IN THE NAME OF GOD MOST GRACIOUS MOST MERCIFUL Islam is a Semitic religion, which has over one billion

n adherents all over the world. Islam means "submission to the will of God". Muslims accept the Quran, as the word of God revealed to His last and final prophet, Mohammed (peace be upon him). Islam states that Allah sent messengers and prophets throughout the ages with the message of Unity of God, and accountability in the Hereafter. Islam thus makes it an article of faith to believe in all the earlier prophets, starting with Adam, and continuing with Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, John and Jesus amongst many others (may peace be on them all).

2 Abu Hurairah, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: One day Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) appeared before the public. Then a man came to him and asked: Prophet of Allah, what is Iman? Upon this he (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you affirm your faith in Allah, His angels, His Books, His meeting, His Messengers and that you affirm your faith in the Resurrection hereafter. He (again) asked: Messenger of Allah, what does Islam signify? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: Islam signifies that you worship Allah and do not associate anything with Him and you perform the prescribed Prayer and you pay the obligatory poor-due (Zakah) and you observe the Fast of Ramadan. He (the inquirer) again asked: Messenger of Allah, what does Al-Ihsan (Faithfulness) imply? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: That you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him, and in case you fail to see Him, then observe that He is seeing you. He (the inquirer) again asked: Messenger of Allah, when would there be the Hour of (Doom)? He (the Holy Prophet) replied: The one who is asked about it is no better informed than the inquirer. I, however, will narrate some of its signs (and these are): When the femaleslave will give birth to her master, when the naked, barefooted would become the chiefs of the people; these are some of the signs of (Doom). (Moreover) when the shepherds of the black (camels) would exalt themselves in buildings, this is one of the signs of (Doom). (Doom) is one of the five (happenings wrapped in the unseen) which no one but Allah knows. Then he (the Messenger of Allah) (may peace be upon him) recited (the verse): Verily Allah! with Him alone is the knowledge of the Hour and it is Him Who sends down the rain and knows that which is in the wombs and no person knows whatsoever he shall earn tomorrow, and a person knows not in whatsoever land he shall die. Verily Allah is Knowing, Aware He (the narrator, Abu Hurairah) said: Then the person turned back and went away. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Bring that man back to me. They (the Companions of the Holy Prophet present there) went to bring him back, but they did not find him. Upon this Allah's Messenger

8 Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, reported: A delegation of the 'Abdul-Qais came to Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) and said: Messenger of Allah, verily ours is a tribe of Rabi'ah and there stand between you and us the unbelievers of the Mudar and we find no freedom to come to you except in the sacred month. Direct us to an act which we should ourselves perform and invite those who live beside us. Upon this the Prophet remarked: I command you to do four things and prohibit you against four acts. (The four deeds which you are commanded to do are): Faith in Allah, and then he explained it for them and said: Testifying that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, performance of the Prayer, payment of

Abu Dharr, may Allah be pleased with him, reported: The Mu'adhin (the announcer of the hour of the Prayer) of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) called for the Noon Prayer. Upon this the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Let it cool down, let it cool down, or he said: Wait, wait, for the intensity of heat is from the exhalation of Hell. When the heat is intense, delay the Prayer till it becomes cooler.

361 Abu Hurairah's Hadith, may Allah be pleased with him. Abu Salamah bin 'Abdul-Rahman reported that he heard Abu Hurairah as saying: I would perform the Prayer with you, just like the Prayer performed by the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him). And Abu Hurairah recited Qunut, in the Noon and in the Night and in the Morning Prayers, and invoked blessing (of Allah) upon Muslims and curse upon the unbelievers.