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At least one group believes that [[Jihad]], meaning inner struggle against [[Satan]] (''greater jihad'') or external struggle {''lesser jihad''), is the "sixth pillar of Islam". Other groups consider "Allegiance to the Imam" to be the sixth pillar of Islam. Muslims who believe in the "Five Pillars of Islam" may be offended by the mention of a violent sixth pillar. For more information, see the article entitled [[Sixth pillar of Islam]]. |
At least one group believes that [[Jihad]], meaning inner struggle against [[Satan]] (''greater jihad'') or external struggle {''lesser jihad''), is the "sixth pillar of Islam". Other groups consider "Allegiance to the Imam" to be the sixth pillar of Islam. Muslims who believe in the "Five Pillars of Islam" may be offended by the mention of a violent sixth pillar. For more information, see the article entitled [[Sixth pillar of Islam]]. |
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''Above:'' Many in the civilized world find the principle of Jihad very distrubing, if not evil, especially in light of the 9/11 attacks. |
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=== The Quran === |
=== The Quran === |
Revision as of 17:25, 20 August 2003
Islam is an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion founded in the 7th century based on the revealed religious text known as the Quran. According to Islam, the religion was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad when Allah sent an angel to dictate a series of revelations to him, which Muhammad recited to his companions many of whom memorized it and wrote it down on available material. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad was illiterate; the revelations to Prophet Muhammad were later compiled by his companions and followers in the form of the book, the Quran. Muhammad is considered to be the final prophet, sent to preach the same message as did the prophets of Christianity and Judaism (and possibly Zoroastrianism and other ancient religions).
Adherents of Islam are called Muslims (sometimes spelled in older English texts as "Moslem".) In some older English texts they are referred to as "Muhammadans" or "Mohammadan", but this term is not commonly used because Muslims find it offensive, as it implies that they worship Muhammad, which they do not.
As Muslims believe that all the prophets taught from the same message from God, they see it as natural that the followers of previous prophets who believe in the oneness of God will recognise the teachings of Islam to be true. As Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last of prophets, Muslims have taken his messages to be a sacred trust, and took great care to ensure the message was assembled and transmitted in a manner that did not betray that trust. Although Muslims make scrupulous efforts to protect and respect the Quran, they believe that it is not through their own endeavours, but by the mercy of God that the Quran is preserved intact and will never be successfully altered until the end of time.
The meaning of the word Islam
Islam is an Arabic word meaning "submission (to Allah)". It has an etymological relationship to other Arabic words, such as Salaam, meaning "peace". The Arabic word "Muslim" is related to the word Islam and means "one who surrendered" or submitted (to Allah).
Muslims see submission to Allah as a sign of distinction; this term has no negative connotations. In this view, submission means serving the will of Allah above and beyond one's own goals.
Beliefs
Muslims believe in One God, the God of Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus, who all belong to a sucession of Prophets or "Messengers" who are God Choosen and brought a singular message of monotheisim before Prophet Muhammad.
Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad is the Final Messenger, bringing the last the final message of God the revealed book the Quran, the correct path and true knowledge of the afterlife to pagan polytheists and to the Christians and Jews and all mankind. According to Islam the followers of both Judaism and Christianity intentionally altered the true word of God, and thus led all of their believers to dilution and deviation from primodial, unitary, monotheistic religion, belief and religious law.
Muslims believe that messengers and prophets were sent to every population, and that the final prophet was Muhammad. They believe that Muhammad was a truthful man, as were all prophets, and that prophets are incapable of doing wrong actions (or even witnessing wrong actions without speaking against them) by the will of Allah.
Most Muslims believe this out of trust that they have for people they know, such as friends or family, who swear that they also heard from reliable sources that Muhammad was a truthful man, and a sane man, who believed that he had spoken to the arch angel Jibril, who taught him the Quran, and that on the Night of Ascension, he ascended through the seven heavens and saw the throne of Allah, before returning to Earth.
Among the Muslims alive today are said to be a select group of people who believe out of an even more intimate knowledge of God, and these people are called the Walis, or friends of God. Muslims believe that Walis exist, and that Allah protects and guides them, and that supernatural events such as those which occurred around Jesus (referred to as Isa, in Arabic discourse), were real and can still occur with Gods permission (with some notable exceptions, such as that Muslims do not believe that Jesus actually died on the cross, and was resurrected, but that it was another one made to appear in his image who died). Thus, Jesus was raised (resurrected) is still alive today and will return before the Day of Judgement to announce the Final Day to a terrified Mankind.
Muslims believe in the final day of judgement, in Heaven and Hell, in the Angels, the Jinns (which inhabit the Earth as do humans, but are invisible to most people), in the existance of magic (which is strictly forbidden), in the danger of evil eye (also forbidden), and in the mercy, wisdom, and strength of God (in addition to his other divine attributes).
The Six Elements of Belief
There are several notable beliefs shared by all Muslims:
- God (in Arabic, Allah)
- Angels
- Books (sent by God)
- Messengers (sent by God)
- Day of Judgment
- Both good and evil (or more precisely, what people call good and evil) come from God. (Although in terms of Evil, it is more a product of people being misguided by the Devil.)
There is no official authority who decides whether a person is accepted to, or dismissed from, the community of believers. Islam is open to all, regardless of race, age, gender, or previous beliefs. It is enough to believe in the central beliefs of Islam. This is formally done by reciting the shahada, the statement of belief of Islam, without which a person cannot be classed a Muslim. As no one can split open another's heart to see what's inside, it is enough to believe and say that you are a muslim, and behave in a manner befitting a Muslim to be accepted into the community of Islam.
The Five Pillars of Islam
The Five Pillars of Islam are five basic duties of muslims:
- the recitation and acceptance of the Creed (Shahada)
- daily prayer (Salat or Salah)
- paying ritual alms (Zakat or Zakah)
- observing the fast of Ramadan (Saum or Siyam)
- making the pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj or Haj)
At least one group believes that Jihad, meaning inner struggle against Satan (greater jihad) or external struggle {lesser jihad), is the "sixth pillar of Islam". Other groups consider "Allegiance to the Imam" to be the sixth pillar of Islam. Muslims who believe in the "Five Pillars of Islam" may be offended by the mention of a violent sixth pillar. For more information, see the article entitled Sixth pillar of Islam.
File:WTC911.jpg Above: Many in the civilized world find the principle of Jihad very distrubing, if not evil, especially in light of the 9/11 attacks.
The Quran
The Quran is the holy book of Islam. Its title means "Proclamation". It consists of 114 chapters or Suras laid out roughly in order of size, the largest being near the front, the smallest near the back.
It is written as Arabic poetry and describes the origins of the Universe, Man, and their relationship to each other and their Creator Allah. It sets out laws for society, morality, economics and many other topic. It is intended for recitation and memorization. The Quran is primarily taught from one generation to the next this way. Muslims regard the Quran as sacred and inviolable.
For Muslims, the Qur'an answers questions about daily needs, both spiritual and material. It discusses God and God's Names and attributes; believers and their virtues, and the fate of non-believers (kaffir); Mary, Jesus, and all the other prophets; and even scientific subjects. Muslims do not follow the laws of the Quran exclusively; they also follow the examples of the prophet, which is known as the Sunnah, and the understanding of the Quran contained in the teachings of the prophet known as the Hadith.
Muslims are taught that God sent down other books. Besides the Qur'an, the others are the the book of Ibrahim (now lost) the Law of Moses (the Taurah), the Psalms of David (the Zabûr) and the Gospel of Jesus (the Injil). The Qur'an describes Christians and Jews as "the people of the Book" (ahl al Kitâb). An article on The Bible in Islam is found here.
The teachings of Islam concern many of the same personages as those of Judaism and Christianity. However, Muslims frequently refer to them using Arabic names which can make it appear they are talking about different people: e.g. Allah for God, Iblis for Satan, Ibrahim for Abraham, etc. A belief in a day of judgment and an afterlife (Akhirah) are also part of Islamic theology.
The Quran is believed to be the word of God, sacred and unalterable, although some Muslim scholars believe that at one time there were verses in the Koran inspired by Satan, which Muhammad removed after the angel Jibreel revealed their source. These are referred to as The Satanic Verses, but scholars disagree as to whether they existed or if this is a mere fable. Only the original Arabic version of it is regarded as the Quran; translations are seen as poor shadows of the original's meaning.
The Quran describes two forms of Jihad ("struggle"). One form is described as a struggle with oneself for mastery of the soul, another form is described as a holy war, and describes a war that Muslims must wage against all those who attack the Muslim community. According to Islam, if a person dies in the middle of Jihad, he is sent to heaven without punishment for any sins.
Islam supersedes Judaism and Christianity
According to Islam the leaders of both Judaism and Christianity deliberately altered the true word of God, and thus led all of their believers down a false path. In the Quran, Allah (God) charges the Jewish people with "falsehood" (Sura 3:71), distortion (4:46), and of being "corrupters of Scripture."
Some parts of the Quran attribute differences between Muslims and non-Muslims to tahref-ma3any, a "corruption of the meaning" of the words. In this view, the Jewish Bible and Christian New Testament are true, but the Jews and Christians misunderstood the meaning of their own Scripture, and thus need the Quran to clearly understand the will of God. However, other parts of the Quran make clear that many Jews and Christians used deliberately altered versions of their scripture, and had altered the word of God. This belief was developed further in medieval Islamic polemics, and is a mainstream part of both Sunii and Shiitte Islami today. This is known as the doctrine of tahref-lafzy, "the corruption of the text".
- Ye People of the Book! Why do ye clothe Truth with falsehood and conceal the Truth while ye have knowledge? Surah 3.71
- Can ye (o ye men of Faith) entertain the hope that they will believe in you? - seeing that a party of them heard the Word of God and perverted it knowingly after they understood it. Surah 2.75
- Then woe to those who write the Book with their own hands and then say: "This is from God", to traffic with it for a miserable price! - Woe to them for what their hands do write, and for the gain they make thereby. Surah 2.79
Islam says that the previous prophets also spread the monotheistic message of Islam, and surrendered to God. All those who followed them (those prophets) were also considered "Muslims," including Christians and Jews before the arrival of Islam in its current form.
- "Abraham was not a Jew, nor yet a Christian; but he was an upright man who had surrendered (to Allah), and he was not of the idolaters." (III - The house of Imran 67)
Views of other Religions
Islam assigns Jews and Christians (and certain other, smaller, religions) the status of people of the Book on the basis of their monotheism, and their beliefs about God and the world. This status is based on several passages from the Quran that say how Christians, Jews, and Muslims share common scripture, morals, and prophets. Muslims believe that the 'People of the Book,' if they are decent and good, regardless of the fact that they are not Muslim, will go to Heaven. They are seen as cousins in the family of believers, and Muslims are encouraged to live on peaceful and equitable terms with them.
In one verse of the Quran, it says "God forbids you not, with regards to those who fight you not for [your] faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loveth those who are just." (Quran, 60:8) which is interpreted as a clear admonition not to be disrespectful or unkind to non-Muslims. According to an authentic hadith, Muhammad said to his people "The one who murders a dhimmi(non-Muslim under protection of the state) will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, even if its smell was forty years travelling distance" [Sahih Ahmed].
Where people of the Book live in an Islamic nation under Sharia law, they become dhimmis. They are given a number of rights, such as the right to freely practice their faith, but are also required to pay of a special tax called jizyah. In an Islamic state, the giving of charity is mandatory by law for Muslims. The jizyah tax money goes to charity, as well as the construction of churches and synagogues for non-Muslims living in the state. As a benefit, non-Muslims are exempted from any draft for the state. People of the book living in non-Islamic nations are not considered dhimmi. Non-Muslim religious minorities had generally greater liberty under Islamic rule than they did in Europe during the Medieval period. In Moorish-controlled Spain, for 700 years the Christians and Jews lived under a time of religious freedom under the Islamic government. It was known as the "Golden Age of Judaism" because the conditions for the Jews was better there than anywhere else in the world at the time. The liberties afforded to religious minorities in Christian and Muslim countries varied greatly depending on the time and place.
There is a separate article on the relationship between Islam and Judaism.
Historical origin of Islam
See main article: History of Islam
See also: Life of Prophet Muhammad
Spread of Islam
Muslims are of many different races and (political and ethnic) nationalities. The majority of Muslims are in the countries of South Asia, South-East Asia, Central Asia, northern Africa and the Middle East (much of northern African being thought of as being a part of the Middle East).
The growth of Islam today
Islam is the largest religion after Christianity, and currently the fastest growing. It began in Saudi Arabia in about 610AD, and according to adherents.com it now comprises 1.3 billion believers, 23% of the world's population, with almost 2 million believers in the USA. Only 18% of Muslims live in the Arab world, a fifth are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the world's largest Muslim community is in Indonesia. There are significant Islamic populations in Europe, the former Soviet Union, and South America.
Islamic Laws
Dietary laws
When eating meat, Muslims may only eat from meat that has been slaughtered in the name of Allah, and meets stringent dietary requirements. Such meat is called pure, or halal. Islamic law prohibits a Muslim from eating pork, monkey, dog, cat, any carnivores, and several other types of animal, as these animals are haram (forbidden). For the meat of an animal to be halal (lawful) it must be one of the declared halal animals, it must be slaughtered by a Muslim, and the animal may not be killed by any cruel or prolonged means. The animal is killed by slicing the jugular veins, and thus rendering the animal unconscious immediately, the blood then flows out from the body, and the animal dies in its sleep. Some Muslim clerics have ruled that the animal does not have to be killed by a Muslim, but may be slaughtered by a Jew as long as it meets their strict dietary laws. Thus, some observant Muslims will accept kosher meat (meat prepared in accord with Jewish law) as halal.
The role of women in Islam
Islam does not prohibit women from working, but emphasizes the importance of caring for house and family for both parents. In theory, Islamic law allows each spouse to divorce at will, by saying "I divorce you" three times in public. In practice it's more involved than this, and there may be separate state proceedings to follow as well. This practice is valid within most of the Muslim world today. Usually, the divorced wife keeps her dowry from when she was married, if there was one, and is given child support until the age of weaning at which point the child may be returned to its father if it is deemed to be best.
Women are generally not allowed to be clergy or religious scholars. Many interpretations of Islamic law hold that woman may not have a prominent job, and thus are forbidden from working in the government. This has been a mainstream view in many Muslim nations in the last century.
The Quran also places a dress code upon its followers. For women, it emphasizes modesty without an overt call for any specific covering of any body part; men have a dress code which is more relaxed: the loins must be covered from knee to waist. The rationale given for these rules is that men and women are not to be viewed as sexual objects. In practice, men dictate what women are allowed to wear. Infringement of these rules in some Muslim nations may result in beatings.
Circumcision
Circumcision for males involves the removal of the foreskin and is customary in most muslim communities. Although normally performed at different ages in different cultures.
Holidays
The Muslim Sabbath is on Friday. Muslims attend prayer in a mosque, pray and hear a sermon. When the holidays occur is according to the lunar Islamic calendar. This calendar does not correct for the fact that the lunar year does not match the solar year. Therefore, the Islamic months precess each year; they shift relative to the Gregorian calendar.
- Ramadan - month long observance of fasting during daylight hours.
- Feast of Breaking the Fast (Eid-ul-Fitr), or the Little Feast (al-Eid saghir)- occurs at the conclusion of Ramadan. It is held on the first four days of the month of Shawwal
- The Big Feast, (Eid-ul-Adha,), also "The Feast of Sacrifice" (Kurban Bayram) - two months and 10 days after the Little Feast. Animals are slaughtered to commemorate Abraham's sacrificing of a ram instead of his son Ismael. Those who are able make a pilgrimage to Mecca do so just before this date, on the Hajj.
- Ashura - the 10th day of the month of Muharram. This is the day on which Allah has saved Moses from Pharoa in Egypt, and he crossed the Red sea with the Children of Israel (the Exodus day), The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has fasted this day when he knew that the Jewish fasts it, and he said that we (Muslims) are nearer to Moses than the Jewish themselves, and he said that if he would live for the following year he would fast the 9th and the 10th of 3ashoura but he died. So fasting on these days are considered sunnah (recommended) for muslims.
- Muslim New Year - not generally celebrated as an official Muslim holiday, although many communities have some kind of celebrations. This holiday is prohibited by the Islamist movement (fundamentalist Islam), which is now predominant in the Arab world.
- The Prophet's birthday (al-mawlidu n-nabawi sh-sharif) - Some scholars consider this holiday to be an innovation in the religion, as Muhammad himself did not celebrate it except by fasting. This holiday is prohibited by the Islamist movement (fundamentalist Islam). Some Arab nations, such as Saudi Arabia forbid Muslims to celebrate this holiday.
Muslim Apostates
Conversion by Muslims to other religions is forbidden and is termed apostasy. Penalties may include ostracism or even execution if they live or lived in an "Islamic State" and are deemed enemies of the state. But if a person converts from his/her own religion, who is in the United States, any western country, or even in many of the muslim countries nowadays, suffers no significant penalty. In Muslim theology, apostasy bears more resemblance to the penalties in most countries for Treason, which is the punishment for betraying one's country.
Former Muslims who convert to Christianity are sometimes at risk. See any of the works of Ibn Warraq, an outspoken Muslim apostate. An infamous example of a Muslim apostate undergoing persecution is that of Salman Rushdie, whose novel The Satanic Verses prompted furious clerics to issue a Fatwa for his execution.
Denominations of Islam
There are a number of Islamic religious denominations, each of which has significant theological and legal differences from each other. The major branches of Islam are
Sunni Islam comprises somewhere around 80% of all Muslims. It is broken into four schools of thought which interpret specific pieces of Islam, such as which foods are halal (permissible) under the religious laws. They are Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanafi, and Hanbali.
While some consider Sufis to comprise a branch of Islam, there are some Sufis who can easily be considered Sunni, and practising within the traditional schools of thought. Other people may call themselves Sufis who have in reality left Islam (or never known Islam).
See also: Four Schools of Madhhab -- Imam -- Islamic philosophy -- Mujtahid
Modernization of Islamic thought
Although the dominant movement in Islam in recent times has been religious fundamentalism, there are a number of liberal movements within Islam which seek alternative ways to reconcile the Islamic faith with the modern world.
Islamic traditions have several sources: the Quran, the hadiths, and interpretations of both by scholars. Over the centuries, there has been a tendency towards fundamentalism, with interpretations being regarded as immutable, even those that consist of folk religion not directly traceable to the prophet Muhammad.
Early shariah had a much more flexible character than is currently associated with Islamic jurisprudence, and many modern Muslim scholars believe that it should be renewed, and the classical jurists should lose their special status. This would require formulating a new fiqh suitable for the modern world, e.g. as proposed by advocates of the Islamization of knowledge, and would deal with the modern context.
This movement does not aim to challenge the fundamentals of Islam; rather, it seeks to clear away misinterpretations and to free the way for the renewal of the previous status of the Islamic world as a center of modern thought and freedom. See Modern Islamic philosophy for more on this subject.
Islam in the United States of America
Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam in the United States is not unified; there are many organizations and groups that work to promote various forms of Islam.
One such group is the moderate Islamic Supreme Council of America. This group represents many Muslims, but likely less than 10% of Muslims in the USA.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, known by its acronym CAIR. CAIR is a non-profit pro-Islam organization, established to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America. CAIR portrays itself as the voice of mainstream, moderate Islam. However CAIR is also a highly controversial organization; its leadership and members publicly support known terrorist organizations such as Hizbollah and Hamas. (The State Department of the United States classified these groups as terrorist organizations). CAIR has been accused of inciting death threats against moderate American Muslims.
The American Islamic Congress is a small but growing moderate Muslim organization that promotes religious pluralism. Their official Statement of Principles states that "Muslims have been profoundly influenced by their encounter with America. American Muslims are a minority group, largely comprising African-Americans, immigrants, and children of immigrants, who have prospered in America's climate of religious tolerance and civil rights. The lessons of our unprecedented experience of acceptance and success must be carefully considered by our community." Their statement goes on to say that:
- American Muslims must champion pluralism and condemn all forms of intolerance. This section of the statement of principles explicitly states that not only should Muslims oppose hateful speech towards Muslims, but that they should oppose hateful speech by Muslims.
- Secondly, American Muslims must be leading ambassadors to the Muslim world.
- Thirdly, American Muslims must recognize and celebrate our own diversity.
- Fourthly, all Muslims around the world should enjoy the social and economic prosperity experienced by American Muslims.
- Fifthly, American Muslims must champion the rights of minorities in the Muslim world.
Religions based on Islam
The following groups call themselves Muslims, but are not considered Islamic by most Muslims:
- The Ahmaddiya
- The Druze
- The Nation of Islam
- The Ismailis
The following religions evolved from Islam, but consider themselves independent religions with distinct laws and institution:
Further Reading
- The Encyclopaedia of Islam
- The Quran
- H. A. R. Gibb, Islam, Oxford 1969
- The Islamism Debate, Martin Kramer, University Press, 1997
- Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook, Charles Kurzman, Oxford University Press, 1998
- The Challenge of Fundamentalism: Political Islam and the New World Disorder, Bassam Tibi, Univ. of California Press, 1998
See also: Mosque -- History of Islam -- Life of Prophet Muhammad -- Shariah -- Tawhid -- Qibla al-Qudsiyya -- Jihad -- Islamic rituals (births, weddings, burials...) -- Munkar and Nakir -- List of famous Muslims
External Links
- Arabic/English information on Islam
- Presents Islam's answers to everyday questions
- Islamic Studies, University of Georgia
- Hadith collections
- Introduction to Islam
- Islamic resources on different topics
- Islamic Message
- islamicmsg Yahoo Newsgroup
- Islam and Science
- Modern Science Facts Predicted in the Quran
- Islam in Focus
- Islam Resources
- Islam-on-line
- Islamic dietary laws
- Islami City
- Islamworld
- Questions/Answers on Islam
- Pictures and text about the fruit of islam and its victims