Islam

Introduction

Until recently I knew very little about Islam. Over the last few months I have read a number of books about it and will write up what I have found on this site. At present many of these links have not been filled in yet. However for a quick introduction, you can read this.

The Qu'ran

The Qu'ran is the holy book of Islam. It literally means "The Recitation" and contains revelations given to the Prophet Muhammad throughout his life. These revelations were committed to memory by companions of the Prophet or were written down by his secretaries. The entire text was finally collected into an official authorised version during the rule of the third caliph, Uthman ibn Affan (reigned 644-56). It consists almost entirely of al-Llah (literally "the God") speaking.

The Qu'ran is only four fifths the size of the New Testament. When you remember that the New Testament is itself only one fifth of the whole Bible this makes reading through the Qu'ran a quite realistic ambition.

Now find out more about the Qu'ran.

Muhammad

Muhammad was born in 570 C.E., became a prophet at the age of forty in 610 C.E. and continued to receive revelations for the next twenty-two years (610-632). Like many other founders of a religion, Muhammad was sized by a vision of God quite different to the religion of his society. Muhammad's attacked the polytheism of his day (belief in many Gods) and proclaimed that there is no other God than God. He taught his followers to care for the poor, act justly and with compassion, and surrender themselves to the service of God, ready for the judgement when the good would live in paradise and unbelievers sent to hell.

Unlike most founders of a religion, Muhammad was also a powerful political figure. He conquored the whole of Arabia and after his death Islam became a major political force from India in the East to Spain in the West. This political dimension to Muhammad had two consequences. Firstly the "law" of Islam is political and practical. Muhammad taught that justice was an eye for an eye, anyone who had an injustice committed against them had the right to demand equal recompense from the guilty person. However they could not ask for any more, and Muhammad taught that God would bless them if they asked for less. Similarly in Muhammad's Farewell Sermon he asked Muslims to only take from a brother what he gives you willingly, this is of course minimal compared to the Sermon on the Mount but Muhammad's politics makes him more realist than idealist. The emphasis in Islam is right pracise ("ortho-praxy") rather than right doctrine ("orthodoxy"). Secondly, because he refused to turn his back on the world he had to engage in difficult political decisions with actions which are at least controversial.

Now find out more about Muhammad.

Islam

Perhaps surprisingly for a religion with such a militant reputation, "Islam" means "surrender". It is the world's second largest religion with an estimated 900 million adherents spread throughout Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. There are more than forty-four Muslim countries extending from Senegal to Indonesia. Historically Islam was culturally more advanced than the West for many centuries, and Islamic learning had an important influence on the renaissance.

Islam is very diverse with many different groups. However the common denominator of them all remains The Five Pillars of Islam. These are:

The Profession of Faith. "There is no god but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God".

Prayer. Five times a day Muslims are called to worship God. They can pray individually or in a group, wherever they may be - at a mosque, at work or at home. They recite them standing in the direction of Mecca.

Almsgiving. All Muslims must give money to the poor. This is usually two and a half percent of their accumulated wealth and assets, not just their income.

The Fast of Ramadan. During the month of Ramadan (the ninth month) from dawn to sunset all Muslims must abstain completely from food, drink and sex. At the end of Ramadan Muslim's commemorate the "Night of Power" when Muhammad first received God's revelation, with the Feast of the Breaking of the Fast Id al-Fitr.

Pilgrimage: the Hajj.. Every Muslim is expected to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime. The pilgrimage occurs during the twelfth month (Dhu al-Hijja) and ends with the Feast of Sacrifice (Id al-Adha), known as the Great Feast.

The Struggle (Jihad) is sometimes referred to as the sixth pillar of Islam. It means to generally strive or struggle in the way of God, and could include leading a moral life and helping others. However it can include defending Islam in holy war and is used by extremists to justify agressive warfare. Now find out more about Islam.

Iran

One of the best known Muslim countries is Iran. Did you know that at the start of the Iran-Iraq war Iran achieved astonishing success with daring and brilliant military victories. It looked as if Iran would quickly win, until both Russia and the West came to the aid of Iraq. Russia spent millions of dollars building a huge defense network across Iraq to stop the Iran advance, while the US used its spy capabilities to inform Iraq of all Iranian troop movements, removing any element of surprise Iran might hope to achieve. Even given these odds, this only turned the war into a stalemate which dragged on for many years.

Now find out more about Iran.

About this Site

This site is the result of my reading the following books related to Islam:
The Koran Translated by N.J. Dawood,
Islam, The Straight Path by John L. Espsoito,
Muhammad and the Quran by Rafiq Zakaria,
Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet by Karen Armstrong,
Lifting the Veil: Life in Revolutionary Iran by John Simpson and Tira Shubart.

Links

Iran Online
One Ummah
Ahlul-Bayt Islamic Library
The Imam Khoei Islamic Centre Swansea