A LOCAL MUSLIM COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS
With: A CLEAR AND DISTINCT PATH TO REACH OUT TO, AND CONNECT DIRECTLY WITH , THE ONE AND ONLY GOD, ALLAH, THE CREATOR!
There is no need to go through an intermediary or a middleman when it comes to the relationship between God the Creator and his worshipers!
God /Allah says: "Pray to me, I do hear you; and I'll answer your prayer. Ask me for guidance; and I shall guide you."
We Read, Listen, Study, Learn, and Get Help Find Answers to Faith Questions!
We believe Islam Is The UNDOUBTED, UNDISPUTED, MOST LOGICAL PATH. ALWAYS AND ABOVE ALL, THE STRAIGHTFORWARD TRUTH !
We declare that: "There's no god worthy of worship but Allah, Muhammad is a messenger of Allah" -
ALL ARE VERY WELCOME TO LEARN AND PARTICIPATE!
In the name of Allah, the source of mercy, the source of compassion.
On this page:
Who we Are - Declaration of faith - Purpose - Five Pillars of Islam
Six Pillars of Faith - Good deeds and Sins - Islam's Holy and sacred sites
Who we are:
Jamestown Islamic Society, Inc., was established in 1986. As non-political, local, non-profit religious organization that's managed by volunteers, J.I.S. is dedicated to providing Islamic spiritual guidance for interested local Muslim community members and families through promoting education, peace, justice, and equity. We also promote partnership and collaboration with other religious and charitable organizations within Chautauqua county and beyond to facilitate education and community-building missions.
Our declaration of faith - Believe it in the heart, state it with the tongue, and act upon it during daily life:
"I declare and testify that there is no god worthy of worship except the One and only Supreme Creator God, (whose Arabic name is) "Allah", and that prophet Muhammad is the last and final messenger of Allah."
Our Purpose and Main Mission:
To practice and utilize Islam's two main sources and knowledge: the Quran and the "Hadith" traditions of the prophet Muhammad (may peace and Allah's prayers be onto him and his family) while meeting the spiritual needs of the local Muslim community.
"Convey on my behalf at least one verse," said the prophet Muhammad, (may peace, Allah's prayers and blessings be onto him)
Challenge:
Explore spirituality from another viewpoint, keeping it simple!
Basic logic that makes sense:
If there is only one God, there can only be one true religion/path that guides to and teaches true monotheism. In our time, Islam is the only path that claims to have stayed in tact and true to it's claims. Islam teaches its followers to stand for what they believe in and to stand for all that leads to monotheism.
Allah, the Almighty, stated in his own words in the Qur'an, Islam's Holy Scripture:
The Basic of Theology in Islam:
Worship the one and only God whose name in Arabic is Allah
Due to his vast mercy and love for his creation, Allah provided scriptural guidance to humanity on how to navigate through this temporary life in a safe, wholesome/Halal, and blessed way.
The main focus is promoting and establishing peace, justice, morality, good manners and good conduct among human beings.
Maintain and promote caring for the environment and Earth.
Promoting the human race and population through the natural, moral, and ethical means.
Islam provides practical guidance on spirituality as well as select aspects of society pertains to the social, economic, educational, financial, legal, political, scientific and family life.
Islam's guidelines and teachings are valid for every time and era in human life, as it allows for flexibility in interpretations of certain legal matters.
On judgement day, each human being will be accountable for his/her actions, deeds, and speech.
Eternal life for each human being in either paradise of hellfire is determined by Allah himself on judgement day.
The Five Pillars of Islam:
Shahadatan: Believe in the heart, declare in words, and act upon the statement of: ""There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is a messenger of Allah"
Salat: Establish the regular five-time prayers on time with dedication and devotion.
Zakat: Alms-giving
Souwm: Fasting the month of Ramadan, dawn to dusk.
Hajj: Pilgrimage to Makkah to celebrate monotheism and remember the story of prophet Abraheem and his family Hajar and Ismaeel.
Islam's Six Pillars of Faith:
Believe in Allah, the One and only supreme being, the Creator, Sustainer, and the Provider:
He has no partners in his kingdom and his ownership of the universe.
He was not born, does not give birth, does not need anyone or anything, but everyone and everything needs Him.
Believe in Allah's angels.
Believe in Allah's messengers, (including Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, John, etc. peace be unto them) who were chosen to deliver the message of oneness of Allah to humanity at various times in history to select messengers, and through the holy spirit arch angel Gabriel.
Believe in all Allah's true and authentic revelations, holy books, and scriptures.
Believe in predestination, be it good or otherwise.
Believe in judgment day when Allah holds all human beings accountable for their words and actions.
- What Islam Teaches - Principles to be guided through and to Live by
Islamic principles of faith and practice encourage and promote the following:
Believe in and worship the One and Only God/ whose name in Arabic is "Allah" (which means "the One God."
Follow the best of examples of living this life: the prophet Muhammad, (peace and Allah's blessings be unto him.)
Believe in: angels, true and authentic holly books and scriptures that were revealed to prophets through the holly spirit, angel Gabriel, for guidance.
Believe in all of Allah's prophets, more than 24 thousand of them throughout human history, among them:
Adam, Noah, Lut, Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, Solomon, Moses, Jonah, John, Zachariah, Jesus, and Muhammad, peace and Allah's blessings be unto them.
Practicing what we preach.
Pray to and ask Allah directly. There is no need for an intermediator (be it a human or other) when we can pray directly to Allah (the-all-hearing.)
Good manners, respect, honor, and being considerate and thoughtful all levels and with everyone.
Sobriety and wholesomeness.
"No harm to self; and no harm to others."
Cleanliness and self-hygiene at all levels and wherever one happens to be.
Education for all: knowledge, research. discovery, and STEM.
Eating and drinking permissible products (Halal foods)/ food and meats upon which Allah's name has been invoked when slaughtered /prepared.
Working and earning from Halal (permissible) honest income sources only.
Helping needy persons and families, be it in finance or otherwise.
Establishing places of worship.
Good deeds and charitable actions.
Telling and testifying to the truth even on self and relatives.
Honestly, sincerity, fidelity, and loyalty at every level.
Justice and fairness in treatments and actions in all areas and at every level.
Abiding by all laws and regulations wherever one resides.
Promote marriage, family, and building community. Marriage is defined as a divine-regulated union between a birth-designated male and a birth-designated female.
Love, affection, respect, and honoring women, children, elders, siblings, relatives, and especially parents.
Lowering your gaze (meaning to use the eyes to look steadily) when interacting with the opposite sex, as a sign of respect and honor. (don't stare)
Enjoy the blessings of life and living, while doing acts of worship in the process.
Kindness to others; caring for humans and animals.
Simplicity, humility, and humbleness.
Building on and taking care for Earth.
Repentance and doing good deeds immediately after committing a sin will wipe out that sin.
Treating others equitably and equally.
All human being were created equal; and each person is accountable for his/her own deeds.
‘Abdullāh ibn Salām (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) say: "O people, spread the greetings of peace profusely, maintain kinship ties, offer meals and feasts to others, and pray during the night when people are asleep, you will enter Paradise in peace."
Honoring neighbors and guests.
Speak or make statements of goodness, otherwise say nothing.
Remember that in the end, life as we know it will end; and we'll all be held accountable for our actions, deeds, and speech on judgment day.
Follow the guidelines provided by the Quran and Sunnah / authentic Hadith, as well as opinions of the pious, rightly guided Muslim leadership within the community.
Encouraging good deeds and forbidding sinful, bad deeds.
Islamic principles of faith and practice forbid the following sins:
Polytheism (claiming that there is more than one god, or ascribing any partnerships and/or relatives to "God"/ whose name in Arabic is "Allah")
Worshiping idols, images, statutes, or asking for blessings and healing through someone other than the One and only God / "Allah."
Hypocrisy: (telling others to do something that you're not practicing yourself; and/or being two-faced)
Disobeying parents, unless they command you to worship someone other than the One and Only God/"Allah" or ascribe partnerships to Him.
Consuming / drinking Alcohol and any food or drink that contains any amount of alcohol or any other substance that impairs a person.
Using any drugs of any kind, other than prescription medications for medical reasons.
Consuming pork and any of its by-products (like lard) and any food product that contains any amount of pork.
Gambling of any kind: casinos, games, like "BINGO" or lottery of any kind.
Taking or giving interest/usury on borrowing money and/or any kind of business deal.
Cheating of any kind and at any level.
Lying of any kind and at any level.
False testimony / perjury.
Injustice of any kind and at any level.
Adultery (any sexual interaction outside of marriage).
Murder.
Slavery, human trafficking, and predatory abuses toward children.
Abortion, unless medically necessary and only to save the mom's life.
Aggression and unjust or unjustified wars.
Instigating violence or violent behaviors.
Suicide and/or assisted suicide.
Drinking blood.
Black magic and magic of any type.
Contacting, summoning, or communicating with Gins / spirits.
Fortune-telling and palm-reading.
Abuse of any kind and at any level, towards people and/or animal.
Severing ties with family and relatives.
Being wasteful with anything and everything at any level.
Uncleanliness of any kind and at any level with anything and everything.
Backbiting / Gossiping.
Stealing and/or theft of products and/or services.
Lewdness, nudity, pornography, incest, indecency, stare with non-permissible intents, and immorality any kind and at any level.
Infidelity.
Destroying Earth and the environment.
Homosexuality and all of its derivatives within the LGBTQIA+ designations.
Intentionally altering God's creation.
Blasphemy.
Causing mischief in the lands, including corruption of any kind at any level, bullying, as well as unjust and unjustified wars, etc.
Following in the footsteps of Satan / the cursed devil
Altering or changing the principles or any parts of the faith to fit one's own worldly desires.
Causing harm to self and/or others.
Body mutilating or altering the way one was created in any way, including tattooing, piercing, etc.
Promoting supporting sinful and/or any and all bad deeds of any kind.
Dressing out of uniform, immodestly, and/or showing parts of the body that's supposed to be covered and protected.
Some Arabic terms to clarify:"
"Allah:" is the Arabic name for the One and only God, the Creator and owner of the universe within which we live in. Practicing Muslims worship and pray only to Allah.
"Islam:" is to believe that there is only one God Allah, and that Mohammad is a messenger of Allah. The voluntary peaceful submission of intentions, thoughts, and actions with complete sincerity to the will of One and only God/Allah. In its Arabic connotation, not only does the term "Islam" means to witness, declare, and believe in the Oneness of Allah, but also it is believed to be the one and only divine religion that God/Allah accepts. All other narratives and earthly religions were either altered or man-made.
"Muslim:" is one, male, who sincerely believes in and practices "Islam" as a lifestyle.
"Muslimah:" is one, female, who sincerely believes in and practices "Islam" as a lifestyle.
"Qur'an:", translates to: "the book that's always being read", is Islam's holly book which was revealed to the prophet Muhammad, peace be onto him, over a 23-year period.
"Sunnah:" is the practical documented life, traditions, quotations, and teachings of the prophet Muhammad, peace be unto him.
Jihad: an Arabic term that literally translates to "exerting an effort to accomplish something" or " to struggle to say or do something." Every human being on earth has internal as well as external struggles. The internal struggle within is usually a major issue for many people. One's self might be it's own worst enemy and demon. It's about the daily decisions that one may be faced with on regular basis as one attempts to find solutions to internal challenges at home, work, and life in general. On the other hand, external struggles could be with others people and or issues in society. It could be as simple as a disagreement with some other person or entity where an argument ensues, then one "struggles" "Yujahidu"(a derivative of the Arabic word "Jihad") to persuade the other person through a debate on who might be right or wrong, for example. There is a clear verse in the Qur'an that translates to: "... the only time that you must disobey your parents is if one or both "Jahadaka" (another derivative of the Arabic word "Jihad") exert effort onto you to persuade you to worship someone other than Allah/God (the Creator)...even then, one must be humble before and kind to his/her parents all the time." Some Muslims have used that term to express a major struggle against their external enemy in political environments and/or in order to wage certain defensive territorial wars within their homelands, as the teachings of Islam does permit a practitioner to exert varied efforts in the defense of the self, family, country, and land. As does the constitution of the United States of America, along with most countries in the world, as a civic and patriotic obligation to defend (exert efforts "Mujahadah" (another derivative of the Arabic term "Jihad") against foreign and domestic enemies.
Islam's most holy and sacred places:
The Grand Masjid of Makkah: Al-Ka'bah
City of Makkah -
Arabian Peninsula
(Saudi Arabia)
Madinah
City of the Prophet Muhammad.
Arabian Peninsula
(Saudi Arabia)
Jerusalem - (Al-Quds)
the sacred city and Al-Aqsa Mosque compound,
Masjid Al-Aqsa
(Jerusalem - Palestine)
Greetings of peace. So, you'd like to donate charitable contributions to J.I.S. and our community efforts but not sure how?
1. You can mail a check, written out to J.I.S., to our address at: 1235 N. Main Street, Jamestown, NY 14701
or
2. Now, you can send your donation through the below PayPal link. You don't have to have a PayPal account. There is an option for using a credit/debit card. Thank you!
Donation fund options that can be selected at the PayPal page in the above link:
General Donation - Zakat Fund - Sadaqah Jariyah / Masjid Building Maintenance
-Sadaqt-ul-Fitr (Ramadan) - Sponsor Da'wa Package for new Muslims
- Support the newly arriving refugees in Jamestown.
-Support Halal Meat Access Program for local families and College Students.