Islam was not born in the
7th century A.D. Rather, it is the same religion that God revealed
through His messengers (peace be upon them) to every people. Islam
sometimes seems strange to non-Muslims because it is a religion
which impacts every part of life, from eating and sleeping to
working and playing. It is not only a personal religion, but also a
social one.
Muslims seek to live in accordance with God's
laws. By doing so, they strive to obtain nearness to God and victory
over temporary trials and temptations in this world. All aspects of
their practice including prayer, fasting, charity, and pilgrimage
are intended to help meet this goal. Although strict by secular
standards, Islam is not an ascetic religion. Islam requires its
followers to be active participants in their
communities.
Muslims believe that God is One, indivisible,
and they believe in all the prophets of the Christians and Jews
including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job,
Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and
Jesus (peace be upon them).
Muslims also recognize another
prophet named Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), who is a
direct descendant of Abraham through his first born son, Ishmael.
His prophethood is prophesied in the Bible in several places,
including Deut 18:18 and John 4:16.
The Qur'an is the holy
book of Muslims. It contains many stories that are familiar to
Christians and Jews. It was not created by man but was revealed to
the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family) through the
Angel Gabriel at the command of God. It contains no scientific
fallacies or internal contradictions. In fact, it contains much
scientific knowledge discovered by scientists only in this century.
The Qur'an is an unparalleled Arabic literary masterpiece.
Furthermore, it survives in its original revealed form, unlike the
Torah and the Gospel.
People living in the West and
throughout the world should not allow themselves to be ignorant
about Islam and Muslims. For example, there are six million Muslims
living in the United States out of 1.2 billion in the world. Only
18% of Muslims live in the Arab world. Demographers say that Islam
is the fastest growing religion in the U.S. (and the world) due to
high birth rate, immigration, and high conversion rate. By the year
2000, Islam is predicted to be the second largest religion in
America if it is not already, surpassing Judaism, Mormonism,
Jehovah's Witness, and other religions.
- taken from
http://www.muslims.org