6. ISLAM
6.1. Historical Overview
6.1.1. Islam was founded by the prophet Mohammed, who was born in
Mecca around 570 A.D. After his mother died, he was cared for by his
mother's brother, Abu Talib. As a young man he traveled with caravans
as far as Syria and even Egypt. Having established himself in this
tradeinalle married a wealthy widow, Khadijah. He was twenty-five.
Having thus achieved material wealth and family stability, Mohammed
took up the practice of meditation, common in Arabia at that time. On
one occasion after he had retired to a cave in the mountains east of
Mecca, the angel Gabriel appeared to Mohammed and commanded him to
recite in the name of the Lord who had created man from the clots of
blood.
This was the first of many revelations received by the
prophet. Mohammed's reaction to that first revelation was not
particularly positive. He feared that he had become a hanif, a kind
of religious fanatic despised by most people because they were assumed
to have been possessed by evil spirits. However, after being
prevented from taking his own life by the angel Gabriel, Mohammed
returned to his wife, found confirmation, and soon began to realize
that he had been appointed by Allah to be a messenger to the world.
Mohammed's initial message of monotheism and coming judgment was met
by opposition which became so intense that in the year 620, the Mecca
Muslims retreated to the nearby city of Yathrib. They were followed
by the prophet himself in 622. This flight, called Hijra, marks the
beginning of Islam as a religion. All Muslim dates are calculated
from this date with the designation A.H., meaning the year of the
Khadijah.
It was during the time in Yathrib that many of the major
social and religious practices were developed. These include the
Mosque, and the practice of praying five times a day towards Mecca.
Yathrib was renamed Medina which means City of the Prophet. During
this time the Muslims also increased their military strength and began
attacking the Meccan caravans. Their military might enabled them to
recapture Mecca in the year 627. The prophet died in the year 632.
6.1.2. Mohammed's entire work could have easily disintegrated after
his death, since he had done almost nothing to prepare his followers.
However, it seems that they quickly reached a consensus and without
too much difficulty appointed Abu Bakr and `Omar to leadership
positions.
Although the decision was probably based on their
longstanding relationship (familial and professional) with the
prophet, both men had proven themselves to be capable political
leaders. But theirs was an authority quite different than that
enjoyed by Muhammad himself. They were halifa, i.e., Caliphs,
followers or representatives rather than Prophets and sources of
revelation.
The term Caliph means "to leave behind" or "a successor". In the
Quran the word is used for a Vice-regent of the Almighty on earth,
e.g., Adam 2:28, David 38:25. It is the title given to the successor
of Mohammed, who is vested with absolute authority in all matters of
state, both civil and religious, as long as he rules in conformity
with the law and the Hadith. There is to be only one Caliph at the
same time.
Muhammad is reported to have said: "When two Caliphs have
been set up, put the last to death and preserve the other, for the
last is a rebel." It was a dispute about this very issue which led to
the first major break in Islamic unity, a schism which gave rise to
the various Islamic sub-groups known to us today.
Under the leadership of the first three Caliphs (Abu Bakr 632-634,
`Omar 634-644 `Otman 644-656) Islam enjoyed a period of remarkable
unity and expansion. By 642 most of Palestine, the Syrian heartland
and Iraq, and Egypt had been conquered. During the same time period
the organizational structures required to maintain order in the
conquered areas was also put into place. This structure was built
around on three offices or functions: i) Governor (War and Religion),
ii) `Urafa - experts or judges, and iii) Quran readers.
The murder of `Othman 656 precipitated a crisis the effects of which
are still felt. Following the assassination, Ali, cousin and son-in-
law of the Prophet Mohammed, was elected Caliph. The basis for that
choice was not so much his family ties but rather the fact that he
vowed to keep the "Traditions" (Sunna) of Mohammed. However, because
he was elected by only one of several parties, Islam experienced a
series of (fitna) civil wars.
The most significant of these wars was
initiated by Mu`awiya, Isalmic governor of Syria, who called for
revenge against Ali, who he considered responsible for `Otman's
murder. In a battle near Siffin (657) the Syrians put Quran verses on
the ends of their lances. Some of Ali's fighters withdrew (Hawarij)
and with that three parties had been formed. The entire matter was
given over to a commission which decided against Ali (658). As a
result, Mu`awiya's followers declared him to be Caliph. Ali's forces
crushed the Hawarij party in a blood bath near Nahrawan but he
continued to lose ground to Mu`awiya and was murdered in 661.
The three Parties that emerged each emphasized a different set of
criteria for the selection of a Caliph. The Hawarij (the withdrawers)
emphasized sinlessness character and religious piety of the Caliph.
The Shiites, followers of Ali, emphasized direct descendency from the
Prophet. The Shiites make up about 10% of Islam today and are
concentrated in Iran, Iraq and Yemen. The third party, the Sunnies
emphasized correct teaching and tradition. Today they make up
approximately 90% of Islam.
6.2. Basic Teaching
Muslim doctrine can be summarized in terms of five teachings and five
duties.
6.2.1. Five basic doctrines.
6.2.1.1. There is only one true god, Allah. Here the emphasis is on
an almost radical form of monotheism. The absolute unity of Allah is
emphasized in such a way as to eliminate the possibility sharing in
that divinity with any other being. Allah is all seeing, all-hearing,
all-speaking, all-knowing, all-willing, and all-powerful.
6.2.1.2. There are angels, chief of whom is Gabriel. Gabriel first
appeared to Mohammed in order to offer to him the Quran. Islam also
believes in a fallen angel, Iblis, and a whole series of satanic
servants or spirits who seek to prevent men from submitting to and
following Allah.
6.2.1.3. Teaching of the inspired books. According to Muslim
doctrine, there are four inspired books: The Torah of Moses, the
Zabur of David, the Ingil of Jesus, and the Quran. Although all four
contain Allah's truth, his final message is addressed to all mankind
in the Quran, thus the Quran supersedes all previous revelations and
abrogates any conflicting claims to truth. Because Jews and
Christians have already received messages from Allah, they are
referred to as the people of the book and therefore treated with more
tolerance than pagans.
The Quran is said to contain only (but all of) the words of Allah as
spoken to Mohammed by Gabriel. It is composed of ll4 suras or
chapters which have been arranged by length with the longer suras
coming first and the shorter ones near the end. According to Muslim
doctrine, the Quran is an exact copy of an original in heaven. This
means that no translations can adequately substitute for the original
Arabic.
Another set of writings referred to as Hadith (tradition) serve as a
source of many teachings, rulings, and sayings of the prophet. In
contrast to the Quran, Hadith do not contain the words of Allah, but
rather the deeds and sayings of the prophet Mohammed. They are
considered inspired, not as authoritative as the Quran itself.
6.2.1.4. There are twenty-eight prophets of Allah. Many of them are
well-know biblical characters such as Adam, Noah, Abraham, David,
Moses and Jesus, but the greatest of the prophets and their seal of
prophecy is Mohammed, the messenger of Allah.
6.2.1.5. Teaching of the last things. The eschatalogical teachings of
the Quran are very dramatic and have great importance in Muslim
theology. Muslims believe in the resurrection of the body, a final
judgment, and a final destiny in heaven or hell. Whether or not man
achieves heaven is dependent in part on his adherence to the five
duties.
6.2.2. The five pillars (duties) of the faith.
6.2.2.1. Confession of faith. To recite the Shahadah (there is no
God but Allah and Mohammed is the prophet. This confession must be
made with conviction to make one a Muslim believer.
6.2.2.2. Prayer. (Salat) These prayers must be recited five times a
day toward the holy city of Mecca. The teaching of proper direction
is called kibla. The faithful are summoned to prayer by the call of
the Muezzin who stands in Minaret.
6.2.2.3. Alms giving. (Zakat) This is the equivalent of a tax. The
money is used for practical needs within the Muslim community.
6.2.2.4. Fasting. During the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of
the Muslim Lunar year, all Muslins are required to fast between sun up
and sun down.
6.2.2.5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj). An official pilgrimage to Mecca
is expected of all Muslims who are in a position either physically or
financially to make the trip.
6.3. Present Strength and Distribution
The total number of Muslims today is approximately 860,388,300. They
are distributed as follows: North America (2,682,600), South America
(645,000) Europe (40,708,700), Asia (571,145,500), Africa
(245,110,500), Oceania (96,000).
A story is told of a man who fell into a pit. He cried out for help
for a long time before noticing a figure standing above him. It was
Confucius. With an aire of profound wisdom the victim was instructed
in the ways of right living only to be told that he could have avoided
this calamity. After his discourse, the would-be savior left.
After a little while another figure appeared. This time it was
Buddha. Upon analyzing the situation this religious leader also
concluded that the man's dilemma was of his own making. It was the
result of a hectic non-reflective life devoid of meditation. At that
point Buddha began to instruct the captive in the ways of yoga and
meditation. At the close of the "lesson" he too disappeared.
A short while passed and another savior appeared. This time it was
Jesus. Seeing the man's predicament, his guilt and his complete
inability to do anything about it he jumped into the pit and helped
the unfortunate man out.
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