This Arabic Art Form Was Developed to Honor the Text of the Quran

For centuries the people of the Arabian Peninsula have possessed a strong identity based upon the tenets of Islam. Saudi arabia is a modern nation that adheres to Islam, honors its Arab heritage and tradition, and presses vigorously frontward in the service of Islam while securing the welfare of its people.

Islam, one of the world'southward swell monotheistic religions, has Saudi Arabia every bit its heartland. The followers of Islam, called Muslims, believe in God - in Standard arabic, Allah - and that Muhammad is His Prophet. Today, the worldwide community of Muslims, which embraces the people of many races and cultures, numbers well over one billion.

Historically, Kingdom of saudi arabia has occupied a special identify in the Islamic globe, for it is towards Makkah and Islam's well-nigh sacred shrine, the Ka'abah, located in the Holy Mosque at that place, that Muslims throughout the world turn devoutly in prayer five times a day. An appreciation of Islamic history and culture is therefore essential for a 18-carat understanding of the Kingdom of Kingdom of saudi arabia, its Islamic heritage and its leading role in the Arab and Muslim worlds.

Table of Contents

• Guardian of The Holy Places
• Islam And Muslims
• Kingdom of saudi arabia: Islam's Heartland
• The Coming Of The Prophet
• The Community Of The Faithful
• The Five Pillars Of Islam
• The Rise Of Islam
• Understanding Islam
  • What Do Muslims Believe?
  • How Does Someone Become A Muslim?
  • What Does 'Islam' Mean?
  • Why Does Islam Oft Seem Strange?
  • Practice Islam And Christianity Have Different Origins?
  • What Is The Ka'abah?
  • Who Is Muhammad?
  • How Did He Get A Prophet And A Messenger Of God?
  • How Did The Spread Of Islam Bear upon The World?
  • What Is The Qur'an?
  • What Is The Qur'an Nigh?
  • Are At that place Whatever Other Sacred Sources?
  • Examples Of The Prophet'southward Sayings
  • What Are The 'Five Pillars' Of Islam?
  • Does Islam Tolerate Other Beliefs?
  • What Do Muslims Call back Nigh Jesus?
  • Why Is The Family So Important To Muslims?
  • What Almost Muslim Women?
  • Can A Muslim Have More Than One Wife?
  • Is Islamic Marriage Similar Christian Marriage?
  • How Practice Muslims Care for The Elderly?
  • How Practise Muslims View Death?
  • What Does Islam Say About State of war?
  • What About Food?
  • Islam In The U.s.
  • How Does Islam Guarantee Human Rights?

Guardian of The Holy Places

Saudi Arabia is the dwelling of ii of Islam'due south holy sanctuaries: Makkah the Blessed and Madinah the Radiant. The Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, enclosing the place from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven, completes the trio of venerated shrines in the Islamic world.

To Saudi Arabia, caring for the holy cities of Makkah, the birthplace of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad, and Madinah, the Prophet'south burial place, is a sacred trust exercised on behalf of all Muslims. Recognizing the unique and celebrated tradition these holy sites represent, King Fahd bin Abdulaziz adopted the official title of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques as an expression of his deep sense of responsibility toward Islam.

Saudi arabia's dedication to Islam is demonstrated by its superb maintenance and expansion of the holy sites, enabling greater numbers of Muslim pilgrims to perform the Hajj. This has always been an essential priority for the Kingdom. Every year funds from the annual upkeep are allocated exclusively for this purpose. The Ministry building of Pilgrimage, in conjunction with other government agencies, oversees the annual logistical challenge of preparing for the Hajj and supports projects in the Kingdom and away that promote Islam's office in the customs.

Offset with the late Rex Abdulaziz, Saudi leaders have directed a series of ongoing projects aimed at improving the quality of accommodation, health care and other services for the pilgrims. An essential component of this policy has been the expansion of the Holy Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet'southward Mosque in Madinah. At the time of Saudi arabia'southward unification in 1932, the Holy Mosque could accommodate 48,000 worshipers and the Prophet'due south Mosque 17,000. A series of expansion plans, the latest of which was completed in 1992, increased the capacity of the two holy mosques to more than one million and over half a million, respectively. Under the personal management of Male monarch Fahd, the work also improved the infrastructure and services necessary to enable the millions of pilgrims to carry out their religious observances in comfort and prophylactic. This has included new airport and port facilities in Jeddah and other points of entry for pilgrims, roads to Makkah and Madinah, comfortable accommodations and an extensive wellness care network. It is an effort that is ongoing, with improvements each year that take included the installation of fire-proof tents and the provision of telecommunication facilities.

As part of the Kingdom's efforts to ameliorate serve Muslim pilgrims, whose numbers are expected to continue to increase, in 1993 King Fahd re structured the Ministry building of Pilgrimage and Endowments into 2 separate organizations -- the Ministry building of Pilgrimage, which deals exclusively with the Hajj, and the Ministry of Islamic Diplomacy, Endowments, Call and Guidance.

The vast financial and human resources Kingdom of saudi arabia has committed to the Hajjreflect the dedication of the leadership and citizens of the Kingdom to the service of Islam and the holy sites and to preserving them as a haven of peace for all Muslims.

Islam And Muslims

What is Islam?

Islam is not a new organized religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all His prophets to every people. For a fifth of the world'due south population, Islam is both a faith and a complete mode of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority take goose egg to exercise with the extremely grave events which have come to be associated with their faith.

Who are the Muslims?

One billion people from a vast range of races, nationalities and cultures across the globe—from the southern Philippines to Nigeria—are united past their common Islamic organized religion. Most xviii% live in the Arab globe; the world's largest Muslim customs is in Indonesia; substantial parts of Asia and almost of Africa are Muslim, while significant minorities are to be found in the Soviet Union, China, Northward and S America, and Europe.

Saudi arabia: Islam's Heartland

Islam has greatly affected the history and development of the Arabian Peninsula and the Kingdom of Saudi arabia in item.

In the 18th century, a religious scholar of the key Najd, Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab, joined forces with Muhammad bin Saud, the ruler of the town of Diriyah, to bring the Najd and the rest of Arabia back to the original and undefiled form of Islam.

The Kingdom of Kingdom of saudi arabia is the heartland of Islam, the birthplace of its history, the site of the two holy mosques and the focus of Islamic devotion and prayer. Saudi Arabia is committed to preserving the Islamic tradition in all areas of government and social club. Islam guides not merely the lives of the people, but also the policies and functions of the government. The Holy Qur'an is the constitution of the Kingdom and Shari'ah (Islamic law) is the footing of the Saudi legal organization.

Saudi Arabia is a leader in the pursuit of worldwide Islamic solidarity. Information technology hosts the Muslim World League and the Organization of the Islamic Briefing, institutions dedicated to preserving Islamic interests.

In many respects, the Kingdom has been responsive to the needs of the Islamic earth. Saudi Arabia contributes generously to the Islamic Development Fund, which provides assistance for community infrastructure projects; to the Islamic Development Bank, headquartered in Jeddah, and to the Islamic Organization for Science, Engineering and Development. Saudi Arabian leaders as well piece of work tirelessly to promote peace and stability in Muslim and Arab countries and throughout the world.

The Coming Of The Prophet

Effectually the yr 570 AD, Muhammad was built-in into a family unit of the ruling tribe of Makkah. Makkah, a caravan urban center in the western region of Arabia, grew around the Ka'abah (the Firm of God), a shrine of ancient origins built past Abraham and his son Ishmael. Pre-Islamic Arabia was polytheistic and idols used to exist housed in and around the Ka'abah. In the 6th century, Makkah was one of Arabia's thriving commercial centers.

Orphaned every bit a kid, Muhammad spent several years among the Bedouins of the desert, developing a dear for the rich Arabic linguistic communication. As a boyfriend, Muhammad traveled widely with the trade caravans before dedicating his life to Islam.

In 610 God revealed His word to Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. In this way, Muhammad became the chosen bearer of the divine message and began proclaiming the oneness of God. The name of this new faith, Islam, means "submission to God" The followers of Islam are called Muslims, meaning "those who submit."

Equally more revelations enjoined him to proclaim the oneness of God universally, the Prophet Muhammad'due south post-obit grew. God's message every bit conveyed through Muhammad was not, all the same, unanimously accepted in Makkah. Pagan worshippers threatened past the new monotheistic religion and merchants anxious to preserve the profitable pilgrimage trade intensified their opposition to the followers of Islam. To foil an assassination plot against him, Muhammad and a small grouping of his dedicated followers in 622 emigrated to the town of Yathrib, which was later named Madinat Al-Nabi, meaning 'City of the Prophet', and now known simply as Madinah. This, the Hijrah or emigration, dates the commencement of the Islamic calendar and the history of the Islamic community. Within the side by side few years, several battles took place betwixt Muhammad's followers and the pagans of Makkah. The Prophet Muhammad unified the tribes and then successfully that in 628 he and his followers reentered Makkah without mortality, destroying the idols in the Ka'abah, and the inhabitants of Makkah embraced Islam.

Less than 100 years from the advent of Islam, the Islamic Empire extended from Spain to areas of India and China. Islam made no distinction based on race, class, or background, and the Muslim globe was considered a single worldwide customs, the ummah.

Islamic rule thrived well into the 17th century, and while Europe was passing through the Center Ages, the Islamic civilization made tremendous scientific, medical, literary and creative advances that accept had a lasting impact on the world.

The Community Of The Faithful

Islam is at once a religion and a total way of life. It prescribes order for individuals, societies and governments and codifies constabulary, family relationships, matters of business, etiquette, apparel, food, hygiene and much more. The ummah, or community of believers, is unified across national boundaries by its conscious credence of the oneness of God and its dedication to the teachings of Islam. There is no human bureaucracy that intervenes between the individual and God; in the optics of Islam, all people are equal.

TheQur'an, the holy book of Islam, is the Word of God as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad in the Arabic linguistic communication. Information technology is the final revelation and Muhammad is the final Prophet. For fourteen centuries theHoly Qur'an has illuminated the lives of Muslims with its eloquent bulletin, shaping their everyday lives, anchoring them to a unique system of constabulary and inspiring them by its guiding principles. TheSunnah(teachings and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) complements the Holy Qu'ran as it embodies his meticulously documented teachings that were preserved by his companions in a body of writings chosen theHadith.

TheHoly Qur'an and theSunnahprovide the framework forShari'ah, the sacred law of Islam, which governs all aspects of the public and private, social and economic, religious and political life of every Muslim.

The Five Pillars Of Islam

• Shahadah:

Profession of organized religion, is the beginning pillar of Islam. Muslims testify to the oneness of God by reciting the creed "There is no God merely God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God." This unproblematic yet profound statement expresses a Muslim'due south complete acceptance of and total commitment to Islam.

• Salah:

Prayer, is the second pillar. The Islamic religion is based on the belief that individuals accept a directly relationship with God. The world'southward Muslims plow individually and collectively to Makkah, Islam's holiest city, to offer five daily prayers at dawn, apex, mid-afternoon, sunset and evening. In addition, Friday congregational service is also required. Although salah tin can he performed alone, information technology is meritorious to perform it with another or with a group. It is permissible to pray at home, at work, or even outdoors; however it is recommended that Muslims perform salah in a mosque.

• Zakat:

Almsgiving, is the third pillar. Social responsibleness is considered office of i's service to God; the obligatory act of zakat enshrines this duty. Zakat prescribes payment of fixed proportions of a Muslim'southward possessions for the welfare of the entire customs and in particular for its neediest members. It is equal to 2.v percent of an private'southward total net worth, excluding obligations and family unit expenses.

• Sawm:

Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, is the fourth pillar of Islam. Ordained in the Holy Qur'an, the fast is an deed of deep personal worship in which Muslims seek a richer perception of God. Fasting is too an do in cocky-control whereby one'southward sensitivity is heightened to the sufferings of the poor. Ramadan, the month during which the Holy Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, begins with the sighting of the new moon, later on which avoidance from eating, drinking and other sensual pleasures is obligatory from dawn to sunset. Ramadanis also a joyful month. Muslims break their fast at sunset with a special repast, iftar, perform additional nocturnal worship, tarawih, after evening prayer; and throng the streets in moods that are festive and communal. The end of Ramadan is observed by three days of celebration called Eid Al-Fitr, the banquet of the breaking of the fast. Customarily, it is a time for family unit reunion and the favored holiday for children who receive new wearable and gifts.

• Hajj:

The pilgrimage to Makkah, is the fifth pillar and the almost significant manifestation of Islamic religion and unity in the world. For those Muslims who are physically and financially able to make the journeying to Makkah, the Hajj is a once in a lifetime duty that is the pinnacle of their religious life. The Hajj is a remarkable spiritual gathering of over two 1000000 Muslims from all over the world to the holy city. In performing the Hajj, a pilgrim follows the club of ritual that the Prophet Muhammad performed during his last pilgrimage.

The five pillars of Islam define the basic identity of Muslims - their faith, behavior and practices - and bind together a worldwide customs of believers into a fellowship of shared values and concerns.

The Rising Of Islam

Summoned past its call, the faithful spread Islam beyond the Arabian Peninsula. Within a century, Islam had swept across the Center Eastward and Northward Africa. At its apogee, Islam held sway as far as Kingdom of spain in the west and India and China in the east. Islam introduced a comprehensive religion and a political-legal arrangement that established order and justice.

Islam fostered the flowering of brilliant civilizations and the development of great centers of learning. It was a flow of dynamism, a melding of aboriginal and new idea, with the Muslim world interim as the repository of knowledge and a span between the due east and the west. Corking contributions were made past Muslim scholars and artists. Islamic civilization - rich, sophisticated and varied - has taken its place among the great cultural achievements of man history. The genius of Muslim civilization ready the stage for the European Renaissance.

In the 20th century, Islam reemerged on the world stage as a major political and economic presence. Despite cracking changes in traditional societies as well equally the demands of the gimmicky historic period, Islam has demonstrated its unique adaptability and grown as a dynamic and universal religion with a continued impact on earth affairs. Through its emphasis on peace, equality, tolerance and justice, Islam remains a strong spiritual and moral force in many countries and societies.

Understanding Islam

Understanding Islam and the Muslims.

In the Proper name of God, Most Gracious,Most Merciful.

What Practice Muslims Believe?

Muslims believe in One, Unique, Incomparable God; in the Angels created by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in the 24-hour interval of Sentence and individual accountability for actions; in God'south complete authority over human destiny and in life after death. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them. But God'due south final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal bulletin and a summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through Gabriel.

How Does Someone Become A Muslim?

Only by saying 'there is no god autonomously from God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.' By this announcement the believer announces his or her organized religion in all God's messengers, and the scriptures they brought.

What Does 'Islam' Mean?

The Arabic discussion 'Islam' simply means 'submission', and derives from a word meaning 'peace'. In a religious context it ways complete submission to the volition of God.

'Mohammedanism' is thus a misnomer because it suggests that Muslims worship Muhammad rather than God. 'Allah' is the Standard arabic name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike.

Why Does Islam Frequently Seem Foreign?

Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world. Peradventure this is because organized religion does not dominate everyday life in the Due west today, whereas Muslims have organized religion e'er uppermost in their minds, and make no sectionalisation between secular and sacred. They believe that the Divine Law, the Shari'a, should be taken very seriously, which is why problems related to faith are still then important.

Do Islam And Christianity Accept Different Origins?

No. Together with Judaism, they go back to the prophet and patriarch Abraham, and their iii 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?

The Ka'abah is the place of worship which God allowable 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 allowable Abraham to summon all mankind to visit this place, and when pilgrims become there today they say 'At Thy service, O Lord', in response to Abraham's summons.

Who Is Muhammad?

Muhammad was born in Makkah in the twelvemonth 570, at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. Since his father died before his nascency, and his mother presently afterward, 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, then that he was sought afterwards for his power to arbitrate in disputes. The historians describe him as calm and meditative.

Muhammad was of a securely 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 well-nigh the summit of Jaba al-Nur, the 'Mountain of Lite' near Makkah.

How Did He Become A Prophet And A Messenger Of God?

At the historic period of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad received his showtime revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which connected for twenty-three years, is known as the Qur'an.

As soon as be began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel, and to preach the truth which God had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution which grew so fierce that in the twelvemonth 622 God gave them the command to emigrate. This event, the Hijra, 'migration', in which they left Makkah for the city of Madinah some 260 miles to the north, marks the first of the Muslim calendar.

Afterwards several years, the Prophet and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively. Before the Prophet died at the historic period of 63, the greater part of Arabia was Muslim, and inside a century of his decease Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far Due east equally Prc.

How Did The Spread Of Islam Affect The Earth?

Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the simplicity of its doctrine-Islam calls for faith in but one God worthy of worship. It besides repeatedly instructs human being to utilise his powers of intelligence and observation.

Within a few years, groovy civilizations and universities were flourishing, for according to the Prophet, 'seeking cognition is an obligation for every Muslim man and woman'. The synthesis of Eastern and Western ideas and of new idea with old, brought about keen advances in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, literature, and history. Many crucial systems such equally algebra, the Standard arabic numerals, and too the concept of the zero (vital to the advancement of mathematics), were transmitted to medieval Europe from Islam. Sophisticated instruments which were to brand possible the European voyages of discovery were developed, including the astrolabe, the quadrant and proficient navigational maps.

What Is The Qur'an?

The Qur'an is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad. It was memorized by Muhammad and then dictated to his Companions, and written down by scribes, who cross-checked it during his lifetime. Not one give-and-take of its 114 capacity, Suras, has been changed over the centuries, so that the Qur'an is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad fourteen centuries ago.

What Is The Qur'an About?

The Qur'an, the last revealed Word of God, is the prime source of every Muslim'south faith and practice. Information technology deals with all the subjects which concern u.s. as homo beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures. At the same time information technology provides guidelines for a just guild, proper human conduct and an equitable economical system.

Are There Any Other Sacred Sources?

Yes, the Sunna, the practice and example of the Prophet, is the second authority for Muslims. A Hadith is a reliably transmitted written report of what the Prophet said, did, or approved. Belief in the Sunna is office of the Islamic organized religion.

Examples Of The Prophet'due south Sayings

The Prophet said:

• 'God has no mercy on ane 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 nutrient is non a believer'.
• 'The truthful and trusty man of affairs is associated with the prophets, the saints, and the martyrs'.
• 'Powerful is not he who knocks the other downwardly, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of acrimony'.
• 'God does not judge according to your bodies and appearances only He scans your hearts and looks into your deeds'.
• '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 domestic dog with its natural language hanging out, trying to lick up mud to quench its thirst. The human being saw that the dog was feeling the same thirst as he had felt so he went down into the well once more and filled his shoe with water and gave the canis familiaris a drink. God forgave his sins for this action'. The Prophet was asked: 'Messenger of God, are nosotros rewarded for kindness towards animals?' He said, 'In that location is a advantage for kindness to every living affair'.

From the Hadith collections of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi

What Are The 'V Pillars' Of Islam?

They are the framework of the Muslim life: organized religion, prayer, concern for the needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.

1. Faith

There is no god worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is His messenger. This proclamation of faith is called the Shahada, a simple formula which all the true-blue pronounce. In Arabic, the first function is la ilaha illa'Llah - 'there is no god except God'; ilaha (god) can refer to anything which we may be tempted to put in identify of God -- wealth, ability, and the like. And then comes illa'Llah:' except God, the source of all Creation. The 2nd function of the Shahada is Muhammadun rasulu'Llah: 'Muhammad is the messenger of God'. A message of guidance has come through a man like ourselves.

A translation of the Telephone call to Prayer is:

God is almost corking. God is most great.

God is most great. God is most dandy.

I testify that in that location is no god except God.

I evidence that there is no god except God.

I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.

I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.

Come up to prayer! Come up to prayer!

Come to success (in this life and the Hereafter)! Come up to success!

God is near groovy. God is most great.

In that location is no god except God.

2. Prayer

Salah is the proper noun for the obligatory prayers which are performed five times a day, and are a direct link between the worshipper and God. There is no hierarchical authority in Islam, and no priests, and so the prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Qur'an, chosen by the congregation. These 5 prayers contain verses from the Qur'an, and are said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation, simply personal supplication tin can be offered in one's ain language.

Prayers are said at dawn, apex, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the unabridged mean solar day. Although information technology is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life.

iii. The 'Zakat'

1 of the near important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is therefore held past human being beings in trust. The give-and-take zakat means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in demand, and, like the pruning of plants, this cut back balances and encourages new growth.

Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakat individually. For most purposes this involves the payment each twelvemonth of 2 and a half percent of one'due south capital.

A pious person may as well give as much as he or she pleases as sadaqa, and does so preferably in hole-and-corner. Although this word can exist translated as 'voluntary charity' it has a wider significant. The Prophet said 'even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is clemency'.

The Prophet said: 'Charity is a necessity for every Muslim'. He was asked: 'What if a person has nothing?' The Prophet replied: 'He should piece of work with his ain easily for his benefit and and so give something out of such earnings in clemency'. The Companions asked: 'What if he is not able to work?' The Prophet said: 'He should assistance poor and needy persons.' The Companions farther asked 'What is he cannot do even that?' The Prophet said 'He should urge others to do good'. The Companions said 'What if he lacks that also?' The Prophet said 'He should check himself from doing evil. That is also charity.'

4. The Fast

Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from showtime light until sundown, abstaining from food, potable, and sexual relations. Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journeying, and women who are pregnant or nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up an equal number of days later in the year. If they are physically unable to do this, they must feed a needy person for every day missed. Children begin to fast (and to find the prayer) from puberty, although many start earlier.

Although the fast is near benign to the health, it is regarded principally as a method of cocky-purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who become hungry besides as growth in 1'south spiritual life.

5. Pilgrimage (Hajj)

The annual pilgrimage to Makkah—the Hajj—is an obligation just for those who are physically and financially able to perform it. However, about two million people go to Makkah each year from every corner of the world providing a unique opportunity for those

of dissimilar nations to run across one some other. Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic twelvemonth (which is lunar, not solar, then that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter). Pilgrims wear special dress: simple garments which strip abroad distinctions of course and culture, so that all stand equal before God.

The rites of the Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include circumvoluted the Ka'abah seven times, and going seven times between the mountains of Safa and Marwa as did Hagar during her search for water. Then the pilgrims stand up together on the broad plain of Arafa and join in prayers for God's forgiveness, in what is often idea of as a preview of the Last Judgement.

In previous centuries the Hajj was an backbreaking undertaking. Today, notwithstanding, Saudi Arabia provides millions of people with water, modernistic ship, and the most upwardly-to-date health facilities.

The shut of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid al-Adha, which is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere. This, and the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day commemorating the stop of Ramadan, are the main festivals of the Muslim calendar.

Does Islam Tolerate Other Beliefs?

The Qur'an says: God forbids you not, with regards to those who fight you lot not for (your) faith nor bulldoze you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loveth those who are just. (Qur'an, threescore:8)

It is one function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world. History provides many examples of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths: when the caliph Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship to all religious communities in the metropolis.

Islamic law also permits non- Muslim minorities to ready their own courts, which implement family laws drawn up past the minorities themselves.

What Practice Muslims Call up About Jesus?

Muslims respect and revere Jesus, and await his 2d Coming. They consider him one of the greatest of God'due south Messengers to flesh. A Muslim never refers to him but every bit 'Jesus', but ever adds the phrase 'upon him be peace'. The Qur'an confirms his virgin nascency (a chapter of the Qur'an is entitled 'Mary'), and Mary is considered the purest woman in all creation. The Qur'an describes the Declaration equally follows:

'Behold!' the Angel said, 'God has chosen you, and purified y'all, and called you above the women of all nations. O Mary, God gives you adept news of a word from Him, whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this globe and the Time to come, and ane of those brought near to God. He shall speak to the people from his cradle and in maturity, and shall exist of the righteous.'

She said: 'O my Lord! How shall I take a son when no man has touched me?' He said: 'Fifty-fifty and so; God creates what He will. When He decrees a thing, He says to it, "Be!" and information technology is.' (Qur'an, iii:42-7)

Jesus was born miraculously through the same power which had brought Adam into beingness without a father:

Truly, the likeness of Jesus with God is as the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and so said to him, 'Exist!' and he was. (three:59)

During his prophetic mission Jesus performed many miracles. The Qur'an tells us that he said:

I have come to yous with a sign from your Lord: I brand for you out of dirt, as it were, the effigy of a bird, and breathe into it and information technology becomes a bird by God's exit. And I heal the blind, and the lepers, and I heighten the dead past God's leave. (iii:49)

Neither Muhammad nor Jesus came to modify the bones doctrine of the belief in I God, brought by earlier prophets, but to confirm and renew information technology. In the Qur'an Jesus is reported equally saying that he came:

To attest the law which was earlier me. And to make lawful to you office of what was forbidden you lot; I have come to you lot with a sign from your Lord, and then fright God and obey me. (3:50)

The Prophet Muhammad said:

Whoever believes there is no god but God, alone without partner, that Muhammad is His messenger, that Jesus is the retainer and messenger of God, His word breathed into Mary and a spirit emanating from Him, and that Paradise and Hell are truthful, shall be received by God into Heaven. (Hadith from Bukhari)

Why Is The Family So Important To Muslims?

The family is the foundation of Islamic gild. The peace and security offered by a stable family unit of measurement is profoundly valued, and seen equally essential for the spiritual growth of its members. A harmonious social society is created by the beingness of extended families; children are treasured, and rarely leave dwelling until the time they marry.

What About Muslim Women?

Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings. A marriage dowry is given past the groom to the bride for her ain personal employ, and she keeps her ain family unit proper name rather than taking her hubby's.

Both men and women are expected to dress in a mode which is modest and dignified; the traditions of female clothes found in some Muslim countries are often the expression of local customs.

The Messenger of God said:

'The most perfect in organized religion amongst believers is he who is best in way and kindest to his married woman.'

Can A Muslim Have More One Married woman?

The religion of Islam was revealed for all societies and all times and so accommodates widely differing social requirements. Circumstances may warrant the taking of another wife merely the right is granted, according to the Qur'an, but on condition that the husband is scrupulously fair.

Is Islamic Marriage Like Christian Marriage?

A Muslim marriage is non a 'sacrament', but a elementary, legal agreement in which either partner is costless to include weather condition. Marriage customs thus vary widely from land to country. As a consequence, divorce is non mutual, although it is non forbidden every bit a last resort. According to Islam, no Muslim girl can be forced to ally confronting her will: her parents will only suggest young men they recall may exist suitable.

How Practise Muslims Care for The Elderly?

In the Islamic world there are no old people's homes. The strain of caring for one's parents in this about difficult fourth dimension of their lives is considered an honor and blessing, and an opportunity for neat spiritual growth. God asks that we not only pray for our parents, simply act with limitless compassion, remembering that when we were helpless children they preferred us to themselves. Mothers are peculiarly honored: the Prophet taught that 'Paradise lies at the feet of mothers'. When they reach old age, Muslim parents are treated mercifully, with the same kindness and selflessness.

In Islam, serving one's parents is a duty second just to prayer, and it is their right to expect information technology. It is considered despicable to limited any irritation when, through no fault of their ain, the old become difficult.

The Qur'an says: Your Lord has commanded that you worship none just Him, and be kind to parents. If either or both of them accomplish old historic period with yous, practice not say 'uff' to them or chide them, simply speak to them in terms of award and kindness. Treat them with humility, and say, 'My Lord! Take mercy on them, for they did treat me when I was little'. (17:23-four)

How Do Muslims View Expiry?

Like Jews and Christians, Muslims believe that the present life is merely a trial training for the next realm of existence. Bones articles of religion include: the Day of Sentence, resurrection, Heaven and Hell. When a Muslim dies, he or she is done, usually by a family member, wrapped in a clean white cloth, and buried with a simple prayer preferably the same day. Muslims consider this one of the final services they tin can do for their relatives, and an opportunity to remember their own brief being here on earth. The Prophet taught that iii things can continue to assist a person even after death; clemency which he had given, knowledge which he had taught and prayers on their behalf past a righteous child.

What Does Islam Say About War?

Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in cocky-defence, in defence of religion, or on the part of those who have been expelled forcibly from their homes. Information technology lays downwardly strict rules of combat which include prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock. As Muslims see it, injustice would be triumphant in the world if good men were not prepared to hazard their lives in a righteous crusade. The Qur'an says:

Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but practise not transgress limits. God does non love transgressors. (two:190)

If they seek peace, then seek you peace. And trust in God for He is the One that heareth and knoweth all things. (eight:61)

War, therefore, is the last resort, and is subject to the rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law. The term Jihad literally means 'struggle', and Muslims believe that in that location are 2 kinds of Jihad. The other 'Jihad' is the inner struggle which everyone wages against egotistic desires, for the sake of attaining inner peace.

What About Food?

Although much simpler than the dietary police followed by Jews and the early Christians, the code which Muslims find forbids the consumption of pig meat or any kind of exhilarant drink. The Prophet taught that 'your body has rights over you lot', and the consumption of wholesome food and the leading of a good for you lifestyle are seen as religious obligations.

The Prophet said: 'Ask God for certainty (of faith) and well-being; for after certainty, no i is given any gift better than health!'

Islam In The United States

It is almost incommunicable to generalize about American Muslims: converts, immigrants, mill workers, doctors; all are making their own contribution to America'due south time to come. This complex community is unified by a mutual faith, underpinned by a countrywide network of a thousand mosques.

Muslims were early arrivals in N America. Past the eighteenth century there were many thousands of them, working every bit slaves on plantations. These early communities, cutting off from their heritage and families, inevitably lost their Islamic identity every bit time went past. Today many Afro-American Muslims play an of import function in the Islamic customs.

The nineteenth century, however, saw the beginnings of an influx of Arab Muslims, about of whom settled in the major industrial centers where they worshipped in hired rooms. The early twentieth century witnessed the arrival of several hundred thousand Muslims from Eastern Europe: the first Albanian mosque was opened in Maine in 1915; others soon followed, and a grouping of Shine Muslims opened a mosque in Brooklyn in 1928.

In 1947 the Washington Islamic Center was founded during the term of President Truman, and several nationwide organizations were set up in the fifties. The aforementioned period saw the establishment of other communities whose lives were in many means modelled after Islam. More recently, numerous members of these groups accept entered the fold of Muslim orthodoxy. Today there are about v million Muslims in America.

How Does Islam Guarantee Human Rights?

Freedom of conscience is laid down past the Qur'an itself: 'There is no compulsion in religion'. (2:256)

The life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered sacred whether a person is Muslim or non.

Racism is incomprehensible to Muslims, for the Qur'an speaks of human being equality in the following terms:

O mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and tribes, so that you lot may come up to know one another. Truly, the most honored of y'all in God's sight is the greatest of you lot in peity. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (49:13)

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Source: https://www.saudiembassy.net/islam

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