Currently in the United States, Islam is the third largest faith following Christianity and Judaism (Religious Landscape Study). Sadly, with Islam being the third most popular religion, most Americans hold false views and miss informed judgements towards Muslims community, their practices, and beliefs. Prior to attending the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, I knew very little about my Muslim neighbors. During my time at the mosque, I learned about the Qur’an, how to write in Arabic, and the history of Islam. Islam is the belief of the teachings of Muhammad, who is believed to be the Messenger of God. Muhammad, the last prophet sent by God in 610 A.D, claimed to encounter an angelic visitation which is believed to be the beginning of Islam. Muhammad began preaching the words of Allah (the Arabic word for God) which was later compiled into the text of the Qur’an. The Qur’an did not originate with Muhammad, but contains many of Muhammad’s teachings he spread. The Qur’an contains the Muslim five pillars of Islam. These pillars include Testimony of Faith, Fasting, Charity (zakat), and Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) for those who are able (Enchassi). These five pillars of Islam are the framework to the Muslim beliefs. Along with learning about the history of Islam, it really opened my eyes to how similar the beliefs of my faith, Christianity, is compared to the Muslim faith. Prior to learning about the Islamic faith, I did not realize that Christianity and Islam shared
The Islam faith, spread under the prophet Muhammad in about 600 c.e., holds that peace can be found when one surrenders to Allah (“Overview of Islam”). Muslims, or followers of Islam, are expected to become very knowledgeable of the sacred text of Islam, the Qur’an. This all truthful text as Muslims believe, contains “knowledge in areas of action, contemplation, and intellectual concerns” (“Overview of Islam”). It is essentially a guidebook for living a life on the Straight Path. The Islam tradition is rooted in the fulfillment of the Five Pillars of Islam. The proclamation of faith, daily prayers, fasting during Ramadan, giving of wealth to community, and the pilgrimage to Mecca provide a guide
The religion of Islam is based on the prophet Mohammad ibn-Abdullah born in Mecca around A.D.570 (Braswell, 11). “He served the Muslin community as a prophet, political and economic leader, and a commander –in –chief of his warriors” (Braswell, 19). In Islamic terms, Mohammad means, “the much praised one” and in Moslem it means “submission one”. It educates their followers that there is only one god and it is through their faith and conduct that they will go to a heaven or paradise after their death. Islam gives people principles and encourages unity (Crites, 2011). Mohammad's Islamic teachings manifested over the years. He would take trips into the
The spread of Islam throughout the world was among the most significant worldwide movements in history. Beginning as the faith of a small community of believers in Arabia in the seventh century, Islam rapidly became one of the major world religions. The core beliefs and culture of this faith is the belief that Muhammad (570-632), a respected businessman in Mecca, a commercial and religious center in western Arabia, received revelations from God that have been preserved in the Qur'an. The core of Islam remains the same today after 1396 years. Islam still translates to “submission” and Muslims still live by the Qur’an and follow the 5 Pillars of Islam. However, throughout the Pre-Islamic, Umayyad, and Abbasid
Islam, a religion of people submitting to one God, seeking peace and a way of life without sin, is always misunderstood throughout the world. What some consider act of bigotry, others believe it to be the lack of education and wrong portrayal of events in media; however, one cannot not justify the so little knowledge that America and Americans have about Islam and Muslims. Historically there are have been myths, many attacks on Islam and much confusion between Islam as a religion and Middle Easter culture that is always associated with it. This paper is meant to dispel, or rather educate about the big issues that plague people’s minds with false ideas and this will only be touching the surface.
Reading about Islam also gave me a chance to reflect on those things within the Christian tradition that I hold dear. I believe in God, and most
Americans strongly affirm the principles of religious freedom, religious tolerance, and separation of church and state. Nearly 9-in-10 (88 percent) Americans agree that America was founded on the idea of religious freedom for everyone, including religious groups that are unpopular. Ninety-five percent of Americans agree that all religious books should be treated with respect even if we don’t share the religious beliefs of those who use them. Nearly two-thirds (66 percent) of Americans agree that we must maintain a strict separation of church and state. Americans’ views of Muslims and Islam are mixed, however. As with other previously marginalized religious groups in U.S. history, Americans are grappling with the questions Islam poses to
The teachings of Muhamad are based on brotherhood and the belief of all Muslims on a common faith. The Koran is the scriptural basis of Islam and it is believed to be the words of God delivered to Muhammad by Angel Gabriel. The five fundamental pillars of Islam are the confession, prayer, zakat, the haji and fasting. The haji is the prescribed visit to Mecca for all Muslims in a lifestyle. Islam also believes in the end of the world and Judgement day.
According to the author and professor of religion at San Diego State University, Khaleel Mohammed, and many Muslims around the United States, Islam is progressively increasing worldwide and is soon to be the world’s largest religion. After 9/11, Americans seem to look at Muslim people a whole lot differently, and think of the Muslim religion as something completely different than what it really is. According to the author Edward Said, Muslims were mostly viewed as “oil suppliers” and nothing more, dating back about twenty years before the tragedies of September 11. In the 1997 article published by Edward Said titled, Covering Islam, he states how the Muslims were the last acceptable form of foreign culture in the west. On top of these discriminatory
The development of Islam – 7th century C.E. – This religion began when the angel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad and told him to spread the word of God. At this time, many people worshipped many gods/idols. Muhammad was thought of as the “one true prophet” by his followers. There are five pillars of Islam: the shahada – profession of faith, salat – ritual prayer, sawm – fasting, zakat – giving alms, and hajj – pilgrimage to mecca. Muhammad’s preaching about there only being one god got him kicked out of Mecca in 622 C.E. where he and his followers ended up in Medina. In Medina, the Islamic community grew into a small emoire-like group. In 630, the Muslims took back Mecca. After Muhammad’s death, the religion continued to grow with many disputes
Although Middle-East Politics Club numbers fewer than 10, my hope is that our little organization can help my high school community embrace Muslim-Americans in the same way Americans have embraced so many other ethnic and religious groups. Addressing the issue will not be easy. Meetings and discussion groups are taking place to explore the possible reasons why Americans have a deep-seeded hostility towards Muslims. Our ultimate goal is to stem the ever-increasing antagonism towards Muslims through education. As Helen Keller said in her essay Optimism, “The highest result of education is tolerance.”
Islam is one of the oldest and the second largest religions today, coming second to Christianity. The religion is believed to derive mostly from the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. He was also believed to be the last prophet. Islam began in about 600 AD, around the time Muhammad was instructed to teach the word of God in Mecca. When Muhammad was about forty years of age, he began having visions and would also hear voices. Often enough, he would find clarity by meditating in a cave at Mount Hira (near Mecca). One day as he was meditating, he saw a light and felt sequestered. It was the Archangel Gabriel speaking to him, revealing the first verse. This verse was the first of many that would later become the basis of the Quran. During the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula, it was believed that there were multiple Gods but these revelations contradicted that belief; proving that there existed only one God. Like other prophets, Muhammad was chosen to be the messenger of the word of God. Due to the animosity he received, Muhammad left Mecca and went to Medina. While there, he would still receive divine revelations and began to build an expanding community full of supporters and followers of the new faith. After years of violence due to the conflicting religions, Mecca surrendered. Muhammad and his followers returned to Mecca after that and destroyed the pagan idols while spreading the new faith and belief in one God. After the holy Qur 'an, the sayings of the Prophet
The basic message of Islam was that there was one God who ruled over the other Gods and whose name was Allah. Muslim Prophet Muhammad was the last and greatest prophet of Allah. He believed that Allah had exposed himself in Moses and Jesus and thru the Hebrew and Christian traditions (203). The last revelations were given to him. These revelations were written down in a holy book that became the Qur 'an. The teachings of Muhammad formed the foundation for the religion of Islam. Islam means, "submission to the will of Allah". Allah was the almighty who created the world and everything in it (203). His worshipper 's were called Muslims. Islam was a way to set religious beliefs as well as a way of life. The Islamic society had a certain way in which they behave. They had their morals recorded in the Qur 'an and this served as their code of ethics and law (203). They has to followed a basic righteous code that was compose of the Five Pillars of Islam. These first pillar, was that there is no other God but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet. The second pillar is that regular prayers to worship Allah are required 5 times a day and a public prayer on Friday at midday. The third pillar was that money must be given to the poor and needy. The fourth pillar was the observance of the Holy month of Ramadan with fasting from dawn to sunset. The fifth pillar was to make a pilgrimage to Mecca
You often hear that Islam is the third and newest religion of the Abrahamic faiths (after Judaism and Christianity). However, you have read and heard that Islam does not understand itself as a “new” religion. Please describe how Islam understands itself as a continuation of monotheism and a correction of Judaism and Christianity. You can make reference to certain Qur’anic ideas which we discussed in class and include considerations of historical objects like the Kaaba in your answer. You are also welcome to use ideas found in the readings. Word Limit: 100 – 150
Islam, refers to the motion of submission. Practicing Islam is to practice "complete submission to Allah” in every aspect of a Muslim’s life. The origin of Islam is very different from that Christianity and other religions. While the disciples of Christ were a persecuted minority in a legal state and socially organized, Islam was in addition to religion, the state and the law that organized a society. Muhammad, besides being a prophet, was a statesman who raised an empire, and Islam not only organizes and directs the spiritual and religious, but also political, social and even economic aspects. Therefore the identification of religion and power has been inscribed indelibly on the memory of Muslims. To most Muslims Islam is not only a religion, but also a way of life. The Quran, the Muslim holy book, and the Hadith, a collection of sayings of the prophet Muhammad, are the two most important books in a Muslim’s life that teaches everything about how a believer should lead his life. They also believe in 5 major spiritual obligations and they are called the five pillars of faith. They are the Shahada or profession of faith, the five daily prayers to God facing Mecca, Zakat or charity, Fasting during the daylight hours of Ramadan, and lastly the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in the lifetime of every Muslim.
Islam is construed as the second largest religion after Christianity across the world. It stretches from Northern Africa to the Far Southeast Asia. And there are momentous numbers of the Muslims that can be found transversely on the world. The Islamic religion is believed to have originated from Arabia when Prophet Muhammad incepted it in the seventh century (570-632). It is believed that he did receive divine revelation that is recorded in the Quran. The Muslims holds the conviction that Allah is God is the same one that did reveal himself to Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. This means that the Jews, Muslims, and the Christians are believers in the same living God. The Muslims are the cousins of the Christians, and they did emanate from the