UNDERSTANDING ISLAM AND MUSLIMS

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• UNDERSTANDING ISLAM AND MUSLIMS

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• ISLAM
• ROOT LETTERS
• S L M
• SALAMA- MEANING PEACE
• ASLAMA- MEANING TO SUBMIT

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• ISLAM THEREFORE MEANS
• PEACE AND SUBMISSION TO GOD

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• ISLAM IS NOT JUST A PERSONAL RELIGION ,BUT A
  COMPLETE WAY OF LIFE.
• ISLAM IS A MEANS TO ACHIEVE PEACE
• PEACE WITH GOD, PEACE WITHIN ONESELF,AND PEACE
  WITH THE CREATIONS OF GOD.

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• THE ISLAMIC GREETING IS
• ASSALAAMU ALAIKUM WHICH MEANS
• PEACE BE UPON YOU.

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• MUSLIMS BELIEVE THAT ALL PROPHETS INCLUDING
  ADAM, NOAH, ABRAHAM,MOSES ,JESUS AND MOHAMMAD(
  PEACE ON THEM ALL) PREACHED THE SAME MESSAGE OF
  ISLAM
• SUBMISSION TO THE WILL OF THE ONE GOD TO
  ACHIEVE PEACE.

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• ISLAM IS NOT A NEW FAITH BUT THE SAME TRUTH THAT
  GOD REVEALED THROUGH ALL PROPHETS-
• It is a continuation and confirmation of all
  previous
• Divine messages

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• MUSLIM
• ROOT LETTERS
• S L M
• A MUSLIM IS ONE WHO SUBMITS TO THE WILL OF GOD
  AND FINDS PEACE

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• WHO ARE MUSLIMS?

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• MUSLIMS CONSTITUTE APPROXIMATELY 1.5 BILLION
  OF THE WORLD POPULATION FROM ALL RACES,
  NATIONALITIES AND CULTURES ACROSS THE GLOBE.

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• CONTRARY TO POPULAR BELIEF LESS THAN 15 OF
  MUSLIMS LIVE IN THE ARAB WORLD.
• INDONESIA (A NON-ARAB COUNTRY) HAS THE WORLDS
  LARGEST MUSLIM COMMUNITY.
• 1/5 OF THE MUSLIM POPULATION IS IN THE
  SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.

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• A SUBSTANTIAL PART IN ASIA AND ALMOST ALL
  THE CENTRAL ASIAN REPUBLICS ARE MUSLIM.
• SIGNIFICANT MUSLIM MINORITIES ARE FOUND IN
  CHINA, INDIA, RUSSIA,EUROPE AND THE UNITED
  STATES,CANADA AND SOUTH AMERICA.
• OVER 8 MILLION MUSLIMS LIVE IN THE UNITED
  STATES, REPRESENTING EVERY RACE, ETHNICITY AND
  CULTURE.

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• WHAT DOES THE WORD ALLAH MEAN?

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• ALLAH IS THE PROPER ARABIC NAME FOR GOD.
• THE BIBLE IN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE ALSO USES THE
  WORD ALLAH FOR GOD.
• THE WORD ALLAH HAS NO GENDER AND NO PLURAL.

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• WHAT DO MUSLIMS BELIEVE ?

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• THE ESSENCE OF THE ISLAMIC FAITH IS THE
  SHAHADAH OR TESTIMONY OF MONOTHEISM OR
  TAWHEED.

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• LA ILLAHA ILLALLAH, MOHAMMADUR RASOOLALLAH.
• THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH
• (GOD) AND MOHAMMAD IS HIS MESSENGER.

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• THE FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM
• SHAHADATESTIMONY OF FAITH.
• SALAHPRAYER-5 TIMES A DAY.
• SAWMFASTING DURING THE MONTH OF RAMADAN.
• ZAKAHPOOR DUE
• HAJJPILGRIMAGE TO MECCA

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• PILLARS OF BELIEF
• 1.BELIEF IN THE ONE,UNIQUE, GOD.
• 2.BELIEF IN ANGELS.
• 3.BELIEF IN PROPHETS.
• 4.BELIEF IN DIVINE BOOKS.
• 5.BELIEF IF GODS COMPLETE AUTHORITY OVER
  DESTINY-BE IT GOOD OR BAD.
• 6.BELIEF IN THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT
• AND IN LIFE AFTER DEATH.

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• WHAT IS THE QURAN?

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• MUSLIMS BELIEVE THAT THE QURAN IS THE FINAL
  DIVINE REVELATION THROUGH THE ANGEL GABRIEL TO
  THE LAST AND FINAL PROPHET MOHAMMAD(PBUH).

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• THE QURAN WAS REVEALED IN THE ARABIC LANGUAGE
  WHICH IS A LIVING LANGUAGE TODAY.
• IT IS THE COMPLETE UNCHANGED RECORD OF THE
  EXACT WORD OF ALMIGHTY GOD AND CONFIRMS ALL
  PREVIOUS DIVINE REVELATIONS.

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• MUSLIMS BELIEVE THAT THE ORIGINAL UNCHANGED
  MESSAGE GIVEN TO MOHAMMAD,JESUS,MOSES AND ALL
  OTHER PROPHETS CAME FROM THE SAME ONE GOD AND
  CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE.

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• JEWS, CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS ALL
  CONSIDER ABRAHAM THEIR PATRIARCH.
• ABRAHAM IS MENTIONED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE
  QURAN AND WAS BLESSED BY GOD TO BE FATHER OF
  MANY NATIONS.

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• WHAT DO MUSLIMS BELIEVE ABOUT JESUS?

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• MUSLIMS BELIEVE THAT JESUS WAS ONE OF THE
  GREATEST OF GODS PROPHETS AND MESSENGERS TO
  MANKIND.
• THE QURAN CONFIRMS HIS VIRGIN BIRTH, AND AN
  ENTIRE CHAPTER IN THE QURAN IS ENTITLED MARY
  AFTER THE MOTHER OF JESUS.

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• MARY (MOTHER OF JESUS) IS RESPECTED AND
  CONSIDERED AN IDEAL ROLE MODEL OF WOMANHOOD.
• GOD SPEAKS OF MARY IN THE QURAN IN THE MOST
  NOBLE TERMS
• The Angels said Oh Mary! God has chosen you
  and purified you, and chosen you above women of
  all nations.
• Quran Chapter 3 Verse 42

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• WHAT IS THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN ISLAM?

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• ISLAM RECOGNIZES WOMEN AS INDIVIDUALS WITH
  SPECIFIC RIGHTS.
• THESE INCLUDE
• THE RIGHT TO LIFE.
• THE RIGHT TO LEARN.
• THE RIGHT TO EARN.
• THE RIGHT TO OWN AND DISPOSE OF
• PROPERTY.

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• THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE A HUSBAND.
• THE RIGHT TO A MARRIAGE GIFT.
• THE RIGHT TO RETAIN HER MAIDEN NAME.
• THE RIGHT, AS A WIFE,TO HER PRE-MARRIAGE STANDARD
  OF LIVING.
• THE RIGHT TO SEEK DIVORCE.
• THE RIGHT TO INHERIT.
• THE RIGHT TO A FINAL WILL.

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• THE QURAN SAYS
• Oh humankind! Be conscious of your Lord Who
  created you from a single soul, and out of it
  created its mate, and out of the two spread
  countless men and women.
• Be conscious of God through Whom you demand
  your mutual rights and honor the wombs God
  always watches over you.
• Quran Chapter 4 Verse 1.

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• WHY DO MUSLIM WOMEN WEAR THE HEAD SCARF?

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• ISLAM EMPHASIZES MODESTY AND DIGNITY OF
  DRESS FOR WOMEN.
• THE HIJAB OR HEAD SCARF IS A SYMBOL OF
  MODESTY.
• MODESTY IN DRESS AND BEHAVIOR IS A PERSONAL
  RESPONSIBILITY.

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• THE HIJAB LIBERATES WOMEN FROM PRE-OCCUPATION
  WITH MAKING AN IMPRESSION BASED ON PHYSICAL
  APPEARANCES, TO FOCUSING ON INTELLECTUAL AND
  PERSONAL EXCELLENCE.

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• WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE WORD JIHAD?

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• THE ARABIC WORD JIHAD IS A GREATLY
  MISUNDERSTOOD ISLAMIC CONCEPT.
• THE WORD JIHAD IS DERIVED FROM THE ROOT
  WORD JAHADA WHICH MEANS TO STRIVE OR TO
  STRUGGLE , TO ENDEAVOR
• OR TO PERSEVERE.

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• JIHAD IS THE NOBLE EFFORT OF STRIVING OR
  STRUGGLING TO IMPROVE ONESELF, ONES FAMILY AND
  COMMUNITY, ONES NATION AND THE WORLD AT LARGE.

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• DOES JIHAD MEAN
• HOLY WAR?
• JIHAD SHOULD NEVER BE CONFUSED WITH HOLY WAR.
• THE CONCEPT OF HOLY WAR DOES NOT EXIST
  ANYWHERE IN THE QURAN OR IN THE TEACHINGS OF
  PROPHET MUHAMMAD (PEACE BE UPON HIM).

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• DOES ISLAM GUARANTEE HUMAN RIGHTS?

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• THE QURAN EMPHASIZES HUMAN
• EQUALITY .
• OH HUMANKIND! WE CREATED YOU FROM A SINGLE
  MALE AND FEMALE, AND MADE YOU INTO NATIONS AND
  TRIBES, SO THAT YOU MAY KNOW EACH OTHER.TRULY THE
  MOST HONORED OF YOU IN GODS SIGHT IS THE
  GREATEST OF YOU IN PIETY.
• GOD IS ALLKNOWING, ALLAWARE.
• CHAPTER 49 VERSE 13-GOD

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• THE RIGHT TO LIFE IS CONSIDERED A BASIC HUMAN
  RIGHT.
• THE QURAN EQUATES THE UNJUST KILLING OF A
  SINGLE PERSON TO KILLING ALL OF HUMANKIND.
• AND WHOEVER KILLS A SOUL.SHOULD BE AS
  THOUGH HE HAS KILLED ALL OF HUMANKIND.
• QURAN CHAPTER 5 VERSE 32.

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• ISLAM IS OFTEN MIS-UNDERSTOOD AND MIS-
  REPRESENTED.
• THE INHUMAN ACTS OF A FEW , ARE ATTRIBUTED TO
  THE 1.5 BILLION MUSLIM MAJORITY.
• MUSLIMS ALL OVER THE WORLD ARE STANDING UP
  AGAINST TERRORISM, AGAINST THE PERSECUTION AND
  KILLING OF INNOCENT PEOPLE, AND AGAINST THOSE WHO
  PERPETRATE INJUSTICE IN THE NAME OF ANY FAITH.

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• THE QURAN EMPHASIZES JUSTICE
• Oh you who believe! stand firm for
• justice and bear true witness for the sake of
  God, even though it be against yourselves, your
  parents or your relatives.
• It does not matter if the party is rich or
  poor God is a well wisher of both. So let not
  your selfish desires swerve you from justice.
  
• If you distort your testimony or decline to
  give it, then you should remember that God is
  aware of your actions.
• QURAN CHAPTER 4 VERSE 135.

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• FINALLY..
• GOD SAYS IN THE QURAN CHAPTER 5 VERSE 2
• COOPERATE WITH ONE ANOTHER IN RIGHTEOUSNESS AND
  PIETY, AND DO NOT COOPERATE IN SIN AND
  TRANSGRESSION
• LET US JOIN TOGETHER TO SPREAD
• SALAM OR PEACE IN THE WORLD!!!