Islam

Islam (Arabic: الإسلام ) is a religion founded by Muhammad in ancient Arabia in the 7th century. People who follow Islam are called Muslims. They believe in only one God, that God is called Allah, which is the Arabic phrase for "the (only) God". There is no plural for Allah in the Arabic language. Muslims believe that Muhammad was the last prophet (or messenger) of God. Muslims read a holy book called the Qur'an, sometimes also spelled "Koran". Muslims also look to other writings, the Sunnah and Hadith, as important guides. In Islam there is only one unforgivable sin, that is worshipping another god or giving gods qualities to a person, animal or drawing.

As well as having religious laws, Islam has laws on how the government should be run. These laws are called "Shariah Law". Lawyers have looked at Shariah, and interpreted it; these interpretations are called Fiqh.

Unlike Christianity, Islam was not named after its founder, Muhammad, because Muhammad was not considered "holy."

Meaning of the word "Islam"

The word Islam means " submission" or " purity", which drives from a word meaning "peace".

Holy Books

Qur'an

The most holy book in the religion of Islam is the Qur'an. The Qur'an is assumed to be the sayings of Allah. Islam teaches that the Qur'an was revealed by Allah, or God, to Muhammad with the help of an angel called Gabriel. It also teaches that the Qur'an is in heaven and that it is a perfect book. The Qur'an has a total of 114 chapters. In each chapter there are many verses. Many Muslims try to memorize the entire Qur'an and ones that do are generally called upon as Hafiz or Hafez.

Other important books are the Sunnah, or biographies of Muhammad and Hadith compilations, which are collections of sayings attributed to Muhammad.

The Five Pillars of Islam

There are five things that Muslims should do. They are called "The Five Pillars of Islam".

1. Faith: The Testimony (al-Shahada in Arabic) is the Muslim belief that there is no god but Allah Himself, and that Muhammad is His messenger.

2. Prayer: Muslims pray five times at special times of the day.

3. Charity: Muslims who have money must give alms (Zakah or Zakat in Arabic) to help poor Muslims in the local community .

4. Fasting: Muslims fast during Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic year. They do not eat or drink from sunrise till sunset for one lunar month. After Ramadan, there is a holiday called Eid al-Fitr (English: Festival of end-fast). Muslims usually have a party with families and friends and go to the mosque in the morning for a special service.

5. Hajj (Pilgrimage): During the Hajj season, many Muslims go to Makkah, the holiest city of Islam, which is in Saudi Arabia. Muslims must make the hajj at least once in their life if they can afford to do so. There is no need if a Muslim does not have the money to make the Hajj. At the end of Hajj season, there is a holiday called Eid al-Adha (English: Festival of Sacrifice). Muslims in general who can afford or who have made the Hajj must buy an animal, usually a goat, to sacrifice according to Islamic laws and cook as food or give away to the poor, if they have the money for it. Muslims believe that Abraham, one of Allah's earliest messengers, was told by Allah on the day of Eid al-Adha to sacrifice his son in Jerusalem. But the angel Gabriel congratulated Abraham's obedience to Allah and gave him a lamb instead.

Place of Worship

Muslims pray in a mosque, like this one in Jerusalem.

Muslims, the people who follow the religion of Islam, pray in a holy place called the mosque. Most mosques have at least one dome and some have one or more towers. But a mosque does not need to have a dome or tower. Muslims take their shoes off before entering the mosque to pray. Prayer is one of the most important things that a Muslim does.

Different movements and beliefs

Like with other religions, over the time different movements have developed in Islam. These movements are based on different interpretations of the scriptures.

Sunni

See the main article: Sunni Islam

Sunni Islam is the largest movement in Islam. About 70% of Muslims are Sunni. After Muhammad died, the Sunnis believed that Abu Bakr should lead Islam. This is because they believe leaders of Islam should be chosen by the consensus of the Ummah, the Muslim world. After he died Omar took his place, then Othman, and then Ali. All of them were companions of the Prophet Muhammad and lived in Medina. Sunni beliefs are usually based on the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

Shia

See the main article: Shi'a Islam

The Shi'a are the second biggest movement in Islam. They believe that just as God can appoint a prophet only, he can appoint a second leader after the prophet. Shi'a Muslims believe that God chose Ali as the leader after Prophet Muhammad. They say that before he died, Muhammad chose Ali as his replacement. 10-15% of Muslim's in the world are Shi'a which means that there are about 130 to 190 world wide . Although Shi'a is not the biggest movement in Islam, Shi'a Muslims have the largest population in Iran, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, and Iraq.

Kharijite

See the main article: Kharijite

Kharijites were a movement during the early years of Islam. This movement has no followers today. At first they accepted the rule of Ali, but rejected him to later support the view that Abu Bakr, and his successors were the rightful Caliphs. The only group of Kharijites that still exists are the Ibadi. The Ibadi do not consider themselves to be Kharijite. Most Ibadis live in Oman. Smaller numbers live in Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Zanzibar.

Sometimes, the term Kharijite (or Neo-Kharijite) is also used for some islamic terrorist groups. Examples of such groups are the Groupe islamique armé in Algeria, or the Takfir wal-Hijra in Egypt.

Sufism

See the main article: Sufism

The Sufi are not a movement like the Sunni or the Shia. They focus more on the spiritual and mystic elements of Islam. Some followers of Sufism are Sunni, others are Shia.

Criticism

Islam has been widely criticised. Some of the first people who criticised Islam in writing were Christians, like John of Damascus (born about 676). In the medieval period, some Arab philosophers like the poet Al-Ma'arri also criticised Islam. The Jewish philosopher Maimonides compared Islamic views of morality to the Jewish approach that he himself believed in. He believed that Islam was a copy of the Jewish and Christian religions with a few minor changes. He thought these changes were made to suit Mohamed's desire for fame and his quest to start a new religion. He thought Mohamed wanted to be seen as equal to the likes of Moses and Jesus. Medieval Christian writers thought that Islamic beliefs were not valid. They tried to show Muhammad was possessed by Satan. In the 19th century, the Orientalist (eastern countries and beliefs) scholar William Muir wrote harshly about the Qu'ran.

In modern times, critics also say that Islam does not tolerate the view that Islamic law may be too harsh on some accounts. This is especially the case when punishing those Muslims that reject or criticize the accepted views of Islam. Other critics see Muhammad's personal life negatively. Others question how authentic the Qu'ran is and if it can impose moral guidelines. These reports also say that women may be treated badly by Islamic law and practice.

Some people have responded to these forms of criticism. Montgomery Watt and Norman Daniel say that some of the criticisms are the product of old myths and polemics,. Carl Ernst writes that Islamophobia has played a part in establishing those myths.

Books and journals cited

• Ernst, Carl (2004). Following Muhammad: Rethinking Islam in the Contemporary World. University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-5577-4.
• Novak, David (February 1999). "The Mind of Maimonides". First Things.
• Sahas, Daniel J. (1997). John of Damascus on Islam: The Heresy of the Ishmaelites. Brill Academic Publishers. ISBN 978-9004034952.
• Seibert, Robert F. (1994). "Review: Islam and the West: The Making of an Image (Norman Daniel)". Review of Religious Research. 36 (1).
• Warraq, Ibn (2000). The Quest for Historical Muhammad. Prometheus. ISBN 978-1573927871.
• Warraq, Ibn (2003). Leaving Islam: Apostates Speak Out. Prometheus. ISBN 1-59102-068-9.
• Watt, W. Montgomery (1974). Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman (New ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-881078-4.

See also

• Muhammad
• Nation of Islam

Other websites

• A Simple site to Learn Islam
• Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs
• Islam house website with more than 70 languages
• quran miracles encyclopedia