Thomas W. Lippman's Understanding Islam Essay

“This world is a prison for the faithful, but a paradise for unbelievers”(Muhammed). One in every five persons on this earth firmly believes that the Prophet Muhammad is the last Messenger of God. He was a Muslim and there are more than 1.3 billion such Muslims today. Not only individuals but entire countries take pride in declaring their allegiance to him. There are 54 such Muslim states today, ranging from those as large as Indonesia and Bangladesh, with populations of 200 and 125 million. The prophet Muhammad has influenced a huge portion of the world’s population; in addition, he still has impacts on Islamic and Western world till this day this day. Therefore, this research paper will focus on muhammad’s biography, early life, early social changes under Islam, appearance, Family(backgrounds, traditions and ect….), legacy, Muhammad’s view on Jihad, and Muhammad’s last four years.

Islam, meaning submission or submitting oneself fully to God, is one of the world’s largely practiced religions. Those that participate and practice the Islamic religion

Islamophobia is a hatred or fear of the religion of Islam, Muslims, and of their politics or culture. “Muslims struggle for recognition of their beliefs and practices within the religious mosaic of contemporary America” (3, Shari’ a ...U.S.).America was founded on Christian principles, though many of our Founding Fathers would disagree, it’s true. “But there is every reason to believe that religion, particularly the idea of God, played a constitutive role in the thought of the early American statesmen” (1, The Ideal of Civil Religion). This is one of the reasons why Islamophobia exists, because the idea of another religion entering into America scares people. By reading Kambiz GhaneaBassiri “Islam in America” I able to obtain knowledge on how Islam migrated to the New World before and during the Atlantic Slave Trade. In past classes, we discussed Islamic acculturation to Catholicism, and how slaves felt the need to conform to the dominate culture/religion because of constant pressure that was placed on them by the Europeans and the Spaniards. But my argument was that

The writer also gives other explainations of the religion and of true Muslims to support the fact that not all Muslims reflect those Muslims shown through the media. In the essay, it is explained that a Muslim must complete and practice the five pillars of Islam to become a true Muslim. A true submitter to the faith must (1) practice the Shahadah: a testimony to the unity of God, (2) participate in Salah: daily prayers, five times a day, (3) partake in Zakat or almsgiving: giving back to Allah by giving to the needy, (4) sawm or fast from sunrise to sunset during the Ramadan: the month of

Islam is arguably one of the most misunderstood and relevant topics in modern Western society. Few subjects inspire such fear and hatred in so many people, especially in the United States. While the attacks on September 11th undoubtedly weigh heavily on the American psyche regarding Muslims, an examination of Islam’s long history shows that this Western wariness of the religion long predates any modern terror attack. However, while Karen Armstrong’s Islam: A Short History certainly explores these centuries of conflict between Islam and the West, it also, more importantly, communicates stunning similarities between the ideologies and histories of both civilizations, along with ironies and hypocrisies that would give pause to even the most ardent

Islam has been one of the most important religion for many people for hundreds of years, however not that many people knew of the religion. Islam, began in Mecca, claimed to be the revelation of God Allah through the angel Gabriel to a man named Muhammad. The God, Prophets, and monuments were necessary contributions to the Islam culture.

Islam is an ill-perceived religion throughout most of the Western world. Once known as a quiet and peaceful religion, the general perception of people from other religions and most of the world upon Islam is quite distorted. Ever since the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center, an influx of discrimination and prejudice towards Islam and Muslims has spread throughout the world. In “Understanding Islam,” by Kenneth Jost, an article about several accounts of how Muslims are mistreated and stereotyped throughout the world, brings up a recent poll within the United States says that 45 percent of those surveyed has an unfavorable view of Islam. The article also states that a CBS poll

Islam is a way of life, as well as a religion. Those who follow Islam are very dedicated, for they live their whole life submitting themselves to Allah. As a matter of fact, the word Islam means submission to Allah.

The Prophet Muhammad is the founder of Islam. He is known as the Messenger of God to people of the Islamic faith. Muhammad lived a rough life but he also changed people’s lives. His religion has had an effect on millions of people. There are no pictures of Muhammad’s face; he made a point that the religion was to not be about him, but about Allah.

Islam is a religion that most Americans don’t understand but still have strong feelings towards. To clear things up, Islam is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion written in the Qur'an, a book considered by its believers to be the exact

Instead, from its onset, Islam spread as a conquering power and remained that way for some time. Explaining it this way, the reader gets a sense of the psychology behind Islam and why, besides being a religious task, spreading Islam is such a goal. By showing the issues Islam faces today in the context of past Islamic traditions, Lewis paints a much clearer picture of the skewed view today’s radicals have and the way they use history to manipulate. He examines influential Muslim voices like Saddam Hussein and Usama Bin Laden, who have used history to give Islam victim status or to claim the continuance of a predecessor’s mission to not only justify terrorist activities, but also to recruit followers. He tells the history of Bin Laden’s statement referring to the “humiliation and disgrace” Islam supposedly has suffered. What Bin Laden was referring to was the defeat of the Ottoman sultanate in 1918 and the imperial presence of Westerners on sacred Muslim lands. Lewis explains the offense many Muslims take to the desecration of their holy lands by foreigners. He describes how the discovery and exploitation of oil in the Holy Land of the Hijaz has exacerbated the growing resentment many Muslims

Islam is a religion that is rooted on very strict guidelines that must be followed precisely and without exception. Muslims lives are guided by the teaching of Muhammed. According to Muhammed’s teaching the angel Gabriel came to him in a vision. From this vision came the five Pillars of Islam. New converts to Islam must surrender themselves to the rites, rituals and practices of the religion (Hindson 279). The fives pillars gives specific guidance to how to

"Islam" is derived from the Arabic root salaama meaning peace, purity, submission and obedience. Islam stands for making peace by submitting to the will of God and obeying His law. Jews and Christians view Islam as the latest of the world's great religions. However, worldwide Muslims (sometimes written "Moslems") understand their universal religion as the "final religion" and the "primal religion."

The sanctity of the Qur’an is very important to the Islamic faith.  Qur’ans in other languages are considered to be offensive and blasphemous.  Islam is a monotheistic religion that began in Arabia which focuses on the belief of Allah and Muhammad, the five pillars of faith, and the Qur’an.

His influence and words continue to deeply inspire muslims even though he has been dead for centuries. Muhammad is one of the most interesting religious figures of any religion. He is a mix of all the other important figures from other religions. Like the Bhudda, he began his life as a normal citizen and then became a spiritual figure. At least for me, this allows me to find his words and teachings more believable because he is completely human. He is like Jesus because he is a prophet of God, but he isn't described as half human, half God. This gives him the same importance and validity as a translator of the Holy Spirits word. Since Muhammad is completely human his interpretations can be more believable because there isn't room for confusion on how he was created. Not only was he a spiritual leader of Islam but, he was also a political leader of the Islamic state. I think his leadership background with his business and political background allows Muhammad to better preach the word of Allah.