Islam
History and Beliefs of Islam
Islam's origins can be traced back to the seventh century CE
(AD) in an area of the Middle East which is now part of Saudi
Arabia. It was during this period of history that Muhammad, the
central founder of Islam, lived and taught his followers. In the
earlier part of his life, Muhammad lived in the city of Mecca, now
the holiest city in Islam. During one of his annual religious
journeys to the nearby Mount Hira, Muhammad claimed to have been
visited by the angel Gabriel, or Jibril. This began a series of
trips to Mount Hira, and a series of revelations to Muhammad from
God, or Allah.
The information imparted to Muhammad through these revelations
was recorded by followers who had heard Muhammad recite
it.1 The compilation of these recordings became the
Qur'an, Islam's sacred text. The Qur'an is divided into 114
chapters, or suras; these are further divided into
ayahs, or verses. The Qur'an recounts sacred history, some
of which can also be found in the Hebrew Old Testament and the
Christian New Testament. In fact, the Qur'an formally recognizes
this connection between Jews, Christians and Muslims in referring
to Jews and Christians as "people of the book." This term alludes
to the fact that each of the groups received what Muslims
considered a sacred book. Some of the central figures in the Bible
also recognized as prophets in the Qur'an are Adam, Abraham and
Jesus.
Another of the major themes of the Qur'an is the nature of God.
The oneness and otherness of God are both highly emphasized. Sura
112:1-4 is an example of this: "Say: He is Allah, the One! Allah,
the eternally Besought of all! He begets not nor was begotten. And
there is none comparable unto Him."2 The nature of God
is also expressed through the different names that refer to God
throughout the Qur'an. The Qur'an uses 99 different names for God
that serve to reveal a bit of what God is like. Some of the names
used include The Beneficent, The Hearer, The Knower and The
Merciful.
While the Qur'an is the most sacred text of Islam, Muslims also
rely on the hadith for guidance and instruction. The hadith
tradition includes sayings and teachings attributed to Muhammad.
Included in the hadith3 are the so-called five pillars
of Islam, which are among the better-known features of the
religion. The first pillar, the shahadah, or confession,
is the belief that "there is no God but God, and that Muhammad is
his prophet." The second, salat, is the ritual of praying
five times each day facing in the direction of Mecca. Muslims are
also encouraged to attend prayer services at a mosque, especially
on Friday around midday, as a means of fostering healthy
communities. In some circumstances, however, it is not possible for
Muslims to attend the mosque (because of travel or work schedules),
so prayer outside a designated place of worship is also very
common. The third pillar, zakat, is the payment of a
charitable tax which goes towards the social good. The fourth
pillar is sawm, which is the period of fasting between
sunrise and sunset during the holy month of Ramadan. The fifth
pillar is the hajj. This is a pilgrimage to the holy city
of Mecca, which every Muslim is expected to make in his or her
lifetime if they are able and can afford it.
Although Islam's origins can be traced back to the Middle East,
this should in no way suggest that the religion's adherents remain
concentrated in that region of the world. While the Middle East is
home to a good percentage of the world's Muslims, perhaps as many
as 80% live elsewhere, especially in Asia and Northern Africa. It
is a surprise to many that Indonesia is the country with the
largest Muslim population in the world. And Islam is still
spreading. While it is a difficult trend to measure, many sources
claim that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world.
Sources
1Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's
Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. 4th Ed. New York:
McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2008
2Pickthall, Muhammad M. The Meaning of the Glorious
Qur'an. Beltsville, MD: amana publications, 2006.
3"Introduction to the Articles and Pillars of Islam"
USC-MSA Compendium of Religion.
Individual Mosques