ISLAM
OVERVIEW Islam is probably the world's simplest religion, which may explain its rapid growth in recent years. It is said to be the world's fastest growing religion. "... the heart of Islam is submission to the total will of Allah, or God. (Allah is not the name of a god, but simply means "The God" -- the one and only God) God's will for humanity, Muslims believe, was most fully given in the Koran, the book revealed through the prophet Muhammad. The term, Islam means "submission", and the name tells us that the central idea of this faith is simply full and complete submission to the will of God: an adherent of the faith is called a Muslim, one who has made the submission. [Many People, Many Faiths, Carmody & Carmody]
STORY OF CREATION Allah created the world and created the first man (Adam) who led to Noah and finally to Shem (Does this sound familiar?) -- hence term "Semite" (literally 'son of Shem'), today used to refer only to Jews but really meant to include all descendants of Shem, including Arabs and probably Christians. Abraham was a descendent of Shem and he had two wives - Sarah and Hagar. He was able to marry Hagar because Sarah was supposedly infertile. Genetics being what they are, both Sarah and Hagar got pregnant about the same time. Since Sarah gave birth to a son (Isaac), she was able to have Abraham banish Hagar and her son (Ishmael). Isaac stayed in Palestine and generated the population of Jews. Ishmael ended up in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) where, it is said, his decedents became the Arabs.
MUHAMMAD Muhammad (570-632) is called the "The Seal of the Prophets" because he was the last true prophet. He entered the culture during a corrupt and violent era with unstable government and many thriving Brigands -- chaotic daily lives for majority of population. Muhammad married a woman 15 years his senior who was his employer -- the camel trader Khadija became first convert and was called his solace given to him by God to see him through his most difficult years of reformation. He retreated to a local cave to began his study and reflection -- and periodically returned to this cave during a 15 year period to develop his full thesis (or receive the whole message). He was called to preach and taught for 23 years.
MUHAMMAD Muhammad developed his thesis with the background of a polytheistic religion riddled with hundreds of jinns and demons - one of which was "Allah" the creator, provider and determiner of man's destiny. He became convinced that Allah was the one true God and much greater than previously supposed - thus was born the creed, "La ilaha illa Allah!" (There is no God but Allah!) This idea was largely rejected by those in power in Mecca for the following reasons: 1) his new religion was determinedly monotheistic and consequently threatened the revenues to other shrines, 2) the moral code enjoined people to more puritanical behavior which explicitly criticized and condemned the more popular "licentious ways", and 3) Islam is intensely democratic which denied the current social structure of rigid class distinctions with sharp lines drawn between the "haves" and "have-nots". Followers of this early Islam were often tortured, stoned, enslaved and generally social outcasts. (The 1st muezzin was staked in desert with stone on his chest)
MUHAMMAD In 622 Muhammad, together with his followers left Mecca to go to Yathrib, a city 200 miles away where his preachings had taken hold -- the leaders of Mecca feared his departure because they feared his growing influence without being able to control him -- these leaders attempted to stop his flight -- by murder if necessary -- and Muhammad barely escaped with a couple of helpers (his family and the bulk of these early Muslims had departed earlier). His migration became known as the HIJRAH or HEGIRA (literally "flight") and Yathrib became known as Medina ("The city of the Prophet"). Muhammad became a powerful statesman and his followers grew in number. "He became at once the religious leader of the Arabs and their political ruler and military commander. Right up to the end of his life, which occurred just after his return from his triumphal progress to Mecca in 632, the strange revelations continued. Together they make up the text of the Koran, the Holy Scripture of Islam." [342]
THE QURAN "Unlike the Judaeo-Christian Bible, the Koran is not a collection of diverse material from over a thousand years. It was all delivered in a period of no more that twenty-two years through one man in communications from God through his angel [Gabriel]. It is not a book of history, or a life of Muhammad, or a philosophical treatise. It is a book of proclamation: proclamation of the oneness and sovereignty of God, of his coming judgment, of the need to submit to him. In passing, it also presents a Muslim view of previous religious history, especially of the earlier prophets such as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. From time to time it gives instructions to the faithful upon which Muslim law is based. To Muslims, the Koran is a miracle -- the most convincing miracle of all as validation of their faith. It is said to be untranslatable, but to be in the original Arabic of exquisite, incomparable beauty of rhythm and expression. That one man and he illiterate according to tradition, could be the merely human author of 'the Glorious Koran, that inimitable symphony, the very sounds of which move men to tears and ecstasy,' seems to Muslims incredible. The Holy Koran, they deeply believe, is the full and complete message of the infinite Divine Mind to humanity. Thus, it is not only studied, but chanted, memorized, and recited on all sorts of occasions, venerated both as words and as a book. Even its way of speaking is divine; it represents the personal style of Allah and so transmits something of God's essence. [This differs dramatically from the Christian notion that God's nature is unknowable for mere humans] Its very choice of rhythm, metaphor, and rhetorical method, in other words, reveals something of how God thinks and feels, just as do its contents. Many Peoples, Many Faiths, Carmody & Carmody
THE QURAN Afghan Protesters Hurl Grenades at US Base Afghans carry a wounded man during an anti-u.s. demonstration in Kunduz, north of Kabul, Afghanistan, Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012. (Ezatullah Pamir/AP Photo)
THE FIVE PILLARS 1. Faith "There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is His Prophet" One must - at least once in a lifetime - be able to say the creed recognizing it in its full meaning and all its implications. "La ilaha illa Allah; Muhammad rasul Allah"
THE FIVE PILLARS 2. Prayer (salah) Always begins with ritual formats "Allahu akbar" (God is most great) and "bismillah al rahman al rahim" - (In the name of God the compassionate, the merciful...) 5 times daily - one must "be constant" in one's perspective of life directed towards Allah. Formal community worship most often occurs on Friday at noon but one can pray anywhere, anytime. It is always to be done in Arabic, regardless of one's own native language. One begins with ritual purification -at home or in a mosque a fountain is usually built for this purpose: one washes the feet then the hands and arms up to the elbow then the neck and face, paying special attention to the mouth, nose and eyes. It is not mandatory to pray if the circumstances do not allow safe contemplation (e.g. in the middle of a war) but the idea is to remind oneself often (dhikr -constant remembrance) of Allah's grace and sovereignty. It is composed basically of two parts: the first a witness to God's grandeur and the second a supplication for His mercy.
THE FIVE PILLARS 3. Charity (zakat) Zakat does not refer to charitable gifts given out of kindness or generosity, but to the systematic giving of 2.5% of one's wealth each year to benefit the poor. The benefits of Zakat, apart from helping the poor, are as follows: Obeying God Helping a person acknowledge that everything comes from God on loan and that we do not really own anything ourselves And since we cannot take anything with us when we die we need not cling to it Acknowledging that whether we are rich or poor is God's choice So we should help those he has chosen to make poor Learning self-discipline Freeing oneself from the love of possessions and greed Freeing oneself from the love of money Freeing oneself from love of oneself Behaving honestly
THE FIVE PILLARS 4. Ramadan (sawm) It is a month of fasting (the month is on a lunar calendar - one fasts from sunup to sundown: from the time that one can distinguish a black thread from a white) during which no food or drink can pass the lips. It is to teach discipline, sacrifice and the price that divine treasures cost. It celebrates both the Hegira as well as Muhammad's initial commission as a prophet by Allah. This year, Ramadan begins in the evening of Friday, July 20, 2012, and ends in the evening of Monday, August 20, 2012.
THE FIVE PILLARS 5. Pilgrimage (Hajj) At least once in a lifetime, muslims must make a pilgrimage to Mecca - the center of the Islamic religious universe where the world was born - It is the holy city where the Koranic revelation was disclosed to Muhammad. On pilgrimage, Muslims dress alike (a simple twosheet garment for men and a shift with veil for women - heads are not covered and shoes are not worn within the holy precincts), go through the same traditional actions and often experience a profound sense of community. Pilgrimage celebrated the revealed will of Allah and the consequent equality of humankind.
THE FIVE PILLARS 5. Pilgrimage (Hajj) The hajj begins with a ritual purifying bath, hair and nail trimming and donning of the ihram (white garmet). The destination is the Holy Mosque in Mecca that contains the Ka'ba, a cubical stone nearly fifty ft. high and 12 inches across, surrounded with a silver collar. The Muslims believe it was handed down from Heaven by God and erected by Abraham and his son Ishmael. The pilgrim circles the ka'ba seven times, trying to touch or kiss the stone at least once. The pilgrim then runs several times between the two hills near the Ka'ba and drinks from the holy well of Zamzam. These actions are said to commemorate Hagar's search for water in the desert for herself and her son Ishmael. On the eighth day of the month of the Hajj, the pilgrims pour out of Mecca through a mountain pass into the plain of Arafat. They spend a night at a place called Mina in prayer and meditation and in visiting with each other. On the second day they proceed to the Hill of Arafat where the wukuf or Standing takes place. This involves standing from noon until sunset listening to a sermon preached by the qadi (judge) of Mecca or another dignitary in commemoration of Muhammad's farewell sermon. After sunset the pilgrims move to another site on the plain called Muzdalifa, where they gather pebbles to stone the devil the next day and where they also spend the night as before. On the third day they return to Mina, where they throw their pebbles at a pillar representing the devil. On the fourth day the feast of the Sacrafice (Id al-adha) begins, when each head of the household is expected to kill a sheep or goat in memory of Abraham's willingness to sacrafice his son Ishmael at God's command. After this they are free to return to Mecca where they usually make another ritual circling of the Ka'ba. Many also make a visit to Medina and pay their respects to Muhammad's tomb.
ISLAMIC LAW Islam was created as a very specific and precise guide to "right living." It is thought that Islam must cover every action in life and one must do all things with Allah in mind. Accordingly, one may look to Islamic law to answer virtually every question regarding what one ought to do - there is meant to be no ambiguity. There are four sources of Islamic Law and are discussed below in order of hierarchy. 1) the Quran - it is the divine word of God and the ultimate source of authority for what God wants us to do. 2) Hadiths - these are the traditions of the prophet Muhammad - we may learn by example what we should do in cases not specifically covered by the Quran. 3) Ijma - the consensus of the ulama (Islamic scholars) may decree in cases not covered by the previous two sources - this ulama may be formed by religious leaders of the community or from Alazar University in Cairo or by the elders of a village - it is thought that God will not allow us to be led astray when all of these people honestly agree after appropriate meditation and prayer. 4) Qiyas - analogies - reasoning by parallel cases where the Koran and Hadiths are not directly applicable. It is the last resort based on the intellect of humans - a weak instrument when compared to the word of God.
ISLAMIC SECTS There are nearly one hundred Islamic sects but we will only discuss three of the major ones which have important differences informative to our understanding of the religion. These three are Sunni (approx. 85% of Muslims), Shi'a (of southern Iraq, Iran) and, Sufi (the mystical arm of Islam).
ISLAMIC SECTS Sunni Means "Well-Trodden Path" is the normative Islam of most places except Iran and Iraq. It refers to the consensus of traditional legal and social practices as well as referring to the majority Islamic community. It is a tradition given to accommodation of differences and tolerance within the overall Islamic perspective, often citing as its precedent the Prophet's saying, "Differences of opinion within my community are a blessing." In Sunni Islam, the fundamental authority, after the guidance of the Koran is Muslim law, interpreted by the consensus of learned men who base their decisions on tradition, hadith (Muhammad's practices & examples), and analogy. One of the more colorful sects of the Sunni tradition is the Wahhabi movement, in Saudi Arabia which is a conservative puritanical reform movement dating from the 18thC.
ISLAMIC SECTS Shi'a (Shi'ite) Shi'a Islam is primarily in Iran and southern Iraq, with minorities everywhere. "Shi'ites believe that after Muhammad there was intended to be a succession of Imams, divinely appointed and authoritative teachers of Islam, to guide the faithful. The first was Ali, Muhammad's cousin, and after him Ali's eldest son, Hasa, and them Ali's second son, Husain." [Carmody 362] Most of the emphasis and devotion of the Shi'ite Islam revolves around this martyr. "The death of this splendid young hero has been made by Shi'a into an event that demands eternal recompense by fervent mourning and reenactment." [363] This third Imam was followed by others -- the current one may be invisible in the world. There is a festival of Muharram the climax of which (the 10th day) is a commemoration of the hero's death.
ISLAMIC SECTS Sufi This Islamic sect does not only try to follow the normal Islamic commandments, but to know God "intimately and even to lose themselves in love and loss of self into the depths of his being. [366] The word Sufi is normally ascribed to have come from the word suf "alluding to the coarse wool garments worn by ascetics seeking a more inward way, as conformity to Islam."[367] The focus of this sect is "on the presence of the divine oneness every where and offers paths to the attainment of union with God. Their practices include chanting, dancing, whirling, and meditation. Unlike other Muslims the Sufi view Muhammad to be a "supreme saint and mystic." [Carmody 352] "Sufism set a great deal of the emotional, anti-intellectual, and antiprogressive tone of an Islam that had lost its status as a world power." [Carmody 365] Sufi's reject the main body of Islam as a dead religion, in that it does not look to the Koran. There is a story along these lines it seems there is a "... dervish who meets the devil. The devil is just sitting patiently, so the dervish asks him why he is not out making mischief. The devil replies, "since the theoreticians and would-be teachers of the Path have appeared in such numbers, there is nothing left for me to do. [Carmody 366]
ISLAMIC SECTS Development of Sufi Thought: Al-Ghazali He emphasized the priority of faith and intuition over reason, and of the need to employ reason in its proper sphere of clarifying, interpreting, and defending the insights of faith and the knowledge of the heart. (Koller p.145) For Al-Ghazali, ultimately God is the only real object of knowledge and God can be known only through faith. (Koller p.145)
ISLAMIC SECTS Development of Sufi Thought: Ibn Sina (Avicenna) God, the ultimate reality, is eternal beauty, according to Ibn Sina, as demonstrated by the beauty of nature. It is the very nature of beauty to be self-expressive, he says, and nature is simply the self-expression of God. In God, this self-expression, not different from His Being, is the supreme love, for love is nothing other than the expression and appreciation of perfect beauty. (Koller p.146)
TWO COMMON MYTHS Myth #1: The Islamic concept of Jihad means holy war. The literal meaning of jihad is to strive or struggle in the way of Allah. (Islam, The Straight Path, John Esposito). There are actually two interpretations of jihad: the greater and the lesser. The greater jihad is interpreted to be the struggle within against one s own vices and failings. This is the jihad that is mandated within the commands of the Five Pillars of Islam; one must always be faithful to the rigorous demands of the ethical and religious life decreed by these commandments. It is recognized that this is not an easy task so one must wage war with one s own impulses to give into these temptations. While Allah may be closer to us than our own jugular vein (50:16), we are solely responsible for our failure to uphold these standards. The lesser jihad is the struggle against those who prevent the believer from following the straight path of Allah. This does not mean that the believer is to pursue a war of conversion or annihilation. The Qur an is explicit about the importance of faith: Only those who willingly and with their whole hearts commit themselves to Islam will be capable of following the way of Allah. The recent emphasis on the lesser jihad, while certainly clear in contemporary groups such as Egypt s Jihad Organization (which assassinated Anwar Sadat) as well as Jihad organizations in Lebanon, the Gulf states and Indonesia, does not appear to be consistent with the treatment of this concept in the Qur an.
TWO COMMON MYTHS Myth #2: The Qur an urges Muslims to wage war on anyone who is not a believer. There s a great deal of ambiguity regarding the role of war in the Qur an. The passage known as the sword verse is commonly cited in support of this myth: Then, when the sacred months are drawn away, slay the idolaters wherever you find them, and take them, and confine them, and lie in wait for them at every place of ambush. But if they repent and perform the prayer, and pay the alms, then let them go their way. (S. 9:5) However the Qur an has at least 124 other verses that stress peace and tolerance toward others! One of the most telling of these verses is explicit about the improper use of force. And fight in the way of God with those who fight with you, but aggress not: God loves not the aggressors. (S. 2:187) In his discussion on the relevance of these passages, Esposito points out that, Muhammad s use of warfare in general was alien neither to Arab custom nor to that of the Hebrew prophets. Both believed that God had sanctioned battle with the enemies of the Lord. Biblical stories about the exploits of kings and prophets such as Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Samuel, Jehu, Saul and David recount the struggles of a community called by God and the permissibility, indeed requirement, to take up arms when necessary against those who had defied God and to fight in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel. (Islam, The Straight Path) When put into this historical context or compared to certain passages in the Christian Bible, the Qur an may be reasonably interpreted as an appeal for peace and non-aggression!