An American high school student was given the homework assignment to interview someone from a different faith, and he chose Muslims; he chose me. The questions were profound and deep; they made me think and they touched my heart. The encounter I will never forget. I have divided the interview into two parts; the second part I will share with you next week. Q 1. Who is your God and why do you worship him? God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He is the Creator, Owner, and Manager of all that exists; what we see and what we don't see, what we know and what we don't know. God (“Allah” in Arabic) is the God of all people—you, me, and all humans who have ever walked the earth. I worship Allah because He alone has the ability to hear and answer prayers and reward worship in this world and in the Hereafter. Q 2. How can you get to know your God better? We come to know Allah in three ways: Reflecting on His signs all around us and within us: He created the heavens in the sky, the ground beneath our feet, and the hearts in our chests. These signs remind us that Allah created all of this and us for a very important purpose. By praying to Him directly and asking for His guidance in all affairs: We do this by calling on Him alone, without the aid of saints, prophets, or any intermediaries. Studying from the two authentic and reliable sources which Allah has given to all humans as a guide until the end of time, the Holy Qur'an and the Sunnah: The Qur'an is the final Book revealed to Allah's Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). The Sunnah is the life, words, and actions of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and his way of life has been meticulously recorded by the earliest companions, transmitted in a systematic manner, and preserved in books to this day for us to follow. Q 3. What do you have to do to live a good life in the eyes of your God? Allah requires us to do only this to live a good life: Believe in Him as He has asked us to, follow what His Messenger taught us, and continually repent from the mistakes and sins that we make. In the Qur'an Allah says, {Say [O Muhammad to all people], ‘If you [really] love Allah, then follow me. Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. And Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} (surah 3, verse 31) Q 4. What are some of the most important laws in the Qur'an? Undoubtedly after the belief in God alone and not associating any partners with God, the most important law in the Qur'an is that which enjoins kindness and dutifulness to parents. Also amongst the most important laws of Islam are establishing the five daily prayers, remaining chaste until marriage, being kind to one's neighbors, giving wealth and support to the poor and needy, and guarding the tongue from saying anything that is harmful, hurtful, or sinful. Allah says in the Qur'an, {Successful indeed are the believers: Those who offer their prayers with all solemnity and full submissiveness. And those who turn away from vain talk. And those who pay zakaah (obligatory charity). And those who guard their chastity}. (surah 23, verses 1 – 5). Q 5. If you do something bad and sin, what happens and how do you get forgiven? Allah promises forgiveness to the believer who sincerely repents. In Islam, true repentance requires leaving the sin, regretting the sin, and making a firm resolve never to repeat it again. There is no confession to another person; only a sincere feeling of remorse, supplicating to Allah for pardon, and striving to not go back to the same sin. And if you harmed another person, you must apologize, correct the wrong you made, and ask that person to forgive you. Islam calls for optimism and hope; for gaining Allah's mercy, as is evident in the following verse of the Qur'an. {Say, O My slaves who have wronged their souls! Despair not of the mercy of Allah. Verily, Allah forgives all sins. Truly, He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.} (surah 39, verse 53) Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) informed us that Allah said: “O son of Adam, so long as you call upon Me and ask of Me, I shall forgive you for what you have done, and I shall not mind. O son of Adam, were your sins to reach the clouds of the sky and were you then to ask forgiveness of Me, I would forgive you. O son of Adam, were you to come to Me with sins nearly as great as the earth and were you then to face Me, ascribing no partner to Me, I would bring you forgiveness nearly as great as it.” (Al-Tirmidhi and Ahmad) Q 6. Where do you go after you die and how do you get there? Muslims believe that we will all be held accountable for our actions, words, and the choices we made in our lives. After we die, all humans enter the grave, where they will remain until the Last Day. The first part of this journey begins when we are placed beneath the soil of the earth, in our graves. Once there, we are asked three questions by two angels: Who is your Lord? What is your religion? and Who is your Prophet [sent to you]? Humans remain in these graves until Allah resurrects all descendants of Adam. On this tremendous day, the bones will be reassembled, and they will be clothed with flesh and skin like we had in this world. We will face our Lord for Judgment regarding how we passed our lives in this world. A Scale is placed before each person, and their deeds are weighed. Those whose scale is heavy with good deeds will enter Paradise. Those whose scale is light will enter the Fire unless Allah pardons or forgives them. Pardon is for those who worshiped Allah alone with no partners, sons, daughters, or intermediaries.
— Umm Zakiyyah (Ruby Moore) is the internationally acclaimed American author of the If I Should Speak trilogy. She lived as an American expat in Riyadh for seven years. Her books are available at Jarir bookstores and stores online. To find out more, visit ummzakiyyah.com or subscribe to Umm Zakiyyah's YouTube channel at youtube.com/uzreflections.
