Learning Islam

The Holy Prophet Muhammad said,

"I was sent to perfect good character."

By his exemplary life he taught us the correct behaviour towards the one true God and towards all of God's creation. The people who make an effort to attain this excellent character will become humble before God and generous to their families, and their neighbors. This is Islam, the way of submission to the Creator and Sustainer of All the Worlds.

If you wish to learn the Way of Islam, seek out people with true knowledge, and take your Islam directly from the source. The proof of their authenticity will be the excellent character which they have gained by following the example of Allah's Messenger.

If you wish to know more please contact Kobe Mosque.

Basic Islamic Worship

Allah is the Arabic name for the One Creator and Sustainer of this Universe. Allah has created humankind, and He given us many Signs in His Creation to guide us to Him. Furthermore, in His Mercy, He has sent His prophets and messengers to all the human beings who have lived on this planet, in order to teach us the reason why He has created us and what the real purpose of our lives is. All His messengers, including Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, peace be upon them all, were sent to teach us that He is One God and that our worship must purely for Him alone, without ascribing any partners to Him and free from any form of idolatery.. The last prophet God sent to mankind is Muhammad . Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad's message is a complete guidance for human beings to live according to God's Will, and that it is valid until the end of time. If you have understood this and you accept it, then you are ready to become a person who has submitted to God's Will. You are ready to be a Muslim. First of all, let's study the five basic elements of Islam, known as the

The Five Pillars of Islam

1. The first step to becoming a Muslim is to declare in front of trustworthy witnesses that there is nothing worthy of worship except the One Supreme God, and that Muhammad is His messenger. By this statement you are making a solemn commitment to God to uphold all the elements of Islam.

2. The second is to perform the five obligatory prayers at set times every day, so we must learn how to pray. Before we perform the prayer, we must purify ourselves, so we must learn how to perform ablution.

3. The next element is fasting the month of Ramadan. Every year, during this holy month, Muslims refrain from eating and drinking during the daylight hours.

4. The next element is to pay Zakat, a tax on the wealthy which is distributed to the needy.

5. Finally, at least once during your lifetime an able-bodied Muslim must perform Hajj, the Pilgrimage to Mecca. Now let's study the six articles of Islamic faith, which are known as

Belief (Iman)

Iman consists of, belief, faith, and acceptance in the heart of Allah, His Angels, His Books, His Prophets and Messengers, the Day of Judgement, Heaven, and Hell, and Divine Will. If you accept that the above are true, then you are ready to begin worshipping God in the way that He has guided us, the way of Islam. To some of His prophets, God revealed a message. Unfortunately what remains of the previous messages is fragmented and has benn altered by man. Muslims are fortunate that the Holy Quran which was revealed by Allah to Muhammad was written down and that these writings were collected into one volume soon after his death. Thus the Holy Quran has been preserved in its original state in the memories of millions of Muslims and also in written form.

Holy Quran

Muslims believe that the Holy Quran is God's word. From the original Arabic, translations have been made into almost every language spoken by human beings including English and Japanese.

　　

Hadith

In addition to the teachings of the Holy Quran, Muslims are fortunate to have many volumes of the words spoken by Muhammad