* Your assessment is very important for improving the workof artificial intelligence, which forms the content of this project
Download Islam Islam means “to submit to God`s will” and is the - junior
Gender roles in Islam wikipedia , lookup
The Jewel of Medina wikipedia , lookup
LGBT in Islam wikipedia , lookup
Islam and secularism wikipedia , lookup
International reactions to Fitna wikipedia , lookup
Imamah (Shia) wikipedia , lookup
Imamate (Twelver doctrine) wikipedia , lookup
Criticism of Twelver Shia Islam wikipedia , lookup
Political aspects of Islam wikipedia , lookup
Soviet Orientalist studies in Islam wikipedia , lookup
Criticism of Islamism wikipedia , lookup
Islam and Sikhism wikipedia , lookup
War against Islam wikipedia , lookup
Islamic–Jewish relations wikipedia , lookup
Islam and modernity wikipedia , lookup
Islam and violence wikipedia , lookup
Muhammad and the Bible wikipedia , lookup
Islam in Indonesia wikipedia , lookup
Islam in Bangladesh wikipedia , lookup
Satanic Verses wikipedia , lookup
Islam and Mormonism wikipedia , lookup
Islam and war wikipedia , lookup
Sources of sharia wikipedia , lookup
Morality in Islam wikipedia , lookup
Islamic culture wikipedia , lookup
Origin of Shia Islam wikipedia , lookup
Schools of Islamic theology wikipedia , lookup
Islam Islam means “to submit to God’s will” and is the second largest religion in the world, having over a billion followers. Muslims (meaning “one who has submitted”) believe their religion has always existed, but that it was revealed by Allah to Muhammad, his greatest and final prophet, over 1400 years ago in Mecca, Arabia. The fundamental belief of Muslims is that there is only one God, named Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet. Muslims recognize a number of holy prophets as being sent by God, but that the final prophet was Muhammad. The prophets were like teachers, showing us how to live. Islam honors the Qur’an, the Hadith and the Sunnah as sacred texts. The Qur’an is a holy book full of instructions and corrections to Jewish and Christian Scriptures. Muslims believe that Allah revealed the Qur’an over the course of 23 years to the prophet Muhammad. The Sunnah is the life and practices of Muhammad and teach about the Five Pillars of Islam: The Declaration of Faith (Shahadah), Praying Five Times a Day(Salah), Almsgiving, Fasting and Pilgrimage to Mecca(the Hajj). The Declaration of Faith is called the Shahadah and is recited (in English): "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger." Reciting this prayer admits the faith of the Muslims in Allah and Muhammad, but also implies the obedience to Islam of the person reciting it. To become a Muslim, you have to recite this declaration three times in front of witnesses, knowing what it means and believing what it says. The phrase is written on Saudi Arabia’s flag in Arabic. The Hadith is a collection of teachings and sayings by Muhammad. The Islamic “Doctrine of Abrogation” allows Allah to change his mind at any time, for any reason, and is used to account for the contradictions found in the text of the Qur’an. It is believed that the more recent ones cancel out the older ones. The Qur’an is not written in chronological order, though. Some contradictions within the Qur’an include: 1). Surah 96:12 state that Allah made man from a blood clot, but Surah 21:30 say man was made from water and Surah 15:26 says man was made from clay. 2) Surahs 2:62 and 5:69 allow for Jews and Christians to get into heaven, while Surahs 5:72 and 3:85 say they cannot. There are six main beliefs in Islam: 1) Allah is the one and only God. 2) Belief in angels. 3) Belief in the Holy Books. 4) Belief in the prophets (Moses, Abraham, Jesus, Muhammad). 5) Belief in the Day of Judgment. 6) Belief in Predestination. On the Day of Judgment, every human being will be sent to heaven or to hell, based on their activities on Earth. The Predestination concept in Islam is slightly different from the Predestination of the Calvinist Christians. Muslims recognize Allah’s omnipotence and omniscience by stating that Allah knows everything that will happen, but that knowledge doesn’t prevent or interfere with free will in any way. Allah is the name of the Muslim God and he has some of the following characteristics: eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, invisible, inaudible, genderless, righteous, just, fair, merciful. They believe that Allah has no partners, no children, no equals. He has always existed and was never created. To communicate with Allah, a Muslim can pray, recite the Qur’an, or worship. Before Islam, the Arab tribes had 360 gods and the chief god, god of the moon and of war, was named Allah. Ka’ba was a black meteor worshiped by Arabs as part of the shrine to the chief male god Hubel. Muhammad believed the black meteor had power and made it the focus of the Hajj pilgrimage of Muslims. At the great Mosque, in Mecca, there is a great large black box, known as the Ka’ba. Muslims believe the box was built by Abraham on his pilgrimage to Mecca, and contains the 360 idols worshipped by the Arab tribes. Each Muslim is called, by duty, to Jihad. Jihad is defined in three ways: 1)an interior struggle to live out Islamic faith as well as possible. 2) The struggle to build a good Muslim society. 3) Holy War: The struggle to defend Islam, using force, if necessary. Ways they engage in the internal struggle, jihad: 1) memorizing the Qur’an in Arabic (the only true translation.) 2) Overcoming anger, greed, hatred. 3) Giving up smoking and drinking alcohol. 4) Forgiving another person. 5) Working for social justice. Reasons a military jihad is acceptable to Muslims: 1) to strengthen Islam. 2) Self defense. 3) Protecting Islam’s freedom of practice. 4) Punishing an enemy who breaks an oath. 5) Righting a wrong. Military Jihad should not be preemptive; should not be fought over land; should be led by a religious leader; must be fought to bring about a good that Allah would approve of; should not kill innocent people, women or children; must stop when the enemy asks for peace; must treat the enemies with justice; must not damage property. Polygamy may be practiced by Muslims. One scholar states that men are biologically designed to seek out multiple mates. Men can have as many as four wives at one time and women are permitted only one husband at a time. (Surah 4:3). Also, a man must be able to provide equal treatment to all the wives he takes. Men can ask for a divorce, but women need the permission of the man to ask for one (Surah 2:229). Hijab, meaning protection or barrier, is a principle of modesty that governs both male and female Muslims. In some schools of thought, a simple headscarf will fulfill this principle for women. In other schools of thought, fulllength burqas must be worn. Hijab does not apply in singlesex or family situations, but only around members of the opposite sex whom they might marry. Also, both genders are encouraged to “lower their gaze” to protect the custody of the eyes and maintain modesty. The Qur’an claims that Allah wants “Prophet, tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to bring down over themselves [part] of their outer garments. That is more suitable that they will be known and not be abused. And ever is Allah Forgiving and Merciful. “(Surah 33:59) The prophet Muhammad was a polygamist, marrying one wife as young as six years old. Tradition states that Muhammad waited for her to reach puberty (910 y.o.) before consummating the union. Muslim countries prefer women to get married once they begin to have sexual inclinations so they can engage in it with honor. Some countries allow for frequent divorces, while others expect marriages to be lifelong. Sharia law must be observed by all Muslims. The sources for the law include the Qur’an, the Hadith and the fatwas (Islamic scholars who create rules). It has a historical expression in the removal of limbs, the stoning and lashing punishments, and an eyeforaneye mentality. For Muslims, our souls are eternal but our time on earth is a trial, to see if we really do love Allah. Sharia law is the only path humans can take to guarantee we are on the right path towards eternal life and Allah. There are five categories of actions within Sharia law: 1) Obligatory. 2) Recommended. 3) Permitted. 4) Disliked. 5) Forbidden. Most of our actions are “permitted,” neither encouraged nor discouraged. Those found to be committing Forbidden actions must be taken to trial and may be executed. Islamic stoning includes having the person bound and a large stone is dropped on their head, to crush it. They believe their executions must be performed quickly and mercifully, too. Women are not allowed to lead prayer or become Imams (Surah 4:34). In fact, a woman cannot even answer the door if a husband isn’t home (Surah 33:53). Women should stay in their houses and not travel without the permission of the men in their families (Surah 33:33). According to the Qur’an, a husband may beat his wife into submission if the wife refuses sexual relations to him (Surah 4:34). There are many Muslim holy days and feasts. There are two set in law: Eid alFitr and Eid ul Adha. Eid alFitr celebrates the end of the fasting season of Ramadan and thanks Allah for the strength to persevere through the fasting. It is a big feast with special foods and prayers. Eid ul Adha celebrates the sacrifice that Abraham was willing to offer Allah when he nearly sacrificed his son. During this time, sheep may be sacrificed and the meat is distributed among families. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and is a time of fasting during daylight hours for Muslims. They fast because: 1) The Qur’an was revealed during Ramadan. 2) Heaven’s gates are open. 3) Hell’s gates are shut, with the demons and devils inside. All ablebodied Muslims are required to fast the whole month. Muhammad, the prophet, was orphaned at age 6 and raised by his grandfather and his uncle. At age 25, Muhammad became a trader and a businessman. He married a businesswoman named Khadijah. According to Mulsim tradition, in the year 610AD, the archangel Gabriel came to Muhammad in a dream and told him to “Recite” the name of the Lord who created him. Then, Gabriel gave him 114 Surahs that make up the Qur’an/Koran. After an 8 year war, Muhammad conquered Mecca in present day Saudi Arabia. He led 74 raids, expeditions or fullscale wars to unite the arab world. Muhammad forced his adopted son, Zaid, to divorce his wife so that Muhammad could marry her (sound like David and Bathsheeba?) And then he changed Zaid’s name. Muhammad married 6 year old Aisha, but waited until she was 9 or 10 to consummate the union. During one of the battles against the Quraish people of Mecca, in 628, Muhammad signed the Treaty of al Hudabiyah, and then secretly built up his forces and massacred the Quraish people. Sunni Islam Sunni Islam is the largest sect of Islam worldwide. Originally, Sunnis were followers of Abu Bakr, instead of the prophet’s cousin/soninlaw. They are called Sunnis because they believe and follow the Sunnah of the life and practice of Muhammad. Within the Sunni tradition, there are four schools of law, but they are not different sects of Sunni Islam. They recognize the Shi’ite community as being innovative. They do not recognize the Nation of Islam or various other sects of Islam. The Imam in Sunni Islam leads congregational prayer. Shi’a Islam Shi’ites followed Muhammad’s cousin/soninlaw, Ali, following the death of the prophet. Shi’a Islam recognizes the dogma and institution of the Imamate. The Imam is a political and religious successor to Muhamma and there have only been 12, at most. The twelve Imams who followed Muhammad are believed to have been without error or sin because they were chosen by Allah and Muhammad. The twelfth of these Imams, a five year old when he became Imam, is believed to have ascended and will return on the Judgment Day. Shi’a Islam has very fluid doctrine that is reexamined regularly. Shi’ites observe a month of martyrdom, Muharram, and also pilgrimage to the shrines of the 12 Imams. Sufism Sufis are Islamic mystics and include the whirling dervishes found in Turkey. These mystics adhere to strict observance of the Qur’an and seek contemplative life. They aim for a pure love of Allah that is detached from interest in heaven or hell, but rather love for love’s sake. The life is ascetic. Works Cited “Islam.” BBC Religions. BBC: 2013. Web. 5 April 2013. Gammell, Mr. “Islam and the Rise of Islamic Power.” Powerpoint. 2013. “Sunni Islam.” Religion Facts. 2013. 5 April 2013. “Sufism.” Religion Facts. 2013. 5 April 2013. “Shi’a Islam.” Religion Facts. 2013. 5 April 2013.