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Islam
(Arabic: is the monotheist faith believed by Muslims
to have been revealed by God (named Allah
in the Qur'an) to all the Prophets
of Islam, from Adam
to Abraham,
Moses,
Jesus
and Muhammad
(c. 610-622 CE). Islam is an Arabic word meaning
"submission (to God)" and is described as a "Deen" in
Arabic, meaning "way of life" and/or "religion". It
has an etymological relationship to other Arabic words,
such as Salam (a common salutation as well),
meaning "peace". The Arabic word "Muslim" is related
to the word Islam and means a "vassal" of God,
as well as "one who surrenders" or "submits" (to God).
This term has no negative connotations.
Since Islam, like Judaism
and Christianity,
claims descent from the monotheist tradition of the
biblical patriarch Abraham,
it sees itself as an Abrahamic
religion. Muslims hold that it is essentially
the same belief as that of all the messengers sent by
God to mankind, with the Qur'an (the one definitive
text of the Muslim faith) codifying the final revelation
of God. Unlike Christianity, Islam has not undergone
any period of reformation; however, that is essentially
the goal of various liberal movements within Islam.
Islam has three primary branches of belief, based largely
on a historical disagreement over the succession of
authority after Muhammad's death; these are known as
Sunni,
Shi'ite,
and Khariji.
Some consider Sufism
(mystic Islam) as another branch of Islamic faith, although
many Sufi orders consider themselves to be Sunni
or Shia;
it is found more or less across the Islamic world, though
bearing distinctive regional variations, from Senegal
to the Indian subcontinent.
Perhaps the most succinct and clear statement of Muslim
belief is to be found in the shahadatan (Arabic
for 'two statements'): L{{a}} il{{a}}h{{a}} ill{{a}}ll{{a}}h;
Muhammad-ur rasul-ullah— "There is nothing worthy
of worship but Allah; Muhammad is the messenger of Allah".
One needs to recite and believe these statements in
order to become a Muslim. This is one of the pillars
of Islam.
Beliefs
Six
Articles of Belief
There are six basic beliefs shared by all Muslims:
Belief
in Allah,
the one and only one worthy of all worship.
Belief
in the Books (sent by God).
Belief
in all the Prophets
and Messengers (sent by God).
Belief
in Fate ("Qadar")1
Belief
in the Day of Judgment (Qiyamah) and in the
Resurrection.
The Muslim Creed in English: I believe in Allah;
and in His Angels; and in His Scriptures; and in His
Messengers; and in The Final Day; and in Fate, that
Good and Evil are from Allah, and Resurrection after
death be Truth.
I testify that there is nothing worthy of worship
but Allah;
and I testify that Muhammed
is His Messenger.
God
Main
article: Allah
The fundamental concept in Islam is the unity of God
(tawhid). This monotheism is absolute, not
relative or pluralistic in any sense of the word.
God is described in Sura
al-Ikhlas, (chapter 112) as follows: Say "He is Allah,
the one, the Self-Sufficient master. He never begot,
nor was begotten. There is none comparable to Him."
In Arabic, God is called Allah, a contraction of "al-ilah"
or "the deity". "Allah" thus translates to "God" in
English; it is not grammatically a proper name, unlike
the Israelite divine name Yahweh
or the Christian usage of Jesus
as a personal divine name. The implicit usage of the
definite article in Allah linguistically indicates
the divine unity. In spite of the different word used
for God, Muslims assert that they believe in the same
Judeo-Christian deity. However, Muslims disagree with
Christian theology for compromising on monotheism
(through the doctrines of the Trinity,
and that Jesus is the son of god).
Although no Muslim visual images or depictions exist
of God (due to the prohibition on idolatry), Muslims
define God by the many divine attributes mentioned
in the Qur'an, also commonly known as the 99 names
of Allah. Almost every chapter of the Qur'an begins
with the phrase "In the name of Allah, the Beneficent,
the Merciful". These are the consequently the most
important divine attributes, in the sense that Muslims
repeat them most frequently during their ritual prayers
(called salat in Arabic).
Prophets
Main
article: Prophets
of Islam
Islam teaches that God may reveal His will to mankind
through an angel; such recipients of revelation
are known as prophets. Islam makes a distinction
between "prophets" and "messengers". Although all
messengers are prophets, not all prophets are messengers.
Notable prophets include Adam,
Noah,
Abraham,
Moses,
Jesus,
and Muhammad,
all belonging to a succession of men guided by God.
Muhammad is viewed as the 'Last Messenger', bringing
the final message of God to all mankind through
the Qur'an. Messengers and prophets were sent to
every nation and civilization, and every messenger
was given a book for those people. These individuals
were mortal humans; Islam demands that a believer
accept all of the prophets, making no distinction
between them. In the Qur'an, twenty
five specific prophets are mentioned.
Islamic
law
Main
article: Sharia
Muslims in Islamic societies have traditionally
viewed Islamic law as essential to their religious
outlook. For Muslims living in secular Western countries
sharia ceases to be relevant as law, but
remains a source of personal ethics (for example,
the avoidance of pork and alcohol). The Qur'an is
the foremost source of Islamic jurisprudence; the
second is the Sunnah
(the practices of the Prophet, as narrated in reports
of his life). The Sunnah is not itself a text like
the Qur'an, but is extracted by analysis of the
Hadith
(Arabic for "report") texts, which contain narrations
of the Prophet's sayings, deeds, and actions of
his companions he approved.
In recent times, Islamic law has often been questioned
by liberal movements within Islam.
Religious
authority
There is no official authority who decides whether
a person is accepted to, or dismissed from, the
community of believers, known as the Ummah.
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. 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.
Islamic
eschatology
Main
article: Islamic
eschatology
Islamic
eschatology is concerned with the Qiyamah (end
of the world) and the final judgement of humanity.
Like the other Abrahamic religions, Islam teaches
the bodily resurrection of the dead, the fulfillment
of a divine plan for creation, and the immortality
of the human soul; the righteous are rewarded with
the pleasures of Jannah (Heaven
or the garden of Paradise),
while the unrighteous are punished in Jahannam
(a fiery Hell).
A significant fraction of the Qur'an deals with these
beliefs, with many ahadith elaborating on the
themes and details.
Other
beliefs
Other beliefs include the Angels,
the Jinns
(a species of invisible beings), and the existence
of magic (which is strictly forbidden).
The
Five Pillars of Islam
The
Testimony that there is none worthy of worship except
God and that Muhammad
is his messenger.
Establishing
of the five daily Prayers (Salaah).
The
Giving of Zakaah (charity), which is generally 2.5%
of the yearly savings for a rich man working in trade
or industry, and 10% or 20% of the produce for agriculturists.
This money or produce is distributed among the poor.
Fasting
from dawn to dusk in the month of Ramadhaan (Sawm).
The
Pilgrimage (Hajj)
to Mecca
during the month of Dhul Hijjah, which is compulsory
once in a lifetime for one who has the ability to
do it.
The Qur'an
Main
article: Qur'an
The Qur'an (also spelled "Quran" or "Koran") is the
holy book of Islam. Its title means "Recitation" or
"Reading". It consists of 114 chapters (or Surahs)
laid out roughly in order of size, the largest being
near the front, the smallest near the back. It is
regarded by Muslims as God's message to Humanity;
describing the origins of the Universe, Man, and their
relationship to each other and their Creator. It sets
out rules for society, morality, economics and many
other topics. It is intended for recitation and memorization.
The Qur'an is primarily taught from one generation
to the next this way. Muslims regard the Qur'an as
sacred and inviolable. Muslims do not touch the book
unless in a state of ablution, known as "wudu." Muslims
will typically keep it on a high shelf in their room,
as a show of respect for the Qur'an, and some carry
small versions with them for comfort or security.
Only the original Arabic
version of it is regarded as the Qur'an; an attempt
at translations would omit the original's meaning
and nuance, as well as flow of the verse.
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 (kuffar);
Mary,
Jesus, and all the other prophets; and even scientific
subjects. Muslims do not follow the laws of the Qur'an
exclusively; they also follow the example of Muhammad,
which is known as the Sunnah,
and the understanding of the Qur'an contained in the
teachings of the prophet known as the Ahadith.
Muslims are taught that God sent down other books.
Besides the Qur'an, the others are the book of Ibrahim
(now lost) the Law of Moses (the Torah),
the Psalms of David
(the ''Zab r) and the Gospel
of Jesus (the Injil). The Qur'an describes
Christians and Jews as "the people of the Book" (ahl
al Kit b). 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,
and so forth. (See also'': The
Bible in Islam) The Qur'an has had its
share of controversy. A few critics have stated that
there were verses removed, known as The
Satanic Verses. Most Muslims dispute this
claim.
Revelation
of the Qur'an
Muslims believe that God revealed the Qur'an to Muhammad
through the angel Jibrail (Gabriel);
Muhammad then recited this to his companions, many
of whom were said to have memorized it and written
it down on available material. According to Islamic
tradition, Muhammad was illiterate; the revelations
to Muhammad were later gathered by his companions
and followers in book form. Muhammad is considered
to be the final prophet, sent to preach the same message
as the prophets of Christianity
(Jesus)
and Judaism
(Moses)
(and possibly Zoroastrianism
and other ancient religions).
According to Islam, all the prophets successfully
taught their nation the same message of the oneness
of God.
In the past, however, the message of Islam became
distorted by later generations and the revealed scripture
corrupted, leaving reason for another messenger to
be sent. As Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last
of a long line of prophets, they have taken his message
to be a sacred trust, and have taken 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 Qur'an, they believe that it is not through their
own endeavours, but by the mercy of God that the Qur'an
is preserved intact and will never be altered.
Islamic
view of Jews and Christians
Main
article: People
of the Book
The Qur'an uses the term people of the books to include
all monotheists, including Jews,
Christians
and Muslims.
According to Islam,
all nations were given a Messenger and guidance from
Allah.
Eventually, due to their abandonment of adherence
to strict monotheism, the followers of Moses
earned God's anger (by supposedly worshipping the
Golden
Calf, mentioned in the Biblical account
of Moses,
and later Ezra)
and the followers of Jesus
Christ supposedly went astray (by worshipping
Jesus
Christ). It is popularly held by the vast
majority of Muslims that the Holy Taurah (revelation
given to Moses) and the Holy Injil (revelation given
to Jesus Christ) have been corrupted over time and
that the present day Bible
and Torah
share little or no resemblance to the original message.
According to Islam, Muhammad was sent during a time
of spiritual darkness and once the Qur'an was finally
established, all past revelations were abrogated,
making the Last Testament not only for the Arab nation
but for all mankind until the Day
of Judgement.
Some parts of the Qur'an attribute differences between
Muslims and non-Muslims to tahref-ma'any, 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 Qur'an to clearly understand the will of God.
However, other parts of the Qur'an 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
Sunni
and Shi'ite Islam today. This is known as the doctrine
of tahref-lafzy, "the corruption of the text".
Historically, Islamic scholars have agreed that the
Qur'an gives "People of the Book" special status,
allowing those who live in Muslim lands (called dhimmi—protected
people) to practice their own religions and to own
property. People of the Book were not subject to certain
Islamic rules, such as the prohibitions on alcohol
and pork. Under the Islamic state, they were exempt
from the draft, but were required to pay a tax known
as jizyah, part of which went to charity and part
to finance churches and synagogues. (They were, however,
exempt from the zakat required of Muslims.) This agreement
has in the past led to Islamic countries practicing
religious toleration, often more so than some European
countries of the past.
One verse of the Qur'an 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." (Qur'an, 60:8), which is interpreted
as a clear admonition not to be disrespectful or unkind
to non-Muslims. According to a 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].
Islam
and other religions
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 are
Sunni,
Shi'a and Sufi
Islam, although Sufism is often considered an extension
of either Sunni
or Shi'a thought. All denominations, however, follow
the five pillars of Islam and believe in the six pillars
of faith (mentioned earlier).
The Sunni sect of Islam comprises the majority of
all Muslims (about 90%). It is broken into four similar
schools of thought (madhhabs) which interpret specific
pieces of Islam, such as which foods are halal (permissible)
differently. They are named after their founders Maliki,
Shafi'i, Hanafi,
and Hanbali.
Each school of thought differs on minor issues, although
they agree on major points.
Shia Islam comprises most of the Muslims that are
not counted among the Sunni. The Shia consist of one
major school of thought known as the Jafaryia
or the "Twelvers", and a few minor schools of thought,
as the "Seveners" or the "Fivers" referring to the
number of infallible leaders they recognise after
the death of Muhammad. The term Shia is usually taken
to be synonymous with the Jafaryia/Twelvers.
While some consider the Islamic mysticism called Sufism
to constitute a separate branch, most Sufis can easily
be considered Sunni or Shia. Sufism is the hardest
to understand by non-practitioners because on first
sight it seems that sufis are either of Shiah or Sunni
denomination, but it is true that some sects of Sufism
can be categorised as both Sunni and Shiah whilst
others are not from either denomination. The distinction
here is because the schools of thought (madhhabs)
are regarding "legal" aspects of Islam, the "dos"
and "don'ts", whereas Sufism deals more with perfecting
the aspect of sincerity of faith, and fighting one's
own ego. Other people may call themselves Sufis who
may be perceived as having left Islam (or never followed
Islam). There are also some very large groups or sects
of Sufism that are not easily categorised as either
Sunni or Shiah, such as the Bektashi
or those that can be categorised as both at the same
time, eg the Brelvi.
According to Shaikh al-Akbar Mahmood Shaltoot, Head
of the al-Azhar University, the Ja'fari school of
thought, which is also known as "al-Shia al- Imamiyyah
al-Ithna Ashariyyah" (i.e., The Twelver Imami Shi'ites)
is a school of thought that is religiously correct
to follow in worship as are other Sunni schools of
thought. This means that some regard there as being
five schools of thought, while others say only four,
counting the Shia as a different group.
Another denomination which dates back to the early
days of Islam are the Kharijites.
Members of this group in the present day are more
commonly known as Ibadhi
Muslims. A large number of Ibadhi Muslims
today live in Oman.
Another more recent group are the Wahhabis,
though some classify them as the ultra-conservative
branch of the Hanbali
school of Sunni Islam. Wahhabism is a movement founded
by Muhammad
ibn Abd al Wahhab in the 18th
century in what is present-day Saudi Arabia.
One thing which distinguishes Wahhabi teachings from
Sunni teachings is that Wahhabis consider several
things prohibited which the four schools of Sunni
Islam consider permitted.
Another recent group is the Ijtihadists,
which represents a wide variety of views alternatively
known as progressive, liberal or secular Muslims.
They may be either Sunni or Shiite, and generally
favour the development of personal interpretations
of Qur'an and Hadith. See: Liberal
Islam See also: Imam
-- Islamic
philosophy -- Zaiddiyah
Religions based on Islam
The following groups call themselves Muslims, but
are not considered Islamic by most Muslims:
The
Zikris
The following religions might be said to have evolved
from Islam, but consider themselves independent religions
with distinct laws and institutions:
Babism
Bah
Faith
Yazidi
Sikhism
is widely seen as a syncretic mix of Hinduism
and Islam,
though its history lies in the wars between local
Indian peoples and invading Muslim
armies. The philosophical basis of the Sikhs is deeply-rooted
in Hindu metaphysics and certain philosophical practices,
while Muslim values like tawhid and rejection
of image-worship inform much of Sikh ideology.
The following religions might have been said to have
evolved from Islam, but are not considered part of
Islam, and no longer exist:
The
religion of the medieval Berghouata
Islam
in the modern world
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 Qur'an,
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.
The claim that only liberalisation of the Islamic
Shariah law can lead to distinguishing between tradition
and Islam is countered by many Muslims by saying that
'fundamentalism' rejects the cultural inventions e.g.
they will accept that men and women have God given
rights and duties that no human can infringe on but
it rejects riba (interest). Fundamentalism as referred
to often means traditionalism which is a separate
issue. A good example of a fundamentalist organisation
is Hizb ut-Tahir [http://www.hizb-ut-tahrir.org/english/].
Islam
around the world
Islam
in India
Islam
in Indonesia
Important
figures in Islamic history
See
also list of Muslims
Prophet
Muhammed
* His wives
* * Aisha
* * Khadijah
* * Hafsah
* * Saudah
* * Zainab
* * Umm Salamah
* * Zainab bint Jahsh
* * Juwairiyah
* * Umm Habibah Ramla
* * Safiyah
* * Maimunah
* His Companions
* * Abu
Bakr * * Umar
* * Uthman
* * Ali
* * Zubair
* * Sa'eed
* * Talha
* * Aamir
* * Abdulrahman
* * Sa'd
Shi'ite valued persons
Notes
1 Shia
muslims do not believe in absolute predestination
("Qadar"), since they consider it incompatible with
Divine Justice. Neither do they believe in absolute
free will since that contradicts God's Omniscience
and Omnipotence. Rather they believe in "a way between
the two ways" (amr bayn al-'amrayn) believing
in free will, but within the boundaries set for it
by God and exercised with His permission.
2 The Egyptian Islamic
Jihad terrorist group claims, as did a
few long-extinct early medieval Kharijite
sects, that Jihad
is the "sixth pillar of Islam." Some Ismaili
groups consider "Allegiance to the Imam" to be the
so-called sixth pillar of Islam. For more information,
see the article entitled Sixth
pillar of Islam.
The Encyclopaedia of Islam
The
Koran Interpreted: a translation by A. J. Arberry,
ISBN 0684825074
Islam,
by Fazlur Rahman, University of Chicago Press; 2nd
edition (1979). ISBN 0226702812
The
Islamism Debate, Martin Kramer, University Press,
1997
Liberal
Islam: A Sourcebook, Charles Kurzman, Oxford University
Press, 1998. ISBN 0195116224
Progressive
Muslims: On Justice, Gender and Pluralism Omid
Safi, Oneworld Publications, Oxford, 2003. ISBN 1-85168-316-X
The
Challenge of Fundamentalism: Political Islam and the
New World Disorder, Bassam
Tibi, Univ. of California Press, 1998
External
links
Online sources
General
Islamic
Message (Under supervision of sheikh Khaled Abdel
Azim, member of fatwa commity - Al Azhar)
Islam
Online (Committee of Islamic scholars throughout
the Islamic world, headed by Dr. Yusuf Qardawi)
Islamworld
(Large collection of sources and articles by different
authors)
Hyahya
books (Interactive website from Turkish Scientist
based on scientific and islamic methods)
Converts
to Islam (International online community for non-muslims
and new muslims)
Aspects
Organisations
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