Having accurate information and sufficient knowledge about religion is incumbent upon all Muslims. The first and most important duty of a Muslim is to have faith in Allah and observe the religious commandments. Furthermore, it is crucial to ensure that the dissemination of knowledge is grounded on authentic sources about the religion of Islam. To this end, the book, “What is Islam” aims to explain Islam accurately and has been meticulously prepared by addressing the three basic principles of the religion of Islam. These three basic principles of Islam are faith, worship, and morality. Furthermore, this book encompasses a total of 37 different topics within the aforementioned main sections. These topics provide a comprehensive exploration of various aspects of Islam, ensuring a thorough understanding of the religion.
The first section of the book focuses on the principles of belief. It emphasizes that Islam literally means peace, serenity, and submission and that it is a person's own personal choice and aspiration to turn to Allah. It highlights that this choice should be made willingly without any coercion, with sincere devotion, and unconditional acceptance of Allah's commands and prohibitions. The book aims to demonstrate how Islam guides individuals in developing good relationships with Allah, fellow human beings, and the natural world, encompassing both living and non-living elements. Within this section, the book covers the belief in Allah, angels, divine books, prophets, the hereafter, and predestination. This part also includes a description of the final book, the Qur'an, and the last Prophet of Islam.
The second section of the book outlines the fundamental acts of worship prescribed by Islam. These are basically performing the salah (prayer), observing fasting (sawm) during the month of Ramadan, giving almsgiving (zakat); performing the hajj (pilgrimage), and participating in qurbani (sacrifice).
Moving on to the third section, it explores the relationship between Islam and good morals. Morality serves as the foundation for human relationships encompassing interaction with Allah, fellow human beings, other creatures, and the environment. Thus, one of the primary objectives of Islam is to establish a virtuous society rooted in sound morals.
This book entitled “What is Islam”, was authored by Prof. Dr. Huriye Martı. It is based on the primary references provided by the Presidency of Religious Affairs of Türkiye including “Islam through the Hadiths”, “Essentials of Islam”, the “Islamic Encyclopedia” by Türkiye Diyanet Foundation (TDV), and the Holy Qur’an Commentary.
The intention behind the book is to present the basic principles of Islam in a very clear and comprehensible language with the aim to contribute to the accurate understanding of Islam. The Presidency of Religious Affairs of Türkiye offers this book as an original work to our esteemed readers who are interested in learning about the basic principles of Islam.
