Who is Mohammed (swa)?

In brief, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was born in a noble tribe of Mecca in Arabia in the year 570 AD. His ancestry goes back to Prophet Ishmael (P), son of Prophet Abraham (P). His father died before his birth and his mother died when he was six. He did not attend any formal school. He was raised first by a nurse as it was the custom those days, and then by his grandfather and uncle. As a young man, he was known as a righteous person who used to meditate in a cave. At age 40, he was given the prophethood when the angel, Gabriel, appeared in the cave. Subsequently, the revelations came over 23 years and are in the book called the Qur'an which Muslims consider as the final and the last word of God. The Qur'an has been preserved, unchanged, in its original form and confirms the truth in the Torah, the psalms and the scripture in the existence today with its original Arabic text.

Do Muslims Worship Mohammed (swa)?

No. Muslims do not worship Muhammad (P) or any other prophets. Muslims believe in all prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, Solomon, Moses and Jesus. Muslims believe that Muhammad (P) was the last of the Prophets. They believe that God alone is to be worshipped, not any human being.

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Do Muslims Have Many Sects?

Muslims have fewer sects than Christians. In Islam, there are two major sects, the Shia and the Sunni. Both sects have many things in common. They follow the same book - Qur'an. They follow the same prophet, (Muhammad). Both offer their prayers five times a day. Both fast in the month of Ramadan. They both go for hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca. The differences between these two sects are more like those found between any two different schools of thought. Those who follow Prophet Muhammad in accordance with his sayings and actions are called Sunni and those who in addition follow the sayings and views of Ali (Muhammad's son-in-law), as the rightful successor to Prophet Muhammad, are called Shia. Shia means a partisan (party of Ali) and is started more as a political party to help Ali in his conflict with his political adversaries. Most Shias live in Iran and Iraq while the rest of the Muslim world is mostly Sunni. Shias comprises about 16 percent of the Muslim population. Contrary to common accusation, neither Shia nor Sunni are militant. Their actions sometimes are in reaction to the oppression that that they have suffered.

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What are the pillars of Islam?

There are five articles of faith commonly known as the five Pillars of Islam. These pillars are --

1. the- belief (Iman) in one God and that Muhammad is His messenger,
2. prayers (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.

Pillars are part of a building. The building in this case is the perfect human who cares and protect rights of all creations and fellow humans thus establishing a society in which justice and peace is supreme.

What is the purpose of worship in Islam?

The purpose of worship in Islam is to make the person God conscious. Thus the worship, whether it is prayer, fasting, or charity, is a means to an end and end is to seek the pleasure of God by becoming God conscious in thought and actions. Thus he is better p4iced to receive His bounties both n this world and the Hereafter.

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Do Muslims Belive in the Hereafter?

God is just and therefore, in order to exercise His justice, there has to be a system of accountability. Those who do good have to be rewarded and those who do wrong have to be punished accordingly. Therefore, He created Heaven and Hell and there are admission criteria for each of them. 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.

What is the dress code for Muslim?

Islam emphasizes modesty. No person should be perceived as a sex object. Guidelines both lot men and women are that their dress should neither be too thin nor too tight to reveal body forms. For men, they must at least cover the area from the knee to the navel and women; their dress should cover all areas except the hands and the face.

What are the dietary prohibitions in Islam?

Muslims are told in Qur'an not to eat pork or pork products, dead animals or meat of the carnivorous animals (as they eat dead animals) or drink in toxicants such as wine or use any drug product.

What is the Islamic year?

The Islamic Year started from the migration (Hijra) of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca to Medina in 622 AD. It is a lunar year of 354 days. The first.month is called Muharam. 1993 AD is in Islamic year 1413 AH.

What are the major Islamic Festivals?

dul Fitre, marks the end of fasting in the month of Ramadan and is celebrated with public prayers, feasts and exchange of gifts. ldul Adha marks the end of the Hajj or the annual pilgrimage to Mecca. After the public prayers, those who can afford, sacrifice a lamb, goat, cow or camel to signify Prophet Abraham's obedience to God, shown by his readiness to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

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Does Islam oppress women?

No, On the contrary, Islam elevated the status of women. 1,400 years ago by giving them the right to divorce, tie right to have financial independence and support and the right to be identified as dignified women (Hijab) when in the rest of the world, including Europe, women had no such rights. Women are equal to men in all acts of piety (Qur'an 33:32). Islam allows women to keep their maiden name after marriage, their earned money and spend it as they wish, and ask men to be their protector as women on the street can be molested. Prophet Muhammad (P) told Muslim men. "the best among you is the one who is best to his family." Not Islam, but some Muslim men do oppress women today. This is because of their cuture habits or their ignorance about their religion.

What is Salat or Prayer?

Salat is the Arabic word meaning prayer. It is the second of the five central duties or “pillars” of Islam. There are many types of prayers but five are performed on a day to day to basis:

Prayer involves a sequence of changes in body posture with simultaneous Arabic recitation. Each prayer is divided into subunits (rakats). There are different types of rakats (fardh, sunnah, nafl and witr) which are performed in slightly different ways from each other. The five prayers consist of different number and type of subunits.

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