Prophet
Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - s.a.w.)
Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him - s.a.w.) was chosen
by God to deliver His Message of Peace, namely Islam. He was
born in 570 C.E. (Common Era) in Makkah, Arabia. He was entrusted
with the Message of Islam when he was at the age of forty
years. The revelation that he received is called the Qur'an,
while the message is called Islam.
Prophet
Muhammad (saw) is the very last Prophet of God to mankind.
He is the final Messenger of God. His message was and is still
to the Christians, the Jews and the rest of mankind. He was
sent to those religious people to inform them about the true
mission of Jesus, Moses, Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham (peace
be upon them all).
Prophet
Muhammad (saw) is considered to be the summation and the culmination
of all the prophets and messengers that came before him. He
purified the previous messages from adulteration and completed
the Message of God for all humanity. He was entrusted with
the power of explaining, interpreting and living the teaching
of the Qur'an.
Source
of Islam
The
legal sources of Islam are the Qur'an and the Hadith. The
Qur'an is the exact word of God; its authenticity, originality
and totality are intact. The Hadith is the report of the sayings,
deeds and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad (saw). The Prophet's
sayings and deeds are called Sunnah. The Seerah is the writings
of followers of Prophet Muhammad (saw) about the life of the
Prophet. Hence, it is the life history of the Prophet Muhammad
(saw) which provides examples of daily living for Muslims.
Some
Islamic Principles
A.
Oneness of God: He is One and the Only One. He is not two
in one or three in one. This means that Islam (strongly) rejects
the idea of trinity or such a unity of God which implies more
than one God in one. (Islam also strongly rejects the idea
that the Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) is God's son or
equivalent to God.)
B.
Oneness of mankind: People are created equal in front of the
Law of God. There is no superiority for one race over another.
God made us of different colors, nationalities, languages
and beliefs so as to test who is going to be better than others.
No one can claim that he is better than others. It is only
God Who knows who is better. It depends on piety and righteousness.
C.
Oneness of Messengers and the Message: Muslims believe that
God sent different messengers throughout the history of mankind.
All came with the same message and the same teachings. It
was the people who misunderstood and misinterpreted them.
Muslims believe in Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Ismail, Jacob, Moses,
David, Jesus, (peace be upon them all) and Muhammad (saw).
The Prophets of Christianity and Judaism are indeed the Prophets
of Islam.
D.
Angels and the Day of Judgment: Muslims believe that there
are unseen creatures such as angels created by God in the
universe for special missions. Muslims believe that there
is a Day of Judgment when all people of the world throughout
the history of mankind till the last day of life on earth,
are to be brought for accounting, reward and punishment.
E.
Innocence of Man at Birth: Muslims believe that people are
born free of sin. It is only after they reach the age of puberty
and it is only after they commit sins that they are to be
charged for their mistakes. No one is responsible for or can
take the responsibility for the sins of others. However, the
door of forgiveness through true repentance is always open.
F.
State and Religion: Muslims believe that Islam is a total
and a complete way of life. It encompasses all aspects of
life. As such, the teachings of Islam do not separate religion
from politics. As a matter of fact, state and religion are
under the obedience of Allah (swt) through the teachings of
Islam. Hence, economic and social transactions, as well as
educational and political systems are also part of the teachings
of Islam.
