Q: I heard something about the 5 pillars of Islam and the 6 pillars of faith. Could you elaborate more on these pillars?
A: You are right! Islam has two different types of pillars: The pillars of Islam and the pillars of faith in Islam. The 5 pillars of Islam are:
1. Al-Shahadatan” the testimony that there is no God but Allah and Mohammad is Messenger of Allah,
2. performing prayer (Salah),
3. giving Alms (Zakah),
4. fasting (Sawm),
5. and performing Pilgrimage (Hajj) for those who are able.
The 6 pillars of Faith in Islam are:
1. The belief in One God, Allah,
2. the belief in His Angels,
3. the belief in His Scriptures,
4. the belief in His Messengers,
5. the belief in Judgment Day.
6. and the belief in the divine decree, the good and the bad of it.
Q: Who is Mohammad?
A: Mohammad (peace be upon him) was born in Mecca 570 CE. At age forty he was elected by Allah to convey His Message to mankind. The Message is to worship Allah alone, not ascribing partners with Him. Mohammad (peace be upon him) spent the last 23 years of his life conveying God’s Message to all people. Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) died at age 63 and his resting place lies in the city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. He is Allah’s final Messenger to mankind.
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) came to re-institute Islam, the religion of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them). The following prophecy is obtained from the Bible regarding Mohammad’s cometh from Arabia. In HABAKKUK 3:3 “God (Jesus) came from Teman, and the Holy One from mount Paran. Selah. His glory covered the heavens, and the earth was full of his praise.” The place of Teman is the area located southeast of Palestine, and Paran is the area of Mecca in Saudi Arabia where the Holy One (Mohammad peace be upon him) came from.
Q: What is the deal with the term(s) “Mohammadeen”, “Muhammedanism” or Mohammedans in Islam?
A: There are no such terms at all. Other religions have been named after their founders or after the community in which the religion was prospered. For example, Christianity has been named after Christ. Judaism after the tribe of Judah, and Buddhism after Buddha. Westerners falsely gave the name “Muhammedanism” or Mohammadeen” to Islam after Mohammad (peace be upon him) and also called his followers “Mohammedans”. However the terms “Islam” and “Muslims” are actually found in the Qur’an, the final revelation of Allah. (see «27:31»), («3:19») & («22:78»).
Q: Who is Satan and what is his name in Arabic?
A: Satan is an evil being that is focussed on tempting and misguiding mankind away from the religion of Allah. His name in Arabic is Iblis and also by the name of “Shaytaan” (which means Devil). He is from the creation known as the “jinn” or as it is commonly known in English as “spirits”.
Q: Why does Satan despise humans and desire their destruction?
A: Satan was a mighty and distinguished creature that was a servant of Allah. However when Allah created Adam, Allah honoured him by commanding the angels and Satan, to prostrate to Adam as a sign of respect and not as a sign of worship. All of them prostrated to Adam except Satan, who was created with freewill and decided to disobey Allah. Allah asked him, “What made you not prostrate to Adam and disobey my commandment?” Satan replied, “I am better than Adam, you created him from clay and created me from fire.” Allah cursed Satan and Satan vowed to destroy Adam and his descendants forever.
Q: I am still confused, I thought Satan was an angel like Gabriel and he has no free will but to worship God?
A: False. If Satan was an angel, then we wouldn’t have any problems with him at all. Angels are a special creation of Allah. He created angels from divine light and do not have free will in doing things but to worship God and obey his commandments. Satan, on the other hand, is a Jinn, and like mankind, Satan and the “jinnkind” have free will in their actions; free will of doing good and free will of doing bad. Ref. QURAN «(18:50)»
Q: Is it true that Adam was the first messenger of Allah?
A: Yes, Adam had the responsibility to convey Allah’s message and laws to his descendants. From the beginning, Adam’s message to the first generation of mankind was to worship the One True God, Allah alone.
Q: Why did God send messengers, and why not instead communicate with us directly?
A: Allah created us, placed us on Earth and gave us this beautiful life. He gave us intellect, reason and the gift of choice. So this life is a test from Him to see which of us believes, is thankful and obedient to Him. Now if Allah revealed Himself directly to us, there would be no test as none of us would reject Him. If this was the case there would be no need for us to live on Earth, as we may as well all be living in paradise. But rather we are here – even though Allah has knowledge of all things – to see who will believe and submit to Him and who will disbelieve and reject Him.
In addition to this, if we look at the nature of Allah, He is able to do all things that are Holy and Godly. So it is not befitting for Him to come to Earth and communicate to us in this manner. An example of what I mean is, as humans we manufacture appliances for specific purposes. For example, a tape recorder is designed and manufactured by humans. Now it has never been suggested that in order to understand what is good for the tape recorder, or to communicate with it, that the manufacturer (human) should become a tape recorder himself. Rather the manufacturer publishes an instruction manual on the recorder. In this respect, human beings are also complex and we too have a Designer and a Manufacturer. So we wouldn’t expect our Designer to come to Earth as one of us to communicate to us in this manner. Rather He revealed the “instruction manual” for mankind and chose messengers, who were ideal examples to be followed and who would explain the “manual” from Allah.
Q: How many prophets and messengers did God send to mankind?
A: Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) told us approximately 124,000 prophets and messengers were sent to mankind. The Qur’an lists 25 of the most popular ones. They are: Adam, Enoch (Idris), Noah, Hud, Salih, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Lot, Jacob (Yaqub), Joseph (Yusuf), Shu’aib, Job (Ayyob), Moses (Musa), Aaron (Haroon), Ezekiel (Dhul-Kifl), David (Dawood), Solomon (Sulaiman), Elias, Elisha (El-Yasa), Jonah (Yunus), Zechariah, John (Yahya), Jesus, and Mohammad, peace be upon them all.
Q: Are you telling me both Moses and Jesus were Muslims? If so, prove it and I would like to see something from the Bible in this regard?
A: Both Moses and Jesus (peace be upon them) were Muslims, since both had conveyed the very same Message - “Submission and surrendering” to the One True God.
Here is the proof from the Bible:
Moses said: ‘”Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is ONE Lord.”’ (DEUTERONOMY 6:4). Approximately 1500 years later Jesus said: ‘”…The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; the Lord our God is ONE Lord.” ’(MARK 12:29).
Of course Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) came along approximately 600 years later, bringing identical message again: «”And your God is ONE God: There is no God but He” »(The QURAN 2:163)
