An Introduction to Islam

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An Introduction to Islam
November 14th, 2006 By Suhail Niazi
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Table of contents

• 1. Who am I?
• 2. Five pillars of Islam
• 3. Basic beliefs
• 4. Who is Allah?
• 5. Who is Muhammad?
• 6. What is the Quran and Sunnah?
• 7. Islam and other religions
• 8. Islamic dress
• 9. What is forbidden in Islam
• 10. Muslim Population and divisions
• 11. Misconceptions about Islam
• 12. Questions and Answers

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Who am I?

• What is my background?
• What do I do?
• IT Security Consultant
• Part-time at MuslimGear Clothing
  www.MuslimGear.com
• Webmaster at Beconvinced Islamic website
  www.Beconvinced.com
• How did I learn about Islam?

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Five Pillars of Islam

• Shahadah Faith / Testimony
• Salat Prayer
• Siyaam Fasting (Ramadan)
• Zakat Charity
• Hajj Pilgrimage

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Shahadah Faith / Testimony

• Faith in One God
• Testimony of faith is There is no God but God
  and Muhammed is his Messenger

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Salat Prayer

• Five Daily Prayers from Dawn to Late Evening
  regulate a Muslims day
• Prayers involve ablution, standing, bowing,
  prostrating, sitting postures
• Facing Kabah prayers are in Arabic as taught by
  Muhammed
• Additional Prayers optional
• Prayers can be done almost anywhere
• Friday prayers are done at the Masjid \ Mosque
• Prayers done to remember and thank God for all
• your blessings

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Siyaam Fasting (Ramadan)

• Fasting is done for 30 days during the month of
  Ramadan determined by the moon sighting
• Means abstinence from eating, drinking, sexual
  relations, lying, cheating, backbiting from dawn
  to sunset time on the day of fasting
• Fasting for both male and female after the age of
  puberty. Pregnant, nursing, ill, old, child and
  traveler are exempted from fasting during Ramadan.

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Fasting Benefits

• Piety Help believers to reach piety.
• Learn self-control especially helpful to control
  bad habits like smoking, excessive eating,
  backbiting and more
• Feel the pain of poor starving people.
• Feel the weakness of ones body and the
  continuous need for Gods support.
• Become more thankful to God
• Bring families, and people all over the world
  together (when they fast then break the fast at
  the same time)

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Zakat Charity

• Required 2.5 charity on yearly savings
• A Muslim must be a charitable person
• Removing a stone from the road is charity
• Greeting a person with a smile is charity

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Hajj Pilgrimage

• Pilgrimage to Makkah once in life time for able
  Muslims
• About 2.5 million Muslims perform Hajj each year
  from all over the world.
• Prophet Abraham built the Kabah as the first
  place of worship
• Performing Hajj is a
• series of rituals that were
• done by Abraham, Sarah and
• Muhammad (peace be upon
• them all)

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KABAH
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Basic Beliefs

• 1. Belief in One God
• 2. Belief in all Prophets
• 3. Belief in all Scriptures
• 4. Belief in the Angels
• 5. Belief in the Day of Judgment
• 6. Belief in Predestination

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Who is Allah?

• Allah is the Arabic name for God
• Is not gender specific and is unique
• Tawhid
• Attributes not like mankind
• Sent Prophets with revelations

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Who is Muhammad?

• The final Prophet for Muslims
• Descendant of Ishmael, the first son of Abraham.
• Born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in the year 570 C.E.
  
• His parents died very early.
• He never worshiped idols, drank alcohol or lied.
• He worked as a shepherd and then as a trader.
• Received first revelation at the age 40 through
  angel Gabriel.
• Died a natural death in the year 632 C.E at the
  age of 63

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What is the Quran and Sunnah?

• Quran
• Final revelation sent from God to Muhammed via
  angel Gabriel
• Sent in 23 years in parts. 114 chapters
• Memorized to preserve authenticity
• Recited during the 5 daily prayers
• Quran can be misinterpreted
• if not read with context and
• background

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What is the Quran and Sunnah?

• Sunnah
• Statements or actions of Muhammad
• Collected and preserved by his companions
• Sunnah is the application of the Quran
• Sunnah explains the Quran
• Compiled in books called Hadith

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Islam and other religions

• Respect for other religions, their Gods and their
  places of worship
• People of the book have closer resemblance
• Prophets (Adam, Noah, Ibraham, Moses, Jesus)
• Scriptures (Torah, Psalms, Gospel)
• Marriage (Christianity and Judaism)
• Similar beliefs

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Islamic dress

• Islamic Dress
• Men and Women each must dress modestly when in
  public
• Men Navel to the stomach, not tight fitting,
  preferred to have beard to follow tradition of
  Prophets
• Women Full body, not tight fitting, Hijab

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Forbidden in Islam

• Shirk worshiping anybody/anything other than
  God.
• Treating parents badly not obeying there orders,
  speaking to them in loud voice even if they have
  a different faith.
• Murder, suicide
• Stealing
• Usury \ Interest
• Gambling
• Treating neighbors badly even if they have a
  different faith.
• Adultery, homosexuality
• Backbiting
• Drinking Alcohol, drugs
• Eating pork.

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Where are Muslims located

• Between 1.3 1.5 Billion Muslims, 2nd largest
• Indonisia largest Muslim population
• Under 20 of Muslims from the middle east.
  Majority from Indian sub continent, Asia and
  Africa
• Sunni 89 and Shia 10. Very similar
• Between 500,000 - 600,000 Muslims live in Canada
• Between 6-7 Million in the United States

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Questions and Answers
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Misconceptions about Islam

• Muslims are violent, terrorists and / or
  extremists
• Islam oppresses women
• Muslims worship a different God
• Islam was spread by the sword and is intolerant
  of other faiths
• All Muslims are Arabs
• The concept of Polygamy in Islam
• Muslims are a barbaric, backward people

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• Warfare in Islam
• The battles during Prophet Muhammads (peace be
  upon him) time
• Do not kill innocent civilians
• Women and children must not be harmed
• Places of worship of other religions must not be
  destroyed
• Water should not be contaminated
• Green trees should not be cut
• Elderly and sick should not be killed
• Those who surrender must be protected
• Forgiveness must prevail over revenge
• Killing someone because of his/her nationality or
  religion is a crime

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Equality in Islam

• All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no
  superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has
  any superiority over an Arab also a white
  (person) has no superiority over a black (person)
  nor a black has any superiority over a white
  except by piety and good action