by Sulaiman Dufford
I. Islam and Muslims
The name of this religion is Islam, the Arabic root
of which is "Silm" or "Salam", both meaning peace. "Salam"
may also mean greeting one another with peace. One of
the beautiful names of God is that He is The Peace, but
this Divine Name also means more than that: it means
submission to the One God, and living in peace with the
Creator. It means living in peace with one's self, with
other people, and with the natural environment. A Muslim
is supposed to live in peace and harmony with all these
segments. Hence, a Muslim is any person anywhere in the
world whose obedience, allegiance, and loyalty are to
God, the Lord of the Universe, and to the innate harmony
of His Creation. Thus, Islam is a total system of
living.
II. Muslims and Arabs
The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims
are not to be confused with Arabs. Muslims may be Arabs,
Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians,
Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Chinese,
Russians, or other nationalities.
An Arab could be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew, or an
atheist. Any person who adopts the Arabic language is
called an Arab. However, the language of the Qur'an (the
Revealed Book of Islam) is also Arabic. Muslims all over
the world try to learn Arabic so that they may be able
to read the Qur'an and understand its meaning. Although
personal supplications can be in any language, Muslims
pray their five required daily prayers in the language
of the Qur'an, namely Arabic, which is also, and perhaps
not by coincidence, one of the most stable,
sophisticated, and beautiful languages in modern
history.
Thus, whereas some religions have their liturgical
languages (such as the Catholics used to have Latin),
the Muslims are blessed with more than that. The Muslims
have a Revelatory Language, the unchanged and
incorruptible language in which the Qur'an was actually
received. The Prophet Muhammad was confronted and
entranced by the Angel Gabriel off and on over a period
of years in both Makkah and Madinah, and all of these
segments of the Qur'an were immediately dictated to his
Companions.
Yet, even though there are more than a billion
Muslims in the world, there are only about two hundred
million Arabs, of whom about ten percent are not Muslim.
Thus, Arab Muslims constitute only about twenty percent
of the Muslim population of the world.
III. Allah, the One and Only God
Although Allah is the name of the One and Only God,
we may call Him by ninety-nine other beautiful names,
such as: The Gracious, The Merciful, The Beneficent, The
Creator, The All-Knowing, The All-Wise, The Lord of the
Universe, The First, The Last, and others. He is the
Creator of all human beings. He is the God for the
Christians, the Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhists, the
Hindus, the atheists, and others. Muslims put their
trust entirely in Allah, and they seek only His help and
only His guidance.
IV. Muhammad
Muhammad was chosen by God to deliver His Message of
Peace, namely Islam. Muhammad was born in 570 C.E.
(Christian or Common Era), in Makkah in Arabia. He was
entrusted with the Message of Islam when he was at the
age of forty years. The revelation that he received is
called the Qur'an, while the message is called Islam.
Muhammad is considered to be the summation and the
culmination of all the prophets and messengers that came
before him. He purified the previous messages from
adulteration and completed the Message of God for all
humanity. He was also entrusted with the power of
explaining, interpreting, and living the teachings of
the Qur'an. When asked why he did not perform miracles
as other prophets before him were said to have done, he
replied that the Qur'an was his miracle.
V. The Sources of Islam
The legal sources of Islam are the Qur'an and the
Hadith. The Qur'an contains the exact words of God - its
authenticity, originality, and totality are intact. The
Hadith are reports by Companions of Muhammad of
indisputable integrity of the sayings, deeds, and
explanations of the Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet's
sayings and deeds themselves are called "Sunnah". Those
related to explication of verses of the Qur'an are
considered binding upon all Muslims. Those Hadith
related to Prophet Muhammad's dress and personal
behavior as an Arab are considered optional. However,
the "Seerah", or writings of followers of Muhammad about
his life and actions, provide examples of daily living
for Muslims.
VI. The Islamic Creed
Muslims, or those who wish to convert to Islam, must
agree to and hold the following beliefs as inviolable:
1) Oneness of God
He is One and the Only One. He is not two-in-one or
three-in-one. This means that Islam rejects the idea of
a trinity, a son of God, or any man-god. By implication,
people are created equal in front of the Law of God.
There is no superiority for one race over another.
However, God has created the races with different ethnic
cultures, colors, languages, beliefs, and skills, so as
to interest and inspire one another. The Qur'anic
teaching is that the different races are meant to be
complementary, not confrontational. The concept is
global, not tribal. If there is superiority among
mankind, it is only God Who knows what it really is. It
is only God Who knows which men or women are among the
truly pious or the truly righteous.
2) The Revealed Books
Christians, Jews, and Muslims are all "People of the
Book". All have received teachings revealed directly
from God, and perhaps others before them have received
revealed Books as well, even though their books may have
been lost or fragmented. The Qur'an, being the only
fully authentic and unchanged of the revealed Books, is
considered the final treasure given to mankind. Further
advice is not needed, only deeper understanding of
divine advice already given in the Qur'an, as well as
earlier books. Muslims are required to believe in and
respect all revealed Books that have descended to
mankind throughout its history.
God promised in the Qur'an to protect its contents
until the end of history, and evidence of that
protection can be found in the thousands and thousands
of children, as well as devout adults, who can recite
the entire Qur'an BY MEMORY, from cover to cover, as
well as the millions who can and do recite portions of
it every day of their lives.
3) The Prophets of God
Muslims believe that God sent different messengers
throughout the history of mankind. All came with the
same message and the same teachings. It was the people
who misunderstood and misinterpreted them. Muslims
believe in, among others, Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac,
Ismail, Jacob, Moses, David, Jesus, and Muhammad. The
Prophets of Christianity and Judaism are indeed the
Prophets of Islam. Even the Buddha may have been a
prophet whose original teachings were lost or corrupted,
since the Qur'an states that many prophets unknown to
modern history also brought revealed Books and
teachings. The Hindu Vedas may have been fragments of
the Book brought by Abraham (Brahmanism).
4) Angels
Muslims believe that there are unseen creatures such
as angels created by God for special missions in the
universe. At the end of every prayer, Muslims give the
greeting of "Peace" to the angels which accompany them
over each shoulder - to the right, the Recording Angel
for our good deeds; to the left, the Recording Angel for
our sins. The Qur’an was revealed and taught to Prophet
Muhammad through the agency of the Angel Gabriel. The
Prophet tells many stories in his Hadith about angels
appearing in the world.
5) The Day of Judgement
Muslims believe that there is a Day of Judgement when
all people of the world throughout the history of
mankind till the last day of life on earth, are to be
brought for accounting, reward, and punishment. The
Prophet enjoined all Muslims to hold the reality of this
day in awe and trepidation, and to manage all their
earthly affairs with the inevitability of this day in
mind. To that end, the following Islamic rituals and
actions have been given by God to the Prophet, and
thence to all the Muslims, to protect and sharpen
Muslims' remembrance of the Last Day.
VII. Islamic Practices
Whereas the Islamic creed shares much with other
world religions, the true Muslim distinguishes himself
from the followers of these other religions by means of
diligent study and practice of the following rituals and
practices, known as the FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM:
1) Witnessed Profession of Faith (“Shahada”)
The verbal commitment and pledge that there is only
One God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God, is
considered to be the Creed of Islam. In addition to
anyone who is born to Muslim parents, anyone who utters
the words of this creed before two sane, adult Muslim
witnesses has become Muslim all the rest of his life,
both in this world and the next.
2) Prayer (“Salat”)
In further witness thereto, children and Muslim
converts eight years of age and up are required to learn
the distinctive Islamic way of approaching the One God
by means of the Muslim Prayer, or “Salat”, as revealed
to Prophet Muhammad on his miraculous Ascension to the
Throne of Allah, which began from the famous golden
“Dome of the Rock” in Jerusalem. This Dome is not really
a mosque, as is often supposed. It is rather a shrine to
the Prophet’s Ascension. However, it is sometimes also
referred to as the “Mosque of Omar”, because it was
built by the Caliph Omar to mark and protect the large
rock within it, from which the Prophet’s journey to
Heaven traditionally began. The third holiest mosque in
Islam is nearby, the “Aqsa Mosque” at the other end of
the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
Although children and new Muslims are given any
amount of time to learn their “Salat” properly, it is an
absolute requirement for anyone who calls himself
Muslim. It generally becomes second nature, something
like the act of respiration, for those of sincere
dedication to Islam. The absence of “Salat” may create
various hazards for Muslims who think they can ignore
this bedrock of Muslim worship with impunity. “Salat”
contains many benefits and secrets for the worshipper,
psychological as well as spiritual.
3) Fasting (“Saum”)
Every ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar is
Ramadan, and the Qur’an orders all Muslims of sound mind
and body to fast from dawn until sunset all the days of
the month. No drinking, eating, or marital relations are
permitted. In addition, harsh words, acts of anger, and
various other emotional indulgences are also not
permitted. As with “Salat”, this Ramadan fast holds many
secrets and benefits. Many Muslim converts come to Islam
AFTER practicing this fast and experiencing the proofs
and benefits thereof.
4) Purifying Tax (“Zakat”)
The distinction between pure and impure financial
gain is important in Islam, and in order to protect
oneself against the temptations of undeserved or impure
gain, every Muslim must pay a given percentage of his
wealth to the poor or other rightful beneficiaries
before the end of every Ramadan month. There have been
eras in Islamic history when the “Zakat” system solved
all the problems of poverty and hardship within Muslim
communities.
5) Pilgrimage (“Hajj”)
The performance of pilgrimage to Makkah is required
once in a lifetime if means are available. “Hajj” is
partly in memory of the trials and tribulations of
Prophet Abraham, his wife Hagar, and their eldest son
Prophet Ismail. A successful “Hajj” may not be performed
on credit. It is sometimes taught that a reasonably
successful Ramadan fast must precede the “Hajj”, which
is then considered a response to an invitation from
Allah, the Most High, to visit His Holy House on earth.
The realty of heaven, hell, prayers of supplication, and
forgiveness of one’s sins, are all often experienced by
sincere “Hajjis”.
VIII. Other Related Aspects
Following from the beliefs and practices mentioned
above, Muslims gain personal conviction that people are
born free of sin. It is only after they commit sins that
they are to be charged for their mistakes. No one is
responsible for or can take responsibility for the sins
of others. However, the door of forgiveness through true
repentence is always open, provided it is accompanied by
sincere remorse.
Muslims believe that Islam is a total and a complete
way of life. It encompasses all aspects of life. As
such, the teachings of Islam do not separate religion
from politics. As a matter of fact, both private and
public life are considered under the obedience of Allah
through His teachings. Hence, economic and social
transactions, as well as educational and political
systems, are also part of this obedience.
However, early Islamic polities did not call
themselves, or refer to, an “Islamic State”. All states
must be Islamic in values and beliefs, whether or not
they refer to themselves as “Islamic”. Admittedly, many
modern states do not yet reach this standard, though
they may be full of Muslims.
Islamic practices and celebrations are based on the
lunar calendar. However, most Muslim countries use the
Gregorian solar calendar for business or economic
purposes. Central to Islamic culture, however, is the “Hijra”,
or migration of the Prophet and all Muslims from Makkah
to Madinah in the year 623 C.E. This “Hijra” enshrines
each Muslim’s individual effort to free himself from the
bonds or dangers of the non-Muslim elements of the
culture into which he or she may have been born.
Therefore, only the “Hijra”, or lunar calendar, truly
expresses distinctively Muslim culture, and should hang
in every Muslim home on earth.
The two main celebrations marked by the “Hijra” or
lunar calendar, are the Idul Fitra, which follows
Ramadan and celebrates whatever degree of inner
revelation we may have attained by virtue of our
diligent fasting; and the Idul Adha, which follows the
Pilgrimage Season and celebrates our gratitude for the
performance of a successful “Hajj” by ourselves or those
Muslims who were able that year, by means of sacrificing
dedicated animals to feed the poor.
Charity at the end of Ramadan is economic, charity at
the end of Hajj season is by feeding the poor.
As for the Islamic diet, only animals slaughtered in
the name of the One God should be eaten by Muslims,
although some jurists allow western meat to be eaten
since western Christians are still considered “People of
the Book”. A further consideration, however, is that
“zabiha” slaughter must also involve draining of the
blood, so that most western meat suppliers cannot be
considered fully “zabiha”. Muslims are also restricted
from consuming pork, alcohol, or any dangerous or
addictive drug.
The Muslim place of worship is called a Mosque or
Masjid. The three most holy places of worship in the
world for Muslims are: Mosque of Ka’aba in Makkah,
Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad in Madinah, and Masjid
Aqsa, adjacent to Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem.
A Muslim may pray anywhere in the world, whether in a
Mosque, a house, an office, or outside. The whole world
is a place of worship. Muslims may pray individually
anywhere, though it is preferable to pray in
congregation.
The special day for Muslims is Friday. It is
considered sacred and it is said that the Day of
Judgement will take place on Friday. A leader (“Imam”)
gives a sermon (“Khutba”) and leads the congregational
prayer. However, in contrast to the Jewish and Christian
“Sabbath” days (Saturday and Sunday), Muslims are
allowed to return to their economic activities
immediately after the Friday prayers.
Although differing in days of congregational worship,
Muslims, Christians, and Jews are all called “People of
the Book” in the Qur’an and they are advised to work
together for common terms, to worship the One God, and
to cooperate in solving the many problems in society.
Modern European Jewish Zionism is considered a
political maneuver that is totally distinct from Judaism
as a monotheistic religious entity, with whom Muslims
have no quarrel. Proof of the peaceful relations between
Muslims and Jews can be found in the many Jews who fled
the Catholic Inquisition in Spain and were welcomed by
the Muslims. These Jews settled in the heart of the
Islamic Caliphate. They enjoyed positions of power and
authority.
