Questions and Answers
Answers to questions people actually ask, with their sources.
Do Muslims and Christians worship the same God?
Muslims direct their worship to the one God of Abraham whom Christians also intend, while holding that the Trinity and the divinity of Jesus are mistaken beliefs about Him.
How do you perform wudu step by step?
Intend, say Bismillah, then wash hands, mouth, nose, face, arms to the elbows, wipe the head and ears, and wash the feet to the ankles.
Is interest (riba) haram, including mortgages?
Riba is clearly forbidden in the Quran. Most scholars hold a conventional interest-bearing mortgage to be riba; a minority permitted one for a family home in need. Islamic home finance offers alternatives.
Is music haram in Islam?
Most classical scholars prohibited musical instruments, with exceptions such as the daff; a minority permitted them. Wholesome singing without instruments is widely allowed.
What are the five pillars of Islam?
The testimony of faith, the five daily prayers, zakat, fasting in Ramadan, and pilgrimage to Makkah for those able.
What is Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Power)?
The night the Quran was first sent down, "better than a thousand months", sought in the odd nights of the last ten days of Ramadan.
What is the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslims?
The split began over who should lead the community after the Prophet's death; it later grew into differences of religious authority, hadith sources and some practice, while the core beliefs and pillars are shared.
What is zakat and who has to pay it?
The obligatory annual charity, usually 2.5% of savings, due from a Muslim whose wealth stays above a minimum threshold (nisab) for a lunar year.
Who was Prophet Muhammad?
The final messenger of God in Islam, born in Makkah around 570 CE, who received the Quran from age 40 and died in Madinah in 632 CE.
Who wrote the Quran?
Muslims believe the Quran is the word of Allah, revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel over 23 years, and compiled into one book by his Companions.
Is seeking knowledge obligatory in Islam?
Yes for what your own practice requires; beyond that it is a communal obligation.