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 In
the Name of Allah, Most
Gracious, Most Merciful
There are many religions. Why do Muslims think that Islam is
true. Is there any factual basis?
Praise be to Allah.
This is a reasonable enough
question for one who has not entered Islam, but one who
believes in and practices this religion already knows the
blessings which are his because of this religion. There are
many reasons for this, which include the following:
(1) The Muslim worships One God, Who has no partner, and Who
has the most beautiful names and the highest attributes. Thus
the Muslim’s focus and aim is concentrated, focused on His Lord
and Creator; he puts his trust in Him and asks Him for help,
patience and support; he believes that Allaah is able to do all
things, and has no need of a wife or son. Allaah created the
heavens and earth; He is the One Who gives life and death; He
is the Creator and Sustainer from Whom the slave seeks
provision. He is the All-Hearing Who responds to the
supplication of His slave, and from Whom the slave hopes for a
response. He is the All-Merciful and All-Forgiving, to Whom the
slave turns in repentance when he has committed a sin or fallen
short in his worship of Allaah. He is the Omniscient and
All-Seeing, who knows all intentions and what is hidden in
people’s hearts. The slave feels ashamed to commit a sin by
doing wrong to himself or to others, because his Lord is
watching over him and sees all that he does. He knows that
Allaah is All-Wise, the Seer of the Unseen, so he trusts that
what Allaah decrees for him is good; he knows that Allaah will
never be unjust to him, and that everything that Allaah decrees
for him is good, even if he does not understand the wisdom
behind it.
(2) The effects of Islaamic worship on the soul of the Muslim
include the following:
Prayer keeps the slave in contact with his Lord; if he enters
it in a spirit of humiliation and concentration, he will feel
tranquil and secure, because he is seeking a "powerful
support," which is Allaah, may He be glorified and exalted. For
this reason, the Prophet of Islaam, Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say: "Let
us find relaxation and joy in prayer." If something distressed
him, he would hasten to pray. Everyone who finds himself faced
with disaster and tries prayer finds strength, patience and
consolation, because he is reciting the words of his Lord,
which cannot be compared to the effect of the words of a
created being. If the words of some psychologists can offer a
little comfort, what do you think of the words of the One Who
created the psychologist?
Now let us look at zakaat, which is one of the pillars of
Islaam. Zakaat purifies the soul from stinginess and
miserliness, and accustoms people to being generous and helping
the poor and needy. It will bring a great reward on the Day of
Resurrection, just like other forms of worship. It is not
burdensome, like man-made taxes; it is only 25 in every
thousand, which the sincere Muslim pays willingly and does not
try to evade or wait until someone chases him for it.
Fasting involves refraining from food and sex. It is a form of
worship, and a way in which one can feel the hunger of those
who are deprived. It is also a reminder of the blessings of the
Creator, and it brings rewards beyond measure.
Hajj is the Pilgrimage to the sacred House of Allaah, which was
built by Ibraaheem (Abraham, upon whom be peace). By performing
Hajj one is obeying the command of Allaah and the call to come
and meet Muslims from all over the world.
(3) Islaam commands all kinds of good and forbids all kinds of
evil. It encourages good manners and proper treatment of
others. It enjoins good characteristics such as truthfulness,
patience, deliberation, kindness, humility, modesty, keeping
promises, dignity, mercy, justice, courage, patience,
friendliness, contentment, chastity, good treatment, tolerance,
trustworthiness, gratitude for favours, and self-control in
times of anger. Islaam commands the Muslim to fulfil his duty
towards his parents and to uphold family ties, to help the
needy, to treat neighbours well, to protect and safeguard the
wealth of the orphan, to be gentle with the young and show
respect to the old, to be kind to servants and animals, to
remove harmful things from the road, to speak kind words, to
forgive at the time when one has the opportunity to take
revenge, to be sincere towards one’s fellow-Muslims, to meet
the needs of the Muslims, to give the debtor time to repay his
debt, to prefer others over oneself, to console others, to
greet people with a smiling face, to visit the sick, to support
the one who is oppressed, to give gifts to friends, to honour
his guest, to treat his wife kindly and spend on her and her
children, to spread the greeting of peace (salaam) and to seek
permission before entering another person’s house, lest one see
something private that the other person does not want one to
see.
Some non-Muslims may do these things out of politeness or good
manners, but they are not seeking reward from Allaah or
salvation of the Day of Judgement.
If we look at what Islam has prohibited, we will find that it
is in the interests of both the individual and society as a
whole. All these prohibitions serve to safeguard the
relationship between the slave and his Lord, and the
relationship of the individual with himself and with his
fellow-man. The following examples demonstrate this:
Islam forbids the association of anything in worship with
Allaah and the worship of anything other than Allaah, because
this spells doom and misery. Islaam also forbids visiting or
believing soothsayers and fortune-tellers; magic or witchcraft
that may cause a rift between two people or bring them
together; belief in the influence of the stars on events and
people’s lives; cursing time, because Allaah is directing its
affairs; and superstition, because this is pessimism.
Islam forbids cancelling out good deeds by showing off,
boasting or reminding others of one’s favours; bowing or
prostrating to anything other than Allaah; sitting with
hypocrites or immoral people for the purposes of enjoying their
company or keeping them company; and invoking the curse or
wrath of Allaah on one another or damning one another to Hell.
Islaam forbids urinating into stagnant water; defecating on the
side of the road or in places where people seek shade or where
they draw water; from facing the qiblah (direction of prayer)
or turning one’s back towards it when passing water or stools;
holding one’s penis in one’s right hand when passing water;
giving the greeting of salaam (peace) to one who is answering
the call of nature; and putting one’s hand into any vessel
before washing it, when one has just woken up.
Islaam forbids the offering of any nafl (supererogatory)
prayers when the sun is rising, when it is at its zenith, and
when it is setting, because it rises and sets between the horns
of Shaytaan (Satan); praying when there is food prepared that a
person desires; praying when one urgently needs to pass water,
stools or wind, because that will distract a person from
concentrating properly on his prayer.
Islam forbids the Muslim to raise his voice in prayer, lest it
disturb other believers; to continue offering supererogatory
prayers at night when one feels drowsy - such a person should
sleep then get up; to stay up all night in prayer, especially
one night after another; and to stop praying when there is
doubt as to the validity of one’s wudoo’ - unless one hears a
sound or smells an odour.
Islaam forbids buying, selling and making "lost and found"
announcements in the mosque - because it is the place of
worship and remembrance of Allaah, where worldly affairs have
no place.
Islam forbids haste in walking when the iqaamah (call
immediately preceding congregational prayer) is given, and
prescribes walking in a calm and dignified manner. It is also
forbidden to boast about the cost of building a mosque; to
decorate a mosque with red or yellow paint or adornments which
will distract the worshippers; to fast day after day without a
break; and for a woman to observe a supererogatory fast when
her husband is present without his permission.
Islaam forbids building over graves, making them high, sitting
on them, walking between them wearing shoes, putting lights
over them or writing on them. It is forbidden to disinter the
dead or to take graves as places of worship. Islam forbids
wailing, tearing one’s clothes or leaving one’s hair unkempt
when a person dies. Eulogizing the dead in the manner of the
times of Ignorance (Jaahiliyyah) is also forbidden, although
there is nothing wrong with informing others that a person has
died.
Islaam forbids the consumption of riba (interest); all kinds of
selling which involve ignorance (of the product), misleading
and cheating; selling blood, wine, pork, idols and everything
that Allaah has forbidden - their price, whether bought or sold
- is haraam; najash, which is offering a price for something
one has no intention of buying, as happens in many auctions;
concealing a product’s faults at the time of selling; selling
something which one does not own or before it comes into one’s
possession; undercutting, outbidding or out bargaining another;
selling produce before it is clear that it is in good condition
and free of blemish; cheating in weights and measures; and
hoarding. A partner who has shares in a plot of land or a date
palm tree is forbidden to sell his share without consulting his
partners. It is forbidden to consume the wealth of orphans
unjustly; to bet or gamble; to take anything by force; to
accept or offer bribes; to steal people’s wealth or to consume
it unjustly; to take something for the purpose of destroying
it; to undermine the value of people’s possessions; to keep
lost property which one has found, or to keep quiet about it
and not announce it, for it belongs to the one who recognizes
it; to cheat in any way; to ask for a loan with no intention of
repaying it; to take anything of the wealth of a fellow-Muslim,
unless it is given freely, because what is taken because of
another person’s shyness is haraam; and to accept a gift
because of intercession.
Celibacy and castration are forbidden, as is marrying two
sisters, or a woman and her aunt (paternal or maternal),
whether he marries the aunt after marrying her niece or vice
versa, for fear of breaking the ties of kinship. It is
forbidden to make deals in marriage, such as saying "Let me
marry your daughter and I will give you my daughter or sister
in marriage." Such reciprocal deals are a form of oppression
and injustice, and haraam. Islaam forbids mut’ah (temporary
marriage), which is a marriage contract for a period of time
agreed by the two parties, at the end of which the marriage
expires. Islaam forbids intercourse with a menstruating woman,
until she has purified herself (by taking a bath after her
period ends), and also forbids anal intercourse. A man is
forbidden to propose marriage to a woman when another man has
already proposed to her, unless the other man withdraws his
proposal or gives him permission. It is forbidden to marry a
previously-married woman without consulting her, or a virgin
without seeking her permission. It is forbidden to wish (a
newly married couple) "Bi’l-rafaa’ wa’l-baneen (a joyful life
and many sons)," because this is the greeting of the people of
Jaahiliyyah, who hated daughters. The divorced woman is
forbidden to conceal what Allaah has created in her womb (if
she is pregnant). A husband and wife are forbidden to speak (to
others) about the intimacies of married life. It is forbidden
to turn a woman against her husband or to take divorce lightly.
It is forbidden for a woman to ask for another’s divorce, such
as asking a man to divorce a woman so that she can marry him. A
wife is forbidden to spend her husband’s money without his
permission, or to keep away from his bed without good reason,
because the angels will curse her if she does that. A man is
forbidden to marry his father’s wife, or to have intercourse
with a woman who is pregnant from another man. It is forbidden
for a man to practise ‘azl (coitus interruptus) with his free
wife without her permission. It is forbidden for a man to
return home from a journey late at night and startle his
family, unless he has previously notified them when he will
arrive home. A man is forbidden to take anything of his wife’s
mahr (dowry) without her consent, or to keep annoying his wife
so that she will give up her wealth.
Islaam forbids women to make a wanton display of themselves (tabarruj).
It also forbids extreme forms of female circumcision. Women are
forbidden to admit anyone into their husband’s home without his
permission; his general permission is acceptable so long as
they stay within the limits of sharee’ah. It is forbidden to
separate a mother and child (in case of divorce); to let one’s
womenfolk behave foolishly (in an immoral fashion) and not say
anything; to let one’s gaze wander everywhere; and to follow an
accidental glance with an intentional glance.
Islaam forbids the eating of dead meat, regardless of whether
it died by drowning, strangulation, shock or falling from a
high place; eating blood, pork and anything slaughtered in a
name other than that of Allaah or for idols; eating the flesh
or drinking the milk of beasts that feed on filth and waste
matter; eating the flesh of every carnivorous beast that has
fangs and every bird that has talons; eating the meat of
domesticated donkeys; killing animals by keeping them and
throwing stones at them until they die, or detaining them
without food until they die; slaughtering with teeth or nails;
slaughtering one animal (for food) in front of another; or
sharpening the knife in front of the animal to be slaughtered.
In the area of clothing and adornment, men are forbidden the
extravagance of wearing gold. Muslim are forbidden to be naked
or to expose their thighs; to leave their clothes long (below
the ankles) and trail them on the ground for the purpose of
showing off; and to wear clothes that will attract attention.
It is forbidden to bear false witness; to make false
accusations against a chaste believing woman; to accuse someone
who is innocent; to utter lies; to slander and backbite; to
call people by offensive nicknames; to spread gossip and
malicious slander; to make fun of the Muslims; to boast about
one’s status; to shed doubts on a person’s lineage; to utter
slander, insults and obscenities; to speak in an indecent or
rude manner; or to utter evil in public, except by one who has
been wronged.
Islaam forbids telling lies; one of the worst kinds of lie is
to lie about dreams, like fabricating dreams and visions in
order to prove one’s virtue, or make some material gains, or to
frighten an enemy.
Muslims are forbidden to praise themselves, or to talk in a
secret way: two may not converse secretly to the exclusion of a
third, because this is offensive. It is forbidden to curse a
believer or someone who does not deserve to be cursed.
Islaam forbids speaking ill of the dead; praying for death;
wishing for death because of some suffering that one is passing
through; praying against one’s self, one’s children, one’s
servants or one’s wealth.
Muslims are told not to eat the food that is directly in front
of others or to eat from the centre of the dish or platter;
rather they should eat from what is directly in front of them
or thereabouts, because the barakah (blessing) comes in the
middle of the food. It is forbidden to drink from a broken edge
of a vessel, because this could cause harm; or to drink from
the mouth of a vessel; or to breathe into it. It is forbidden
to eat while lying on one’s stomach; to sit at a table where
wine is being drunk; to leave a fire burning in one’s house
when one sleeps; to sleep with Ghamr in one’s hand, like an
offensive smell or the remainder of food (grease); to sleep on
one’s stomach; or to talk about or try to interpret bad dreams,
because these are tricks of the Shaytaan.
It is forbidden to kill another person except in cases where it
is right to do so; to kill one’s children for fear of poverty;
to commit suicide; to commit fornication, adultery or sodomy
(homosexuality); to drink wine, or even to prepare it, carry it
from one place to another, or sell it. Muslims are forbidden to
please people by angering Allaah; to offend their parents or
even to say "Uff" (the slightest word of contempt) to them; to
claim that a child belongs to anyone but his real father; to
torture by means of fire; to burn anyone, alive or dead, with
fire; to mutilate the bodies of the slain; to help anyone
commit falsehood; or to cooperate in wrongdoing and sin.
It is forbidden to obey any person by disobeying Allaah; to
swear falsely; to swear a disastrous oath; to eavesdrop on
people without their permission; to invade people’s privacy or
look at their private parts; to claim something that does not
belong to one or that one did not do, for the purpose of
showing off; to look into someone’s else’s house without
permission; to be extravagant; to swear an oath to do something
wrong; to spy on others or be suspicious about righteous men
and women; to envy, hate or shun one another; to persist in
falsehood; to be arrogant or feel superior; to be filled with
self-admiration; to be pleased with one’s arrogance. Islam
forbids taking back one’s charity, even if one pays to get it
back; employing someone to do a job without paying him his
wages; being unfair in giving gifts to one’s children;
bequeathing everything in one’s will and leaving one’s heirs
poor - in such a case the will should not be executed; writing
a will that concerns more than one third of one’s legacy; being
a bad neighbour; or changing a will to the detriment of one or
some of one’s heirs. A Muslim is forbidden to forsake or shun
his brother for more than three days, except for a reason
sanctioned by sharee’ah; to hold small stones between two
fingers and throw them because this could cause injury to eyes
or teeth; to include his heirs in a will, because Allaah has
already given heirs their rights of inheritance; to disturb his
neighbour; to point a weapon at his Muslim brother; to hand
someone an unsheathed sword, lest it harm him; to come (walk)
between two people except with their permission; to return a
gift, unless there is some shar’i objection to it; to be
extravagant; to give money to foolish people; to wish to be
like someone to whom Allaah has given more of something; to
cancel out his charity by giving offensive reminders of his
giving; to wilfully conceal testimony; or to oppress orphans or
scold one who asks for help or money. It is forbidden to treat
with evil medicines, because Allaah would not create a cure for
this ummah which includes something that He has forbidden. It
is forbidden to kill women and children in warfare; to boast to
one another; or to break promises.
Islaam forbids betraying a trust; asking for charity that one
does not need; alarming a Muslim brother or taking away his
possessions, whether jokingly or seriously; changing one’s mind
after giving a gift, except in the case of a gift from a father
to his child; practising medicine without experience; or
killing ants, bees and hoopoe birds. A man is forbidden to look
at the ‘awrah (private parts) of another man, and a woman is
forbidden to look at the ‘awrah of another woman. It is
forbidden to sit between two people without their permission;
or to greet only those whom one knows, because the greeting is
to be given to those whom you know and those whom you do not
know. A Muslim is forbidden to let an oath come between him and
good deeds; he should do what is good and make expiation for
the oath. It is forbidden to judge between two disputing
parties when one is angry, or to judge in favour of one party
without hearing what the other has to say. It is forbidden for
a man to walk through the market-place carrying something -
like a sharp weapon - that could harm the Muslims, unless it is
properly covered. A Muslim is forbidden to make another person
get up, so that he can take his place.
There are more commands and prohibitions which came for the
benefit and happiness of individuals and mankind as a whole.
Have you ever seen any other religion that can compare to this
religion?
Read this response again, then ask yourself: is it not a great
pity that I am not one of them? Allaah says in the Qur’aan
(interpretation of the meaning): "And whoever seeks a religion
other than Islam, it will never be accepted of him, and in the
Hereafter he will be one of the losers." [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85]
Finally, I hope that everyone who reads this will be guided to
the correct way and to follow the truth. May Allaah protect you
and us from all evil.
Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)
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