“Complete, trusting surrender to God” Essay

Although the Quran, its sacred text, was sole(prenominal) revealed to their Prophet Muham tired of(p) more than five centuries after the death of Christ, Moslems trace the beginnings of Islam to the time of Abraham. agree to them, the series of revelations of the Quran which stupefyed in 610 CE in a cave in Mount Hira, Mecca, Saudi Arabia, marked only the renaissance of a religion which sank into insignificance when the multitude of Mecca rejected the monotheism preached by Abraham.The Islamic claim further states that universe the original religion, it provided the foundations for the development of Judaism and Christianity. ( black cat. 2005. Islam) Since the time of the stolon revelation in Mount Hira, Islam has rapidly vainglorious to become the second-largest religious denomination in the piece, next only to Christianity, claiming a following of almost twenty percent of the worlds population. However, its growth has been temporarily slowed down, particularly in the Unit ed States, by the effects of the American state of war against terrorism which is evidently directed against Muslims.This U. S. -orchestrated anti-terrorism war, coupled with the dearth of knowledge about Islam, has heavily alienated the Muslims from the rest of the non-Muslim world. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) Yusuf (n. d. ) said that majority of the Muslims argon convinced that while the U. S. decreement has been blaming terrorism on Islam for years, it was the 9/11 incident which dealt the most weighty blow on the credibility and reputation of their religion. This was beca u underworldg up the international media was able to depict that me very(prenominal) Muslims several(prenominal) the world rejoiced after that incident.The truth is, however, that majority of the Muslim world was saddened by that incident and the repercussions it caused. They would the like to tell the world that terrorism is not an official policy of Islam and that, in tear downt, Muslims also consider ter rorists as enemies of their religion. He laments the fact that When a crazy Christian does something terrible, everyone in the West knows it is the actions of a mad man because they have some knowledge of the core beliefs and ethics of Christianity.When a mad Muslim does something evil or foolish they assume it is from the religion of Islam, not because they hate us but because they have never been told by a Muslim what the teachings of Islam argon tot aloney about. Muslims are also complaining about the way non-Muslims always confuse them with Arabs. According to them, while most Arabs are Muslims, less than 20% of Muslims have Arab blood. (Almuslimin. org) Allah is the only authority of this religion.Muhammad was only the messenger and oracle with whom he entrusted the sacred texts called the Quran in a series of revelations and who, three years after the first revelation occurred, preached them to the flock according to his instruction and his will. However, Muhammad was the r ole model for all Muslims. His life story and his sayings were saved in the Hadith for every Muslim to realize from and emulate. The central teachings of Islam are oneness of God and of humanity prophethood and the compass of Islam human relationship to the divine belief in the unseen life and belief in the Last Judgment.(Fisher, 2005. Islam) Islam teaches that there is only one God. This is why the first words spoken to a Muslim infant are the words of the Shahadah la ilaha ill-Allah Muhammad-un Rasulu-llah ( in that respect is no god but God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God). God may be called by many names, but all the attributes assigned to those different names make up the totality of the One God. They contend that there must be absolute unity among all men of all races because they are all brothers under the one God, and no one race should consider itself the chosen race.Islam teaches that the individual should be one with God, therefore his or her thoughts and deeds s hould always be inspired by God. This oneness of God and of humanity was very emphatically expressed by Abu Hashim Madami, an Indian Sufi sage, when he said that There is only one thing to be gained in life, and that is to remember God with each breath and there is only one loss in life, and that is the breath haggard without the remembrance of God. (Fisher. 2005. Islam, p. 373) All the prophets from Abraham to Jesus Christ are honored, but they maintain that Muhammad was the last prophet sent by God with the final message.This means, therefore, that the Quran sums up all the messages from God so Islam should include all religions, including Christianity and Judaism which also trace their roots to Abraham. They consider that God created the universe for a purpose and set down laws to govern everything. For this reason, man could live in peace only if he recognizes these laws and abide by them. They accept the existence of the angels, especially Gabriel, whom they credit with bring ing the messages of God. They believe that morning star exists just as they believe that there are saints.For them, the Last Judgment means that dead Muslims are allowed some rest before being raise from the grave for the final reckoning, after which the sinners and the unbelievers are sent to hell. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) Their basic practices consist of what they call the Five Pillars of Islam, namely Beliefs and witness Daily prayers Zakat Fasting and Hajj. Every Muslim, without resorting to the use of force or intimidation, are obliged to spread the words of Islam so that other people may know about it, understand it, and use the knowledge to guide them in choosing their faith.Prayers should be recited five times a day while facing the direction of Mecca. It is believed that requiring every Muslim to face Mecca symbolizes unity among the devotees of Islam around the world, while the daily prayer emphasizes Islams teaching that every Muslim should remember God everyday of his or her life. Zakat, the third pillar, means spiritual tithing and almsgiving. Muslims are enjoined to help the poor by donating part of their annual income to charities of their choice.The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, for example, channels its contribution through the Islamic Relief Organization which aids people around the world regardless of their religion. Every year, the first Quranic revelation is celebrated with a month-long fasting called Ramadan. All able Muslims are call for to abstain from food, drink, intimate intercourse, and smoking from dawn to dusk. Although fasting during Ramadan is an obligation, fasting, per se, is advised from time to time because it provides an individual with a Transparent Soul to Transcend, a Clear Mind to think and a Light Body to move and act. The last Pillar the hajj is a pilgrimage which is expected of every Muslim who is financially and physically capable even only once during their lifetime. Their pilgrimage destination is Mecca, where their holiest sanctuary, the Kabah, is located. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) Muhammad, whose name was taken from the Arabic word hamada which means to praise, to glorify, was born in Mecca, Western Arabia, in 570 CE to Abd bin Al-Muttalib and Amina bint Wahb. (Kikim Media. n. d.) His parents were believed to be descendants of Abraham and Hagar, the Egyptian slave who mothered Abrahams son, Ishmael. The story goes that Abraham fled to Mecca with Hagar and Ishmael after his wife, Sarah, also gave stimulate to a baby boy (Isaac) and became extremely overjealous of Hagar and Ishmael. Abraham later built the Kabah, Islams holiest sanctuary and now the destination of pilgrims during the hajj, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, with the assistance of his son, Ishmael. (Fisher. 2005. Islam) The birth, life, and death of Muhammad impacted the world of Islam differently.His birth in 570 CE also signaled the rebirth of Islam which sank into obscurity for centuries when the people of Mecca rejected Abrahams monothe istic Quran religion. His life as a preacher which began three years after the start of the revelations resulted to a rejuvenated Muslim world. The flight of the Muslims to Medina (or the hijrah) which he orchestrated in order for them to escape persecution from the hands of the Qurayshites of Mecca was what strengthened Islam as soon as they had settled in Medina. This later enabled them to raise a strong army to capture Mecca from the Qurayshites.However, while he re-established Mecca as the holy sanctuary of Islam, Muhammad himself chose to live in Medina. While his birth signaled the rebirth of Islam and his life rejuvenated their religion, his death in 632 CE in Medina caused a differentiate in the Muslim world between what we now call the Shia and Sunni Muslims because of the issue of while. Most of the surviving Muslims believed that although Muhammad was able to tell his followers what to do after his death, he failed to appoint his successor. Thus, the majority decided to settle the issue of while by election.However, there was a minority group who insisted that it was not true that Muhammad did not name his successor because of a report that some weeks before he died, Muhammad held his son-in-law Alis hand and uttered the following words Whoever I protect, Ali is also his protector. O God, be a friend to whoever is his friend and an enemy to whoever is his enemy. (Fisher. 2005. Islam, p. 380) The issue of succession was ultimately decided according to the wishes of the majority by election but the two factions have never reconciled up to this day.The Shia Muslims now approach pattern the majority faction in Iran, while the Sunnis are the majority in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Turkey, northern African countries, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Central Asian countries of the former Soviet Union, and In dosia. (page 378) Their model of worship is called a mosque. When I interviewed Bonsan Go, a student from Indonesia, he described a basic mosque as A square b uilding with a lessened box-type space in front which serves as an extension. It has a dome on the center-top of the main building and a turret or a small ornamented towboat or a tower-shaped projection on another building.Inside, you will fine a division (usually a length of fabric) which separates men from the women. There are no tables, chairs, or figurines inside the mosque. I thought, maybe, Mr. Go described a traditional mosque which used to be an Islamic architecture with a dome and one or two minarets. However, the more recent ones especially those constructed in the United States have chosen to go without the dome and the minarets. The more modern mosques have also done away with the curtain-like division which separates the men from the women.I have located one such mosque in Urbana, Illinois. A photo of this mosque is shown below This is the Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic focalise at 106 S. Lincoln, Urbana, Illinois. It is unmistakably an Islamic architecture with the arches found in front, but without the dome and minarets of olden mosques. Their website (http//www. prairienet. org/cimic/) announces that the mosque holds congregational prayers five times during the day, the first session being at 545 in the morning and the last at 730 in the evening.The center also offers Arabic classes and is open to visitors any day. CIMIC Newsletter is published bimonthly. In my interview with Bonsan Go, I was able to gain some insights on how a lay Muslim understands and practices Islam. About the hajj, Mr. Go describes it as the symbol of unity between the Muslim Ummah and the Oneness of Mankind. According to him, this has to be done at least once in a lifetime and is very important because it is one of the five pillars of Islam. He said that the hajj is obligatory for all Muslims who can afford it financially and physically.It is also important that the money played out for the hajj comes from hard work and not from corruption. He also talked about th e Sunnis and Shiites. He described the Sunnis as following the teachings of Muhammad, imitating his every actions and words while the Shiites believe that Hadhrat Ali was the real successor to Muhammad because he belonged to the family of Muhammad. He further said that the Shiites call their leader an imam while the Sunnis call their leader a caliph, just like they do in Indonesia where the great majority of the Muslims are Sunnis.On the question of marriage, he said that a Muslim is not obliged to have several(prenominal) wives. However, once a man decides to do so, he can only marry as much as four times and he is required to treat all of them equally and see to it that all his wives maintain harmonious relationships all around. The Muslims, according Mr. Go, have never worshipped Muhammad. It is Allah that they give praise to. He considers it very disturbing that most people tend to equate the position of Muhammad with the one who created him. He said that to worship Muhammad ins tead of Allah is considered a great sin in Islam.On jihad, this was what he said Jihad is not a declaration of war against the enemies of Islam but a striving and a struggle in the path of God. Commitment to God involves commitment to sacrifice ones time, energy and wealth to promote the right cause. It may be necessary at times to give ones life in order to preserve TRUTH. Before we part ways, he told me that he is deeply saddened by the war on terror being waged by the United States and is targeted at Muslims. He said that the U. S. government has categorized all Muslims as terrorists and as such, must not be trusted.He said that the claim that Islam, as a religion, supports the activities of terrorists is definitely not true because even a Muslim like him hates terrorists. In the assume of the beliefs and teachings of Islam and Christianity, Fisher (2005) has shown us the similarities between the two religions. They are both monotheistic, they have their own prophets (Jesus an d Muhammad), and both religions trace their roots to Abraham. Islam and Christianity teach their followers to treat their fellowmen with pallor and both religions profess anti-violence sentiments.The Muslims are making this especially clear at every opportunity, enough reason for them to feel very badly towards the U. S. -led anti-terror war. The central beliefs of Islam are also very identical to the central beliefs of Christianity they both believe in the brotherhood of men, in the angels, saints, even in Satan, and in the Last Judgment. If a split occurred between the Shia and Sunni Muslims after the death of Muhammad, a great schism likewise rocked the Christian world when the Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox Church parted ways in 1054.Sadly, however, Fisher has also shown us that both Islam and Christianity have chosen the options of wars of aggression and occupations during the early days for the purpose of spreading their doctrines and widen their spheres of influenc e. (Fisher. 2005. Christianity Islam) However, if Fisher (2005) has shown that Islam and Christianity have many similarities, they also differ in some aspects. The first difference is rather basic. While Islam revolves around Allah as its God and only authority, Christianity, as a faith, is based on the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Muslims disagree with Christians in this regard.They do not believe that Jesus is a son of God. To them, Jesus, like Muhammad, was only a prophet and messenger of God. Another glaring difference between the two religions occurred in connection with the death of Jesus and Muhammad. While Muhammad died peacefully in his bed because of some illness, his death divided the Muslim world into the Shia and the Sunni Muslims. Jesus, on the other hand, died a violent death (he was tortured and crucified), but his death strengthened and integrate his people. (Fisher. 2005. Christianity Islam).References Almuslimin. org. (n. d. ). Who Is Muham mad? (Retrieved prove 9, 2007 fromhttp//drupalmalaysia. org/Islam/Muhammad) CIMIC. (n. d. ). Central Illinois Mosque and Islamic Center. (Retrieved March 5, 2007 from http//www. prairienet. org/cimic/) Fisher, M. P. (2005). Christianity. Living Religions, Sixth Edition (pp. 284-361). Prentice-Hall. Fisher, M. P. (2005). Islam. Living Religions, Sixth Edition (pp, 362-416).Prentice-Hall. Kikim Media. (n. d. ). The Life of Muhammad. (Retrieved March 5, 2007 from http//www. pbs. org/muhammad/timeline. html. shtml) Yusuf, S. H. (n. d. ). A Time for Introspection. (Retrieved March 9, 2007 from http//www. masud. co. uk/ISLAM/misc/shhamza_sep11. htm) .