Islam and the Prophet Muhammad

Islam is a religion which means absolute submission to the Will of Allah.

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Islam is derived from the word Silm which means “peace”. Muslims, who absolutely surrender to
the Will of Allah, are supposed to be peaceful and righteous people.

The Five Pillars of Islam

Islam stands firm on five fundamental pillars – Shahada, Salah, Zakat, Saum and Hajj.
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Shahada

The Shahada or Profession of Faith is the first important requirement for a person to become
a Muslim. It is done by reciting this phrase with real conviction:

“As’hadu anla ilaha ilallah wa as’hadu anna muhammadur rasulullah”, which means “I bear
witness that there is only one God and Muhammad is His messenger.”

Muslims believe in the concept of Tawheed (or Islamic monotheism). This concept revolves
around the absolute “Oneness of God.” The practice of associating something or somebody with God
is an unforgivable sin in Islam.

Prepared by: Prof. Myrna M. Marohombsar

Salah

The Salah is the five obligatory daily prayers. Performing the Islamic prayer is considered a
manifestation of a Muslim’s submission to the will of God.

Each prayer is composed of several Rak’ah – the set of reciting supplications, bowing and
prostrations. These five obligatory daily prayers are evenly distributed all throughout the day:

Salat ul Fajr - The Dawn Prayer

Salat ul Zuhur - The Noon Prayer
Salat ul Asr - The Afternoon Prayer
Salat ul Maghrib - The Sunset Prayer
Salat ul Aisha - The Evening Prayer

Before performing the Salah, a Muslim must perform wudu – a purification ritual which is
done by washing the hands, mouth, nostrils, face, arms, head, ears and feet, and by freeing the mind
of any thoughts other than worshipping Allah. When praying, a Muslim must face Qibla – the
direction where the Kaaba is located.

Zakat

The Zakat or alms giving is the principle of social responsibility by which the possession of
wealth obligates the owner to concern himself with the people who have less. This is obligatory upon
all earning Muslims, and the amount of Zakat is at least 2.5% of a person’s annual income.

Saum

The Saum or As-siyam is the fasting during the month of Ramadan. All Muslims who have
reached puberty – except children, the sick, aged, pregnant and menstruating women, nursing
mothers and travelers – are required to fast during this month. They must abstain from food and
drink from dawn to dusk, and are to be especially mindful of other sins. Saum fosters the value of self-
restraint, discipline and a deeper sense of spirituality.

Hajj

The Hajj refers to the pilgrimage to the Holy land of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The Quran
specifically says that only those capable of making the pilgrimage are required for it involves
physically strenuous rituals, as well as financial sacrifice. The Hajj is an expression of devotion to Allah,
as well as a symbol of unity of all Muslims in the world regardless of language, culture or ethnic origin.

Prepared by: Prof. Myrna M. Marohombsar

 T h e P ro p h e t M u h a m m a d
Muhammad is the seal of the Messengers and Prophets of Allah.
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The Life of Muhammad

Muhammad was born around 570 A.D. in Mecca. Orphaned at an early age, he was raised first
by his grandfather Abd al Mutalib and then his uncle Abu Talib. Belonging to a poor but respectable
family, he worked for his uncle and gained experience in commercial trade in his early teens.

In his early 20s, Muhammad began working for a wealthy merchant woman named Khadijah,
15 years his senior. At 25 years old, he married Khadijah, and they had several children. Most of
Muhammad’s early life was spent as a merchant. At age 40, he began to have revelations from Allah
that became the basis for the foundation of Islam and the Holy Quran, the Muslim scripture. By 630
A.D., he had unified most of Arabia under a single religion. Muhammad died on June 8, 632 A.D, at the
age of 62, and was buried at al-Masjid an-Nabawi (the Mosque of the Prophet), one of the first
mosques built by Muhammad in Medina.

The Prophet
Muhammad was very religious, occasionally taking
journeys of devotion to sacred sites near Mecca. On one of
his pilgrimages in 610 A.D., the angel Gabriel appeared and
revealed that Muhammad was the messenger of Allah.

The message of Islam – There is no God but Allah,

and life should be lived in complete submission to the will
of Allah – was attractive to many people that when
Muhammad began to preach the revelations from Allah,
people flocked to listen.

Because his popularity was seen as a threat by the people in power in Mecca, Muhammad
took his followers on a journey from Mecca to Medina in 622 A.D. This journey is called the Hijrah
(migration) and the event was seen as so important for Islam that 622 is the year in which the Islamic
calendar begins.

In March 632 A.D., after the conflict with Mecca was finally settled, Muhammad personally
leads the pilgrimage to Mecca, the so-called Farewell Pilgrimage – the precedent for all future Muslim
pilgrimages. Upon his return to his wife’s home in Medina, he fell ill for several days and died on June
8, 632 A.D.

Prepared by: Prof. Myrna M. Marohombsar

 Issues on Isla m A

Being Just and Harmonious Not Eating Pork

In Islam, it is believed that all people The Quran mentioned that certain
are children of Adam. A Muslim must not foods – blood, carrion, carnivores, and pork –
harbor negative feelings or ideas about are unclean and must not be eaten. Modern
another person, and should not backbite or science also tells us that regular consumption
insult others. of pork causes certain ailments, such as high
blood and high cholesterol. Due to health
reasons, Muslims believe it is not a coincidence
Religious Tolerance
why the Quran prohibited pork.
Islam encourages peaceful coexistence
with diverse groups of various religions. Thus,
Polygyny
Muslims must allow others to practice their
own faith in peace. Polygyny is when a man has multiple
wives. In Islamic history, men were victims
during jihad, and so as a form of social
Jihad and Terrorism
obligation, those who wanted to have more
Jihad means holy war or struggle. There than one wife were advised to prioritize
are two types of Jihad: Jihad ul Asgar and Jihad widows and orphans as additional wives. A
ul Akbar. man may have up to four wives, and he must
treat each one and their children equally. Since
Jihad ul Asgar or lesser Jihad is the it is almost impossible to do, it is best to have
physical war in times of persecution. It is a just one wife. Thus, while Islam permits
defensive war where treacherous killing or polygyny, it nevertheless encourages
civilian bombing is precluded. monogamy.
Jihad ul Akbar or greater Jihad is the
holy war against one’s self. It is Jihad ul Akbar Veil Wearing
if one imposes self-restraint in times of
temptation and trials, and when one forgives The Quran instructs Muslim women to
those who have offended him. It is a greater dress modestly. Thus, when in public, Muslim
jihad because the enemy is the base appetites women should wear a veil, locally known as
of one’s self, and thus, more difficult to do. kumbong.

Prepared by: Prof. Myrna M. Marohombsar