WHO IS A MUSLIM? A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the Quran—which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad—and, with lesser authority than the Quran, the teachings and practices of Muhammad as recorded in traditional accounts, called hadith. Muslim is an Arabic word meaning one who submits to God. ETYMOLOGICALLY The word muslim (Arabic: مسلم, IPA: [ˈmʊslɪm]; English /ˈmʌzlɨm/, /ˈmʊzlɨm/, /ˈmʊslɨm/ or moslem /ˈmɒzləm/, /ˈmɒsləm/) is the participle of the same verb of which islām is the infinitive, based on the triliteral S-L-M to be whole, intact.A female adherent is a muslima (Arabic: مسلمة). The plural form in Arabic is muslimūn (مسلمون), and its feminine equivalent is muslimāt (مسلمات). The Arabic form muslimun is the stem IV participle of the triliteral S-L-M. Other words for Muslim The ordinary word in English is Muslim. It is sometimes transliterated as Moslem, which is an older spelling. The word Mosalman (Persian: مسلمان, alternatively Mussalman) is a common equivalent for Muslim used in Central Asia. Until at least the mid-1960s, many English-language writers used the term Mohammedans or Mahometans. Although such terms were not necessarily intended to be pejorative, Muslims argue that the terms are offensive because they allegedly imply that Muslims worship Muhammad rather than God. This label is a misnomer and is the result of either willful distortion or sheer ignorance. One of the reasons for the misconception is that Europeans were taught for centuries that Muslims worshipped the Prophet Muhammad in the same way that Christians worship Jesus. This is absolutely not true since a Muslim is not permitted to worship anyone or anything besides Almighty Allah. THEOLOGICALLY Whoever utters the two testimonies Shahadatayn that is to say: “Ashhadu an la ilaha il-lallah wa ashhadu an-an Muhammadan Rasulullah” which means “I bear witness that there is no god save Allah, and I bear witness that Mohammed is the Messenger of Allah”, is Muslim. Those who are born to Muslim parents are regarded Muslims by birth, disregarding whether or not he/she is a faithful believer, is Muslim. Muslims believe that there is no other God but the one true God who is referred to with the name Allah. God is eternal, transcendent, absolutely one (the doctrine of tawhid, or strict or simple monotheism), and incomparable; that he is self-sustaining, who begets not nor was begotten. Muslim beliefs regarding God are summed up in chapter 112 of the Quran, al-Ikhlas, the chapter of purity. Muslims also believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times and places before, including through the prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus. Muslims maintain that previous messages and revelations have been partially changed or corrupted over time, but consider the Quran to be both unaltered and the final revelation from God—Final Testament. The Quran describes many prophets and messengers as well as their respective followers as Muslim: Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses and Jesus and his apostles are all considered to be Muslims in the Quran. The Quran states that these men were Muslims because they submitted to God, preached His message and upheld His values, which included praying, charity, fasting and pilgrimage. Thus, in Surah 3:52 of the Quran, Jesus’ disciples tell Jesus, We believe in God; and you be our witness that we are Muslims (wa-shahad be anna muslimūn). In Muslim belief, before the Quran, God had given the Torah to Moses, the Psalms to David and the Gospel to Jesus, who are all considered important Muslim prophets. In the case of Jiwan Khan vs Habibi AIR (1933), it is said that “Every person who believes in the unity of God and the mission of Muhammad as a prophet is a Mussulman to whatever sect he may belong” Article 260(3)(a) of the Pakistan Constitution defines “Muslim” as : Muslim means a person who believes in the unity and oneness of Almighty Allah, in the absolute and unqualified finality of the Prophet hood of Muhammad (peace be upon him), the last of the Prophets and does not believe in, or recognize as a prophet or religious reformer, any person who claimed or claims to be a prophet, in any sense of the word or of any description whatsoever, after Muhammad (peace be upon him)” Muslim population One billion people from a vast range of races, nationalities and cultures across the globe - from the southern Philippines to Nigeria - are united by their common Islamic faith. About 20% live in the Arab world; the worlds largest Muslim community is in Indonesia; substantial parts of Asia and most of Africa are Muslim, while significant minorities are to be found in the Soviet Union, China, North and South America, and Europe. About 13% of Muslims live in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country, 25% in South Asia, 20% in the Middle East, 2% in Central Asia, 4% in the remaining South East Asian countries, and 15% in Sub-saharan Africa. Sizable communities are also found in China and Russia, and parts of the Caribbean. Converts and immigrant communities are found in almost every part of the world. The majority of Muslims are Sunni, being over 75–90% of all Muslims. The second largest sect, Shia, makes up 10–20%. The most populous Muslim-majority country is Indonesia home to 12.7% of the worlds Muslims followed by Pakistan (11.0%), Bangladesh (9.2%), and Egypt (4.9%). Sizable minorities are also found in India, China, Russia, Ethiopia, Americas, Australia and parts of Europe. With about 1.8 billion followers or 26% of population, Islam is the second-largest and one of the fastest-growing religions in the world.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Nov 2014 17:43:48 +0000
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