITIES. Islamic law also permits non-Muslim minorities to set up their own COURTS Islam

16. Question 17 "What do Muslims think about …….Jesus?" They consider him one of the greatest of God's PROPHETS to mankind. A Muslim never refers to him simply as 'Jesus', but always adds the phrase “UPON HIM BE PEACE.” The Quran confirms his VIRGIN BIRTH. 18. What do Muslims think about …….MANKIND?" We are CREATIONS of God, along with the rest of the universe. We are human beings, all descendants of a common ancestry well known to most of us: Adam and Eve. We have the ability to MADE DECISIONS The price of these gifts is a RESPONSIBILITY not to ABUSE our gifts or by HURTING each other unnecessarily. Islam

17. What do Muslims think about …….Good and Evil God also guarantees us that aside from our own evil actions and their effects, God Himself will put us through SUFFERINGand EVILThey may be good for us. An integral part of our being aware of God is hope and patience in times of hardship. In fact, LOSS OF HOPEis actually one of the symptoms of rejection of God, The greatest source of hope is that God shall allow those people who accept Him to enter HEAVEN. HELLis the destination of those who KNOWINGLY REJECT GOD The inhabitants of Paradise are PERMANENTdwellers. The inmates of Hell are NOT NECESSARILY IMPRISONEDforever. Islam

18. 19. What do Muslims think about the afterlife?" What is the end to men's lives? There are two parts to men's lives: THE PART HERE ON EARTH THE PART IN THE HEREAFTER Resurrection Day will actually be a HUGE PERIOD OF TIME during which PEOPLE WILL BE SEPARATED INTO VARIOUS CATEGORIES. The Final Book describes it as a giant DISASTER. Islam

19. Question 18 "Why is the family so important to Muslims?" The family is the FOUNDATION of Islamic society. If you have difficulty making inroads on the 10-40 window it is because we, as FAMILIES SUPPORT EACH OTHER Question 19 "What about Muslim women ?" Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an INDIVIDUAL in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her PROPERTY and earnings. Both men and women are expected to dress in a way which is MODEST and DIGNIFIED. Islam

20. Question 20 "Can a Muslim have more than one wife?" The religion of Islam was revealed for all societies and all times and so ACCOMODATES DIFFERING SOCIAL REQUIREMENTS Circumstances may warrant the taking of another wife but the right is granted, according to the Quran, only on condition that the husband is VERY FAIR Question 21 "Is an Islamic marriage like a Christian marriage?" A Muslim marriage is A LEGAL AGREEMENT Either partner can include CONDITIONS. Question 22 "How do Muslims treat the elderly?" In the Islamic world there are no OLD PEOPLE’S HOMES The strain of caring for one's parents in this most difficult time of their lives is considered an HONOR and a BLESSING In Islam, serving one's parents is a duty second only to PRAYER , and it is their right to EXPECT it. Islam

21. Question 23 "How do Muslims view death?" Muslims believe that the present life is only a TRIAL PREPARATION Question 24 "What does Islam say about war?" Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in SELF-DEFENSE; DEFENSE OF RELIGION; ON THE PART OF THOSE FORCIBLY EXPELLED FROM THEIR HOMES. Injustice would be triumphant in the world if good men were not prepared to RISK THEIR LIVES FOR A RIGHT CAUSE. The term JIHAD literally means 'struggle', and Muslims believe that there are two kinds The other jihad is the INNER STRUGGLE which everyone wages against egotistic desires, for the sake of attaining inner peace. Islam

22. Question 25 "What about food?" Although much simpler than the dietary law followed by Jews and the early Christians, the code which Muslims observe forbids the PIG MEAT or INTOXICATING DRINK. Question 26 "How does Islam guarantee human rights ?" Freedom of conscience is laid down by the Quran itself: 'There is no compulsion in religion'. (2.256) The life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered sacred whether a person is Muslim or not. Racism is INCOMPREHENSIBLE to Muslims, for the Quran speaks of human equality: Islam

23. REALITY: Question 27: Muslims kill and persecute Christians YES. RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE IS EXPECTED In Islamic home countries, while demanding their FREEDOM OF WORSHIP in the civilized world. It is my belief that Islam cannot endure the light of the truth of the Bible. Consequently, Islams' adherents make every effort to SUPPRESS any who claim to follow the Bible. They will not allow: CHRISTIANS TO DECLARE THEIR BELIEF THE BIBLE TO BE TAUGHT TO MUSLIMS Islam