YOUR WAY TO ISLAAM

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CHAPTER 10
FAITH IN THE LAST DAY


We believe that there will be another life after this life.
When the determined term of this life comes to an end, Allah will command an Angel to sound the Trumpet and all mankind and all other creatures will die.
Then he (Angel) will sound it again, when, behold, all dead since Adam will stand out of their graves.
Then, Allah will gather all people to account them for what they did:
Those who believed (in Allah), accepted the Messengers (as truthful) and did good deeds (commanded by Allah), Allah will put them in Paradise.
In Paradise, they will enjoy eternal Bliss.
But those who rejected the Messengers and disobeyed Allah’s commands, will be put in Hell.
In Hell Fire, they will be in continuous eternal punishment.
O Allah! We ask Your Paradise and seek refuge with You from Fire of Hell! Aameen!
Allah (Glory be to Him) says: “As for those who had transgressed all bounds; and had preferred the life of this world; the Abode will be Hell-Fire. And for those who had feared of standing in front of their Lord’s (Tribunal); and had restrained (their) souls from lower desires; their Abode will be Paradise.” (The Qur’an 79:37-41)

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CHAPTER 11
FAITH IN FATE AND DIVINE DECREE


We believe in the timeless knowledge of Allah and in His power to plan and execute His plans and nothing could happen in His Kingdom against His will.
His knowledge and power are in action and command at all times over His creation.
He is Wise and Merciful and whatever He does must have a meaningful purpose.
If this is established in our minds and hearts, we should accept with good faith all that He does,
Although we may fail to understand it fully, or think it is bad.

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CHAPTER 12
IBADAT (RELIGIOUS DEEDS)
Deeds in Islam are of two main categories:
‘Ibadat, these are the rituals, or devotional duties, of worship: Salat, Zakat, Siyam, and Hajj.
Mu’amalat, these include all life activities related to the individual, family, society, or the whole ‘Ummah (Muslim Community at large), political, economic, cultural, legal, ethical…, national or international.
Mu‘amalat when carried out in fulfillment of Allah’s Shari’a (Law) will be a sort of “Worship” in the general sense.
In this pamphlet, Mu’amalat will not be dealt with. You have to consult in each case either a book of Fiqh (Islamic Law) or any well informed Muslim scholar or authority.
The practical Pillars (Foundations) of Islam are Five:

The two Shahadas (Declarations of submission to Allah)
Salat (Prayer)
Zakat (Poor Due)
Siyam (Fasting of Ramadhan)
Hajj (Pilgrimage)

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CHAPTER 13
THE TWO SHAHADAS (DECLARATIONS)


Ash-Shahadah means to say, with a firm belief in heart, and mind, the following:
’Ash-hadu ’an Laa ’ilaha ’illal-Lahu,
Wa’ash-hadu ’anna Muhammadan rasulul-Lah.
The meaning of these is:
I bear witness that there is no (true) god except Allah,
and I bear witness that Muhammad is Allah’s Messenger.
These imply two things:
That are deeds must be sincere to God alone.
That we only worship God as Muhammad taught.

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CHAPTER 14
SALAT (PRAYER)


We pray five times everyday:
The Fajr (dawn) prayer. Two Rak‘ahs (Units). Its time starts just after dawn and ends at sunrise.
The Dhuhr (noon) prayer. Four Rak‘ahs. Time starts just after sun moves down from its zenith and ends at the midpoint between zenith and sunset.
The Asr (Late afternoon) prayer: Four Rak‘ahs. Time starts after the end of the Dhuhr prayer and ends at sunset.
The Maghrib (Sunset) prayer: Three Rak‘ahs. Time starts just after sunset.
The Isha’ (Evening) prayer: Four Rak‘ahs. Preferable time starts when twilight disappears and ends at midnight.

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CHAPTER 15
AT-TAHARAH (PURITY)


A Muslim must be pure and clean when he performs his prayer, (otherwise his prayers will not be valid).
At-Taharah is of two types: Wudu’, (Ablution) and Ghusl (full Ablution).
WUDU’ (Ablution) which is performed as follows:
Have Niyyah (the clear intention) of performing wudu’.
Say: "Bismil-Lahi r-rahmani r-rahim" (in the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful).
Wash the hands, rinse the mouth and clear with water the inside of the nose (sniffing).
Wash the face.
Wash the arms up to the elbows (start with the right arm)
Rub the head with wet hands, and the ears.
Wash the feet up to the ankles (starting with the right foot)
Say the two Shahadahs.
No need for reapplying Wudu’ as long as it has not been invalidated.
Wudu' is invalidated by: Passing of excrement, urine, wind or by sleeping.
GHUSL (Taking a shower):
A Muslim must take Ghusl after:
Ejaculation of semen because of any reason.
Intimate intercourse.
For women: End of Menstruation period.
End of the childbirth period.
Ghusl is washing the whole body with clean water.
TAYAMMUM (Dry Ablution):
In case of not having water for Wudu or Ghusl, or being unable to use it for any reason, apply the Dry Ablution:
Have Niyyah (the clear intention) of performing Tayammum’.
Say: "Bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim" (in the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful).
Hit the palms once on any clean dust-containing material,
then rub the face with the palms, then the hands.

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CHAPTER 16
HOW TO PERFORM SALAT (PRAYERS)?


The best way for men is to perform salat in congregation with Muslims in the mosque. There you will be given more reward by Allah and you will leam easily how to pray.
Be sure that your body, clothes and place are clean.
Stand facing towards the direction of QIBLAH, that is the direction of the Sacred mosque in Makkah, in Al Hijaz (Saudi Arabia).
Raise the hands to the shoulder level and say: “Allahu Akbar” (Allah is the Greatest).
Fold the hand on the chest, the right hand over the left.
Recite Al-Fatihah (The Opening Chapter of The Qur’an) and another chapter or some verses of The Qur’an (See App. 1)
Say. “Allahu Akbar” while making Ruku‘ (bowing and bending the body at a right angle placing the palms on the knees)
Say in Ruku’: “Subhana rabbiyal-atheem” (Glory be to my Lord, the Great!) three times.
Go back to the standing position saying: “Sami‘a ’allahu liman hamidah! Rabbana wa lakal-hamd.” (Indeed, Allah listens to one who praises Him O! Our Lord! All praises be to You)
Then, you say “Allahu Akbar” and immediately fall down to make the first Sajdah (Prostration) with forehead, nose, palms, knees and toes resting on the ground,-saying: “Subhana rabbiyal ’a‘la” (Glory be to my Lord, Most High) Three times.
Move from sajdah (prostration) position to sitting posture while saying; “Allahu Akbar!” While sitting, say “Rabbighfirli warhamni” (O My Lord! Forgive me! and have mercy on me)
After this, another sajdah is done in the same way with “Allahu Akbar” uttered before it, and “Subhana rabbiyal ’a‘la” Three times during Sujud.
After completing the second sajdah, one “Rak‘ah” is completed.
Stand up saying “Allahu Akbar” in order to begin a new Rak‘ah, exactly as the first Rak‘ah.
After finishing the second “Rak‘ah” you sit down and recite Part One and Part Two of “At-Tashahhud”.
Finally you turn the face to the right hand side and say: “As-Salamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatul-lah” which means Peace be upon you and The Mercy of Allah!
Then you do the same to the left side.
Thus a two- Rak‘ah prayer is completed, such as the Fajr Prayer.
As for 4 Rak‘ah prayers such as the Dhuhr, only the first part of At-Tashahhud is recited after completing the second Rak‘ah. Then you stand up to perform two more Rak‘ahs in the same way, but without reciting any verses from The Qur’an after Al-Fatihah.
The ‘Asr and t ‘Isha’ prayers are performed exactly as the Dhuhr.
In the Maghrib Prayer, the final Tashahhud and “As-Salam…” come after the third Rak‘ah.

WHY WE PRAY
The Muslim observes his Prayers to show devotion and obedience to Allah, because Prayer is one of the greatest forms of worship that Allah likes His servants to offer.
To thank Him for creating us in the best form of creation.
Because He has guided us to the Deen (Complete way of Life, Religion) of Islam.
Prayer is a chance for a Muslim to express to his Lord whatever he feels and needs through Divine Words of Allah i.e. the Qur’an.
To remember his Lord and not forget His commands amid life’s pre-occupations.
To ask Allah, The Exalted, to give him aid and continuous guidance in the darkness of life.
To strengthen love and fear of Allah in the Muslim’s heart so that he might remain sticking to the Right Path of Islam, and its laws and manners.
Gaining good rewards from Allah and having our sins forgiven.
To rejoice when he finds himself on the Last Day pleased with the great reward allotted to him in the Gardens of Bliss.
Prayer is a unique training and developmental program which, if well and devotedly performed, can achieve for Muslims many valuable physical, ethical and spiritual gains such as cleanliness, health, order, punctuality, brotherhood, equality, social consolidation,… etc.

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CHAPTER 17
ZAKAT (Poor Due, Alms)
WHAT IS ZAKAT
The term “Zakat” originally means: growth, and purity.
In Islamic Law, it means paying every lunar year a certain percentage of your savings to certain charitable usage defined by The Qur’an.
If you have, for that period, an amount of money equal to the value of 85 grams of pure gold (now 1985, is about $1000) or more, you must pay 2.5%.
Zakat is paid for the poor and the needy Muslims, for the wayfarers, for propagating Islam or fighting for Islam, for helping new Muslims or encouraging non-Muslims to embrace Islam, for those who are burdened with debts and are unable to pay them.
If you have articles of trade, you calculate their Zakat in the same way.
You can ask some Muslim scholar or refer to any good reference book to know more about Zakat.
WHY WE PAY ZAKAT
To show devotion to Allah Who commanded us to do so and informed us that He loves the charitable.

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CHAPTER 18
SAWM, or SIYAM (Fasting)


ABOUT THE FAST


In Ramadan, (the 9th month of the lunar Islamic year) Muslims fast in obedience to Allah’s command and in gratitude for Allah’s Grace for revealing His Glorious Book, The Qur’an, in Ramadan.
Sawm (Fasting) is to abstain from eating, drinking and intimate intercourse from dawn to sunset.
If sick or on a journey, a Muslim is permitted to break his fast.
If he breaks the fast, he has to make it up by fasting a number of days equal to the days in which he broke fasting in Ramadan.
After the end of Ramadan comes “Eid al-Fitr” (the Holy day of Breaking the Fast) which is the 1st day of Shawwal, the month following Ramadan.
On the Eid morning, all Muslims congregate, in open grounds or in mosques, to perform “ Eid Prayer” to express their happiness and gratitude to Allah for enabling them to complete this duty of Fasting.
Concerning this important duty, Allah says: “O you who believe. Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that you may (observe) piety and self-restraint” [The Qur’an 2:183]
Also, He says: “Ramadan is the month in which was sent down The Qur’an, as a guide to mankind, also clear (signs) for guidance and judgement (between right and wrong). So, every one of you who is present (at his home, village, or town) during that month should fast it, but if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period (should be made up) by other days”. [The Qur’an 2:185].

WHY WE FAST
We fast in obedience to Allah’s command, and because Allah loves those who fast.
To show our gratitude to Allah’s Grace of sending down His Guidance, The Qur’an, to guide us and the whole humanity.
To thank Allah for making us of those who believe in The Qur’an.
And because He enabled us to memorize His Book, to recite it, to study and understand it, and to benefit in its guidance.
To develop control on our material desires Allah planted in our nature.
To control ourselves in front of all things prohibited by Allah.
Fasting makes us remember the needy who suffer from hunger and deprivation.
Hence, to become more sympathetic to them and help them with part of what Allah has bestowed upon us.
To check our engrossment in our desires, and increase our care for our spiritual entity through intensifying our deeds and acts of worship in this month of The Qur’an.
To increase our share of sincerity, consience, patience, discipline, as well as many healthful benefits.
Above all these, the great reward Allah promised to give us on the Last Day.

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CHAPTER 19
HAJJ (THE PILGRIMAGE)


WHAT IS HAJJ
Hajj is a journey to ’Al-Ka‘bah (the sacred House of Allah) in Makkah (Mecca) with the intention of obeying Allah’s command and performing certain prescribed rites there. (For the details of performing Hajj, you may consult any Islamic reference book on the subject).
Performing Hajj is obligatory, once in a lifetime, upon every mature Muslim provided he is able (physically and financially).
The whole journey of Hajj and its rites conform to a unique form, the principles of Islam and commemorate Islamic milestones related to Prophets Ibraheem (Abraham), Ismael and Muhammad, ‘Alayhimus-salam.
The rites of Hajj are performed, in general, in the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah (the last month of the Islamic Year).
On the 9th of Dhul Hijah the culminating rite is performed at Mount ‘Arafat’ where all pilgrims, sometimes about two million, gather.
Pilgrims’ stand at ‘Arafat to declare their supplications to Allah and their repentance and need of His Mercy and Forgiveness.
This reminds us of the Grand Assembly on the Day of Judgment.
The next day (the tenth) is the great Eid ’Al-’Adha (The Feast of Sacrifice) when pilgrims offer their sacrifices. After slaughtering their sacrifices, pilgrims go to Makkah and make Tawaf (circumbulate) seven times around Al-Ka‘bah.
Muslims everywhere slaughter their sacrifices (of camels, cows, or sheep) after performing the Eid Prayer.
These sacrifices were prescribed in commemoration of the great sacrifice of Prophet Abraham (Alayhis-salam) when he was about to slaughter his only son, Ismael, whom he loved much, when Allah ordered him to do so to test his loyalty and obedience to Him.
After completing the acts of Hajj, you can enjoy visiting The Mosque of Prophet Muhammad – sallal-lahu ‘alayhi wa salam – in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah (the illuminated town) and attend some Prayers there. The reward for praying at that Mosque is great.
When in Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, pay a greeting visit to the Prophet’s grave and to his noble companions’ graves, in the Islamically accepted form.
Also visiting the Holy Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is recommendable in Islam.

WHY WE PERFORM HAJJ
Purposes and lessons of performing Hajj are so many. Among them are:
Responding in obedience to Allah’s commands.
To be grateful to Allah for His Grace and Favors on us, such as health, wealth and children.
To glorify Allah by visiting and making Tawaf (gowing around) His Sacred House, Al-Ka‘bah.
(Al-Ka‘bah is the first House built on earth for worshipping Allah, which Ibrahim – The Friend – and his son Isma‘il erected by the instruction of Allah).
To pray at Al-Ka‘ba, which is the Qiblah (direction) to which all Muslims turn their faces in the five daily prayers.
To visit and stand in devotion to Allah at the Sacred Mountains such as Mount ‘Arafat. There we celebrate the praises of Allah, purify our souls and repent of all sins.
To see the places where Ibrahim, the noble Friend and Prohpet of Allah, and his first son Ismail – Alayhis-salam – stayed and worshiped Allah.
To visit the places where Prophet Muhammad – alayhis-salam – was born, brought up, received the Divine Message, suffered and struggled for spreading the light of Allah.
To meet our Muslim brethren coming from all countries, and to see the actualization of brotherhood, equality, cooperation and love among Muslims regardless of their differences in nationality, color, standard of living, and other worldly matters. To see the universality of Islam.
To practice patience, sacrifice, endurance, simplicity and other spiritual capacities we are in urgent need of.
To come back cleansed of our sins, so as to start a new page in our life, hoping to keep it free from sins until the end of life, so that we may be accepted and well rewarded by Allah in the Hereafter.