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Basic
Information about Islam
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Islam, as an Arabic word, means
'submission (to God)', or 'acceptance of (God's) guidance'. It is the name of a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition that, today, has a
global following of approximately 1.4 billion adherents, accounting for 23.5 percent of the world population
(according to estimates published by the World Conference on Religion and Peace, New York, 1999). The world's two other Abrahamic
religions are Judaism and Christianity.
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Although the first Muslims were Arabs, the community quickly expanded to include members of other ethnic groups, for instance, Persians (who are now commonly known as Iranians). Today, the vast majority of Muslims are not Arabs and the largest Muslim population is that of Indonesia, estimated at 210 million.
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Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, was born in Mecca in c. AD 570, received his first revelations in 610, migrated with his companions to Medina in 622 to establish the first organized Muslim community (called the
umma), and died in 632. The year of the Prophet’s migration (Arabic,
hijra) to Medina is the first year of the Muslim, or Hijra,
calendar.
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The holy book of Islam is the
Koran (or Qur’an), which contains the revelations received by Muhammad in Mecca and Medina. The Koran is made up of 114
suras, or chapters, of varying length, each composed of a number of
ayas, or verses. Its text remains unchanged since its compilation was completed in 645.
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Islam enjoins belief in God as well as (a) His revealed books; (b) His angels; (c) His messengers or prophets, (d) the Latter Day (of Resurrection, or
Judgement); and (e) the graceful acceptance of whatever comes from God. Regarding some of these points, the following needs to be understood:
1. Allah is the Arabic name for God and not the name of a special god of Islam. Jews, Christians and Muslims who speak Arabic all refer to God as Allah.
2. Islam regards the original Torah of
Moses (the first five books of the Old Testament or Hebrew Bible), the Psalms of
DAVID and the teachings of JESUS as being no less divinely revealed than the
KORAN, although the Koran is believed to be God's final, complete, unadulterated and authoritative revelation.
3. ISLAM reveres the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets (especially
ABRAHAM and MOSES) as true messengers of God, and considers Jesus as a virgin-born prophet of special pre-eminence, in whom the Word and Spirit of God were manifest.
MUHAMMAD is regarded by Muslims as the last of God's messengers and, hence, 'the seal of the prophets'.
4. MARY, the mother of Jesus, is considered especially holy in Islam and is, in fact, the only woman mentioned by name in the Koran, “Mary” (Arabic,
Maryam) being the name of one of the Koran’s most often-read chapters.
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Muslims are taught to regard the following as the five ‘PILLARS’, or basic foundations, of Islam: (a) the testimony that there is no deity other than God and that Muhammad is God's messenger; (b) the five daily prayers, with their set rites; (c) the daytime fast during the holy month of Ramadan (the ninth of the Hijra calendar); (d) the annual payment of a proportion of one’s wealth for charitable and communal use; and (e) the pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca during the last month of the Hijra year, made at least once in a lifetime, if possible.
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The law of Islam (called the
SHARIA) derives basically from: (a) the teachings of the Koran; (b) the authenticated sayings of the Prophet Muhammad and the precedents he set, collectively called the Sunna, or ‘Tradition’; (c) the consensus of learned opinion, explicit or implicit (called
ijma`); and (d) reasoning by analogy (called qiyas), to help Muslims decide how to deal with new situations that arise in new places or with the passage of time. In general, if any action is not prohibited by the Sharia, it is permissible to Muslims; however, some permissible actions are less socially acceptable than others.
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The ETHICAL CODE of Islam emphasizes (a) the equality of all believers; (b) communal solidarity; (c) truth, honesty and justice in dealings with Muslims and non-Muslims alike; (d) modesty, humility and clemency; (e) honouring parents and caring for the family; (f) caring for the poor and the stranger; (g) kindliness, especially toward neighbours; and (h) patience in the face of adversity. The code also commands believers to encourage virtue and discourage wrongdoing, and warns against aggression, corruption, pride, avarice, greed, envy and waste.
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In principle, the Muslim community, or
umma, is indivisible. After the Prophet Muhammad’s death, however, disagreements over the choice of a new leader for the
umma eventually resulted in the emergence of THREE BASIC
FORMS OF ISLAM: the ‘Sunnite’ or Sunni (meaning ‘traditional’), the ‘Shiite’ or
Shi`i (meaning ‘partisan’) and the ‘Kharijite’ or
Khariji (meaning ‘dissident’).
(1) Probably more than 80 percent of all Muslims today are
SUNNIS. They represent those Muslims who did not question the legitimacy of the ‘caliphs’ (or ‘successors’ to the Prophet) who headed the
umma from the time of the Prophet’s death until the dissolution of the ‘caliphate’ (as this institution was called) in 1924.
(2) The SHIITES originated as the Muslim party (Arabic, shi`a) maintaining that the succession to the Prophet should be restricted to his first cousin and son-in-law Ali, and his descendants after him. In due course, the Shiites came to be organized into different communities, each developing special doctrines and rites. The majority Shiite group today, called the Twelver Shiites, predominates in Iran, and has a following in a number of other Muslim countries. Other important groups of Shiites are the Zaydi community of Yemen, and the Ismaili community now headed by the Aga Khan. Offshoots of such Shiite groups include the Druze, principally found in Lebanon, and the Alawites (or Nusayris) of the coastal mountains of Syria.
(3) The KHARIJITES dissented from both the Sunnis and the Shiites by maintaining that the leaders of the
umma after the Prophet Muhammad should be elected, and that any believing and capable Muslim was eligible for election. Today, the Kharijites are represented by the Ibadi Muslims of Oman and some parts of North Africa.
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An essential part of Islam is observance of the Sharia as the law of God. While the Shiites and the Kharijites maintain their own interpretations of this law, Sunnite Islam recognizes four different
SCHOOLS OF JURISPRUDENCE, each bearing the name of its founder: (a) the
HANAFITE (founded by Abu Hanifa, d. 767); (b) the MALIKITE (founded by Malik ibn Anas, d. 795); (c) the
SHAFIITE (founded by al-Shafi`i, d. 819); and (d) the
HANBALITE (founded by Ibn Hanbal, d. 855); A Sunni Muslim may choose to follow any of these four schools singly or in combination. In general, the Hanafite is seen as the most liberal, while the Hanbalite is considered the most strict. The Muslims of Turkey have been historically Hanafite and, in the Arab world, the Malikites predominate in North Africa and the Sudan, the Hanbalites in Saudi Arabia, and the Shafiites in Egypt, Syria and other adjacent countries.
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Muslims celebrate two official RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS: the three-day holiday marking the end of the Ramadan fast (called
`Id al-Fitr, meaning ‘the feast of the breaking of the fast’), and the four-day one concluding the annual pilgrimage rituals (called `Id al-Adha, meaning ‘the feast of the sacrifice’). These two holidays are occasions for the Muslim family to come together, particularly during the main meal of the day, and to visit other families to pay their respects and maintain community bonds. In addition, Muslims honour such occasions as the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday and the Hijra New Year. Since the Hijra year is lunar, and hence eleven days shorter than the solar Christian year, Muslim holidays vary from one year to another from the perspective of Christians. Hence, the same holiday falls in each of the four seasons in succession, being delayed eleven days from one solar year to the next.
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There is no Muslim equivalent to the Christian Church as a religious institution, nor are there Muslim sacraments or an ordained Muslim clergy. In principle, Muslims, guided by the Koran and the Sharia, are responsible for their religious lives and for the performance of their religious duties. Each Muslim, man or woman, is considered individually accountable before God. In practice, however, religious guidance may be sought from any scholar with a specialized knowledge of Islam. The
MUFTI is a recognized expert qualified to give considered opinions on points of law concerning all aspects of life; when a Muslim has a question, it may be submitted to the mufti, who gives a legal opinion. However, the mufti’s opinions are not binding and other expert opinions on the same legal point may, in fact, be sought. In the
MOSQUE, which is the place where Muslims meet and worship, prayers may be led by any believer, although a professional
IMAM, or prayer-leader, normally fills that role. Likewise, any believer may deliver the oration/sermon before the communal
FRIDAY prayer, although a special mosque functionary, called the
KHATIB (meaning ‘orator’, but often translated as ‘preacher’) is usually appointed for the purpose. Apart from their official responsibilities, functionaries like the
imam and the khatib wield no religious authority, although they may have personal followings. Mosques are maintained by special, permanent endowments called
AWQAF (singular waqf) that may be made by individuals or groups, or by the state.
Responses to Questions
Address
Your Questions on Islam to riifs@riifs.org
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