1. Meaning of Islam Islam is an Arabic word which means peace, purity, submission, and obedience. In the religious sense, Islam means the complete submission to the will of God and obedience to His law. Everything and every phenomenon in the world, other than humankind, is administered totally by God-made laws; they are obedient to God and submissive to his laws. Therefore they are in a state of Islam. Humankind posses the qualities of intelligence and choice, thus he/she is invited to submit to the good will of God, obeying His law, i.e. become a Muslim. Islam dates back to the age of Adam and its message has been conveyed to man by God's Prophets and Messengers including Noah, Abrahim, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (May the peace and blessing of God be upon them);. Islam's message has been restored and manifested in the last stage of the religious evolution by God's last Prophet and Messenger, Muhammad (peace be up them). Allah in the Arabic language refers to God, or more accurately: The One and Only Eternal God, Creator of the Universe, Almighty, Omnipotent, Most Compassionate and Merciful.

2. Articles of Faith 1. A Muslim believes in One God, Supreme Eternal, Infinite, Mighty, Compassionate and Merciful. Creator and Provider.God is free from all dependents yet all are dependent on Him. God neither begets nor was He begotten and there is non comparable unto Him. He has no sons or daughters, father or mother. None equivalent to Him.God is the Lord of all humankind, not of special tribe or race.God is high and supreme but He is very near to the pious, thoughtful believers. He loves the people who love Hi and forgive their sins. He gives them real peace, happiness, knowledge and success.God is the Loving and Provider, the Generous and the Benevolent, the Rich and the Independent, the Forgiving and the Clement, the Appreciative, the Unique and the Protector, the Judge and the Peace. God creates in humans the mind to understand, the soul and conscience to be good and righteous, the feeling and sentiments to be kind and humane. God's blessings are countless. God asks us to know Him, to remember Him, to love Him and to enforce His law for our own benefit. 2. A Muslim believes in all Messengers and Prophets of God without and discrimination. All messenger and prophets were mortals, human beings, endowed with Divine revelations and appointed by God to teach mankind. These include Noah, Abrahim, Ishmael, Issac, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (peace be upon them). Their message is the same; Islam, and it came from the One and the Same source: 3. A Muslim believes in all scriptures and revelations of God, as they were complete in their original from; the Scrolls of Abrahim, the Torah revealed to Moses, Psalms to David, Gospel to Jesus, and the Quran to Muhammad (peace be upon them). Revelations were given to guide people to the right path of God. Today, the books before the Quran do not exist in their original form. They are in -part lost, corrupted or concealed. Weakness in the early period of Judaism and Christianity are partly responsible. The Quran reiterates, reinforces and completes the message of previous scriptures. It is the only authentic and complete book of God. No scholar has questioned the fact that the Quran today is the same as it was more than 1400 years ago. 4. A Muslim believes in the angles of God. 5. A Muslim believes in the Day of Judgement. This world as we know it will come to an end and the dead will rise to stand for their final and fair trial. Everything we do, say, make, intend and think are accounted for and kept in accurate records. People with good record will be generously rewarded and warmly welcomed to God's Heaven. People with bad records will be justly punished and cast into Hell. Some people, who commit sins, neglect God and indulge in immoral activities, seem superficially prosperous in this life, but absolute justice will be performed on the Day of Judgment. 6. A Muslim believes that the purpose of life is to worship God. Worshipping God does not mean living in seclusion and absolute meditation. To worship God means to know Him, to remember Him always, to love Him, to obey His commands, to enforce His law in every aspect of life, to serve His cause by joining in what is right and forbidding evil and to be just to Him, to ourselves and to our fellow human beings. The various aspects of life are not separated into religious, worldly or secular. Life is viewed in its entirety and all its facets are considered to be for the worship of God whether it is ritual prayers or making a rightful living. 7. A Muslim believes that humankind is the highest creations of God. Humans alone are gifted with rational faculties, spiritual aspirations, powers of action and the freedom of choice. God has shown the right path and the life of Prophet Muhammad provides a perfect example for achieving success and salvation. 8. A Muslim believes that every person is born free of sin. When a person reaches the age of maturity and if he/she is sane, he/she becomes accountable for all deeds and intentions. There is no inherited sin. One is free from sin until he/she commits sin. Adam committed the first sin, he prayed to God for pardon and God granted Adam pardon. 9. A Muslim believes that humans must attain salvation through the guidance of God. To obtain salvation, a person must combine faith and action, belief and practice. Faith without doing good deeds and doing good deeds without faith are insufficient. 10. A Muslim believes that God does not hold any person responsible until he/she has been shown the Right Way. 11. A Muslim believes that faith is not complete when it is followed blindly or accepted unquestioningly. One must build his/her faith on well-grounded convictions through rational and spiritual avenues. Islam ensures freedom to believe and forbids compulsion in religion (some of the oldest synagogues and some of the oldest churches in the world are in Muslim countries). 12. A Muslim believes that the Quran is the word of God revealed to Prophet Muhammad through the Angel Gabriel. The Quran was revealed from God in a piecemeal from to answer questions, solve problems, and settle disputes and to be one's best guess to the universal truth. The Quran was revealed in Arabic and it is still in its original and complete version today. The Quran is the greets miracle given to Prophet Muhammad. Its poetic nature and style are unrivalled by anything mankind can produce. It is memorized by millions. Its meaning has been translated to most languages.

3. Application of Faith God has ordained four major exercises of faith, some are daily, some weekly, some monthly, some annually and some are required at least once in a lifetime. 1. Prayer: It is a matchless and unprecedented formulate of intellectual meditation and spiritual devotion, of moral elevation and physical exercise, all combined. The meaning of prayer is many fold: It is a lesson of discipline, a practice in devotion and remembrance of God, a safeguard to indecency, an expression of gratitude and repentance to God, a demonstration of true equality and fellowship, a course of inner peace and stability. 2. Fasting Fasting is abstaining completely from eating, drinking and sexual relations from the break of dawn till sunset. It is performed once a year for the duration of the lunar Islamic month of Ramadan (ramazan). It is a matchless Islamic institution, which teaches one the principal of sincere devotion to God. 3. Charity (Zakah) Zakah refers to the annual amount, which a Muslim with means must distribute among the needy and the poor. Zakah has a deep humanitarian and socio-political value; for example it frees society from class welfare from ill feelings and distrust and from corruption. Although Islam does not hinder private enterprise or condemning private possessions, it does not tolerate greedy capitalist. Every Muslim, male and female at the end of the year must give Zakah at the minimum rate of 2.5% on the net savings after paying expenses, taxes etc. 4. Pilgrimage (Hajj) The pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime is obligatory upon every mentally, physically and financially fit Muslim. It is the largest annual convention of faith on earth (more than 2.5 million in 1995). Muslims from every corner of the globe assemble to demonstrate the unity of humankind in response to the call of God. Peace is the dominant them. Peace with God with one's soul, with one another, with all living creature. To disturb the peace in any way is strictly prohibited. Hajj commemorates the Divine rituals observed by Prophet Abrahim and his son Ishmael, who were the first pilgrims to the house of God; the Ka'bah. It is performed in the remembrance of the grand assembly on the Day of Judgment when people will stand equal before God.

4. Islam is a Complete, Comprehensive Code of Life. Islam is the God-given system of life based on Quran and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad. Islam brings man close to God, taking into consideration his material and spiritual demands, thus elevating his spiritual status and controlling his physical desires. Islam extends its sense of organization to all walks of life: Individual and social behaviors, labor and industry, economics and politics, national and international relations, and so on. Islam adopts a moderate but positive and effective course between individual and society, between citizen and state, between capitalism and socialism, between materialism and spiritualism. Examples: Spiritual Life: Prayer, fasting charity, pilgrimage, love for God and His Messenger, love for truth and humanity, hope and trust in God and doing good for the Sake of God. Intellectual Life: Islam demands faith in God on the basis of knowledge and research and leaves wide open all fields of thought before the intellect to penetrate as far as it can reach. The Quran itself is a rich source of knowledge about the universe. Personal Life: Purity and cleanliness, healthy diet, proper clothing, proper behavior, and health sexual relations within marriage. Family Life: Since the family is the backbone of society, Islam builds the family on solid grounds that are capable of providing continuity, true security, mature intimacy, sincere reciprocity and moral gratification. Marriage is a strong bond and a commitment to life itself, to society, and a dignified, meaningful survival of the human race. Motherhood is more cherished that fatherhood. Social Life: Man is ordained by God to extend his utmost help and kindness to other family members, relations, and neighbors. There is no superiority on account of class, race, gender, origin or wealth. The unity of humanity is not only its origin but also its ultimate aim. Economic Life: Earning one's living through decent labor is not only a duty but a great virtue as well. Earning is ones private possession. The individual is responsible for the prosperity of the state and the state is responsible for the security of the individual. In comes to this world empty-handed and departs empty-handed. The real owned of things is God alone. One is simply a trustee. Political Life: The sovereignty in the Islamic state belongs to God; the people exercise it by trust from Him to enforce His laws. The ruler is chosen from the best-qualified citizens by the people to administer justice, provide security, etc., through consultation, within the Laws ordained by God. A religious hierarchy or clergy does not exist. Non-Muslims are entitled to full protection and freedom to practice their religion. War is only justified if state security is endangered. During war, destruction of crops, animal and homes, killing non-fighting women, children and aged people are forbidden.

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