Introduction to Islam

No doubt you will have heard the word 'Islam' being used in reference to different things and you will have heard it is a religion with followers who are called 'Muslims'. Did you know that about 1 in 5 people in the world are Muslim? There are more than one and a half billion (1500 000 000) followers of Islam around the world and you will have seen quite a few throughout your life, sometimes without knowing it. Islam is a fast growing religion which is being accepted by many people from all walks of life and in every country.

You might believe Islam is a weird or even exotic religion that holds no resemblance to the religions of your country. You'll be glad to know that Islam is not as exotic or as weird as you may have thought. These ideas are just misunderstandings and you will discover that Islam is more than just a religion and it is similar to the other major world religions.

Islam is a Monotheistic (one God) religion much like its predecessors - Judaism and Christianity. Islam was born about 1400 years ago in the land of Arabia and founded by Prophet Muhammed (SAW). But saying Islam was 'born' is incorrect. You see... Islam is just a continuation of the religion that was taught by Adam through to Jesus (PBUT). These Prophets were sent by God to guide the people so that they may know their Creator (God) and live happy and peaceful lives and after their death they would enter the kingdom of heaven. Islamic belief is that we share the same God with the Jews and the Christians and other not well-known faiths. We just call God 'Allah' because it is the Arabic word for God and we believe in two extra Prophets as a pose to Judaism and Christianity. These Prophets are Jesus (PBUH) and Muhammed (SAW).

With what I have told you now, we can assume that none of the Prophets were Jews or Christians or followers of any other religion except Islam because the word Islam means 'Submitting your will to Allah (God)' and the Prophets all submitted their will to Allah no doubt!

One of the main ideas people have subconsciously in their head is that Islam is a religion only for the Arabs, Pakistanis or for people who are brown skinned. This is extremely wrong because anybody in this world regardless of nationality, race, sex or color can become a Muslim and be fully accepted and treated equally. And Islam was not sent only to the Arabs but was a universal mesage for the whole of mankind! It was meant for YOU!

It is important to get some terminologies correct when referring to Islam. Here is a table to show you how the words relate:

What it is	The Muslim Word	The Christian Word	The Jewish Word
Religion is	Islam	Christianity	Judaism
Followers are called	Muslims	Christians	Jews
That person is a	Muslim	Christian	Jew
He's	Muslim	Christian	Jewish

It is important to understand that because Islam has so many followers from all over the world, Muslims don't speak the same language. Some speak Arabic, others Urdu, others Chinese, others English, and there are many other languages. In the same light, you should also understand that not all Muslims think the same and they don't have the same mind-set and support the same political and social organizations. They all wear different types of clothes and look different to each other so the traditional steriotype of muslims' dress need not apply either! And, like any other society we have followers who are right-winged, others who are conservative, or liberal, as well as other political stands. It is important to remember that not all Muslim's actions represent the teachings of our religion, so you cannot judge our religion by the actions of a small group of so-called Muslims who act against our teachings.

Like stated before, Islam is not just a religion but it is also a way of life. Muslims wish to follow God's will and rules; And by doing so we are forbidden to do certain anti-social and unacceptable actions so we have to change our lifestyles a bit to suit the teachings of our faith. For example, a Muslim cannot call himself a believer and be a thief.

There is more to Islam than just the people and the religious teachings. The Muslims had a great empire at one time and ruled many lands and they were once at the height of knowledge and education with the first universities and the best doctors and surgeons in the world. Also we used to have the greatest buildings and the best architecture and we had our wonderful Islamic Art at a time when other civilizations were still living in mud and straw huts. Islam has a heritage of science, knowledge, philosophy and art. Islam is the light where there is dark. Islam is beauty.