Language/Standard-arabic/Vocabulary/Islam

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Islam = الإسلام

Islam is a word with multiple connotations. It is derived from an Arabic stem that carries the meanings of peace and submission (to Allah the Exalted and Almighty). All Abrahamic religions were sent down to discipline mankind and prepare them spiritually, physically, and intellectually in the way that is best for the fulfilment of the mission they are created for. Allah’s Messages are meant to build up the human being fit for establishing civilization and creating prosperity in the world. For this end, Allah commands us to do what is beneficial to us and forbids all that cause harm to us.

Abrahamic religions were sent down to liberate human minds and render them enlightened and mature through the divine light. Religion is not meant to be in contrast to reason and truth. Rather, it is meant to be in harmony with reason and help develop and illuminate it.

If the world’s nations look truly forward to achieving world peace, the only way left for them is to embrace the Message of Allah that is based on establishing peace between man and Allah, and man and man.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said in his teachings: “Allah shows Mercy to those who are merciful to others. Show mercy to those on earth and He up in heaven will show Mercy to you.” [Reported by Abu-Dawud (4943) and At-Tirmidhi (1924) on the authority of `Abdullah ibn `Amr (may Allah be pleased with him), and classified by At-Tirmidhi as Hasan Sahih.[1]]

Moreover, the Glorious Qur’an describes our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) saying: “We have not sent you but as a mercy to the worlds.” [Surat Al Anbiya’: 107]

Allah (Glory is to Him) says in the Glorious Qur’an: “Allah invites to the abode of peace…” [Surat Yunus: 25].

Islam establishes the greeting of peace for its adherents as an invocation of peace and mercy to be exchanged whenever they meet.

In fact, Islam was not revealed to abrogate the previous Messages of Allah, but rather to renew and perfect them. Therefore, the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “My similitude in comparison with the other Prophets before me is that of a man who has built a house nicely and beautifully, except for a place of one brick in a corner. The people go round about it and wonder at its beauty, but say: “Would that this brick be put in its place!” So I am the last (final) of the Prophets.” [Reported by Al-Bukhari (3342) and Muslim 22-(2286) on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him)].

Allah (Glory is to Him) says in the Glorious Qur’an: “Say: We believe in Allah and (in) that which had been revealed to us, and (in) that which was revealed to Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and the tribes, and (in) that which was given to Musa and Isa, and (in) that which was given to the prophets from their Lord, we do not make any distinction between any of them, and to Him do we submit.” [Surat Al-Baqarah: 136].

In this regard, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) also said: “I have the best claim to ‘Isa, son of Mariam, among the whole of mankind in this worldly life and the next life. Prophets are brothers in faith, having different mothers. Their religion is one but their mothers are different.” [Reported by Bukhari and Muslim on the authority of Abu Hurayrah (Sahih Bukhari (3259) and Sahih Muslim 143-(2365))].

Thus, Jesus (peace be upon him) was not sent to abolish the Message of Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) nor was Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) sent to strip Jesus of prophethood. Rather, each Prophet was sent to confirm the Message of his predecessor and pave the way for his successor. The Glorious Qur’an is the aggregate source that gathers the essence and wisdom of all the previous divine Messages. It calls for believing in all the Prophets; they have all been taught and sent by the One God: Allah, to Whom all Majesty belongs.

[1]A sahih (literally: sound or authentic) hadith is one which has a continuous chain comprised of transmitters of trustworthy memory and integrity from similar authorities, and which is found to be free from any irregularities (i.e. in the text) or defects (i.e. in the chain of transmitters). A hasan (literally: good) hadith is one that does not contain a disparaged transmitter in its chain and which is reported through more than one route of narration, with a chain containing truthful and reliable transmitters, but who are a degree less in their preservation/memory of hadith in comparison to the reporters of sahih hadith.

Religion = دين

Allah = الله

Prayer = الصلاة

There are five prayers daily. Fajur, Zohor, Asr, Maghrib, Eishaa'.

In Islamic traditions we understand the real meaning of 'takbir' as 'Allahu Akbar min an yusaf' (God is greater than what is described of Him) ...His ownership is real and ontological (haqiqi and takwini): He has total control over all His creation, and can lay any kind of effect on any one of them.

Therefore, every sort of knowledge, wisdom, wealth and treasure is His, and totally under His control... we should engrave in our minds the fact that we are placing the most honored part of our body (our face) on the most insignificant of things (earth).

The scope of this short appendix is too limited, and hence we shall only explain some parts of prayer here below:

Niyya (Intention)

It is not necessary for one to pronounce the niyya verbally, for the its reality is "the intention of doing an action". The musalli (the one who prays) has it in his mind and knows what prayer he is going to recite. The fuqaha in their books of jurisprudence mention the necessity of the intention of qurb (attaining nearness of Allah). They say that we must pray with the intention of attaining nearness of Allah.

The worshipper is advised to be extremely watchful lest his intention mixes with any of his worldly interests, for that will destroy the edifice of his prayer. Ethicians or the `ulama-u1-akhlaq have underscored with convincing proofs the fundamental importance of niyya or intention.

Another very important necessity is to maintain one's niyya till the end of his Salat; for at times, the musalli may begin with a purely Divine intention, but when he senses an onlooker around him, he changes his attitude due to the latter's presence.

Takbiratul Ihram

Allah is Greater

This is when the musalli pronounces the words 'Allahu Akbar' translated as `God is the Greatest' or `God is greater (than every other being)'. When uttering these words he must inculcate in himself the fact that no being in the world of creation is greater than Allah.

He should visualize the reality that every element of his body and soul is totally dependent upon Allah's Will. Hence he has no reason to think for himself as possessing any degree of greatness whatsoever. Instead he should express his lowliness in front of his Great Lord in a way that he tangibly senses his total dependence to Him.

In Islamic traditions we understand the real meaning of 'takbir' as 'Allahu Akbar min an yusaf' (God is greater than what is described of Him).

Qiyam (Standing Upright with no movements)

The Islamic jurists are of the opinion that whoever is indifferent of this pillar of Salat, his Salat becomes null and void (batil). The secret of qiyam is very interesting: the Ahlul Ma'rifa (the learned scholars) know qiyam as referring to al-tawhidul af'ali (unity of actions). This means that every action that any being performs entirely stands by the Power of Allah. (This however should not be taken to mean that God does the action for man and man has no role in his action; man has been given a will and can choose the path that he desires.) Therefore, as we stand in qiyam, we must place this exalted meaning in our hearts too.

Qira'a (Qur'an-Recitation)

The musalli then recites Suratu'l Hamd and another chapter from the Holy Qur'an. Before reciting it, however, he should, in accordance with the teachings of the Qur'an, seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Satan. Then he must recite distinctly (tartil) the Fatihatul Kitab and inculcate in his mind the meaning of every sentence that he recites. Following is a simple translation of Suratul Fatiha:

Suratu' l Fatihah

Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim

1. I begin with Allah's Name, the All-merciful (al-Rahman), Whose Grace and Mercy cover every created being, the Ever-Merciful (al-Rahim), whose specific Mercy is enjoyed by the believers.

Alhamdu lillahi Rabbil alamin

2. All praises belong only to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. (The Name Allah is a proper noun that refers to the Exalted Being and is believed to manifest all His Perfect qualities and attributes. And the word 'rabb' which we translated as 'Lord' has a much comprehensive meaning. It means `the Absolute Owner, Provider, Sustainer and Trainer'. This means God provided, and continues providing existence to us; He owns every element of our being; He provides us, out of His Mercy any perfection that He wants, and guides us at every step on our way to His nearness.)

Al Rahmanir Rahim

3. The All-merciful (al-Rahman), Whose Grace and Mercy covers every created being, the Ever-Merciful (al-Rahim), whose specific Mercy is enjoyed by the believers.

Maliki yawmiddin

4. Owner of the Day of Judgment (and every existing being). (We must understand the fact that Allah's ownership is not relative or superficial, as is man's. His ownership is real and ontological (haqiqi and takwini): He has total control over all His creation, and can lay any kind of effect on any one of them. Therefore, every sort of knowledge, wisdom, wealth, treasure is His, and totally under His control. )

Iyyaka na'budu wa iyyaka nasta'in

5. You alone we worship, and from You alone we seek help.

Ihdinas siratal mustaqim

6. (O Allah) Guide us on the straight path.

Siratal ladhina an'amta `alayhim ghayril maghdubi `alayhim walad dallin

7. The path of those on whom You have blessed; not of those who have earned Your wrath, nor of those who have gone astray.

Having recited Suratu'1 Hamd the musalli is allowed to recite any other Sura of the Holy Qur'an apart from those that contain verses, that if read or heard, oblige him to prostrate (or do sajda) according to the Islamic law.

Since many of us recite Surat al-Tawhid as our second Sara, I shall give a simple meaning of the same in the following pages.

Surat at-Tawhid

Bismillahir Bahmanir Rahim

1. I begin with Allah's Name, the All-merciful (al-Rahman), Whose Mercy covers every dependent being, the Ever-Merciful (al-­Rahim), whose specific Mercy is enjoyed by the believers.

Qul Huwallahu Ahad

2. Say (O Muhammad) He Allah is One (meaning Non-composite He cannot be divided like the divisible one. He possesses Infinite existence)

Allahus Samad

3. Allah, the Everlasting Refuge 1

Lam yalid wa lam yulad

4. He begets not (i.e. nothing has been separated from his Exalted Nature), nor is he begotten (i.e. he did not separate or come out from another being)

Wa lam yakun lahu kufuwan Ahad

5. And there is none like Him (because every other being has been created, and is dependent, save Him the Independent).

Ruku' (Bending In Utter Humility)

Then the musalli bends in humbleness to his Lord, and expresses Allah's Immaculate Nature, as follows:

Subhana Rabbiyal `aDhimi wa bihamdih

Free from all imperfections is my Exalted Lord,

And I praise Him.

Sujud (Prostration)

Sujud is known to be the Highest Degree of submission (istikana) to God. Therefore, as we recite the dhikr of sujud, we should inculcate in our minds the fact that we are placing the most honored part of our body (our face) on the most insignificant of things (earth).

The dhikr of sujud is as follows:

Subhana Rabbiyal a`alaa wa bihamdih

Free from defects is my Lord, the Most High,

And I praise Him.

Pray for = دعاء

Duaa = دعاء

Zakat = الزكاة

In Islam rich people have to help poor people. Zakat is a way of providing help for the poor people yearly. It's one of the most important things that every Muslim have to do.

Zakat, or almsgiving, is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with prayer, fasting, pilgrimage (Hajj) and belief in Allah (SWT) and His Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (SAW). For every sane, adult Muslim who owns wealth over a certain amount – known as the nisab – he or she must pay 2.5% of that wealth as Zakat.

“…and those in whose wealth there is a recognised right, for the needy and deprived” (Qur’an 70:24-5)

What is Nisab?

The nisab is the minimum amount of wealth a Muslim must possess before they become eligible to pay Zakat. This amount is often referred to as the nisab threshold.

Gold and silver are the two values used to calculate the nisab threshold. The nisab is the value of 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver.

Nisab Value (as of 06/05/2020):

Using value of silver (612.36 grams) – approximately £240.05

Using value of gold (87.48 grams) – approximately £3,868.37

Fasting = صوم

  • In Quran, Allah (swt) has said, “O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may (learn) taqwa (self-restraint)” (Al-Quran: Surah Al-Baqarah 2:183)
  • Fasting is a unique moral and spiritual characteristic of Islam. Literally defined, fasting means to abstain “completely” from foods, drinks, intimate intercourse and smoking, before the break of the dawn till sunset. But if we restrict the meaning of the Islamic Fasting to this literal sense, we would be sadly mistaken.
  • Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said, “Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)” (Sahih Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 31, Number 127).
  • Islamic fasting in Ramadan month every year. Muslims fast from the sunrise "Fajur Time" to the sunset "Maghrib Time", along this period of time Muslims don't eat or drink any thing. But once it's the sunset Muslims eat and drink whatever they want. This month is a great occasion for Muslims.

Pilgrimage = حج

  • It's a season when Muslims leave every thing behind and travel to mecca for Hajj "pilgrimage" to pray and ask Allah to forgive them about every thing wrong they did. All Muslims who have the financial and phisical ability for Hajj have to do it at least once during their life.
  • The Hajj, sometimes spelt Haj, is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims are expected to make at least once in their lifetime. The word Hajj is an Arabic word, meaning ‘to intend a journey’.

Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam – the others are shahadah (declaration of faith); salat (daily prayer); zakat (giving of alms); sawm (fasting in Ramadan).

Prophet = نبي Messenger = رسول

  • A Prophet is one to whom a law is revealed but he is not commanded to convey it.
  • A messenger is one to whom a law is revealed and he is commanded to convey it.
  •  But this distinction is not free of problems, because a Prophet is also commanded to call people, convey the Message and judge among the people. Hence Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah said: The correct view is that the Messenger is one who is sent to a disbelieving people, and the Prophet is one who is sent to a believing people with the sharee’ah of the Messenger who came before him, to teach them and judge between them,

Monotheism = التوحيد

In Islam this word means that Allah is the only God. Allah has no son, no wife, and no partner.

The concept of monotheism (known as tawhîd in Arabic) is the single most important concept in Islam.  Everything in Islam is built upon it.  Islam calls to the absolute oneness of God.  No act of worship or devotion has any meaning or value if this concept is in any way compromised.

Monotheism can be looked at from the following three angles:

1.     The Oneness of God in His Lordship

2.     Devotion of All Worship to God Alone

3.     The Oneness of God in His Names and Attributes

Resources

https://www.islamreligion.com/articles/10334/islamic-monotheism/

https://islamqa.info/en/answers/11725/the-difference-between-a-messenger-and-a-prophet

https://www.islamichelp.org.uk/what-we-do/seasonal/qurbani/what-is-hajj/

https://www.hidaya.org/publications/ramadan-information/what-is-fasting-in-islam/

https://www.islamic-relief.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/zakat/

https://www.al-islam.org/soaring-to-the-only-beloved/part-7-meaning-prayer

https://alfarooqcentre.com/en/islam/definition-of-islam/

https://surahquran.com/English/

Videos about Islam

Modern challenges Islamic Solutions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmZ14_8uICo

How do muslims pray?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ4MEK7TFBo

How is the Call to Prayer?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fe8qRj12OhY

Full Magrib Prayer at Masjid Al Haram

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4tI6UxIWWaY

Isha Prayer with English translation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Y-Z3dmb4x8

How to deal with opposite gender?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUh_6xSVeMQ

Why Muslims Fast in Ramadan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhIeLXrwGGQ

Recommended English Youtube channels About Islam

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTzmbtcSKJu6h57ylVAp_ZA

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnCZcEg2ix4F4LTEJnC4WPg

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNdUFOtzSx3FS71pHkQLxhQ

Other related videos

Professor Garry Wills: What the Qur'an meant and why it matters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ANo1DYSWyc

Ramadan in Korea

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oc3cIRy59QQ

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