WHY ISLAM?

Islam is a perfect religion which provides solution to every problem and answer to every question. As the word 'Islam' means 'peace', it is effectively the religion of every human who likes peace. Peace within a human being, peace of mind, peace at home, peace in the society, and peace in the world. In other words Islam is a way of achieving peace by submitting to the Will of God.

Peace loving people welcomed and accepted Islam throughout the ages since the birth of Adam (peace be upon him). The modern laws of Islam were revealed from God (Allah) to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by Angel Gabriel some 1420 years ago. People who like peace, equality, and honesty in the society always welcome Islam. The only people reject this message of peace from their Creator are the wrong-doers and mischief makers.

Today, more than one billion people around the globe practice Islam, not only as their religion, but also their way of life. One-fifth of the world population from all races, every origin and nationalities regardless of their athnicity, culture or language follow Islamic teachings. In America, an estimated 130,000 people are converting to Islam every year.

Blessed are those who accept Islam and become the folowers of a natural way of life. Allah's has given human beings will-power and ability to think and differeciate between wrong and right, and His message is very clear about it: "This is the path of your Lord, a straight way. Indeed, We have detailed our Revelations for the people who think. For them is abode of peace with their Lord; He will be their protecting friend because of their good deeds." [The Holy Qur'an, Surah 6:126-127]

Why People Embrace Islam?

People are converting to Islam for a number of reasons: mostly personal reasons, while others become Muslims also on the basis of cultural, social and spiritual characteristics of Islam. The followings are some key aspects that mainly draw many people, particularly Christians and Jews to Islamic Faith:

• Conversion to Islam is relatively simple, involving only Shahada, the declaration of Faith: There is no God except Allah; Muhammad is Allah's Final Messenger. People find it much easier than a lengthy process of religious education and series of formal rituals.



• Islamic supreme authority is the Holy Qur'an - the speech of God. It is brief and to the point, yet holds detail of every subject related to the daily life on earth and beyond. Arabic being ever popular language, with translations available in most modern languages around the globe, the Qur'an is easy to read and straightforward to understand therefore, new comers find it simple to comprehend.



• Islam's Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) holds a paramount position in Islamic Faith. Yet he is not considered as a god, his place in Islam is rather of a man, a Messenger and a Servant of God. As a person, Muhammad was an incredible man, and people see in him a perfect example to follow.



• Islam is monotheistic religion. It calls upon people to believe in one True God only. People are told in the Qur'an: "Say: He is Allah, He is One; The Self-Sufficient, The Eternal God; He begets not, nor was He begotten; There is none equal to Him." [The Holy Qur'an, Surah 112:1-4]



• The significance of Jesus for Muslims as a human and important place in Islam as a prophet of God rather than as a divine figure appeals to those who find the Christian concept of the Trinity too confusing to understand or too difficult to believe in.



• Islam's basic beliefs are relatively straightforward and easy to understand as well as to perform, compared with other religions fundamental precepts. For example the Five Pillars of Islam: Shahada, Obligatory Prayers, Fasting in the Month of Ramdan, Paying Zakat (Charity) to the poor and travelling to Makkah to Perform the Hajj; even the younger followers can comprehend them without any hardship or confusion.



• Islam is the faith of equality and justice for all. God says in the Holy Qur'an: "O you who believe, stand firmly for justice, as witnesses before Allah, even if it be against yourselves, or your parents or your (close) relatives, and whether (it be against) rich or poor. God can best protect both. Do not follow the desires of your hearts, lest you swerve (from the truth) and if you distort your testimony or decline to do justice, verily Allah is fully aware of all that you do." [The Qur'an, Surah 4:135]



• Islam's great civilization and rich history certainly has an attractive and intellectual appeal for many people. Converting to Islam means they also become part of the Muslim Ummah (nation).



• Islam's emphasis on the importance of family life and social value is one of the key aspects that attract men and women from various cultural backgrounds, particularly those serious in true and traditional family values and moral teachings.



• Islam is not only a religion but also a complete way of life, where everything is detailed in the Qur'an very clearly, and further explaination is available through the Hadith and Sunnah (sayings, teachings and actions) of Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him).



• Many of the prophets and stories found in the Bible such as the creation of Adam and Eve, the story of Noah and the flood, the events in the life of Abraham and his sons, the Psalms of David and the kingdom of Solomon, the Exodus of Israelites from Egypt led by Moses, Jesus preaching the Injeel (Good News) to the world - are present in the Quran as well. Christians and Jews who convert to Islam often comment they are attracted to the faith partly because of its similarities to Christianity and Judaism in general.

What is Iman?

Many translators render the Arabic noun “iman” in English as “belief.” This translation is an imperfect solution to a difficult problem. The difficulty here is finding a simple English equivalent to match the complexity inherent in the Arabic original. Unfortunately, misconceptions occur quite often with English and Arabic, two languages with such different histories, grammars and even worldviews, that it seems whenever one translates between the two, a world of meaning is lost. One of the most tragic examples of this linguistic breakdown is the word “jihad,” which was at one time translated as “holy war,” (better translated as “struggle”)  leading to a serious misunderstanding of Islam that continues to do damage today.

Muslims themselves choose to translate iman as “belief,” often without realizing the potential for a misunderstanding as problematic, if not more so than the issues surrounding jihad. The reason for why a translation of iman as “belief” is so problematic is because if a Muslim thinks that when the Qur’an commands him or her to have iman, he or she need do nothing more than what is conveyed to them by the English “belief,” then he or she is in danger of a major dereliction of religious duty. Iman requires a deeper, more complete commitment to an idea than what speakers of English call “belief.”

One way to show the distinctions between the Arabic iman and the English “belief” would be to do a rigorous etymological analysis of the two words. While that might be preferable in some ways, a more simple and perhaps more powerful demonstration comes by citing a single hadith. Anas bin Malik relates that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) said: “None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.” [Sahîh al-Bukhârî and Sahîh Muslim]
The above hadith highlights the differences between iman and belief.  A helpful way to look at the saying is to see it as the Islamic version of the Golden Rule. Just as the Golden Rule tells people to treat others as they would like to be treated, this hadith tells Muslims that they should want good things for their brothers and sisters just as they want good things for themselves. It is not limited to mere objects; it also includes people and actions. Therefore, a Muslim should want his brother to find love just as he wishes to find love. But why does it say that no one believes until they achieve this generous mentality? Isn’t it possible that a man believes in God in his heart but acts miserly to others? Here Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is making the dramatic claim that such a thing is not possible. He is arguing that if true belief has permeated a man’s heart, he cannot be miserly. This illustrates a crucial difference between Islamic iman and the English “belief.” In fact, this distinction is so crucial that Muslims imperil their souls if they fail to understand it. This distinction is that iman must manifest itself through action whereas belief does not necessarily have to do so.
Belief, as normally used in English, does not necessitate action. Think about how speakers of English use forms of the word “belief.”  When someone says, “I believe you,” what he or she is really saying is “I think there’s at least a 51% chance that you are telling the truth.” Is there any connection between this belief and action? No. Imagine this conversation.
A rabid football (as in the NFL) fan from Wisconsin says, “Because of their athleticism and strong coaching, I think the Green Bay Packers are the best team in football today.” His friend replies, “I believe you.” Clearly the fan sees the Packers as a great team. One can say that with a high amount of confidence. But what can one say about the friend? What has he committed to by saying, “I believe”? Assuming the friend is sincere, he has agreed to the truth of the previous statement. But that’s it. He has not committed to a course of action.
That caveat, assuming the friend is sincere, says something about how carelessly English speakers throw around the word “believe.” How often does a person just say, “Okay, I believe you” just because that person wants to shut someone up? Let’s look at the example again. Isn’t it possible that this friend is really a fan of another team, maybe the Chicago Bears (bitter rivals of the Packers) and is merely saying that he believes to make the other guy stop talking? What if a day after “believing” that the Packers are the best team, the friend wears a Bears jersey? No one would think that he had done anything wrong. While he has contradicted himself, he has not breached any trust because we know, as speakers of English, that saying one believes something does not create a commitment.
Iman, on the other hand, does create a commitment. Iman creates an amana (the Arabic word for a trust or surety).  Islamic iman creates a commitment to Allah. The commitment entails learning about Islam, practicing Islam, and teaching Islam to others.

Iman begins a life-changing process. Think about the story of the beloved uncle of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Abu Talib. Almost from the moment he received the message, Muhammad ﷺ valiantly struggled to convince his uncle to believe in Islam. Allah knows best about Abu Talib’s state and destiny, but it seems likely from historical accounts that he never accepted Islam. If iman were nothing more than “belief,” would Abu Talib have resisted so much? If he understood “believing” as just having a degree of confidence about the truth of a statement, it seems like extreme stubbornness for him to refuse. But perhaps Abu Talib resisted because he really understood iman much more than many Muslims living today do. Because he knew that to have iman was to agree to a commitment of action, a life-changing commitment, he refused because he was not ready to transform his life so radically.

Thus having iman means committing to a program of action. A Muslim who has iman does not merely believe in Allah, he or she commits to follow the commands of Allah in every aspect of life. Iman is key to success in the religious realm, but also in other areas. Good students have a kind of iman; they believe in their success and as a result, they commit by studying regularly, attending classes, and reading textbooks. Dieters that lose significant numbers of pounds (or kilos) commit to action; they eat healthy foods and exercise every day. Also, they avoid eating fatty or sugary foods that will jeopardize their success. Iman affects not only the actions a person does, but also the actions a person avoids.
Iman sounds like so much work, why would anyone be interested in it? The result of iman is aman. Aman is Arabic for safety, protection, and peace. Having iman leads a person towards peace since doubt creates fear and anxiety.  Peace, whether the peace of mind of an individual or the global peace that remains an elusive dream, satisfies a need deep in the human heart.