Frequently Asked Questions

Allāh is simply the Arabic word for God, the same God worshiped by Christians and Jews. Muslims prefer to use the term Allah for God, as Allah is unique and immune from any connotations used with the word 'God'. It is the same God of Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them), not any different God. Christian and Jewish Arabs also refer to God as Allāh.

The Qur'ān is the honoured book of Islām. Muslims believe that the Qur'ān was divinely revealed and is the last testament of God. The Qur'ān is preserved in its original Arabic form and is unanimously accepted that it has never been altered – preserved both orally and in written form.

A: There are five Pillars in Islām: Declaration of the Faith: To testify there is no deity worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God Prayer: Pray towards Makkah five times each day Charity: Donate a portion of your wealth to the poor Fasting: Go without food, drink and having relations with your spouses from dawn until sunset during the month of Ramadan Pilgrimage: Visit Makkah and perform the Hajj once in a lifetime, if you have the means (health & finance) to do so. B. These pillars are built on the Articles of Faith (Belief) One God: There is only One God with no associate or partner. All that happened in the past, is happening now and is going to happen in the future is by the will and knowledge of God. The Angels: Angels are created from light and execute the commands of God without question. Scriptures of God: These include the Torah, the Psalms of David, The Gospel revealed to Jesus and the Qur'ān. Prophets of God: There were thousands of prophets (peace be upon them all) sent to mankind throughout our existence in this world, calling to the same message of God. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the last prophet for all humanity and completed the message of God. Day of Judgment: On this day all mankind will be raised back to life for accountability and be judged by God. Those whose good deeds outweigh their bad deeds will be allowed to enter Paradise and those whose bad deeds outweigh their good deeds will be condemned to Hell except on whom God has mercy on in His wisdom. Divine Decree: God's predestination of all things and events and His Decree. Nothing in the universe can occur without the knowledge of God. Whatever He desires, it occurs and whatever He does not will, it doesn't occur. There is no power or any movement except by God. Life after Death: The eternal life in Paradise where one will be rewarded for living a righteous life on Earth, or the fire of Hell where one will be punished for the evil that one committed consciously.

Muslims pray five times a day because God prescribed it. Just like a healthy physical body requires 3 times meals to survive, our souls require feeding by spiritual connection through prayers. For those who do not know the values of prayer may think it is too much. For those who practice the prayer, take solace in it as they are praising, glorifying and talking to the Greatest. Hence at five times during the day no matter what circumstances surround them they focus back to God and the true realities of life, in order to attain happiness, peace and tranquility.

The Ka'bāh is the first house built for the worship of God on earth. It was originally built by Adam and then rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael. God has chosen the Ka'bāh as a focal point of unity of pray for all the Believers all over the world.

Prophet Muhammad was the last and final prophet sent by God. He completed the lineage of prophets which included Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Moses and Jesus. He was born in Makkah in the year 570 C.E., during the period of history Europeans call the Middle Ages. The Prophet Muhammad was the son of Abdullah, a noble from the tribe of the Quraysh. His father died before his birth and his mother, Aminah died shortly afterwards. He was then raised by his uncle, Abu Talib. As he grew up, Muhammad became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, earning the title of al-Amin, the trustworthy one. He was of a contemplative nature and had long detested the decadence of his society. It became his habit to retreat from time to time in the Cave of Hira' near the summit of 'Mountain of Light' near Makkah.

Not at all! Muslims only worship Allah (from word al-ilaah, the One worthy of worship). For this reason they are not called Muhammadans. For example, Christians worship Christ and are hence called Christians. It is the greatest sin in Islām to worship anybody or anything else alongside God Almighty.

Muslims are obligated to believe in Jesus and Mary (peace be upon them). They deeply respect them and consider them to be amongst the greatest of human beings with Jesus being one of the greatest Messengers of God and His mother Mary, the greatest of all women. In the Qur'ān there is one chapter (Sūrah) in the name of Mary herself – Sūrah 19. No other woman's name was revealed explicitly in the Qur'ān except that of Mary. Muslims revere, love and respect Jesus (p), but do not worship or attribute any divine qualities to him, as this is reserved solely for God Almighty.

In Islām, every person is born free of sin. It would be inhumane and unjust that God would create us with sins. God is so merciful. He created us as pure as crystal ice. It is only after the age of puberty that one will be accounted for his deeds and actions preceded by intention. At that time, we will be rewarded ten times for any good deeds and we will be charged once for every bad deed. If we ask forgiveness from God, He will forgive us. Because we are born free of sins, we do not need to be baptised. We are already born as Muslims (in Obedience).

No. the concept of original sin does not exist in Islam. In fact, the concept of original goodness exists. God is just and thus no person is held accountable for any sin that they themselves were not responsible for.

Death is a passage from this temporal world to the next eternal world. Each person will be resurrected to be held accountable on the Day of Judgement. If a person lives a good honourable life by obeying and worshiping Allah (One True God), they will be entered into an Eternal Bliss- Paradise through mercy of Allah. However, if one chooses to consciously disbelieve and lead a heedless lifestyle, then evil consequences of Hellfire await them. If there was no afterlife in which the good were rewarded and bad punished, that would contradict the perfect justice of God Almighty, and life would not be fair. Making this important and conscious choice in this brief life of this world of an average 70 years, makes our final destiny which is never ending.

There are currently 1.6 Billion Muslims in the world, with about 2-3 million living in the United Kingdom. Contrary to popular perception, only 20% of Muslims are Arabs and live in the Middle East. The countries with the largest Muslim populations are India and Indonesia with about 175 million Muslims each.

No! Any person who reads, writes and speaks the Arabic language is called an Arab. There are about 1.6 billion Muslims in the world. 20% are considered Arabs while the rest are non-Arabs. There are about 8% who are non-Muslims Arabs, such as Christians, Jews, Assyrians, Atheists, Agnostics, etc. However, every Muslim has to strive study and learn the Arabic language so that he/she will be able to pray daily and to read the Qur'ān in the Arabic language.

Jihād linguistically means of 'exerting one's best efforts,' involving some form of 'struggle' and 'resistance' to achieve a particular goal. In the Qur'ān this word has been used in different connotations – entailing to strive in the way of God, verbally, monetarily and physically. In the context of war, the Qur'ān legislates the performance of striving (Jihād) in order to make His word the highest in the land, defend or establish the religion, remove oppression between men, women and children and to remove turmoil and corruption. A point to note – there are strict laws governing the engagement of the enemy and the treatment of prisoners of war – all of which was laid down by God and demonstrated by His last Prophet.

Islam is a religion of peace and emphatically denounces any act of terrorism. In fact, during any legitimate war, Muslims are not allowed to even destroy any plants and animals unnecessarily, let alone innocent human beings. However, it is important to distinguish between terrorism and legitimate resistance to occupation.

They do so in obedience to God. He has asked them to hide their beauty except to those whom He permits and any woman who does so fulfills the command that God has placed on her. God has legislated for all members of society and each individual will be judged according to commands that were ordained for him or her. The rights a wife has on her husband, or a son on his mother or a brother to his sister all vary – and although they are different, quintessentially our submission to God is judged according to how we observe them. In addition, however, their Hijab (covering) protects them and demands respect from men who otherwise would have judged them by their looks as opposed to what they say or do. The concept of keeping a women's beauty hidden is not unique to Islām but exists in many other faiths including Christian Nuns who wear similar attire to some Muslim women.

Halal, is an Arabic word for lawful. Lawful are foods that are permitted by God, for any to consume, especially Muslims (those who obey God). Generally, most foods and beverages are considered as Halal, with exceptions being pig and alcohol. Meats and poultry must be slaughtered humanely and correctly as prescribed by God Almighty, which includes mentioning God's name before slaughter and minimising the suffering of the animals.

Freedom of conscience is laid down by the Qur'ān itself: "There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion.." (2:256) The life, honour and property of all citizens in an Islāmic state are considered sacred whether the person is Muslim or not. "O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you. Indeed, God is Knowing and Acquainted." (Qur'ān 49:13)

Allah (God Almighty) has opened doors of Islam to all of mankind, regardless of their past or current situation. Becoming a Muslim means acknowledging the greatness and concept of God in Islam, developing and maintaining a sincere close relationship by obeying Him consciously and willingly. This will lead one to contentment and happiness in this life and the next, the realisation of one's purpose in this ephemeral life. Therefore, anyone can become a Muslim at anytime by simply believing in and uttering the following testimony of faith, الشهادة أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمداً رسول الله "I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is the final messenger of Allah"