Islam enjoins faith in the Oneness and Sovereignty of God, which makes man aware of the meaningfulness of the Universe and of his place in it. This belief frees him from all fears and superstitions by making him conscious of the presence of the Almighty God and of man's obligations towards Him. This faith must be expressed and tested in action. Faith alone is not enough. Belief in one God requires that we look upon all humanity as one family under the universal Omnipotence of God - the Creator and Nourisher of all. Islam rejects the idea of a chosen people, making faith in God and good action the only way to heaven. Thus, a direct relationship is established with God, open to all alike, without any intercessor.
The basic belief of Islam is that there is only one God, Allah, who is the sole and sovereign ruler of the universe. Allah has made himself known through other prophets at other times; but his best and final revelation was to the prophet Mohammed in the seventh century. The central demand of Muslims (submitters) is submission to the will of Allah. Essential beliefs of Islam include:
(1) The one God, Allah, who is the omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient creator and ruler of the universe. He has ninety-nine names which are suggestive of his infinite nature. Allah in referring to himself uses a plural pronoun, "we," like the Hebrew plural "Elohim."
(2) Angels of various kinds which are both good and evil. The leader of the demons is Iblis (devil) who was responsible for the fall of Adam and Eve.
(3) The Koran (Qu'ran) and other books such as the Hebrew Law and Psalms and the Evangel to Jesus,
(4) Prophets of Allah-- twenty-eight are mentioned in the Koran and Mohammed is the last and the greatest of the prophets.
(5) Judgment, Paradise, and Hell---the Islamic Paradise has abundant pleasures such as beautiful gardens with flowing water, large-eyed maidens, and wine with no headaches. Hell is a horrid place filled with scalding winds, black smoke, and brackish water.
(6) Divine decrees-things are predestined by the will of Allah. This emphasis gives Islam an atmosphere of fatalism. The most frequent statement among devout Muslims is "if God wills it."
The Five Pillars of Islam
Mohammed told people not to worship idols. Therefore Muslims do not draw the picture of Allah nor of Mohammed. A good Muslim has to follow the "Five Pillars of Islam". Every action which is done with the awareness that if fulfills the Will of God is considered an act of worship is Islam. Nevertheless, the specific acts of worship, termed the Pillars of Islam, provide the framework of spiritual life.
They are the following :
1. Faith---The declaration of faith, "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is His Prophet." The Prophethood of Mohammed obliges the Muslims to follow his exemplary life in every way.
2. Prayer---The Koran says three times a day but in later years it was raised to five times each day. The muezzins climb the minarets of mosques five times a day to cry out that it is time for prayer. The Muslim must cleanse himself and face Mecca in a prostrate position for prayer. The prayers strengthen and enliven the belief in God and inspire man to a higher morality. They purify the heart and control temptation towards wrong-doing and evil.
3. Fasting---A Muslim has to fast in the ninth month, the holy month, called Ramadan. This means abstention from food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset, and also from all evil intentions and desires. It teaches love, sincerity and devotion. It develops a sound social conscience, patience, unselfishness and willpower. Young children, elderly, soldiers in wars travellers and sick people do not have to fast.
4. Zakah---Every year, a Muslim must give some of his money(2.5% of one's net savings) in the form of a tax to be spent on poorer sections of the community.
5. Pilgrimage(hajj)---Every Muslim is expected to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime. Wearing seamless white garments, they will make seven trips around the Kaaba and kiss the sacred black stone. On the tenth day of the hajj they will sacrifice a sheep or goat. They may also visit Medina and perhaps Jerusalem. When the pilgrim returns home he may have the title "hajj" attached to his name.
Sunnis' teachings
Like all religious movements Islam is divided into various sects. Around eighty-five percent of all Muslims are classified as Sunnis (traditionalists). They practice their religion exactly as it was established by the Prophet. Certain Koran instructions have presented problems---all thieves, for instance, are to have their hands cut off. To wrestle with these difficulties four schools of thought have developed within the Sunnis group which differ in the interpretations of the life of Islam.
Shi'ite's teachings
The Shi'ite sect constitutes the second largest group in Islam, making up around fourteen percent of the Muslim world. The Shi'ites live mostly in Iran and Iraq. They believe the descendants of Ali, who was murdered by those establishing the Omayyad dynasty, are the only true claimants to the caliphate. The twelve descendants of Ali are called Imans. The twelfth Iman disappeared in 878 and Shi'ites believe he will return again to lead Islam into a golden age. This messianic figure is called Mahdi. There are many minor sects among the Shi'ites. One group of interest founded by Hasan ibn-al-Sabbah used hashish to psych up followers and while thus intoxicated they were sent out to murder selected victims. They became known as Assassins, and this word was eventually added to the European languages.
Sufis' teachings
Islam, like Judaism, has always been a "this worldly" religion; nevertheless there have always been some Muslim mystics. They are known as Sufis (wool-wearers). They became an organized movement around the ninth century and have produced some of the finest mystic literature of the world. At times the Sufi movement has gone underground and taught its more unorthodox beliefs in secret. During the twelfth century the Sufis began to organize themselves into monastic orders. When a convert came to join the order he was known as a fakir or a dervish (poor man). Sufi monastic practices emphasize discipline, poverty, abstinence, and sometimes celibacy. Some dervishes gained notoriety for their whirling about in ecstasy. Other Sufis became known for their practice of walking on live coals and similar feats. The important contribution of the Sufi movement to religious thought is that union with God may be an authentic inner experience.
Baha'i 's teachings
Some of the reform efforts in Islam have been syncretistic such as the Baha'i movement. Baha'i began as a sect of Islam but is now a separate religion. The central themes of Baha'i are that all religions of the world spring from the same source, that there is a basic unity in all religious truth, and that all the prophets have had a partial message of this one God. They believe religion must work in harmony with science and education to build a peaceful world order.
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