Allah The Almighty
Human skepticism has led to question the existence of God even though all signs clearly show that there is a creator for everything. This creator is much bigger than scientific theories, ruling kings and riches of the world, and even living beings from other dimensions like jinns (demons/spirits) or mala’eka (angels). He is ALLAH, the creator of the heavens and earth; the ONE who provides to all living creations, and the only ONE who controls all things. In Chapter Fussilat of the Quran, verse 41, Allah says: “We will show them Our signs in the horizons and within themselves until it becomes clear to them that it is the truth. But is it not sufficient concerning your Lord that He is, over all things, a Witness?”. I am confident that you have witnessed some of these signs around you in your life time but the reason why they are not crystal clear to you is because you are distracted by the deceiving pleasures and calamities of this life. We as muslims believe and testify that there is no God but ALLAH and associating any partners with Him (Shirk) is considered as the BIGGEST SIN IN ISLAM.
The Quran
The Quran contains 30 juz (parts) and a total of 114 Surah (chapters). The verses within these chapters were gradually revealed by Allah in the Arabic language to the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for 23 years until the message of Islam was finalized. Some of the prophet’s sahaba (companions/friends) have memorized the Quran by heart and many others documented it in writing as told by the prophet. After the prophet’s death (632 AD), Abu-Bakr Al-Sideeq who was the prophet’s best friend and the elected caliphate at that time, ordered the sahaba to collect all of the written pieces of the Quran and compile it into one complete book. This is the EXACT same book that billions of muslims around the world read and recite every day. In my personal view, what distinguishes the muslim beliefs and beliefs from other religions is the biggest sign of Allah to humanity, The Quran. If you ever research the Quran, you will find that it’s full of proofs that God exists and that the Quran is truly the word of God. Modern studies have also shown that this book contains many historical, linguistic, numerical and scientific facts which makes it impossible for a human to write such a book 1450 years ago. Get started on reading THE QURAN NOW (Arabic Quran with English Translation)
The Sunnah
The teachings and actions of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) are referred to as the Sunnah. The prophet’s companions spent alot of time with him to learn the rules and practices of Islam and so while watching him closely, they used to memroize or write down everything he does or say. These teachings were gathered, verified and published many years later by well known pious Islamic scholars. The sayings or teachings of the prophet that were documented by the scholars are referred to as Hadith. One hadith would usually contain a saying of the prophet about a specific topic or an incident that occured in his life time. The best two hadith scholars with the most authentic hadith collections are Mohammed Al-Bukhari (Sahih Al-Bukhari) and Muslim Ibn Al-Hajjaj (Sahih Muslim). The books of Sunnah are considered a continuation for the Quran because they provide in-depth knowledge of the deen (religion) and specific details about the practices that were not mentioned in the Quran. For example, Allah commands us to establish the salat (daily prayers) in many verses of the Quran but there were no details on how it’s done. This is when the Sunnah comes in the picture as it will teach us how to perform salat exactly like the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did.
Pillars of Islam, Eman and Ehsan
The Sahih Bukhari hadith collection mentioned an incident that happened to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) which will clearly tell you what it takes to be a true muslim. There was a time when the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was sitting with his companions in the mosque and a strange unknown man entered the mosque and went straight to the prophet to ask him some questions about Islam. This mysterious man turned out to be the angel Jibreel (Gabriel), as told by the prophet later on. He came in a human form specifically to teach the Muslims what Islam is all about. The first question he asked: 1) What is Islam (Submission)? The prophet said: To testify that there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is His messenger (Shahada), to do salat (prayers), to give zakat (Charity), to perform hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), and to do seyam (fasting during Ramadan). Gabriel then asked him: 2) What is Eman (Faith)? The prophet said: To believe in Allah, His Angels, His books, His messengers, His Qada and Qadar (predestiny and decree/destiny), and the last day/day of judgment. Then Gabriel asked: 3) What is Ehsan (Perfection)? The prophet’s response was to worship Allah as if you see Him, and if you don’t see Him then He surely sees you.
True Purpose in Life for a Muslim
Most of humanity is still trying to figure out the answer for the million dollar question of why are we here? And what is the purpose of our existence? People usually give a complicated or deep answers to such questions based on their life experiences or beliefs but in the Islamic religion, Allah provides a straight forward and clear answer in the Quran. The Quran repeatedly mentions that life on this earth is just a temporary test and the REAL ever-lasting life is in the next life in Jannah (Paradise). Please watch the video below as Sheikh Omar Suleiman explains how can a Muslim achieve true happiness in this life and strive to winning a spot in Jannah in the hereafter:
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Islam for Beginners Guide
IslamBase101.com is a complete guide on Islam for Beginners and muslims who are interested to enhance their knowledge on the basics of Islam. If you take the time to go through the 6 points in the guide below then you’ll have a really good understanding of what’s required from you as a muslim. If you find IslamBase101.com beneficial then please share it with others so you can get the ajr (rewards) as the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said: “Whoever guides someone to goodness will have a reward like one who did it” (Sahih Muslim).
1. SHAHADA: Converting to Islam
2. SALAT: Daily Prayers
3. ZAKAT: Paying Charity
4. SEYAM: Fasting During Ramadan
5. HAJJ: Pilgrimage to Mecca
6. HARAM: Major Sins in Islam