Islam: A Brief: Pergas

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ISLAM : A BRIEF INTRODUCTION prepared by :

Ustaz Zhulkeflee Hj Ismail

PERGAS (Singapore Islamic Scholars & Religious Teachers’ Association)

©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

UNDERSTANDING FROM THE TERMS ◗

“ISLAM” - “peaceful submission and obedience to God”

name and description of the religion revealed by God from Adam, continuously established by many prophets and culminated with Prophet Muhammad. 2 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

UNDERSTANDING FROM THE TERMS ◗

“AD-DEEN” - usually translated as “the religion” more accurately it should be “a total way of life or a comprehensive system of living”

a Muslim regard his/her entire life as a religious experience. Islam provides for guidance in not only matters of worship but as to how he/she is to conduct in daily matters - be it social, economic etc. 3 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

UNDERSTANDING FROM THE TERMS ◗

“MUSLIM” - literally it means “one who submits and obey, willingly surrenders to the will of God”

it refers to followers of Islam, which now numbers over 1.2 billion people of diverse race and nationality. It is wrong and in bad taste to refer to them as “Muhammadan” or “Mussalman” 4 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

UNDERSTANDING FROM THE TERMS ◗

“ALLAH” - the name of God in Arabic. It refers to the One and only God of the Universe.

In Arabic it is in a proper noun, the name which has no equivalent in other non-Semitic language. “Allah is the Unique, the Absolute One having no partners, Creator and Lord (Sustainer) of the Universe.” 5 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

‫‪OUR BASIC STAND‬‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ٓ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ٓ‬ ‫ْ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ما أنزِ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫و‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ين‬ ‫ۡ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫إ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫نز‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ما‬ ‫و‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ٱ‬ ‫من‬ ‫َا‬ ‫ء‬ ‫ا‬ ‫و‬ ‫للل‬ ‫ب‬ ‫ا‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ِ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ َ‬ ‫َ َ‬ ‫َ ِ‬ ‫قُول ٓ‬ ‫ِ ِ‬ ‫ملٰعِي َ‬ ‫ق‬ ‫ل وَإِسۡ َ‬ ‫حلٰ َ‬ ‫م وَإِسۡ َ‬ ‫إِلَىٰٓ إِبَۡرٲهِلۧ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ٓ‬ ‫سىٰ‬ ‫ب َوٱلل ۡلأ ۡ‬ ‫وَي َ ۡع ُ‬ ‫سبَا ِ‬ ‫قو َ‬ ‫مو َ‬ ‫ى ُ‬ ‫ط وَ َ‬ ‫ما أوت ِ َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ٱ‬ ‫وت‬ ‫من َّرب ِّهِمۡ َل‬ ‫ن‬ ‫و‬ ‫ي‬ ‫ب‬ ‫لن‬ ‫ى‬ ‫وَ ِ‬ ‫ما ٓ أ ِ َ ّ ِ ّ َ ِ‬ ‫عي َ‬ ‫سىٰ وَ َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫هۥ‬ ‫م وَن َ ۡ‬ ‫منهُ ۡ‬ ‫حد ِّ ۡ‬ ‫نُ َ‬ ‫ن أ ٍ۬ َ‬ ‫نل ُ‬ ‫ح ُ‬ ‫فّرِقُ ب َ ۡي َ‬ ‫ن‬ ‫مو َ‬ ‫مسۡل ِ ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫‪6‬‬ ‫‪©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail‬‬

OUR BASIC STAND 

“Say : We believe in Allah, and in that which has been revealed to us and that which has been sent down on Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac and Jacob, and the tribes, and that which was given to Moses and Jesus and the prophets of their lord; we make no division between any of them, and to Him (Allah) we surrender (as Muslims).” (Qur’an : al- Baqarah : 2 : 135) 7

©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

ADAM NOAH (Nuh)

(other nations) (Shem)

(Ham)

“for We assuredly sent amongst every nation, a Messenger” (Q: Nahl : 16:36)

(other nations)

ABRAHAM (Ibrahim)

(1st Born)

ISHMAEL (Isma’il)

(The Quraysh tribe in Mecca, direct descendants of Ishmael)

MUHAMMAD (The chosen Seal of Prophethood) ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

(Yaphet)

(2nd Born)

ISAAC (Ishaq) JACOB (Ya’akub)) JOSEPH (Yusuf) MOSES (Musa) DAVID (Dawud) SOLOMON (Sulaiman) (many others amongst Israelite)

JOHN THE BAPTIST (Yahya) JESUS CHRIST (‘Isa al-Masih) 8

The Basic Message of Islam: TAWHIID - Attestation to the Oneness of God. LAA-ILAA-HA- IL-LALLAAH “There is no other god except Allah”

َ َ َ ّ ّ َ ‫د‬ ‫م‬ ‫ص‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ٱ‬ ‫ه‬ ‫لل‬ ‫ٱ‬ ‫د‬ ‫ح‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ه‬ ُ َ ّ ٌ َ ُ ‫قُلۡ هُوَ ٱلل‬ ُ َّ ُ َ َ َ َ ‫ۥ‬ ‫ه‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ن‬ ‫ك‬ ‫ي‬ ‫م‬ ۡ ‫ل‬ ‫و‬ ‫د‬ ۡ ‫ول‬ ‫ي‬ ‫م‬ ۡ ‫ل‬ ‫و‬ ‫د‬ ۡ ‫ل‬ ‫ي‬ ‫م‬ ۡ ِ َ ُ َ ‫ل‬ ُ َ َ َ ‫حد‬ َُۢ ‫فوًا أ‬ ُ ُ ‫ڪ‬ 9 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

The Basic Message of Islam: TAWHIID - Attestation to the Oneness of God. LAA-ILAA-HA- IL-LALLAAH “There is no other god except Allah” (Who is God?) - Purity of Faith in God:

Say: He is Allah, the Absolute One; Allah is He, the Absolute and Eternal (Who is the most besought of all); He begets not, nor was He begotten; And there is none comparable to Him. (Qur’an : 112) 10 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

LAA-ILAAHA-IL-LALLAAH There is no other god except Allah MUHAM-MADUR-RASUU LULLAAH Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah (Tawheed) Attestation to the Oneness of God (3 aspects)

IIMAN

‘AMAL

IHSAN

(Faith or Conviction or Belief)

(Practice)

(Righteous or Best Conduct) 11

©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

LAA-ILAAHA-IL-LALLAAH There is no other god except Allah MUHAM-MADUR-RASUU LULLAAH Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah

IIMAN (Faith/Conviction/Belief) Articles of Faith •Solemnly believe in Allah •Believe in His Angels •Believe in His Books •Believe in His Prophets •Believe in Day of Judgement life in the Hereafter •Believe in Foreknowledge of Allah ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

and 12

LAA-ILAAHA-IL-LALLAAH There is no other god except Allah MUHAM-MADUR-RASUU LULLAAH Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah

AMAL (Practice) Principles of Submission (Islam) • • • • •

Declaration of Faith 5 Obligatory daily prayers Zakah (Tax on wealth) Fasting in Ramadhan Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) 13

©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

LAA-ILAAHA-IL-LALLAAH There is no other god except Allah MUHAM-MADUR-RASUU LULLAAH Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah

IHSAN (Righteous or Best conduct) Sincerity in worshipping God as stated by the Prophet (pbuh) : “ ‘Ihsan’ is that you serve or worship Allah as though you see Him, if you see Him not, certainly He sees you.”

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The Sources of Islamic Teachings Al-Qur’an : the Book revealed to Muhammad [pbuh] over a period of 23 years. The term “Qur’an” means “Recitation”, and it is literally the “words of God”, completed and preserved entirely in the original Arabic.

As- Sunnah : the “Ways” or “examples”shown by Muhammad [pbuh] in his life. It manifest how the guidance of Allah is to be implemented. Records of this are compiled verified and preserved in a corpus called “Al-HADITH” - meaning “the reports.” 15 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

The Sources of Islamic Teachings Al- Qur’an Aqidah ( Theology )

‘IBADAH Devotions

As- Sunnah Shari’ah (Law, comprehensive way)

MU’AMALAT Social transactions FARA’ID Inheritance

JINAAYAT Criminal

Akhlaq/Tasawuf (Science of human disposition) MUNAKAHAT Marriage & Family

AQODHIYAT Judiciary

‘IMARAH Leadership & govt

JIHAD Strive in war & peace 16

©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

‫‪Universal brotherhood of Man‬‬

‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫من‬ ‫خل ۡ‬ ‫ا‬ ‫لن‬ ‫ٱ‬ ‫َلا‬ ‫ہ‬ ‫ي‬ ‫س إِن ّ ُا َ‬ ‫قن َ ٰلكم ِّ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫ي َ ٰل ٓأ ّ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ذ َ ٍ۬كَروَأنثَىٰ‬ ‫وب وَقَبَآٮ ِٕ َ‬ ‫م ُ‬ ‫ل‬ ‫شعُ ً۬ا‬ ‫جعَ ۡلن َ ٰلك ُ ۡ‬ ‫وَ َ‬ ‫لِتَعَاَرفُوٓا‌لْ‌ۚ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ّ‬ ‫َ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫ُ‬ ‫م‬ ‫قٮك ۡ‌ۚ‬ ‫عند َٱللهِ أ ۡت َ ٰ‬ ‫ر‬ ‫ڪ‬ ‫ۡ‬ ‫أ‬ ‫ن‬ ‫مكمۡ ِ‬ ‫إِ ّ‬ ‫َللل َ‬ ‫َ َّ‬ ‫خبِيٌر۬‬ ‫م َ‬ ‫إِ ّ‬ ‫ه عَلِي ٌ‬ ‫ن ٱلل َ‬ ‫‪17‬‬ ‫‪©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail‬‬

Universal brotherhood of Man  “O

Mankind! Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another. Verily the noblest of you in the sight of Allah is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, Allah is all-knowing, all-aware.” (Q: al- Hujurat : 49 : 13) 18

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How to be with a Muslim ……..  Greetings between Muslims will usually be with :

“As-salaa-mu -‘alaikum” meaning “peace be unto you”

- to which the other Muslim will reply :

“Wa-’alay-kum salaam warah-matullaah” meaning “and unto you be peace and the blessings of Allah” 19 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

How to be with a Muslim ……..  Shaking hands (as a rule, including

-

physical contact) is only between persons of similar gender (i.e.male with male, and female with female) Exceptions for family members only or with very old people. Accommodating customs of others by some Muslims, so as not to offend, is another exception (which does not change the rule.) 20

©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

How to be with a Muslim …….. Muslim personal hygiene Muslims are commanded to maintain a high standard of hygiene. There are things that is categorised as ‘filthy’ and when Muslim comes into contact with them, he/she will have to clean himself eg. :

- all manner of personal discharge such as urine, excrement, blood, pus, vomit; 21 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

How to be with a Muslim …….. Muslim personal hygiene

Muslims are commanded to maintain a high standard of hygiene. There are things that is categorised as ‘filthy’ and when Muslim comes into contact with them, he/she will have to clean himself e.g.. :

- flesh of forbidden meat such as pork (and all its parts) ; - dogs saliva;

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How to be with a Muslim …….. Muslims’ diet Muslims only eat and drink what is deemed Halal (lawful).Things which are Haram (forbidden) are : - flesh of swine - i.e. pork; - animal not slaughtered in the Islamic way; - blood; - intoxicant (alcoholic drinks and drug-abuse etc); - amphibious creatures and animals with fangs and talons; 23 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

How to be with a Muslim …….. Muslims’ dress code Muslims have to conform to a dress code of modesty and purity. - For men, the area between the navel and knees must not be exposed. - And for Muslim lady, to other than her husband and family, she is required to modestly cover her body except for her face and hands. - the dress must not have any impurity. 24 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

How to be with a Muslim …….. Muslims’ daily religious ritual . Muslims have to perform the 5 daily prayer. These usually takes about 5 to 10 minutes each, and its performance coincide with usual break from work. : - Subuh (at dawn) - Zuhur [noon - lunch time] - Asar [late afternoon] - Maghrib [after sunset] - Isya’ [at night]

- Every Friday, Muslim men have to perform the noon prayer in congregation in mosques. 25 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

How to be with a Muslim …….. Muslims’

daily religious ritual .

In one month (Ramadhan) every year, Muslims have to observe daily fasting. They abstain from food, drink, conjugal relations with their wives from dawn until sunset. 26 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

How to be with a Muslim …….. Preference in using right hand. Muslims are encourage to use the right hand in pointing, offering things to someone etc. This is because ,the left hand is reserved for ‘cleansing’ purposes.

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Guidelines on how to get Muslim’s to interact socially …….. Respecting Muslims’ belief. Muslims are strictly monotheistic. Although Muslims respect the right of others to their faith, Muslims are required to guard themselves from being involved in any acts of “shirk” – rites of worship of other religion or being involved or seen as condoning acts of ascribing partners to God. Yet, Muslims are commanded to respect the rights of others to practice their religion and customary ways in accordance with their faith. 28 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

Guidelines on how to get Muslim’s to interact socially …….. Respecting Muslims moral

stand.

Muslims detest every shameful or immoral deeds as stipulated by Islam. Although we cannot dictate upon others our standard because we respect their right to adhere to their own religious standard, yet we hope nonMuslims can understand our aversion whenever we decline to be involved in function where such things abounds. 29 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

Guidelines on how to get Muslim’s to interact socially …….. Respecting Muslims Halal diet. Muslims are always mindful when it comes to eating. It is best to ensure food served or catered, conform to MUIS standards of halal -ness. Cutlery used must also adhere to a standard. So it is best to use either ‘throw- aways’ or ensure separate utensils. 30 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

Guidelines for non-Muslim guest visiting a mosque …….. Things to observe - Must have permission ( for non-Muslim ) - Must be properly attired; - remove footwear before entering and to observe strict cleanliness in it; - to observe respect and maintain silence so as not to distract worshippers; - obey any other conditions which the mosque may have; 31 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

Guidelines for non-Muslim guest Visiting a Muslim home ……..

Things to note

- although Muslims are taught to be hospitable, permission must be sought before entering; - to remove footwear before entering and to observe strict cleanliness in it; - sometimes male and female are allocated different place/space; - it is polite to reciprocate hospitality shown; - preferably try to avoid visiting just after sunset (prayer time); 32 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

Guidelines for non-Muslim guest visiting a Muslim bereavement …  Important to note A Muslim funeral is usually carried out within 24 hours of death; ◗ The body is bathe, shrouded and prayer is performed over the body; ◗ The men usually are actively involved until the burial; ◗ Those wishing to convey condolences to family member must observe rule of (male/female) segregation; ◗ Contributions are customarily accepted but for those sending wreath, do deliver it to the cemetery and not to the home; 33 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

Muslims Days of Celebration …….. EID-UL-FITR’ 

Not a new year. Celebration to signify the end of one month Ramadhan fasting. Mark with prayer and visiting amongst Muslims. Muslims may have an ‘open house’ to all friends and acquaintance,

EID-UL-ADHA 

Another important celebration. The theme is ‘sacrifice’. Apart from prayer, Muslims will carry out slaughtering of sheep and distribute the meat to the poor and needy, 34

©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

Muslims Days of Celebration ……..  AWWAL MUHARAM 

This is the Muslim new year, but in Singapore it is not a holiday. Muslims commemorate this with functions, lectures etc. in mosques.

 MILADUN-NABI 

This is to commemorate the birth of the Prophet Muhammad [pbuh].

35 ©2006ZhulkefleeHjIsmail

THANK YOU ! ◗

NOW IS THE QUESTION TIME ………

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