DAWA
TO DO DAWA TO NON MUSLIMS YOU MAY EXPLAIN THEM THESE THINGS
What is Islam? BY BROTHER iSMAIL
Islam means to submit and obey our Creator Allah. A Muslim is a person who submits to Allah willingly and chooses to obey Him.
Islam has five pillars which are the five deeds every Muslim must do, they are:
1. The Shahadah: To believe and testify that there is no god and nothing worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the final prophet and messenger of Allah. All Muslims must believe in this at all times and not do anything that goes against this belief.
2. The five daily prayers: Every Muslim must pray to Allah five times a day, these prayers are Fajr which is two Rakahs before sunrise, Zuhr which is four Rakahs after midday, Asr which is four Rakahs in the late afternoon before sunset, Maghrib which is three Rakahs after sunset and Esha which is four Rakahs at night. This is the minimum that every Muslim must pray.
3. Zakah: Any Muslim who is rich and has excess wealth above the prescribed limit must pay 2.5% charity of that excess wealth once a year.
4. Fasting: Every Muslim who has the ability must fast the month of Ramadan by staying away from food and drink from Fajr time till sunset.
5. Hajj: All Muslims who have the money and ability must go for Hajj to Makkah once in their lifetime.
These are the minimum requirements that every Muslim must do, there are many other things that we can do to gain closeness to Allah but the least we should do is fulfil these pillars.
The prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, “Islam is built upon five pillars, testifying that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, to pray the compulsory prayers properly, to pay Zakah, perform Hajj and to fast in the month of Ramadan,” (Saheeh Bukhari 2:1:7)
Islam means to submit and obey our Creator Allah. A Muslim is a person who submits to Allah willingly and chooses to obey Him.
Islam has five pillars which are the five deeds every Muslim must do, they are:
1. The Shahadah: To believe and testify that there is no god and nothing worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the final prophet and messenger of Allah. All Muslims must believe in this at all times and not do anything that goes against this belief.
2. The five daily prayers: Every Muslim must pray to Allah five times a day, these prayers are Fajr which is two Rakahs before sunrise, Zuhr which is four Rakahs after midday, Asr which is four Rakahs in the late afternoon before sunset, Maghrib which is three Rakahs after sunset and Esha which is four Rakahs at night. This is the minimum that every Muslim must pray.
3. Zakah: Any Muslim who is rich and has excess wealth above the prescribed limit must pay 2.5% charity of that excess wealth once a year.
4. Fasting: Every Muslim who has the ability must fast the month of Ramadan by staying away from food and drink from Fajr time till sunset.
5. Hajj: All Muslims who have the money and ability must go for Hajj to Makkah once in their lifetime.
These are the minimum requirements that every Muslim must do, there are many other things that we can do to gain closeness to Allah but the least we should do is fulfil these pillars.
The prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, “Islam is built upon five pillars, testifying that there is no god worthy of worship except Allah, to pray the compulsory prayers properly, to pay Zakah, perform Hajj and to fast in the month of Ramadan,” (Saheeh Bukhari 2:1:7)
Who is Allah?
Allah is the name of our Creator. Allah means the only one God. Even though many people worship different gods, the truth is that Allah is the only god. He created everything and only He has power over everything.
Allah is unique in every way, He has no equal or partner, He does not look like anything we can imagine, He is above His Throne separate from the Creation yet sees, hears, knows and controls everything in this universe. Allah has 99 beautiful names that describe His beautiful qualities.
Allah created us on this earth as a test to see who will worship Him alone and obey Him and who will not. Those who pass the test will go to Paradise forever and those who fail will end up in the Hellfire.
Because Allah created us only to worship Him, the greatest sin a person can commit is to worship someone besides Allah or treat anything as equal to or greater than Allah. This act is called Shirk and is the only unforgivable sin.
Shirk can occur by believing in another god besides Allah, by giving anything any of Allah’s unique attributes and names or by worshipping anything besides Allah. We must try our best at all times to avoid Shirk in all its forms and to worship Allah as He deserves to be worshipped.
“Say: He is Allah, the uniquely one! Allah the self-sufficient! He does not have children nor parents and there is nothing like Him!” (Surah Ikhlaas 112:1-4)
Allah is the name of our Creator. Allah means the only one God. Even though many people worship different gods, the truth is that Allah is the only god. He created everything and only He has power over everything.
Allah is unique in every way, He has no equal or partner, He does not look like anything we can imagine, He is above His Throne separate from the Creation yet sees, hears, knows and controls everything in this universe. Allah has 99 beautiful names that describe His beautiful qualities.
Allah created us on this earth as a test to see who will worship Him alone and obey Him and who will not. Those who pass the test will go to Paradise forever and those who fail will end up in the Hellfire.
Because Allah created us only to worship Him, the greatest sin a person can commit is to worship someone besides Allah or treat anything as equal to or greater than Allah. This act is called Shirk and is the only unforgivable sin.
Shirk can occur by believing in another god besides Allah, by giving anything any of Allah’s unique attributes and names or by worshipping anything besides Allah. We must try our best at all times to avoid Shirk in all its forms and to worship Allah as He deserves to be worshipped.
“Say: He is Allah, the uniquely one! Allah the self-sufficient! He does not have children nor parents and there is nothing like Him!” (Surah Ikhlaas 112:1-4)
Can Muslims have fun?
Many Muslims think that having fun is Haraam. This is a wrong belief. Allah has made Islam an easy and realistic religion that helps humans fulfil all their needs; this includes the need to have fun. Allah says, “Allah wishes to make things easy for you, and not to make things difficult for you,” (Surah Baqarah 2:185)
Islam however controls our fun by prohibiting us from having fun in ways that are harmful to us or others such as smoking or taking drugs. As a result, any form of entertainment which is harmful in anyway to anybody would be Haraam, this includes watching any video which teaches us to do Haraam or listening to songs which teach bad things.
Islam also teaches us to remember that we are created to worship Allah so we should not let having fun distract us from that. If we spend all our time having fun and do not do what Allah wants by praying our five daily prayers and being good to people then this type of fun is Haraam.
As Muslims, we must remember that there is a time and place for everything and we must be moderate in everything we do, so if we do what Allah asks of us, there is no sin on us to relax and play when we have free time as long as our means of having fun is not Haraam.
Many Muslims think that having fun is Haraam. This is a wrong belief. Allah has made Islam an easy and realistic religion that helps humans fulfil all their needs; this includes the need to have fun. Allah says, “Allah wishes to make things easy for you, and not to make things difficult for you,” (Surah Baqarah 2:185)
Islam however controls our fun by prohibiting us from having fun in ways that are harmful to us or others such as smoking or taking drugs. As a result, any form of entertainment which is harmful in anyway to anybody would be Haraam, this includes watching any video which teaches us to do Haraam or listening to songs which teach bad things.
Islam also teaches us to remember that we are created to worship Allah so we should not let having fun distract us from that. If we spend all our time having fun and do not do what Allah wants by praying our five daily prayers and being good to people then this type of fun is Haraam.
As Muslims, we must remember that there is a time and place for everything and we must be moderate in everything we do, so if we do what Allah asks of us, there is no sin on us to relax and play when we have free time as long as our means of having fun is not Haraam.
What if I can’t be a perfect Muslim?
Many young people do not try to practise Islam because they know that they are going to make mistakes and not be able to do everything. This is a wrong attitude to have.
Allah is merciful and knows that He made us weak and that we can never be perfect. Therefore Allah rewards us for our efforts. If a person tries their best to be a good Muslim then Allah will forgive their mistakes because He knows they tried their best, but if a person does not try at all to please Allah then Allah might not be as merciful to that person and could punish Him for lack of effort or for losing hope in the mercy of Allah. So the important thing is that we should always try our best and should not lose hope when we make mistakes, rather we should ask Allah to forgive us and just try harder.
Allah says, “Indeed I am forgiving to those who repent, believe, do good deeds then remain on guidance,” (Surah Taha 20:82)
Many young people do not try to practise Islam because they know that they are going to make mistakes and not be able to do everything. This is a wrong attitude to have.
Allah is merciful and knows that He made us weak and that we can never be perfect. Therefore Allah rewards us for our efforts. If a person tries their best to be a good Muslim then Allah will forgive their mistakes because He knows they tried their best, but if a person does not try at all to please Allah then Allah might not be as merciful to that person and could punish Him for lack of effort or for losing hope in the mercy of Allah. So the important thing is that we should always try our best and should not lose hope when we make mistakes, rather we should ask Allah to forgive us and just try harder.
Allah says, “Indeed I am forgiving to those who repent, believe, do good deeds then remain on guidance,” (Surah Taha 20:82)
