Introduction

What is Islam and how is it defined? Islam is an Arabic word which is based on 5 words, Surrender, Submission, Obedience, Sincerity and Peace. So a person who submits,surrenders his will to Allah with obedience, sincerity and in peace is called a Mu Islam!Muslim. In Arabic "rammar, a person who does a particular acti#ity, is called $mu$ plus the wor% he does. &or e'ample, the person who "i#es the A(an)the call for prayer*, is called a Mu A(an!Mua((in. So thats how the Arabic "rammar wor%s. +ow u see, $peace$ is somethin" which is at the core of our reli"ion. In fact, each time we Muslims "reet each other, instead of sayin" "ood mornin" or thin"s li%e that, we prefer to say, ,As-salamu-alai-%um,, which means, may Peace be upon you. . +ow I am "oin" to de#iate a bit from the introduction and then come bac% to it. I don$t %now if you are aware or not but Islam has been pro/ected in a #ery wron" way. Which really ma%es me feel sad and I am tryin" my best to remo#e this misconception. +ow to pro#e my point that my reli"ion has been affected in bad li"ht, I am "oin" to put forward a small e'ercise. 0asically fill in the blan% of the sentence i am "oin" to put ne't. )1rust me, It wor%s*. So be honest and let me %now what is the first word that comes to your mind... All Muslims are 2222222 . 3ope u ta%e a minute and thin% about it)will actually ta%e u less than a second, its pretty ob#ious, isn$t it44* I am sure the word that came to your mind was not peaceful nor was it wise or "ood or anythin" li%e that. It should ha#e been 1errorists, at least this is what answer I ha#e seen people "i#in". Why is it li%e that? 3ow many Muslims friends do you ha#e who "o about with a "un in their poc%et or wear e'plosi#es within their shirt to blow themsel#es up or do any cra(y thin"s that you see of the $so-called Muslims$ on news. I am sure u ha#e not, ri"ht)you ob#iously wouldn$t be readin" this otherwise*. +ow my point bein", Muslims ha#e been portrayed in a #ery bad way. Its li%e they are pic%in" those cra(y ones and /ust showin" it as if that is what the reli"ion teaches us. Muslims are really peaceful people but by this, I don$t mean to say that I am not scared of 5A667 Muslims. 1here are a few of them if I happen to see in one side, I will ma%e a dash to the other side. And i am sure there are cra(y people not /ust in Islam but in all reli"ions and from all parts of the world. +ow the Muslims or rather people who ha#e Muslim names and who "o

about %illin" innocent people are not really Muslims nor are they followin" the teachin"s of Islam. I don$t %now if they claim to do all this in the name of Allah or not. 8#en if they are doin", its completely wron" and I will tell you why. &irstly, as i mentioned abo#e, Islam is deri#ed from peace and if a person who does thin"s causin" harm to others and remo#es the peace from that place, he is not actually a Muslim. Secondly, 9illin" of a person unlawfully is one of the bi""est crimes in Islam. It is said in the :uran, ,Whoe#er %ills another person unlawfully, its as if that person has %illed the whole of humanity....,);hapter 5<=>*. +ow if u analyse, that statement in the :uran is a #ery stron" statement and is totally a"ainst %illin" unlawfully. One mi"ht as% then what is lawful %illin"? Well lawful %illin" is li%e, suppose a murderer is cau"ht, then he is sub/ected to lawful %illin", same is for people who commit rape, etc. 9illin" of women, children, a"ed people is 5prohibited7 e#en at times of war)We don$t see that happenin" when you see the wars of today*. 1here are few other points to %eep in mind at times of war, li%e if the enemy "i#es up while in war then u should +ot "o about %illin" them. 1here are many other beautiful points which completely shows that Islam does not promote #iolence in the least bit. 6i%e I said before, %illin" unlawfully of people, let it be of Muslims or non-Muslims is +O1 allowed. Ohh btw ?ihad a"ain is an Arabic word which means to stri#e@stru""le a"ainst oppression. In normal Arabic sense, If a "roup of people are stru""lin"@stri#in" to construct a buildin", in Arabic, it means those "roup of men)construction wor%ers* are doin" ?ihad to build the buildin". If a school boy is stru""lin"@stri#in" in his studies then in Arabic we can say that the %id is doin" ?ihad to study. 1hats the basic idea of ?ihad. +ow what does ?ihad mean in Islam@:uran and in the teachin" of our Prophet)peace be upon him*. ?ihad in the boo% of Allah):uran* means not only the abo#e but also a little more. ?ihad means to stri#e@stru""le a"ainst in/ustice, no matter where it may be on earth. ?ihad means a stru""le a"ainst 1yranny, no matter who is doin" the 1yrannisin". ?ihad means to stru""le a"ainst oppression, no matter who is doin" the oppressin". ?ihad means to stru""le a"ainst 8#il no matter what 8#il may lie on the earth. A stru""le to put the 1ruth forward. A stru""le to ma%e sure that the human bein"s are "i#en their due Ai"hts to li#e a life of liberty in pursuit of happiness. So accordin" to the teachin"s of Islam, if a person is bein" oppressed, ?ihad mandates a Muslim to stop it. If a lady is bein" abused, ?ihad mandates a Muslim to free her from that abuse. If the rich are ta%in" ad#anta"e of the poor, ?ihad mandates Muslims to "i#e those poor their due ri"ht. 1o "i#e

orphans their due ri"hts. ?ihad simply means to "i#e people their basic ri"hts. If someone is wearin" a /ac%et with e'plosi#es and is plannin" to blow himself up in a crowded place, and if a Muslim finds out about such a thin", ?ihad mandates that Muslims to stop the other person from doin" such a thin". 0ut 1oday /ihad is %nown $only$ as 3oly War, which is completely wron". Arabic word for ,war, is :ital, which is a totally different term and in no way sounds li%e ?ihad. I "uess we should than% the mo#ies we watch, the news we read about in papers and all the false hype created for somethin" thats not e#en correct)sarcasm ob#iously4*. So if you ha#e understood the meanin" of ?ihad you can #ery well see that ?ihad is a "ood@beautiful word and there is nothin" wron" with it. ?ihad does not support 1errorism but in fact mandates Muslims a"ainst it. So sayin" ?ihad is supportin" terrorism is an o'ymoron. )O'ymoron is a fi"ure of speech in which apparent contradictory terms appears to"ether.* +ow comin" bac% to the Introduction. I e'plained to u what is Islam and who is a Muslim and that its a peaceful reli"ion. +ow the ne't bi" thin" is, Who do we worship and how would you define Bod? We worship Allah alone. Allah basically is an Arabic word which means C1he Only One to be WorshipedD or can be also said as COne BodD of monotheism. If you open the arabic translation of the 0ible, you will find in se#eral places the word CAllahD mentioned there, referrin" to the one true Bod. 1o ma%e it simple to understand the difference between the two the followin" is the definition of Allah as mentioned in the :uran as follows< E.3e is One and only. )+ot >, =, F,.../ust oneG3e does not reHuire any partners* >.3e is the absolute, the eternal. )3e pro#ides sustenance to e#eryone but 3imself does not reHuire any sustenance* =.3e be"ets not, nor was he be"otten. )Ioes not ha#e a father or a son* F.1here is nothin" ;omparable to 3im.)3e is way more than what our limited mind can thin% of and cannot be compared to anythin" in this uni#erse*. );hEE><E to F* It should also be noted that Allah has no "ender, its because of the arabic "rammer that we call Allah as ,3e, and not ,She,. And also becaus its disrespectful to call Bod as $it$. A friend once as%ed me where is Allah)Bod* accordin" to Islam? 1he answer to this lies in the :uran and this is mentioned in se#eral places, that CAllah created the hea#ens and the earth and then rose

abo#e 3is 1hrone...D);hJ<5F, ;hEK<=, ;hE=<>, etc* 0asically 3is 1hrone is abo#e the hea#ens and 3e is there. 0ut it should be noted that e#en thou"h 3e is there, 3e has complete %nowled"e about e#erythin" that happens in the uni#erse, 3e can see e#erythin", hear e#erythin", %nows the intention of e#eryone, he %nows the future of e#eryone or as the :uran says, 3e has the ,Ilm-mai-Bhaib,, i.e the %nowled"e of the unseen.);h>J<L5* So that is a "eneral idea about Allah accordin" to Islam. +ow lets "et to the 0oo% of Allah)Bod*? We Muslims belie#e that :uran is the word of Allah)Bod* which was re#ealed to the last and final messen"er Prophet Muhammad)pubh*, which means peace be upon him and is said out of respect to Prophets. It should be %ept in mind that there were se#eral 3oly 0oo%s sent before the :uran, to #arious other Prophets but they were meant for 5that particular time period7 only. 0y name we %now of only F boo%s, one of them bein" the Bospel "i#en to ?esus)pbuh*. It was meant only for the people of that time but the ;hristians apparently dont a"ree with this, and thou"h the present 0ible is not in its pure form, as in, it has been manipulated@interpolated o#er the period of time, ;hristians consider it to be the word of Bod. Anyways thats a totally different topic.)I am /ust tellin" you my belief and no offence meant to anyone.* +ow the meanin" of :uran is ,1he Aecitation, and was re#ealed in Arabic. Its the hi"hest form of Arabic found and has the best of literature. Ob#iously it is free from mista%es in "rammar, meanin"s. :uran is basically a way of life, you could as well call it a "uide to humanity. It contains a lot of #erses on wisdom, how to worship Bod Its li%e a law which consists of the do$s and dont$s, incidents about the Prophets of the past. It also contains a lot of #erses on science which are all EKKMcorrect and are free from error. It contains many warnin"s. And the best part is, there are e#en challen"es in the :uran which can pro#e the :uran wron". Its a different thin" that no one has been successful yet but that really impressed me. One of the challen"es mentioned in the :uran, where its spea%in" to the disbelie#ers)people who doubt :uran is the word of Bod* is to 5try and produce a boo% li%e it7. 1hen in another #erse, it says 5if not the whole boo% atleast try to ma%e EK ;hapters li%e it7. 1hen another #erse says, 5at least E chapter li%e it7. And trust me, its not li%e people didnt try, there are soo many non-Muslims who ha#e studied arabic and learnt the :uran /ust to pro#e it wron". +one ha#e been successful so far. :uran has no contradiction and is free from error. :uran has EEFchapters and each chapter is called a Surah. 1here are L,=>J #erses in the :uran. +ow about the Ae#elation of the :uran

:uran did not /ust fall from the s%y and land on the earth. :uran was re#ealed to our Prophet)pbuh*, and An"el ?ibreel would "et the re#elation to our Prophet)pbuh*. 1he first re#elation came down around EFcenturies bac%)LEK A.I* in the city of Ma%%ah at the ca#e of 3ira and the first word to be re#ealed to our Prophet)pbuh* was CIHraD, which means CAeadD in arabic. +ote that, :uran was not re#ealed in one "o but was re#ealed o#er a period of >=years. Our Prophet)pbuh* was not a learned man)he could not read or write*, so he had appointed a "roup of learned men to ta%e the responsibility of writin" the re#elation down. So 8ach time there was some re#elation, it was automatically memori(ed by our Prophet)pbuh*. 3e would then "o to his companions who were responsible for the writin" of :uran and recite it out to them, that specific "roup of people would then write it down. Our Prophet)pbuh* would then as% them to read out what they ha#e written and chec% if it is correct or not, this would be done se#eral times and Ntmost precautions had been ta%in" to a#oid the :uran from ha#in" any human lead errors@mista%es, because :uran is Bod7s word. It should be maintained that way in its pure form till the end of time. +ow, each time the #erses of the :uran were re#ealed, our Prophets companions would memori(e the #erses. So by the time the entire :uran was re#ealed, there were more than EKKK$s of them who %new the entire :uran memori(ed word-to-word. 1here was one copy of the :uran, which the Prophet)pbuh* himself had chec%ed and #erified it to be completely correct. +ow what had happened was that after the death of the Prophet)pbuh* and since the companions of the Prophet)pbuh* %new the :uran memori(ed, they)the companions* started writin" and ma%in" copies of the :uran. 1hey are afterall humans and there 5could7 be possibilities of ha#in" mista%es. So in order to protect the :uran from ha#in" mista%es, the ;aliph ordered to collect all the different writin"s of the :uran and to burn all of them. 1his was done in the best interest for Muslims as a whole since those boo%s were not #erified by the Prophet)pbuh* himself. After doin" that, copies of the :uran were made as per the :uran #erified by the Prophet)pbuh*. It was chec%ed and confirmed to be correct, it was attested and only then was sent across different parts of the world. Many enemies of the Muslims tried their best to chan"e the #erses of the :uran and interpolate them but they failed miserably. Other thin" that must be %ept in mind is that, Muslims not only %now which was the first word to be re#ealed to our Prophet)pbuh* but we also %now in most cases which Surah was re#ealed when)in the city of Ma%%ah or Madinah*. We also %now the stories behind the re#elation of most of the Surah$s);hapters*. 1he compilation of the :uran has been done in a uniHue way and no man can compile a boo% in such a way and still ma%e sense out of it. +ow if u "o about as%in" Muslims whether they %now how to read arabic, i am sure the answer would be yes. I ha#ent seen a sin"le Muslim who does not %now how to read arabic and when i say this, dont assume that /ust because we li#e in the Bulf, e#eryone should learn arabic. I ha#e seen

Muslims bac% in my colle"e who %now how to read arabic, infact Muslims who were born and brou"ht up in the west also %now arabic. 8#en the people who con#ert to Islam, aspire to learn arabic so that they could recite the :uran in arabic. Other thin" that should be noted is that e#ery Muslim apart from %nowin" arabic will also %now $atleast$ one Surah@;hapter memori(ed. I dont %now a sin"le Muslim who does not %now e#en a sin"le chapter. I myself %now atleast >5 chapters by-heart. And today there are CmillionsD of people around the world who %now the entire :uran by-heart. .If you read the papers then you mi"ht be aware of the recently held, the 3oly :uran recitation award durin" Aamadan. Oou wont belie#e but %ids as small as P-EKyears)some e#en youn"er* %now the :uran by-heart, and these students come to Iubai from around the world to win the competition. Apparently, the schools they come from ha#e or had thousands of students each of them %nowin" the :uran by-heart.Q Allah says in the :uran, that 3e, 3imself is responsible to protect the :uran)from corruption*. And today its a %nown-fact that the :uran which is EF centuries old is the same today as it was bac% then. +ot a chan"e in a sin"le letter. And i am pretty sure, if someone somehow mana"es to collect all the :uran from across the world and burns them all. I %now its not actually possible but if this e#en happens, there are thousands and thousands of Muslims who %now ha#e the :uran memorised. Probably "ather some of them and #erify with the others and hence the :uran can be reproduced. Buess that way, :uran will ne#er be manipulated and also fulfills the prophecy mentioned in the :uran that it will not be corrupted. +ow e#en if u want to %eep all the history e#idence aside and loo% at the :uran and find out if its indeed from Bod. 1hen you can #ery well do it. 1here are enou"h e#idences for any lo"ical person to belie#e that :uran is indeed the word of Bod and note that all this is not said by me, but by Scholars and men of Science who ha#e studied the :uran. So If u actually see, the 0i" ban" theory which tells us how the uni#erse came to e'istence was recently disco#ered, i "uess around 5Kyears bac% or somethin" li%e that but its mentioned in the :uran EFKK years bac% when it was re#ealed to the Prophet)pbuh* and when the world had not yet de#eloped or was scientifically ad#anced then as it is now. Who could ha#e written it in the :uran if not for Bod? 1he shape of the earth is spherical and this was disco#ered appro'imately 5 centuries bac% or somethin" but its mentioned in the :uran EF centuries bac%. Who could ha#e mentioned it, if not Bod? 8arlier people ne#er understood how it rained, they didnt %now about the water-cycle system that we learn in school today. It was only recently that they understood the e#aporation of water from the sea, leads to condensation and then precipitation. 0ut a"ain its mentioned in the :uran EF centuries bac%. Who could ha#e mentioned bac% then if not Bod? 1hen there are #arious scientific facts mentioned in the :uran that is

absolutely correct. -6i%e earlier it was said that the sun does not rotate and was stationary but only to be disco#ered recently that the sun also rotates about its own a'is. -Moon was earlier said to be ha#in" its own li"ht, /ust li%e the sun has its own li"ht. 0ut it was only recently that we %now that moon does not ha#e its own li"ht but moonli"ht is the reflected li"ht. -Its only in EP>5 or somethin" that science disco#ered and said that the uni#erse is e#er e'pandin", and this was mentioned too in the :uran. -:uran spea%s about oceanolo"y, that there is barrier between the fresh and salt water when they come to"ether from different seas. -:uran spea%s about 0otany, that plants ha#e male and female, which a"ain was not %nown earlier. -:uran also spea%s about (oolo"y, about physics, about "eolo"y and surely there are a lot more than /ust what i ha#e mentioned. Ofcourse no one else would ha#e had the ability to mention all of this if not for Bod. And i am sure u a"ree with this? )If u want the e'act #erse then I would su""est you to watch Islam and Sciene - Ra%ir +ai%* .1here are many prophecies mentioned in the :uran as well, some of them are as mentioned in the lin% below.
E. http<@@www.islamreli"ion.com@articles@=FJ@ >. http<@@www.islamreli"ion.com@cate"ory@E>=@

=. http<@@www.islamawareness.net@Prophecies@"reene.html Q Oou see, 1he :uran is a 0oo% which has the followin" a* 3istoric e#idences with proofs from rele#ant sources)referrin" to the re#elation of :uran*. b* It has stood the test of time. +ot a sin"le letter has been chan"ed o#er the years. It is in its pure form. c* It has many scientific facts to support that this is indeed the word of Bod. d* It puts forward challen"es to anyone who can try and pro#e the :uran wron". e* Its free from all errors and e#en contradictions)We belie#e that Bod will not ma%e errors and will not contradict 3imself*. f* 1he basic messa"e is #ery simple and easy to understand. 1he reason why i am tellin" u all this is cause my beliefs are not /ust blind belief or /ust because my parents were followin" it so I am also doin" it. I ha#e the :uran which "i#es me enou"h reason to belie#e that it is indeed the word of Bod. I %now all other reli"ions also spea% about science but then for the :uran I ha#e proper@specific details about the re#elation and accuracy on almost e#erythin" that happened bac% then. 3istory "i#es enou"h details that e#erythin" happened as it said it happened. One of

the oldest :uran e#er written can be found in 1op%api Palace Museum, Istanbul, 1ur%ey and that is the same compared to any :uran you find in any Muslims house in any part of the world. 0ut the main reason why I belie#e in :uran bein" the word of Bod is that it fulfills all the abo#e criteria and I don7t %now of any other reli"ious boo% which does the same. All other reli"ious 0oo% lac% atleast one of the abo#e points. So that7s why I belie#e in what I belie#e. +ow lets see, what are Prophets? Prophets are men chosen by our Bod so that they can "uide teach humanity how to worship Bod. Bod always "a#e "uidance to the other humans throu"h Prophets. 1hey are the best men amon" the people of their times, and other humans loo%ed up to them for many thin"s, especially worship. Many people thin% that Islam was started by our Prophet Muhammad)pbuh* but that is completely wron". Accordin" to our beliefs, 1he first man to step foot on the earth was Adam)pbuh*, he was our first Prophet and was a Muslim. 0y name we %now of only >5 Prophets but there were a lot more Prophets sent earlier. Most of the Prophets were "i#en Miracles and many of them were also "i#en boo%s to be followed for that time period only. Prophet Muhammad)pbuh* was the last Prophet. 3e was "i#en the miracle of all mircale, i.e the 3oly :uran. It satisfied the people of that time, it satisfies the people of the present and will also satisfy the people of the future. A"ain, no offence meant. +ow u mi"ht wonder why Bod had to spea% throu"h an"els, who spo%e to Prophets who then spo%e to normal men. Why not spea% directly? 0ut the Huestion I would as% is, Why should Bod spea% directly. Bod can create e#erythin" 3e wishes. Why should he do the wor% of informin" people directly. &or e'ample, lets assume there is this person who is the owner of an oil and "as company. Oou ob#iously wont find him at the petrol station fillin" up petrol for people comin" there, ri"ht. 1he owner can #ery well do the /ob of fillin" petrol in the car for customers but since he has the means to hire people to do it, he does not ha#e to do it. Similarly, if suppose few years from now, you buy a #ery #ery bi" house. Say 5-L bi" rooms and a hu"e hall and %itchen and all that. Ob#iously if u can afford all of this, you would also be able to afford a person in-char"e for the cleanin"@sweepin"@dustin" of the house, thou"h u can #ery well do it yourself. Since u ha#e the means Oou would probably hire someone to do it)or atleast i would do it and I %now it as a fact, "enerally people tend to do this*. Oou dont see %in"s and :ueens cleanin" their palaces by themsel#es, do u? So my point bein", thou"h Allah can #ery well spea% to men and do as 3e wishes, why would 3e do it when 3e can create someone to do it for 3im. +ow comin" to Prophet Muhammad)pbuh*. Who is he? 6i%e I had mentioned earlier, Prophet Muhammad)pbuh* was the last Prophet and was the seal of the Prophets. All the earlier Prophets were

sent for a particular time period but Muhammad)pbuh* was sent of the whole of humanity. 1he best e'ample of the person followin" Islam is our Prophet Muhammad)pbuh*. 3e followed the :uran completely and has shown us the way to deal with the thin"s. So if u want to compare a Muslim to anyone else, u should consider our Prophet)pbuh* as he is the best of Muslims and not anyone else. 3e had the most e'cellent character and manners and o#er all beha#iour and was as a role model for Muslims of his time and all times to come. 1here was a sur#ey done sometime bac% and they wanted to find out the most influential people of all time in 3istory. After a thorou"h study of all famous people for a #ery lon" time, It was Prophet Muhammad)pbuh* who was "i#en the first ran%. And note that this sur#ey was done by nonMuslims. 8#en non-Muslims of the present times who ha#e studied his life consider him to be the best 6eader and most influential of all times. And I "uess ?esus)pbuh* was second or third in the list. So if someone has a doubt if he really e'isted or is it /ust a myth, you can #ery well "o and chec% it out in 3istory. Our Prophet was the best of leaders and one of the most peaceful person e#er. If you notice, apart from the con#entional ban%in" system there is only one other option. It is the Islamic 0an%in". 1his is based on the teachin"s of the :uran and our Prophet. Iurin" the recent recession, all ban%s were "oin" throu"h recession e'cept the Islamic ban%s. ;omin" bac% to the Prophet, I can actually "o on and on about the Prophet)pbuh* but I am not "oin" to do that. If you ha#e the time, or if you are really interested, you could read the boo% called $the Sealed +ector$. Its a bio"raphy of our Prophet based on 3adiths and was written by scholars after thorou"h research. What is 3adith? 1he word hadith refers to narrations, or sayin"s, or stories ,from the ;ompanions of the Prophet,, who heard or obser#ed somethin" he did, or said, allowed, or forbid, appro#ed or re/ected, alon" with many aspects of life. It was compiled after the death of the Prophet)pbuh*. 8#enthou"h the 3adiths were written after his death, there was a proper channel or a proper system to differentiate between true and false hadiths. Many people bac% then, purposely came up sayin" that, this and this was said by the Prophet, basically many people did try to put false sayin"s of the Prophet. 1o protect the authenticity, 3adiths ha#e been classified in to different types, 5Sahih hadith7 is the authentic hadiths which is confirmed to be correct and there is no doubt about that, cos these hadiths had passed that system of findin" out if its true or not and hence #erified to be correct. 1hen the >nd type of hadith, are the ones which are not sure if completely true or not, but partially true. It is considered sli"htly inferior to Sahih 3adith. 1hen the =rd type of 3adith is that people claimed the Prophet has said so and so, but it came throu"h unreliable source and could not be #erified, hence failed the test for 3adiths and are called as 3adiths which are not stron", healthy and reliable or wea% 3adiths. 1oday

we all follow the Sahih 0hu%ari, Sahih Muslim, etc which are all collection of a number of 3adiths and are put in boo%s now, which are all considered to be correct and authentic. please +O18< I ha#e "i#en you a #ery brief idea about the compilation of 3adith. &or more specific details i would ad#ice you to "o throu"h the followin" lin% http<@@www.hoor-al-ayn.com@articles@Sunnah@ScienceM>KofM>K3adeeth M>K-M>K0rief.pdf So you can clearly see that there were a 6O1 of efforts ta%en bac% in those days to protect the :uran and 3adith from error and falsehood. +ow what is the Purpose of life? As mentioned in the :uran and 3adiths, the purpose of 6ife on this earth is to worship Allah and li#e life on 3is terms. Allah says in the :uran, ,And I did not create the /inn and man%ind e'cept to worship Me )alone*,):uran 5E<5L* 1his #erse from the :uran clearly mentions the purpose of a human bein"$s life but this does not mean that a person has to lea#e e#erythin" and only preach and all that. A person can #ery well lead a normal life and still follow Islam. We belie#e that this life is /ust temporary and that there is life after death. Accordin" to a 3adith, our Prophet)pbuh* said, 1his life is li%e a few drops of water compared to the oceans)referrin" to the life after death*. We belie#e in the Iay of Aesurrection. It is the day when all humans would be /ud"ed accordin" to their deeds based on the life on this earth. As Allah says in the :uran, ,this life is li%e a test for all humans,. People who pass the test, "o to 3ea#en and people who fail "o to 3ell. Allah tests people throu"h #arious thin"s, some of them bein" the temptation of life li%e alcohol, dru"s, se', etc. 3e also tests on whether we are followin" the rules of Islam, li%e lyin" is not allowed, bac%bitin", slanderin", unlawful %illin", etc are all not allowed. It is also mentioned in the :uran, ,1hat Allah will test each and e#eryone, sometimes throu"h po#erty, loss of li#es, health and sometimes throu"h "ain of wealth, children, etc,. So each time a person "oes throu"h a bad or "ood phase, dependin" on the reaction of the person and if he is li#in" a life as prescribed by 3im, that person "oes to 3ea#en or 3ell. +ow I will tell you what ma%es me belie#e in the 3ea#en and 3ell. Science has only ad#anced so much that it can pro#e that SKM of whate#er is written in the :uran is EKKM correct. +ow the Huestion comes, what about the other >KM, ri"ht? 1he other >KM actually consists of hea#en, hell, about an"els and all of that. Science has really not ad#anced soo much to actually pro#e all that.

So there is a Huestion mar% on those >KM...but note that /ust because science cannot pro#e its correct does not mean that its wron". It maybe true, maybe not. +ow when i loo% at the :uran which has SKM of the thin"s mentioned to be absolutely correct, without e#en a sin"le flaw and the rest >KM ,MAO08, correct. I conclude that the rest of the >KM is also correct ,unless, scientifically pro#ed that its wron". If someone, few years from now is able to $pro#e with lo"ic and e#idence$ that there is no possibility of hea#en or hell or anythin" li%e that, I am willin" to "i#e up my faith. 0ut until then, I am "oin" to follow the teachin" of Islam and belie#e in all that is mentioned in it. Oou see, I am not blindly belie#in" in what I belie#e, there are enou"h reasons for me to belie#e e#erythin" in it. 1he bi""est ;rime accordin" to Islam is not worshipin" Allah and associatin" partners with 3im. Accordin" to the :uran, ,Allah alone is the creator of all thin"s,. Its an insult to 3im if 3is own creations dont respect@worship 3im alone. Allah has "i#en humans free-will, i.e they can chose whate#er they want. If they chose to ta%e the path other than the path described by Allah, then on the day of /ud"ment, he "oes directly to 3ell. 0ut if a person who belie#es in Allah but does not follow $all$ the commandments of Allah then there would be a sin on him for e#ery wron" thin" he does. Allah #ery well %nows that a person is bound to sin, either small or bi", so 3e has e#en "i#en us a way to be for"i#en of the sins committed earlier. Suppose a Muslim used to drin% alcohol re"ularly then realised that it shouldnt be done as per the rules of Allah, then if he E.Accepts that whate#er he did was wron", >.Sincerely Aepents and as%s for for"i#eness to Allah, =.Tows to ne#er do it a"ain and %eeps it that way. 1hen Bod willin" his sins would be for"i#en. It is mentioned in the :uran, ,Allah is the Oft-&or"i#in", in se#eral places. 3e would be ready to for"i#e and let "o many thin"s a person does in his lifetime)which sometimes the person mi"ht not for"i#e himself for doin" such an act* as lon" as he follows the = steps abo#e. +ow, the 0i""est Sin accordin" to Islam is Shir%, which means associatin" partners in worship and also worshippin" false-Bods. If a person has been doin" Shir% since birth and suppose reali(es that the only 1ruth is Islam and starts followin" Islam, then all the sins committed before that is &or"i#en and its as if 3is account of sins has /ust open)and he can #ery well %eep it clean till death approaches him*.

+ow about soul and afterlife)Iay of ?ud"ment* in brief. It is mentioned in the :uran where Allah says, ,8#ery soul shall ha#e the taste of death,. Please note that It says taste of death but does not say that the soul will die. So accordin" to our beliefs, when the an"el of death comes and ta%es away the soul of the body, the soul lea#es the body and the person dies and his body is left on earth. And on the Iay of ?ud"ment,

dependin" on the persons faith and deeds, he would be "i#en hea#en or hell, that same person also "ets a new body then. &ew people may wonder how can a new body be made same li%e the one we had in earth. 1o satisfy this answer, there is a #erse in the :uran, where Allah says re"ardin" the Iay of /ud"ment that,,We are able to put to"ether in perfect order the #ery tips of his fin"ers. );hJ5<F* 6on" time bac% before science had de#eloped, a lot of people started Huestionin" Muslims what does this #erse mean? what did Allah mean when he says, e#erythin" would be in perfect order the #ery tips of his fin"ers? Well, sadly Muslims really didnt ha#e an answer then but then today we %now that fin"erprint of a person is uniHue to e#eryone in this world. &in"er prints are formed in the embryo at the fourth month, and remain fi'ed and distinct all alon" man7s life. So now if we put them to"ether we %now that Allah was referrin" to the fin"erprints of a person. If Allah can create the hea#ens and the uni#erse, why cant he create a man a"ain with the same fin"erprint he had when ali#e. Iay of ?ud"ment is when e#eryone li#in" would be resurrected and the final /ustice would be "i#en based on how a person spent his@her life in this earth. &inal /ustice meanin", hea#en or hell. +on-Muslims "o to hell, and as mentioned abo#e, Muslims who don7t repent also "o to 3ell for a period fi'ed by Allah and based on the sins the person has committed whereas the remainin" "ood@true Muslims "o to hea#en. 6ets sum it up now. Islam is based on > thin"s< E. 0elief >. Action Islam is based on L 0eliefs and all Muslims must belie#e in these L articles of &aith. 1hey are 0elief in E. Allah - 0elie#e that Bod Almi"hty is One, NniHue, Nnli%e 3is ;reation, Perfect in e#ery way, Ioes not be"et nor is 3e be"otten. >. An"els U 0elie#e that An"els are made from li"ht, who follow Allah$s orders perfectly, ne#er ma%e mista%es and are ne#er disobedient to Allah. =. 0oo%s U 0elie#e that 3oly 0oo%s were "i#en to the earlier Prophets. 1orah "i#en to Prophet Musa)Moses*, Rabur "i#en to Prophet Iawood)Ia#id*, In/eel)Bospel* to ?esus. All these 0oo%s were meant for people of that time and were meant only for the people of that time. Prophet Muhammad recei#ed the :uran which is the final re#elation and is meant for the end of time, Peace be upon the them all. F. Prophets U 0elie#e in Adam, +oah, Abraham, ?acob, Moses, Ia#id, Solomon, ?esus, Muhammad, and other Prophets mentioned in :uran, peace be upon them all.

5. ?ud"ment Iay U 0elie#e in the last day. All the people who e#er li#ed )belie#ers and disbelie#ers* will be Aesurrected for ?ud"ment Iay in real flesh and blood bodies to be /ud"ed. 1his is the day of ultimate /ustice. L. Pre-Iestination)or di#ine destination* U 0elie#e that Allah has complete control of all that happens, both "ood and e#il and 3e has full %nowled"e of it all. Second thin" that Islam is based on is $Actions$ or also %now as the Pillars of Islam. Pillars of Islam are basically actions that is reHuired and must be practiced by A66 Muslims. Islam is based on 5 pillars. +amely, E. Shahadah, >. Salah, =. Ra%at, F. Sawm, 5. 3a// E. Shahadah< 1his is the first pillar of Islam and is the Public testimony of faith. It is normally said in arabic which "oes li%e this, C6a ilaha ila AllahG Muhammadur-rasul AllahD which means, -D1here is no "od but AllahG -Muhammad is the Messen"er of Allah.D All Muslims belie#e in this one short and precise statement. +o Muslim is a Muslim who does not belie#e in this statement. 0elie#in" ConlyD in Allah and that Prophethood was indeed "i#en to Muhammad)pbuh* is the most basic of a Muslims belief. When a non-Muslim reali(es that the truth about Bod is only in Islam then all that person has to do is to declare whole-heartedly the abo#e statement. 1hats all. &or a non-Muslim to be a Muslim is #ery #ery easy. +o 0IB procedures reHuired. 1hat person /ust has to declare the abo#e statement with understandin"@sincerity and he has ta%en the first step towards the ri"ht path and hence has become a Muslim. >. Salah< 1his is the second pillar of Islam and is commonly called as CPrayerD in 8n"lish. I would say the word prayer is actually an understatement for Salah. Salah is more of worshipin" Allah and "lorifyin" 3im. We Muslims worship 3im 5 times a day. It is compulsory on e#ery Muslim to worship 3im 5 times a day. 1his is done at Iawn, immediately After-+oon, Mid-Afternoon, Sunset and 8#enin". 1here are different postures while offerin" Salah li%e standin", bowin", prostratin" and sittin". And there is no better way to Blorify Allah, 3is ma/esty in a better way than Salah. Salah is a form of complete submission to our ;reator in the best possible way. 1he way Muslims offer Salah today was the way how the Prophets of the past used to "lorify Allah. So Salah, is the second most important act of worship in Islam after the Shahadah)Ieclaration of faith as mentioned abo#e* and is the second pillar of Islam.

=. Ra%at< Ra%at is the third pillar of Islam. Ra%at is basically alms-ta' to the poor or better %nown as compulsory charity. Ra%at is an arabic word which implies CPurificationD and by performin" this deed, it purifies ones wealth from "reed, stin"iness,etc. Many people in todays world are so busy in impro#in" their lifestyle, tryin" to earn money from e#ery way possible, they for"et that one day they will ha#e to lea#e all of it and "o to the "ra#es. Ra%at can also be a reminder that we are not supposed to lo#e the ban% balance, properties we hold, etc more than reHuired. All Muslims who ha#e income and properties worth abo#e a fi'ed le#el)also called as +iasb le#el* ha#e to compulsorily "i#e >.5M of e'cess wealth to the people who fall below the +isab le#el, I.e the poor people. Ra%at is paid before the end of the 3oly month of Aamadan. 0y doin" such an act, the normal act of the rich "ettin" richer)money circulatin" only amon" the rich* and the poor "ettin" poorer is reduced. 1he "ap between the rich and the poor is hence reduced. 1here was a research done which concluded that, if the entire world who are abo#e the +isab le#el "i#e Ra%at to the poor then po#erty will be eradicated from this world. Please bear in mind, Ra%at is compulsory charity and should not be confused with SadaHah, I.e #oluntary charity. SadaHah can be "i#en to anyone, without any fi'ed amount at any time of the year and hence has no restrictions. Whereas Ra%at has rulin"s on who to "i#e it, how much to "i#e and when to "i#e. Ra%at is a #ery important pillar of Islam and is almost always represented in the :uran with Salat. Allah has commanded Ra%at on all Muslims who are abo#e the +isab le#el and whoe#er fails to do so is bound to face the wrath of Allah on the Iay of ?ud"ment and is considered as a bi" sin. Ra%at is hence a reminder to Muslims that a Muslim should help and support his community in leadin" a decent life and +O1 to "et too in#ol#ed in the hoardin" of wealth, bein" stin"y or bein" "reedy to ha#e more and more wealth without sharin" part of it with the poor@unfortunate ones. As far as I %now, other reli"ions do emphasi(e on charity but that is only a $#oluntary$ act and is called SadaHah)as mentioned abo#e*. Ra%at is one concept which I really really appreciate in Islam and I dont thin% there is any other reli"ion which "i#es so much importance to help the poor by actually ma%in" charity $compulsory$. F. Sawm U 1his is the fourth pillar of Islam. Sawn is fastin" in the month of Aamadan. Aamadan is the Pth month in the lunar calendar)Islamic calendar* and it consists of >P or =K days dependin" on the si"htin" of the moon. Muslims ha#e to abstain from eatin", drin%in", se' from dawn to sunset durin" this month. 1he main purpose of fastin" is to "et a person closer to Allah by en/oinin" what is "ood and forbiddin" what is bad as per the :uran and the teachin"s of the Prophet)pbuh*. Apart from ha#in" immense benefit for a person in terms of spirituality, the same person

"ets benefit in terms of health)fastin" continuously for about =K days once a year is one of the best ways to remo#e the to'ic waste which normally remains in the body, this is /ust one benefit there are many other benefit as well*. &astin" in the month of Aamadan is compulsory on all Muslims. 3owe#er there are rulin" on who is eli"ible and who is not eli"ible to %eep the fast. Islam does +O1 o#erburden anyone and is considered as a #ery easy reli"ion. &or e'ample, if a person falls sic% durin" the month of Aamadan, that person need not fast till he reco#ers from the sic%ness and there are rulin"s on how to "o about it. 1he end of Aamadan is mar%ed by 8id)or 8id-ul-&itr to be more precise*, I.e the festi#al for Muslims and is celebrated throu"h out the world amon" Muslims throu"h prayers and e'chan"in" "reetin" with each other. 5. 3a// U 1his is the fifth and the final pillar of Islam. 3a// is the pil"rima"e to the 3oly cith of Ma%%ah in Saudi Arabia. 1his is to be done atleast once in a lifetime. 1his pillar is obli"atory on all Muslims who can afford to perform this pil"rima"e. 1he pil"rima"e occurs in the month of Ihu al3i//ah, the E>th and last month of the Islamic calendar. 1he 3a// is a demonstration of the solidarity of the Muslim people and their submission to Allah. It is the lar"est pil"rima"e "atherin" in the world. After performin" all the rituals of this pil"rima"e, it is mar%ed by another 8id)or 8id-ul-Adha* and is usually celebrated with prayers, sacrifice of animals and e'chan"in" of "reetin"s with each other. 8id-ul-&itr and 8id-ul-Adha are the two festi#als celebrated by Muslims. So these are the 5 pillars of Islam and plays a #ital role for all Muslims. 3ence all Muslims CmustD practice all the 5 pillars unless they fall under the e'ceptional cate"ory)for e'ample, a poor person who falls $below$ the +isab le#el need not pay Ra%at, etc*. ---------------------------------------------------------------------

So this is an introduction to Islam. And if you ha#e read till here then I am really really happy because I seriously spent a lot of time typin" all this and trust me, its no easy wor%. So I really appreciate you for bein" patient enou"h to read my ms". whate#er i said, is the truth from the best of my %nowled"e. +o where ha#e I e'a""erated or said half truth in my ms". I am /ust pro/ectin" my reli"ion at the best of my %nowled"e. As you mi"ht %now, lyin" is one of the sins in Islam which should be a#oided and I can "o to 3ell if I am not truthful. So you can trust me, whate#er I said, is the truth from the best of my %nowled"e. +o where ha#e I e'a""erated or said half truth in my ms". I li%e to Huote a #erse from the :uran, C1here is no compulsion in reli"ion. 1ruth stands out clear from 8rror,

Whoe#er disbelie#es in 1a"hut)false-"ods* and belie#es in Allah, then he has "rasped the most trustworthy handhold that will ne#er brea%...D );h><>5L* So accordin" to my beliefs, a person should not be forced to accept my reli"ion, and the person can choose any faith as he wills. Please note, I am not tryin" to put your faith down or anythin" li%e that, this is all part of my belief and I am /ust tellin" what I belie#e. I ha#e +O13I+B a"ainst your reli"ion nor do I ha#e anythin" a"ainst people followin" your reli"ion. 6i%e I said, I am interested in the truth. I found the truth and I am sharin" it with you. If you li%e it, ta%e it and if not then lea#e it. 1han% Oou for readin" all of this. If by chance you want to %now anythin" more about Islam, please do "o ahead and as% me. Will try my best to clarify from my limited %nowled"e I ha#e. I am not a scholar to %now e#ery detail but I am /ust tryin" my best to learn as much as possible. And I seriously don7t ha#e anythin" a"ainst your reli"ion. I really hope this article has benefitted you and acts as an in#itation for you to start learnin" about Islam and do your research about the #arious reli"ions. 6i%e I said earlier, if you li%e it, ta%e it and if not then lea#e it. 1han% you. Assalamualai%um)May peace be upon you*