Prophet Muhammad (SAS)

In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate

Prophet Muhammad (SAS) is the last messenger of Allah Subhanahu Taala.He was born in 570CE in the holy land of Mecca.His father's name was Abdullah and Mother was Amina,belonged to Quraish Tribe.He was orphaned at the tender age of 6 and was brought up under the care and guidance of his uncle,Abu Talib.At the age of 25, he was married to a rich merchant widow,Khadijah.Her age then was 40yrs.

Discontented with life in Mecca, he retreated to a cave in the surrounding mountains for meditation and reflection.Muhammad (SAS) was forty when, during his one of many retreats to Mount Hira for meditation during the month of Ramadan, he received the first revelation from the Archangel Jibril (Gabriel). On this first appearance, Gabriel (as) said to Muhammad(SAS): "Iqraa," meaning Read or Recite. Muhammad(SAS) replied, "I cannot read," as he had not received any formal education and did not know how to read or write. The Angel Gabriel then embraced him until he reached the limit of his endurance and after releasing said: "Iqraa." Muhammad’s answer was the same as before. Gabriel repeated the embrace for the third time, asked him to repeat after him and said:

"Recite in the name of your Lord who created! He created man from that which clings. Recite; and thy Lord is most Bountiful, He who has taught by the pen, taught man what he knew not."

These revelations are the first five verses of Surah (chapter) 96 of the Qur’an. Thus it was in the year 610 CE the revelation began.

The Holy Quran was revealed over a period of 23 years.The revelations that he received were sometimes a few verses, a part of a chapter or the whole chapter.

The mission of Prophet Muhammad (SAS) was to restore the worship of the One True God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, as taught by Prophet Ibrahim and all Prophets of God, and to demonstrate and complete the laws of moral, ethical, legal, and social conduct and all other matters of significance for the humanity at large.

For the first three years, or rather less, of his mission, the Prophet preached to his family and his intimate friends, while the people of Makkah as a whole regarded him as one who had become a little mad. The first of all his converts was his wife Khadijah, the second his first cousin Ali, whom he had adopted, the third his servant Zayd, a former slave. His old friend Abu Bakr also was among those early converts. By the end of three years of his mission only forty people accepted islam.

At the end of the third year the Prophet received the command to “arise and warn,” whereupon he began to preach in public, pointing out the wretched folly of idolatry in face of the tremendous laws of day and night, of life and death, of growth and decay, which manifest the power of Allah and attest His sovereignty. It was then, when he began to speak against their gods, that Quraysh became actively hostile, persecuting his poorer disciples, mocking and insulting him. The one consideration which prevented them from killing him was fear of the blood-vengeance of the clan to which his family belonged. Strong in his inspiration, the Prophet went on warning, pleading, threatening, while Quraysh did all they could to ridicule his teaching, and deject his followers.

During his lifetime major battles like Battle of Badr,Battle of Uhad and Battle of Trench were fought between Muslims and non believers.

The Prophet performed his first and last pilgrimage in 632 CE. One hundred twenty-thousand men and women performed pilgrimage that year with him. The Prophet received the last revelation during this pilgrimage. Two months later, Prophet Muhammad (SAS) fell ill and after several days died on Monday, 12 Rabi al-Awwal, the eleventh year after Hijra (June 8, 632 CE) in Medinah. He is buried in the same place where he died.


To read Prophet Muhammad(SAS)'s biography in detail,please click the link below:

http://www.cyberistan.org/islamic/muhammad.html
http://www.islamonline.net/english/introducingislam/Prophet/Life/article01.shtml

Five Pillars Of Islam

In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate

1. Shahadah : This is the basic creed or tenet of Islam: "'La-ilaha il lallah Muhammadur Rasool Allah, or "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet." This testament is a foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. Muslims must repeat the shahadah in prayer, and non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the creed.
2. Salat : it is a most important constituent of the faith. It is prayer of a very high level. The Holy Quran repeatedly enjoins the offering of salat and indeed declares it to be a fundamental trait of a believer.Salat strengthens man's spiritual faculties. It is the best way to form a relationship with one's Creator. It purifies one's spirit, and through it, constant remembrance of Allah delivers one of the self that incites to evil.God created man to worship Him and salat is the most excellent kind of worship.
3. Sawm : Along with salat, another important form of worship is fasting. It is obligatory for each Muslim, apart from some exemptions, to fast in the month of Ramadhan. During the hours of fasting, food and drink and conjugal relations are forbidden. It is enjoined that during fasting one should pay attention to remembrance of God and study the Holy Quran in abundance. One should try to curtail one's worldly pastimes as much as possible during Ramadhan, and to be particularly inclined towards charity and alms giving.
4. Zakat : Zakat is a part of devotion enjoined upon Muslims by the Holy Quran. It is a means where the well-off pay a set amount of their wealth. Zakat means to purify oneself. It is obligatory on Muslims to pay a little percentage of their accumulated wealth towards Zakat, which is used for the benefit of the needy and the poor. Zakat is not levied on one's property that is in personal use, rather on the assets which have a means of increasing and which are surplus to one's needs. It is a means of social justice and order. It teaches sympathy of the highest order.
   
5. Hajj : Hajj is the fifth Pillar of Islam and another form of worship. It is an annual pilgrimage to the holy sites in Mecca which each adult Muslim, who can afford it, has to perform once in life time. Apart from the financial aspect, the ability to afford the pilgrimage also means that one is able to travel and perform the Hajj in peace.

introduction to islam

In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate

This blog provides you the basic information about a religion followed by over 1.5 billion people across the globe.

The word Islam means "submission", or the total surrender of oneself to God.An adherent of Islam is known as a Muslim, meaning "one who submits to God".Islam includes many religious practices. Adherents are generally required to observe the five pillars of Islam, which are five duties that unite Muslims into a community.The five pillars are:

• The Shahadah or Testification.
• Salah or Ritual prayers
• Zakat or Alm giving
• Sawm or Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan
• Hajj or Pilgrimage during the holy month of Dhul Hajjah.

Charity

In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate

One of the five pillars of Islam is the requirement that every Muslims contribute to the Islamic charity (alms) tax or Zakat.

The purpose of the blog is to generate revenue for charity while learning about Islam thru the Posts as well as the comments from all viewers.


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