Islamic leaders, their biographies and accomplishments. Saul Silas Fathi

      Introduction

      Islam: Its leaders and their accomplishments

      Dear reader: In this book you will be introduced to hundreds of Islamic leaders, their biographies and accomplishments, since the days of the Prophet Muhammad to the present. They are presented in alphabetical order, not in order of importance nor chronologically.

      In less than a century after Muhammad’s death Islam swept through Asia, Africa and Europe, dominating an area larger than that of the Roman Empire at its peak. Today, one in 5 people on the face of this earth is a Muslim. A total of 1.6 billion people; the second largest religion in the world and the fastest-growing.

      For a period of 400 years, from the Eighth to the Twelfth Century, the achievements of this synthesized culture were unsurpassed. In fact, much of the science and literature of the European Renaissance was inspired by Islamic models. I Urge everyone to learn about it.

      Islam (=Submission): Is the monotheistic religion articulated by the Qur’an, a text considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Arabic: Allāh), and by the teachings and normative example (called the Sunnah and composed of Hadith) of Muhammad, considered by them to be the last prophet of God. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim.

      God (Allah): Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of existence is to worship God. Muslims also believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times and places before, including through Abraham, Moses and Jesus, whom they consider prophets. They maintain that previous messages and revelations have been partially changed or corrupted over time, but consider the Qur’an to be both the unaltered and the final revelation of God.

      Islam’s most fundamental concept is a rigorous monotheism, called Tawhid. God is described in chapter 112 of the Qur’an as: “Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, not is He begotten; and there is none like unto Him.” (Qur’an 112:1-4) Muslims repudiate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and divinity of Jesus, comparing it to polytheism, but accept Jesus as a prophet. In Islam, God is beyond all comprehension and Muslims are not expected to visualize God.

      Muslims believe that creation of everything in the universe is brought into by God’s sheer command “‘Be’ and so it is.” and that the purpose of existence is to worship God. He is viewed as a personal God who responds whenever a person in need or distress calls Him. There are no intermediaries, such as clergy, to contact God who states “We are nearer to him than (his) jugular vein” Allāh is the term with no plural or gender used by Muslims and Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews meaning the one God.

      Holy Qur’an: It is divided into 114 suras, or chapters, which combined contain 6,236 āyāt, or verses. Muslim jurists consult the Hadith, or the written record of Prophet Muhammad’s life, to both supplement the Qur’an and assist with its interpretation. The science of Qur’anic commentary and exegesis is known as Tafsir. To Muslims, the Qur’an is perfect only as revealed in the original Arabic; translations are necessarily deficient because of language difference, the fallibility of translators, and the impossibility of preserving the original’s inspired style.

      Predestination: In accordance with the Islamic belief in predestination, or divine preordainment (al-qadā wa’l-qadar), God has full knowledge and control over all that occurs. For Muslims, everything in the world that occurs, good or evil, has been preordained and nothing can happen unless permitted by God. According to Muslim theologians, although events are pre-ordained, man possesses FREE WILL in that he has the faculty to choose between right and wrong, and is thus responsible for his actions.

       Five Pillars of Islam

      The Pillars of Islam (Arkan al-Islam; also Arkan ad-din, “pillars of religion”) are five basic acts in Islam, considered obligatory of all believers. The Quran presents them as a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to the faith. They are (1) Shahadah (Creed), (2) daily prayers (Salat), (3) Almsgiving (Zakah), (4) Fasting during Ramadan (Sawm), and (5) Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) at least once in a lifetime. The Shi’a and Sunni sects both agree on the essential details for the performance of these acts.

      1. Testimony (Shahadah) The Shahadah, which is the basic creed of Islam that must be recited under oath with the specific statement: “ ‘ashadu ‘al-lā ilah illā-llāhu wa ‘ashadu ‘anna Muhammadan rasūlu-llāh”, or “I testify there are no deities other than God alone and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” Muslims must repeat the Shahadah in prayer, and non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the creed.

      2. Prayer (Salah) Ritual prayers, called

      • Mosque (Masjid) A mosque is in place of worship is a place of worship for Muslims, who often refer to it by its Arabic name, Masjid. The word Mosque in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated to Islamic worship. Although the primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place of prayer, it is also important to the Muslim community as a place to meet and study. Shi’a Islam permits combining prayers in succession.

      3. Fasting (Sawm of Ramadan) Fasting, from food, drink and sex must be performed from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadhan. The fast is to encourage a feeling of nearness to God, and during it Muslims should express their gratitude for and dependence on Him, atone for their past sins, and think of the needy. But missed fasts usually must be made up quickly. The fasting ends daily at sun-down and continues for 30 days.

      4.

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