The Muslim population of the world is around one billion. Most Muslims live east of Karachi. 30% of Muslims live in the Indian subcontinent, 20% in Sub-Saharan Africa, 17% in Southeast Asia, 18% in the Arab world, 10% in the former Soviet Union and China. Turkey, Iran and Afghanistan comprise 10% of the non-Arab Middle East. Although there are Muslim minorities in almost every area, including Latin America and Australia, they are most numerous in the former Soviet Union, India, and central Africa. There are 5 million Muslims in the United States.
What's Islam ?
Who are the Musulims ?
What are their believes ?
How can you become Muslim?
What's the meaning of 'Islam' ?
What's the "Koran" ?
What does the "Koran" talk about ?
What are the 'Five Pillars' of Islam?
1 The faith
2 The prayers
3 Zakat
4 Fasting
5 Piligrimage
The Muslim women
Is Islamic marriage like Christian marriage ?
How do Muslims see death ?
What does Islam say about war ?
How does Islam guarantee human rights?
Islam is not a new religion, but the same truth that God revealed through all His prophets to every people.
For a fifth of the world's population, Islam is both a religion and a complete way of life. Muslims follow a
religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave
events which have come to be associated with their faith.
One billion people from a vast range of races, nationalities and cultures across the globe - from the southern Philippines to Nigeria - are united by their common Islamic faith. About 18% live in the Arab world; the world's largest Muslim community is in Indonesia; substantial parts of Asia and most of Africa are Muslim, while significant minorities are to be found in the Soviet Union, China, North and South America, and Europe.
Quelles sont leurs croyances ?
Muslims believe in One, Unique, Incomparable God; in the Angels created by Him; in the prophets: through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in the Day of Judgement and individual accountability for actions; in God's complete authority over human destiny and in life after death. Muslims believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam and including Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus, peace be upon them. But God's final message to man, a reconfirmation of the eternal message and a summing-up of all that has gone before was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through Gabriel.
Comment devient-on musulman(e)?
Simply by saying 'there is no god apart from God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.' By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all God's messengers, and the scriptures they brought.
The Arabic word 'Islam' simply means 'submission', and derives from a word meaning 'peace'. In a religious context it means complete submission to the will of God. 'Mohammedanism' is thus a misnomer because it suggests that Muslims worship Muhammad (PBUH) rather than God. 'Allah' is the Arabic name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike.
The Coran is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It was memorized by Muhammad (PBUH) and then dictated to his Companions, and written down by scribes, who cross-checked it during his lifetime. Not one word of its 114 chapters, Suras, has been changed over the centuries, so that the Coran is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad (PBUH) fourteen centuries ago.
The Coran, the last revealed Word of God, is the prime source of every Muslim's faith and practice. It deals with all the subjects which concern us as human beings: wisdom, doctrine, worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and His creatures. At the same time it provides guidelines for a just society, proper human conduct and an equitable economic system.
What are the 'Five Pillars' of Islam?
They are the framework of the Muslim life: faith, prayer, concern for the needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.
1 Faith
There is no god worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is His messenger. This declaration of faith is called the Shahada, a simple formula which all the faithful pronounce. In Arabic, the first part is la ilaha illa'Llah - 'there is no god except God'; ilaha (god) can refer to anything which we may be tempted to put in place of God -wealth, power, and the like. Then comes illa'Llah:'except God', the source of all Creation. The second part of the Shahada is Muhammadun rasulu'Llah: 'Muhammad is the messenger of God.' A message of guidance has come through a man like ourselves.
2 Prayer
Salat is the name for the obligatory prayers which are performed five times a day, and are a direct link between the worshipper and God.There is no hierarchical authority in Islam, and no priests, so the prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Coran, chosen by the congregation. These five prayers contain verses from the Coran, and are said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation, but personal supplication can be offered in one's own language. Prayers are said at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the rhythm of the entire day. Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere, such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Visitors to the Muslim world are struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life.
3 Zakat
One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God, and that wealth is therefore
held by human beings in trust. The word zakat means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions are
purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need, and, like the pruning of plants, this cutting back
balances and encourages new growth. Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakat individually. For most
purposes this involves the payment each year of two and a half percent of one's capital.
A pious person may also give as much as he or she pleases as sadaqa, and does so preferably in secret.
Although this word can be translated as 'voluntary charity' it has a wider meaning. The Prophet (PBUH)
said 'even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is charity.. The Prophet (PBUH) said:'Charity is a necessity for every Muslim.' He was asked: 'What if a person has
nothing?' The Prophet (PBUH) replied: 'He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then give
something out of such earnings in charity.' The Companions asked: 'What if he is not able to work?' The
Prophet (PBUH) said: 'He should help poor and needy persons.' The Companions further asked 'What if
he cannot do even that?'' The Prophet (PBUH) said 'He should urge others to do good.' The Companions
said 'What if he lacks that also?' The Prophet (PBUH) said 'He should check himself from doing evil. That
is also charity.'
4 Fasting
Every year in the month of Ramadan, all Muslims fast from first light until sundown, abstaining from food,
drink, and sexual relations. Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey, and women who are pregnant or
nursing are permitted to break the fast and make up an equal number of days later in the year. If they are
physically unable to do this, they must feed a needy person for every day missed. Children begin to fast
(and to observe the prayer) from puberty, although many start earlier. Although the fast is most beneficial
to the health, it is regarded principally as a method of self-purification. By cutting oneself off from worldly
comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person gains true sympathy with those who go hungry as well as
growth in one's spiritual life.
5 Pilgrimage (Hajj)
The annual pilgrimage to Makkah - the Hajj- is an obligation only for those who are physically and
financially able to perform it. Nevertheless, about two million people go to Makkah each year from every
corner of the globe providing a unique opportunity for those of different nations to meet one another.
Although Makkah is always filled with visitors, the annual Hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic
year (which is lunar, not solar, so that Hajj and Ramadan fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter).
Pilgrims wear special clothes: simple garments which strip away distinctions of class and culture, so that all
stand equal before God.
The rites of the Hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include circling the Ka'bah seven times, and going
seven times between the mountains of Safa and Marwa as did Hagar during her search for water. Then
the pilgrims stand together on the wide plain of Arafa and join in prayers for God's forgiveness, in what is
often thought of as a preview of the Last Judgement. In previous centuries the Hajj was an arduous
undertaking. The close of the Hajj is marked by a festival, the Eid ul-Adha, which is celebrated with
prayers and the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere. This, and the Eid al-Fitr, a feast-day
commemorating the end of Ramadan, are the main festivals of the Muslim calendar.
Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an individual in her own right, with the right to own and
dispose of her property and earnings. A marriage dowry is given by the groom to the bride for her own
personal use, and she keeps her own family name rather than taking her husband's. Both men and women
are expected to dress in a way which is modest and dignified; the traditions of female dress found in some
Muslim countries are often the expression of local customs.
The Messenger of God (PBUH) said:
The most perfect in faith amongst believers is he who is best in manner and kindest to his wife.'
Is Islamic marriage like Christian marriage ?
A Muslim marriage is not a 'sacrament', but a simple, legal agreement in which either partner is free to include conditions. Marriage customs thus vary widely from country to country. As a result, divorce is not common, although it is not forbidden as a last resort. According to Islam, no Muslim girl can be forced to marry against her will: her parents will simply suggest young men they think may be suitable.
Comment les Musulmans voient la mort ?
Like Jews and Christians, Muslims believe that the present life is only a trial preparation for the next realm of existence. Basic articles of faith include: the Day of Judgement, resurrection, Heaven and Hell. When a Muslim dies, he or she is washed, usually by a family member, wrapped in a clean white cloth, and buried with a simple prayer preferably the same day. Muslims consider this one of the final services they can do for their relatives, and an opportunity to remember their own brief existence here on earth. The Prophet (PBUH) taught that three things can continue to help a person even after death: charity which he had given, knowledge which he had taught and Prayers on their behalf by a righteous child.
Qu'est-ce que l'Islam dit à propos de la guerre ?
Like Christianity, Islam permits fighting in self-defence, in defence of religion, or on the part of those who
have been expelled forcibly from their homes. It lays down strict rules of combat which include
prohibitions against harming civilians and against destroying crops, trees and livestock. As Muslims see it,
injustice would be triumphant in the world if good men were not prepared to risk their lives in a righteous
cause.
The Coran says: Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not transgress limits.
God does not love transgressors. (2:190) f they seek peace, then seek you peace. And trust in God for He is the One that heareth and
knoweth all things. (8:61) War, therefore, is the last resort, and is subject to the rigorous conditions laid down by the sacred law.
The term jihad literally means 'struggle', and Muslims believe that there are two kinds of jihad. The other
jihad is the inner struggle which everyone wages against egotistic desires, for the sake of attaining inner
peace.
How does Islam guarantee human rights?
Freedom of conscience is laid down by the Coran itself: 'There is no compulsion in religion' (2:256)
The life and property of all citizens in an Islamic state are considered sacred whether a person is Muslim
or not. Racism is incomprehensible to Muslims, for the Coran speaks of human equality in the following
terms:
O mankind! We created you from a single soul, male and female, and made you into nations and
tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Truly, the most honored of you in God's sight is
the greatest of you in piety. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware. (49:13)
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