ISLAM Light For Life Imam Jamal Ahmed El-Chebli ISLAM LIGHT FOR LIFE 1 INDEX PREFACE .................................... 8 CHAPTER 1 .............................. 11 ISLAM AND MUSLIMS...................................................................................... 11 The Meaning of Islam 11 Muslims 12 The concept of God in Islam 13 The Oneness of God 13 ALLAH ............................................................................................................ 14 Accountability 18 Rewards of Actions 18 Hellfire and Paradise 18 SUMMARY: ..................................................................................................... 20 PROPHETHOOD ................................................................................................ 21 The concept of Prophethood in Islam 21 The Characteristics of the Prophets and Messengers .................. 22 The Prophets Perform Miracles 23 The Message of the Prophets 24 Every Nation Was Sent a Prophet 25 Why Doesn't Everyone Receive Direct Revelation? ..................... 26 THE FINAL PROPHET ....................................................................................... 26 MUHAMMAD ................................................................................................... 26 Who is Muhammad? 26 Childhood of Muhammad 27 Manhood of Muhammad 27 The Beginning of revelation 28 The Beginning of Dawah (Inviting people to Islam) .................... 29 The First Generation of Muslims 30 CONCLUSION .................................................................................................. 32 CHAPTER 2 .............................. 34 THE MEANING OF SHARI’A (ISLAMIC LAW) .................................................... 34 The Sources of the Shari’a 37 THE QUR’AN ................................................................................................... 37 2 THE HADITH OR THE SUNNAH ........................................................................ 38 IJMAA (CONSENSUS) ....................................................................................... 40 QIYAS (COMPARISONS) .................................................................................. 43 THE RATIONALES AS GUIDELINES TO NEW CASES ............................................ 44 CHAPTER 3 .............................. 46 ISLAMIC JURISPRUDENTIAL TERMINOLOGY .................................................... 46 Nafl (Optional) 47 Halal (Permissible) 47 Haram (Impermissible) 48 Mandoob (Recommended) 48 Mubah (Acceptable) 48 CHAPTER 4 .............................. 49 ESSENTIAL ISLAMIC KNOWLEDGE .................................................................. 49 THE SACRED EDUCATION ............................................................................... 49 SEEKING KNOWLEDGE IN ISLAM ..................................................................... 52 PERSONAL OBLIGATORY KNOWLEDGE ........................................................... 52 CHAPTER 5 .............................. 54 ISLAM AND IMAN ............................................................................................ 54 CHAPTER 6 .............................. 57 IMAN ............................................................................................................... 57 1. The Oneness of God 59 2. The Angels (Malaika) 59 3. The Books 61 4. The Messengers / The prophets 61 5. The Day of Judgment 63 6. The Divine decree 63 CHAPTER 7 .............................. 67 THE PILLARS OF ISLAM ................................................................................... 67 1. THE SHAHADAH .......................................................................................... 67 3 The Virtues of Shahadah 69 PURIFICATION ................................................................................................. 70 Ablution (WUDU) 71 Du’a after finishing the wudu 73 Cleansing (GHUSL) 73 Purification with Dust (TAYAMMUM) 74 Wiping over Socks 75 The place to be wiped on a sock: 75 The duration of the wiping: 75 What invalidates the wiping? 76 CHAPTER 8 .............................. 77 Benefits of Prayer 81 Definition of the Prayer (SALAT) 81 Who must pray? 82 Time for Prayer (Salat) 83 AZAN AND IQAMAH ........................................................................................ 83 How do you call the Azan? 83 Transliteration: 84 IQAMAH 85 Requirements for the Prayer 86 Obligatory Duties (Fara’ed as-Salat) (The Pillars of the prayer)86 Necessary Duties (Wajibatu- Salat) 86 Preferred Acts of the Salat (Sunnah Salat) .................................. 87 Things Which Invalidate the Prayer (Mubtilatu-Salat) ................ 88 How to perform the prayer? 89 Tashahud 92 Assalatu alibrahemeyah 93 CHAPTER 9 .............................. 95 JUMU’AH PRAYER ........................................................................................... 95 Recommendations before the Jumu’ah prayer ............................. 96 Timing of Jumu’ah Prayer 96 How does one perform Salat Al-Jumu’ah? .................................. 96 How to Give a Khutbah? 97 Rules of the Khutbah: 97 4 CHAPTER 10 ............................ 99 THE VARIOUS TYPES OF SALAT (PRAYER) ...................................................... 99 TYPES OF SALAT 99 A. Fard (obligatory) Salat: 99 1. Fard Al-ayn salats are the following: 99 2. Fard Kifayah salats are the following: .................................... 99 B. Witr Salat (Odd raka’ah): 100 C. EID Al-fitr & EID Al Ad’ha: 101 D. Sunnah Salat prayer: 101 Sunnah Muakkadah (Recommended) 101 Sunnah Ghair Muakkadah (optional), 101 CHAPTER 11 .......................... 103 ZAKAT .......................................................................................................... 103 CHAPTER 12 .......................... 106 FASTING..................................................................................................... 106 The Meaning of Fasting 107 Duration of Sawm 107 Compulsory duties during the fast: 108 Atonement (Kaffarats) for breaking of a fast: ............................ 109 Recommended actions in Ramadan: 109 Things that break the fast (Muftirat): 109 Prohibited Fasts: 110 Supererogatory Fasts: 110 (Makruh) Disliked Fasts: 111 ZAKAT AL-FITR ............................................................................................. 111 CHAPTER 13 .......................... 113 TARAWEEH PRAYER ..................................................................................... 113 What is Taraweeh Prayer? 113 The virtues of the Taraweeh Prayer 113 The Number of Raka’ahs of the Taraweeh prayer ..................... 114 5 CHAPTER 14 .......................... 116 HAJJ (PILGRIMAGE) ...................................................................................... 116 OBLIGATION OF HAJJ (PILGRIMAGE) ................................. 116 The obligation of Hajj in the Qur’an 116 The obligation of Hajj in the Sunnah 117 Who must perform Hajj? 117 When can a person perform hajj? 117 Terms those are used during (Pilgrimage) Hajj. ....................... 118 The Ka’abah 119 MAKKAH 120 MEDINAH 120 UMRAH ......................................................................................................... 121 What is Umrah? 121 CHAPTER 15 .......................... 124 ISLAMIC CALENDAR ..................................................................................... 124 CHAPTER 16 .......................... 125 SINCERITY (IKHLASS) ................................................................................ 125 Sincerity in the Qur’an: 125 How can we achieve sincerity? 130 CHAPTER 17 .......................... 131 REPENTANCE (TAWBAH) .............................................................................. 131 Can a person repent from some sins, and not all sins? .............. 131 Benefits of Repentance: 133 CHAPTER 18 .......................... 136 DU’A (SUPPLICATION) .................................................................................. 136 The Necessity of Supplication 136 The rewards of Supplication 137 Why our supplications (Du'as) are not answered? .................... 138 The best times to pray Du'a 139 QUR’ANIC SUPPLICATIONS ........................................................................... 139 6 Private Supplications Recited Upon completing Prayers .......... 142 Terms of Du’a 144 REFERENCES ......................... 147 7 PREFACE In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, The Most Merciful Praise be to Allah; we praise Him and seek His help and ask His forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil of our own souls and from our bad deeds. Whomever Allah guides no one can misguide, and whoever is misguided no one can guide aright. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, alone with no partner. He is the Creator of everything, the Owner of the heavens and the earths and whatever is between them. I bear witness that Muhammad (the son of Abdullah of Makkah) is the last Prophet and the last Messenger. Allah sent him as a witness, as a Warner, and as a mercy to all God’s creation. Muhammad was sent to teach people the way of worshipping only one God and living according to God’s way. Verily, the best of speech is the book of Allah, and the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad. The evillest of things are newly invented matters in the religion, for every newly invented matter is an innovation, and every innovation is a misguidance, and every misguidance is in (leads to) hell fire. Proceeding, the misunderstanding of Islam in western society is very clearly