Following the Prophet (ﷺ) and Ali
In this path
- 1How should Muslims see the Prophet's (ﷺ) companions?
- 2Who were the rightly guided caliphs?
- 3Was Fatima angry with Abu Bakr?
- 4Did the Prophet (ﷺ) say only his family could lead?
- 5Is there a hidden imam?
- 6Can a Muslim call on anyone but Allah for help?
- 7What Islam did Ali practise?
- 8Shia practice today: what did the Prophet (ﷺ) and Ali teach?
Related questions
Qur'an
- How was the Qur'an preserved?It was kept in two ways at once, from the first day. Each passage was learned by heart, word for word, and recited in prayer.
- How is the Qur'an different from the Prophet's (ﷺ) own words (hadith)?The Qur'an is the word of God (﷾), recited exactly as the angel Gabriel brought it.
- Why did Uthman burn copies of the Qur'an?To keep the recitation united, and to stop partial private copies being taken as the standard text.
Islam
- What did the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) foretell that came true?Many things he foretold came true. The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) spoke them in Medina, when many Muslims were poor and the roads of Arabia were unsafe.
- Do Muslims worship Muhammad (ﷺ)?No. Muslims worship God (﷾) alone. Worshipping anyone beside Him, even the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), is the worst sin in Islam.
- Is grieving or crying over a loss a lack of faith?No. Tears and sorrow are not a failure of faith. When Ibrahim, the baby son of the Prophet (ﷺ), was dying, the Prophet (ﷺ) wept.
- What are the Five Pillars of Islam?The Five Pillars of Islam are the declaration of faith, prayer, zakah, fasting in Ramadan and the pilgrimage to Makkah.
- Is Islam a new religion, or the religion of all the prophets?Islam is not new. The Qur'an teaches that every prophet, from Adam to Muhammad (ﷺ), brought the same faith: worship the one God (﷾) alone and follow His messenger.
- Why are there no monks in Islam, and no vows to stay single?Islam has no monks because God (﷾) never commanded monasticism, a life as a monk.
- Is the Qur'an enough without the hadith?No. The Qur'an itself sends its readers to the Prophet (ﷺ). It tells believers to obey Allah (﷾) and obey the Messenger, and to take whatever the Messenger gives them.
- Were many of the Africans enslaved in the Americas Muslims?Yes. Historians estimate that hundreds of thousands of the Africans carried across the Atlantic in chains were Muslims.
- What is the Hadith, and which collections are most authentic?The Hadith are the reports of what the Prophet (ﷺ) said, did and approved.
- How do I become a Muslim?You become a Muslim by saying, and meaning, that there is no god but Allah (﷾) and that Muhammad (ﷺ) is the Messenger of Allah (﷾).
- How does Islam view daughters and widows?Islam treats a daughter as a blessing and a trust. In the Arabia where the Prophet (ﷺ) began, some fathers grieved when a girl was born.
- Should I wait to take my shahada until I can stop sinning?No. Do not wait. Everyone sins, Muslims too, and the shahada is not a promise never to sin again.
- What did the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) change in Arabia?The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) brought Arabia a whole way of life from God (﷾), and it replaced the cruelest customs with law.
- Does being the last prophet make Muhammad (ﷺ) greater than Jesus?No. Coming last is not what gives rank. The Qur'an calls Muhammad (ﷺ) the Seal of the Prophets, and a seal closes a finished letter.
- Is Muhammad (ﷺ) the last prophet?Yes. The Qur'an calls Muhammad (ﷺ) "the Seal of the Prophets". A seal was the stamp pressed on a letter once it was finished.
- Why should other religions accept Muhammad (ﷺ) as a prophet?Because the message he brought is the one every people's warners brought, and he was sent to all of them.
- What does worship mean in Islam?Worship in Islam means obeying God (﷾) out of love and humility, in every part of life.
- Why are there no pictures of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ)?So that he is never worshipped. Islam forbids any picture of the Prophet (ﷺ), and any picture of God (﷾).
- What do Muslims believe?Muslims believe in one God (﷾), Allah (﷾), who alone is to be worshipped.
Chinese traditions
Comparative Religion
- Is it wrong to pray to saints, to Mary or to Jesus?Yes. In Islam, calling on someone in prayer is worship, and worship belongs to God (﷾) alone.
- Is it wrong to pray before images of Jesus and Mary?Yes. The Bible's own commandment forbids it. The commandment against images forbids making a carved image or likeness.
Questions & Criticisms
- Does prayer work? Why do people who never pray do well?Prayer in Islam is not a guarantee of riches or top marks. It is worship, owed to the One who made us.
- Do Muslims worship the Kaaba and the Black Stone?No. Muslims pray to God (﷾) alone, and ask nothing of the Kaaba or the Stone.
- How old was Aisha when she married the Prophet (ﷺ)?By Aisha's own account, the marriage contract was made when she was six.