Islam
Islam is the religion and way of life of Muslims all over the world. There are over one billion Muslims spread across the globe from all nationalities and ethnic backgrounds. Islam was the religion of the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. It was also the religion of all the Messengers of Allah like Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace and blessing of Allah be upon them all).
The essence of their message was “O Mankind worship your Lord, there is none worthy of worship other than Him”. Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) was the last of this chain of messengers. For mankind to prosper in this life and the hereafter it is an obligation that they worship Allah according to the teachings of His final messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) which is found in the Qur’an and the authentic Prophetic traditions (Sunnah).
The Five Pillars of Islam
The Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessing of Allah be upon him), said:
“Islam is built on five (pillars):
- Testifying that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) is the Messenger of Allah;
- Performing the prayer,
- Paying the Zakah (poor-due),
- Fasting the month of Ramadan, and
- Performing the Hajj.”
The Pillars of Faith
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) taught us that every Muslim should have a firm belief in the following pillars of faith:
- Belief in Allah (the Arabic word for God);
- Belief in all of Allah’s messengers;
- Belief in all the Books sent down to His Prophets. These books include the Torah revealed to Moses, the Gospels, revealed to Jesus, and the Qur’an revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon them all). However of these books the Qur’an is the only one that has been preserved and contains the final teachings which mankind is obliged to follow.
- Belief in the Angels;
- Belief in the Day of Judgment and Life after Death, Heaven and Hell;
- Belief in the Divine Decree or Predestination.
How Does Someone Become a Muslim?
Becoming a Muslim is a very basic process. Simply by saying with conviction, the Shahada (The Testification of Faith) “ ASHHADU ALLA ILAHA ILLALLAH WA ASHHADU ANNA MUHAMMADAR-RASULULLAH ” (watch here it by clicking here).
The Testifications of Faith is:
In Arabic : ASHHADU ALLA ILAHA ILLALLAH WA ASHHADU ANNA MUHAMMADAR-RASULULLAH
In English: I BEAR WITNESS THAT NO ONE DESERVES TO BE WORSHIPED EXCEPT ALLAH and I BEAR WITNESS THAT MUHAMMAD IS THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH
MEANING: The first Testification means that no one or thing deserves to be worshipped except God Who is the Creator of everything.
The second Testification states that Muhammad (peace be upon him), is the final messenger of Allah (God).
Muhammad (peace be upon him) the son of Abdullah who was born in Makkah over 1400 years ago is a messenger of God. He was sent to convey what God revealed to him so that the humans believe in and work with the Laws he received and brought. He is truthful in all what he conveyed.
The day you embrace Islam, your slate is wiped clean, and it is as if you have just emerged from the womb of your mother, free of sin. You should try as much as possible to keep your record clean and strive to do as many good deeds as possible.
If you have read this and accepted Islam, we welcome you to Islam, congratulate you for your decision. If you have any questions , you may contact us for any help you need.