Islamic Circle offers introduction to Islam

The focus of the Sunday afternoon session, which was attended by more than two dozen members and a handful of guests, was to acquaint the guests with the prophet Muhammad – a key figure in Islam.

By:Lea Kahn Staff Writer
   Aiming to reach out to the non-Muslim community, the Islamic Circle of Mercer County hosted an open house at its headquarters on Lawrence Station Road Sunday afternoon.
   The Islamic Circle of Mercer County moved to the one-story building in 2000. About 200 to 300 people worship or attend activities at the center on a regular basis, according to Hesham Al-Khateeb, president of the group’s consultation board.
   The focus of the Sunday afternoon session, which was attended by more than two dozen members and a handful of guests, was to acquaint the guests with the prophet Muhammad — a key figure in Islam.
   "It is important to have these gatherings," said guest speaker Alaa Zeineldine, of Franklin Park. "It helps us to get to know each other more and increases understanding. This is not an attempt to compare religions, but to convey Islam’s beliefs."
   As members of one community with different faiths and different beliefs, in some cases it requires one to keep an open mind and prepare to be more receptive than usual to different ideas, Mr. Zeineldine said.
   It is important for Muslims to deliver the message of Islam in an "amicable way," he said. With the help of Allah, everyone — Muslims and non-Muslims alike — will benefit in the end, he added.
   Turning to the issue of Islam and the prophet Muhammad, Mr. Zeineldine said Allah created everything that exists. The purpose of man’s creation, he said, is to worship Allah.
   "It’s how we find happiness in the end," he said. "We are not in total harmony today. How do we know the correct path to worship Allah and to find harmony? Finding the correct path and following it once it’s found — that is Islam."
   Mr. Zeineldine related the story of the creation of Adam and Eve. Before Allah created Adam, there were angels who glorified Allah, he said. There were also creatures called jinn — a different form of being that was not an angel, he said.
   Allah created Adam and Eve, who lived in heaven, he said. The angels were told to prostrate themselves before Adam. They complied, but Satan — a jinn — did not. Satan objected because he was created out of fire, and Adam was created out of dust.
   Satan was angry and took revenge by tempting Adam and Eve, Mr. Zeineldine said. Adam repented to Allah for his mistake and Allah accepted his repentance, but Allah sent Adam and Eve to live on earth.
   "Allah told Adam and Eve that they would receive guidance from him," Mr. Zeineldine said. "It is said that ‘Whoever follows Allah will dwell in heaven’ — this is a fact we sometimes miss. This revelation teaches us that our original home is in heaven, because that is where Adam came from. Our quest in life is to find the path back to heaven."
   Allah also sent Satan to earth, whose purpose is to keep humans from reaching heaven, he said. But Allah sent one prophet after another to earth — from Abraham to Jesus, he said. Jesus was the last prophet sent to earth, he said.
   After 600 years, Allah sent Muhammad as a prophet to earth, Mr. Zeineldine said. The prophet Muhammad was created for the simple purpose of rescuing mankind, he added.
   Muhammad, who was born in 570, was orphaned as a child and later became a shepherd, Mr. Zeineldine said. He became known as an extremely trustworthy man.
   As an adult, Muhammad would retreat to a cave to meditate. While he was meditating, the angel Gabriel presented him with the words that would become the Koran, he said.
   It was Muhammad’s role to deliver the message of Allah — in words and in practice, Mr. Zeineldine said. The prophet sought to bring guidance from heaven to Earth, so that man could find his way back to heaven and his original home, he said.