Islam is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion articulated by the Qur'an, a book considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of God (Arabic: الله Allāh) and by the teachings and normative example (called the Sunnah and composed of Hadith) of Muhammad, considered by them to be the last prophet of God. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim.
Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of existence is to submit to and serve God. Muslims also believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times and places before, including through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, whom they consider prophets. They maintain that the previous messages and revelations have been partially misinterpreted or altered over time, but consider the Arabic Qur'an to be both the unaltered and the final revelation of God. Religious concepts and practices include the five pillars of Islam, which are basic concepts and obligatory acts of worship, and following Islamic law, which touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, providing guidance on multifarious topics from banking and welfare, to warfare and the environment.
Most Muslims are of two denominations, Sunni (75–90%), or Shia (10–20%). About 13% of Muslims live in Indonesia, the largest Muslim-majority country, 25% in South Asia, 20% in the Middle East, and 15% in Sub-saharan Africa. Sizable minorities are also found in Europe, China, Russia, and the Americas. Converts and immigrant communities are found in almost every part of the world (see Islam by country). With about 1.57 billion followers or 23% of earth's population, Islam is the second-largest religion and one of the fastest-growing religions in the world.
Islam is a verbal noun originating from the triliteral root s-l-m which forms a large class of words mostly relating to concepts of wholeness, safeness and peace. In a religious context it means "voluntary submission to God". Muslim, the word for an adherent of Islam, is the active participle of the same verb of which Islām is the infinitive. Believers demonstrate submission to God by serving God, following his commands, and rejecting polytheism.
The word sometimes has distinct connotations in its various occurrences
in the Qur'an. In some verses, there is stress on the quality of Islam
as an internal conviction: "Whomsoever God desires to guide, He expands
his breast to Islam."
Other verses connect islām and dīn (usually translated as "religion"): "Today, I have perfected your religion (dīn) for you; I have completed My blessing upon you; I have approved Islam for your religion." Still others describe Islam as an action of returning to God—more than just a verbal affirmation of faith.
In the Hadith of Gabriel, islām is presented as one part of a triad that includes imān (faith), and ihsān (excellence), where islām is defined theologically as Tawhid, historically by asserting that Muhammad is messenger of God, and doctrinally by mandating five basic and fundamental pillars of practice.
God
Allah and God in Islam
Islam's most fundamental concept is a rigorous monotheism, called tawhīd (Arabic: توحيد). God is described in chapter 112 of the Qur'an as:
"Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He
begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him."(112:1-4) Muslims and Jews repudiate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and divinity of Jesus, comparing it to polytheism. In Islam, God is beyond all comprehension and Muslims are not expected to visualize God. God is described and referred to by certain names or attributes, the most common being Al-Rahmān, meaning "The Compassionate" and Al-Rahīm, meaning "The Merciful" (See Names of God in Islam).
Muslims believe that the creation of everything in the universe was
brought into being by God’s sheer command, “‘Be’ and so it is,” and that the purpose of existence is to worship God. He is viewed as a personal god who responds whenever a person in need or distress calls him. There are no intermediaries, such as clergy, to contact God who states, "I am nearer to him than (his) jugular vein." The reciprocal nature is mentioned in the hadith qudsi, "I am as My servant thinks (expects) I am."
Allāh is the term with no plural or gender used by Muslims and Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews to reference God, while ʾilāh (Arabic: إله) is the term used for a deity or a god in general. Other non-Arab Muslims might use different names as much as Allah, for instance "Tanrı" in Turkish, "Khodā" in Persian or Xudā in Urdu.
Angels
Belief in angels is fundamental to the faith of Islam. The Arabic word for angel (Arabic: ملك malak) means "messenger", like its counterparts in Hebrew (malakh) and Greek (angelos). According to the Qur'an, angels do not possess free will, and therefore worship and obey God in total obedience. Angels' duties include communicating revelations from God, glorifying God, recording every person's actions, and taking a person's soul
at the time of death. Muslims believe that angels are made of light.
They are described as "messengers with wings—two, or three, or four
(pairs): He [God] adds to Creation as He pleases...
Prophets
Resurrection and judgment
Predestination
In accordance with the Islamic belief in predestination, or divine preordainment (al-qadā wa'l-qadar),
God has full knowledge and control over all that occurs. This is
explained in Qur'anic verses such as "Say: 'Nothing will happen to us
except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our protector'..."[58]
For Muslims, everything in the world that occurs, good or bad, has been
preordained and nothing can happen unless permitted by God. According
to Muslim theologians, although events are pre-ordained, man possesses
free will in that he or she has the faculty to choose between right and
wrong, and is thus responsible for his actions. According to Islamic
tradition, all that has been decreed by God is written in al-Lawh al-Mahfūz, the "Preserved Tablet".
Five pillars
Main article: Five Pillars of Islam
The Pillars of Islam (arkan al-Islam; also arkan ad-din, "pillars of religion") are five basic acts in Islam, considered obligatory for all believers. The Quran presents them as a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to the faith. They are (1) the shahadah (creed), (2) daily prayers (salat), (3) almsgiving (zakah), (4) fasting during Ramadan and (5) the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj) at least once in a lifetime. The Shia and Sunni sects both agree on the essential details for the performance of these acts.[60]
Testimony
The Shahadah,[61] which is the basic creed of Islam that must be recited under oath with the specific statement: "'ašhadu 'al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh",
or "I testify there are no deities other than God alone and I testify
that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." This testament is a foundation
for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. Muslims must repeat the shahadah in prayer, and non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the creed.
Prayer
Ritual prayers, called Ṣalāh or Ṣalāt (Arabic: صلاة), must be performed five times a day. Salat is intended to focus the mind on God, and is seen as a personal communication with him that expresses gratitude and worship. Salat is compulsory but flexibility in the specifics is allowed depending on circumstances. The prayers are recited in the Arabic language, and consist of verses from the Qur'an.[63]
A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims, who often refer to it by its Arabic name, masjid. The word mosque
in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated to Islamic
worship, although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller,
privately owned mosque and the larger, "collective" mosque (masjid jāmi`).[64] Although the primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place of prayer, it is also important to the Muslim community
as a place to meet and study. Modern mosques have evolved greatly from
the early designs of the 7th century, and contain a variety of
architectural elements such as minarets.
"Zakāt" (Arabic: زكاة zakāh "alms")
is giving a fixed portion of accumulated wealth by those who can afford
it to help the poor or needy and for those employed to collect Zakat;
also, for bringing hearts together, freeing captives, for those in debt
(or bonded labour) and for the (stranded) traveller.[66][67]
It is considered a religious obligation (as opposed to voluntary
charity) that the well-off owe to the needy because their wealth is seen
as a "trust from God's bounty". Conservative estimates of annual zakat
is estimated to be 15 times global humanitarian aid contributions.[68] The amount of zakat to be paid on capital assets (e.g. money) is 2.5% (1/40) per year,[69]
for people who are not poor. The Qur'an and the hadith also urge a
Muslim to give even more as an act of voluntary alms-giving called ṣadaqah.
Fasting, (Arabic: صوم ṣawm), from food and drink (among other things) must be performed from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadhan.
The fast is to encourage a feeling of nearness to God, and during it
Muslims should express their gratitude for and dependence on him, atone
for their past sins, and think of the needy. Sawm is not
obligatory for several groups for whom it would constitute an undue
burden. For others, flexibility is allowed depending on circumstances,
but missed fasts usually must be made up quickly.
The pilgrimage, called the ḥajj (Arabic: حج, has to be done during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah in the city of Mecca. Every able-bodied
Muslim who can afford it must make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least
once in his or her lifetime. Rituals of the Hajj include: walking seven
times around the Kaaba; walking seven times between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah
recounting the steps of Abraham's wife, while she was looking for water
in the desert before Mecca developed into a settlement; spending a day
in the desert at Mina and then a day in the desert in Arafat praying and
worshiping God and following the foot steps of Abraham; symbolically stoning the Devil in Mina recounting Abraham's actions.[71]
Law and jurisprudence
The Shariʻah (literally "the path leading to the watering
place") is Islamic law formed by traditional Islamic scholarship, which
most Muslim groups adhere to. Shariʻah "constitutes a system of duties
that are incumbent upon a Muslim by virtue of his or her religious
belief".[75]
The Quran set the rights, the responsibilities and the rules for
people and for societies to adhere to. Muhammad provided an example,
which is recorded in the hadith books, showing how he practically
implemented those rules in a society. After the passing of Muhammad, the Early scholars of Islam including, imam Jafar al-Sadiq, imam Abu Hanifa and imam Malik ibn Anas worked together in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi
in Medina along with over 70 other leading jurists and scholars. They
did not distinguish between each other or classify them selves as Sunni
or Shiʻah. They felt that they were following the religion of Abraham.[76]
They decided on new legal matters where there is no such ruling in the
Quran or the Hadith regarding a similar case. In the books actually
written by these original jurists and scholars, there are very few
theological and judicial differences between them.
Fiqh,
or "jurisprudence", is defined as the knowledge of the practical rules
of the religion. Much of it has evolved to prevent innovation or
alteration in the original religion, known as bid'ah.
These scholars were taught by Muhammad's companions, many of whom settled in Madina. Much of the knowledge we have about Muhammad is narrated through Aisha, the wife of Muhammad. Aisha raised and taught her nephew Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr the grandson of Abu Bakr and the grandfather of Ja'far al-Sadiq. Aishas also taught her nephew Urwah ibn Zubayr. He then taught his son Hisham ibn Urwah, who was the main teacher of Malik ibn Anas.
Many of the differences are regarding Sharia laws devised through Ijtihad where there is no such ruling in the Quran or the Hadiths of Islamic prophet Muhammad
regarding a similar case. As these jurists went to new areas, they were
pragmatic and in some cases continued to use the same ruling as was
given in that area during pre-Islamic times. If the population felt
comfortable with it, it was just and they used Ijtihad
to deduce that it did not conflict with the Quran or the Hadith. This
made it easier for the different communities to integrate into the
Islamic State and that assisted in the quick expansion of the Islamic
State.
The method Islamic jurists use to derive rulings is known as usul al-fiqh ("legal theory", or "principles of jurisprudence"). To reduce the divergence, in the 9th century, the jurist ash-Shafi'i
provided a theoretical basis for Islamic law by codifying the
principles of jurisprudence (including the four fundamental roots) in
his book ar-Risālah.[77] According to ash-Shafi'i,
law has four fundamental roots, which are given precedence in this
order: the Qur'an, the Hadith (the practice of Muhammad), the consensus
of the Muslim jurists (ijma), and analogical reasoning (qiyas). Al-Shafi'i also codified a method to establish the reliability of hadith. Muhammad al-Bukhari[78] then travelled around and collected over 300,000 hadith, but only included 2,602 distinct hadith in his book Sahih al-Bukhari,[78] that passed these tests and he codified as authentic and correct. Sahih al-Bukhari is therefore considered by many to be the most authentic book after the Quran.[79][80] The Arabic word sahih translates as authentic or correct.
They all gave priority to the Qur'an and the Hadith and felt that
Islam was completed during the time of Muhammad and they wanted people
to refer to the Quran.[81] Ahmad ibn Hanbal
rejected the writing down and codifying of the religious rulings he
gave. They knew that they might have fallen into error in some of their
judgements and stated this clearly. They never introduced their rulings
by saying, "This is the judgement of God and His prophet."[82] There is also very little text actually written down by Jafar al-Sadiq himself. Since Jafar al-Sadiq (702-765) did not write any books, the books followed by the Twelver Shi'a were written by Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni (864- 941), Ibn Babawayh (923-991), and Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201-1274).[83][84] Since Jafar al-Sadiq and Zayd ibn Ali did not them selves write any books. But they worked closely with imam Abu Hanifa and imam Malik ibn Anas and the views of imam Jafar al-Sadiq and imam Zayd ibn Ali are in the early Hadith books written by imam Abu Hanifa and imam Malik ibn Anas,[85] the oldest branch of the Shia, the Zaydis to this day and originally the Fatamids, use the Hanafi jurisprudence, as do most Sunnis.[82][86][87]
Islamic law covers all aspects of life, from matters of state, like governance and foreign relations, to issues of daily living. The Qur'an defines hudud
as the punishments for five specific crimes: unlawful intercourse,
false accusation of unlawful intercourse, consumption of alcohol, theft,
and highway robbery. The Qur'an and Sunnah also contain laws of inheritance, marriage, and restitution for injuries and murder, as well as rules for fasting, charity, and prayer.
The differences between the denominations in Islam are primarily
political and amplified after the Safavid invasion of Persia in the
1500s and the subsequent Safavid conversion of Iran to Shia Islam due to the politics between the Safavids and the Ottoman Empire.[88] Before that point Jafar al-Sadiq disapproved of people who disapproved of his great grand father Abu Bakr the first caliph.
Jurists
There are many terms in Islam to refer to religiously sanctioned
positions of Islam, but "jurist" generally refers to the educated class
of Muslim legal scholars engaged in several fields of Islamic studies. In a broader sense, the term ulema
is used to describe the body of Muslim clergy who have completed
several years of training and study of Islamic sciences, such as a mufti, qadi, faqih, or muhaddith. Some Muslims include under this term the village mullahs, imams, and maulvis—who
have attained only the lowest rungs on the ladder of Islamic
scholarship; other Muslims would say that clerics must meet higher
standards to be considered ulama (singular Aalim). Some Muslims practise
ijtihad whereby they do not accept the authority of clergy.[89]
Education is considered very important to Muslims, so that they could
distinguish between right and wrong, but when it comes to entry into
heaven, the most noble in the sight of Allah are the most righteous and
they may be honest, compassionate and helpful to others but not
necessarily very educated.
(source: wikipedia)
Journey To Mecca
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