For Non-Muslims
http://www.sunnahonline.com/ilm/dawah/0004.htm#allah
Allah (God)
Islam is the complete submission and obedience to Allah (God). The
name Allah (God) in Islam never refers to Muhammad (pbuh), as many
Christians may think; Allah is the personal name of God.
What do Muslims believe about Allah?
1. He is the one God, Who has no partner.
2. Nothing is like Him. He is the Creator, not created, nor a part of
His creation.
3. He is All-Powerful, absolutely Just.
4. There is no other entity in the entire universe worthy of worship
besides Him.
5. He is First, Last, and Everlasting; He was when nothing was, and
will be when nothing else remains.
6. He is the All-Knowing, and All-Merciful,the Supreme, the Sovereign.
7. It is only He Who is capable of granting life to anything.
8. He sent His Messengers (peace be upon them) to guide all of
mankind.
9. He sent Muhammad (pbuh) as the last Prophet and Messenger for all
mankind.
10. His book is the Holy Qur'an, the only authentic revealed book in
the world that has been kept without change.
11. Allah knows what is in our hearts.
These are some of the basic guidelines Muslims follow in their
knowledge of God:
1. Eliminate any anthropomorphism (human qualities) from their
conception of Allah. His attributes are not like human attributes,
despite similar labels or appellations.
2. Have unwavering faith in exactly what Allah and Prophet Muhammad
(pbuh) described Allah to be, no more, no less.
3. Eradicate any hope or desire of learning or knowing the modality of
His names and attributes.
4. Belief totally in all the names and attributes of Allah; one cannot
believe in some and disbelieve the others.
5. One cannot accept the names of Allah without their associated
attributes, i.e. one cannot say He is Al-Hayy - 'The Living' and then
say that He is without life.
6. Similarity in names (or meanings) does not imply similarity in what
is being described (referents). As a robotic arm differs from a human
arm, so the "hand" of Allah is nothing like a human hand, His speech
is nothing like human speech, etc.
7. Certain words are ambiguous or vague in their meanings, and thus
may be susceptible to misinterpretation. Only those meanings that are
in accordance with what is specified by Allah and His Prophet (pbuh)
are acceptable.
Cleanliness
Islam places great emphasis on cleanliness, in both its physical and
spiritual aspects. On the physical side, Islam requires the Muslim to
clean his body, his clothes, his house, and the whole community, and
he is rewarded by God for doing so. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, for
example:
"Removing any harm from the road is charity (that will be rewarded by
Allah)." [Bukhari]
While people generally consider cleanliness a desirable attribute,
Islam insists on it , making it an indispensible fundamental of the
faith. A muslim is required to to be pure morally and spiritually as
well as physically. Through the Qur'an and Sunnah Islam requires the
sincere believer to sanitize and purify his entire way of life.
In the Qur'an Allah commends those who are accustomed to cleanliness:
"Allah loves those who turn to Him constantly and He loves those who
keep themselves pure and clean." [2: 22]
In Islam the Arabic term for purity is Taharah. Books of Islamic
jurisprudence often contain an entire chapter with Taharah as a
heading.
Allah orders the believer to be tidy in appearance:
"Keep your clothes clean." [74:4]
The Qur'an insists that the believer maintain a constant state of
purity:
"Believers! When you prepare for prayer wash your faces, and your
hands (and arms) to the elbows; rub your heads (with water) and (wash)
your feet up to the ankles. If you are ritually impure bathe your
whole body." [5: 6]
Ritual impurity refers to that resulting from sexual release,
menstruation and the first forty days after childbirth. Muslims also
use water, not paper or anything else to after eliminating body
wastes.
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) advised the Muslims to appear neat and tidy in
private and in public. Once when returning home from battle he advised
his army:
"You are soon going to meet your brothers, so tidy your saddles and
clothes. Be distinguished in the eyes of the people." [Abu Dawud]
On another occasion he said: