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Madinat al-Muslimeen Islamic Message Board
| Who is muslim? |
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| Fiery_Am |
| 02/09/05 at 21:04:49 |
| Was wondering what a muslim means. Can anyone tell me what it is all about? A christian is one who follows Christ. What about a muslim. Who does he follow? |
| Re: Who is muslim? |
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| bhaloo |
| 02/09/05 at 21:30:34 |
| Hello, Question 1 "What is Islam?" Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all His prophets to every people. For a fifth of the world's population, Islam is both a religion and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which have come to be associated with their faith. Question 2 "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 by their common Islamic faith. About 18% live in the Arab world; the world's largest Muslim community is in Indonesia; substantial parts of Asia and most of Africa are Muslim, while significant minorities are to be found in the Soviet Union, China, North and South America, and Europe. Question 3 "What do 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 Day of Judgment and individual accountability for actions; in God's 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's final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) through Gabriel. Question 4 "How does someone become a Muslim?" Simply by saying 'There is no god apart from God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.' By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all God's messengers, and the scriptures they brought. Question 5 "What does 'Islam' mean?" The Arabic word 'Islam' simply means 'submission', and derives from a word meaning 'peace'. In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God. 'Mohammedanism' is thus a misnomer because it suggests that Muslims worship Muhammad (SAW) rather than God. 'Allah' is the Arabic name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike. |
| Re: Who is muslim? |
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| Nadeem |
| 02/10/05 at 22:37:54 |
| Hi Christianity is named after its founder, Christ. Buddhism is also named after its founder, Buddha. Judaism is named after a tribe, the tribe of Judah. And Hinduism, is also named after a tribe or group of people, Hind. Islam is unlike these, in that it is not named after a founder or a tribe. It is an Arabic word, that comes from the root Sa-le-ma, which has a number of meanings - amongst them are peace, purity, submission and obedience. Islam, in the religious sense, means submission to God (Allah in Arabic), and His will. A Muslim is one who follows Islam. Actually if we look into the word in more detail, in Arabic the prefix "Mu-" is much like "-er" in English. It relates to someone "carrying out" or "doing" the word. For example, in English the "-er" if added to "walk", becomes "walker" or one who walks. In the same way, adding "-er" to read, learn, drive, ride, strike results in reader (one who reads), learner (one who learns), driver (one who drives), rider, striker. In arabic "Mu-" is added to "Islam" making "Muslim", that is, one who "does Islam" or one who sumbits to the will of God (Allah in Arabic). Hope that helps. :) |
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