Introduction
The country of origin for Islam is Israel. Historical figures are Abraham, Isaac, Jesus, Mohamed and Moses. The central beliefs of Islam are that the great profit Mohammed was sent to the Islamic people to recite the corrected version of the religions texts of Judaism and Christianity. They believe that Islamic religion is the oldest and truest religion but that Christianity and Judaism are part of it. God or Allah is the one true God there is not other God and a Muslims life should be concerned with doing Gods will. Their holy text is the Koran, which is considered the corrected version of the Bible and the Torah. Rituals included fasting. The most commonly known is the fast of Ramadan which is to celebrate the time Mohammed went out in the desert alone to hear God's words and fasted for those days. This report will cover the history of Islam; an explanation of their house of worship, the Mosque; the modern practices of Islam today and a comparison of Islam to Christianity. In conclusion I will explore my views and what I have learned in researching this religion.
History of Islam
The central beliefs of Islam: there is only one God and that everything in life should be centered on the one true God. Muslims believe that Adam, Abraham, Jesus, and Muhammad were all profits. That Muhammad was chosen to recite the Qur'an and that it is the corrected version of the Jewish Torah and the Christian Bible. They believe that everything in life should revolve around a unity and relationship with God. The five pillars reflect these beliefs by setting down guidelines on how to achieve this unity and to respect all religions that follow in the belief in the one God. They create a sense of family and promote that ideal through the prayer where all Muslims are required to face Mecca and perform their daily prayers. The Five Pillars also promotes the belief that social distinctions are not necessary and all people are part of a global family and that we should take an active role in helping our fellow and a concern for his/her well being.
Muhammad is an Islamic prophet who was said to have received the revelations of the sacred text of Islam, the Holy Qur'an. Muhammad was born in one of the poorest families. His father died before his birth and then soon after his mother and grandfather died as well leaving him in the care of his uncle. He was then made to work as a Shepard.
As a teenager Muhammad was identified as a prophet by a Christian monk. Later when he was twenty-five he married Khadijah a woman nearly twice his age that he had been working for. She would become one of his strongest supporters throughout his life during his mission. After his marriage to Khadijah he began to take spiritual retreats. At the age of forty on one of his retreats during the month of Ramadan Muhammad was visited by the angel Gabriel. Gabriel wanted him to write down what he was about to be told, at first he did not wish to do so because he did not know how to write. However after much persistence from the Angel he did as he was instructed. What he was given to write down was the first of what was to become the Qur'an.
Over a period of time he was repeatedly called upon to write down these dictations that were believed to be from the One God. Often times the call to write these teachings down was uncomfortable but he continued to receive them. At first he shared these messages with only a few who were close to him but eventually he was instructed to go out to the people and teach and share these lessons. He was ridiculed and stoned in the beginning by some of the more prominent people who worked around the Ka'bah, a Holy shrine in the center of Mecca that many make a pilgrimage to. Even though he was somewhat under the protection of his uncle his followers still endured persecution. At one point Muhammad and his followers where banished from Mecca for three years. They were then asked to return but were still persecuted.
When Muhammad was fifty he suffered more sadness in that his wife and uncle both passed away and with out their support and protection the persecution of him increased. At the highest point of his suffering he was said to have had a vision where he met past prophets, saw heave and hell, and received blessings. After this he was seen as a prophet by people from Yathrib and asked to come with them to help them in the areas of society and politics. The Muslims flee from Mecca was done in secret and had many difficulties. At one point Muhammad was the last to leave the city he and a friend hid in a cave and while there he taught this fried a sacred ritual to remember God. While in Yathrib also known as Medina Muhammad made a constitution for their people that became a model for Islamic Social administrations.
Due to the Muslims flight to Medina the Meccans saw this as a hostile act and declared war on the Medians. Muhammad let a raid on the Meccans caravans and had the victory over them with the aid of God. Eventually Muhammad negotiated a truce between the cities and peace was made. Muhammad was seen as the one to be sent out to bring back the truth of the One God and that Jews and Christians had distorted the truth of the God of Abraham. The Qur'an was seen as the corrected version of both the Torah and the bible.
In 630 CE Muhammad and his followers the Muslims returned to Mecca. Their numbers were so great that the Meccans could do nothing to deter them. Upon returning to Mecca the city and the Ka'ba was cleaned out and many Meccans converted to Islam. Muhammad then declared peace and forgave all the Meccans for their hostilities toward him. He then returned to medina making the city the center for spirituality. The Islamic faith spread globally and Mohammad made a speech stating that all Muslims are brothers and calling the Islamic faith that of the one Brotherhood. He then made on final journey to Ka'ba to show how rites were to be conducted from then on. He then returned to Medina and fell ill, knowing that the end was near he left instructions for his followers and promised to see them on the other side. He passed away in 632 CE.
Modern Islamic Practices
The Mosque is the house of worship for Muslim prayer. There are two types of mosques, one is especially for Friday prayer and is the grandest of all mosques elaborately designed. The other type of mosque is one that Muslims attend on a regular basis. There is no specific way that mosques must be built they are designed according to the inspiration of the builder. There are only a few specifics that must be included in the building of a mosque. According to Encyclopedia of the Orient they are "Mandatory elements to the mosque is that it clearly must indicate the direction to Mecca (this direction is called qibla). The indication is in most mosques a mihrab, a niche in the wall. The area in front of the mihrab must be roofed. In the wall of the mihrab there can be no doors." Many Mosques are not open to non Muslims but this is beginning to change since they are considered to be houses of God they should be open to all.
According to Religious Tolerance.org "Estimates of the total number of Muslims range from 0.7 to 1.2 billion worldwide and 1.1 to 7 million in the U.S. 3 About 21% of all people on earth follow Islam. The religion is currently in a period of rapid growth." Customs that prevail in the Islamic faith are daily prayer and ritual fasting. Most holidays involve some period of fasting and prayer. Ramadan one of the most well known fasting is done to commemorate the time that Muhammad went out into the desert for forty days and received the word of God that later became the Qur'an. Ramadan is marked by a month of fasting from sun up to sun down. Not even the consumption of water is aloud until after sundown. When one is aloud to eat after at the appropriate time they must be careful in choosing what they eat so that they will have strength to carry them through the day and so as not to go to sleep with too much on their stomach. Anyone who is ill, women who are menstruating or pregnant are not to participate in the Ramadan. Another custom of Muslims is to at least once in their lives if they are able to make the pilgrimage to the Holy city of Mecca. Also daily prayer is required, but there is a ritual to the prayer. All Muslims must be facing Mecca when praying.
An intimate relationship with God is encouraged. All daily life should be concerned with God and pleasing him, living as He wants them to. All religions are respected; Christianity and Judaism in particular as they are similar religions and all of their faiths are considered brothers of Muslims. Even in their Holy book the Qur'an they show their belief in Jesus of the Christian faith "And in their [the earlier prophets] footsteps We sent Jesus the son of Mary, confirming the law that had come before him. We sent him the Gospel, therein was guidance and light and confirmation of the law that had come before him, a guidance and an admonition to those who fear God." Chapter 5, Verse 46
In an interview with Gladis Bouduane questions regarding her faith were asked of her. The following are her answers. How often does your place of worship congregate? "Muslims pray five times per day, and Muslims can gather together during the main five prayers in the mosque. The Friday prayer (the Noon prayer) is for congregation. It is compulsory upon every Muslim who is required to observe the other prayers and has no reasonable excuse to abstain from it. The Friday prayer must be performed in a Mosque if one is available, otherwise, it may be said in any gathering place, for example: homes, parks, etc." What are your daily rituals, if any, that you practice? "Muslims pray five times per day. During the holy month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn until sunset."
Do you have any restrictions to eating habits? "There are certain foods and drinks specified by God as forbidden. Among these are: meat of dead animals and birds, the flesh of swine (pig) and that of anything slaughtered with the invocation of any name other than that of God. All drinks that are intoxicants."
Can you describe for me in detail the fast of Ramadan? Fasting during the entire month of Ramadan means to abstain completely from foods, drinks, intimate intercourse and smoking before the break of the dawn till sunset. It teaches the principle of sincere love for God. It equips us with a creative sense of hope and an optimistic outlook on life by pleasing God and seeking his grace. It teaches patience and unselfishness; moderation and willpower...among other things! Fasting during Ramadan is compulsory upon every Muslim, male or female, who is mentally and physically fit; full of age, the age of puberty (normally about 14) when one will be mentally and physically ready to observe the fasting. One must not be travelling on a journey of about fifty miles or more. When fasting, one must be certain that it will cause you any harm, physical or mental, other than the normal reactions to hunger, thirst, etc.
Children under the age of puberty should not fast, as well as those who are not sane; those who are too old and feeble; expectant mothers and women nursing their children (who must make it up day for a day); women who are in their menstrual cycle (who must make it up day for a day). Sick people whose health is likely to be severely affected by the observance of fasting-these individuals must offer a poor Muslim an average full meal per person per day. During this time, one should exchange social visits and intensify humanitarian services; increase study and recital of the Quran; to exert the utmost patience and humbleness.
What other religious holy days are observed by your faith? The other religious feasts are a feast marking the end of Ramadan and a feast commemorating the time when Abraham sacrificed a sheep given to him by God in place of his son. Christians pray to God through Jesus and believe in the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, what is your core beliefs and who do you pray to? There is only one God, and Mohammed is the prophet of God-the last of many prophets (including Noah, Moses, Noah, Abraham, Jesus). Muslims only pray to God. How do you pray? Before offering the prayer, one must be in good shape and pure condition. It's necessary to wash the parts of the body which are generally exposed to dirt, dust or smog-a performance called ablution, which is performed in certain steps. Then it is tradition to say the prayer call in a loud voice "God is the greatest" repeated four times, "I bear witness that there is no god but the one God," repeated twice, "I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of God," repeated twice. The act of praying is very structured and it requires prostrating to the ground with both hands and the forehead touching the ground.
Does your religion impose any restrictions on women? According to the Quran, women are as vital to life as man himself, and she is not inferior to man. Man and women were not created identical, but they were created equal. Unlike other popular beliefs, Islam does not blame Eve alone for the first sin. The Quran makes it clear that both Adam and Eve were tempted and that they both sinned; that God's pardon was granted to both after their repentance; and that God addressed them jointly. Woman is recognized by Islam as a full and equal partner of man in the procreation of humankind. He is the father and she is the mother and both are essential to life. She is equal to man in the pursuit of education and knowledge. She is entitled to freedom of expression as much as man is. In fact, in Islam, man is the person solely responsible for the complete maintenance of his wife and his family.
Women have no financial responsibility whatsoever, as she is provided for by her husband. If she does work, her money is her alone and she is not responsible for the maintenance of anybody else but herself. As mothers, we enjoy more recognition and higher honor in the sight of God, as "Paradise is under the feet of the mothers." There are so many other things that are equitable with men and women, and I hope to share them with you, or just read about it! Women are in no way inferior to men and men are obligated to show kindness and consideration to their wives. Are there any aspects of your faith that you do not agree with? No, not at all. What are the challenges, if any, to practicing this particular religion?
How can there be three divine persons and only one "real" God, when all three are the God? The idea of Jesus being the son of God (although quite sentimental) is based on the idea of his disciples and those who followed him. The last testament, which is based on the life and teachings of Jesus were in fact written many years after Jesus' death and were based on the thoughts and words of the disciples, who loved him very much yes, but they were not revealed like the First Testament and the Quran were. Being a Muslim is a way of life and it requires virtues such as patience, willpower, righteousness, discipline, moderation, among others. Most importantly, it requires one to have love for God. Being a Muslim brings many rewards for us and those around us. I think the biggest challenge is the fact that the Muslim faith is misunderstood, but it's simply a challenge and rising to the challenge is more rewarding than it is. Being a good "brother/sister" to all humans is one part of being a Muslim and being a good role model to our children and humanity is a never-ending task.
Comparison to Christianity
Islam and Christianity are very close in relation. One could say that they are sister religions. Both flow from Judaism and both have their origins in the same country of Israel and from the same profit Abraham. Where they start to differ is in their beliefs as to who Jesus is. To Christians Jesus is the son of God in human form and the savior of all mankind. Muslims believe in Jesus but see him as a profit such as Abraham and Muhammad. Christians believe that the Bible is the definitive works of God and that the Bible is the only authority on God. Muslims believe the profit Muhammad was giving the words written down in the Qur'an as an addendum and correction to the texts of the Bible and the Jewish Torah. Muslims view God as the one true God (Allah) and there can be no other Gods. Christians do believe in One God but that he takes three forms; God, the Father; The Holy Ghost or spirit; and, Jesus, the son of God and savior of mankind. Christian's places of worship, Churches, are different from Muslims Mosque's. Churches are not only for prayer but for studying the word of God and preaching the text of the bible to the people. It is also seen as a social setting where fellow Christians can congregate together sharing in fellowship with each other. Sharing testimonies of how God has healed them or worked in there lives.
Conclusion
In preparing this report and research facts on Islam I have found that there was much that I did not know or understand. I have learned much from studying Islam and found that it is very close to my own beliefs. I must admit that I allowed the actions of zealots to color my ideas about Muslims and was somewhat quick to believe all the things I had heard about this religion. I now know and realize that there are many misconceptions, lies and myths that have been perpetuated by a few extremists and ignorant people. I hope to share with others my findings and perhaps teach a little tolerance and understanding with my report here and through my future actions. I hope you have learned something from this report and can find a new respect for the religion of Islam.
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