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World Religions
Islam
Historic Start of Islam
Islam is based on the life and teachings of Muhammad who was born in 570 AD into the Quraish tribe,
descendents of Ishmael, the oldest son of Abraham. This is important to Muslims as they see the oldest son
as heir to the father’s legacy. He was orphaned at an early age and raised by an uncle named Abu Talib.
Muhammad cared for his family’s herds and eventually became a camel driver in the trade caravans that
moved through the region. He began to care for the herds and trade of a wealthy widow named Khadija,
who he eventually married around 595 AD. At this time Muhammad lived in Mecca, along a trade route on
the Arabian Peninsula. Each Arab tribe had its own gods and goddesses and Mecca invited these tribes to
worship and conduct business there.
In 610 AD Muhammad was meditating in a cave on Mr. Hira when he was overwhelmed by a trance and
ordered by a spirit, that he later claimed was the angel Gabriel, to “recite” the message that was about to
be given. This began a series of “recitations” that continued until Muhammad’s death and which became
the Koran, literally “recitation”. Muslims consider the Koran a direct transmission from Allah to
Muhammad, who could not alter the message in any way. Consequently, the Koran is only truly the Koran
in the original language of the recitation, which is Arabic. Muslims view the Koran similarly to the way a
Christian would view Jesus as the incarnate Word of God and they treat the Koran with extreme respect.
Thus Muhammad became a prophet in Mecca and his message at this time was essentially that there is
only one God, Allah in Arabic, to whose will people must submit and there will be a day of judgment when
people are evaluated on their obedience to God. The meaning of the names Islam, “submission to God”,
and Muslim, “those who submit to God”, come from this message to the people of Mecca. This message of
monotheism was not welcomed in Mecca where the polytheism of Arabian tribes was good for business.
Consequently, Muhammad and his few followers left Mecca in 622 AD and traveled to Yathrib, modern day
Medina. This trip is called the “hijrah” and marks the beginning of the Muslim system of counting years
(AH = After Hijrah).
Up to this point, Muhammad had recorded 89 to 92 “surahs” or chapters of the Koran and he continued
to preach his monotheistic message. A central story throughout these “Meccan” chapters of the Koran is
that of the patriarchs, from Abraham to Moses, although certainly with differences from the Jewish and
Christian scriptures. In Medina, the Arab tribes did not know how to discern the truthfulness of
Muhammad’s message so they turned to the opinions of Jewish and Christian merchants in the city. These
merchants answered honestly that the message that Muhammad preached had serious differences from
the history described in the Old Testament. For example, while the OT views Isaac as the child that God
promised to Abraham the Koran views Ishmael as the rightful heir of Abraham. Additionally, while the
Koran presents Moses as a prophet of the law it does not include what a Jewish person may well see as the
most important aspect of the Exodus, the Passover. Due to this opposition from the people that Muhammad
thought would verify his message he became increasingly militant in his message and actions.
Consequently, Muhammad sought to extend his influence by attracting more Arab followers. He
negotiated a treaty that eventually allowed him to drive the Jewish people out of Medina and began to lead
raids on trade caravans traveling between Mecca and Syria. He promised his followers a share of the
profits from these raids, including women and girls traveling with the caravans. Additionally,
Muhammad’s message to his followers was that anyone killed during these raids would be guaranteed a
place in paradise where the women would be perpetually virginal. These enticements of wealth and sex
increased the followers of Muhammad to around 10,000 men. With this force, Muhammad conquered
Mecca and cleansed the town of its polytheistic practices. One shrine, the Ka’ba, reportedly built by
Abraham and Ishmael as a center for monotheism, was preserved. Previously Muhammad had taught his
followers to prayer toward Jerusalem but after the conquer of Mecca, the Ka’ba became the location that
Muslim’s pray toward and make pilgrimage to. Muhammad continued to receive recitations for the Koran
until his death in 632 AD.
Types of Islam
After Muhammad’s death, the most pressing issue for his followers was who should become their next
leader? Muhammad’s heir would be the easiest choice but Muhammad only had daughters so his closest
male relatives were his son-in-law Ali and his father-in-law Abu Bakr. Additionally, Arab tradition held that
the leader of a tribe should be elected by consensus or “sunna”.
Sunnis:
The consensus or “sunna” was that Abu Bakr was the rightful successor of Muhammad. Abu Bakr
became the first “khalifah” or civil and religious leader, of which there were four rightly guided
khalifahs. Under their leadership along with the consensus of elders and religious scholars, Islam
developed a system of community law called “sharia”. This multiplicity of leaders within Sunni Islam is
still present today and makes for a complex religious and political structure of overlapping authority.
Today, about 85% of Muslims consider themselves Sunnis and many violent groups (ISIS) claim
association within this group.
Shias (Shi’ites):
Some of Muhammad’s followers believed that his rightful heir was Ali. Ali was seen as the religious
leader or “imam”, literally great teacher or leader. Ali began a line of descendents who are seen as
the 12 great imams (including Ali) that lived perfect lives as an example to their followers. The 12th
great imam is believed by some Shias to have been hidden by God and will return before the Day of
Judgment. Shias attribute infallibility, sinlessness and the divine right of authority to their imams and
consider the consensus of Sunnis to be a liberalizing influence. Today, about 15% of Muslims consider
themselves Shia and they are found mainly in Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen, Afghanistan and Pakistan. In
some of these countries, the title “Ayatollah” is used to signify the legitimacy of a current leader since
there are no more imams since the 12th.
Sufis:
Sufism began as a mystical movement within Islam. So technically Sufis are not a separate group of
Muslims but rather they are a pious movement within the other sects of Islam. As Islam spread, a
concern arose within pious Muslim communities for preserving the heart of their faith in addition to the
outward or legal aspects of their faith. It would be possible for a Muslim to outwardly conform to Islam
but not have a heart for Allah so Sufism seeks to pass on this heart. Sufis love religious music and
poetry as well as values such as humility, self-denial, charity and service. “Whirling Dervishes” are a
form of mystical dance that Sufis are probably most well known for.
Tribal Syncretism:
While not as acceptable as in Roman Catholicism, Syncretism is practiced by a minority of Muslims
that have been converted to Islam. Essentially, this is when a tribe is conquered by Islam, accepts the
faith to some degree and then proceeds to practice the tribal animism that they have always practiced.
Islamic Beliefs
Allah alone is God. Allah is greater than all creation. Allah is gracious and merciful. Allah predestines
all things. Allah is not a personal or relational being.
Allah has revealed his will through a series of prophets. Moses is seen as a prophet of the law. Jesus is
seen as another prophet as the Koran confirms his virgin birth, miracles and ascension. Muhammad is
seen as the final prophet.
The Koran is seen as the word of Allah. It is presented as a series of recitations and is consequently
repetitive. However, the surah’s (chapters) and ayah’s (verses) of the Koran are not completely agreed
upon by Islamic scholars and are not presented in chronological order. To understand how the Koran is
structured you must think of it as a literal book which Muhammad was shown sections of at each visitation
from “Gabriel”. Thus, the sections that were shown to Muhammad first where not necessarily the ones that
Allah wanted at the beginning of the Koran. Approximately 90 surahs were recorded while Muhammad
was in Mecca and approximately 20 more were added once Medina was conquered. Muhammad recited
the Koran before “Gabriel” during times of prayer and devotion to Allah and particularly during the month
of Ramadan. The Hadith is a collection of traditions and teachings gathered by the followers of
Muhammad. The Hadith includes Muhammad’s teaching on the Koran as well as a record of how
Muhammad lived his life. The Sunna, earlier translated as “consensus”, also refers to the path or way a
person is supposed to live their life. As such, the Hadith gives a view of the Sunna of Muhammad. But the
idea of a sunna, or correct way of living, is older than the Koran or Hadith in the Arab world. Often you will
see the words Hadith and Sunna used interchangeably but his is not technically correct.
The 5 (or 6) Pillars of Islam
To Bear Witness (Shahadah): “There is no God but God and Muhammad is his prophet (messenger,
apostle).” This is to be stated with conviction. A Christian should not say this, even without
conviction, in a Muslim country.
To Pray (Salat): Five times a day; sunrise, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, before bedtime, a Muslim is to
perform ritual prayers toward Mecca. At noon on Friday, Muslims are expected to gather for
prayer at their local mosque.
To Give Alms (Zakat): One fortieth of one’s possessions is prescribed.
To Fast (Saum): During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from sunup to sundown in order to
commemorate Muhammad’s reception of the Koran.
To Make Pilgrimage (Hajj): If possible, a Muslim should visit Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime.
The final month of the Islamic calendar, Al-Hajj, is designated as the official period of pilgrimage.
To Struggle (Jihad): All Muslims believe in “Greater Jihad” or the personal struggle against sin and all
parts of themselves that stand against Allah. This is the submission that the names Islam and Muslim
imply and it is also the standard for salvation. A sincere submission to Allah will result in more
good than bad in your life when you are judged. “Lesser Jihad” is the traditional concept of Holy
War against the enemies of Allah and is not practiced by the majority of Muslims today. However,
the Koran and the Hadith describe and prescribe Jihad in both senses. To abandon the idea of
“Lesser Jihad” is to deviate from the historic traditions of Islam.
The Islamic Worldview
Verses from the Koran About War: Since surah and ayah differ in some translations, look a little before or
after for the idea given here.
2: 178,179,190,191,193, 216, 217, 218, 244
3: 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 140, 155, 165, 166, 167, 169, 173, 195
4: 71, 72, 74, 75, 76, 77, 84, 89, 91, 94, 95, 100, 102, 104
5: 33, 35, 38
8: 5, 7, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 39, 42, 45, 59, 65, 67, 69, 71, 72, 74, 75
9: 5, 12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 20, 24, 25, 26, 29, 36, 38, 39, 41, 44, 52, 73, 81, 83, 86, 88, 92, 111, 120, 122, 123
16: 110
22: 39, 78
29: 6, 69
33: 7, 18, 20, 25, 26
47: 20
48:16, 22
59: 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14
60: 9
61: 4
63: 4
64: 14
66: 9
73: 20