Archive for About Islam
Islam
Posted by: | Commentsإِنَّ الدِّينَ عِندَ اللّهِ الإِسْلاَمُ
Truly, the only way of life acceptable to Allah 
is Islam.
(Surah Ali-Imran 3:19)
More than one billion people from most races, nationalities and cultures of the world are united by their common Islamic faith. Islam is the proper name of a religion; it is not pronounced, Izlam, with a “z” sound. The first syllable is pronounced like the end of the word, “bliss.” The Arabic word “Islam” means submission in peace, and in practice it is understood to mean submission in peace to the will of God Almighty. It is also understood to mean total peace that comes from surrender to the will of God Almighty (Allah ).
The people who profess the faith of Islam are called “Muslims,” not “Islamics” or “Mozlems”. Almost one-fourth of the world’s population is Muslim. And although some people mistakenly believe that all Muslims are Arab (or vice versa), Arabs make up only 18% of the world’s Muslim population. Islam is not a racial or ethnic term. Islam is truly a universal religion. In today’s ‘global village,’ there is no place on earth that they are not making an impact. Furthermore, despite media bias, the vast majority of Muslims belong to stable, loving families, and have nothing to do with terrorism or other acts of violence.
The Five Pillars of Islam – these are the core characteristics/beliefs of a Muslim
- Faith: Muslims believe that there is no God but God and that Muhammad is his messenger
- Prayer: Muslims pray in the direction of Makkah five times a day, at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall.
- Zakah or alms-giving: Muslims are required to give a portion of their wealth to the needy.
- Fasting: During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year, Muslims refrain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk in order to subjugate the passions and purify one’s being to come closer to God.
- Hajj or Pilgrimage: The annual pilgrimage or Hajj to the holy city of Makkah is an obligation only for those who are physically and financially able to perform it at least once a life time.
Islam considers six fundamental beliefs to be the foundation of the faith:
- A single, indivisible God. (God, the creator, is just, omnipotent and merciful. “Allah ” is often used to refer to God; it is the Arabic word for God.)
- The angels.
- The divine scriptures, which include the Torah, the Psalms, the rest of the Bible, (as they were originally revealed) and the Qur’an (which is composed of God’s words, dictated by the Archangel Gabriel to Muhammad).
- The Messengers of God, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and Muhammad — the last prophet; (peace be upon them). Muhammad’s message is considered the final, universal message for all of humanity.
- The Day of Judgment when people will be judged on the basis of their deeds while on earth, and will either attain reward of Heaven or punishment in Hell. They do not believe that Jesus or any other individual can atone for another person’s sin. Hell is where unbelievers and sinners spend eternity. One translation of the Qur’an, 98:1-8, states: “The unbelievers among the People of the Book and the pagans shall burn for ever in the fire of Hell. They are the vilest of all creatures.” (“People of the Book” refers to Christians, Jews and Muslims). Paradise is a place of physical and spiritual pleasure where the sinless go after death
- The supremacy of God’s will.
- - This is a beneficial and comprehensive website for all those who seek to better understand Islam. The page this address directly takes you to was designed specifically for Non- Muslims addressing the many questions they frequently ask about Islam through a series of articles and question and answer pages.
To learn the definitions of many Islamic words and phrases visit this site for a Glossary of Islamic Terms and Concepts
Islamic Websites for Non-Muslims
A special welcome goes out to our Non-Muslim visitors, and thank you for visiting our site. If you are interested on learning more about Islam feel free to visit the following web pages we’ve collected that have been specifically designed to teach Non-Muslims more about Islam. We hope they will help you discover what Islam is all about.
www.bakkah.net/articles/nonmuslim.htm
http://www.fatwa-online.com/
- This website not only address the many question Non-Muslims have on Islam, but it goes further to address many misconceptions people have on Islam in general (i.e. Islamic status of women). On the right side of this home page is a column entitled “ABOUT ISLAM” that contains easy-to-read articles on Islam followed by other articles on Islam’s misconceptions. It is beneficial to all those who wish to gain more knowledge on Islam in many areas.
How to Seek Laylatul-Qadr
Posted by: | CommentsHow to Seek Laylatul-Qadr
Shaykh Muhammad Nasir-ud-Deen al-Albani
Laylat ul-Qadr is the most blessed night. A person who misses it has indeed missed a great amount of good. If a believing person is zealous to obey his Lord and increase the good deeds in his record, he should strive to encounter this night and to pass it in worship and obedience. If this is facilitated for him, all of his previous sins will be forgiven.
Praying Qiyaam
It is recommended to make a long Qiyaam prayer during the nights on which Laylat ul-Qadr could fall. This is indicated in many hadeeths, such as the following:
Abu Tharr (radhiallahu `anhu) relates:
“We fasted with Prophet Muhammed 
in Ramadaan. He did not lead us (in qiyaam) at all until there were seven (nights of Ramadaan) left. Then he stood with us (that night – in prayer) until one third of the night had passed. He did not pray with us on the sixth. On the fifth night, he prayed with us until half of the night had passed. So we said, ‘O Prophet Muhammed ! Wouldn’t you pray with us the whole night?’ He replied:
‘Whoever stands in prayer with the imaam until he (the imaam) concludes the prayer, it is recorded for him that he prayed the whole night.’…”[Recorded by Ibn Abi Shaybah, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmithi (who authenticated it), an-Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, at-Tahawi (in Sharhu Ma`an il-Athar, Ibn Nasr, al-Faryabi, and al-Bayhaqi. Their isnad is authentic.]
[Point of benefit: Abu Dawud mentioned: "I heard Ahmad being asked, 'Do you like for a man to pray with the people or by himself during Ramadan?' He replied, 'Pray with the people' I also heard him say, 'I would prefer for one to pray (qiyaam) with the imaam and to pray witr with him as well, for the Prophet Muhammed said: "When a man prays with the imaam until he concludes, it is recorded that he prayed the rest of that night." [Masaa'il]
Abu Hurayrah (radhiallahu `anhu) narrated that the Prophet Muhammed said:
“Whoever stands (in qiyaam) in Laylat ul-Qadr [and it is facilitated for him] out of faith and expectation (of Allah ’s reward), will have all of his previous sins forgiven.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim; the addition "and it is facilitated for him" is recorded by Ahmad from the report of `Ubaadah Bin as-Samit; it means that he is permitted to be among the sincere worshippers during that blessed night]
Making Supplications
It is also recommended to make extensive supplication on this night. `A’ishah (radhiallahu `anha) reported that she asked Prophet Muhammed , “O Messenger of Allah ! If I knew which night is Laylat ul-Qadr, what should I say during it?” And he instructed her to say:
“Allahumma innaka `afuwwun tuh.ibbul `afwa fa`fu `annee – O Allah ! You are forgiving, and you love forgiveness. So forgive me.” [Recorded by Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and at-Tirmithi. Verified to be authentic by Al-Albani]
Abandoning Worldly Pleasures for the Sake of Worship
It is further recommended to spend more time in worship during the nights on which Laylat ul-Qadr is likely to be. This calls for abandoning many worldly pleasures in order to secure the time and thoughts solely for worshipping Allah . `A’ishah (radhiallahu `anha) reported:
“When the (last) ten started, the Prophet Muhammed would tighten his izaar (i.e. he stayed away from his wives in order to have more time for worship), spend the whole night awake (in prayer), and wake up his family.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
And she said:
“Allah ’s Messenger (sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam) used to exert more (in worship) on the last ten than on other nights.” [Muslim]
Eid Mubarak to you and your Family!
Posted by: | CommentsAssalam Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,
On behalf of the Muslim Students Association at UTSC,
We wish you a happy and joyful Eid!
EID MUBARAK!
Taqabal Minnah wa Minkum
May Allah accept our Ramadan, guide us to continue striving to do the good deeds and worship all year round, and bless us to see another Ramadan. Ameen.
Here is a small gift, it contains 7 hours of exclusive content by some of the veteran AlMaghrib instructors.
Eid Gift
How to get an A Grade final Exam?
Posted by: | CommentsAs salamu Alaykum Dear Members,
Final exams are always a nice time to focus on the true exam of life.
How to get an A Grade final Exam?
By Muhammad Alshareef
1. In school, you can often redo your exam if you fail. In the hereafter, if one fails there is no going back.
2. In school, you often do not know what questions will be asked. In the hereafter, there are only 3 questions: Who is your Lord? What is your Deen? And who is this man who was sent to you? But the answers are answers you live by.
3. In school, we stay up at night to prepare for the exam the next day. So too in Allah ’s exam, we should be staying up in night prayers.
4. In school, we pray and hope and work for an outstanding mark. So too should be our attitude towards Allah ’s exam.
5. In school, when we get a great mark, we erupt with happiness. So too will the believers erupt in happiness when they get their books in their right hands. Work for it.
6. In school, when we get a bad mark, sadness can be seen on our faces, and we dislike to face others. So too in the hereafter. Protect yourself from that.
7. During a school exam, you cannot ask anyone for help. In the hereafter, you can prepare from now to get assistance from Allah ’s Messenger, the Quran, and other ways of intercession.
8. In school, when exam time draws near, we banish distractions to focus on what is really important. In Allah ’s exam, isn’t death within 1 heart beat? Banish distractions and focus.
9. In school, until exam results come out, we worry about the result. In Allah ’s exam, we don’t know what our result will be, so we spend our days in hope and worry until the results come out.
