The merits of Islam

Question:
There are many religions.


Why do Muslims think that Islam is true. Is there any factual basis?


Answer:
Praise be to Allah.


This is a reasonable enough question for one who has not entered
Islam, but one who believes in and practices this religion already
knows the blessings which are his because of this religion. There are
many reasons for this, which include the following:


(1) The Muslim worships One God, Who has no partner, and Who has the
most beautiful names and the highest attributes. Thus the Muslim’s
focus and aim is concentrated, focused on His Lord and Creator; he
puts his trust in Him and asks Him for help, patience and support; he
believes that Allaah is able to do all things, and has no need of a
wife or son. Allaah created the heavens and earth; He is the One Who
gives life and death; He is the Creator and Sustainer from Whom the
slave seeks provision. He is the All-Hearing Who responds to the
supplication of His slave, and from Whom the slave hopes for a
response. He is the All-Merciful and All-Forgiving, to Whom the slave
turns in repentance when he has committed a sin or fallen short in
his
worship of Allaah. He is the Omniscient and All-Seeing, who knows all
intentions and what is hidden in people’s hearts. The slave feels
ashamed to commit a sin by doing wrong to himself or to others,
because his Lord is watching over him and sees all that he does. He
knows that Allaah is All-Wise, the Seer of the Unseen, so he trusts
that what Allaah decrees for him is good; he knows that Allaah will
never be unjust to him, and that everything that Allaah decrees for
him is good, even if he does not understand the wisdom behind it.


(2) The effects of Islaamic worship on the soul of the Muslim include
the following:
Prayer keeps the slave in contact with his Lord; if he enters it in a
spirit of humiliation and concentration, he will feel tranquil and
secure, because he is seeking a "powerful support," which is Allaah,
may He be glorified and exalted. For this reason, the Prophet of
Islaam, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
say: "Let us find relaxation and joy in prayer." If something
distressed him, he would hasten to pray. Everyone who finds himself
faced with disaster and tries prayer finds strength, patience and
consolation, because he is reciting the words of his Lord, which
cannot be compared to the effect of the words of a created being. If
the words of some psychologists can offer a little comfort, what do
you think of the words of the One Who created the psychologist?


Now let us look at zakaat, which is one of the pillars of Islaam.
Zakaat purifies the soul from stinginess and miserliness, and
accustoms people to being generous and helping the poor and needy. It
will bring a great reward on the Day of Resurrection, just like other
forms of worship. It is not burdensome, like man-made taxes; it is
only 25 in every thousand, which the sincere Muslim pays willingly
and
does not try to evade or wait until someone chases him for it.


Fasting involves refraining from food and sex. It is a form of
worship, and a way in which one can feel the hunger of those who are
deprived. It is also a reminder of the blessings of the Creator, and
it brings rewards beyond measure.


Hajj is the Pilgrimage to the sacred House of Allaah, which was built
by Ibraaheem (Abraham, upon whom be peace). By performing Hajj one is
obeying the command of Allaah and the call to come and meet Muslims
from all over the world.


(3) Islaam commands all kinds of good and forbids all kinds of evil.
It encourages good manners and proper treatment of others. It enjoins
good characteristics such as truthfulness, patience, deliberation,
kindness, humility, modesty, keeping promises, dignity, mercy,
justice, courage, patience, friendliness, contentment, chastity, good
treatment, tolerance, trustworthiness, gratitude for favours, and
self-
control in times of anger. Islaam commands the Muslim to fulfil his
duty towards his parents and to uphold family ties, to help the
needy,
to treat neighbours well, to protect and safeguard the wealth of the
orphan, to be gentle with the young and show respect to the old, to
be
kind to servants and animals, to remove harmful things from the road,
to speak kind words, to forgive at the time when one has the
opportunity to take revenge, to be sincere towards one’s fellow-
Muslims, to meet the needs of the Muslims, to give the debtor time to
repay his debt, to prefer others over oneself, to console others, to
greet people with a smiling face, to visit the sick, to support the
one who is oppressed, to give gifts to friends, to honour his guest,
to treat his wife kindly and spend on her and her children, to spread
the greeting of peace (salaam) and to seek permission before entering
another person’s house, lest one see something private that the other
person does not want one to see.


Some non-Muslims may do these things out of politeness or good
manners, but they are not seeking reward from Allaah or salvation of
the Day of Judgement.


If we look at what Islam has prohibited, we will find that it is in
the interests of both the individual and society as a whole. All
these
prohibitions serve to safeguard the relationship between the slave
and
his Lord, and the relationship of the individual with himself and
with
his fellow-man. The following examples demonstrate this:


Islam forbids the association of anything in worship with Allaah and
the worship of anything other than Allaah, because this spells doom
and misery. Islaam also forbids visiting or believing soothsayers and
fortune-tellers; magic or witchcraft that may cause a rift between
two
people or bring them together; belief in the influence of the stars
on
events and people’s lives; cursing time, because Allaah is directing
its affairs; and superstition, because this is pessimism.


Islam forbids cancelling out good deeds by showing off, boasting or
reminding others of one’s favours; bowing or prostrating to anything
other than Allaah; sitting with hypocrites or immoral people for the
purposes of enjoying their company or keeping them company; and
invoking the curse or wrath of Allaah on one another or damning one
another to Hell.


Islaam forbids urinating into stagnant water; defecating on the side
of the road or in places where people seek shade or where they draw
water; from facing the qiblah (direction of prayer) or turning one’s
back towards it when passing water or stools; holding one’s penis in
one’s right hand when passing water; giving the greeting of salaam
(peace) to one who is answering the call of nature; and putting one’s
hand into any vessel before washing it, when one has just woken up.


Islaam forbids the offering of any nafl (supererogatory) prayers when
the sun is rising, when it is at its zenith, and when it is setting,
because it rises and sets between the horns of Shaytaan (Satan);
praying when there is food prepared that a person desires; praying
when one urgently needs to pass water, stools or wind, because that
will distract a person from concentrating properly on his prayer.


Islam forbids the Muslim to raise his voice in prayer, lest it
disturb
other believers; to continue offering supererogatory prayers at night
when one feels drowsy - such a person should sleep then get up; to
stay up all night in prayer, especially one night after another; and
to stop praying when there is doubt as to the validity of one’s
wudoo’
- unless one hears a sound or smells an odour.


Islaam forbids buying, selling and making "lost and found"
announcements in the mosque - because it is the place of worship and
remembrance of Allaah, where worldly affairs have no place.


Islam forbids haste in walking when the iqaamah (call immediately
preceding congregational prayer) is given, and prescribes walking in
a
calm and dignified manner. It is also forbidden to boast about the
cost of building a mosque; to decorate a mosque with red or yellow
paint or adornments which will distract the worshippers; to fast day
after day without a break; and for a woman to observe a
supererogatory
fast when her husband is present without his permission.


Islaam forbids building over graves, making them high, sitting on
them, walking between them wearing shoes, putting lights over them or
writing on them. It is forbidden to disinter the dead or to take
graves as places of worship. Islam forbids wailing, tearing one’s
clothes or leaving one’s hair unkempt when a person dies. Eulogizing
the dead in the manner of the times of Ignorance (Jaahiliyyah) is
also
forbidden, although there is nothing wrong with informing others that
a person has died.


Islaam forbids the consumption of riba (interest); all kinds of
selling which involve ignorance (of the product), misleading and
cheating; selling blood, wine, pork, idols and everything that Allaah
has forbidden - their price, whether bought or sold - is haraam;
najash, which is offering a price for something one has no intention
of buying, as happens in many auctions; concealing a product’s faults
at the time of selling; selling something which one does not own or
before it comes into one’s possession; undercutting, outbidding or
out
bargaining another; selling produce before it is clear that it is in
good condition and free of blemish; cheating in weights and measures;
and hoarding. A partner who has shares in a plot of land or a date
palm tree is forbidden to sell his share without consulting his
partners. It is forbidden to consume the wealth of orphans unjustly;
to bet or gamble; to take anything by force; to accept or offer
bribes; to steal people’s wealth or to consume it unjustly; to take
something for the purpose of destroying it; to undermine the value of
people’s possessions; to keep lost property which one has found, or
to
keep quiet about it and not announce it, for it belongs to the one
who
recognizes it; to cheat in any way; to ask for a loan with no
intention of repaying it; to take anything of the wealth of a fellow-
Muslim, unless it is given freely, because what is taken because of
another person’s shyness is haraam; and to accept a gift because of
intercession.


Celibacy and castration are forbidden, as is marrying two sisters, or
a woman and her aunt (paternal or maternal), whether he marries the
aunt after marrying her niece or vice versa, for fear of breaking the
ties of kinship. It is forbidden to make deals in marriage, such as
saying "Let me marry your daughter and I will give you my daughter or
sister in marriage." Such reciprocal deals are a form of oppression
and injustice, and haraam. Islaam forbids mut’ah (temporary
marriage),
which is a marriage contract for a period of time agreed by the two
parties, at the end of which the marriage expires. Islaam forbids
intercourse with a menstruating woman, until she has purified herself
(by taking a bath after her period ends), and also forbids anal
intercourse. A man is forbidden to propose marriage to a woman when
another man has already proposed to her, unless the other man
withdraws his proposal or gives him permission. It is forbidden to
marry a previously-married woman without consulting her, or a virgin
without seeking her permission. It is forbidden to wish (a newly
married couple) "Bi’l-rafaa’ wa’l-baneen (a joyful life and many
sons)," because this is the greeting of the people of Jaahiliyyah,
who
hated daughters. The divorced woman is forbidden to conceal what
Allaah has created in her womb (if she is pregnant). A husband and
wife are forbidden to speak (to others) about the intimacies of
married life. It is forbidden to turn a woman against her husband or
to take divorce lightly. It is forbidden for a woman to ask for
another’s divorce, such as asking a man to divorce a woman so that
she
can marry him. A wife is forbidden to spend her husband’s money
without his permission, or to keep away from his bed without good
reason, because the angels will curse her if she does that. A man is
forbidden to marry his father’s wife, or to have intercourse with a
woman who is pregnant from another man. It is forbidden for a man to
practise ‘azl (coitus interruptus) with his free wife without her
permission. It is forbidden for a man to return home from a journey
late at night and startle his family, unless he has previously
notified them when he will arrive home. A man is forbidden to take
anything of his wife’s mahr (dowry) without her consent, or to keep
annoying his wife so that she will give up her wealth.


Islaam forbids women to make a wanton display of themselves
(tabarruj). It also forbids extreme forms of female circumcision.
Women are forbidden to admit anyone into their husband’s home without
his permission; his general permission is acceptable so long as they
stay within the limits of sharee’ah. It is forbidden to separate a
mother and child (in case of divorce); to let one’s womenfolk behave
foolishly (in an immoral fashion) and not say anything; to let one’s
gaze wander everywhere; and to follow an accidental glance with an
intentional glance.


Islaam forbids the eating of dead meat, regardless of whether it died
by drowning, strangulation, shock or falling from a high place;
eating
blood, pork and anything slaughtered in a name other than that of
Allaah or for idols; eating the flesh or drinking the milk of beasts
that feed on filth and waste matter; eating the flesh of every
carnivorous beast that has fangs and every bird that has talons;
eating the meat of domesticated donkeys; killing animals by keeping
them and throwing stones at them until they die, or detaining them
without food until they die; slaughtering with teeth or nails;
slaughtering one animal (for food) in front of another; or sharpening
the knife in front of the animal to be slaughtered.


In the area of clothing and adornment, men are forbidden the
extravagance of wearing gold. Muslim are forbidden to be naked or to
expose their thighs; to leave their clothes long (below the ankles)
and trail them on the ground for the purpose of showing off; and to
wear clothes that will attract attention.


It is forbidden to bear false witness; to make false accusations
against a chaste believing woman; to accuse someone who is innocent;
to utter lies; to slander and backbite; to call people by offensive
nicknames; to spread gossip and malicious slander; to make fun of the
Muslims; to boast about one’s status; to shed doubts on a person’s
lineage; to utter slander, insults and obscenities; to speak in an
indecent or rude manner; or to utter evil in public, except by one
who
has been wronged.


Islaam forbids telling lies; one of the worst kinds of lie is to lie
about dreams, like fabricating dreams and visions in order to prove
one’s virtue, or make some material gains, or to frighten an enemy.


Muslims are forbidden to praise themselves, or to talk in a secret
way: two may not converse secretly to the exclusion of a third,
because this is offensive. It is forbidden to curse a believer or
someone who does not deserve to be cursed.


Islaam forbids speaking ill of the dead; praying for death; wishing
for death because of some suffering that one is passing through;
praying against one’s self, one’s children, one’s servants or one’s
wealth.


Muslims are told not to eat the food that is directly in front of
others or to eat from the centre of the dish or platter; rather they
should eat from what is directly in front of them or thereabouts,
because the barakah (blessing) comes in the middle of the food. It is
forbidden to drink from a broken edge of a vessel, because this could
cause harm; or to drink from the mouth of a vessel; or to breathe
into
it. It is forbidden to eat while lying on one’s stomach; to sit at a
table where wine is being drunk; to leave a fire burning in one’s
house when one sleeps; to sleep with Ghamr in one’s hand, like an
offensive smell or the remainder of food (grease); to sleep on one’s
stomach; or to talk about or try to interpret bad dreams, because
these are tricks of the Shaytaan.


It is forbidden to kill another person except in cases where it is
right to do so; to kill one’s children for fear of poverty; to commit
suicide; to commit fornication, adultery or sodomy (homosexuality);
to
drink wine, or even to prepare it, carry it from one place to
another,
or sell it. Muslims are forbidden to please people by angering
Allaah;
to offend their parents or even to say "Uff" (the slightest word of
contempt) to them; to claim that a child belongs to anyone but his
real father; to torture by means of fire; to burn anyone, alive or
dead, with fire; to mutilate the bodies of the slain; to help anyone
commit falsehood; or to cooperate in wrongdoing and sin.


It is forbidden to obey any person by disobeying Allaah; to swear
falsely; to swear a disastrous oath; to eavesdrop on people without
their permission; to invade people’s privacy or look at their private
parts; to claim something that does not belong to one or that one did
not do, for the purpose of showing off; to look into someone’s else’s
house without permission; to be extravagant; to swear an oath to do
something wrong; to spy on others or be suspicious about righteous
men
and women; to envy, hate or shun one another; to persist in
falsehood;
to be arrogant or feel superior; to be filled with self-admiration;
to
be pleased with one’s arrogance. Islam forbids taking back one’s
charity, even if one pays to get it back; employing someone to do a
job without paying him his wages; being unfair in giving gifts to
one’s children; bequeathing everything in one’s will and leaving
one’s
heirs poor - in such a case the will should not be executed; writing
a
will that concerns more than one third of one’s legacy; being a bad
neighbour; or changing a will to the detriment of one or some of
one’s
heirs. A Muslim is forbidden to forsake or shun his brother for more
than three days, except for a reason sanctioned by sharee’ah; to hold
small stones between two fingers and throw them because this could
cause injury to eyes or teeth; to include his heirs in a will,
because
Allaah has already given heirs their rights of inheritance; to
disturb
his neighbour; to point a weapon at his Muslim brother; to hand
someone an unsheathed sword, lest it harm him; to come (walk) between
two people except with their permission; to return a gift, unless
there is some shar’i objection to it; to be extravagant; to give
money
to foolish people; to wish to be like someone to whom Allaah has
given
more of something; to cancel out his charity by giving offensive
reminders of his giving; to wilfully conceal testimony; or to oppress
orphans or scold one who asks for help or money. It is forbidden to
treat with evil medicines, because Allaah would not create a cure for
this ummah which includes something that He has forbidden. It is
forbidden to kill women and children in warfare; to boast to one
another; or to break promises.


Islaam forbids betraying a trust; asking for charity that one does
not
need; alarming a Muslim brother or taking away his possessions,
whether jokingly or seriously; changing one’s mind after giving a
gift, except in the case of a gift from a father to his child;
practising medicine without experience; or killing ants, bees and
hoopoe birds. A man is forbidden to look at the ‘awrah (private
parts)
of another man, and a woman is forbidden to look at the ‘awrah of
another woman. It is forbidden to sit between two people without
their
permission; or to greet only those whom one knows, because the
greeting is to be given to those whom you know and those whom you do
not know. A Muslim is forbidden to let an oath come between him and
good deeds; he should do what is good and make expiation for the
oath.
It is forbidden to judge between two disputing parties when one is
angry, or to judge in favour of one party without hearing what the
other has to say. It is forbidden for a man to walk through the
market-
place carrying something - like a sharp weapon - that could harm the
Muslims, unless it is properly covered. A Muslim is forbidden to make
another person get up, so that he can take his place.


There are more commands and prohibitions which came for the benefit
and happiness of individuals and mankind as a whole. Have you ever
seen any other religion that can compare to this religion?


Read this response again, then ask yourself: is it not a great pity
that I am not one of them? Allaah says in the Qur’aan (interpretation
of the meaning): "And whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it
will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of
the losers." [Aal ‘Imraan 3:85]


Finally, I hope that everyone who reads this will be guided to the
correct way and to follow the truth. May Allaah protect you and us
from all evil.