AL – FATIHA(THE OPENNING)

In the name of Allah,

Most Gracious,

Most Merciful.

Praise be to Allah,

the Cherisher and

Sustainer of the worlds;

Most Gracious,

Most Merciful;

Master of the Day of Judgment.

Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek.

Show us the straight way,

The way of those on whom Thou

hast bestowed Thy Grace,

Those whose (portion) is not

wrath and who go not astray.

OUTLINE

•Islam from Qur’anic Perspective

•Some Characteristics of Islam

•Questions

Islam ~Qur’anic Perspective~

• Submission - Peace - Salvation• Basmala:

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate

• Prophet Muhammad (pbuh):A mercy for all worlds

“This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” (Qur’an: 5:3)

Islam Distinguishing Characteristics

• Monotheism• Humanity• Prophets• Belief• Worship• Universal Moral Values• Collective Life• God’s Two Kinds of Laws

Monotheism• God’s Unity

– Harmony in the universe•Natural Laws: God’s regular ways of

creating things and events and administering the universe

– Harmony within each living organism

The universe is governed by God and obeys Him,thus it is literally muslim - submitted to God.

Humanity• Two aspects of a human-being:

– Material aspect: Physical body– Immaterial aspect: Spirit and Intellect

• Worth of a life-history– Good deeds done– Level of virtue attained

• What to do with our principle drives?– Desire - Anger - Intellect

• How to answer vital questions?– Who am I? Where do I come from? What is

my final destination?…

Prophets• All prophets come with same essentials of belief:

– Belief in God’s existence and unity– The world’s final destruction– Resurrection and day of judgment– Prophethood and all prophets without distinction– All Devine Scriptures– Angels– Devine Destiny and Decree (including free-will)

Thus, being a muslim means believing in all of the Prophets and the original previous Scriptures

Prophets (con’t)• Some characteristics of Prophets:

– Absolute and complete truthfulness– Trustworthiness– Communication of the Devine Message– The highest intellectual capacity, wisdom, and

profound insight– Sinlessness– No mental or physical defects

Islam honors, confirms, and completes what is true in religions that came before its revelation.

Belief• Far more than simple affirmation and

imitation• Gradually growing faith by passing through

many degrees and stages of development• Based on argument and investigation• Three non-conflicting manifestations of one

truth– Qur’an: issuing from Devine Attribute of Speech– Study of universe: from Devine Attributes of

Power and Will– Humanity

Belief (con’t)“Belief in God is creation’s highest aim and

most sublime result, and humanity’s most exalted rank is knowledge of Him. The

most radiant happiness and the sweetest bounty for the jinn and the humanity is

love of God contained within knowledge of God. The human spirits purest joy and the human heart’s sheerest delight is spiritual ecstasy contained within love of God. All true happiness, pure joy, sweet bounties, and unclouded pleasures are contained

within knowledge and love of God.”Said Nursi

Worship• Belief engenders kinds of worship:

– Responding to explicit injunctionse.g., the prescribed prayers, fasting, alms-giving, and

pilgrimage– Obeying prohibitions

e.g., avoiding all intoxicants, gambling, usury, unlawful killing, oppression, usurpation, deception, and unlawful sexual relationship

Worship (con’t)• To strenghten belief and attain higher ranks

of perfection:– Being careful of the acts of heart and intellect,

aka Moral Virtuese.g., contemplation, reflection, invocation, recitation of

God’s Names, self-critisism, perseverance, patience, thankfulness, self-discipline, and perfect reliance upon God

“I have been sent to perfect good morals”Prophet Muhammad

(pbuh)

Universal Moral Values

• Islam encourages universal moral values that are essentially reflections of our true nature created by the One who is All-Wise, All-Generous, All-Compassionate.– Some to mention are honesty, love,

compassion, generosity, altruism, truthfulness, and helpfulness.

– Islam also refrains all vices such as lying, ostentation, and deception.

Collective Life• Socioeconomic principles to establish an ideal

society that allows everyone to obtain happiness both in this world and the next

• Point of support: – Right, instead of Force

• Aim of Individual life:– To attain virtue and God’s approval, instead of self-

interest• Aim of collective life:

– Mutual assistance, instead of conflict• To Maintain internal and external unity of

communities– Trough ties of religion, profession, and country; instead

of racism and negative nationalism

God’s Two Kinds of Laws

• Religious Laws– Issuing from His

Attribute of Speech– Governing religious

life– Reward or

punishment usually in the next life

• Laws of Nature– Issuing from

His Attribute of Will

– Governing the creation and life

– Reward and punishment usually in this life

Salvation requires following both kinds of laws.

Q & AQ & A?

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ESMA ZIKR(MOST BEAUTIFUL

NAMES)

ESMA ZIKR(MOST BEAUTIFUL

NAMES)

Allah, Hay

God, The Ever-Living

La ilahe illallah

There’s no God but Allah

God, Gratitude is to you,Remembrance is for you.

The Generous. The Helpful.

Allah Allah sukren Lillah zikren Lillah Ya Kerim

Allah

Deyyan The JudgeMennan The BenefactorKayyum The Self-ExistingSettar The Veiler

Kadir The All-PowerfulAlim The All-KnowingRahman The All-MercifulRahim The All-Compassionate

Ya Evvel The FirstYa Ahir The LastYa Zahir The ManifestYa Batin The Inward

Ya Baki The EverlastingYa Naafi The Propitious

Ya Hayyum The Self-LifeYa Kayyum The Self-SustainingYa Settar The VeilerYa Cebbar The Compeller

Deyyan The JudgeMennan The BenefactorKayyum The Self-ExistingSettar The Veiler

Rahman The BeneficentHannan The BenefactorRezzak The ProviderAziz The Mighty

God, Gratitude is to you,

Remembrance is for you.

The Generous. The Helpful.

Allah Allah sukren Lillah

zikren Lillah Ya Kerim Allah

“We believe in God and that which is revealed to us: in what was revealed to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the tribes: to Moses and Jesus and other prophets by their Lord. We make no distinction among any of them, and to God we

have committed ourselves.” (2:136)

Versus from Qur’an

“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)