Study of Islam in Baby Step

AMERICAN MUSLIMAH
Salamaleikum:

In speaking to sister Sadia and Sister hannah we decided to start learning Islam in baby steps so the next wave of blogs coming from me will be based on that. For those who do not know me you can refer to me as A.M. or Muslimah :) I am a convert to Islam from Christianity. I became a convert after many years of doing comparative religion between Islam and Christianity. Please feel free to ask me any questions if you have any :). This blogs will be baby-steps Islam and all of the people in my network can view these blogs, not just my contacts!

-A.M






The Qur'an is the sacred book of the Muslim people, a collection of Messages sent by God to humanity over a period of 23 years. Muslims are the follower of a religion called Islam. In order to be part of this religion you do not need to be a particular race or nationality. The word "Islam" has many meanings. It means submission to the will of God as well as peace in the Arabic language. Muslims believe in only one God, whom we call Allah. Allah in Arabic means the only worthy of worship. Allah is the creator but he is not created, he does not beget nor is he begotten. He is known by 99 names in the Qur'an. Some of his names are Creator, Merciful, Forgiver, among others. Muslims submit to the will of Allah and try to live their lives according to a way that is pleasing to him.

We believe that Allah has revealed his divine messages through a line of prophets. He selects man among us, to teach us how to live in a way that is pleasing to him and best for us. This line of prophets started with the first man who was also the first prophet, according to Islamic teachings. This first prophet was Adam (Peace and blessings be upon him). Muslims believe that the culmination of these divine revelations came to the prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him), who we consider to be the seal and the last of the prophets. Muslims believe the Qur'an was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him), in his mother tongue, Arabic, by the angel Gabriel (Aleyji Saalam).


The message sent to prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) through the angel Gabriel (Aleihi Salam) was not different to the message sent to other prophets. In short the message is GOD IS ONE!. Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) was born on 570 C.E in Makkah. The prophet's father died before he was born. The prophet's mother died when he was 6 years old. Since the prophet was an orphan. The prophet was raised by his grandfather, and then by his uncle. The prophet worked, as a merchant through must of his life. When he was 25 years old, he married a wealthy widow, named Kadija.



During our prophet's time people worshipped many deities and were corrupt. This upset the prophet greatly. Often he would go to the mountains to reflect upon God and his creation.



At the age of 40 our prophet received the first revelation from angel Gabriel (Aleihi Salam). In a cave called Hira on Mount Nur (The Mountain of Light) . The angel asked prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) to recite the following, which was in a piece of cloth brought by the angel Gabriel (Aleihi Salam):



"Recite in the Name of your Lord who created the human being out of a mere clot. Recite and your Lord is most bountiful. He who taught by the pen taught the human being which he knew not" (Surah 96:1-5).



But the prophet was not educated! He could not read nor write. Thus he said but I am not educated, I can not read! he understood that he should read, but the command was to recite or repeat what was presented by the Angel Gabriel (Aleihi Salam).