A better understanding of Islam 




For the non Muslim readers, the following sentences may sound puzzling because they aim at explaining the true nature of Islam as it was revealed 1390 years ago. Thus, the reader may find a difference between the explanations of the media and the reality described here. Every is free to compare the following commentaries with any competent Islamic sources.

Islam, a religion like all other religions?

First, we have to say that Islam is a system of social justice that really gives everybody the same rights whatever beliefs, origins, races, social status…If we consider atheism as a belief, we may say that the first and fundamental principle of Islam is to respect other beliefs. This fact is rarely mentioned.

How does Islam accomplish a system of social justice and how does it strongly advise people to be good and helpful to others without trying to harm anybody? How does Islam protect the rights of the weakers?

Islam is based on the belief in one and unique god, Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful, who has knowledge of everything. Every human being who was given reason tends to follow his/her passion and envy. Every good action will be considered as one good deed and it will be written in a book. If you do something wrong, in the same manner, it will be written as one bad action. On the day of Retribution, every single person will see his:her past actions weighed by a balance. If you have done more good than evil, you shall enter Allah’s paradise, otherwise, Hell will be your last and final destination. .

Let’s try to see how we can do good. All the rules of Islamic law aim at keeping the five following principles :

Dogma
Reason
People
Honour
Goods

Anytime a Muslim commit a sin concerning the five mentioned principles and wants to catch up his mistake, he/she should do something good toward a poor person, a weak person, or a needy person and thus compensate and mend what he or she has done. There lies the secret of Islam!

Man will commit many sins or evil (it is his nature to do so), but he/she was given means to ask for forgiveness and pay for what he/she has done by doing good to others. That is how Man fulfils his ‘double’ destiny which is on the one hand to obey his Creator and on the other hand to reach the top of social behaviour toward the others.

Concerning the dogma, Islam is based on five pillars as they are called :

Professing that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his prophet and messenger
Performing the five daily prayers
Paying the legal tax (Zakat) to purify one’s goods
Fasting during the month of Ramadan
Pilgrimage to Mekka once in a lifetime if possible

Faith consists in believing in :

Allah,
His angels,
The revealed books,
The messengers,
Day of retribution,
The fate, good or bad
.