Introduction Of Islam As A Religion

Most of the people in the world including some Muslims think that Islam is relatively new religion introduced by Muhammad (PBUH). However, the truth is that God had chosen this very religion for humankind when He decided to create human beings. Therefore, it is a fact that all the prophets from Adam to Muhammad (PBUH) propagated the religion of Islam to their respective nations.

The definition of Islam:

Islam is not only the name of a set of religious beliefs and traditions but it is a complete code of life. The literal meanings of world “Islam” are peace and submission. Muslims as a whole follow a religion that promotes mercy, peace, and forgiveness. Muslims are those who submit themselves to the will of Allah were Allah is the Arabic word for God. Therefore, overwhelming majority of Muslims have nothing to do with terrible and unlawful acts that biased Western Media have associated with them.

The definition of Muslims:

Any person who believes that Allah is the only master of this universe, the Muhammad (PBUH) is the last of the prophets, and there will be no prophet after Him is called as a Muslim. Currently, more than 1 billion Muslims live in almost all parts of the world. However, Majority of these Muslims live in Arabia, Indonesia, Asia, and Northern Africa like Egypt and Morocco. On the other hand, significant number of Muslims is also living in China, Russia, Europe, and North America as a minority.

The basic beliefs of Muslims:

Muslims believe that God is incomparable, unique and one, in the Angels created by God, in all the prophets sent by Allah to his people, the accountability of humans on the Day of Judgment, in God’s full authority over destiny and live after death. Furthermore, Muslims also sternly believe that final message of God was revealed on Holy Prophet (PBUH) that sums up the teachings and instructions of previous apostles like Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, Moses and Jesus.

Why Islam appear exotic in to the West?

There might be only one reason behind this trend and that is the people in the West have totally denounced religion from their lives and religious faiths do not dominate their societies. On the contrary, Muslims give extreme importance to religion and make no decision whether personal or social that is contradictory to Islam. They take religious laws that is Shariah quite seriously and that is why Islam looks quite strange to the west.

The origins of Islam and Christianity are not different:

If people try to understand Islam and Quran through any means like online Quran study or through any learned Islamic scholar, they will find that all three divine religions have common roots. Their ancestor is the same that is the great prophet of Allah Hazrat Ibrahim (A.S.), commonly known as Abraham in the Christian world. Furthermore, all three Prophets for these religions directly descended from him. Muhammad (PBUH) descended from the eldest son Ishmael. Moses and Jesus descended from the younger son Isaac. Abraham established the city of Makkah and rebuilt Ka’aba where Muslims turn their faces while praying.

The spread of Islam and effects on the world:

Muhammad (PBUH) propagated Islam for 23 years and managed to subjugate the entire Arab Peninsula to Islam during his life. After him, his pious and nobles successors conquered the lands as far as Khurasan (Afghanistan) in the east to Morocco in the west. The Islam had such a fantastic effects on these areas that majority of people embraced Islam within very short span of time. The message of Islam was very simple and easy for these people to comprehend. Islam helped these people to get rid of atrocities of rulers and so called religious preachers and gave equal rights to all the people and promoted justice for all.

The teachings and instructions of Islam were so attractive especially to deprived classes that Islam spread rapidly and within few years, a mighty and powerful Muslim empire came into being.

What is Holy Quran?

The Noble Quran is the collection of exact words that Allah revealed on Muhammad (PBUH) through Gabriel. Muhammad (PBUH) explained each verse of Quran through his sayings and actions. Allah promised to protect the Quran Himself and therefore, Quran is present in its perfect shape that is a miracle in itself. Muhammad (PBUH) himself was the first Quran tutor to early Muslims. As far as current Muslims are concerned, they can learn Quran through academies offering online Holy Quran tutoring or through Islamic centers.

The Holy Quran is the basic and primary source of faith for Muslims and covers almost all the factors that a Muslim can come across in his or her life. However, the basic aim of the Quran is to elaborate the relationship of humankind with their Creator.

Other source of Allah:

Apart from Quran, the other major source of law for Muslims is the life of their Prophet (PBUH). Muslims believe that whatever he did or say is a kind of law for them that they have to abide by.

Conclusion:

Thus, Islam is the religion of mercy and compassion and supports equality, basic human rights for everyone and reconciliation among nations and countries.

About Author:

Bilal Abbasi writes on the misconceptions the Western world about Islam and also on how to eliminate these delusions. She works for Quranreading.com, an online academy that offers general online Quran study and Holy Quran online tutoring.

About the author

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Since June 16, 2002, the Israeli Government has been constructing a West Bank Barrier in Jerusalem. The concrete wall is 750 kilometers in length and eight meters high. Thick concrete walls are equipped with trenches, barbed wire, electrified wire, watch towers, electronic sensors, video cameras, unmanned aircraft, sniper towers, and roads for patrol vehicles. The point is: there is no possibility to penetrate the wall.

The barrier wall was built in a zig zag shape through ten of 11 districts; across all cities in the West Bank. Construction of the first phase started from the west to north of Jerusalem along 145 kilometers and was completed in July, 2003. The second phase is underway, ranging from eastern West Bank to southern Jerusalem. This wall needed a lot of funding, but the total cost of construction was never made public. For the barrier wall maintenance alone, Israel has to spend U.S $4.7 million/mile. So the total funds needed for the maintenance of the West Bank Barrier along the 750 kilometers is U.S. $ 3.4 billion.

Construction of the barrier wall was not without argument. In 2004, the International Court in The Hague issued a resolution stating that the barrier wall was illegal and should be dismantled. But Israel did not heed the resolution and kept continuing the construction. The argument was that the West Bank Barrier limits the mobilization of the Palestinian people. Not everyone can get out of the barrier wall. If they can, they must go through a lot of inspection procedures in layers which are strictly guarded. The residents inside the wall were blocked.

Moreover, the results of the Palestinian elections in 2007 were won by Hamas, which upset Israel greatly. Because of this, Israel closed across the borders of sea, air, and land between the Gaza Strip with the surrounding area since mid June, 2007. This included the Erez crossing and Sovia (Gaza-Israel), Rafah (Gaza-Egypt), and Karen Shalom (Gaza-Egypt-Israel). Passenger traffic, goods, and services are very limited. The supply of food, water, electricity, medicine, and other materials were depleted. The same thing also happened in West Bank.

It not only blockades daily needs, the barrier wall separates lovers from their partners. It also separates fathers from their families. It separates people from their work to earn a living. It blockades the water way that causes the water crisis in the West Bank. Most importantly, Israel is basically building a ‘prison’ for the innocent residents of Palestine.

The construction of the West Bank Barrier is not without protest. The first argument came from the territory surrounded by the Barrier Wall. Residents do not want to be blocked. The second challenge comes from the international community. Of course, Israel’s isolation is irritating humanity.

The Berlin Wall, which separated Germany into West and East Germany, closed long ago. The fall of the Berlin Wall was considered as the start of a new democratic world. But actually it wasn’t. Israel commits the same behavior as the NAZI’s with repression, dictators, tyranny, and cruelty by building a blockade wall that divides Palestinian territory.

Bibliography:
Assegaf, Faisal. Ironi Palestina. Jakarta: Hamas Lovers. 2010.
http://www.atjehcyber.net/2012/04/tahukah-anda-tembok-pemisah-palestina.html diakses pada tanggal 20 Desember 2012

About the author

Writer is a free-writer and free-reader. Avoids imported foods and capitalist products. Works at radiobuku.com.

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Guantanamo Bay is a stain on the image of America. How could a country defined by its freedoms condone a project like the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay. Created in 2002 by the Bush Administration as a grounds for holding high-level captives from the war in Afghanistan, and later Iraq, information about the practices of the detention camp soon leaked out, and allegations of misconduct and even torture surfaced. Despite the best efforts of the Obama Administration to close Guantanamo Bay, although many of its prisoners have since been transferred elsewhere, the U.S. Congress has prohibited the detention camp’s closing, because that would mean transferring its prisoners to detention facilities in the U.S., an unpalatable prospect for voters. Thus, Guantanamo still sits in limbo, continuing to stain the fabric of American liberty.

HISTORY

Guantanamo Bay lies at the southern tip of the island of Cuba. The name Guantanamo was given by the original inhabitants of the island, called Tainos. The crew of Christopher Columbus arrived there in 1494 C.E., calling the bay Puerto Grande. The Bay remained in the hands of Spanish settlers until 1741, when it was overtaken briefly by British soldiers and renamed Cumberland Bay. The name didn’t last long, as British soldiers were quickly repelled by thousands of guerrilla fighters. The Bay would soon switch hands again; this time to the Americans.

Spain’s control over the island was tenuous, and growing cries for independence by its native inhabitants were not lost on the ears of the opportunistic United States, which seldom misses the chance to intervene at the expense of a rival. The U.S. Navy and later Marine Corps invaded Guantanamo bay in 1898, and with the assistance of the native inhabitants, defeated the Spanish forces, thus claiming Guantanamo Bay for the United States.

Cuba became an independent country following the completion of its sustained revolution throughout the 1950s. The ownership of Guantanamo Bay, however, remained with the United States. Interestingly enough, the Bay is only being leased by the U.S. government, and American checks paying for this rental property have been dutifully handed over to the Cuban government, which refuses to cash them out of protest. If you didn’t know, Cuba and the United States have not historically gotten a long since the Cold War, but things are cooling now as a result of the Obama Administration’s incremental efforts to improve relations.

CONTROVERSY

After the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2002, Guantanamo Bay was designated as the detention camp for the worst of the worst. It was controversial because inmates were denied habeus corpus (a requirement of the U.S. Constitution that criminals receive a fair trial) and Bush Administration legal experts said the same restrictions applied for the Geneva Convention (international treatises regarding humanitarian treatment of captured combatants).

In 2006, the case of Hamdan v. Rumsfeld was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court. Hamdan was a Yemeni, as well as a member of al-Qaeda who was captured in Afghanistan. Rumsfeld was the Secretary of Defense for the Bush Administration. In the decision, the Supreme Court ruled in Hamdan’s favor, acknowledging that inmates at Guantanamo were to be covered by the Geneva Conventions, and entitled to habeus corpus.

Who was Hamdan? He was a taxi driver from Yemen. He drove Osama bin Laden a few times, and heard him speak in person. He supported al-Qaeda, but was never charged with hurting anyone. He is now back in Yemen, and his entire experience is recalled word for word by him in the documentary “The Oath” (here: http://www.amazon.com/The-Oath-Salim-Hamdan/dp/B003PTP5H6).

Torture did occur at Guantanamo Bay. This is reported by Hamdan in the film, and it was also reported to Bob Woodward, perhaps America’s most famous political journalist, by a high-level Bush Administration insider. Conversely, it was revealed in the documentary film Sicko, by Michael Moore, that the inmates of Guantanamo Bay received better healthcare, administered by the U.S. Military and funded by U.S. tax payers, than did the average American citizen.

The truth is, the U.S. government wants Guantanamo Bay closed down, for the same reasons it wants to end its buddy-buddy relationship with Israel: bad press. Just as the relationship wit Israel hurts American credibility in the Arab world specifically, Guantanamo Bay is an even wider symbolic stain on America’s integrity. It violates everything we hope that our country stands for, and Americans aren’t the only ones privy to this notion.

But, there are politics involved. As hard as it may try, the Obama Administration will not be able to close Guantanamo Bay without the help of Congress. And Congress won’t approve this, because it will mean transferring the inmates to prison facilities in the United States, which is oh so very scary to the average simple-minded American. Even though new inmates are not being received at Guantanamo, the detention center continues to operate with a few inmates still housed there.

But, if its torture you’re angry about, or “extraordinary rendition” as its euphemistically called by the U.S. government, the worst cases were not at Guantanamo Bay. If you live in a Muslim country that is a close ally of the United States, like (Mubarak’s) Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, there is a good possibility that your government is complicit. “The U.S. doesn’t torture.” That’s the famous slogan of the Bush Era. The full slogan, though, should be more like, “The U.S. doesn’t torture inside the U.S. or with our own personnel.” But they were happy to transfer prisoners from Iraq and Afghanistan to nearby locations in allied countries, where the U.S. just had to stand back and ask questions.

Of course, we don’t want to exaggerate the frequency of such tactics, because we don’t know exactly what went on in the past or what is occurring currently. Thankfully, the Obama Administration, though it is disappointingly continuing the war in Afghanistan, which by the way doesn’t end in 2014, but simply replaces “soldiers” with “contractors,” has been much better on the subject of human rights than the Bush Administration. But until the U.S. can say “We don’t torture” and mean it in its fullest sense, the flag of liberty will forever be tarnished by stains like Guantanamo Bay.

About the author

Ethan Lazuk

Born in Montana in 1989, I attended high school in Phoenix, Arizona, and college at The University of Montana, from which I recently earned a Bachelor's degree in Central and Southwest Asian Studies. I currently live in Washington D.C.
Although American English is my first language, I also have an intermediate/advanced knowledge of Modern Standard Arabic, with some Lebanese and Gulf vocabulary, as well as a basic knowledge of Farsi-Persian. My academic areas of interest include Cultural Anthropology, Islamic Studies, and Environmental and Human Geography. In 2010, I was a summer intern with the Department of Defense, working on Ft. McNair Army Base in the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies. Additionally, I have traveled in Istanbul, Turkey, and lived in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia.


I am a third-generation American of Polish descent. My great-grandparents fled Eastern Europe during the Bolshevik Revolution and entered the United States through Ellis Island. Today, my parents and sister live in Colorado, where they are surrounded by the beautiful Rocky Mountains. I am also happily married to the love of my life named Dania. Originally from al-Madinah, Saudi Arabia, she came to the United States two years ago as an exchange student. She is a practicing Muslim. But I am a searcher who finds beauty in all religions, and therefore I do not belong to any one religion in particular. But her and I having different religious beliefs has not negatively affected our marriage. In fact, it has brought us closer together. We respectfully embrace our differences, while cherishing our infinite similarities. If being in an inter-faith marriage has taught me one thing, it is that religious differences are not a cause for division, but for collaboration.

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The word Funeral prayers in Islam is also called Janazah in Arabic. These prayers are preceded in a very simple way and according to the sharia of Islamic religious laws. This prayer is only performed when a Muslim is expired. The person who reads these prayers should be in the state of ablution. It is recommended that the person who has expired should be buried in front of the imam.

These prayers are read in accordance with the Islamic laws. Some of them are discussed below:

1. To stand in front of the Qibla with your chest.

2. To recite Allah o Akbar with the intention for praying for the dead Muslim.

3. Recite surah fatihah before saying Allah o Akbar.

4. Recite the whole Salatul-Ibrahimiyyah, and then say Allah o Akbar.

The method to read these kinds of prayers would take a long time to explain but a brief description can be discussed here. Only men are allowed to read these prayers for the dead body. Women are not allowed to be included in this prayer. As Allah says, the heart of the woman is very soft so she cannot bear the pain, but men are bold enough, and that’s why Allah has ordered every Muslim man to pray these prayers for a dead body.

The performance of the funeral prayers over a Muslim dead body is known as Salat–ul-Janazah. It is a communal obligation – fard kifaayah. Allah has mentioned its importance in the Quran and the method of its performance is described in the Quran. If a Muslim is buried without performing these prayers, the whole community incurs a sin, and it is a big sin because Allah has made some rules and regulations which are important to follow; otherwise, their place is not in Allah’s home. They all will be thrown to hell. In the light of hadith of Aishah who has explained and said:

“The Prophet’s son Ibrahim died when he was 18 months old, and the Prophet (S.W.A) did not make funeral salat for him.” As it is not obligatory in this case. As he was the Prophet of Allah and it is recommended by the prophet on other occasions.

Funeral prayers are also observed for those Muslims who are killed in the battlefield; these Muslims directly go to Allah’s home (heaven). However, these prayers may be performed for martyrs, as Prophet (S.W.A) did perform it for those who died in the battle.

These prayers should also be observed for those who are known to be corrupt, such as drug addicts, alcoholics, and adulterers. The scholars and the pious do not take part in the funeral prayer as a punishment for those Muslims. It is the practice of the prophet (S.W.A) not to pray for those Muslims who committed major sins and to not allow other Muslims to take part in it.

As Allah says:

You shall not observe the funeral prayer for any of them when he dies, nor shall you stand at his grave. They have disbelieved in GOD and His messenger, and died in a state of wickedness.

About the author

Osama

I am 20 years old from Karachi, Pakistan. I am doing graduation from Karachi University. Right now, doing freelance writing for Muslim Academy.

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In Islam, Allah has given every Muslim the right to be married and fulfill their needs and duties. Marriage is one of the beautiful things that Allah has bestowed to every Muslim, we the Muslims need to understand and build up a better relationship. In the Quran, there is clearly a mention of how to live life after marriage. But many of the Muslims didn’t understand this relationship and broke it by taking a divorce. Divorce in Islam is a concept in which couples separate themselves from each other. In Islam, talak is the word used for divorce. It is an Arabic word which means to set free. It is only in unavoidable circumstances when divorce should be taken. It is the final termination of marriage, cancelling all the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving all the bonds of matrimony between the parties. Divorce in Islam is considered a very bad act. Allah has ordered the marriage couples not to take divorce until there is a very specific reason and it cannot be solved. If there is a way in which both can live together again, then they should follow that path. In Islam, the act of divorce should be avoided as much as possible.

The method of Divorce in Islam is that the word talak is repeated three times in the presence of two witnesses. Allah has made different steps to take divorce, these steps give the couple a chance to understand and take their decision back. Allah gives these chances to the couple.

Divorce in Islam is given by the husband. A woman is not allowed to give divorce to the husband, according to the teaching of Islamic laws. A wife can take khula from the husband. In Islam, the word talak has different types and the concept of each talak is different from each other. It has its own meanings and procedures.

1. Talak ar-Raji

2. Talak al-Bain

3. Khula

4. Faskh

In Islam, divorce is considered as a big sin, but if the marriage couple is not likely to understand each other, then Islam has allowed couples to take divorce. Once a divorce is given, there are some necessary steps to follow; the woman has to perform the iddat. There are two kinds of iddats which have different names. The iddat of divorce and the iddat after the death of the husband. The iddat of divorce is different from the iddat of husband’s death; the period of iddat in divorce is four months and ten days. It is compulsory for every woman to follow the Islamic laws and complete it according to their procedures.

As Allah says:

And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives) shall wait (as regards their marriage) for four months and ten days, then when they have fulfilled their term, there is no sin on you if they (the wives) dispose of themselves in a just and honorable manner (i.e. they can marry). And Allah is Well-Acquainted with what you do (Al-Baqara-234).

About the author

Osama

I am 20 years old from Karachi, Pakistan. I am doing graduation from Karachi University. Right now, doing freelance writing for Muslim Academy.

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Heaven and hell hold a great importance in Islam. Allah has discussed the concept of both heaven and hell everywhere in the Quran so that the Muslims lead their life accordingly. According to the teachings of Allah, heaven is for those people who have spent their life with simplicity, loyalty, and according to the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. Hell is for those people who are infidels, hypocrites and for sinful and wicked people who are preparing themselves to go to hell by doing bad deeds in their life .

According to the teachings of Islam, Jannah (paradise or heaven) is a very large and beautiful place. Its structure and walls is made of gold, silver and its cement is made of musk. It is the belief of Muslims that although heaven is a beautiful place but no one has witnessed the beauty of heaven. It is the home of Allah and Muslims cannot imagine its beauty. In heaven many beautiful places that are made by Allah can be witnessed , which includes various types of fruits, milk, honey, wine(sweet smelling without alcoholic) and different types of delicious food. It is an ideal place which no one can ever dream off.

The Quran speaks about heaven:

Verily, the dwellers of the Paradise, that Day, will be busy in joyful things. They and their wives will be in pleasant shade, reclining on thrones. They will have therein fruits (of all kinds) and all that they ask for. (It will be said to them): Salamun (Peace Be On You), a Word from the Lord (Allah), and Most Merciful. Quran 36: 55-58A.

As our Prophet (S.W.A) says:

(O Muhammad SAW) “Is that (torment) better or the Paradise of Eternity promised to the Muttaqun (pious and righteous persons – see V.2:2)?” It will be theirs as a reward and as a final destination. For them there will be therein all that they desire, and they will abide (there forever). It is a promise binding upon your Lord that must be fulfilled. Quran 2:25

On the other hand, jahannam (hell) is for munafiq Muslims who not believe in Allah and do not follow the teaching of the Quran and Sunnah. Allah has made hell as a punishment for every Muslim who does not believe in Allah. This is the place which is filled with complete darkness. There is a strong fire in hell which is very dangerous for a human being. It is believed that all the non-Muslims will be dropped into his this fire and they shall dwell in there forever.

As it is mentioned in the Quran about Hell:

“Those who have disbelieved in our signs – We will burn them in fire. As often as their skins are roasted through, we will exchange them for other skins so that they may taste the punishment. Indeed, Allah is exalted in Power, Wise.”[Surah an-Nisa, 4: 56]

About the author

Osama

I am 20 years old from Karachi, Pakistan. I am doing graduation from Karachi University. Right now, doing freelance writing for Muslim Academy.

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