Peace On You Is The Greeting Of Islam

WHO ARE THE MUSLIMS?  
One billion people from a vast range of races, nationalities, and cultures across the globe -- from the southern Philippines to Nigeria -- are united by their common Islamic faith.  About 18% live in the Arab world; the world's largest Muslim community is in Indonesia; substantial parts of Asia and most of Africa are Muslim, while significant minorities are to be found in the Soviet Union, China, North and South America, and Europe.  

WHAT DO MUSLIMS BELIEVE?  
Muslims believe in One, Unique, Incomparable God; in the Angels created by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in the Day of Judgment and individual accountability for actions; in God's complete authority over human destiny and in life after death.  Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them.  But God's final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)through Gabriel.  

HOW DOES SOMEONE BECOME A MUSLIM?  
Simply by saying:  "There is no god apart from God, and Muhammad (pbuh) is the Messenger of God."  By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all God's messengers, and the scriptures they brought.  

WHAT DOES ISLAM MEAN?  
The Arabic word "Islam" simply means "submission," and derives from a word meaning "peace."  In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God.  "Mohammedanism" is thus a misnomer because it suggests that Muslims worship Muhammad (pbuh) rather than God.  is"Allah"  the Arabic name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike.  

WHY DOES ISLAM OFTEN SEEM STRANGE?  
Islam may seem exotic or even extreme in the modern world.  Perhaps this is because religion does not dominate everyday life in the West today, whereas Muslims have religion always uppermost in their minds, and make no division between secular and sacred.  They believe that the Divine Law, the Shari'a should be taken very seriously, which is why issues related to religion are still so important.  

DO ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY HAVE DIFFERENT ORIGINS?  
No.  Together with Judaism, they go back to the prophet and patriarch Abraham, and their three prophets are directly descended from his sons -- Muhammad (pbuh) from the eldest, Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus from Isaac.  Abraham established the settlement which today is the city of Makkah, and built the Ka'ba towards which all Muslims turn when they pray.  

WHAT IS THE QURAAN?  
The Quraan is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).  It was memorized by Muhammad (pbuh) and then dictated to his Companions, and written down by scribes, who cross-checked it during his lifetime.  Not one word of its 114 chapters, Suras, has been changed over the centuries, so that the Quraan is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad (pbuh) fourteen centuries ago.  

WHAT IS THE QURAAN ABOUT?  
The Quraan, the last revealed Word of God, is the prime source of every Muslim's faith and practice.  It deals with all the subjects which concern us as human beings:  wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures.  At the same time, it provides guidelines for a just society, proper human conduct and an equitable economic system.  

DOES ISLAM TOLERATE OTHER BELIEFS?  
The Qur'an says: 
"God forbids you not, with regards to those who fight you not for [your] faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loveth those who are just."  (Quraan 60:8)  

It is one function of Islamic law to protect the privileged status of minorities, and this is why non-Muslim places of worship have flourished all over the Islamic world.  History provides many examples of Muslim tolerance towards other faiths:  when Caliph Omar entered Jerusalem in the year 634, Islam granted freedom of worship to all religious communities in the city.  

Islamic law also permits non-Muslim minorities to set up their own courts, which implement family laws drawn up by the minorities themselves.  

WHAT DO MUSLIMS THINK ABOUT JESUS?  
Muslims respect and revere Jesus, and await his Second Coming.  They consider him one of the greatest of God's messengers to mankind.  A Muslim never refers to him simply as "Jesus," but always adds the phrase "upon him be peace."  The Quraan confirms his virgin birth (a chapter of the Qur'an is entitled "Mary"), and Mary is considered the purest woman in all creation.  The Quraan describes the Annunciation as follows:
"Behold!"the Angel said, "God has chosen you, and purified you, and chosen you above the women of all nations.  O Mary, God gives you good news of a word from Him, whose name shall be the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, honored in this world and the Hereafter, and one of those brought near to God.  He shall speak to the people from his cradle and in maturity, and shall be of the righteous."   (Quraan 3:41-44)
She said:  "O my Lord!  How shall I have a son when no man has touched me?"  He said:  "Even so; God creates what He Will.  When He decrees a thing, He says to it, "Be!" and it is." (Quraan 3:45-47)  

WHAT ABOUT MUSLIM WOMEN?  
Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and dispose of her property and earnings.  A marriage dowry is given by the groom to the bride for her own personal use, and she keeps her own family name rather than taking her husband's.  Both men and women are expected to dress in a way which is modest and dignified; the traditions of female dress found in some Muslim countries are often the expression of local customs.