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| In the name of Allah, Most Beneficent, Most Merciful
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| Islam
Explained |
| by
Dr. Mahmud Es'ad Cosan & Dr. Ahmad H. Sakr
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| Introduction This
guide to understanding Islam has been collated by the Islamic
Association of Australia (IAA) with the hope that it will give
Non-Muslims a better understanding of what Islam truly is. It
also aims to clear some of the myths that have been surrounding
Islam for far too long.
Although compiled by 'IAA', the actual writings are by the late Professor Doctor Mahmud Es'ad Cosan (May God grant him peace) and Ahmad H. Sakr. All necessary steps have been taken to ensure that the original texts have not been changed or lost their original meaning and where appropriate, extra comments have been added in brackets to help Non-Muslims gain a better understanding insh'Allah. If you have any questions at all about Islam after reading this guide, then please do not hesitate to contact us with whatever questions and/or comments you may have. We will be glad to be of service. Enjoy! Yours
in Islam, --- The name of this religion is Islam, the root of which is Silm and Salam which means peace. Salam may also mean greeting one another with peace. One of the beautiful names of God is that He is the Peace. But Islam is more then this. It means submission to the One God and to live in peace with the Creator, within one's self, with other people and with the environment. Thus, Islam is a total system of living. A Muslim is supposed to live in peace and harmony with all these segments; hence, a Muslim is any person anywhere in the world whose obedience, allegiance, and loyalty are to God, the Lord of the Universe. The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are not to be confused with Arabs. Muslims may be Arabs, Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians, Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Australians, Chinese, or other nationalities. An Arab could be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew or an atheist. Any person who adopts the Arabic language is called an Arab. However, the language of the Qur'an (the Holy Book of Islam) is Arabic. Muslims all over the world try to learn Arabic so that they may be able to read the Qur'an and understand its meaning. They pray in the language of the Qur'an, namely Arabic. Supplications to God could be in any language (but preferably Arabic). While there are one billion Muslims in the world there are about 200 million Arabs. Among them, approximately ten percent are not Muslims. Thus Arab Muslims constitute only about twenty percent of the Muslim population of the world. Allah - the One and the Only God Allah is the name of the One and Only God. Allah (Praise be to Him, The Most High - s.w.t.) has ninety-nine beautiful names, such as: The Gracious, The Merciful, The Beneficent, The Creator, The All-Knowing, The All-Wise, The Lord of the Universe, The First, The Last, and others. He is the Creator of all human beings. He is the God (for all mankind, regardless of their religion. This includes..) the Christians, the Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhists, the Hindus, the atheists, and everybody else. Muslims worship God whose name is Allah (in Arabic). They put their trust in Him and they seek His help and His guidance. |
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the name of Allah |
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