Islam
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| − | Islam is the third of the Abrahamic religions, following [[Judaism]] and [[Christianity]]. Islam is a monotheistic [[faith]] which | + | Islam is the third of the Abrahamic religions, following [[Judaism]] and [[Christianity]]. Islam is a monotheistic [[faith]] which Ragheads hold to be the final revelation of [[Allah]] following the revelations to Adam, the Scrolls of Abraham, the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel. Alhough Muslims do not hold [[Jesus]] Christ to be the Son of God, he is considered to be an extremely important prophet. The holy text of Islam is the [[Qur'an]] which is held to be the revealed word of God as transmitted by the angel Gabriel through the [[prediction|prophet]] [[Muhammad]] who is held to be the final prophet sent to earth by God. In Arabic, "Islam" means "submission" (to God, specifically) and descends etymologically from the root word Salaam meaning "peace"; thus, a Muslim is "one who has submitted to (or made peace with) God." |
==Sects== | ==Sects== | ||
| − | + | [[Image:Jihad-my-ride.jpg|thumb|A Raghead and his favorite thing]] | |
There are two major groups within modern Islam, the Sunni and the Shia. The schism between the Sunni and Shia is akin to the schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and occurred for very similar reasons. Following the death of the prophet Muhammad, his nephew Ali was expected to be his successor in the fledgling Muslim nation. However, a rival named Muawiyah had Ali assassinated and consolidated his rule which lead to the Umayyad dynasty. Sunni Muslims hold that any member of the ummah (or community of believers) can hold the position of caliph (or ruler) and accepted Muawiyah's claim to rule whereas Shia Muslims hold that only descendants from the prophet Muhammad can become caliph as only they have the divine right to do so, and thus rejected Muawiyah as caliph. | There are two major groups within modern Islam, the Sunni and the Shia. The schism between the Sunni and Shia is akin to the schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and occurred for very similar reasons. Following the death of the prophet Muhammad, his nephew Ali was expected to be his successor in the fledgling Muslim nation. However, a rival named Muawiyah had Ali assassinated and consolidated his rule which lead to the Umayyad dynasty. Sunni Muslims hold that any member of the ummah (or community of believers) can hold the position of caliph (or ruler) and accepted Muawiyah's claim to rule whereas Shia Muslims hold that only descendants from the prophet Muhammad can become caliph as only they have the divine right to do so, and thus rejected Muawiyah as caliph. | ||
Revision as of 18:24, 26 February 2008
Islam is the third of the Abrahamic religions, following Judaism and Christianity. Islam is a monotheistic faith which Ragheads hold to be the final revelation of Allah following the revelations to Adam, the Scrolls of Abraham, the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospel. Alhough Muslims do not hold Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, he is considered to be an extremely important prophet. The holy text of Islam is the Qur'an which is held to be the revealed word of God as transmitted by the angel Gabriel through the prophet Muhammad who is held to be the final prophet sent to earth by God. In Arabic, "Islam" means "submission" (to God, specifically) and descends etymologically from the root word Salaam meaning "peace"; thus, a Muslim is "one who has submitted to (or made peace with) God."
Sects
There are two major groups within modern Islam, the Sunni and the Shia. The schism between the Sunni and Shia is akin to the schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and occurred for very similar reasons. Following the death of the prophet Muhammad, his nephew Ali was expected to be his successor in the fledgling Muslim nation. However, a rival named Muawiyah had Ali assassinated and consolidated his rule which lead to the Umayyad dynasty. Sunni Muslims hold that any member of the ummah (or community of believers) can hold the position of caliph (or ruler) and accepted Muawiyah's claim to rule whereas Shia Muslims hold that only descendants from the prophet Muhammad can become caliph as only they have the divine right to do so, and thus rejected Muawiyah as caliph.
Within and around these groups there are other subsets of Islam. Among these is Sufism, an ascetic spiritual movement similar in philosophy to Buddhism , and fundamentalist groups such as Salafism and Wahhabism. Ahmadiyya, Druze, and Ba'hai are also offshoots of Islam, though not traditionally considered to be included within the Islamic faith but independent belief systems.
The Five Pillars of Islam
- The Shahaddah, an oath of faith which states "There is no God except Allah and Muhammad is his messenger." One who voluntarily takes the oath is considered to be a Muslim, however the phrase is often spoken into the ear of newborn Muslim babies as both a proxy oath for the child, and a blessing.
- Salah, or prayer. Prayer must be made five times per day, though this can be suspended depending on illness or travel. Prayer is made facing the Kaaba in Mecca and involves a series of prostrations. Prior to praying, a Muslim is required to perform a ritual cleansing, or ablution called Wudu. Each prayer is divided into a number of sections called Raka'ah. Each Raka'ah includes a recitation of the Sura Fatihah, the first verse in the Quran. Following this another verse from the Quran is recited. Afterwards, the Muslim bows, rises again, prostrates, comes up to a kneeling posture, prostrates again, and returns to a standing position. After even numbered Raka'ah the supplicant recites the either the whole or partial Tashahhud, which is a non-Quranic prayer that marks the halfway mark of each prayer, and the conclusion of the prayer. Prayers are made at dawn, noon, mid afternoon, sunset, and evening and are of prescribed lengths. The dawn prayer is 2 Raka'ah, the noon and afternoon prayers are 4 Raka'ah, the sunset prayer is 3 Raka'ah, and the evening prayer is 4 Raka'ah.
- Zakat, which is a ritual giving of alms by all who can afford it. Typically, a Muslim gives 2.5% of their accumulated wealth (or savings) to charities, often organized through local mosques.
- Fasting during the month of Ramadan. During this month, which rotates throughout the year due to the fact that the Islamic calendar is lunar, Muslims must abstain from food, drink (including water), smoking, and sexual intercourse from sunrise (specifically when a thread of light can be discerned from the darkness) to sunset. The goal of the fast as with most ascetic pursuits is to rid one's self of material concerns and to bring one's self closer to God. Women who are pregnant or menstruating, those that are ill or elderly, and pre-pubescent children are exempt from the need to fast.
- The Hajj, which is a pilgrimage to the holy cities of Mecca and Medina during the month of Dhul-Hijah. Muslims are required to circumambulate the Kaaba, walk 7 times between the hills of Safa and Marwah, travel to Mt. Arafat, and symbolically stone the devil.
Other codes of conduct
Muslims also adhere to a number of dietary and behavioral rules including the prohibition on eating pork and consuming alcohol, and maintaining certain standards of cleanliness. Muslims also follow rulings from various schools of Islamic jurisprudence called Fatwas. Though the term fatwa has come to be synonymous with declarations of war by some extremists within Islam, a fatwa can be issued by Islamic scholars on issues as simple as questions regarding conduct in daily life.
Another commonly misunderstood term is "Jihad" which has come to be synonymous with the concept of war waged by Muslims against the West. Historically, Jihad has had two meanings. The greater Jihad is the struggle to improve one's self and one's society and to be a better Muslim. The lesser Jihad is the struggle to defend Islam and one's home against aggression.