Brief introduction to Islam

Islam is a religion based upon the surrender to God, who is One. The very name of the religion, AL ISLAM is an Arabic word that means submission, which means submission to God's will and commandments. AL-ISLAM also means peace, for it is in submitting to God's will, human beings gain peace in their lives in this world and in the hereafter. Islam therefore considers itself not to be an innovation but a reassertion of the one universal truth of all the previous revelations.

Muslim is an Arabic word that means "One who is in submission". 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. The Muslim population comprises of about 82% of all colors and races. By calling and visiting your local Islamic Center, you should be able to see Muslims and new converts to Islam from all walks of life, race and color, many of them were originally born and raised under other religions. As for Arabs, they present only about 18 % of the Muslim population. Muslims are like people of other religions -Christians and Catholics for example, where there are those who are true followers of true religion and those who only claim have good and bad Just like every religion that has adherents that hold misguided beliefs or misinterpret their scriptures - those whom we call extremists - Islam harbors those as well. (I edited this sentence, but I would remove it. It doesn’t seem to follow the content of the paragraph)

Just like in any other language there is a different word for "God". For example, in the French language it is Dieu, in Spanish it is Dios, and in the Arabic language it is ALLAH -Ilah or Elah depending on the accent. Allah is the equivalent to the word Elohim in Hebrew; it is also the equivalent to Eloi, Elohi or Eli in Aramaic, the language spoken during the time of Jesus Christ (pbuh). As the French would use the word Dieu, and the Spanish the word Dios in their own language to refer to God, all Arabic speaking Christians, Jews and Muslims use the same word "Allah" to refer to God. The word "Allah" is the proper "Name" of God in Arabic. It is a unique term that has no plural form, like (gods), and it is the noun that God chose to use in all of His scriptures.

Muhammad (Mohammed) (peace be upon him) was the last of this long line of Messengers, and Islam (Accepting God and His commandments in submission) is the final expression of the Abrahamic faith and teachings. Islam shares with the other religions their original ethical teachings such as living in peace, helping the elders, loving neighbors, doing right and forbidding evil, sharing with the poor, and above all, the belief in the One God. The Messenger Muhammad (pbuh) is not considered to be divine, but a human being, chosen by Allah to reveal His Word. Muslims don't pray to Muhammad or through him. Rather, they pray directly to Allah.

Muhammad (pbuh) was born in 570 A.D. in one of the most powerful tribes in the Arabia at that time, for it had guardianship over the Ka'bah in Makkah (or Mecca). As an orphan, he was brought up by his grandfather and later by his uncle. The young Muhammad displayed exceptional virtue as a trustworthy individual whom members of his as well as those of neighboring tribes would invite to act as an arbitrator in their disputes.

Find out more; www.goodislam.com