User:Raymond A. Luyk, Jr./sandbox

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Comment Please see what Wikipedia already has on Islam and consider merging you information into an appropirate article. Possibley the main Islam article. GAtechnical (talk) 09:37, 1 February 2013 (UTC)

Introduction to Islam

At the dawn of the twenty-first century, Islam has become a global presence that has blurred the distinction between the Muslim world and the West. I believe that the rise of Islam has created a great need to understand the religion of Islam at its very core. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the religion of Islam, share its history, and highlight the beliefs and practices of the Muslim people. The completion of this paper will result in the advanced knowledge and understanding of the religion of Islam and what the its future represents to the world outside of the Islamic faith.

“The tragic events of September 11, 2001 (the destruction of the World Trade Center in New York) spawned a huge interest in Islam. Islam has become a frequent topic of debate and analysis in Western media, society and church. Perhaps it could be said that we have never had so much information in so many areas on Islam and Muslims.”^[1]

The truth is that there are some common misconceptions about Islam in the United States today. For example, when one hears the word “Islam” one may think of a people group who live in the middle of a desert somewhere and their life’s ambition is to blow things up and cause death and destruction. The fact of the matter is that Islam is found everywhere today. If fact, “Eastern religion is now also challenging the once virtually exclusive domain of Christianity. Islam is growing rapidly in the United States, especially among African American males.”^[2]

“Islam means “submission to God” and Muslim means “One who submits to God.”^[3] “Muslims believe that Allah is the only true God an the the Quran, the perfect holy book, teaches the correct way of belief and pracice. They believe that Islam is a universal and uniform religion for all people and cultures with little variety and diversity in its major beliefs and practices.”^[4]

A further issue with the religion of Islam is that it is divided within itself. One dear friend stated it this way, “one side of Islam is faithful to the Five Pillars of their faith, and the other side of Islam is devoted to destroying those Pillars with any means necessary.” When dealing with a religion that is divided, it becomes difficult to “pinpoint” exactly what Islam is all about. “For instance, an appeal to a common sense of Islamic identity is central to Osama Bin Laden’s ideology of ‘holy war.’In fact, Islam is just as divided as Christianity: substantial differences exist between Sunnis and Shi’ites, not to mention the range of sects within those two broad strains, such as the Wahhabis.”^[5] This may seem to be a daunting task, but it is one that is necessary if the average mindset concerning Islam is that they are nothing more than a terrorist group bent on world domination and destruction.

“I bear witness that there is no god (that is , nothing worthy of worship) save God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God.”^[6] This is the principle statement of belief for every Muslim and they are required to repeat several times each day. Muslims who take their religion (Islam) seriously believe that it is the proper and correct religion for all the world. “The non-Muslim world knows little of the people called Muslims and their religion, Islam. Many people think all Muslims speak Arabic, live in the Middle East, and launch attacks against the state of Israel.”^[7]

The reality of Islam could not be further from the truth. Supposedly, the religion of Islam is characterized by unity. This may have been the purpose in the mind of Mohammad as he began to establish a brotherhood regardless of nationality, language, or political affiliation, however, Muslims have sought to subdue other cultures and force them to submit to Islamic authority and rule throughout history. “Early Jewish tribes refused to submit to the prophet Mohammad and hundreds were slaughtered. Jews have been tolerated with limited freedoms in dominant Muslim territories.”^[8]

Things did not look much better for the Christian community either. Mohammad was set against all non-Muslim groups throughout the world. “From its very beginning Islam viewed Christianity as a religion of idolatry and contamination…to believe that God could share his nature with humanity. Therefore, Islam denied the Christian beliefs of the Trinity, the divinity of Jesus Christ, the crucifixion and death of Jesus for the sins of the world, and the resurrection Jusus from the tomb.”^[8]

Suspicion, distrust, and hostility would characterize the history of the Christians and Muslims relationship for generations to come. “Islam has attacked Christianity for it’s polytheism and corruption of the Scriptures and Christianity has considered Islam a heretical and impenetrable religion.”^[9] While we could continue on this path and look deeper into the relationship that Christians and Muslims share today, we must first take a look at where Islam began and first took root.

Historical setting of Islam

The prophet Mohammad was the founder of the Isamic religion. It is said that he had an experience with the angel Gabriel, who ordered him to read the words he was shown. In his sleep, he is told to repeat the following words:

“Read in the name of your Lord who created, Who created man of a clot of blood. Read! Your Lord is the most beneficent, Who taught by the pen, Taught Man what he knew not. (96:1-5)”^[10]

It is reported that when Mohammad woke up he felt as though these words had been engraved upon his heart. “Mohammad awoke from his sleep in spiritual turmoil. At first he feared that he was possessed by some kind of demon. He was so distraught that he set out to climb the mountain and kill himself. Then, according to the account, he heard a voice from Heaven; looking up he saw ‘the form of a man with feet astride the horizon, saying, ‘O Muhammad! Thou art the apostle of God and I am Gabriel.’”^[11]

Muhammad did not assume his role at once because for a long time he did not receive any new revelations from God. Due to this, Muhammad suffered fears and self doubt. “He then had a second revelation ordering him to begin his work, to ‘rise and warn’ the people.”^[12]

These words would guide Mohammad over that next two decades, while fully embracing the belief that he was called to be a prophet of Allah. “In pagan eyes, Allah was the ‘High God’; neither the sole object of worship not indeed the sole existent god, he merely stood above, or apart from, all other tribal divinities.”^[13]

“Muhammad arrived in Madina in September of 622, which was later designated as the beginning of the Islamic era.”^[14] There he found several Jewish clans in existence. This is believed to be the first real interaction between Mohammand and organize Judaism. “Initially, the Jews and Muslims of Madina got on well together. They shared the same direction for prayer, as Muhammad oriented his community to worship in the direction of Jerusalem.”^[15]

“In his 63rd year, the 10th year of the new era of Islam, Muhammad fell ill. He developed a sudden fever accompanied by violent headaches…”^[16] After the death of Mohammad, the Islamic Empire grew very rapidly and remained largely united for the first two centuries. “As the word of Muhammad’s death spread through Madina, his followers were swept by a shock that verged on panic.”^[16] Mohammmad’ followers were assured that God was still alive and it was God that was to continue to be worshipped. It was this statement that caused the Muslims to press forward in the name of Islam.

“Muslims have emergered from the desert sands as a growing and powerful religious force” and Islam has “become the fastest growing religion worldwide.”^[17] “Local dynasties arose, the most important of which were the Abbasids, who ruled from Bagdad (750-1258) and later over a much smaller area from Cairo (1261-1517).”^[18] “The first expansion of the Islamic Empire was one of the most rapid in human history. By A.D. 637 Palestine and Iraq had come under Islamic rule, followed by Egypt and Syria by A.D. 641.”^[19]

The Central Beliefs of Islam

There are many beliefs in the Islamic religion that are central to their faith and practice. Many of these beliefs are consistent with Christianity, at least in a generalized theory. The main similarity that Islam shares with Christianity is a monotheistic view, that is, both religions believe in the concept of one God and not multiple, or many gods. Let’s begin our study here.

God

At the heart of the Muslim belief is the principle of tawhid, which means an absolute oneness with God. “As God is one, God cannot be divided or share divinity with any created being. God has no partners. The greatest sin in Islam, the one sin that will not be forgiven (Q. 51:56); is to give partners to God. This is called shirk.”^[20] The Qur’an is the Muslim equivalent to the Christian Bible, although it is only as long as the Bible’s New Testament. In the Qur’an, there are ninety-nine names by which God is called by Muslims. “The Ninety-Nine Beautiful Names are used in Muslim piety. Many times one will see a Muslim with a string of beads called a tasbih, misbah, or subha. This consists of the ninety-nine beads and can be used to recite the Beautiful Names.”^[21]

A major difference in the Islamic religion compared to Christianity is that Muslims do not call God “Father.” As previously stated, Muslims believe in a God who does not share in humanity. “The Qur’an says that ‘God is not begotton, nor does God beget (Q. 112:3, 19:35, 23:91), meaning that God does not have children, as, for example, the ancient Greeks thought, ‘Far exalted is He above having a son’ (Q. 4:171).”^[22]

Angels

If God is to guide human beings, then angels are to be the messengers that provide that guidance from God to mankind. Another central belief in the Islamic mind is the concept of angels or angelic beings that gravitate between the heavens and the earth. “In Islamic understanding, they are spirit beings ‘created of light’ and therefore have subtle bodies, which means that they can take on different forms, appear and disappear adn do not eat, drink, or reproduce (Q. 19:64-65, 35:1).”^[23]

In the Christian Bible there is mention of Satan, the adversary of all mankind. The Qur’an does tell of a similar “angel” that would tempt man and roam the earth. His name is Iblis. It is reported that Iblis had a dispute with God stating that he was greater than Adam because he was created by fire instead of clay. “God then ordered all angels and jinn (angelic beings created from fire not clay; demons) to bow down before Adam to acknowledge his superior status and knowledge. The angels, having no free will, immediately obeyed. Among the jinn, one called Iblis disputed with God, saying that he was superior to Adam because he was created from fire rather than clay. He refused to obey God’s command, so Iblis was cast down to the earth, where he spends his time tempting human beings into rebellion.”^[23] Some jinn are good and some are bad. They are believed to be around humans at all times according to the beliefs of Islam.

Books

There are many prophets who have brought God’s message to His people and they are recorded in various sacred books. There are four books that are regarded by the Muslims and they are “the Torah revealed to Moses, the Psalms revealed to David, the Gospel (Injil) to Jesus, and the Qur’an to Mohammad.”^[24]

“The Qur’an tells us that God did not create human beings for sport but to love and worship God, that is, to obey God (Q. 44:38).”^[25] This all sounds well and fine, however, Muslims do not believe the Bible is accurate or inspired by God in any way. “Muslims believe the Torah and the Gospels have been changed and corrupted over time. Consequently, the Qur’an was needed to correct the errors in the corrupted books.”^[26] Muslims believe the Qur’an to be the finalized, complete, perfect revelation of God through the angel Gabriel to the prophet Mohammad. “The Qur’an indicates that Mohammad even thought he might be possessed by a demon...however, over one billion Muslims believe it is the unquestioned perfect word of God.”^[27]

Death

Death is inevitable, even according to Islam. “Every created being is created in time and space, and so their earthly existence must come to an end...Life in the grave, or in barzakh, is understood in Islam as a period of timeless awareness during which one awaits the resurrection.”^[28] Our human language and knowledge break down after death. Even in the Muslim world there is a sense of life after death that is often eagerly awaited.

Heaven and Hell

“The Qur’an tells us that the nature of heaven and hell is beyond our earthly capacity to understand (Q. 32:17).”^[29] Heaven is most often refered to in the Qur’an as “Al-Jannah.”^[28] This term for heaven literally means “the Garden” or “Gardens.” The Muslims view heaven as a place of peacefulness and tranquility, a place where there is running water, food without labor, and mates of the opposite sex. Hell, on the other hand, is much different.

Hell has many descriptions in the Qur’an, but the most common is that of fire. “There are depictions of fire, depths, blazing inferno, a great furnace, and the scorching fire.”^[30] The common theme here is imaginable torment and loss. The Islamic view of hell is very similar to Christianity’s view as well.

The Principle Practices of Islam

Now it is time to take a look at the core of the Islamic faith, the principles and practices of Muslims everywhere. It is said that Islam is like a building that is standing upon five pillars, or five foundations. Every religion has its core foundational beliefs and Islam is no different. “These practices are a training program to build taqwa, God-consciousness, within the Muslim so that she or he may be led into the perfect state of islam and thus be both happy in this life and rewarded with Paradise in the hereafter.”^[31]

The Five Pillars of Faith

“Shahada: to profess and practice the principle belief of Islam Salat: to perform ritual prayer five times daily Zakat: to purify one’s wealth by providing money to those in need Sawm: to fast during the month of Ramadan Hajj: to make the pilgrimage to Makka once in a lifetime, if health and wealth permit.”^[32]

Shahada

“The first pillar, faith, was based on the shahada, the declaration of belief through which a man joined Islam: ‘There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet.’”^[33] Along with this testament of faith, that is, the oneness of God and Muhammad as his messenger, Muslims would take on the belief that the Qur’an is the actual word of God. Additionally, Muslims would believe in angels as the instruments of God, and a final day of judgement for all people.

Salat

Salat is the formal form of prayer in Islam. This is done five times each day, and it is an effort to speak to God as “Creator, Sustainer, Lord, Friend, Guide, and All-Merciful.”^[34] “The Muslim is trained to punctuate the day with prayer, and du’a (informal prayers) have been written to accompany every act from waking in the morning to going to sleep at night (Q. 33:41-42). Du’a might be made before eating, before beginning work, on beginning a journey, before visiting the toilet, before making love, and so on.”^[34] This concept of prayer is to be an all day occurrence of informal prayers and five specific liturgical, or formal prayers each day.

Zakat

Zakat is an annual portion of one’s wealth that no longer belongs to the individual but must be distributed to those who have need. The best translation of Zakat is “bearing oneanother’s burdens.” Generosity is encouraged in Islam (Q. 2:195), since it softens the heart to allow a greater spirit of taqwa both in the giver and in the recipient (Q. 2:264-265).”^[35]

Sawm

Sawm means to fast during the month of Ramadan. It is clear by now that observing the previous two “Pillars” of prayer and giving requires great amounts of discipline and self-control. One way to build up that discipline is by fasting during Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. The fast involves that daylight hours of the entire month. This fast is a community event in that all Muslims are encouraged to fast at the same time to build a sense of unity. “The fast is commanded by the Qur’an (Q. 2:183-187); it is ‘for God,’ and it is for the benefit of human beings to observe it. Eating, drinking, and sexual relations are in no way considered bad by Islam…Islam teaches that if Muslims can control these instincts during Ramadan, then they will learn self-discipline during the rest of the year in all aspects of life...fasting is not allowed to become torture; it is forbidden to fast if it would endanger life.”^[36]

Hajj

“The final and most complex ritual duty is the pilgrimage (hajj)...It is based on scripture (Q. 2:196; 3:97), as are all the rituals: the Prophet said that the most meritorious form of Jihad, literally struggle for the sake of Allah, was the pilgrimage piously performed.”^[37] The ritual of the pilgrimage goes far beyond just walking to Mecca, the holiest city in Islam, rather it involves an entire set of rules and guidelines for the Muslim who would make this journey.

“In preparation, the pilgrims dress in unsewn white material...they cannot cut their hair or nails, use cosmetics, or have sexual relations…the pilgrimage to Mecca is the highlight of a Muslim’s life. Upon returning home there are gifts shared, large gatherings with meals and story telling, and a new status in the community for the pilgrim now known as a haji.”^[38]

Conclusion

For over 1,400 years Islam has expanded beyond its Middle Eastern origins. Today Muslims are numerous on every continent: Africa boasts 308,600,000; Asia, 778,362,000; Europe, 32,032,000; Latin America, 1,356,000; and Oceania, 385,000; for a total of 1,126,325,000.”^[39]

Bibliography:

Everett Ferguson, Church History Volume One: From Christ to Pre-Reformation. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), 525.

Bettenson, Henry and Maunder, Chris, Documents of the Christian Church: Fourth Edition. (New York: Oxford Press, 2011), 530.

McGrath, Alister, Christianity’y Dangerous Idea. (New York: Harper-Collins Publishing, 2007), 548.

Erickson, Millard, Christian Theology. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 1998), 1312.

Braswell, George, What You Need to Know About Islam & Muslims. (Nashville: Broadman and Holmes Publishers, 2000), 185.

Waines, David, An Introduction to Islam. ( United Kingdom: Cambridge Press, 1995), 332.

Hewer, C.T.R., Understanding Islam: An Introduction. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2006), 255.

Esposito, John, The Oxford History of Islam. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1999), 749.

Stewart, Desmond, Great Ages of Man: A history of the World’s Cultures: Early Islam. (New York: Time Life Books, 1967), 191.