The Shahadah
The Shahadah is the Muslim profession of faith. It is the first of the five Pillars of the Islamic faith (Encyclopedia Britannica Online). Muslims bear witness to the oneness of God by reciting the phrase "there is no diety but Allah and Muhammad is his servant and messenger." This statement expresses a Muslim's absolute commitment to, and total acceptance of, the message of Islam. This statement of faith should be recited and declared publicly, and should be a genuine belief which includes all of the articles of faith. Reciting and accepting the Shahadah before two witnesses is all that is required of new members of the Islamic faith. The Shahadah is also included in the Adhan, or call to prayer, and is to be repeated during all everyday prayers. The Shahadah is generally always recited in Arabic, since Arabic is considered to be the "language of God." The words in Arabic are: "Ashhadu Alla Ilaha Illa Allah Wa Ashhadu Anna Muhammadun rasulu'Llah." This can be interpreted as: "I bear witness that there is now god but Allah and Muhammad is His Apostle" (Shahadah, Declaration of Faith). A famous follower of Islam, Whab ibn Munabbih, was once asked, " Isn't the statement of faith the key to Paradise?" He answered, "Yes, but every key has ridges. If you come with the key that has the right ridges, the door will open for you. Yet if you do not have the right ridges the door will not open for you." Basically, Munabbih was saying that it is true, only if the person meets the certain conditions of the Shahadah. In fact, Allah describes the hypocrites that say the Shahadah quite often as liars and also states that they will abide in the lowest abyss of Hell, or the Hell-fire. If one studies the Quran and the Hadith of th...
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...eople of Hell-fire and then he ends his deeds with the deeds of the people of Paradise" (Recorded by Muslim). One must satisfy all of the conditions in order to have the best Shahadah to Allah. Simply having only a knowledge of these nine conditions will be of no avail, unless one uses them in their everyday life and in all of the deeds they do (Zarabozo). A Muslims faith is not complete unless it is built on these well grounded convictions beyond any reasonable doubt and above uncertainty (Introducing Islam). Works Cited al-Din Zarabozo, Jamaal. "The Declaration of Faith." Al-Basheer. January-Febuary, 1994. Volume 7 Number 5. Introducing Islam. [Accessed 25 October 1999]. "Islam" Encyclopedia Britannica Online. [Accessed 25 October 1999]. "Shahadah" Encyclopedia Britannica Online. [Accessed 25 October 1999]. Shahadah, Declaration of Faith [Accessed 27 October 1999]
...an-Islamic notion of the heavenly father and his love for mankind are striking. God loves us and wants nothing more than that we be saved from Hell. However, when man transgresses, God has no choice but to punish him accordingly; while it pains Him to do so, He must as this is a component of His divine love.
Islam the complete ‘surrender to Allah’ is a living religious tradition with the principal belief in one God – Allah. Islam has remained the same in its principle beliefs of Allah, His Angels, His Prophets, His Books, The Last Day and his complete authority over destiny and has also changed over time to ensure that Islam remains a living religious tradition. Over its history Islam has had many significant people including Al Ghazali and Aisha Bint Abu Bakr who have ensured that Islam remains living in the hearts and minds of its adherents. In addition to significant individuals participation in the Five Pillars e.g. the Hajj ensure that Islam will continue to be the living religious tradition that it is.
Islam is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion alongside Judaism and Christianity. It is currently the second largest religion in the world today. Its beliefs come from the Qur'an which literally means "the recitation" which is believed to be a literal transcription of the word of God. Its main prophet is named Muhammad who began Islam by speaking with the angel Gabriel in a cave during his meditation and then acting as an instrument of God to help write the Qur’an. Muhammad then spread Islam to the scattered tribes of Arabia by becoming the leader of Yathrib and using his wonderful leadership abilities to then grow his influence over virtually all of Arabia. Muhammad is known by Muslims to be the seal of the profits because no profits after Muhammad should be considered legitimate. Muhammad also left behind the Hadith or “tradition” which is a collection of writings compiled of reports of Muhammad’s actions as leader of Yathrib. These reports are used as a more specific code of ethics in day to day life and from these reports the 5 Pillars of Islam are derived (Smith 160). Although Islam shares many similarities to Judaism and Christianity it is often viewed in the US with hate derived from preconceived notions following the attack on September 11th 2001. This paper seeks to provide an overview of Islam’s history as well as its two major sects and 5 main pillars to remove preconceived notions and provide a glance into the minds of the Islamic people.
...y of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which have come to be associated with their faith” (“IslamiCity”).
In the early 6th century, Muhammad introduced Islam into the Arab world, and asserted that there was only one true God. Islam demanded that believers obey God’s will and laws (Islamic Law, web). By introducing Isla...
Islam is the baby of all religions, but that most definitely does not put a damper on the incredibly large impact that Islam has had on the world. The DBQ, or document based question, is an assignment where our class digs deeper into a certain subject by carefully inspecting and dissecting primary sources from the time in which the events occurred. Then we are given a question and we must present an answer and support this claim with evidence from the sources provided. The question I have chosen is as follows: Did Islam’s most lasting and important impacts come about through trade and peaceful interaction, or did they come mainly through war in conquest? I believe and will argue that although some impacts may have been influenced by war and
The winds of apostasy, atheism, and religious ignorance have wreaked havoc around the world. Many a people have left their religions due to religious ignorance, confusion, or even a sense of disgust toward their religious beliefs has caused people to live god-less lives. Many a people have wreaked havoc around the world due to their religious ignorance causing thousands of people to be hurt, ruining the peace and serenity in many countries, and atlas defaming the name of a religion.
which he who has them revealed to him will discover the sweetness of faith: that he cherishes God and His messenger {the Prophet Muhammad} over everything other than them” (Gordon 140). These principles creates a central governance system for the Islamic community as members were able to have a set guideline for living. It also provided Muslims with how to deal with different situations and all aspects that they encounter with in life. “I will also heal the blind and the leper, and bring to life the dead… I will inform you too of what things you eat, and what you...
In Zainab Ali's book, "Unveiling Islam: What Muslims Believe," she explains the basic beliefs of a Muslim. She also elaborates on the images of Muslims in the media created by important leaders such as Saddam Hussein and Louis Farrakhan and how they contradict the Islamic belief. The writer then gives her explaination of these contradictions with respect to Islamic rules. She focuses on the rules of the faith - the five pillars of Islam - by provinding explanations, definitions, and examples. After an elaboration of each pillar, the writer explains the relevance of the pillars in life and the affects that the pillars have on the character of a true Muslim. She then compares this character to the characters of the Islamic leaders in the media to support her claim that people of the Islamic faith are not compatible with the images portrayed through the media. By making this claim, the author is trying to correct the misunderstandings of the Islamic faith and of the Muslim image by providing examples, explanations, and comparisons to define a "true" Muslim.
In all countries throughout the world the sources of Islamic traditions are found in the Qur’an. Similar to the Bible the Qur’an has different chapters to refer to in the holy book; the chapters in the Qur’an are called Surah’s. In the Muslim religion there are 114 Surah’s in the Qur’an that the followers of Islam hold true to their beliefs. According to Charles Shields, a Muslim and Islam follower, the most important Surah of the Qur’an is Al-Fatihah. “ In the name of Allah the most gracious the most merciful. All the praises and thanks are to Allah, the lord of the mankind, Jinn and all that exist. The most gracious the most merciful. The only owner and the only ruling judge on the day of resurrection. You alone we worship, and you alone we ask for help for everything. Guide us to the straight way. The way of those on whom you have bestowed your grace, not the way of those who earn your angry (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as Christians)” (Al-Fatihah, ayat 1-7). In all countries that practice Islam it is essential that when a Muslim makes prayer (Salat) they have to perform Surah Al-Fatihah, if they do not perform that Surah than their prayer (Salat) is invalid to Allah. This belief is not an opinio...
When you become a Muslim,you believe salvation is dependent on man, not God. There are five pillars of Islam, these five pillars are the Muslims acts of worship to Allah. Allah means God. The five pillars of Islam are
The Islamic religion has a powerful meaning - surrender. Muslims in their religion pray to Prophet Muhammad who is regarded as the greatest of all prophets. Salat is one of the five pillars of Islam. The doctrinal narrative and experiential dimensions. The doctrinal dimension is important because ritual prayer of Salat Is one of the 5 pillars of Islam and is always in the direction of the ka’ba the shrine in mecca. The narrative dimension is also very important. this prayer must always be preceded by following the steps of washing their face hands and feet that can be done with sand when water is not available. Praying five times a day in a prescribed manner called the Salat. This is an extremely important tenet of Islam and has been enjoined with great emphasis both in the Holy Quran and the sayings of Prophet Mohammad. It is the greatest source for purification of the soul. If a man is not reciting Salat must be considered as soulless man. The way the Salat is offered and the words which are recited explain the true nature of religion.
Islam is the religion of peace. It is not a new religion revealed by the creator Allah Subhana Wa Tala through all His Prophet in every era and to every people Islam is not only a religion it is also a manual of life. Followers of Islam have to submit their wills to God and have to admit that God is one and He is Allah who runs the entire universe. The key of Islam is