...Al-Isra’ and Al-Mi`raj (The Night Journey) 1-The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was taken for a journey by night from the Sacred Mosque to Al-Aqsa (the Farthest) Mosque in Jerusalem. Then, Gabriel ascended with him through the seven heavens and Sidrat-Al-Muntaha (the lote-tree of the utmost boundary) where the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) saw some of the greatest signs of his Lord. There, Salah (Prayer) was prescribed on the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and his nation. He was commanded to perform five Prayers night and day and in turn they would receive rewards from Allah as they perform fifty Prayers. In this connection, Allah, the Almighty, says: “And was at a distance of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer.” (An-Najm: 9) The people of Quraish accused the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) of lying when he told them that he had journeyed to Al-Aqsa Mosque. On asking him about the description of it, he described it completely because Allah brought a picture of it before him. Introducing Islam to the Tribes 2-When Quraish hindered the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from carrying out his duty, namely calling people to Islam, he started to introduce Islam to tribes on occasions in order to protect him so that he could proclaim his mission. Some of these tribes rejected his call politely while others mocked at him. One day, he met six men from Al-Khazraj...
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...way of Allah Almighty to achieve and establish righteousness and shun evil. The scope of the terminology is very broad and is not simply restricted to fighting in the physical sense which is one method of carrying out jihad. Broadly Jihad is classified into two types: • Greater Jihad. (Jihad Al-Akbar) • Lesser Jihad. (Jihad Al- Asghar) Jihad can also be divided into following kinds: • Jihad bin Nafs. (Greater Jihad, Spiritual) • Jihad bil Lisan. (Lesser Jihad, Physical) • Jihad bil Yad. (Lesser Jihad, Physical) • Jihad bil Mal. (Lesser Jihad, Physical) • Jihad bis Saif. (Lesser Jihad, Physical) 1. Jihad bin Nafs is the greater jihad which is when a muslim makes a special effort to be a pure muslim, or fights against his or her own selfish desires. This is every Muslims personal struggle to obey Allah, follow shari’ah and become a better Muslim. It is a tough spiritual struggle, lasts a lifetime, and affects every aspect of life. The Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) told warriors returning to Madina after a battle that they had returned from the lesser jihad (of warfare) to the greater jihad of struggle against one’s own heart, i.e. desires that lead to wrong doings. The Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه و سلم) said: “The greatest Jihad is to fight against the evil passions of oneself”. 2. Jihad bil Lisan (jihad of the tongue) is speaking and upholding the truth, speaking out against what is wrong and immoral, and spreading the word of Allah and the...
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...Professor Obaina September 25, 2012 Critical Thinking Assignment 1 Part One: The Question of Origin The Quran states that "Allah created the heavens and the earth, and all that is between them, in six days" (7:54). While on the surface this might seem similar to the account related in the Bible, there are some important distinctions. After completing the Creation, the Quran describes that Allah "settled Himself upon the Throne" (57:4) to oversee His work. A distinct point is made to counter the Biblical idea of a day of rest: "We created the heavens and the earth and all that is between them in six days, nor did any sense of weariness touch Us" (50:38). Allah is never "done" with His work, because the process of creation is ongoing. Each new child who is born, every seed that sprouts into a sapling, every new species that appears on earth, is part of the ongoing process of Allah's creation. "He it is Who created the heavens and the earth in six days then established Himself on the Throne. He knows what enters within the heart of the earth, and what comes forth out of it, what comes down from heaven, and what mounts up to it. And He is with you wherever you may be. Allah sees well all that you do" (57:4). Retrieved September 20, 2012 from http://islam.about.com/od/creation/a/creation.htm The Question of Identity The Quran describes how Allah created Adam: “We created man from sounding clay, from mud molded into shape…” (15:26). “He began the creation of man from clay...
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...some similarities as well. Islam means “complete surrender to the trusting God” and Sikh, from the Sanskrit or Hindi word “Shishya” means disciple. These two religions have a founder that connected with god and were told to teach others about him and to be their leaders. The founder of Islam is Muhammad, which means the worthy of praise. At the age of forty, Muhammad experienced something strange, while he was meditating in a cave outside of mecca, on Mount Hira when an angle named Gabriel (jibril) appeared to him and delivered a special message from Allah, which means the God. He recited Qur’an to his people of mecca and the people started to believe that Muhammad was a prophet. Fundamental authority is the Qur’an and most emphasis is placed on the basic five pillars and all of Islam is based on the principle of mercy, and those who expect mercy from God must be merciful themselves. Islam preaches the divine presence of God or Allah in daily life. By prying regularly, they believed that Muslims can come to better understand the nature of God and partake in his divinity. The founder of Sikhism is Nanak Dev also know as Baba, which is grandfather. At the age of thirty, Nanak had a vision through which he had face-to-face conversation with God, who gave him a cup of nectar to drink and bestowed upon him “the gift of my name”. He was told by God to teach others about the path of God. Nanak became the first “guru” to teach about this new path, also known as a...
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...In the name of Allah most Gracious most Merciful Service to Humanity – a Perquisite for Being the “Best People” To start the presentation, I will take you back in time in to a battlefield. Battle of Yarmook was being fought. Three sahaba Akrama bin abu Jahal, Sohail bin umro, Haris bin Hasham were seriously injured and as a result extremely thirsty and looking for few drops of water. One sahabi was looking for a relative and came across Akrama bin Abu Jahal. As he was about to give water to Akrama, thirsty cries of Sohail bin umro could be heard and Akrama refused to drink and wanted the water to be given to Sohail. This sahabi took the water to Sohail only to hear the cries of Haris bin Hasham. Sohail refused to take a drink and wanted the water to be given to Haris bin Hashim. By the time water could be taken to ...
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...military prowess and feats of arms, the majority of military historians tend to focus on the more familiar masters of the art of war. Historians usually count the likes of Napoleon Bonaparte, Julius Caesar, and even the feared Mongol steppe warrior, Genghis Khan, among the lofty ranks of the world’s Great Captains. Clearly these are all highly accomplished men of war and rightly deserve their recognition as some of the most gifted battlefield commanders and strategists in history, there are yet others who deserve to be held in similarly high esteem. Chief among these is Khalid bin al-Waleed, Islam’s first great general and a man so accomplished in war and personal combat that the Prophet Muhammad himself gave him the title of “The Sword of Allah”. he is top of all military commander in history Khaled has excelled in each and every item of military strategy, his flanking action at Ohoud (before he became a Muslim) saved the day and altered the entire outcome of the battle. His brilliant campaigns against similar nomadic troops in the Ridda wars, and against a totally different Persian enemy in Iraq and modern Iran and later against Byzantium, showed great military versatility and ability to adjust. His wars were always far from his homelands, requiring superb management of his supply lines, and his rush across the perilous wastelands separating the Levant from Iraq, to aid the Islamic armies besieged by Byzantian forces was daring and unprecedented, to march an army through...
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...Deception in Islam: A Foundation for Pragmatic Wariness in the West In the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City we have seen an increase in the number of Muslims in the United States. This has created a new subculture in major metropolitan areas of the United States, many of which are closed off to the outside world and institute their own Islamic law, or Shari’a law, within their bounds, ignoring completely the common law that bounds our nation. What is our nation’s response? By and large, politicians afraid to offend any member of their potential constituency echo their cries of racism and support their right to operate outside the confines of our laws. The bottom line is that Islam seeks not to be held in equal esteem with other religions, as outlined in our Constitution, but to become the dominant religious and political force in order to implement a policy of non-tolerance towards non-Muslims and stamp out the presence of all other religions. This essay is not designed to put down Muslims, as I believe that Muslims are overall well-intentioned people. The issue at hand is the greater institution of Islam. There are key aspects of Islam which I believe make it more than practical to be wary of our Muslim counterparts, but the very foundation of all of these aspects of Islam is the exercise of the concept of Al-Taqiyya, which can be translated accurately as “dissimulation.” In this piece I will endeavor to stray from...
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...intermediaries between Allah and human beings, no farfetched abstractions and no complicated rites and rituals. Everybody can readily understand the Quran and follow in the footsteps of the Prophet (may Allah exalt his mention), to the best of his or her ability, assured by Allah that He will accept the deeds that each soul has the ability to offer (what means): "On no soul does Allah place a burden greater than it can bear." [Quran 2:286] When we read the Quran or the Prophetic traditions, we find instructions regarding all aspects of life: political, social, economic, material, ethical, national and international. These instructions provide us with all the details needed to perform a certain act. The Prophetic traditions go as far as showing us all the steps we need to follow, even the etiquette of using the bathroom: supplications to be said upon entering it and leaving it, how to clean ourselves properly and so on. To summarize, Islam governs a Muslim's life in all its aspects. This is the reason why it is not only a religion but also a way of life. Islam does not recognize any kind of separation between religion and life. It openly rejects the Western saying: "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's, and unto God what is God's"; for everything should be dedicated to God alone and a Muslim is required to submit himself completely to the Will of Allah in all his affairs (what means): "Say: ‘Truly, my prayer, my sacrifice, my living and my dying are for Allah, the Lord...
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...World Religions Report By Julia Taylor Axia Colledge of University of Phoenix Many people think that Islam is a religion that based on terrorism, violence, and no rights and disrespect for women. According to the reading material, Professor of Indo-Muslim Culture, Harvard University also says: “The idea that the Muslims conquered everything with fire and sword was unfortunately deeply ingrained in the medieval mind. All these misconceptions about Islam as a religion and the legends and lies that were told about it are really unbelievable.” I was very curious about what is the true nature of Islam, and because I have been living here in Kuwait, as in point of fact, I had a chance to learn about the true Muslim culture, true believers of Islam, and I learned that Islam is not a new religion, but the original path of monotheism. I already knew what Islam’s faith is about: “There is no god but God”; that Mohammad was a prophet – God’s messenger; that Islam separates male and female, but I was surprised to learn that Islam is also about deeply Love and Passion to Allah-The Creator. According to Fisher (2005), “Islam is Arabic word which means peace, purity, acceptance and commitment. As a religion, Islam calls for complete acceptance of the teachings and guidance of God. A Muslim is one who freely and willingly accepts the supreme power of God and strives to organize his life in total accord with the teachings of God. He also works for building social institutions...
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...The History of Jesus and Muhammad hum130 March 20, 2011 Michael Emmart The History of Jesus and Muhammad The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." --Luke 2:10-11 The religion Christianity was founded on the life and teachings Of Jesus Christ. Around or just before the Common Era, about 2000 years ago Jesus was born in a small town called Bethlehem. Jesus was born unto a devout Jewess by the name of Mary and a carpenter named Joseph. Jesus was conceived by a miracle of the Holy Spirit before Mary and Joseph had any sexual relationship. Jesus was born in Bethlehem because the Roman emperor stated that all families register for a census in their ancestral hometowns. Joseph and Mary made the long difficult trip to Bethlehem, only to find that all the inns were full, with no inns to stay at, Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable among the animals. The Gospels do not talk a lot about Jesus’ early life, but some information can be traced back to some references elsewhere. Jesus was from a town called Nazareth, where he probably worked with his father and trained to be a carpenter. At the age of twelve Jesus wander away from his parents into Jerusalem to discuss religion in the temple; the rabbis were very impressed on the knowledge, understanding and answers when discussing the Torah. When his parents finally found him, Jesus...
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...teaching of peace. To understand how the Muslims and Christians view peace it is imperative to first understand what peace means. Most people would refer to peace as freedom of war, disagreements, conflict and calmness of mind. To understand the roles of Christianity and Islam in the teaching of peace the concepts of inner peace, world and society peace has to be addressed, for both Christians and Muslims, inner peace refers to the state of calmness and tranquility experienced by the individual. It is often understood to be associated with the spiritual peace with God/Jesus for Christians and spiritual peace with Allah who desires peace for Muslims. Muslims believe that it is through complete submission to Allah also called the Greater Jihad that an individual may achieve inner peace. The Quran states clearly that in order to achieve world peace, all people must submit to Allah as they believe all people of the Muslim community around the world are one community. They believe that there can be no world/universal peace or the lesser Jihad without the greater Jihad which is misunderstood by many Islamic and non-Islamic people. The NT of the Christian bible’s idea of peace is derived from the two major Jewish understandings; one being the fifth commandment and the other is the Jewish translation of the word ‘peace’. The fifth commandment; “thou shall not kill”, found in Exodus 20:13 is mentioned in Matthew 5:21-26 in which Jesus refers to it not as...
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...ISLAM - THE WORLD POWER OF THE FUTURE? Table of Contents In the 19th century Islam had virtually disappeared from view in Europe and America. Only a few Westerners in distant colonies had been exposed to Muslims. Some romantic tales about the Turkish wars survived. However, the rapid technological developments in the West had by-passed the Islamic peoples, making them appear insignificant. But not much time has passed since Europe was last in danger of being overrun by Islam. In the year 1453 Constantinople, the Eastern bulwark of Christianity, was captured by the Ottomans. Later in 1529 and again in 1683 the Turks stood at the gates of Vienna. The struggle to free Belgrade lasted almost 200 years; and it was only a short time before the First World War when the last Balkan countries were able to shake off the Islamic Turkish yoke. For 600 years Islam and Christianity have wrestled with each other in that area. Many Christians have forgotten that Syria and North Africa were once the heartland of the Christian world! But during the first Islamic invasions in the years AD 632 to 732 they were overrun and fell under Arab control. Muslim armies swept into Western Europe and stood no more than 200 kilometres south of Paris, and near Geneva, too. If Charles Martel had not stood firm we would likely all be Muslims today! Nietzsche, the atheist, ventured to say sarcastically, "The greatest mistake in world history was the defeat of the Arabs at Tours and Poitiers." The third great...
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...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. 7. Islam is a complete way of life that governs all facets of life: moral, spiritual, physical,intellectual, social, economical, etc. 8. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. 9. "Allah" is an Arabic word that means "God". 10. Muslims also believe that "Allah" is the personal name of God. 11. Allah is not the God of Muslims only. He is the God of all people and all creation. 12. The Islamic concept of God is that He is loving, merciful and compassionate. 13. . Islam also teaches that He is all-knowing and the perfect judge of affairs, and will punish (or forgive) accordingly. 14. Islam teaches a balance between fear and hope, protecting one from both complacency and despair. 15. Muslims believe that God has revealed 99 of His names, or attributes, in the Qur'an. 16. Muslims neither worship Muhammad nor pray through him. Muslims solely worship the Unseen and Omniscient Creator, Allah. 17. Muslims...
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...Umar ibn al-Khattāb Tribe: Umar (ra) belonged to the “adi family of the Quraish tribe. Birth: He was born in 583 AC about 40 years before the great hijrah. In his youth he was a great wrestler, orator and a spirited person. Education: He was among the few people in Mecca who knew reading and writing before Islam. Occupation: His main occupation was business. Umars acceptance of Islam: During the 6th year of the prophets mission when the Quraish leaders called a meeting and ask for a volunteer for the assassination of the Prophet (saw) Umar offered himself for this job. While on his way with a sword in his hand he met Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas who asked of him and about his destination. Umar told him he was going to murder the Prophet (saw). After some discussion Sa’d said you had better take care of your own family first. Your sister and brother in law have accepted Islam. Hearing this Umar changed his direction and went straight to his sister’s house. When Umar knocked on the door they were studying the Holy Quran from Khabbab. His sister Fatimah was frightened on hearing Umars voice tried to hide the portion of the Quran she was reciting. When Umar entered the house he enquired about their Islam and on finding that they had accepted Islam he first fell upon his brother in law and beat him severely. When his sister stepped in to help he smote her so violently on her face she it bled profusely. ON this his sister burst out “DO whatever you like, we are determined...
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...C. Why have there been in the last decade many discussions held between Christians and Muslims about their beliefs? M. I think because we both have several things in common. We believe in the One Creator who had sent many Prophets and in Jesus as the Messiah as well as to the Word of God u*rich had been denied by the Jews. Our Holy Qur'an mentions in Surah 3:45: "[Remember] when the angels said, “O Mary! Verily Allah gives you the glad tidings of a Word from him, his name will be Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this world and in the hereafter, and of those who are near to Allah." Dialogues have been held everywhere in Europe, Canada, The USA and Australia. Even the Vatican is not spared where discussions were held between Vatican theologians and Egyptian Muslim scholars in Rome in 1970 and in Cairo in 1974 and 1978. Also between Vatican theologians and Saudi Arabian Muslim scholars in Rome in 1974. Many times in Colombo, not to mention Muslims invited by many churches to present Islam. C. If Christianity is nearly two thousand years old and Islam more than fourteen hundred years, why were these discussions not held centuries ago? M. For the last three to four centuries many Asian and African countries dominated by Muslims were colonized by Britain, France, Holland, Belgium, Spain and Portugal. Many Christian mission colonists tried to convert as many Muslim as they could by whatever means they had, by giving them medical treatment, clothes, food,...
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