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Islam

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A Muslim is a person who follows the religion of Islam (Arabic: الإسلام; al-'islām), which their prophet Muhammad founded in AD 622. According to Islamic belief, the angel Gabriel revealed God's last message, the Qur'an, to his last prophet, Muhammad (Mohammed). Allah (Arabic: الله) is the name of God to Muslims, and the Muslim holy book is the Qur'an. The word islam means "surrender to the will of Allah."

Countries with more than 5% Muslim population from the CIA World Factbook. Green represents a Sunni majority and red represents a Shi`a majority.
Countries with more than 5% Muslim population from the CIA World Factbook. Green represents a Sunni majority and red represents a Shi`a majority.

Contents

Fundamentals of Islam

First and foremost a Muslim must practice Islams five pillars of faith.

  1. Faith (iman) in the oneness of Allah and Muhammad being the last prophet.
  2. Keeping of the five scheduled daily prayers (salah).
  3. Almsgiving (zakat).
  4. Fasting (sawm).
  5. Pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca for those who are able.

The Qur`an

Main Article: Qur'an

According to Islamic teaching, the Qur`an (Quran) came down as a series of revelations from Allah by way of the Archangel Gabriel. Gabriel gave this message from Allah to the Prophet Muhammad who then later dictated it to his followers. Translations are generally not accepted by Islam as Arabic is the original. Apologists of Islam often use this as a way to deflect criticism, stating that only those who know Arabic may understand it. However nothing really stops translation of the Qur`an because Arabic is no different than any other language in that respect.

The length of the Qur`an is about that of the New Testament. For twelve years according to Islamic tradition, in 610 AD in a cave near Mecca (Modern day southwest Saudia Arabia) is where Muhammad received his first revelation from Gabriel.

The way of Muhammad

Main Article: Muhammad

Muhammad himself is considered an ideal man, al-insan al-kamil in Arabic, he is not considered divine nor is he to be worshipped. He is rather a model in how a Muslim should live his life.

Through Muhammads example, his life and teachings Muslims can discern the sunnah or "way" of the prophet. Through Muhammad's non-Quranic utterances to his personal habits, all ways should be mirrored. One can attain these insights into his life primarily by way of Hadiths or reports of his life passed down orally until finally written down in the eighth century AD. The hadiths are considered written by contemporaries and eyewitnesses to Muhammad. There are thousands of hadiths with some very lengthy while others are only a few sentences. Many were considered fakes, not owning up to what they claimed in the end but through Islamic scholars during the time those that should not be considered were found out.

Muhammad's life as a prophet can be separated into two epochs. One is when he was in Mecca, where he first received revelation for 12 years and painstakingly tried to convert others for fourteen. The other epoch which took place after Mecca takes place within the context of the city of Medina or what is also called The City of the Apostle of God. The time in which was spent in Medina is characterized by powerful political and military leadership development of Muhammad.

According to Gregory M. Davis, an author of a book dealing with Islam and author of Islam 101 published on Jihad Watch, Muhammad during the first period of his prophetic career can be characterized as;

“ ... a quasi-Biblical figure, preaching repentance and charity, harassed and rejected by those around him; later, in Medina, we see an able commander and strategist who systematically conquered and killed those who opposed him. It is the later years of Muhammad's life, from 622 AD to his death in 632, that are rarely broached in polite company. In 622, when the Prophet was better than fifty years old, he and his followers made the Hijra (emigration or flight), from Mecca to the oasis of Yathrib -- later renamed Medina -- some 200 miles to the north. Muhammad's new monotheism had angered the pagan leaders of Mecca, and the flight to Medina was precipitated by a probable attempt on Muhammad's life. Muhammad had sent emissaries to Medina to ensure his welcome. He was accepted by the Medinan tribes as the leader of the Muslims and as arbiter of inter-tribal disputes.

...
Along with the reliable hadiths, a further source of accepted knowledge about Muhammad comes from the Sira (life) of the Prophet, composed by one of Islam's great scholars, Muhammad bin Ishaq, in the eighth century AD.

Shortly before Muhammad fled the hostility of Mecca, a new batch of Muslim converts pledged their loyalty to him on a hill outside Mecca called Aqaba. Ishaq here conveys in the Sira the significance of this event:

Sira, p208: When God gave permission to his Apostle to fight, the second {oath of allegiance at} Aqaba contained conditions involving war which were not in the first act of fealty. Now they {Muhammad's followers} bound themselves to war against all and sundry for God and his Apostle, while he promised them for faithful service thus the reward of paradise.


That Muhammad's nascent religion underwent a significant change at this point is plain. The scholarly Ishaq clearly intends to impress on his (Muslim) readers that, while in its early years, Islam was a relatively tolerant creed that would "endure insult and forgive the ignorant," Allah soon required Muslims "to war against all and sundry for God and his Apostle." The Islamic calendar testifies to the paramouncy of the Hijra by setting year one from the date of its occurrence. The year of the Hijra, 622 AD, is considered more significant than the year of Muhammad's birth or death or that of the first Quranic revelation because Islam is first and foremost a political-military enterprise. It was only when Muhammad left Mecca with his paramilitary band that Islam achieved its proper political-military articulation. The years of the Islamic calendar (which employs lunar months) are designated in English "AH" or "After Hijra." [1]

”

Sharia law

Unlike many religions, Islam has mandatory, highly specific legal and political principals that are to govern an Islamic society entitled Sharia which means "way" or "path." The specifics of Sharia law are understood by way of the Quran, the Sunnah and Sira of the Prophet Muhammad. The Quran and the Sunnah together are used to draw the blueprint for good governing of an Islamic society. There is no seperation between the religious and political within Islam, Sharia law effectively becomes the legal code ordained by Allah for all mankind. To deviate, or not accept Sharia is to blatantly dismiss Allah in the most disrespectful way and is an action which causes adherents at times to be brought to combat.

Jihad

It has carried two meanings over the centuries, one requiring the rejection of worldly ways to achieve spiritual depth, it is an individual struggle to attain righteousness in the eyes of Allah. The other meaning of jihad is, "holy war." This does not take place within a Muslim but it stands for the duty of all Muslims to aid the defense of their faith through combat. Essentially it is war carried out by Muslims in an effort to expand territory at the expense of territories not ruled by Muslims whom are called the kuffar. [2]

What can be seen today is a concerted effort, by the radical Islamic imam's, shiekh's and political leaders within to diminish the importance of a Muslims life who is not comitted to a military or militant mindset. The influence of extremists, such as al Qaeda, exploit the deep reverance a Muslim has towards Muhammad's life to then brainwash them into sacrificing their own life for military expansion of Islam. Just as Muhammad had done, it is a natural progression of a Muslim's life to not only become religiously influential, but politically and militarily minded for the sake of the global Ummah (community or nation). For the sake of the ummat al-mu'minin (community of believers) it is their sole duty, or their jihad to mold a world under one Islamic banner making it Ummah Wahida (One Community).

The militaristic jihadist mindset of radical Islam mirrors al Qaeda, the Muslim Brotherhood and numerous other terrorist groups through their actions, the likes of which are sophisticatedly defended through an Islamic theology called Wahhabism primarily funded by Saudi Arabia. It is by this mechanism exploited by terrorists that has made it a serious threat to U.S. national security and other countries embracing freedom and democracy. It is also specifically targeted towards Israel and in this attempt the Palestinian Muslims claim a type of persona percisely that of the Jewish struggle in many ways. [3] [4]

The first wave

The first major jihad was by the Arabs in 622-750 AD.

The second wave

The second major wave of jihad was by the Turks from 1071-1683 AD.

Islamic History

Islamic history has been ongoing for at least 1500 years and is peppered with significant battles amongst peoples living in the lands that at the time must be conquered for the Caliphate or the overall Dar al-Islam (House of Islam). From the time of the Prophet of Muhammad in 622 AD living in Medina all the way until today, Islamic history isn't over by any means. The theological beliefs of Islam and the desire to establish a worldwide Caliphate ruled by Sharia law still to this very day is a dominant force in the world that many are all to aware of.

After the time of Muhammad, the Umma (Muslim community) leadership came in the form of Four Rightly Guided Caliphs for about 30 years. Abu Bakr from 632-634, Umar from 634-644, Uthman from 644-656 and Ali from 656 to 661 AD who was the closest blood relative of Muhammad. By 650 AD Islam and its military campaigns had brought most of Syria, Palestine, Egypt (642) and the Persian Empire (643) under their control, capturing Jerusalem in 638, North Africa 647 and Cypress in 649. Some of the nations invaded and now controlled were considered the richest nations in the world at the time and were guarded to the teeth by powerful militaries, yet they all fell into the Islamic hands.

During the time of Ali, the last Rightly Guided Caliph in 656 AD, he moved the Arab capital from Medina to Kufa in southern Iraq. Being the closest blood relative to Muhammad he was extremely revered and followers were given a special name called the Shia or, "party" of Ali. During this time Arab exclusiveness within Islam was broken and all were considered equal when converted to Islam to become Muslim.

Ali was later assassinated in 661 by Muawiyah, the founder of the Umayyad Dynasty, who took his place as leader of the Umma. This was the trigger causing a split in loyalty from Muslims. Today almost 1500 years later these loyal groups can still be seen ruling the majority of Islam. After the assassination another school of thought within Islam formed. There is now the Shia which follow Ali and the Sunni which pledged loyalty to the current Umayyad Dynasty. During this time however Muslims continue to dominate the middle-east, eastern and southern Europe, as well as north African and Asian regions. From 650 to 732 AD massive expansion was taking place that ended up with eastern Turkey, India and China adding to the Umma's influence as well.

It is now the 730's Charles Martel and Charlemagne have fought back Muslim expansion into France. It is still seen today as an important historical moment as it stopped Islamization of Western Europe. The lack of ability to accurately scout Europe and setup defense positions by the Muslims is known to have been a vital component in their ultimate defeat. [5]

The Umayyad Caliphate (661-750) was thrusted into power by way of Ali's assassination but later ousted from Damascus and replaced by the Abbasid Dynasty with its capital in modern day Baghdad, Iraq in 755 AD. Although ousted from Damascus a different line continued in Spain until 1492 when the last Umayyad prince Abd Ar-Rahman fleed to Spain to take control. During the time of the Empire in Cordoba in Spain there were two capitals of rival caliphates, the Abbasid Baghdad and Ummayad Cordoba. Cordoba was probably the greater influence because of its geographical location. [6]

Demographics

Distribution of Islam, Sunni (green) and Shi'a (blue).
Distribution of Islam, Sunni (green) and Shi'a (blue).

Those that make up the majority of the worlds Muslim population at 80-85% strictly follow only Muhammad and are called Sunni, while those who also follow the teachings of Muhammads son-in-law Ali, are called Shia and make up about 10-15%. There are few fringe minority groups or divisions which include Sufi, a mystical tradition. [7]

Sunni Islam is derived from the word Sunnah which means "example" or "way", from that of Muhammad. They maintain a huge majority overall but especially in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Turkey, Somalia, Pakistan, Libya and Egypt. The Shia or who can also be referred to as the Shiites maintain healthy majorities in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, Syria and Bahrain. [8]

Schools of Thought

There are two dominant schools of thought or denominations within Islam which are; Sunni and Shia. The Sunni and Shia follow the same holy book (Qur'an), they follow the teachings of Muhammad, offer prayers to Allah five times a day, fast in the month of Ramadan and both support visiting Mecca once in the follower's lifetime as an essential part of gaining salvation (the hajj). They differ however in who they place adherence and loyality.

There are also two branches of Muslim learning. The first is Tawhid, a major tenet of Wahhabism which defines all that a man should believe such that Allah is a unique and singular God. The second is Shari’a, which is a legal framework to dictate all he or she should do in their public and/or private life. [9]

Teachings of Creation

Islam teaches creation in a way that is at times similar to that of the account in Genesis. This is however in consideration that it not detract from the blatant theological differences that can be seen when compared in detail.

Six-day creation

Main Article: Young earth creationism

Muslims believe that Allah created the heavens and the earth in, "six periods of time," and continues to reign over His creation.

The Qur`an says:

“ "7.54": Surely your Lord is Allah, Who created the heavens and the earth in six periods of time, and He is firm in power; He throws the veil of night over the day, which it pursues incessantly; and (He created) the sun and the moon and the stars, made subservient by His command; surely His is the creation and the command; blessed is Allah, the Lord of the worlds. ”

Although this seems similar to the creation account in the Bible, there are important differences. Muslims generally interpret the "six day" creation not as six days of 24 hours each, but as six separate periods of indefinite duration reamining consistent with internal wording. They do not precisely define how long a creation day is, but believe that life developed over a long period.

Life came from water

Although Muslims disagree with many ideas in the theory of evolution, especially human evolution, they accept much of it, such as life beginning in water, although not by unguided natural processes as evolution would purpose but rather by divine guidance by Allah.

As the Qur`an states;

“ "24:45": And Allah has created every animal from water: of them there are some that creep on their bellies; some that walk on two legs; and some that walk on four. Allah creates what He wills for verily Allah has power over all things. ”

Adam and Eve

Muslims do not accept the evolutionary idea that humans came from ape-like animals. They believe human life began with God’s creation of Adam and Eve (Hawwa). The Qur`an says;

“ "15.26": We created man from sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape; 27. And the Jinn race, We had created before, from the fire of a scorching wind. ”

Chapter 15 of the Qur`an does not give the name of the first woman, but Islamic tradition knows her as "Hawwa". Muslims believe that Adam was a prophet who taught his children to worship Allah alone. His children continued to worship Allah alone for many generations. Then corruption seeped into their faith. So Allah sent prophets and messengers to call on them all to come back to the Unitarian faith.

Evolution

Main Article: Theory of evolution

Muslims will not accept any part of the theory of evolution that conflicts with the Qur`ans teachings. They believe there is a Creator (Allah) who has created everything, whether at once or through the process of growth and development. They reject the evolutionary teachings about the origin of humans from ape-like creatures.

Other Doctrines

Islam and its other doctrines actually show the major theological differences between it and Christianity far better than its creation doctrine.

Muslims and Jesus

Main Article: Jesus

Muslims respect Jesus as a prophet, but do not believe He was the Son of God. They accept that He performed great miracles, but do not believe He was crucified (from chapter Maryam in the Qur`an).

The Bible

Main Article: Bible

Muslims believe that the Christian Bible (Old and New Testaments) is corrupt in many places. Islam therefore forbids Muslims from reading the Bible to others (such as to a dying relative who is a Christian).

Heaven and Hell

Christians, Jews who are specifically viewed as deviating from the true path of Islam, and essentially all who deny Allah and Muhammad as his last prophet will go to a place of, "disgraceful chastisement," according to the Qur`an. Only those who end up believing in and worshipping Allah will go to what is referred to as Paradise. [10]

The Qur`an says:

“ "4.150": Surely those who disbelieve in Allah and His apostles and (those who) desire to make a distinction between Allah and His apostles and say: We believe in some and disbelieve in others, and desire to take a course between (this and) that. "4.151": These it is that are truly unbelievers, and We have prepared for the unbelievers a disgraceful chastisement. ”

Noah's flood and the Ark

Main Article: Global flood

Muslims regard Noah as one of the six great prophets of Islam, the others are; Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad. They also believe Noah went on an ark with two of each kind of animal. Unlike the Bible, the Qur`an does not give the dimensions or the geography of which the flood covered, nor that God had a hand in actually sending the animals to Noah. Because of this absence of information, most Muslims accept a local flood rather than a worldwide flood.

Fundamentalism

Main Article: Fundamentalism

Fundamentalism is strictly a concept applied to Christian belief. The name originated in 1920 from a series of pamphlets issued between 1910 and 1915 titled The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth. Leading evangelical churchmen of the time wrote these booklets for clergymen and theology students to give them the basics of the Christian faith. [11]

The media today use the word fundamentalism in a negative sense to mean "fanaticism". Muslims say there is no concept of "fundamentalism" in Islam. One Muslim website says, "The Western media has coined this term to brand those Muslims who wish to return to the basic fundamental principles of Islam and mould their lives accordingly. Islam is a religion of moderation and a practicing God-fearing Muslim can neither be a fanatic nor an extremist." [12] However, a religious duty associated with the five pillars of Islam is Jihad, sometimes defined as Holy War. "This duty requires that if the situation warrants, men are required to go to war to defend or spread Islam. If they are killed, they are guaranteed eternal life in Paradise." [13]

The Trinity

Main Article: Trinity

The word trinity itself is from the Latin trinitas, meaning "threeness." It is used to describe a fundamental Christian belief based on the biblical theological doctrine that one God is manifested to the world as a Father, a Son and a Holy Spirit.

However Muslims deny the Trinity. [14]

Jinn (genie)

Muslims believe in jinns (genies). A jinn is a spirit that inhabits the Earth and influences mankind by appearing in the form of humans or animals. The Qur`an teaches that Allah made the jinns subservient to Solomon, they were essentially helpmates for him. [15]

“ "55.14": He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery, 15. And He created Jinns from fire free of smoke: ”
“ "34.12": And to Solomon (We made) the Wind (obedient): Its early morning (stride) was a month's (journey), and its evening (stride) was a month's (journey); and We made a Font of molten brass to flow for him; and there were Jinns that worked in front of him, by the leave of his Lord, and if any of them turned aside from our command, We made him taste of the Penalty of the Blazing Fire. ”

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