WORLD OF BEAUTY
WORLD OF BEAUTY

Some Important Facts on Islam


 1)"Islam" means "peace through the submission to God".2) "Muslim" means "anyone or anything that submits itself to the will of God".3)
 Islam is not a cult. Its followers number over 1.5 billion worldwide. 
Along with Judaism and Christianity, it is considered to be one of the 
three Abrahamic traditions.4) There are five pillars of practice
 in Islam. These practices must be undertaken with the best of effort in
 order to be considered a true Muslim: A) Shahadah - declaration of 
faith in the oneness of God and that Muhammad is the last prophet of 
God. B) Formal prayer five times a day. C) Fasting during the daylight 
hours in the month of Ramadan. D) Poor-due "tax" - 2.5% of one's savings
 given to the needy at the end of each year. E) Pilgrimage to Mecca at 
least once, if physically and financially able.5) There are six 
articles of faith in Islam. These are the basic beliefs that one must 
have in order to be considered a true Muslim. They are belief in: A) the
 One God. B) all the prophets of God. C) the original scriptures 
revealed to Prophets Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad. D) the angels. 
E) the Day of Judgment and the Hereafter. F) the divine decree (or 
destiny).6) Islam is a complete way of life that governs all 
facets of life: moral, spiritual, social, political, economical, 
intellectual, etc.

Statistics according to 2007


7) Islam is one of the fastest growing 
religions in the world. To become Muslim, a person of any race or 
culture must say a simple statement, the shahadah, that bears witness to
 the belief in the One God and that Prophet Muhammad was the last 
prophet of God.8) "Allah" is an Arabic word that means "God". Muslims also believe that "Allah" is the personal name of God.9)
 Allah is not the God of Muslims only. He is the God of all people and 
all creation. Just because people refer to God using different terms 
does not mean that they are different gods. Spanish people refer to God 
as "Dios" and French people refer to God as "Dieu", yet they are all the
 same God. Interestingly, most Arab Jews and Arab Christians refer to 
God as "Allah". And the word Allah in Arabic appears on the walls of 
many Arab churches.10) The Islamic concept of God is that He is 
loving, merciful, and compassionate. But Islam also teaches that He is 
just and swift in punishment. Nevertheless, Allah once said to Prophet 
Muhammad, "My mercy prevails over my wrath." Islam teaches a balance 
between fear and hope, protecting one from both complacency and despair.

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11)
 Muslims believe that God has revealed 99 of His names (or attributes) 
in the Holy Qur'an. It is through these names that one can come to know 
the Creator. A few of these names are: the All-Merciful, the All-Knower,
 the Protector, the Provider, the Near, the First, the Last, the Hidden,
 and the Source of Peace.12) Muslims believe in and acknowledge 
all the prophets of old, from Adam to Jesus. Muslims believe that they 
brought the message of peace and submission (islam) to different peoples
 at different times. Muslims also believe that these prophets were 
"muslims" because they submitted their wills to God.13) Muslims neither worship Muhammad nor pray through him. Muslims solely worship the unseen and Omniscient Creator, Allah.

14)
 Muslims accept the original unaltered Torah (the Gospel of Moses) and 
the original Bible (the Gospel of Jesus) since they were revealed by 
God. However, none of those original scriptures are in existence today, 
in their entirety. Therefore, Muslims follow the subsequent, final, and 
preserved revelation of God, the Holy Qur'an.15) The Holy Qur'an
 was not authored by Muhammad. It was authored by God, revealed to 
Muhammad, and written into physical form by his companions.16) The Holy Qur'an has no flaws or contradictions. The original Arabic scriptures have never been changed or tampered with.17)
 Actual seventh century Qur'ans, complete and intact, are on display in 
museums in Turkey and many other places around the world.18) If 
all Qur'ans in the world today were burned and destroyed, the original 
Arabic would still remain. This is because millions of Muslims, called 
Hafiz (or "preservers") have memorized the text letter for letter from 
beginning to end, every word and syllable. Also, chapters from the 
Qur'an are precisely recited from memory by every Muslim in each of the 
five daily prayers.19) Muslims do not believe in the concept of 
"vicarious atonement" but rather believe in the law of personal 
responsibility. Islam teaches that each person is responsible for his or
 her own actions. On the Day of Judgment Muslims believe that every 
person will be resurrected and will have to answer to God for their 
every word, thought, and deed. Consequently, a practicing Muslim is 
always striving to be righteous.20) Islam was not spread by the 
sword. It was spread by the word (Islamic teachings) and the example of 
its followers. Islam teaches that there is no compulsion in religion 
(the Holy Qur'an 2:256 and 10:99).

21) Terrorism, unjustified 
violence and the killing of innocent people are absolutely forbidden in 
Islam. Islam is a way of life that is meant to bring peace to a society,
 whether its people are Muslim or not. The extreme actions of those who 
claim to be Muslim may be, among other things, a result of their 
ignorance or uncontrolled anger. Tyrant rulers and those who commit acts
 of terrorism in the name of Islam are simply not following Islam. These
 people are individuals with their own views and political agendas. 
Fanatical Muslims are no more representative of the true Islamic 
teachings than Timothy McVeigh or David Koresh are of Christianity. 
Extremism and fanaticism is a problem that is common to all religious 
groups. Anyone who thinks that all Muslims are terrorists should 
remember that the famous boxer Muhammad Ali, perhaps the most celebrated
 person of our era, is a practicing Muslim.22) The word "jihad" 
does not mean "holy war". Instead, it means the inner struggle that one 
endures in trying to submit their will to the will of God. Some Muslims 
may say they are going for "jihad" when fighting in a war to defend 
themselves or their fellow Muslims, but they only say this because they 
are conceding that it will be a tremendous struggle. But there are many 
other forms of jihad which are more relevant to the everyday life of a 
Muslim such as the struggles against laziness, arrogance, stinginess, or
 the struggle against a tyrant ruler or against the temptation of Satan,
 or against one's own ego, etc.23) Women are not oppressed in 
Islam. Any Muslim man that oppresses a woman is not following Islam. 
Among the many teachings of Prophet Muhammad that protected the rights 
and dignity of women is his saying, "...the best among you are those who
 treat their wives well." (Tirmidhi)24) Islam grants women 
numerous rights in the home and in society. Among them are the right to 
earn money, to financial support, to an education, to an inheritance, to
 being treated kindly, to vote, to a dowry, to keep their maiden name, 
to worship in a mosque, etc., etc.

25) Muslim women wear the 
head-covering (hijab) in fulfillment of God's decree to dress modestly. 
From a practical standpoint, it serves to identify one as attempting to 
follow God in daily life and, therefore, protects women from unwanted 
advances from men. This type of modest dress has been worn by righteous 
women throughout history. Prominent examples are traditional Catholic 
Nuns, Mother Teresa and the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.26) 
Arranged marriages are allowed in Islam but are not required. Whereas 
"forced" marriages, usually stemming from cultural practice, are 
forbidden. Divorce is permissible, however, reconciliation is what is 
most encouraged. But if there are irreconcilable differences then Islam 
permits a fair and just divorce.27) Islam and the "Nation of 
Islam" are two different religions. Islam is a religion for all races 
and enjoins the worship of the one unseen God who, orthodox Muslims 
believe, never took human form. The "Nation", on the other hand, is a 
movement geared towards non-whites and teaches that God appeared in the 
form of Fard Muhammad in 1930 and that Elijah Muhammad (a man who died 
in 1975) was a prophet of God. These beliefs clearly contradict the 
basic Islamic theology outlined in the Qur'an. The followers of "the 
Nation" adhere to some Islamic principles that are mixed with many other
 teachings that are alien to Islam. To better understand the difference 
between the two, read about Malcolm X, his pilgrimage to Mecca and his 
subsequent comments to the media. Islam teaches equality amongst all the
 races (Holy Qur'an 49:13).28) All Muslims are not Arab. Islam 
is a universal religion and way of life which includes followers from 
all races of people. There are Muslims in and from virtually every 
country in the world. Arabs only constitute about 20% of Muslims 
worldwide. Indonesia has the largest concentration of Muslims with over 
120 million.

29) In the five daily prayers, Muslims face the 
Kaaba in Mecca, Arabia. It is a cube-shaped stone structure
that was 
originally built by Prophet Adam and later rebuilt by Prophet Abraham. 
Muslims believe that the Kaaba was the first house of worship on Earth 
dedicated to the worship of one god. Muslims do not worship the Kaaba. 
It serves as a central focal point for Muslims around the world, 
unifying them in worship and symbolizing their common belief, spiritual 
focus and direction. Interestingly, the inside of the Kaaba is empty.

30)
 The hajj is a simultaneous pilgrimage to the Kaaba made by millions of 
Muslims each year. It is performed to commemorate the struggles of 
Abraham, Ismail and Hagar in submitting their wills to God.