Islam

Islam arose in 7th Century Arabia through the Prophet Muhammad. The Arabic word “islām” translates as “surrender,” Adherents, known as Muslims, accept surrender to the will of Allah (Arabic, for “God”). Allah is considered to be the sole God, the creator, sustainer, and restorer of the world. The will of Allah, to which human beings must submit, is revealed in the Qurʾān which Allah revealed to his messenger Muhammad. In Islam, Muhammad, is regarded as the last of a series of prophets that includes Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Solomon, and Jesus,and his message consummates and completes all revelations attributed to earlier prophets.

Traditional Muslim beliefs often attribute the origin of evil to the refusal of Shaytan (also identified as Iblis) to bow down to Adam, as told in the Qur’an (15:28): “‘O Iblis! What is your reason for not being among those who prostrated themselves?’ Iblis said: ‘I am not one to prostrate myself to man, whom Thou didst create from sounding clay, from mud molded into shape.’ Allah said, ‘Then get thee out from here; for thou are rejected, accursed. And the curse shall be on thee till the Day of Judgement'”.

For this disobedience Iblis was cast out of Heaven by Allah, and vowed that in revenge he would spend eternity trying to tempt humans to do evil. Evil is defined as being anything that causes others to suffer. Muslims believe that we are only on this earth for a short time and life consists of a series of tests by Allah. The evil and suffering that we endure serves to prepare us for Paradise. Since Allah is in overall control Muslims regard suffering as Allah’s way of educating us, or as a means for recompensing us for our wrongs, or as a way to guage our reaction to adversity. If a Muslim exercises patience and remains faithful this will augment their reward in the afterlife. The suffering that besets us ultimately transforms into blessings. No pain, no gain!

Muslims believe that a knowledge of what is right and what is wrong is a part of human nature. The Arabic term for our inborn moral compass is fitrah. The rebellious angel (or Devil) Shaytan is the supernatural embodiment of evil. In his “lost” last sermon Muhammed warns his followers to distance themselves from Shaytan: and his wicked devices: “Beware of Shaytan, he is desperate to divert you from the worship of Allah, so beware of him in matters of religion.”

Most Muslims believe in free will, that we exercise control over our actions. We can either choose to do right, under the guidance of Allah, or succumb to the temptations of the Devil and do wrong. Despite this freedom, omnipotent Allah can step upon the scene at any moment. Knowing the difference between right and wrong does not guarantee that the Muslims invariably choose to do right. Much suffering is caused by selfishness. Bad decisions lead to bad actions. By following Allah’s path, one can overcome the suffering in our own lives and prompt us to ease the suffering of others. The Qur’an and the Sunnah (a record of Muhammad’s life) mark the path of human virtue,

Profession of Faith (shahada). The belief that “There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God” is central to Islam. A single honest recitation of the Shahadah in Arabic is all that is required for a person to become a Muslim. Here is the Arabic version: أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا ٱللَّٰهُ وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ ٱللَّٰهِ

Prayer (salat). Muslims are required to pray in the direction of Mecca five times a day: at dawn, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and after dark. Prayer includes a recitation of the opening chapter (sura) of the Qur’an and is sometimes performed on a small rug or mat. Muslims can pray individually at any location or corporately in a mosque, where a leader in prayer (imam) guides the congregation. Men gather in the mosque for the noonday prayer on Friday; women are welcome but not obligated to participate. After the prayer, a sermon focuses on a passage from the Qur’an, followed by prayers by the imam and group discussions.

Alms (zakat). In accordance with Islamic law, Muslims donate a fixed portion of their income to community members in need. Wealthy Muslims finance mosques, drinking fountains, hospitals, schools, and other institutions both as a religious duty and to secure the blessings associated with charity.

Fasting (sawm). During the daylight hours of Ramadan (the ninth month of the Islamic calendar) all healthy adult Muslims are required to abstain from food and drink. Through this temporary deprivation, they renew their awareness of, and gratitude for, everything God has provided, especially the Qur’an which was first revealed during this month. During Ramadan Muslims experience the hunger and thirst of the needy, a reminder of the religious duty to help those less fortunate.

Pilgrimage (hajj). Every Muslim whose health and finances permit it must make at least one visit to the holy city of Mecca. The Ka’ba (depicted at the top of this page) is a cubical structure covered in black embroidered hangings. It stands in the center of the Haram Mosque in Mecca. Muslims believe that it is the house Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) built for God. Since the days of the Prophet Muhammad, believers from all over the world have gathered around the Ka’ba in Mecca on the eighth and twelfth days of the final month of the Islamic calendar, Dhul Hijjah (the month of Hajj).

Most Muslims belong to one of two groups. The most common one is Sunni Islam. 75–90% of all Muslims are Sunni. With around 1.8 billion followers, it is the largest religious denomination in the world. The Sunni branch of Islam that came through the Rashidun Empire which existed from 632 AD 50 661 AD. This empire’s leaders were early followers of Muhammad. Sunnis believe that leaders of Islam should be chosen by the people of the Muslim world. Sunni beliefs are based on the Qu’ran and the Kutub al-Sittah, six books (known as hadith) narrating events from the life of Muhammad.

The second most common group is Shia Islam. 10–20% of all Muslims are Shias, also called Shi’ites. Shia Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad under the command of God, chose Ali as Caliph (“successor”) and publicly declared it in his last sermon. In addition to the Qu’ran, Shi’ites believe in the the Ahl al-Bayt, a record of the teachings of five members of the Muhammad’s family. Shias dismiss the importance of the first three ruling Sunni Caliphs.

Many more groups exist, variations on a theme as is the case with most world religions. The Muwahidin (or Muwahid) Muslims are a restoration movement that accepts mainstream Islam, but holds to the primacy of God’s commands on issues pertaining to sharia law. They believe that modern Islam has been compromised by added traditions.

The Sufi are a branch in Islam that focuses more on the spiritual and mystic elements of Islam. Sufi believe that people can have ‘personal knowledge’ or oneness with God in their lives. To be one with God, you have to destroy the idea of yourself. This process is called fanaa (“annihilation”). Sufi should be humble, considerate, and only act in order to control their desires. A person who has crossed the various Sufi ‘stages’ and achieved mystic union with Allah is called a Wali (saint, or friend of God). Muslim conquests brought large numbers of Christian monks and hermits (particularly in Syria and Egypt) under Muslim rule. They believed in a deeply spiritual and mystical (‘Platonic’) way of life. Many of their ways became part of early Sufism.

The Quraniyoon generally reject the authority of the hadiths. Such Muslims, also known as Quranists and Ahle Quran, believe that the Qu’ran is the only source of guidance. They believe that the Hadith literature which exists today is apocryphal, as it had been written three centuries after the death of the Islamic prophet Muhammad; thus, it cannot have the same status as the Qu’ran.

Ibadis are Muslims who originated from the Kharijites. Ibadis today hold beliefs from the original Kharijites. and is the dominant form of Islam only in the nation of Oman. Contemporary Ibāḍī believe that our attitude to others can be expressed in three religious obligations: (1) walāyah: being friendly and united with other true believers and the Ibāḍī imans, (2) barā’ah: refusing to deal with unbelievers and sinners and showing a certain hostility towards them, and (3) wuqūf: being reserved towards those whose status is unclear.

Ahmadiyyas are Muslims who follow Mirza Ghulam Ahmed, a native of India whom they regard as the Mahdi (Islam’s messiah or savior). They split after the founders death over the question of succession into two subgroups; the zealous Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and the less extreme Lahore Ahmadiyya Movement. Ahmadiyyas are not recognized as Muslims by most of the world’s mainstream Muslim community, primarily because they do not believe that Muhammad is the last prophet.

Two derivative branches of Islam geared toward African Americans are the Nation of Islam and the Five-Percent Nation (also known as Nation of Gods and Earths). The Nation of Islam is a religious group founded in Detroit, Michigan, in 1930 by Master Fard Muhammad. Its main goal is to restore and enhance the spiritual, mental, social and economic condition of blacks in the United States. Since 1981, the group has been led by Louis Farrakhan. Malcolm X was a noteworthy member before becoming disenchanted with its leadership, principally Elijah Muhammad (born Elijah Robert Poole) who headed the Nation of Islam from 1934 until his death in 1975.

The Five Percent Nation is a cultural movement influenced by Islam that was founded in 1964 in Harlem by Allah the Father (previously known as Clarence 13X when he was a member of the Nation of Islam, and, born with the name Clarence Edward Smith). Clarence 13X was an avid student of Malcolm X. The name of this group is based on the idea that ten percent of the people in the world know the truth of existence, and these elites (and their agents) deliberately keep eighty-five percent of the world in ignorance so that they may be controlled more easily. The remaining five percent are those who know the truth and are determined to enlightenment the unenlightened eighty-five percent.