Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding ISLAM

In The Name of Allah, The Most Gracious, Most Merciful

This introductory book on Islam serves as a good da'wah tool, explaining some of the fundamentals of Islam, as well signifying verses of the Qur'an and how they relate to science and the world around us.

The first chapter, Some Evidence for the Truth of Islam, answers some important questions which some people ask:

n Is the Quran truly the literal word of God, revealed by Him?

n Is Muhammad truly a prophet sent by God?

n Is Islam truly a religion from God?

In this chapter, six kinds of evidence are mentioned:

1) The Scientific Miracles in the Holy Quran: This section discusses (with illustrations) some recently discovered scientific facts mentioned in the Holy Quran, which was revealed fourteen centuries ago.

2) The Great Challenge to Produce One Chapter Like the Chapters of the Holy Quran: In the Quran, God challenged all human beings to produce a single chapter like the chapters of the Quran. Ever since the Quran was revealed, fourteen centuries ago, until this day, no one has been able to meet this challenge, even though the smallest chapter in the Quran (Chapter 108) is only ten words.

3) Biblical Prophecies on the Advent of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam: In this section, some of the Biblical prophecies on the advent of the Prophet Muhammad are discussed.

4) The Verses in the Quran That Mention Future Events Which Later Came to Pass: The Quran mentioned future events which later came to pass, for example, the victory of the Romans over the Persians.

5) Miracles Performed by the Prophet Muhammad: Many miracles were performed by the Prophet Muhammad. These miracles were witnessed by many people.

6) The Simple Life of Muhammad: This clearly indicates that Muhammad was not a false prophet who claimed prophet hood to attain material gains, greatness, or power.

From these six kinds of evidence, we conclude that:

n The Quran must be the literal word of God, revealed by Him.

n Muhammad is truly a prophet sent by God.

n Islam is truly a religion from God.

If we would like to know if a religion is true or false, we should not depend on our emotions, feelings, or traditions. Rather, we should depend on our reason and intellect. When God sent the prophets, He supported them with miracles and evidence which proved that they were truly prophets sent by God and hence that the religion they came with is true.

The second chapter, Some Benefits of Islam, mentions some of the benefits that Islam provides for the individual, such as:

1) The Door to Eternal Paradise

2) Salvation from Hellfire

3) Real Happiness and Inner Peace

4) Forgiveness for All Previous Sins.

The third chapter, General Information on Islam, provides general information on Islam, corrects some misconceptions about it, and answers some commonly asked questions, such as:

n What does Islam say about terrorism?

n What is the status of women in Islam?

Footnote:

(1) These Arabic words mean, "May God exalt his mention and protect him from imperfection."