Ramadan, only for Fasting?

By: Ahmed Parvez

Islam is the name of the life of preservation of the self within the boundary walls of the Quran. For this purpose, it is necessary that the human (Muslim) must know as to what are the boundary walls of the Quran and along with it, he must also get himself up for self-control. The month of Ramadan is the specific instrument for inculcating and substantiating each of these two matters. In the modern terminology, call it a Training Camp or a Refresher Course. The fasting makes the human get himself up for leading striven-life through self-control. And its fixing is in this month, wherein the beginning of revelation of the Quran was initiated. It brings this stark fact to the fore-front that special arrangements during this Training Course should be made for gushing forth the entire Quran to the striven-people (Mijahideen) so that they may fully comprehend as to what the connection of “the sword and the Quran” is with each other and how these two come to be the instrument for safeguarding each other. It appears that the Islamic system of the First Era, in order to bring the Quran to the mind of the people all at the lame time, devised this method – and method is now being performed only to acquire the reward of a virtuous act (Sawaab). It is because the way the Quran is recited now, during the Taraweeh, is neither understood by the Quran Reciter who cause others to hear it as to what he had recited, nor do their disciples in the congregation comprehend it as to what they have listened. And it is obvious that the way the words of the Quran are repeated and heard without being understood cannot make the exposition of the Quran understandable. And neither can it be known which design of life it carves for us.

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Today, every nation is concentrating its efforts to bring together its citizens by creating within them a unity of thought and action, unanimity in their hearts and sights, and harmony in their movements and rest. So, on the voice of their chosen Imam (leader) they will bow their heads and stand up. If a nation can accomplish this, then their power and efficiency will increase manifold. Many new doors of opportunity will be open to them. Now tell me, if all these things are in a nation, but no result can be derived from it, then if you do not call those actions spiritless and mere rituals without aim, what else would you call them? Nations are searching for rules and self-discipline, all so that they can develop their own power to subdue weaker nations and obtain the supplies to quench their thirst. But in an Islamic nation all these things are established so that the hearts of its citizens become pure; that their souls receive nourishment; that they keep Allah’s laws in front of them at all times; that their bowing is for Him and that their standing is for Him; that their power be utilized to help the weak; that their strength be used to uphold the rights of the helpless; that they from their faith and good works develop such power that they receive the blessing of victory and success in this world; and finally, that this success not be used to dominate others, but to establish Allah’s system of rububiyat in this world (that every person receives the essential nourishment that is his right). It's a duty on every individual Muslim and a Muslim community to strengthen & exercise the laws of God Almighty (Allah) 12 months round a clock, and Ramadan is a month of refresher course!

Common Arabic Words Used by Muslims

By: Laura Cosse

Have you ever wondered what 'Allahu Akbar' means or any other common phrases that you may hear in movies or from your Muslim friends and family members? Well, this is a short article designed to give you the basics of the Muslim vocabulary by defining 30 common terms.
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Allahu Akbar - Often mistranslated as 'God is the greatest', it actually means 'God is greater'. This indicates that whatever you may be thinking of in your mind, good or bad, God is greater than that. When we begin praying we say 'Allahu Akbar' and raise our hands to the sides of our head, this is signifying throwing the world and all it's worries behind us and concentrating solely on God.
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Alhamdulilah - Literally means "All praise is due to God', but you can think of it as 'Thank God'.
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Subhan Allah - Means 'Glory be to God' and is used in a variety of situations to denote amazement or awe in both very good and very bad situations.
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Bismillah - Means 'In the name of God' and is used whenever we start any activity, from eating or drinking to starting our car. If you feel ashamed to say Bismillah before doing a certain activity, you probably shouldn't be doing it.
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Bismillah Ar-rahman Ar-raheem - Means 'In the name of God the Compassionate, the Merciful'. The Compassionate and the Merciful are two of the names of God mentioned in the Qur'an. God mentions 99 names for himself in the Qur'an which are attributes such as these two, with the crowning jewel, 'Allah' for His proper name. It is interesting to note that of these 99 names, not one of them is 'father'.
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La ilaha ill Allah - Means 'There is no deity except Allah'. This is the first part of the creedal statement of Islam and it is something that Muslims repeat to themselves often. Plus, it is very rhythmical and soothing to say!
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Dunya - Means the life of this world and everything in it. Money, family, material items and the entire universe is wrapped up in this word. Muslims are encouraged to think beyond the dunya and remember that this life is only a test to determine your placement in the next life, the hereafter, our permanent home.
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Akhira - Means 'The Hereafter' or the life of the next world which includes Heaven, Hell, and the Day of Judgment.
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Deen - Simply means 'Religion'.
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Assalamu alykum - The greeting that Muslims bestow on one another meaning 'Peace be upon you'.
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Wa alaykum assalam - The reply to the greeting which means, 'And unto you peace'.
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Ma salama - Literally means 'With peace' but is used as 'Goodbye'.
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La hawlat wa la guwat illa billahi - This means 'There is now might or power except by the will of God' which is used whenever appropriate.
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Ramadan - A month of the Muslim calendar in which Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. Also, it is the month of revelation; the Qur'an was revealed in the fourth week of Ramadan, the Gospel to Jesus in the third week of Ramadan, the Torah to Moses in the second week of Ramadan and the Psalms to David in the first week of Ramadan.
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Hajj - The pilgrimage to Mecca that every Muslim is required to make at least once in their life if they are physically and financially able.
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Adhan - The call to prayer.
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Rasool Allah - The messenger of God, it can be any messenger of God but in the Islamic context it usually refers to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
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Salah - This is the prayer that most people associate with Muslims, where they stand in rows and go through a series of positions and prostrations.
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Du'a - Another type of prayer which can be done anytime and anywhere, it is simply calling on God. This is what most other religions refer to as prayer, Islam has the formal and informal prayer which are both encouraged.
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Zakat - This is the tax that is paid by Muslims once a year to feed the poor. It is 2.5% of the excess wealth that a person has in their bank account for a full year. The money is paid directly to the poor and cannot be used for mosques, schools or anything besides feeding the needy.
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Sawm - Means 'fasting' and is required during Ramadan and encouraged to do whenever possible.
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Hadith - A saying of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
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Sunnah - Includes the hadith and is more expansive to include any of the saying, deeds or beliefs of the Prophet and any action that he gave his explicit or tacit approval or disapproval of. It is the secondary source of Islam since we use the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as our example of how to live by the rules laid out in the Qur'an.
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Sahaba - The companions of the Prophet. Anyone who ever met the prophet in person is considered to be a sahaba, whether they were close friends or not.
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Jihad - Literally means 'Struggle' and is almost always mistranslated as 'Holy War'. The greater jihad is the struggle to conquer our own desires and submit to God's desires and the lesser jihad is to fight for the sake of God and His religion.
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Islam - From the root word 'salama' which means 'peace' it is a derivitive which means 'to submit', a complete definition is to achieve peace through submission to God.
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Muslim - A person who submits to the will of God.
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Qur'an - Literally means 'recitation' or 'something to be recited', it is the literal word of God revealed to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the Angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years.
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Shahada - Means 'Witnessing' and refers to the creedal statement of Islam that one utters to enter Islam, There is no deity worthy of worship besides God, and Muhammad is His prophet.
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Insha Allah - Means 'By the will of God' and is used any time that a person refers to the future.

Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She is the author of several Islamic children’s books and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Islam 101- Was Islam Spread by the Sword?

By: Laura Cosse

The idea of Islam being spread by the sword is one of the most common misconceptions among both the Muslims and non-Muslims. Many non-Muslims have written untold volumes of anti-Islamic literature propagating the fallacy of Muslims holding swords above the heads of Christians and forcing them to convert to Islam. This is total nonsense. On the other hand we have some Muslim apologists who, in their great fervor to defend Islam and portray it as the peaceful religion it is, seem reluctant to admit that Muslims did indeed fight wars to expand their territories. So what is the truth of the situation? I would like to begin our quest for the truth on this matter by quoting the Qur’an, the literal word of God and the primary source for Islam: "Say the truth from your Lord, then let whomsoever wills believe and let whomsoever wills reject." 18:29
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Let’s start with the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and look at his example. He did preach Islam peacefully in Mecca for 13 years without once raising a finger against his enemies even though he and his followers were harshly persecuted, tortured, mocked and sometimes murdered. The first wars with Mecca did not occur until after the hijra to Medina, and those battles were defensive against Abu Sufyan and his amassed troops. After the Treaty of Hudaybiyya, the peace treaty between the Muslims and the Meccans, was unilaterally broken by the Meccans, the Muslims conquered Mecca without any bloodshed. Tribal customs would dictate that the Meccans should then be slaughtered for their transgressions against the victorious Muslims, and indeed the Meccans anticipated this, but Muhammad (PBUH) granted them amnesty on the condition that they cease fighting the Muslims. This was a beautiful act of mercy which led to the majority of Meccans choosing to convert to Islam, though no person was ever forced to do so.
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What is conversion to Islam? Converting to Islam is something that has to be done by choice, it is something that you believe in your heart, that there is only one God and that Muhammad is His prophet and messenger. Words without belief are meaningless. Of course God alone knows what is in each and every person’s heart, so you won’t be able to fool God by meaningless lip service to Islam, and religion is solely for God and the benefit of the individual. So, forced conversion is impossible. The Qur’an attests to this fact in 2:256 where it states: "There is no compulsion in religion."
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So how did Islam spread so rapidly across North Africa to the Iberian Peninsula and east across India and Central Asia all the way to Southeast Asia? Primarily it spread by trade. Very often while Muslim merchants were traveling abroad they would impress the people they did business with by their honesty and integrity, so much so that those people would ask questions, learn about Islam, and eventually choose to convert.
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However, there were indeed wars as well, most of which were in the times of the first four caliphs. The prophet Muhammad advised his armies of how to approach the non-Muslim governments, he told his armies to call them first to Islam, and if they accept it then leave them alone. If they reject Islam, call on them to submit to the Muslim government and pay the jizyah tax, a poll tax paid by non-Muslims to the Muslim government for their protection and upkeep of the lands and buildings. If they refused both of those options, then they were to fight. But, the fighting itself had many rules, it wasn’t just a bloodbath, free-for-all like we’ve seen in other times, for instance by the Mongols and the Christian Crusaders, rather it was warfare waged only against the armies themselves. It was forbidden to fight civilians and it was forbidden to destroy their agriculture and means of livelihood. There was no raping, pillaging and plundering by the Muslim armies; they fought only the armies sent out by the government until they surrendered and left the innocent civilians alone.
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There are numerous hadiths of the prophet (PBUH) where he clearly distinguishes between the combatants and the non-combatants. In a hadith related by Abu Dawud he said, "Do no kill any old person, any child, or any woman," and he said, "Do no kill people sitting in places of worship." Abu Bakr, the first Caliph, gave detailed instructions to his army heading for Syria based on his knowledge of Qur’an and hadiths:
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"Stop, O people, that I may give you ten rules for your guidance in the battlefield. Do not commit treachery or deviate from the right path. You must not mutilate dead bodies. Neither kill a child, nor a woman, nor an aged man. Bring no harm to the trees, nor burn them with fire, especially those which are fruitful. Slay not any of the enemy's flock, save for your food. You are likely to pass by people who have devoted their lives to monastic services; leave them alone."
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Once a government had fallen into the hands of the Muslims, the citizens paid a poll tax and were free to practice any religion they chose. Christianity and Judaism flourished under Islamic rule since the Muslims protected their churches and synagogues and other holy places, even though they had the power to wipe them out if they had so chosen. Perhaps the most amazing law of all is that if a Christian or a Jew committed a crime and was found guilty, they were tried by their own courts and punished by their own laws, not by the courts and laws of the Muslims. Can you imagine in America today a Muslim being tried in an Islamic court rather than the American system? This was truly progressive governing.
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Many of the citizens welcomed the Muslims as their rulers and viewed them as liberators who had rescued them from oppressive kingships, granting them their basic human rights and so much more. Many of the citizens of a conquered land would choose to embrace Islam once they came in contact with the Muslims, and Islam did spread rapidly through these acquired lands. But, individuals were never forced to convert to Islam.
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The proof that individuals were not and are not forced to convert to Islam is in the facts of populations. In Egypt there are over 14 million Coptic Christians, in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and all the other lands ruled by Muslims there have continuously been large populations of Christians and Jews. Muslims ruled over Spain for more than 800 years, yet the Christian and Jewish populations have thrived throughout that time. There are over 450 million Muslims in Indonesia today but there was no war by Muslims that brought the religion there, it was only merchants. And, perhaps the most fascinating, the fastest growing religion in the United States and Europe is Islam. Are Americans and Europeans being forced to convert? Of course not, it’s something else. These people see truth and justice in Islam that they don’t find in any other religion or way of life. These people choose Islam for themselves, by themselves, just like the Meccans did 1400 years ago. That is the truth about how Islam has spread throughout the world.
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Peace be on you and yours.
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Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She is the author of several Islamic children’s books and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com
Article Source: http://www.ArticleBiz.com

Islam 101- What is the Qur'an?

By: Laura Cosse

Islam is a misunderstood and often vilified religion here in the west. One of the most common ways of attacking the religion is by taking quotes from the Qur’an, the primary source of religious knowledge for Muslims, and trying to prove from a single verse that the entire religion is violent or hateful. Unfortunately, when a person who wants to attack Islam pulls a random verse from the Qur’an as "proof," they do not take into account the context that the verse was given in, or the verses that come before and after it. Thus, they are often successful in making a benign verse seem barbaric and terrifying.
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So what exactly is the Qur’an? Who wrote it? What does it teach? These are very common questions and I will attempt to give a brief overview of the Qur’an with the hope of being able to delve into further details at a later date…watch for those articles.
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The word Qur’an is an Arabic word that means "recitation" or "something to be recited." It is only in its pure form if it is in the Arabic language, any other language is only a translation of the meaning of the Qur’an, but not Qur’an itself. There is only one version of the Qur’an in the world, every single Qur’an from Indonesia to Saudi Arabia to the United States is exactly the same in the Arabic text, however, different word choices may have been used in the translation of that text. This is very different than the Bible which has the King James version, the Catholic version which include the Apocrypha, the Revised Standard Version which deletes such important verses as John 3:16 because it is an interpolation that was added hundreds of years after the Bible was written, and so on. The Qur’an has never had a single letter of the original Arabic changed, so it is still in its pure form, the only religious text in the world that can honestly make that claim.
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The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) began to receive the revelations of the Qur’an when he was 40 years old. Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the literal word of God, as taught to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the angel Gabriel, the angel of revelation. Muslims do not believe that it was written by a man, it is the actual word of God spoken directly to the prophet via Gabriel. Muhammad (PBUH) was an illiterate man who was not known for poetry or for having read any other religious scriptures. He was, however, well known for his honesty and truthfulness even before the first revelation was ever received, and was nicknamed "al-Amin" or "The Trustworthy." He was always very religious and concerned about the Paganism that ruled Arabia in his time.
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During the month of Ramadan in the year 610 CE, Muhammad (PBUH) had retreated to a cave outside of Mecca for meditation and prayer. It was here that the angel Gabriel first descended from Heaven and delivered the first Qur’anic verses, "Recite! In the name of your Lord who has created (all that exists)." The prophet later said that it felt as though he were being squeezed very hard so that he could hardly breathe. The word "Iqra" in Arabic can mean either "read" or "recite." Muhammad (PBUH) replied to the angel that he could not read. The angel squeezed him harder and told him "Iqra!" and the first lines of Qur’an issued forth from the mouth of Muhammad (PBUH).
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The Qur’an was revealed over a period of 23 years before it was completed. To fully understand the Qur’an it is important to know Islamic history since many of the verses were given in respect to various situations that the Muslims were faced with at a particular time. For instance, one of the most often maliciously misquoted verses in the west is from Surat at-Tauba, Ch. 9:10 which says, "Then when the sacred months have passed, then kill the non-Muslims wherever you find them, and capture them and besiege them, and lie in wait for them in each and every ambush. But if they repent and perform the prayer and pay charity, then leave their way free. Verily, Allah is Oft Forgiving, Most Merciful."If you only read this one verse without taking the context of it, you will think Islam is a barbaric religion which commands Muslims to fight non-Muslims at all times. But, if you go back to the beginning of the chapter to verse 1, you will see that Allah is talking about fighting the Meccans who unilaterally broke the peace treaty that was in place with the Muslims. Therefore, because they broke the peace treaty, they will be given four months to travel the land freely and then they should expect that there will be a war with the Muslims. The next verse is amazing, it continues to say, "And if any of the non-Muslims seek your protection, then grant him protection so that he may hear the Word of Allah, and then escort him to where he can be secure."
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The verse is speaking about war, and a specific war at that. I believe that the most generous military general in the world today might say that if an enemy soldier in the battle field wants to surrender then let him go, but can you imagine any general today that would actually escort the enemy to safety? That is very noble indeed. So, I think you can see by this example how easy it is for someone, who is looking for something to support their negative assumptions, to misquote or quote out of context to prove their point. And surely this is true for any religious text, and possibly any text at all.The Qur’an is different than the Bible or Torah when you read it. Rather than being written in the third person narrative, it is all the literal word of God being revealed directly to the reader. When you read the Qur’an it feels as though God is speaking directly to you, it is extremely powerful. It is broken up into "Suras" which is roughly "chapter," and "Ayas" which is roughly verse. The word Aya in Arabic actually means "sign", so the Qur’an is a book of signs for mankind.
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Another major difference between the Qur’an and any other book is that it is not arranged in chronological order. Rather, it is basically arranged with the longer verses in the beginning and the shorter verses in the end, and this is not the order that they were revealed. Each year in Ramadan the angel Gabriel would have the prophet recite what had been revealed of the Qur’an so far. The year the prophet died Gabriel had the prophet recite the entire Qur’an twice and in the order that we find it today.
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The society of Pre-Islamic Arabia was an oral one, poetry was to those people what television and movies are to the west today. A kingdom could be toppled by a verse, a leader overthrown. We see our media today is capable of the same things, we have in very recent times seen war proclaimed due to false statements made by influential (presidential) people to the media. Poetry had the same effect for the Arabs that the media has for us today. Thus, the Arabs were trained from early childhood to have great memorization skills, memorizing the tribal histories, poetry and folklore. It was easy for the early Muslims to memorize the entire Qur’an as it was revealed. To this day there are millions of Muslims around the world that have memorized the entire book, most of whom completed memorizing it by about age 10.
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The Qur’an was written down as it was revealed by several of the companions of the prophet. They would write on whatever they could find, sometimes it was on stones and other times on pieces of leather. It was not collaborated into a book form until immediately after the prophet passed away. Then the first caliph, Abu Bakr, ordered all of the parchments to be collected and had a committee, headed by Zaid ibn Thatbit, read through all of the parchments with those who had memorized the Qur’an until they were satisfied that they had not missed any verses or written them down wrong. Then, the committee wrote down the Qur’an in one book.
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The Arabs of that time were experts in poetry; they knew every type of prose and rhythm. The Qur’an was unlike any poem they had ever heard before, that is because it is not poetry, it is the word of God. The way that Ayas were put together and the vocabulary and rhythms used were something shocking to those Arabs; they were professionals in language and yet this book was far superior to anything a human had ever written. And, it was rhythmical and rhyming. To this day the Qur’an is used as the standard for grammar and linguistics; it is far above anything that has ever been written before or since. In fact, the Qur’an challenges any of those professional poets to create even one verse similar to the Qur’an, and in that they will be able to prove that it is not from God. But, though many tried, all were extremely unsuccessful. The Qur’an stands alone as an example of literary perfection.The Qur’an is very explicit when it comes to describing Heaven and Hell. It often reminds the reader to remember God, do righteous good deeds and forbid evil, so that they may be recompensed in the next life. It calls for people to lead lives of high morality, to not steal, drink alcohol, have sex outside of marriage, murder, cheat, lie, oppress others or worship anything besides God. It calls for man to love for his brother the same that he loves for himself. It calls man to worship God and to think of God in each and every act, from eating to sleeping and from travel to work, you should always be thinking of God. It tells mankind, over and over, to enjoin what is good and forbid what is evil.The Qur’an is a book of guidance for all of mankind. It is a complete manual for the life of a human being. It covers everything including politics, society, family life, warfare, welfare, commerce, worship, hygiene and much more. It also has many scientific miracles in it that are just being realized today, such as detailed embryology, the water cycle, geology, anthropology and much more. I will be doing a series of articles in the future on science and the Qur’an, God willing, please watch for those articles.So, the Qur’an is often misunderstood and misquoted. I recommend that if you are seeking the truth of the life of this world and the hereafter, that you read the Qur’an. You can receive a free copy of the Qur’an from AMANA and many other organizations. You are always welcome in any mosque, so please visit and ask questions. You owe it to yourself and your family to read this book; it will change your life.

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Peace be on you and yours.

Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She is the author of several Islamic children’s books and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com
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Islam 101- What do Muslims Believe?

By: Laura Cosse

Islam is a religion that is, unfortunately, largely misunderstood in the west. One of the most common questions is regarding the beliefs of the Muslims; what do Muslims believe? In this article I will attempt to give a brief overview of what it means to be a Muslim. I am largely basing this article on a famous hadith, or saying, of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH), which I will put at the end of the article.Islam has five pillars, five basic acts that one must believe and do in order to be a Muslim. The first is the declaration of faith, stating with complete belief and sincerity that "there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah (God) and that Muhammad is His prophet and messenger." Islam does not accept any type of idol worshipping, whether that idol is a rock, a statue, a human being (like Jesus PBUH), or something a little less obvious like money, status or family.
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After you have declared you worship of only God, you are then required to act on it. The second pillar is prayer, a Muslim is required to pray at a minimum of five times per day at specified times: dawn, mid-day, afternoon, sunset and evening. By this repetition we are constantly reminded of what is important which is God and working to gain a good place in the afterlife.
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The third pillar is Zakat, which literally means purification. It is a tax that is paid by Muslims directly to the poor. It is different from income tax however, because Muslims are only required to pay 2.5% of their excess wealth that they have had in the bank for a full year. Also, unlike tithing, the money collected for Zakat is not permissible to be used to fund mosques, schools or any other public programs; the money is strictly for the use of the poor people. If every Muslim on the face of the earth actually paid their Zakat the way Allah commanded, that would be including kings and other incredibly rich, there would be no starvation in the world today.
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The fourth pillar is fasting in the month of Ramadan from dawn to sunset. This act has many benefits, but the primary benefit is to soften the heart of the one who is fasting. Islam heavily emphasizes charity and feeding the poor and hungry, what better way to encourage a person to feed the hungry than letting them feel hunger too? Ramadan is a month of fasting and prayer, a time to re-dedicate oneself to Allah and Islam. Muslims are encouraged to read the entire Qur’an in Ramadan and increase in their good deeds and prayers. Everyone is required to fast except young children, old or sick people who would harm their health, a person traveling and a pregnant or nursing mother.
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The fifth pillar is hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca. Every Muslim is required to make the hajj at least once in their life if they are physically and financially able. If you are not physically or financially able to go then you have no sin, but you should always be trying to find a way to make the pilgrimage. Also, since we never know when we will die, it is important not to put it off into the unforeseeable future.The next important subject is faith; what is faith? According to the abovementioned hadith, or saying, of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH), faith is believing in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the resurrection on the Last Day, and to believe in both the good and evil of divine destiny. That’s a mouthful, so what does it mean?
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To believe in Allah, which is the Arabic name for God for Christians, Jews and Muslims, means to believe in him as He commands. Tawhid is a fundamental belief in Islam, which is the oneness of God. Muslims do not believe in a trinity, nor do they believe that God is everywhere. Muslims believe that God is one, indivisible, and that He is above the seven heavens. How? We don’t know. And, we don’t ask. God exists before and after His creations, God does not resemble any of His creation, and any image that you can imagine does not resemble God. But, Allah is everywhere in his knowledge: he sees everything, hears everything, knows everything, is omnipotent and omniscient.
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Belief in the angels is another tenet of faith. Muslims believe that the angels were created from light, that they are completely obedient to God, and that they are eternal beings that had a beginning, like humans, and unlike God who has no beginning or end. Muslims do not believe that Satan was a fallen angel because angels are completely obedient to Allah. Rather, the Qur’an tells us that Satan was one of the jinn, another being that was created from fire. There are an inexhaustible numbers of angels, Muhammad (PBUH) said that there is a place where the angels go to pray, each day 70,000 angels pray there, never to return again, and this has been happening since the beginning of time. To believe in His books means that Muslims believe that the Qur’an is the last in a series of revelations that God has given to mankind throughout history. Muslims believe that throughout time, a prophet has come, either with a written text or without, he has preached to worship God alone, then he has died and the information was changed by man over time or completely lost, which meant eventually and new prophet would be sent. This has happened 124,000 times since the creation of man according to the prophet Muhammad (PBUH), but we only know the names of the 25 mentioned in the Qur’an. The previous books mentioned in the Qur’an are the Zabur which was given to David, the Torah which was given to Moses, the Injeel which was given to Jesus and the Qur’an which was given to Muhammad, peace be upon them all.
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The messengers that we are required to believe in include the Biblical prophets, Muslims believe in Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Solomon, David, John, Enoch, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad just to name a few. Islam is not some new religion, it is the same religion taught by all of the prophets and messengers; worship only one God. It confirms the divine origin of the previous scriptures and corrects the manmade mistakes of those scriptures.
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The fifth tenet of faith is belief in the Last Day, yowm al- qiyama in Arabic. Every Muslim believes that at the end of time every person will be resurrected and have to stand alone before God to be judged for what they did in their life. God is the only judge, even a Muslim isn’t guaranteed a free pass to Heaven. God may or may not forgive any person of any sin. But, God has promised that he will never forgive the sin of worshipping something or someone else, that is called shirk in Arabic.
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The last pillar of faith is the belief in the divine decree, both the good and evil thereof. Muslims believe that Allah has a will, and man has a will, but Allah’s will overrides man’s. So, if a person wants to do something, if it has not been willed by Allah he will never be able to do it. Likewise, if a person tries to avoid a thing that God has willed, no matter how he tries he will not avoid it. A human does have his own will as well. It is up to us how we spend our time on earth, who we worship and what we believe. We will be judged according to our intentions on the Day of Judgment.That is a quick overview of what Muslims believe. I hope that you have enjoyed this article. Please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com for more information. God bless!
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On the authority of Omer1 (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:*One day while we were sitting with the Messenger of Allah (i.e. Prophet Muhammed, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), there appeared before us a man whose clothes were exceedingly white and whose hair was exceedingly black; no signs of journeying were to be seen on him and none of us knew him. He walked up and sat down by the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Resting his knees against his (the Prophet's) and placing the palms of his hands on his thighs, he said: O Muhammed, tell me about Islam.
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The Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said: Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammed is the Messenger of Allah, to perform the prayers, to pay the Zakat2 to fast in Ramadhan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House3 if you are able to do so.
He said: You have spoken rightly, and we were amazed at him asking him (the Prophet bpuh) and saying that he had spoken rightly. He said: Then, tell me about Iman.4
He (the Prophet) said: It is to believe in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and to believe in divine destiny, both the good and the evil thereof.
He said: You have spoken rightly.
He said: Then, tell me about Ihsan.5
He (the Prophet bpuh) said: It is to worship Allah as if you are seeing him, and while you see Him not yet truly He sees you.
He said: Then, tell me about the hour.6
He (the Prophet bpuh) said: The one questioned about it knows no better than the questioner. He said: Then, tell me about its signs.
He (the Prophet bpuh) said: That the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, and that you will see the barefooted, naked, destitute herdsmen competing in constructing lofty buildings.Then, he took himself off and I stayed for some time. Then he (the Prophet bpuh) said: O Omer, do you know who the questioner was? I said: Allah and His Messenger know better. He said: It was Jibril (Gabriel), who came to you to teach you your religion.7
The Messenger of Allah (bpuh) told the truth.
This Hadith was related by Muslim.
This Hadith was translated by Ezzeddin Ibrahim and Denys Johnson-Davies (Abdul Wadoud), "An-Nawawi's Forty Hadiths." 1976. Dar Al-Manar.
1. Omer Bin Al-Khattab, the second Caliph.
2. Often rendered as alms-tax or poor due, it is a tax levied on a man’s wealth and distributed among the poor.
3. The Ka’aba and the Holy Mosque in Makkah.
4. Iman is generally rendered as religious belief or faith. However, being a fundamental term in Islam, the Arabic word has been retained.
5. In this context, the word ihsan has a special religious significance and any single rendering of it would be inadequate. Dictionary meaning for ihasan includes right actions, goodness, charity, sincerity, and the like. The root also means to master or be proficient at, and it is to be found in this meaning in Nawawi’s Hadith Number 17.
6. i.e. of the Day of Judgment.
7. This phrase has more than one interpretation. Among those given by An-Nawawi in his commentary is that slave girls will give birth to sons and daughters who will become free and so be masters of those who bore them. The word ama, normally translated as a slave girl, is also capable of meaning any woman in that we are all slaves or servants of God. The words thus have the meaning: When a woman will give birth to her master, i.e. a time will come when children will have so little respect for their mothers that they will treat them like servants. The commentators point out that there the word rabba (mistress) includes the masculine rabb (master).

Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She is the author of several Islamic children’s books and currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com
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Islam 101- Who is Allah?

By: Laura Cosse'

One of the greatest misunderstandings of Islam in the west today is the perception of whom or what is Allah. Many people think that Allah is the "Muslim God", as if He were a separate entity from the "Christian God". In fact, Allah is the standard word for God amongst all Arabic speakers; Muslims, Christians and Jews. If you pick up an Arabic version of the Bible you will find the name Allah used for God. Surprised?
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Islam teaches that there is only one God, the same God that has revealed himself since the beginning of time to various prophets such as Abraham, Noah, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, peace be upon them all. Islam teaches that the cycle of humanity is something like this: God reveals himself to a prophet who then goes forth and preaches to his people, most of the people reject that prophet while a small number, usually the poor and downtrodden, will faithfully follow that prophet throughout his life. When the prophet dies there will be a group of people that continues to follow him, but slowly, over a period of generations, the information that the prophet taught will be lost or changed by mankind. Eventually, God sends another prophet to confirm the message that was brought before him and to bring people back to the straight path. Muslims believe that Muhammad (PBUH) was the final prophet to be sent forth by God to mankind, the seal of prophethood.
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Perhaps the most important concept of God in Islam is the concept of Tawhid, which refers to the oneness of Allah. The greatest sin is to associate partners in the worship of God, this is called shirk in Arabic. God is only one, but that is not like the number one which can be divided into smaller parts, such as the trinity, but one and indivisible.
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God describes himself in varying, subtle ways throughout the Qur’an, leaving the reader with no clear concept of what exactly He is. Even the pronoun that God uses for himself in the Qur’an is constantly changing, sometimes it is the "royal we", sometimes it is "I" and at still other times it is the third person "He". This is meant to leave the reader with no clear concept of God in their mind. In fact, God says in the Qur’an that He does not resemble any of His creations which is, of course, a major difference from Christianity. The fact that God is the supreme creator and doesn’t resemble any of his creations, means that any image you might come up with in your mind of what God is or looks like is false, because the mind itself is a creation.
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However, we can get an understanding of who Allah is by his attributes. In the Qur’an Allah gives 99 names to himself, each of which is one of His divine attributes. Those names are, in English: The compassionate, The merciful, The sovereign, The holy one who is free from all blemishes, The source of all peace, The giver of peace, The giver of protection, The mighty, The overpowering Lord, The self-glorious, The creator, The one who gives life, The fashioner of shapes, The exceedingly forgiving, The one who has control over all things, The giver of all things, The sustainer and provider, The remover of difficulties and giver of decisions, The all-knowing, The straightener of sustenance, The extender of sustenance, The one who humbles and lowers, The exalter, The giver of honor, The giver of dishonor, The all-hearing, The all-seeing, The maker of immutable judgment, The just, The knower of innermost secrets, The all-knowing, The clement, The great, The forgiving, The highly grateful, The most high, The infinite, The protector, The giver of sustenance and strength, The reckoner, The one with exalted position, The benevolent, The caretaker, The answerer of prayers, The lenient, The wise, The most loving, The venerable, The resurrector of the dead, The omnipresent, The truth, The provident, The almighty, The invincible, The patron, The praiseworthy, The keeper of counts, The originator, The one who has the power to create again, The giver of life, The giver of death, The everlasting, The sustainer of life, The all-perfect, The all-excellent, The one unequaled, The one free from want, The all-powerful, The source of all power, The one who causes advancement, The one who retards, The first, The last, The obvious, The latent, The one who exercises responsibility over all things, The one far above the attributes of the entire creation, The beneficent, The oft-returning, The one who takes retribution, The one who pardons, The king, The possessor of sovereignty, The majestic and benevolent, The most just, The assembler, The free from need, The supplier of needs to others, The hinderer, The one who can cause loss, The one who confers benefits, The light, The one who gives guidance, The deviser, The eternal, The one who remains alive after everyone and everything dies, The one who loves virtue and piety and The most forbearing.
That is Allah, the one true God.

Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com
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Islam 101- Who is Muhammad?

By: Laura Cosse'

Muhammad (PBUH) is, without a doubt, the most controversial figure in world history. No other personality throughout time has conjured up such overpowering emotion from the masses. On the Muslim side he is absolutely the most venerated and beloved man ever, a mercy sent to the entire world from God and the final prophet to all of mankind. The western view, however, has been anything but philanthropic. Rather, there has been a continuous "smear campaign" raged against this man from the very onset of the revelations and throughout the Middle Ages, perhaps most notably in the times of the Crusades. Accusations abound, some saying he copied the Bible, some saying he had hallucinations in the throws of an epileptic fit, and still others claiming that he was receiving false revelations from Satan himself.

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So who was this man who today has more than 1.6 billion followers? Who was this man that Michael Hart named as the "most influential person in history" in his 1978 book, The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History? What is it about him that continues to inspire so many people today in the west and afar, causing Islam to be the fastest growing religion in the world? Why is Muhammad the most common name in the world today?

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Of course the answer is too broad to attempt in this short article, but perhaps we can have a brief introduction to this great prophet of God. His name was Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib, which means Muhammad the son of Abd Allah the son of Abd al-Muttalib. He was born into the tribe of Quraysh and the family of Banu Hashim in Mecca around 570 CE, to a family standard that could be described as "upper middle class." His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was around six years old. The young orphan was then sent to live with his paternal grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib. When he was just eight years old, his grandfather also died and Muhammad (PBUH) was cared for by his uncle, Abu Talib, who continued to support and protect him for the next 40 years.
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Mecca was a thriving commercial center and the home of the Ka’aba which is believed to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael. Even in that era of pre-Islam the Ka’aba was a holy site of pilgrimage for all of Arabia, but at that time it was filled with idols that were thought to be intermediaries between the worshiper and Allah. In pre-Islamic Arabia Allah was recognized as the Supreme Being, but the paganism and idolatry had corrupted the true religion that was originally brought to the Arabs by Ishmael.
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It is known that Muhammad (PBUH) never partook in idol worshiping and was greatly disturbed by it. He was known to retreat for weeks at a time to a cave where he would pray to God alone and ask for guidance. At some point in his late teens he began to accompany his uncle to Syria with the trading caravans, giving him the knowledge to become a successful merchant. Among the people of Mecca he was nicknamed "Al-Amin" which means "The Trustworthy" due to his honesty and integrity displayed in every aspect of his life. This reputation attracted a 40 year old widow named Khadija who proposed marriage to Muhammad (PBUH) while he was in his mid twenties. They were happily married for more than twenty years and had 6 children together, however his sons died in their early childhood.
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So, Muhammad (PBUH) was well-loved and respected by his family and friends before the revelations of the Qur’an began. The most famous incident in his life before Islam was his arbitration between four major clans in Mecca that were near taking up arms against each other. There had been a flash flood that destroyed part of the Ka’aba and each of the four major tribes were helping to rebuild the holy structure. The last stone to be placed was the black stone of the corner and each of the tribes wanted the honor of putting the stone back in its place. They decided that the next person who walked through the doors of the mosque would decide which tribe would have the honor of replacing the black stone. When they saw Muhammad (PBUH) walk in they were overjoyed, for here came Al-Amin, and they were confident he would find a just solution. Muhammad’s solution was to place the black stone on a cloak and have one member of each of the four clans hold a corner to lift it up, and Muhammad (PBUH) himself put the stone in place. Everyone was happy with this solution and fighting was averted.
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During the month of Ramadan in the year 610 CE, Muhammad (PBUH) had retreated to a cave on Mount Hira outside of Mecca for fasting, prayer and contemplation. It was here that the angel Gabriel first descended from Heaven and told the prophet to "Recite in the name of your Lord who created!" which was the first revelation of the Qur’an. The word Qur’an itself means recitation, or something to be recited. Muhammad (PBUH) was terrified of the experience and was afraid he was going crazy. He returned to his wife, Khadija, and told her what had happened. Khadija was the first person to accept Islam; she told him that she believed that he was a prophet of God and that he was not crazy or sick.
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After the first revelation, three years passed before the angel Gabriel returned to Muhammad (PBUH) with more of the Qur’an. During those three years he spent his time in prayer and religious practice. He had not started openly preaching yet, the only other people who knew of Islam and followed him were his wife, his young cousin Ali who was only 10, his adopted son Zaid and his best friend Abu Bakr.
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In the year 613 Muhammad (PBUH) started to speak out in public, calling people to give up the worship of idols and worship only Allah, the one true God. At first the Meccans only thought he was a nuisance, they laughed at him and said his only followers were an old lady, a slave and a little boy. But, as he continued to preach the number of followers grew. The entire economy of Mecca was based on the idols housed inside the Ka’aba, so when Muhammad (PBUH) started to preach against the idol worshiping he was threatening the finances of the leaders of Quraysh. They offered Muhammad (PBUH) all the money, stature and women in Mecca if he would stop preaching, but he said that he preached for God and needed nothing from the materials of this world. They began to physically torture the Muslims and tried to get them to denounce Islam and they brutally murdered many more. Muhammad (PBUH) was protected from physical harm by his uncle Abu Talib who stood by his nephew’s side his entire life, but never converted to Islam.
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The other clans of Quraysh implemented a trade embargo on the clan of Banu Hashim, Muhammad’s clan. The embargo lasted for three years and many of the clan starved to death. Khadija, weakened by starvation, died during this time as did his beloved uncle and sole protector, Abu Talib. That was the year 619 CE, "the year of sorrows."
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It was evident that the Muslims would have to seek a new place to establish themselves. The prophet asked many different tribes for their protection when they came for pilgrimage to Mecca, but found none. It began to look hopeless and Muhammad despaired that the religion would die with all the Muslims. Then, a miracle happened. In the town of Yathrib, now Medina an-Nabi, there had been fighting amongst the Arabs and the Jews for many years. The leaders of the tribes came to Muhammad (PBUH) because they knew his reputation as a trustworthy man and peaceful arbitrator. They asked that he come to Yathrib, with all of his followers, where they would have sanctity in exchange for his arbitrating between the tribes. Muhammad (PBUH) agreed and the Muslims emigrated to Yathrib in 622, this even is known as the hijra and it marks year 1 of the Muslim calendar.
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It was here, in Medina, that Islam began to truly flourish. It was here that the laws of Islam were first put into practice, allowing the city and religion to blossom. Muhammad (PBUH) successfully brought peace amongst the warring factions of Medina, and quite a few of them became Muslim in the process. He drafted the Constitution of Medina which proclaimed the rights and duties of each of the citizens and detailed the relationship between each of the eight tribes of Medina and the Muslim emigrants.
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Muhammad’s (PBUH) success in Medina was like a thorn in the sides of the Meccans. Although he was no longer physically in their presence, he had become quite famous and was thus constantly with them through conversations. Muhammad (PBUH) knew that this was the time when he would have to make his military move if he was to be victorious in winning the Meccans to Islam. Also, there was a need for money since the Muslims had left all of their homes and means of wealth behind in Mecca. The solution was to raid the rich trade caravans coming and going from Mecca. This gave the Muslims a cache of military arms and wealth, but it also provoked the Meccans to war.
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In 624 the first and possibly most famous major battle between the Muslims and the Meccans took place, the Battle of Badr. In this battle the Muslims were outnumbered more than 3 to 1, yet they were victorious. They killed at least 45 Meccans and took approximately 70 prisoners of war while losing only 14 Muslims. Many of the prisoners of war were wealthy, so the Muslims ransomed them off for high prices which further increased their growing wealth. The prisoners who could not afford to ransom themselves were let go for free.
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Of course the Meccans were outraged and vowed all-out war on the Muslims until Muhammad (PBUH) was dead and Islam effectively obliterated. The next major battle was the Battle of Uhud, where the Muslims lost more than 75 men and were defeated by the Meccans. However, they were unsuccessful in killing the prophet or his closest companions, Umar and Abu Bakr, so they were not satisfied. It was in this battle that Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib, the beloved uncle of the prophet (PBUH) was killed.
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The third major attack came in 627 when the Meccans once again mustered a huge army to attack Medina. The Muslims were forewarned of the impending attack and dug a trench around the unprotected parts of medina, making it impossible for the enemy to enter the city. The Meccan army led an ineffective attack and decided it was best to return home.
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The next major event to take place was the Treaty of Hudaybiya. The verses commanding hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a person’s life, had already been commanded, but the Muslims had not yet been able to make a pilgrimage. So, in the month of Shawwal in the year 628, the prophet (PBUH) and 1,400 Muslims set out for the lesser pilgrimage, Umra, wearing the simple white cloth that pilgrims wear. The Meccans heard the Muslims were coming and met them outside of Mecca at Hudaybiya. Here there were heavy negotiations that took place between the two sides, resulting in the treaty which made 4 main points:

1. Both sides would cease hostile activities against each other.
2. The Muslims would not be allowed to make the pilgrimage that year, but could return the following year for hajj.
3. When they come for hajj they should not stay in Mecca more than 3 days.
4. Any Muslims living in Mecca were forbidden to move to Medina, but any Muslims in Medina who wanted to return to Mecca could do so. Many of the Muslims were unhappy with the treaty since they felt it greatly favored the Meccans, but Allah revealed verses in the Qur’an that stated it was an emphatic victory. And indeed, it was. Because of the peace treaty the men of Mecca and Medina were able to meet in peace, and in the next two years the number of Muslims more than doubled.
   
   

Two years after the treaty was signed, a clan associated with the Meccans raided a clan associated with the Muslims, killing several people. Muhammad (PBUH) sent a letter to the Meccans stating that either they should pay blood money for the killed, or cease all ties with the offending clan, or consider the Treaty of Hudaybiya nullified. The Meccans chose to nullify the treaty, but soon realized that was a mistake. They sent a delegation to try to reinstate the treaty, but Muhammad (PBUH) denied them.
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In the year 630 he prophet (PBUH) gathered a huge army of more than 10,000 men and marched on Mecca. Without a drop of blood shed, the Muslims marched into Mecca and took control. Muhammad forgave all of the Meccans for the crimes that they had committed against the Muslims, which was revolutionary for that place and time, the norm would have been revenge. Muhammad (PBUH) marched right up to the Ka’aba, entered it, and smashed all of the idols that were housed inside. Almost all of the Meccans converted to Islam though they were not forced to, and, because of Mecca’s importance to Arabia, very shortly after all of Arabia converted to Islam.
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In 632 Muhammad (PBUH) became ill and passed away at the age of 62. He had succeeded in taking the pagan, tribal society of Arabia and changing it to a monotheistic land that denounced tribalism and nationalism and completely changed every aspect of the society and government. He had proved himself to be a prophet of God, a man of truth, a man who revolutionized the world for all time, a loving husband and father, an intelligent and highly successful politician, a master of strategy and military command, a faithful friend, a good neighbor and the greatest man to ever walk the face of the earth. He is Muhammad (PBUH), the prophet of God sent as a mercy to all of the world.
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Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit www.AdvocateIslam.com

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Islam 101- What is Islam?

by: Laura Cosse'

This short article is the first in a seven part series called Islam 101. As the name indicates, this series of articles is meant to, Insha Allah, give a brief, succinct overview of some of the basic beliefs of Islam.

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So what exactly is Islam? The name itself comes from the root word “salam” which means “peace” in Arabic. “Islam” actually means “submission”, which is understood as submission of the human being’s will to the will of God. So, a complete definition for the word Islam would be “submission to God in order to obtain peace.” And a Muslim, coming from that same root word s-l-m, is a person who submits himself to God in order to obtain peace.

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How do we submit ourselves to God? The answer is that it is not easy, it is extremely difficult. To submit yourself to God means putting your own natural human desires on the back shelf when they conflict with God’s desires. It means caring more about the next life than this one. It means desiring the intangible good of the hereafter more than the material things of this world. It means conquering our inner pride, loving the things that God loves and hating the things that He hates. It’s a tall order for a mere human.

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Islam is more than just a religion that one should think about once a week; Islam is an entire way of life. Islam gives guidance for every aspect of a person’s life, including what food to eat, what clothes to wear, and how to act as a mother, father, brother, sister and member of society in general. It’s all inclusive, or at least it should be. If all people perfectly submitted their wills to God’s we would have a near utopian society.

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Human beings need structure in their lives, which is observable in day to day activities. There are 5 pillars of Islam which provide that crucial structure to a person’s life. These 5 pillars are the foundation of an individual’s religion, without them there can be no Islam, but they are only the bare minimum requirements.

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The first is the shahada, or the declaration of faith. It is when a person says and believes that there is no deity worth of any type of worship except for God, and that Muhammad is His messenger. The second is the prayer which should be performed a minimum of 5 times each day. The third is zakat which can be thought of as a tax to feed the poor and purify your money. The fourth is fasting for the entire month of Ramadan from sunrise to sunset each day. Last but not least, the fifth is the hajj which is the pilgrimage to Mecca. The hajj should be performed at least once in a person’s life if they are able.

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There is so much more that can be said on this topic, but we will leave it here until next time. Thank you for reading and God bless!


About The Author
Laura Cosse' converted to Islam in 1996. She currently resides in Virginia Beach, VA with her husband and twin sons, Muhammad and Hamza. For more info and articles please visit http://www.advocateislam.com/