Islam

Question 1

What are the five pillars of Islam?

Answer 1

Shahada (faith), Salah (prayer), Zakat (almsgiving), Sawm (fasting), Hajj (pilgrimage).

Question 2

What is Shahada?

Answer 2

The declaration of faith in one God (Allah) and His messenger (peace be upon him).

Question 3

What is Salah?

Answer 3

The ritual prayer required of every Muslim five times a day throughout their lifetime.

Question 4

What is Zakat?

Answer 4

The act of giving a portion of a Muslim’s wealth to those in need throughout their lifetime.

Question 5

What is Sawm?

Answer 5

The act of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan.

Question 6

What is the Hajj?

Answer 6

The sacred pilgrimage to Mecca required of every Muslim at least once in their lifetime if it is within their means.

Question 7

What is monotheism?

Answer 7

The belief that there is one God.

Question 8

What is polytheism?

Answer 8

The belief that there are more than one God.

Question 9

What is atheism?

Answer 9

The absence of the belief that there is a God.

Question 10

What is agnosticism?

Answer 10

The belief that the existence of God is unknown or unknowable.

Question 11

What does the Shahada mean in depth?

Answer 11

Translation: “I bear witness that there is no God but God (Allah – i.e. there is none worthy of worship but Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.”

It is the most sacred statement in Islam, and must be recited with full understanding and mindfulness of its meaning.

Question 12

What are the five prayers?

Answer 12

Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha.

Question 13

What is Salah in depth?

Answer 13

Salah is a ritual prayer that requires certain etiquettes in order to perform it correctly. However, there are some slight differences in what etiquettes are required depending on the Madhhab (school of thought) you follow within the Fiqh of Islam (Islamic jurisprudence). All four schools of thought are agreed upon and the prayer following any of these is valid.

Question 14

What is Zakat in depth?

Answer 14

Zakat (zakaat, zakah), or almsgiving, is one of the five pillars of Islam. This means that Zakat is mandatory for Muslims, along with the other four sacred pillars of Islam. For every sane, adult Muslim who owns wealth over a certain amount – known as the Nisab – he or she must pay 2.5% of that wealth as Zakat.

Eligible Muslims pay Zakat once a year, and it is due as soon as one lunar (Islamic) year has passed since meeting or exceeding the Nisab (certain amount of wealth). The Zakat of every Muslim is then distributed to those who meet the criteria to receive it.

Question 15

What is Sawm in depth?

Answer 15

Sawm is the Arabic term used to describe the act of fasting. Passed the age of puberty, Muslims are required to fast during the month of Ramadan, which entails abstaining from food, drink, sexual relations and displeasing speech and behaviour from dawn until dusk.

The month of Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, and includes the night in which the holy Qur’an was first revealed to mankind, known as Laylat al-Qadr (the night of decree). The month of Ramadan therefore marks an important moment for mankind and requires special devotion from Muslims.

Question 16

What is Hajj in depth?

Answer 16

Hajj is the sacred pilgrimage performed by Muslims at the holy mosque of Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the five pillars of Islam, which means that it is obliged of every Muslim at least once in their lifetime (so long as they have the means). Hajj takes place during the same period each year – during the month of Dhul Hijjah, the twelfth month in the Islamic Calendar. Hajj begins on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah and lasts until the 13th of Dhul Hijjah.

The Islamic calendar operates on the lunar cycle, which is why it appears to shift forward approximately 11-12 days each year as it corresponds to the Gregorian calendar.

As Muslims, undertaking Hajj in Islam is a spiritual duty, as long as we are financially, physically, and emotionally able to do so.

In the Holy Qur’an, Allah (SWT) commands Muslims to take this sacred journey.

Question 17

What does ‘Islam’ mean?

Answer 17

Islam is an Arabic word which means “surrender, submission, commitment and peace.”

Question 18

How did Islam begin?

Answer 18

Islam is a monotheistic faith centered around belief in the one God (Allah). In this regard, it shares some beliefs with Judaism and Christianity by tracing its history back to the patriarch Abraham, and ultimately to the first prophet, Adam. All the prophets preached the same universal message of belief in one God and kindness to humanity. The last in the series of prophets, according to Muslims, was Muhammad. Muhammad was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia around 570 CE. He worked first as a shepherd and then as a merchant. He was not happy with the people around him because of superstitions and social and economic injustice. The people were worshipping many gods and had forgotten the message of prophet Abraham to worship one God. Muhammad loved to pray and meditate in the mountains. On one of those occasions, in the year 610 CE, when he was about 40 years old, he received a revelation from God through the angel Jibril (Gabriel). He continued to receive messages from God throughout his life and he began preaching to others what he had learned. His main message is that there was no other God but Allah and that people should lead their lives in a way that was pleasing to Allah.

Question 19

How many Muslims are there?

Answer 19

Around 1.2 billion.

Question 20

What do Muslims believe in?

Answer 20

Muslims have six major beliefs:

Belief in one God (Allah)

Belief in the Angels

Belief in the holy books sent to all the prophets including Torah that was revealed to the prophet Moses, Bible that was revealed to the prophet Jesus, and Qur’an (Koran) that was revealed to the prophet Muhammad

Belief in all the prophets sent by God including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. Although Muslims believe in Isa or Jesus they don’t think of Jesus as the Son of God the way Christians do.

Belief in the Day of Judgment and life after death. The best reward for performing good deeds is getting closer to God.

Belief in divine decree. This means that God is all-powerful and nothing can happen without His permission, however, he has given human beings freedom to choose whether to be good or bad. In the end, everyone will be questioned about how they lived in this life.

Question 21

What is the first revealed scripture for Muslims?

Answer 21

Muslims believe that the last revealed scripture sent by God is the Qur’an or Koran. It is the speech of God revealed in the Arabic language to Muhammad during his mission of twenty-three years.

Question 22

Who are the Sunnis and who are the Shias?

Answer 22

Sunni - Leadership is not a birthright.

Shia - Imam is sinless by nature, his authority is infallible.