Learn and Discover Islam

"Obedience to the Creator and serving His creation" Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him_PBUH)) The word Islam simply means submission to the will of God and is derived from the word meaning peace. As such, the religion of Islam teaches that in order to achieve true peace of mind and surety of heart, one must submit to God and live according to His Divinely revealed Law. The most important truth that God revealed to mankind is that there is nothing divine or worthy of being worshipped except for Almighty God, thus all human beings should submit to Him. Islam is a monotheistic religion. It teaches that there is only one God who is the Origin and Creator of the universe. For Muslims, God has many names each describing his different attributes. Islam is the same guidance that God revealed through all His Prophets to mankind. It is both a religion and a complete way of life for over a fifth of the world's population. Allah is the most inclusive of the Names of the One God. It is an Arabic word of indicating the One who is adored in worship and who creates all that exists. Allah is the same God worshipped by Muslims, Christians and Jews, the One God who created us, Who is not seen, and Who has power over all things. hide

Islam is not a new religion because "submission to the will of God", i.e. Islam, has always been the only acceptable religion in the sight of God. For this reason, Islam is the true "natural religion", and it is the same eternal message revealed through the ages to all of God's prophets and messengers. Muslims believe that all of God's prophets, which include Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, brought the same message of Pure Monotheism. For this reason, the Prophet Muhammad was not the founder of a new religion, as many people mistakenly think, but he was the Final Prophet of Islam. By revealing His final message to Muhammad, which is an eternal and universal message for all of mankind, God finally fulfilled the covenant that He made with Abraham, who was one of the earliest and greatest prophets. Suffice it to say that the way of Islam is the same as the way of the prophet Abraham, because both the Bible and the Qur'an portray Abraham as a towering example of someone who submitted himself completely to God and worshipped Him without intermediaries. Once this is realized, it should be clear that Islam has the most continuous and universal message of any religion, because all prophets and messengers were "Muslims", i.e. those who submitted to God's will, and they preached "Islam", i.e. submission to the will of Almighty God. hide

The foundation of the Islamic faith is belief in the Oneness of Almighty God - the God of Abraham, Noah, Moses and Jesus. Islam teaches that a pure belief in One God is intuitive in human beings and thus fulfills the natural inclination of the soul. As such, Islam's concept of God is straightforward, unambiguous and easy to understand. Islam teaches that the hearts, minds and souls of human beings are fitting receptacles for clear divine revelation, and that God's revelations to man are not clouded by self-contradictory mysteries or irrational ideas. As such, Islam teaches that even though God cannot be fully comprehended and grasped by our finite human minds, He also does not expect us to accept absurd or demonstrably false beliefs about Him. According to the teachings of Islam, Almighty God is absolutely One and His Oneness should never be compromised by associating partners with Him - neither in worship nor in belief. hide

The revelation which Prophet Muhammad received from God during almost twenty three years of his mission was compiled in a book form and is considered by all Muslims as the Holy Scripture of Islam. This revelation is known as “The Qur’an”. The Qur'an is miraculous from many dimensions. For example, no human being can write such perfect guidance on so many subjects. The language used in the Qur'an is of a supreme nature and has the unique quality of conveying oceans of meaning in simple but powerful words. From the time it was revealed, the Qur'an remains in its original, pure, and unaltered form. The topics of the Qur'an include stories of past prophets and moral lessons learned from them descriptions of the afterlife, commentary on the events during the times of early Muslims, practical code of daily conduct, nobility of character of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his family, and spiritual and metaphorical appeals to the human intellect to know God in the world outside and within the soul. Muslims read passages from the Qur'an in their daily prayers. hide

People who follow Islam are called Muslims. In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God. Muslims are not confined to a certain race, origin or nationality. The Muslim population today is spread over a vast range of races, nationalities, and cultures. Islam is one of the major world religions. Every fifth person on the face of this earth is a Muslim. Muslims are found in the Middle East, in north, west and east Africa, in Asia and Eastern Europe. In modern times, Muslims are found in large numbers in Western Europe, the Americas and Australia through immigration as well as conversion. Recent statistics show that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the USA. With the vast world turning into a “global village,” such a wide-spread religion followed by over a billion people indeed deserves a careful study. hide

Islam does not discriminate against people and teaches us that all people are equal in the eyes of Allah. Muslims believe that Allah will only judge us according to our individual deeds. Islam teaches that human beings are born pure and sinless. It teaches that this world is a test and that we will be judged on how well we did in this test on the Day of Jugdement. We do not all have the same test, which is why we see some people having to face lots of problems whereas others seem to live in comfort. Some of us are being tested for patience when in trouble and others for acts of kindness to those less fortunate than themselves. Islam teaches that on the Day of Jugdement, Allah will judge us according to our deeds and will reward and punish accordingly. Muslims believe that if people follow the Commandments of Allah, they will be allowed to enter Heaven after being judged by Allah. Muslims believe that Allah is the only Judge of deeds and He is the only one who can reward and punish people on the Day of Jugdement. Islam also teaches that Allah is Merciful and that if we sincerely repent for our sins and endeavor not to repeat them, Allah will forgive us. hide

1. There is one unique incomparable God 2. God is just. 3. God sent Prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind. Muslims believe in a chain of Prophets starting with Adam including Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and ending with the last one - Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon all of them). 4. The world is never devoid of divine guidance. 5. There will be a day of Jugdement when every individual will have to account for his/her actions. hide

According to the most authentic traditions narrated in the collections of all Muslim schools of thought, the Ahlul Bayt (AS) (literally People of the House) of the Prophet are one of the two sources of guidance for humankind after the departure of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) from this world. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) reminded the Muslim community time after time to adhere to the Qur'an and Ahlul Bayt, in order not to go astray after him. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also informed us that these two are inseparable until the end of time. Therefore, in order to understand the Qur'an and the tradition of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), we should refer to the Ahlul Bayt (AS). The position of the Ahlul Bayt is a result of their individual piety and knowledge. After the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Ahlul Bayt consists of Fatimah al-Zahra (SA), Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (AS), Imam Hasan (AS), Imam Husain (AS), and the nine descendants of Imam Husain (AS).

FIND OUT MORE…… (Courtesy of Al-Islam.org)
AN INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM http://www.al-islam.org/begin/intro/rizvi.html
INQUIRIES ABOUT SHI’A ISLAM
REFLECTIONS OF A NEW MUSLIM http://www.al-islam.org/reflectionsnewmuslim/
THE CONCEPT OF LOVE IN ISLAM http://www.al-islam.org/love_in_islam/
INVITATION TO ISLAM http://www.al-islam.org/invitation/
SELF BUILDING http://www.al-islam.org/selfbuilding/
Islam in the Bible http://www.al-islam.org/islaminthebible/index.htm
The Gospel of the Shi'ah of 'Ali  http://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/default.asp?url=gospel.htm

Words of the Word of God : Jesus Christ speaks through Shi’I Narrations http://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/default.asp?url=jesus.htm

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Shias http://www.al-islam.org/nutshell/files/shiah.pdf
The Faith of Shia Islam http://www.momin.com/Books/THE+FAITH+OF+SHI039A+ISLAM-39.html
Why follow the family of the Prophets http://www.al-islam.org/nutshell/files/family.pdf
What Non Muslim says about Islam http://www.al-islam.org/nutshell/files/islamviews.pdf
Why do Muslims have a Dress code http://www.al-islam.org/nutshell/files/hijab.pdf
Did the prophet(s) appoint a Successor http://www.al-islam.org/nutshell/files/ghadir.pdf
Who are these 12 Successors of the Prophet http://www.al-islam.org/nutshell/files/twelve.pdf

CONVERTS TO ISLAM
Revert Muslims Association http://www.revertmuslims.com/
Reversion Stories  http://www.revertmuslims.com/stories.html               
A Collection of revert Stories http://www.alulbayt.com/home/trans.htm
Conversion Stories http://www.convertstoislam.com/Stories/stories.html

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