Do Islam and Christianity have different origins?Islam & Christianity -
4. September 2015
No. Together with Judaism, they go back to the prophet and patriarch Abraham, and their three prophets are directly descended from his sons – Muhammad from the eldest, Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus from Isaac. Abraham established the settlement which today is the city of Makkah, and built the Ka’abah towards which all Muslims turn when they pray.
What is the KA’ABAH?General Questions, New Muslim Questions -
4. September 2015
The Ka’abah is the place of worship which God commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build over four thousand years ago. The building was constructed of stone on what many believe was the original site of a sanctuary established by Adam. God commanded Abraham to summon all mankind to visit this place, and when pilgrims go there today they say ‘At Thy service, O Lord’, in response to Abraham’s summons.
How does someone become a Muslim?General Questions, New Muslim Questions -
4. September 2015
Simply by saying ‘there is no god apart from God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.’ By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all God’s messengers, and the scriptures they brought.
Give few examples of the Prophet’s sayings?General Questions, New Muslim Questions -
4. September 2015
The Prophet said:
‘God has no mercy on one who has no mercy for others’.
‘None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself’.
‘He who eats his fill while his neighbor goes without food is not a believer’.
‘A man walking along a path felt very thirsty. Reaching a well he descended into it, drank his fill and came up. Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick up mud to quench its thirst. The man saw that the dog was feeling the same thirst as he had felt so he went down into the well again and filled his shoe with water and gave the dog a drink. God forgave his sins for this action’. The Prophet was asked: ‘Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?’ He said, ‘There is a reward for kindness to every living thing’.
‘Powerful is not he who knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger’.
‘God does not judge according to your bodies and appearances but He scans your hearts and looks into your deeds’.
From the Hadith collections of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi
When and where was Muhammad born?General Questions, New Muslim Questions -
4. September 2015
Muhammad was born in Makkah in the year 570, at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. Since his father died before his birth, and his mother shortly afterwards, he was raised by his uncle from the respected tribe of Quraysh. As he grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. The historians describe him as calm and meditative. Muhammad was of a deeply religious nature, and had long detested the decadence of his society. It became his habit to meditate from time to time in the Cave of Hira near the summit of Jaba al-Nur, the ‘Mountain of Light’ near Makkah.
Islam is one of the world’s largest religions yet it is also one of the most misunderstood. For various reasons – be they political, economic, biased media or fear of the “other” – mistruths and misconceptions have been spread about Islam. The key to understanding Islam and Muslims is to resist stereotypes and examine each situation according to Islamic teachings and authentic sources.
Are you interested to know more about Islam and Muslims? Please take a look at the questions and answers given below related to the misconceptions about Islam. If you want to know more, then you can ask a Muslim about Islam via email or telephone.
Allah is the proper Name of the One True God who created the heavens and the earth and everything in between. You can say Allah or the Creator or the Supreme God, the Supreme Force, the All Wise. All of those are His names. We say Allah because in Arabic there is no other expression, this expression Allah cannot be applied to any created thing. Other words we use for Almighty God, people apply them for created things. For eg: the almighty dollar, he is the greatest and so on, but the word Allah can only be applied to the Creator.
Also it should be mentioned that the Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians call God by the name Allah. If Allah was the term used only by Muslims or if Allah was the term introduced by Prophet Muhammed, then the Arabic-speaking Jews and Christians wouldn’t use that term. This shows that the name Allah existed even before the time of Muhammed (peace be upon him).
The word “Muslim” means the one who submits to the Will of God, declaring that “there is no one worthy of submission except the One God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” Thus, all the prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, Issac, Ishmael, Jacob, John the Baptist, Jesus and Muhammed (peace be upon them all) are considered Muslims. Why do we say this? A Muslim means what? One who submits to the will of God. All the Prophets & Messengers throughout their mission did what? Nothing but submitted to the will of God. Therefore by definition and by practice they were all Muslims. The Qur’an (the divine scripture of the Muslims) specifically mentions Prophet Abraham who lived long before Moses and Jesus saying that, “he was neither a Jew nor a Christian but a Muslim,” because he had submitted to the Will of God.
The Arabic word “Islam” literally means “submission.” Islam, as a faith, means total and sincere submission to God. Such submission to God brings peace and tranquility. The name Islam is universal in its meaning. It does not refer to a nation or tribe of people, like Judaism which refers to the tribe of Judah. Nor does it take its name from a particular individual, as does Christianity from Christ or Buddhism from Buddha. Islam was not a name chosen by human beings; it was divinely communicated from God. Islam is a complete way of life, implying a total submission to God.
Do Islam and Christianity have different origins?Islam & Christianity -
4. September 2015
No. Together with Judaism, they go back to the prophet and patriarch Abraham, and their three prophets are directly descended from his sons – Muhammad from the eldest, Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus from Isaac. Abraham established the settlement which today is the city of Makkah, and built the Ka’abah towards which all Muslims turn when they pray.
What is the KA’ABAH?General Questions, New Muslim Questions -
4. September 2015
The Ka’abah is the place of worship which God commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build over four thousand years ago. The building was constructed of stone on what many believe was the original site of a sanctuary established by Adam. God commanded Abraham to summon all mankind to visit this place, and when pilgrims go there today they say ‘At Thy service, O Lord’, in response to Abraham’s summons.
How does someone become a Muslim?General Questions, New Muslim Questions -
4. September 2015
Simply by saying ‘there is no god apart from God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.’ By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all God’s messengers, and the scriptures they brought.
Give few examples of the Prophet’s sayings?General Questions, New Muslim Questions -
4. September 2015
The Prophet said:
‘God has no mercy on one who has no mercy for others’.
‘None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself’.
‘He who eats his fill while his neighbor goes without food is not a believer’.
‘A man walking along a path felt very thirsty. Reaching a well he descended into it, drank his fill and came up. Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick up mud to quench its thirst. The man saw that the dog was feeling the same thirst as he had felt so he went down into the well again and filled his shoe with water and gave the dog a drink. God forgave his sins for this action’. The Prophet was asked: ‘Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?’ He said, ‘There is a reward for kindness to every living thing’.
‘Powerful is not he who knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger’.
‘God does not judge according to your bodies and appearances but He scans your hearts and looks into your deeds’.
From the Hadith collections of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi
When and where was Muhammad born?General Questions, New Muslim Questions -
4. September 2015
Muhammad was born in Makkah in the year 570, at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. Since his father died before his birth, and his mother shortly afterwards, he was raised by his uncle from the respected tribe of Quraysh. As he grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. The historians describe him as calm and meditative. Muhammad was of a deeply religious nature, and had long detested the decadence of his society. It became his habit to meditate from time to time in the Cave of Hira near the summit of Jaba al-Nur, the ‘Mountain of Light’ near Makkah.
