Islam
From RationalWiki
Islam is the third of the Abrahamic religions, following Judaism and Christianity. Islam is a monotheistic faith which Muslims hold to be the final revelation of Allah following the revelations to Adam, the Scrolls of Abraham, the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel. Although Muslims do not hold Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, he is considered to be an extremely important prophet. The holy text of Islam is the Qur'an which is held to be the revealed word of God as transmitted by the angel Gabriel through the prophet Muhammad who is held to be the final prophet sent to earth by God. In Arabic, "Islam" means "submission" (to God, specifically) and descends etymologically from the root word Salaam meaning "peace"; thus, a Muslim is "one who has submitted to (or made peace with) God."
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[edit] Denominations
There are many different denominations within Islam, but the two most famous groups within modern Islam are the Sunni and the Shia. The schism between the Sunni and Shia is akin to the schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and occurred for very similar reasons. Following the death of the prophet Muhammad, his nephew Ali was expected to be his successor in the fledgling Muslim nation. However, a rival named Muawiyah had Ali assassinated and consolidated his rule which lead to the Umayyad dynasty. Sunni Muslims hold that any member of the ummah (or community of believers) can hold the position of caliph (or ruler) and accepted Muawiyah's claim to rule; whereas Shia Muslims hold that only descendants of the prophet Muhammad can become caliph as only they have the divine right to do so, and thus rejected Muawiyah as caliph.
Within and around these groups there are other subsets of Islam. Among these is Sufism, an ascetic spiritual movement similar in philosophy to Buddhism , and fundamentalist groups such as Salafism and Wahhabism. Ahmadiyya, Druze, Nation of Islam, and Ba'hai are also offshoots of Islam, though not traditionally considered to be included within the Islamic faith but independent belief systems.
Although ideas of creationism are more usually associated with differing forms of Christianity, there are also Muslim creationists such as the lunatic Harun Yahya.
[edit] The Five Pillars of Islam
Islam has five core pillars, which it considers to be the most important part of Islam. All Muslims are expected to follow them. Some of these pillars are quite extreme and demanding, even compared to other religions, so Muslims often neglect these practices.[citation needed]
- The Shahadah, an oath of faith which states "There is no God except Allah and Muhammad is his messenger." One who voluntarily takes the oath is considered to be a Muslim, however the phrase is often spoken into the ear of newborn Muslim babies as both a proxy oath for the child, and a blessing. Once a convert has taken the oath, they cannot change their mind without being considered an apostate by the Muslim community. Many Muslim scholars consider that the punishment for apostasy should be death [1], and such death penalties are imposed in a number of Islamic countries including Pakistan[2]and Saudi Arabia.[3]
- Salah, or prayer. Prayer must be made five times per day, though this can be suspended depending on illness or travel. Prayer is made facing the Kaaba in Mecca and involves a series of prostrations. Prior to praying, a Muslim is required to perform a ritual cleansing, or ablution called Wudu. Each prayer is divided into a number of sections called Raka'ah. Each Raka'ah includes a recitation of the Sura Fatihah, the first chapter in the Quran. Following this another excerpt from the Quran is recited. Afterwards, the Muslim bows, rises again, prostrates, comes up to a kneeling posture, prostrates again, and returns to a standing position. After even numbered Raka'ah the supplicant recites the either the whole or partial Tashahhud, which is a non-Quranic prayer that marks the halfway mark of each prayer, and the conclusion of the prayer. Prayers are made during the dawn, early afternoon, late afternoon, evening, and night-time and are of prescribed lengths. The dawn prayer is 2 Raka'ah, the early afternoon and late afternoon prayers are 4 Raka'ah, the evening prayer is 3 Raka'ah, and the night-time prayer is 4 Raka'ah.
- Zakat, which is a ritual giving of alms by all who can afford it. Typically, a Muslim gives 2.5% of their accumulated wealth (or savings) to charities, often organized through local mosques.
- Fasting during the month of Ramadan. During this month, which rotates throughout the year due to the fact that the Islamic calendar is lunar, Muslims must abstain from food, drink (including water), smoking, and sexual intercourse from sunrise (specifically when a thread of light can be discerned from the darkness) to sunset. The goal of the fast, as with most ascetic pursuits, is to rid oneself of material concerns and to bring oneself closer to God. Women who are pregnant or menstruating, those that are ill or elderly, and pre-pubescent children are exempt from the need to fast.
- The Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina during the month of Dhul-Hijah. Muslims are required to circumnambulate the Kaaba, walk seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah, travel to Mt. Arafat, and symbolically stone the devil.
[edit] Other codes of conduct
Muslims also adhere to a number of dietary and behavioral rules, including prohibitions on eating pork and consuming alcohol, and maintaining certain standards of cleanliness. Muslims also follow rulings from various schools of Islamic jurisprudence called fatwas. Though the term fatwa has come to be synonymous with declarations of war by some extremists within Islam, a fatwa can be issued by Islamic scholars on issues as simple as questions regarding conduct in daily life.
Another commonly misunderstood term is "Jihad" which has come to be synonymous with the concept of war waged by Muslims against the West. Historically, Jihad has had two meanings. The greater Jihad is the struggle to improve one's self and one's society and to be a better Muslim. The lesser Jihad is the struggle to defend Islam and one's home against aggression. Militant Muslims have been known to deny others their rights in the name of this lesser jihad.
Historically, some Islamic states required that Jews and Christians pay the jizya, a tax levied exclusively against non-Muslims, however since non-Muslims were exempt from paying the zakat, this was considered to be their form of contribution to the government.
The free practice of religion in Muslim countries is a source of controversy. In some countries, such as Saudi Arabia, other religions are banned outright. Other states, such as Iran, nominally allow other religions to exist, though those religions (including the Ba'hai and Zoroastrian faiths) are typically persecuted. Some states including Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia, and Pakistan have significant non-Muslim minorities which are treated with varying degrees of acceptance, though the rise of fundamentalism in these countries has caused strains in interfaith relations, sometimes leading to outbreaks of violence.
[edit] Islam, politics and Arab identity
The fact that Islam arose in the Arabian peninsula and that translations of the Qu'ran are considered to be less faithful than the original Arabic text means that Arabic culture has become largely associated with Islam. This association can lead to nationalistic tendencies within the Arab world being blended with, and indeed disguised as, expressions of Islamic faith. This is consistently demonstrated by Al Qaeda and other militant groups inasmuch as a fundamental reason for their existence is to protest perceived imperialism and aggression by Western governments in the Middle East particularly with regards to Western support for non-democratic, corrupt, and oppressive regimes in oil-rich nations, foreign military presence in Saudi Arabia, and support for Israel.
This philosophy has translated even to non-Arab Muslim extremists, such as those active in Kashmir, southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. Almost invariably, statements from "Islamic militants" are in Arabic, regardless of their background. Perhaps because of this, being "Muslim" is often viewed as no different from being "Arab" in the mindsets of many people throughout the world despite the fact that the largest Muslim populations in the world are not ethnically Arabs.
