I AM A MUSLIM

MY FAITH FUNDAMENTALS

By: Abu Ammar Salim

I am a Muslim and I follow Islam as my religion. The very word Islam is derived
from the Arabic word “SILM” which means Peace and Islam means to submit to the will
of God. Its full connotation is “Perfect peace that comes when one’s life is
surrendered to God”. The teachings of Islam are based on the principal of attainment of
peace and bring about equality in the society. Like Christianity and Jewish religions,
Islam is also a divine religion that was revealed to the last Prophet MUHAMMAD (May
peace and blessing of Allah be on him). The followers of Islam are called Muslims and
presently it is followed by about 1.5 billion people in the world which is increasing by a
sizeable number each year. Islam is a misunderstood religion and projected by the media
as a terrorist bunch of people whereas it is a religion of peace and every teaching of Islam
leads its followers towards attaining peace and purity in life. The fact that the present rate
of conversions into Islam, despite the misleading propaganda of the media, is a sign that
the message of peace and equality is accepted by those who see to it with a logical and
un-biased mind. Islam teaches peace, binds its followers to stay on the path to peace and
its entire effort is to build a society based on equality, justice and peace.

Every religion has a set of fundamental beliefs which distinguishes it from other
religions. These beliefs form the foundation over which the entire religious structure is
supported. These fundamentals or basic teachings are to be understood, believed and
practiced so as to be a true follower. Islam has five faith pillars and they are,
a. Eemaan. ( The Faith )
b. Salah. ( The prayer)
c. Saum. ( The Fasting)
d. Zakat. ( The Alms)
e. Hajj. ( The Pilgrimage)

Let us now look into these five Pillars briefly and understand what Islam implies
to be and what it wishes its followers to become. Islam actually strives to build a society
of followers based on peace and equality for every one. It provides a complete code of
conduct encompassing all essentials of the life and guides them towards betterment in the
worldly life and reward in the life hereafter.

EEMAAN. Eemaan is the Faith. This is most basic essential that must be
understood with absolute clarity and also must sink deep within as the primary root of a
plant. This is the conviction that must always be alive within a Muslim with every breath
of his life till the end. This faith base gives rise to various other branches which would
encompass the entire behavior pattern and supplement with a code of conduct for a
Muslim society. All the acts and practices are based on this single basic fact of
ONENESS OF ALLAH AND THE PROPHETHOOD OF MUHAMMAD (May
peace and blessing of Allah be on him).
a. Oneness of Allah implies that
1) He is one alone and there is none like Him and He alone is our
Lord.
2) He does not associate any partners and has sole sovereignty over
everything in the universe.
3) He is neither begotten nor begets.
4) He is eternal whereas everything else has an end.
5) He is the creator of the universe and every thing in it.
6) None other than Him is worthy of worship.
7) He legislates and His orders are final and binding.
8) He is all powerful, does what He wishes and nothing escapes His
vision and knowledge.
9) He is very kind and loving and forgives sins if repented.
10) One day this universe will come to an end on His orders and every
one will be resurrected and brought before Him for accountability
and justice.

b. When we accept the Prophet hood of MUHAMMAD ( May peace and

blessing of Allah be on him), we understand and believe that,
1) Allah created us and sent messengers from time to time to guide
the human race to the right path that He chose us to follow.
2) All messengers from Adam to Christ (May peace and blessing of
Allah be on all of them), were sent with or without a book to guide
the human race essentially on the same path chosen by Allah.
3) Muhammad (May peace and blessing of Allah be on him) is the
last messenger and the message brought by him is the last message
for all times to come. The message of Allah is contained in the
“Holy Quraan”, revealed to the prophet and is the guidance for
mankind.
4) Obedience to the last messenger is mandatory, the book revealed to
him is the law and authority and the conduct of his life a guidance
for Muslims for all times to come.

When a person is convinced with the faith factors discussed above, he proclaims
SHADAH or give evidence in these words to enter into Islam, “I testify that there is no
god but Allah and Muhammad (May peace and blessings be on him) is His servant
and prophet”. The moment a person testifies the Shahadah he becomes a Muslim and
forthwith all the Muslim Laws become mandatory for him to follow,

SALAH. Salah is the prayer, offered to show obedience to Allah. A Muslim

has to pray or offer Salah five times in a day at the appointed time as under,
a. At day break before sun rise.
b. At noon after sun passes its peak.
c. Before sunset.
 d. After sunset.
e. At night.
These five times prayer is mandatory and is offered facing the direction of “THE
KABAH” which is the house of Allah in Makkah. Before the start of a prayer a Muslim
must clean himself, wear clean clothes and stand at a clean place. A prayer can be offered
alone or in a congregation either in a Masjid( Mosque) or anywhere in an open or closed
place. The form of prayer consists of standing in a composed posture and reciting some
verses from the Quran, bowing down, kneeling and prostrating. In a Salah, a person
praises Allah, asks for forgiveness of sins and seeks His guidance. If a Muslim misses a
prayer of one time for some reason, he has to make it good by praying the same at
another convenient time. This act of obedience and prayer is to show gratitude to the
Creator five times a day and reminds a Muslim of his duties to Allah. A Muslim worships
Him alone and seeks His guidance in all walks of life and asks for pardon and forgiveness
of his sins. In return he gets purified and he is guided to piety and serenity.

SAUM. Saum is fasting in the month of RAMADAN, which is the ninth

month of Islamic calendar. Every sane adult Muslim, male or female is required to fast
from morning till evening throughout the day for the entire month. Fasting means to
abstain from eating, drinking, sex and all evil deeds prohibited by Allah. During fasting
one must adhere to what Allah has ordained and refrain from indulgence of acts forbidden
by Allah. Fast is broken at sunset and from now unto the beginning of next fast at dawn,
one is free to eat, drink and go to his wife. This act of worship is considered very high in
the eyes of Allah and He has promised to reward it Himself as He pleased. Fasting in the
month of Ramadan, if observed in pure serenity and with a will to obey Allah’s
commandments, it brings tolerance to hardships, learn patience, remove lust of worldly
materials and know how to be truly obedient to his Creator.

ZAKAT. Zakat is a monetary form of worship. Every adult and sane Muslim
man and woman has to pay Zakat once every year for the wealth he/she possesses. The
Zakat is to be collected from the rich and distributed amongst the poor and less privileged
people. This is a means to care for the poor and an effort to comfort the less fortunate
who can not earn enough to cater for the needs of their families and also a means to
purify the wealth. Zakat is to be calculated on the following things possessed at the end
of the year,
a. Gold
b. Silver
c. Agricultural produce
d. Live Stock
e. Minerals
f. Items of Trade
g. Any buried treasure recovered

The amount of Zakat is calculated separately for all of the items mentioned above at rates
varying from 2.5% for the cost of Gold and Silver to 20% on Mineral productions. Zakat
is not a Tax as Income Tax or Sales Tax etc now in vogue, but it is an important and
mandatory worship for a Muslim. Denial to pay Zakat castes a Muslim out of the
community and Allah promises to make him suffer in the hell fire. It caters for the needs
of poor people of the society and helps the Widows, Orphans, Handicapped persons and
those who do not earn enough for themselves and their families. The system of Zakat
ensures to look after the lower segments of the society and inculcates feelings for the care
and good will for the fellow Muslims and creates an environment based on equality and
happiness for everyone.

HAJJ. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah. Hajj is mandatory for a Muslim

to be performed once in his/her life time. It is mandatory for those believers, who are,
a. Physically fit to under take the journey,
b. Financially strong to bear the expenses of the pilgrimage, and
c. Leave behind enough of provisions for the family members for the period of
absence.
Hajj is performed in the month of Hajj which is the twelfth month of the Islamic
Calendar. People from all over the world are gathered in Makkah and in the valley of
Arafat in two un-sown cloths, rich and poor alike, standing side by side seeking Allah’s
forgiveness and pardon from sins. It is to remind the people that on the Day of
Resurrection we would be standing in front of Allah when we will be judged for our
deeds in the world and will be justly rewarded or awarded as the deeds would be.

THE CODE OF CONDUCT OF A MUSLIM. Having understood the five

faith pillars of Islam, we will now see as to what should be the code of conduct of a true
Muslim believer. The Holy Quraan, the book of law of Muslims describes what a Muslim
should follow and what he must abstain from. But a concise review of the teachings of
Islam can be enumerated as given under. They are not necessarily the entire teachings but
should give a fair idea to a reader as to how the Islam preaches peace for the human race
and how to attain a peaceful society. Islam preaches that a Muslim,
a. Must never associate partners with Allah as He neither has a son nor
requires any helper to assist Him in any way.
b. Must never worship any one other than Allah or an idol or any creation of
Allah.
c. Must believe in all the messengers of Allah and the books revealed to
them.
d. Must always pray five times a day and follow other faith pillars of Fasting
and paying Zakat.
e. Must always seek Allah’s help for all his needs as He alone is the sustainer
and provider.
f. Must obey the appointed leader in true spirit till the time he does not order
anything against the teachings of Islam.
g. Must be obedient and kind to his parents even if they follow faiths other
than Islam.
h. Must look after and care for the needs of his parents, wife/wives, children
and those dependent on him.
i. Must nurture ties of blood relationship and attend to the needs and
requirements of his other family members, like brothers, sisters and other
kith and kin.
j. Must understand that a human being can not be judged on account of cast,
color, creed or nationality or position in the society. All men/women are
equal in the eyes of Allah and the preferred one is the one who has more
piety and consciousness of Allah.
k. Must respect a human life and never ever kill a person as killing a person
is like killing the whole of mankind.
l. Must be kind to all human being especially to his neighbor, women folk,
elderly persons, children, oppressed, needy, handicapped and those
seeking his help.
m. Must be patient and forbearing.
n. Must honor the rights of other persons of the society and fulfill his duties.
o. Must remain humble at all times and avoid arrogance and bad manners as
it is disliked by Allah.
p. Must always be with the righteousness and resist evil in whatever way he
can.
q. Must not hide truth and must not avoid giving evidence where it is
required.
r. Must not eat or drink prohibited things.
s. Must not drink alcohol or indulge into drugs.
t. Must guard his chastity and avoid all sexual activities other than his
wife/wives.
u. Must never get involved in homosexuality.
v. Must refrain from interest and not indulge into any transaction involving
interest in any shape or form.
w. Must indulge into neat and clean business and avoid weighing and
measuring less or sell substandard goods.
x. Must refrain from cheating in business or in normal dealings with any
person.
y. Must not get involved in giving or taking bribes whether in financial shape
or in any other shape to attain favors.
z. Must be truthful to every one and never tell a lie or back bite against
anyone.
aa. Must always be patient and control his anger
bb. Must keep his promise as he will be held accountable for his un-fulfilled
promises.
cc. Must always evaluate his deeds, repent sins and ask forgiveness of Allah
for them and seek His guidance and favor to become a good Muslim.
dd. Must always try to spread the message of Islam and peace and take it to
those who have not heard of it or do not believe in it.

CONCLUSION. Having studied the brief introduction given above to my

religion, ISLAM, I invite you to undertake some more studies in depth by
renowned Muslim scholars so as to get clearer vision of the religion of peace. I
understand that this is the only faith that can really bind people globally to the
establishment of true peace in the world where a human being is the most
important factor and his betterment is supreme. Some wrong deeds of misguided
Muslims should not be considered as Islam. Every Muslim despises these wrong
deeds and wishes that Allah guides them to the right path of Islamic teachings and
direct them not to be part of ulterior motifs and plans of an enemy. Ameen.

“Say,
My prayer and my sacrifice,
My life and my death,
Are for the Lord of the worlds.
I assign no partners unto Him,
And this I have been commanded,
And I am among first of those
Who surrender their will to the will of Allah.”
(Quraan, Chapter 6: Verses162 &163)

Abu Ammar Salim

Reference for further studies;

a. Introduction to Islam by Dr. M. Hamidullah,

Published by Centre Culturel Islamique, Paris.
b. Even Angles Ask by Jeffery Lang,
Published by Sohail Academy, Lahore.
c. Islam and the Destiny of Man by Gai Eaton,
Published by Sohail Academy, Lahore.
d. The Spirit of Islam, by Syed Amir Ali,
Published by Oxford and Cambridge Press, Lahore.
e. The Religions of Men by Huston Smith
Published by Sohail Academy, Lahore.
f. On Striving to be a Muslim by Prof. Abdul Hamid
Published by Islamic Book Centre, Lahore.
g. On Being a Muslim by Farid Escack
Published by One World- Oxford.
h. Why I am a Muslim by Asma Gull Hassan
Published by Harper Collins Publishers.