30 Facts About Islam Ebook

In the Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
A Publication of Islam On Demand
Table of Contents
Introduction
The meaning of Islam............................................... 3
The meaning of Muslim............................................ 4
Islam: A Civilization..................................................... 5
Five pillars of practice................................................. 6
Six articles of faith...................................................... 7
A complete way of life................................................. 8
Fasted growing religion.............................................. 9
Original Arabic............................................................ 19
Ancient Qurans.......................................................... 20
A preserved message................................................ 21
Allah
Meaning...................................................................... 10
A different god?.......................................................... 11
Islamic concept of god................................................ 12
Attributes..................................................................... 13
Accountability to God.................................................. 14
Muslim Women
Oppressed?................................................................ 25
Some of their rights.................................................... 26
Modest dress.............................................................. 27
Cultural confusion....................................................... 28
Prophets
Preceding Muhammad............................................... 15
Worship Muhammad?................................................ 16
Holy Books
Previous books........................................................... 17
Origin of the Quran..................................................... 18
Violence
Forced conversions?.................................................. 22
Terrorism?.................................................................. 23
Holy war?................................................................... 24
Diversity and Unity

The Nation of Islam.................................................. 29
Where Muslims are from............................................ 30
The Kaaba.................................................................. 31
Pilgrimage.................................................................. 32
Conclusion
Credits and Terms of Use........................................... 33
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Islam
Islam means surrender or
submission. Salam (which
means peace) is the root
word of Islam. In a religious
context the word Islam means
the surrendering of ones will
(without compulsion) to the true
will of God in an effort to achieve
peace.
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Muslim
Muslim means anyone or
anything that surrenders itself
to the true will of God. By this
definition, everything in nature
(trees, animals, planets, etc.) are
muslims because they are in a
state of surrender to Gods will.
In other words, they are fulfilling
the purpose for which God
created them.

Islam: A Civilization
Islam is not a new religion or
cult. It is a universal way of life
and civilization. Studies show
that between 1.5 and 1.8 billion
people in the world identify
their religion as Islam. Along
with Judaism and Christianity it
traces its roots through Prophet
Abraham and back to the first
humans Adam and Eve.

The 5 Pillars of Islam

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:
1) Declaration of faith in One God and
that Muhammad is a prophet of God.
2) Formal prayer five times a day.
3) Poor-due tax - 2.5% of ones excess
wealth given to the needy once a year.
4) Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once, if
physically and financially able.
5) Fasting during the daylight hours in
the month of Ramadan.

Islams Basic Beliefs

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:
1) The One God
2) All of the true prophets of God
3) The original scriptures revealed to
Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad
4) The angels
5) The Day of Judgment and the
Hereafter
6) Destiny

Islam: A Way of Life

Islam is a complete way of
life that governs all facets of
life: moral, spiritual, physical,
intellectual, social, economical,
etc.

Becoming Muslim
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
Muhammad is a prophet of God.

Allah
Allah is an Arabic word that
means God. Muslims also
believe that Allah is the
personal name of God.

10
Allah
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 there are
different gods. Many Hispanics refer to
God as Dios and many French refer
to God as Dieu yet they mean the
same God. Many Arab Jews and Arab
Christians call God Allah and the word
Allah (in Arabic script) appears on the
walls of many Arab churches and on
the pages of Arabic Bibles. Although
the understanding of God may differ
between the various faith groups, it does
not change the fact that the One Lord
and Creator of the Universe is the God
of all people.

11
God in Islam
The Islamic concept of God is
that He is loving, merciful and
compassionate. Islam also
teaches that He is just and
swift in punishment. However,
Allah once said to Muhammad,
My mercy prevails over my
wrath. So Islam teaches a
balance between fear and
hope, protecting one from both
complacency and despair.

12
99 Names of God
Muslims believe that God has
revealed 99 of His names, or
attributes, in the Quran. 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 All
Peace.

13
Accountability in Islam
The Christian concept of
vicarious atonement (the idea
that Jesus died for the sins of
humanity) is alien to the Islamic
concept of personal responsibility.
Islam teaches that on the Day
of Judgment every person
will be resurrected and will be
accountable to God for their every
word and deed. Consequently,
a practicing Muslim is always
striving to be righteous while
hoping and praying for Gods
acceptance and grace.

14
Prophets of Islam
Muslims believe in all of the
true prophets that preceded
Muhammad, from Adam to Jesus.
Muslims believe they brought
the same message of voluntarily
surrendering to Gods will (islam,
in a generic sense) to different
peoples at different times.
Muslims also believe they were
muslims (again, in a generic
sense) since they followed Gods
true guidance and surrendered
their will to Him.

15
Who Muslims Worship

Muslims neither worship
Muhammad nor pray through
him. Muslims solely worship
the Unseen and Omniscient
Creator, Allah.

16
Gods Revelations
Muslims accept the original
unaltered Torah (as revealed
to Moses) and the original
unaltered Bible (as revealed to
Jesus) since they were revealed
by God. But none of these
scriptures exist today in their
original form or in their entirety.
Therefore, Muslims follow the
subsequent, final and preserved
revelation of God, the Quran.

17
Quran
The Quran was not authored by
Muhammad. It was authored by
God, revealed to Muhammad
(through angel Gabriel) and
written into physical form by his
companions.

18
Quran
The original Arabic text of the
Quran contains no flaws or
contradictions, and has not been
altered since its revelation.

19
Quran
Actual 7th century Qurans,
complete and intact, are on
display in museums in Turkey
and other places around the
world.

20
Quran
If all Qurans in the world today
were destroyed, the original
Arabic would still remain. This
is because millions of Muslims,
called hafiz (or guardians) have
memorized the text letter for letter
from beginning to end, every word
and every syllable. Also, chapters
from the Quran are precisely
recited from memory in each of
the five formal prayers performed
daily by hundreds of millions of
Muslims throughout the world.

21
Early Spread of Islam

Some attribute the early and rapid spread
of Islam to forced conversions by the
sword. While it is accurate that the Muslim
empire initially spread, for the most part,
through battles and conquests (a common
phenomenon for that time) the religion of
Islam itself was never forced on anyone
who found themselves living under Muslim
rule. In fact, non-Muslims were afforded
the right to worship as they pleased as
long as a tax, called jizyah, was paid.
During the Dark Ages, Jews, Christians
and others were given protection by the
Muslims from religious persecutions
happening in Europe. Islam teaches no
compulsion in religion (Quran 2:256 and
10:99). For more, read The Spread of
Islam in the World by Thomas Arnold.

22
Terrorism
Terrorism, unjustified violence and the killing of
civilians (or intimidating, threatening or injuring
them) are all 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 a
result of their ignorance, frustration, uncontrolled
anger or political (not religious) ambitions. Anyone
who condones or commits an act of terrorism in the
name of Islam is simply not following Islam and is,
in fact, violating its very tenets. Fanatical Muslims
are no more representative of the true teachings
of Islam than fanatical Christians are of the true
teachings of Christianity or fanatical Jews are of
the true teachings of Judaism. The most prominent
examples of such religious fanatics are Anders
Behring Breivik, the 2011 Norwegian terrorist and
Baruch Goldstein, perpetrator of the 1994 Hebron
massacre. Extremism and fanaticism are problems
not exclusive to Muslims. Anyone who thinks that
all Muslims are terrorists should remember that
the former boxer Muhammad Ali is a practicing
Muslim.

23
Jihad
Jihad does not mean holy war. It actually
means to struggle or to strive. In a religious
context it means the struggle to successfully
surrender ones will to the will of God. Some
Muslims may say they are going for jihad
when fighting in a war to defend themselves
or others, but they say this because they are
conceding that it will be a tremendous struggle.
But there are many other forms of jihad which
are much more relevant to the everyday life
of a Muslim such as the struggles against
laziness, arrogance, stinginess, ones own
ego, or the struggle against the temptations
of Satan, etc. Regarding the so-called verses
of holy war in the Quran: 1) The term holy
war neither appears in the Arabic text of
the Quran nor in any classical teachings of
Islam. 2) The vast majority of verses in the
Quran pertaining to violence refer to wartime
situations in which Muslims were permitted to
defend themselves against violent aggression.
Any rational analysis of the context and
historical circumstances surrounding such
verses proves this to be true. Other verses of
violence deal with stopping oppression, capital
punishment and the like.
24
Women in Islam
Women are not oppressed in
Islam. Any Muslim man that
oppresses a woman is not
following Islam. Among the
many teachings of Muhammad
that protected the rights and
dignity of women is his saying,
...the best among you are those
who treat their wives well.

25
Women in Islam
Islam grants women many rights
in the home and in society.
Among them are the right to
earn money, to financial support,
to own property, to an education,
to an inheritance, to being
treated kindly, to vote, to a bridal
gift, to keep their maiden name,
to worship in a mosque, to a
divorce, and so on.

26
Hijab
Muslim women wear the headcovering (hijab) in fulfillment of
Gods decree to dress modestly.
This type of modest dress
has been worn by religious
women throughout time such as
traditional Catholic nuns, Mother
Teresa and the Virgin Mary.

27
Culture vs. Religion

Forced marriages, honor killings, female
genital mutilation and the confinement
of women to their homes are all
forbidden in Islam. These practices
stem from deeply entrenched cultural
traditions and/or ignorance of the true
Islamic teachings or how to apply them
in society. Arranged marriages are
allowed in Islam but are not required.
In fact, one of the conditions for a valid
Islamic marriage contract is themutual
consent of both parties to the marriage.
And divorce is permissible provided the
Islamic guidelines are followed which
protect the rights of all affected parties,
especially women and unborn children.

28
The Nation of Islam

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 never took human form. On
the other hand the Nation is a movement
geared towards non-whites that teaches God
appeared as a man named Fard Muhammad
and that Elijah Muhammad was a prophet.
According to orthodox Islam these are
blasphemous beliefs that contradict the basic
theology defined throughout the Quran and
other authentic texts. The followers of the
Nation adhere to some Islamic principles that
are mixed with other practices and beliefs
completely alien to authentic Islamic teachings.
To better understand the differences read
about Malcolm X, his pilgrimage to Mecca and
his subsequent comments to the media. Islam
teaches equality of the races (Quran 49:13).

29
Islam: For All People

All Muslims are not Arab, MiddleEastern or of African descent. Islam
is a universal religion and way of
life that includes followers from all
races. There are Muslims in and
from virtually every country in the
world. Arabs only constitute about
20% of Muslims worldwide. The
countries with the largest Muslim
populations are not located in the
Middle East. They are Indonesia
(over 200 million Muslims) and
Pakistan and India (over 350 million
Muslims combined).

30
The Kaaba
In the five daily prayers Muslims
face the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi
Arabia. It is a cube-shaped stone
structure that was built by Prophet
Abraham and his son Ishmael
on the same foundations where
Prophet Adam is believed to have
built a sanctuary for the worship
of the One God. Muslims do not
worship the Kaaba. It serves as a
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.
31
Hajj
The hajj is an annual pilgrimage
to the Kaaba made by about 3
million Muslims from all corners
of the Earth. It is performed to
fulfill one of the pillars of Islam.
The rituals of hajj commemorate
the struggles of Abraham,
his wife Hagar and their son
Ishmael in surrendering their
wills to God.

32
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In the Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful

A Publication of Islam On Demand

Diversity and Unity

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The 5 Pillars of Islam

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Islams Basic Beliefs

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Islam: A Way of Life

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Who Muslims Worship

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Early Spread of Islam

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Culture vs. Religion

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The Nation of Islam

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Islam: For All People

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