History, Myths, Sacred Texts, and Symbols of Islamic Religion
Islamic religion lays great emphasis on both the world we live in and the afterlife. Islamic religion shuns selfish ways. Islam insists on morality and mannerism, advocating mutual respect within the society. Islam abhors many non-social behaviors. One notable aspect of Islamic culture is their mode of dressing, especially women. They are required to dress in a dignified way and not with the intent of provoking unnecessary attention from the opposite sex. A woman is only expected to expose her face and probably the hands in front of the public, more than this is not considered decent. Sex is an aspect that is only encouraged in the institution of marriage. Adultery is forbidden. Marriage is considered a holy union which should not be interfered with. In extreme cases of misunderstanding within this union, the partners are allowed to divorce in a stipulated manner as prescribed by the teachings of the religion. Muslims are required to respect their parents. In many instances Muslims have always been viewed with suspicion and linked to terrorist attacks. To gain a better understanding of Islamic religion we need to begin by establishing the roots and origin of the religion (Levinson, 2008).
History of Islam
This religion can be dated back to 610 when Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) received orders from angel Jibreel, at Mount Hira. He was inside a cave. He was told to begin reciting. The message He was to put across were revelations of God. The remainder of the life of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) was to continue with this practice. Some of his words were recorded and canonized to form the present day Holy Quran. This is the Holy Scripture used by Muslims all over the world for their teachings and prayers. Because of the many revelations that Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) was receiving and portraying to the people, He was able to attract a huge following by the people. The greatest message in Islam is that there no other God but Allah, Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) is his prophet. This is the main statement which makes Islam a monotheistic religion. Since time immemorial, Muslims have not been documented to be having many gods. The revelations and teachings of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) were taking place in Mecca (Philips, 2008).
The authorities in Mecca were threatened by the following that Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) was able to attract and their feared for their thrones and respect within the society. They had to act before it was too late. They saw it in their best of interest to expel Him. He was able to convince a large number of people to proceed with him in his journey from Mecca to Medina. This journey took place in 622 and came to be referred to as Hijrah. This journey had a great meaning to the followers of Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), that the Islamic calendar is said to have begun in 622. Within a period of less than 10 years, Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) had amassed such a large following that he felt he had the ability to conquer Mecca. In 630, he led his people and captured the city. This is also the time when he came to be accepted as the final prophet sent by God. Though, initially he had been accepted as a prophet, his return to Mecca, made his followers gain more confidence in him. He offered spiritual and earthly guidance to the people until 632 when he died. Prior to Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh), Muslims had believed in all the prophets and recognized him as the final prophet, they had also believed and followed other religions before his coming. They considered Islam as the final religion to be sent by God (Poirier, 2008).
A prophet was required to have a successor, in this case, Imam Ali, who was a cousin to the prophet, became his successor. Prophet Muhammad (Pbuh) had chosen him before dying. Imam Ali had married the daughter of the prophet, Saydah Fatimah. He continued in the footsteps of the prophet, teaching religious aspects to the people. He was assisted by Imam Hussain as well as Imam Hassan both of whom were his sons. Factions begun to arise within Islam as some people changed the view on a greater proportion of the masses concerning the ability of Imam Ali. They felt that they were more capable of establishing Islam as a world religion. Many people agreed with them but some did not change their view on the leadership of Imam Ali. Those who remained and followed the teachings of Imam Ali are the present day Shia Muslims. Those who followed the other leaders constitute the present day Sunni Muslims. They went under the leadership of caliphs. The initial caliphs, Rashidun, were Abu Bakr, Umar, Ali as well as Uthman (Philips, 2008).
Sacred Texts in Islam
Quran is the most sacred text used by Muslims worldwide. It is composed of revelations by Allah to Prophet Mohammed (Pbuh), through angel Jibreel. Canonicalization of Quran is believed to have taken place from 644 to 656. In order to have an in depth understanding of Islamic religion, Quran remains an unrivalled book. Quran is believed to have never been changed or edited as it is guarded by Allah Himself. The Quran has 114 chapters which are referred to as surah. These chapters can further be classified into Madinan or they can be Meccan, mainly depending on the city of revelation. Each chapter has verses known as Ayats (Poirier, 2008).
Hadith is a collection of the laws and traditions of Muslims, Sunna. It is highly regarded by Muslims. In terms of religious texts, only the Quran rivals it in superiority and importance on religious guidance. It is written from the actions and words of Prophet Mohammed (Pbuh). The hadith were gathered to form collections in the course of the 8th and the 9th century. The collections had reached a staggering 600,000, but were soon edited downwards to less than 25,000. The Shia and the Sunni Muslims have different sets of Hadith (Poirier, 2008).
There is also a mystical belief system in Islam that has come to be referred to as Sufism. There are quite a number of Sufi texts. They are very poetical in expression, they contain devotional stories and they arte many in number. Their translations took place in the course of the nineteenth century mainly by European scholars as well as travelers. Sufism is not a sect with Islam (Poirier, 2008).
Symbolism in Islamic Texts and Religious Practices
Star and Crescent, has always been thought to be an Islamic symbol. It has been associated with Islam. Islamic states have adopted it in their flags. Though it is believed to have originated from the Ottoman Empire and was only adopted because of the spread of Islam in that empire. Green is a color that finds a special place within Islam. Some people feel that Prophet Mohammed (Pbuh) liked green colors while some feel that green signifies vegetation. Many writings in Mosques have been in green. Seven is considered a special number in Islam (Rodrigues, 2008).
Muslims are required to live by the five pillars. The first is the Shahadah which requires one to declare his faith. Salat, is the second, and it basically means prayer. Prayers are conducted facing Mecca which is believed to be the place where Kaba is located. The prayers are Fajr-morning, Duhr-noon, Asr-afternoon, Maghrib-after sunset, Isha-night prayers. Zakat, which is the third pillar teaches about assistance to the poor and needy in the society. The fourth is saum, which require all Muslims with very few exceptions to fast during Ramadan, a fasting month. The fina pillar is Hajj, which urges able members of the Islamic community to at least attend pilgrimage to Mecca, the site of Kaba. The pilgrims should dress in a similar way to symbolize that all human are equal in the eyes of God (Philips, 2008).
Myths in Islam
There is a myth that Muslims worship moon god. This is a big misconception as Allah, is the name of the sole creator of the Universe (Gould, 2008). Islam is a monotheistic religion and insists that None other is to be worshipped but Allah, Prophet Mohammed (Pbuh), is his prophet. Many mosques have such kinds of writings to remind the followers that they believe in the worship of a single God. There is also a misconception that Muslims do not recognize Jesus. This is not true and indeed the teachings as well as the life of Jesus are present in Quran. Jesus is referred to as Prophet Isa in Islamic context. Islam recognizes the fact that He was born of a virgin, and the many miracles He was able to perform. The only difference comes in the fact that Muslims feel that Jesus was human in nature and not necessarily the son of God as Christians believe. Hence Jesus is considered as one of the prophets in Islam.
There is a myth that Islam is an Arabic religion. This is not true at all. Islam might have originated in Arabic regions but it has since spread to the whole world. Anybody can become a Muslim. In fact, only a mere 15 of all Muslims are Arabs. Some people believe that Islam is hell bent on the oppression of women, this can never be true. Despite the fact Islamic teachings inculcate respect and abhor indecent exposure, Islam is all about respecting everybody in the society. It is an undeniable fact that some people Muslims engages in practices such as the abuse of women, forced marriages and restricting their movements, all of which are not in the best interest of the women. There practices are not based on Islamic teachings but instead they are based on their local cultures and beliefs. Since Islam is a worldwide religion, it encompasses a diverse array of cultures and as such does not want to interfere with local cultures (Philips, 2008).
Muslims have always been thought of as being terrorists. Islam has been greatly associated with terrorism. This is not correct. Islam as the name suggests is all about peace. Terrorism seems to be a misinterpreted teaching. Terrorists are terrorists and should be treated as such. They should not be terrorists because of Islamic teachings. Just as would be the case when a person from another religion commits a crime, it is the individual and not the religion which should be blamed in most cases religions abhor anti-social activities. Islam tolerates other faiths and beliefs. Many people believe that Muslims would do anything if they could to stop all other religions. Just as any other religion would wish to expand so is Islamic religion, but this is not achieved through the use of force. Jihad is all about fighting to practice Islamic religion when one is oppressed and not necessarily forcing people to become Muslims (Levinson, 2008).
Similarities between Islam and Judaism
Both Judaism and Islam believe in the existence of a single God. They believe in the oneness of God unlike the case with Christianity which is associated with trinity. Their God is believed to be the creator of everything in the universe. God insists on righteous ways and justice in the world. Human beings are perceived to be more superior to other creations. In both religions the present day followers are believed to have been descendants of Abraham. Everybody is given the will power to choose what they want. They can follow sinful ways or live in accordance to the teachings of the religion. In both cases there is the belief that there will come a time when pain and suffering will stop. They believe in life after death. These religions believe in the communication between God and Man. God speaks to the people through revelations which can be documented. Man speaks to God through prayers. The revelations are written in their holy books, Torah for Jews and Quran for Muslims. People are expected to refresh themselves spiritually by reading these books constantly. There are guidelines on moral paths that God wants us to follow. Many Islamic practices have been coined from Jewish practices. Fasting, circumcision, praying daily as well as avoiding pork are all example of Jewish practices which were incorporated into Islam. They both reject the presence of original sin and everybody is born righteous then they choose their ways (Poirier, 2008).
Differences between Islam and Judaism
Judaism is based on revelation which was passed to an entire nation while the revelation in Islam was passed to only a single individual. Jews do not believe in Jinn while Muslims do. Muslims believe that Jesus was a true prophet sent by God and only that some people got his message the wrong way Jews feel that Jesus was a false prophet. Jews feel that the birth of Jesus was ordinary and will never return, Muslims believe that the birth of Jesus was virgin birth and He will come back to earth for a second time. The clergy in Islam are Imams while in Judaism, they are rabbis. Jews worship on Saturday while Muslim worship on Fridays. Jews worship in the Synagogue while Muslims do so in the Mosques (Poirier, 2008).
Conclusion
Islam remains a religion that commands great following all over the world. It has also stood out as a very controversial religion, especially as far as jihad and terrorism are confirmed. Women in Islamic communities are not subject to equal rights as their male counterparts. The factions within Islam which are the Sunni and the Shia Muslims have been seen to be in constant wrangles. Some Muslims have demonstrated extremist tendencies adhering to inhuman punishments for comparatively lesser offences. All in all Islamic religion can still boast of inculcating morality amongst its followers. Most Muslims pray five times each day. Islamic religion remains conservative and has been affected by dynamic trends only to a little extent.
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