Greetings!
Welcome to my blog. I encourage you to learn more about Islam, the religion of true monotheism. Discover the oneness of God (Allah), who is perfect and without the need of an uncle, grandson, cousin, son or a daughter or the trinity. One God, free from imperfection. Worship Allah alone without the need of any intermediates.
What is Islam?
Islam is based on the worship of One God (Allah). Muslims believe that everything in the world was created by God and that as the creation of God, it is our duty to worship our Creator. Allah is the same God of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (may peace be upon them all). With more than 1.2 BILLION followers world-wide, Islam is the world’s fastest growing religion.
The Basis of Islam
The belief in Allah is crucial to Islam. Allah is Perfect and not in the need of his creation. Allah is not in the need of a parent, grandparent, uncle, cousin, sibling, daughter or a son. Allah was not born to anyone, nor does Allah have any children as the Holy Quran states, “Say: He, Allah, is One. Allah is He on Whom all depend. He begets not, nor is He begotten. And none is like Him” (112:1-4).
Muslims worship Allah alone as Islam is truly monotheistic! There are no intermediates in Islam. Worship of Prophets (e.g. Jesus or Muhammad), saints, or idols is strictly prohibited. To get to Allah, one goes directly to Him without the use of a priest or prophet.
Monotheism in Islam – Shaykh Yasir Qadhi
Who is Muhammad?
There have been hundreds of Prophets sent to mankind over time including Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, and Jesus. Muhammad is the seal of the Prophets. Just as Moses and Jesus were from the descendents of Abraham (through his son, Isaac), Muhammad is also from the descendents of Abraham (through his other son, Ismail). Some might claim Muhammad was just a very creative human being propagating himself. However, the Quran actually mentions Jesus and Moses more than it mentions Muhammad. Muhammad was known as a very humble and righteous man in the Arab worlds even before he received prophethood at age 40.
Is There a Trinity in Islam?
The belief in One God is innate in mankind. If you were to ask a three year old girl, “Who is your creator?” She would respond with her name for Allah or attempt to describe this One Supreme Being. No one would come up with the idea of the trinity unless they would be taught such a belief.
The oneness of God was also the original belief in Christianity as Jesus never stated he was the son of God. The belief that Jesus is the son of God did not come to surface until more than three hundred years after Jesus’ death. Ask yourself, is the trinity 1 in 3 or 3 in 1? The Bible itself never explicitly mentions the trinity, rather only subtly hints at it in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God.” However, this verse was added in the sixteen century and still the verse does not mention the trinity explicitly. David also mentions he is the child of God in the Bible. Why then do we not accept David as the son of God? No other prophet has been known to have preached or mentioned the trinity, including Moses.
Also, consider the belief of Jesus as the son of God. If this were the case, ask yourself, was Jesus around before time and did he know of the future and want to die for the sins of people then? The answer would have to be yes. Then, ask yourself, why were Jesus’ last words while at the Cross, “Oh God, why have You forsaken me?” Also, when Jesus died for three days, how many gods were there? Jesus, like Muhammad and Moses, was a human being and a prophet, who had human tendencies that included eating and sleeping.
Is Jesus the Son of God?
Jesus in Islam
Jesus is greatly loved and respected in Islam. The belief in Jesus in Islam is that he was a Prophet of God, not the son of God. Jesus’ birth was a miracle as his mother was the Virgin Mary. Mary was a righteous servant of God and is considered one of the best women in history. Jesus preached the truth, the belief in One God as his message was distorted after his birth. In fact, Jesus mentions the coming of Muhammad by name in the Gospel of Barnabas. In Islam, the concept of one person dying for another person’s sins in unacceptable as Muslims don’t believe in ‘original sin’ as the Holy Quran states “No bearer of burden can bear the burden of another” (53:38).
Jesus in Islam – Shaykh Yusuf Estes (former Christian priest)
What is the Quran?
Every Prophet had miracles. For example, Moses parted the Red Sea and Jesus could cure. Muhammad’s greatest miracle was the Holy Quran, the Muslim holy book. The Quran is the word of God and is recorded in Arabic. Even today, the Quran has not changed even one word from its context. The Quran is considered to be the Quran only in Arabic as people can differ over words and meanings lost when translated as has been the case with the Bible in the past. English versions of the Quran are often referred to as the translation of the meaning of the Quran.
Understanding the Bible vs. the Koran
The Five Pillars of Islam
1. Testimony of faith as one has to sincerely believe in the Oneness of God and the Prophethood of Muhammad.
2. Prayer as Muslims pray to Allah five times a day.
3. Charity to those less fortunate.
4. Fasting the month of Ramadan where Muslims abstain from food, water, and sexual intercourse daily from dawn until dusk.
5. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca to commemorate Prophet Abraham. Hajj is only required to be done once in a lifetime if one has the means and ability to go.
What Do Muslims Believe?
Frequently Asked Questions
Question: Do Muslims believe in Heaven and Hell?
Answer: Yes, Muslims believe in Heaven and Hell and they believe that those who are righteous and follow the truth will be rewarded with paradise. Those who disobey the rules of Allah will be punished with Hell-Fire.
Question: Aren’t most Muslims just Arabs?
Answer: No, actually Arabs only comprise about 20% of the Muslim population. The largest Muslim country in the world is actually Indonesia. There are more Muslims in China than Egypt! The largest race of Muslims in the United States is that of African-Americans.
Question: Why is Islam the world’s fastest growing religion?
Answer: Once one learns about the basics of Islam, it is very easy to understand why the truth always prevails. The belief in One God is innate and natural to human beings.
Question: What if I don’t believe in organized religion?
Answer: If you believe in God, then surely you believe that God is All-Just. Being All-Just, don’t you think that God would send proper guidance to mankind?
Question: But religion causes war and death, right?
Answer: A religion does not necessarily represent the people who practice it. It should be noted that greed and money has caused more death and war than religion with a prime example being World War 2
Does Islam Promote Violence and Terrorism?
If you have any questions whatsoever, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me at whyislam101@gmail.com. Additionally, feel free to visit www.whyislam.org for more information. Best wishes to all of us on our quest for the truth!
Cool Guy Muslim's Blog 
August 29, 2011 at 1:14 pm
Seriously cool website.
Very helpful.
I didn’t approach Islam with the intent of joining — I just wanted to understand more of the culture of the people I would be living amongst if I go overseas to teach. Decided since Ramadan was approaching, I would fast and pray 5 times per day. (Why not, it’s the same God?)
It has been many years since I quit my church, and tried several others.
You have a very wise answer for those who are frustrated with the bad behavior of religious organizations and their participants, ” — that, “A religion does not necessarily represent the people who practice it. ”
Maybe if I had heard that 10 years ago, I would not have gotten so frustrated with Christians that I started questioning my Christianity. But God leads us how he wills.
I just find that I like Islam.
I like connecting with God 5 times a day, and I like praying with others. I like the wisdom behind so physical a style of conducting prayers that are memorized and repeated to focus on important aspects of faith, to empty the mind and open the heart to connection with God for your personal prayers.
I think in the past, though, when I searched for a faith community, I was impatient to join with other people in prayer. I wanted to be part of the greater voice of people worshiping together, and I was hungry to hear, to be reminded of the message.
I’d had a spiritual experience with God and I was eager to fulfill His call to a greater spiritual connectedness to others in faith.
But I think being without a faith community is like being without love — too easy to be so spiritually lonely one jumps before one knows all what one needs to know in these matters.
I don’t want to do that again with religion, because it affects my faith, my relationship with God. I need to understand everything before I commit this time.
And with Islam, I really need to understand the culture(s) that go with it, because if following Islam were only about believing what is in the Qur’an, you could count me a Muslim today. But there are all these other things people have allowed in to the faith that I have to consider in my being able to follow obediently, in my ability to call myself a Muslim.
And I wonder if there is any rule against sewing velcro on your hijab to avoid pain & blood loss — that pin is getting awfully close to the jugular, you know? This could be a determining factor…
August 29, 2011 at 3:20 pm
Salam/Peace Myhijabpinhatesme,
Thanks for stopping by the website and taking the time to learn more about Islam. Often times, the line between culture and religion (truth) is blurred by many people, especially people who just grow up practicing what they’ve been taught. I think a good turning point in my life was when I went to undergrad in Baltimore, Maryland and ended up regularly attending a mosque which was mostly African-American converts while I myself was Pakistani. I saw that our cultures were completely different (I remember I tried corn bread and bean pies for the first time in bmore, heh), but in the back-bone of it all was the Islam, and it was same, alhamdulillah (All Praises due to Allah).
I’d like to encourage you to check out “the Deen Show” (http://thedeenshow.com/), where a lot of non-Muslims have been fortunate to learn more about authentic Islam from. Here’s an episode they did specifically on Culture vs Islam (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BA92oxF9Bm8) though I have to admit I haven’t watched that specific episode from start to finish. I’d recommend a lot of the Deen Show episodes, I really like Nouman Ali Khan as he appears for an episode as well on the topic of turning from atheism to Islam.
I also just updated my blog on the main page (after a really long time) with a talk I did at my grad school a while back. It goes over the purpose of life in islam, i hope you will check it out, insha’Allah (God-Willing).
In terms of your question on the other post about lowering one’s gaze. To be honest, this is something many of us struggle with, but it is a part of the religion to be modest while in the presence of the opposite gender and the rule applies to both men and women. Though how many truly strive to implement this rule may be low. it cannot be denied. However, do not allow the fact you don’t want to lower your gaze from holding you back in Islam. We make mistakes, we sin. I make a lot of mistakes and I sin. Do not think you have to be perfect before you enter Islam. Indeed, entering Islam is a point in one’s spiritual development. You ought to note that your spiritual development is a life-long project.
However, I would like to stress that lowering one’s gaze does not mean being anti-social. I personally live in New York City, am in the presence of many non-Muslims that are both male and female, and I think most of my colleagues would consider me someone quite outgoing, social, and talkative.
Also in terms of your question about using velcro versus a pin for your hijab, yeah it’s fine either way. You could even sew on buttons if you wanted. There’s no rules on how to tie one’s hijab.
If you have any other questions or want to become Muslim or anything at all, feel free to get in touch with me.
And Allah knows best.
Warm regards,
-Bilal