The Brief History, Core Teachings, Fundamental Beliefs, Practices, and Related Issues of Islam
Islam 101: The Monotheistic Abrahamic Faith of Muhammad
Islam is a major world religion based on the revelations of Muhammad (its recognized last prophet) and was first established in Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia).
The following are important terms and concepts in studying Islam:
1. Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion that espouses that God is one and incomparable and that the purpose of man’s existence is to worship and serve God. The Arabic word for God is ‘Allah.’
2. Muhammad the prophet (570?-632) is the last prophet according to Islam, whose revelations, covering political and social as well as religious principles, became the basis of Islamic religion and civilization.
3. The Qur’an (Koran) is the holy book of Islam. Islam holds that this sacred scripture is the infallible word of Allah, as it was revealed to the prophet Muhammad in the 7th century. In 114 chapters, called ‘suras,’ the Qur’an discusses a number of topics, including the life of Muhammad, the relationship between God and humans, prophets and messengers, and human responsibility and judgment.
4. Hadith, the second source of authority in Islam, complements the Qur’an and affords the most wide-ranging source for Islamic law. It is held that the ultimate understanding of the Qur’an relies on the context of Muhammad’s life and the manners in which he observed and applied its message. It is also believed that Muhammad’s sayings and practices were entreated by his companions to answer questions about Islam.
5. The Five Pillars of Islam, called ‘arkan’ in Arabic, refers to the five ritual duties that mainstream Muslims consider as principal to their faith.
6. Known as the ‘namaz’ in Iran, India, and Turkey, the ‘salat’refers to the five required daily prayers. These prayers are performed only “after ritual bathing and take place before sunrise, at noon, in the mid-afternoon, immediately after sunset, and before midnight.
7. The ‘zakat’ refers to alms tax levied annually on the crops, livestock, precious metals, and cash of Muslims living above subsistence and whose debts do not exceed their assets. Ideally, it is to be collected on behalf of, and then distributed to, the poor.
8. Allah is the Arabic name of the supreme being. The term is a contraction of the Arabic ‘al-llah,’ “the God.” Both the idea and the word existed in pre-Islamic Arabian tradition. Although the pre-Islamic Arabs recognized other, lesser gods, they recognized Allah as the supreme God.
9. ‘Sufism’ is an ascetic tradition which underscored personal piety and mysticism. It contributed to Islamic cultural diversity and further enhanced the Muslim heritage. Sufism counters the legal-minded approach to Islam.
10. ‘Purdah’ refers to a system of seclusion of women practiced by some Muslim (and Hindu) peoples. The word ‘purdah’ also designates a curtain or screen used to keep women separate from men and strangers, used especially in India. Secluding women from men started to vanish with the adoption of Western culture, but the Muslim fundamentalism of the 1980s revived it … Continue reading
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Copyright © by Jens Micah De Guzman
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