Islam is currently the second-largest religion in the world after Christianity. It is estimated that about 1.5 billion people consider themselves to be affiliates of this religion that name themselves “Muslims”. Recently, there has been a lot of debate and controversy on the topic of Islam and its believers, and their relation to the terrorist attacks in various countries of the world. Opinions on this issue vary widely. However, before voicing any judgment, a thorough insight into the history and traditions of this religion should be made to find out the historical, national, and traditional context and understand the processes and customs of the religion.
Islam is a monotheistic religion that originated from the teaching Muhammad (7th century) who was believed to be God’s prophet. His life and teachings are recorded in Sunnah – one of the most important religious books for Muslims. At the beginning of his career as a religious leader, Muhammad was preaching in Mecca against the polytheism religions that flourished there. In 622 he migrated to Medina with his followers where he soon became a renowned political and religious leader conquering Mecca soon thereafter. By the time of his death, he governed the whole of the Arabian Peninsula.
The word “Islam” can be translated into English as “submission” or “acceptance” meaning the submission to God (Allah), and the word “Muslim” means “the one who surrenders to God”.
The sacred book of Islam is Qur’an (can be translated into English as “recitation”). Muslims believe that this book was sent to Muhammad by God through the angel Gabriel in the period between 610 and 632. It is also believed in Islam that all God’s prophets preached the principles of Islam, and it is described in Qur’an as “the primordial nature upon which God created mankind”. When Muslims speak about their sacred book, they usually refer to the recitation of the contents in the Arabic language, but not to the printed version or its translation. Qur’an serves as a primary law to all Muslims and is defined as a source of guidance for every Muslim (Hunter, 2002).
The only version of the Qur’an accepted as original is the one in the Arabic language, and any translation of it is considered to be a simple commentary of it or interpretation.
The book contains a detailed description of the deeds for which a Muslim can be sentenced to hell. Among these sins are dishonesty, exploitation of others, etc. Although Qur’an suggests physical joy and rewards to those who go to heaven, the greatest reward for being an obedient Muslim is Ridwan, or acceptance by God (Kelly 1984).
Although Islam is a relatively young religion, Muslims believe that it was simply brought back by Muhammad as one of the oldest religions containing the teachings of Jesus, and other prophets in its original state without misinterpretations that are peculiar to other religions.
The religious practices under Islam vary widely. Every Muslim has to observe the Five Pillars of Islam as well as Islamic law Shariah. The Five Pillars include the following: the shahadatan that states that “there is none worthy of worship except God” and that “Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” It is the most important of the Five Pillars and is considered to be the ground for all other Islamic believes and traditions (Hunter, 2002).
The second Pillar is the salah – prayer in the Arabic language with quotes from Qur’an that every Muslim has to recite 5 times during the day at specific times. During the prayer, the Muslim performing it must face the sacred place for all Muslims – Kaaba in Mecca. Like in any other religion, prayer is considered to be the time of personal communication between the human and God. In countries with a vast Muslim population, the reminders about the prayer time are broadcast from all the mosques in the area.
The third Pillar is the Zakat or giving to charity depending on the wealth of each person. There is a set amount concerning one’s income that a Muslim should contribute towards charity, the voluntary donations, however, are also accepted (Kelly, 1984).
The next Pillar – Sawn – refers to the lent (or fasting) during the sacred period of Ramadan. This period comprises one month and at this time Muslims are not allowed to entertain, celebrate things or eat and drink from dawn till dusk to closer reach God.
The last Pillar is the Hajj, it refers to the sacred trip that all Muslims have to make at least once in a lifetime to the sacred Islamic place in Mecca. There are various rituals and traditions involved in carrying out Hajj, such as crossing seven times the Kabba, touching the Black Stone, running between Mount Safa and Marwah seven times, etc.
The phenomenon that is often referred to as the sixth Pillar is Jihad (struggle on the way to God); it is generally accepted and believed that Jihad incorporates any time of military action directed against those who do not belong to Islam. Jihad, however, can be defined both in terms of violence and in terms of non-violence. It can be defined as living a highly moral life, spreading the word of Islam, combating any type of injustice, etc. mainly for the protection of one’s country (Hunter, 2002).
Historically, Islam has been known to live peacefully with the representatives of other religions, although it does consider that Christianity and Judaism misinterpreted the Bible and its true meaning is only contained in the Qur’an. However, those Jews and Christians that lived in Muslim countries were always allowed to practice their religion and lifestyle. The Islamic government-guaranteed safety to the representatives of other religions and their property. In return, Jews and Christians paid jizya (tribute) to the community.
There were of course some limitations as to the freedoms of these people, too. For example, they were prohibited from owning arms or being witnesses in court if the case involved Muslims.
Despite the general opinion, only about 20% of Muslims originate from Arab countries. It is a dominant religion in such areas as North and West Africa, Middle East, Central, and Southeast Asia.
The criticism of Islam that evolved today is not new to the world of religion. The first critical statements about this religion date back to the medieval ages and are found in works of Christian religious believers (for example, John of Damascus) who depicted Muhammad as possessed by evil, and even in writings of Arab philosophers (for example, poet Al-Ma’ari). There has also been extensive criticism of Muhammad’s life and doings, some aspects of Qu’ran, of the way women are treated in Islamic societies.
Contemporary criticism also includes claims that Islam punishes and treats too harshly those who do not belong to the religion or chose to abstain from it.
Although until recently Islam has been quite a mystery to the Western world, in the contemporary society of increased mobility and integration, it is vitally important to know and understand the basics of other religions to sympathetically appreciate other religious beliefs of the world and their representatives.
References
Hunter, Shireen T., ed. Islam, Europe’s Second Religion: The New Social, Cultural, and Political Landscape. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2002.
Kelly, Marjorie, ed. Islam: The Religious and Political Life of a World Community. New York: Praeger, 1984.