Nearly one out of five human beings claims
the Muslim religion. Islam is an Arabic word which means submission or surrender. As
Muslims use it, Islam becomes a description of the religion of
surrendering one's
life to Allah, the one true God.
THE FOUNDATION
The Quran
The Quran is held in the greatest esteem and reverence among Muslims as
their holy scripture. They dare not touch it
without first being washed and
Sunna
Next to the Quran in Islamic life is
Tradition (Hadith). While the former is regarded as supreme, the whole system of
Islamic government is largely founded on the latter. A command given by Muhammad
or an example set by him is called Sunna, a rule. The belief of Muslims
is that their prophet, in all that he did and said, was guided by God, and that
his words and acts became forever divine rules of faith and practice.2
A Muslim places the Sunna on the same level as the Bible, but he regards the
Quran as far superior to both—"the very words of God." Muhammad
said:
He who loves not my
Sunna is not my follower. He who in distress holds fast to the Sunna will
receive the reward of a hundred martyrs.3
The Sunna is taken from a much larger
tradition. For example, one Muslim, Bukhari, collected twenty thousand of them,
of which he rejected ten thousand, accounting them untrue. Of the remaining
ten thousand, he accepted only 7,275, declaring the rest to be untrustworthy.
Abu Da'ud accepted as authentic only 4,800 rules out of 50,000.
Ijma
Muslims are also guided by what is called Ijma,
the consent of the leading companions of Muhammad and their followers. The
highest rank a Muslim divine can reach is that of a Mujtahid (One who strives).
Such a person can make what is called an Ijtihad, a deduction from a legal or
theological question. The Ijtihad of the four successors of Muhammad are
considered the most authoritative of the class.
Four systems of Muslim law, founded by the four great
Imams, are recognized by all except the Shi'ite sect of Islam. Today, the Qadi
(judge) must make no conviction, and the Mufti (religious leader who is
qualified to give legal decisions) would not give fatwa (legal decisions)
contrary to the opinion of the four Imams. To follow any other course is not
lawful. Change and progress are therefore impossible in Islam.
Qiyas
Qiyas is the
fourth foundation of Islam. Also called Analogy, the Qiyas denotes the reasoning
of the learned with regard to the teaching of the Quran, Hadith, and Ijma.
The Quran is considered so sacred that only
the companions of the prophet, who were in constant communication with him, are
deemed worthy of explaining it. The work of learned divines since then has been
to memorize the Quran by heart and to master the Traditions, along with the
writings of the earliest commentators. A Muslim theology student must complete a
course of instruction in grammer, rhetoric, logic, law, and dogmatics before
beginning the study of Ilm-il-usul (science of principles), the aggregate
of the Quran, Tradition, Ijma, and Qiyas. A good memory, not judgment or
analytical thinking, is the great virtue of a Muslim theologian.
From the Reciters by Zeyd
The word Quran means the Reading or
the Recitation. A second and popular name is Al'Kitab, The Book. A third and a
very respected name is Al-Mashaf, A Handwritten Book. Altogether fifty-five
different names are applied to the Quran.4
The delivery and writings of the Quran extended over a twenty-three year
period. Passages were taken down from Muhammad's lips from time to time by some
writers, or they were first committed to memory, then at some subsequent
period recorded. For this purpose, the crude writing material then in use among
the Arabs was employed. There was no fixed repository for these materials, but
they were probably kept in the room of one of Muhammad's wives or left in
charge of the persons who first wrote them down. Many passages were preserved
only in the memories of his followers and were never committed to writing
during his lifetime. ' After Muhammad's death, many reciters of the Quran were
slain in the Battle of Yamama. 'Umar therefore suggested to Abu Bakr that all
the chapters of the Quran should be collected. The task was committed to Zeyd,
the chief scribe or secretary of Muhammad. He sought out the fragments of the
Quran from every quarter, gathering them together from palm leaves and tablets
of white stone and from the memories of faithful men. The first complete
manuscript was compiled twenty years after Muhammad's death and was entrusted to
the care of Hafasa, one of Muhammad's widows.
Years later, the
Khalifa 'Uthman appointed Zeyd to make a fresh revision of the work, and all
previous copies were called in and burned. This second revision, it is supposed,
has been handed down unaltered.5
The Language of the Quran
The
Quran is written in a kind of rhyming Arabic prose, the jingling sound of which
greatly delights the Arabs. Pickthall's translation of Surat al'Fatihah (The
Opening) 1 expresses this sound:
In
the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the
Worlds: The Beneficent, the Merciful: Owner of the Day of Judgment. Thee
(alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help. Show us the straight path: The
path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not (the path) of those who earn Thine
anger nor of those who go astray.
Muslims regard this chapter as the essence of the
Quran and repeat it as Christians do the Lord's Prayer.
Arrangement of the Quran
The Quran is regarded as holy by
Muslims and is divided into 1 14 Surats (rows or chapters), containing about
6,200 verses, 80,000 words, and 330,000 letters. It is further arranged into 30
sections, called Juz, or Sipara, enabling a Muslim to recite the whole book in
the thirty days of the fast month of Ramadan.6 The Ruku' are recited
sections of about ten verses before which the Muslim makes a bow of reverence.
The Quran was first printed in Arabic at Rome in 1530. The first translation in
French was done in 1647, and from it the first English translation was made soon
after 1657.
The Surats are not placed chronologically accord ing to content or composition.
The opening prayer stands first,
then the longest chapters. Some of the
Surats contain verses delivered at different
times and put together without regard to subject. Sir William Muir considers
that the shorter chapters belong, as a general rule, to Muhammad's early
ministry; so to begin at the end of the Quran and read backwards
would give the best conception of the stages of Muhammad's teaching. Muir
identifies eighteen
Surats consisting of short rhapsodies, which may have been composed by Muhammad
before he conceived the idea of
a divine mission, none of which are in the form
of a message from Allah.
Contents
According to tradition, four Surats are
supposed to belong to the beginning of Muhammad's ministry. Nineteen Surats
probably date from the commencement of Muhammad's public ministry to the
Abyssinian (Ethiopian) emigration. Twenty-two Surats are thought to have been
given from the sixth to the tenth year of Muhammad's ministry. Thirty-one Surats
are assigned to the period from the tenth year of Muhammad's ministry to the
flight from Mecca to Medina. They contain some narratives from the Gospels.
Twenty Surats are supposed to have been given at Medina. The second Surat is the
longest in the book. Its name is "The Cow," named after the heifer
described within the Surat (although misidentified as yellow instead of red, as
recorded in the Old_Tes-tament) as having been sacrificed by the Israelites
under the direction of Moses. Muslims assert from this Surat that. Abraham and
his firstborn, Ishmael, built the Ka'bah. Islam's holiest shrine.
THE
CREED OF ISLAM
To become a Muslim, one needs only to
repeat with sincerity this simple creed: La ilaha il' Allah, Muhammadan Rasoulu
Allah
Translated, this means, "There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the
messenger of Allah." This is the Shahada (witness) and expresses the
very heart of the Islamic creed.
Following this, the true Muslim must accept five main articles of I man (faith):
1. Belief in Allah as the one true God.
2. Belief in angels as the instruments of God's will.
3. Belief in the four inspired books: Torah, Zabur, Injil, and Quran, of which
the Quran is the final and most complete.
4. Belief in the twenty-eight prophets of Allah, of whom Muhammad is the last.
5. Belief in a final day of judgment.
Allah (God)
The first and most important doctrine
in the creed of Islam is the doctrine of Allah. Muhammad knew from childhood the
native pre-Islamic belief in Alilah, meaning "the god," a vague high
God who created the world and became Allah or God.7 He also knew of
the Najran tribe, which was almost totally Christian and had considerable
influence in northern Arabia. We should never forget that Muhammad's father's
name, Abd-Allah, means "the slave of God." In other words, Muhammad
was definitely aware of a belief in the one God among his people, he essence or
being of Allah includes his existence, eternity, unsubstantiality,
unembodiedness, essentiality, omnipresence, formlessness, and uniqueness. His
attributes include life, power, knowledge, will, sensibility, and speech.
Creation, preservation, revelation, and predestination constitute the works of
Allah.
By Islamic tradition, there are ninety-nine most
beautiful names of Allah. The titles and the frequency of usage include: The
Omniscient (158), The One (21), The Mighty (44), The Unique (89), The Forgiving
(96), and The Wise (95). Infrequently used titles include The Slayer, The
Provider, and The Avenger.8 Every devout Muslim begins his conversation
with "In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate."
The Quran focuses on the absolute unity and uniqueness
of God. Islam maintains an uncompromising monotheism. The only unpardonable
sin is shirk, or the associating or joining of other gods to the one God.
While the Bible and Christianity are also both uncompromisingly monotheistic,
Islamic monotheism denies the biblical doctrine of the trinity, misassociating
it with tritheism.
Angels
A belief in angels is essential to the acceptance of
the manner in which Allah revealed himself both to Muhammad and to various other
prophets before him. This belief includes all kinds of creatures inhabiting the
invisible world.
Muslims believe in four archangels: Gabriel (the angel
of revelation), Michael (the angel of providence), Israfil (the angel of doom),
and Izra'il (the angel of death). Ministering angels include recording angels,
throne-bearers, and questioners of the dead.
A third category is the fallen angels, the chief of which is Iblis, or Shaytan.
A fourth group includes Jinn, a group of spirits midway between men and angels,
some good and some bad.
The
Holy Books
Islam
recognizes that four sets of scriptures contain revelations of Allah's will.
These are the Torah of Moses, the Psalms of David, the Injil (Gospel) of Jesus,
and the Quran, which represents the final and complete revelation, superceding
all previous revelations and conflicting claims to truth. (Although Muslims
talk about the Torah, Psalms, and Gospel, they do not mean by those terms the
same Old and New Testaments that Christians have in their Bibles. They believe
that the original Torah, Psalms, and Gospel have been corrupted and lost. What
Christians have in the Old and New Testaments are not God's Word or
revelation.)
Prophets
Islam
claims to be open to revelation from Allah whenever and wherever it occurs. This
is true at least in theory. Muslims believe their religion is simply "the
religion of God." God speaks and acts in history to reveal Himself
through prophets.
Twenty-eight
prophets are particularly recognized in the Quran. These include Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Moses, Isaac, Jacob, Ishmael, Joseph, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha,
and Jonah from Old Testament times. There are others from New Testament times:
Zachariah, John the Baptist, and Jesus. The five prophetic predecessors to
Muhammad specially mentioned are Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. The
Quran affirms the Virgin Birth of Jesus (although not His eternal pre-existence),
but teaches that the Crucifixion and Resurrection did not happen as the Bible
says. The Quran includes some of the miracles and moral teachings of Jesus but
does not mention His lordship or His divinity.9
Muhammad
is considered the last and the greatest of the prophets. He is the Seal of the
Prophets, after whom no more will come. Muslims believe that he was
"prepared for and attested to by all the preceding prophets." The
Muslims consider Islam as, not the youngest, but the oldest monotheistic
religion in the world.
Resurrection
and the Hour of Judgment
Readers
of the Quran soon find that Allah is portrayed as stern and harsh rather than
compassionate. Allah's harshness is intensified in the Quranic description of
Judgment Day and its consequences.10 Muhammad's original message
warned people of the terrible divine judgment that was to come. About 852 verses
of the Quran emphasize this fearful theme.
Judgment
Day will be preceded by signs, then announced by a trumpet blast (see 1
Thessalonians 4:16-17). The dead will arise bodily from their graves and join
the living, then all will be examined one by one and assigned to Paradise or
hell. No one can escape this judgment. Vivid pictures are given of the balance
scales which will be used to weigh the good and evil deeds of each soul, even to
the weight of a mustard seed. Pious believers in Allah can expect abundant
sensual pleasures in Paradise. There will be perpetual luxury, physical comfort,
food, clear water, mansions, servants, lovely maidens, and virgins. The wicked
will suffer and swelter in the hot blasts, foul smoke, and molten metal of hell.
Predestina
tion
The
sixth belief, predestination, is not mandatory, but it is still accepted by many
Muslims. "If Allah wills it"
is the comment of the devout Muslim. Predestination is the belief that all
events are determined by Allah. The function of humans is to submit to that
divine determination with obedient thankfulness. However, the predestined must
still face Allah's justice.
DUTIES OR PILLARS OF ISLAM
To
Muslims, belief in Islam and observance of ritual are not enough to reach
heaven. A man must walk the straight path—accepting the doctrines (Iman) of
the faith, performing the required duties (Din) and living in the moral precepts
stated in the Quran and Hadiths. There is a definite relationship between
doctrine and duty in Islam. Islam is, therefore, more a way of life than just
a set of beliefs. The greatest virtue is complete submission to the will and
authority of Allah. Five specific duties, known traditionally as the Five
Pillars, are demanded of every Muslim.
The
Creed (Kalima or Shahada)
"There
is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah" is the bedrock
belief of Muslims. One must declare this doctrine publicly to become a Muslim.
It is repeated constantly by Muslim believers.
Daily
Prayers (Salat) and Friday Public Service
Prayer
as a ritual is central to a devout Muslim. It is performed upon rising, at noon,
in mid-afternoon, after sunset, and before retiring. The worshiper must recite
the prescribed prayers, the first surat and other selections from the Quran in
Arabic while facing the Ka'bah in Mecca. The Hadith (Book of Tradition) has
turned these prayers into a mechanical procedure of standing, kneeling, hands
and face on the ground, and so forth. The call to prayer is sounded by the
"muezzin" (a Muslim crier) from a tower called a "minaret"
which is part of the "mosque" (the place of public worship).
One
can easily recognize the similarities between the minaret and the belfry of a
church, between the call to prayer and the ringing of bells to announce a church
function. In fact, tradition has it that Muhammad himself did not like bells,
and therefore initiated the vocal call to prayer.
The
Muslims have a Friday public service similar to the Christian's Sunday worship
service. However, few women attend these services and, much like in the Orthodox
Jewish services, men worship in the central hall while women are either in the
back of the hall or in a separate room. Furthermore, the ceremonial washing of
feet, hands, and face prior to prayer finds its origin in Exodus 30:18-21, where
God instructed the Jewish priests to do that two thousand years before Muhammad!
The
Fast of Ramadan
Faithful
Muslims fast from sunup to sundown each day during this holy month. The fast
develops self-control, devotion to Allah, and identification with the destitute.
No food or drink may be consumed, and no smoking or sexual pleasures may be
enjoyed during daylight hours. Many Muslims eat only two meals a day during
Ramadan, one before sunrise and one shortly after sunset.
Almsgiving
(Zakat)
Muhammad, himself an orphan, is
said to have had a strong desire to help the needy. Almsgiving in Islam
originally was voluntary, but all Muslims are now required to give one-fortieth
of their income for the destitute. There are other rules and regulations for
giving produce, cattle, and other wealth, along with freewill offerings.11
Since those to whom alms are given are helping the giver to attain
salvation, they need feel no sense of debt to the giver. On the contrary, it is
the giver's responsibility and duty to give, and he should consider himself
lucky he has someone to whom he can give.
The Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)
Every Muslim is expected to make a
pilgrimage at least once in his lifetime. This can be extremely arduous on the
old or infirm, so they may send someone in their place. Hajj is an essential
part in gaining salvation. It involves a set of ceremonies and rituals, many of
which center around the Ka'bah shrine in Mecca, to which the pilgrimage is
directed. This Muslim pilgrimage serves to heighten and solidify Islamic faith.12