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October 31 , 2001
A basic guide to elements of Islam
Islam second largest religion in world
By Patricia Zapor
WASHINGTON (CNS) — With an estimated 1 billion followers, Islam is the second largest religion in the world. Islamic organizations say there about 7 million Muslims in the United States; of those, 85 percent are U.S.-born.
Islam draws its name from the Arabic terms for peace and loving submission to God's will. Its followers consider it to be both a religion and guidelines for a complete way of life.
Historic records of Islam date from the time of the prophet Mohammed, who was born in Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia, in 570. Beginning at age 40, he began receiving revelations from Allah, the Arabic word for God, through the angel Gabriel. These revelations received over the course of 23 years were compiled during Mohammed's lifetime in a book known as the Koran, or the Quran, the spelling preferred by many Muslims.
Muslims believe the Koran contains the exact words of God, conveyed in Arabic. Muslim scholars around the world study its text in Arabic, because translations are not considered to be 100 percent accurate.
Islam's origins are generally the same as those of Christianity and Judaism. They share many of the same prophetic revelations — for instance, Abraham's message that there is but one God. Muslims believe Islam was founded by Allah and is a reiteration of events known to Jews through the Torah and to Christians in the Bible through the time of Jesus.
They recognize a chain of many prophets — a great number of them familiar to Christians and Jews. The Koran refers to 25 prophets, and treats Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed as the most significant.
The Koran considers Jesus one of God's greatest messengers to humankind, acknowledging his virgin birth and the miracles he performed. Islam does not recognize Jesus as the son of God. However, it regards his mother, Mary, as the purest woman in all creation. In fact, the Koran contains more passages about Mary than does the New Testament.
Followers of Islam emphasize its laws over theology and religious practice over belief. These laws — known as ``sharia'' — are based on the Koran as well as tradition. These traditions are derived from Mohammed's words and deeds, known as the Sunna.
The Sunna includes reports from Mohammed's companions about his life. Different groups of Muslims place varying importance on these reports. For instance, Sunni Muslims, who make up between 85 percent and 95 percent of the Islamic population, give it different merit than do Shiite Muslims, the next largest group.
Common to all Muslims, however, are five fundamental obligations, known as the five pillars of Islam. They are:
1) Profession of the faith. Simply, ``there is no God but God, and Mohammed is his messenger.''
2) Worship. Specifically, five-times-a-day prayers known as ``salat.'' These prayers may be said at a mosque or wherever else is convenient, but preferably in community with other Muslims.
3) Almsgiving, known as ``zakat,'' which means purification and growth. Each Muslim calculates his own ``zakat'' based on certain principles.
4) Fasting. Muslims are obligated to abstain from food, drink and sex from first light until sundown during the Islamic calendar's month of Ramadan.
5) Pilgrimage. A pilgrimage, or ``hajj,'' to Mecca, Islam's holiest city, at least once in a lifetime is considered obligatory for those who are physically and financially able to make the trip.
Like Christians, Muslims believe God forgives sins. The Koran contains many passages about the mercy of God. Muslims also believe in a judgment day, resurrection, heaven and hell and angels.
Unlike Catholicism and other Christian denominations, Islam has no central authority structure. Religious scholars and others educated in the Koran provide guidance and may issue legal opinions, known as ``fatwas,'' about specific issues, but all individuals are not under any religious obligation to follow them. In some countries, civic law is derived from political leaders' interpretation of Islamic law and therefore is broadly enforced.
Among the elements of Islam that may seem confusing or exotic to contemporary Christians are its rules about diet and dress and its approach to marriage.
Dietary rules include a prohibition on eating pork, animals that were not killed in the proper way and products made with any animal's blood. Alcoholic beverages also are forbidden.
As for wardrobes, men and women are expected to dress in a modest and dignified way. In many places, this is defined for women as meaning their hair should be covered and their clothes should cover them from the neck to the knees.
In some Islamic cultures, women are required to wear a full-length robe called a ``chador'' and a face-covering veil. In others, Muslim women may choose to dress no differently than their non-Muslim contemporaries. Likewise, Muslim men sometimes are required to wear beards and head coverings, depending upon the local culture.
Muslim marriages consist of a legal agreement in which either partner is allowed to include conditions. Divorce is not common, but in some countries there are different rules for men and women about how to divorce a spouse. Even very early Islamic laws specifically protected the wife financially in case of divorce.
Islam permits men to take more than one wife under certain circumstances, including that the first wife must agree and local law allows it.
Another Islamic term that has been widely used but little explained is ``jihad.'' The word ``jihad'' means struggle and can apply to any kind of daily effort to please God. Muslims believe among the highest levels of ``jihad'' are the internal struggle against wrongdoing and bearing witness to the faith. In some uses of the word, ``jihad'' and spiritual discipline are similar in meaning.
Islamic scholars say the type of ``jihad'' in which arms are taken up in defense of Islam or a Muslim country can only be declared by the religious leadership or a Muslim head of state who is guided by the Koran and the Sunna. There is great debate within Islam about whether anyone is qualified to invoke this kind of ``jihad'' today.
Some Islamic terms defined
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Here are some terms commonly associated with Islam:
Allah — God. From the Arabic term for ``one God,'' the same God revealed to Abraham and Moses. Related to the Hebrew word ``Elohim'' and the Aramaic word, ``Elah,'' also terms for God.
Fatwa — A religious and legal decree issued by a religious scholar or a council of scholars.
Hajj — Pilgrimage. Every adult Muslim who can is expected to make the hajj to Mecca at least once in his or her lifetime.
Holy Cities — The three holiest cities in Islam, are, in order: Mecca, where Mohammed was born; Medina, where he was buried and established the first Islamic society; and Jerusalem, site of the Dome of the Rock, believed to be where Mohammed, in a vision, ascended to heaven. Mecca and Medina are both in Saudi Arabia.
Imam — Muslim religious leader. Any Muslim is an imam when he leads prayer in a mosque. Some who hold stable positions as prayer leaders use imam as a title. In the United States the term is used as a cleric's title.
Islam — Arabic word for ``submission.'' Means submission to the will of God, in religious terms.
Jihad — Literally, ``struggle.'' Means both the inner struggle against wrongdoing and taking up arms in defense of Islam, which must be declared by religious leadership or a Muslim head of state who is following the Koran.
Koran — More commonly, Quran. The record of Mohammed's revelations and the basis of Islamic law. Believed to be the exact words from Allah to Mohammed through the angel Gabriel over 23 years of revelation.
Madrasah — Islamic school.
Mohammed — Born in Arabia in 570 A.D., founder of Islam, based upon revelations he received from the angel Gabriel. Revered as the ``seal of the prophets'' and a model for Muslims.
Mosque — Means gathering place. Islamic place of worship, used for daily prayers as well as Friday religious services.
Mullah — Local religious leader.
Muslim — Follower of Islam; one who lovingly submits to God.
Prophets — Muslims recognize thousands of prophets. The Koran mentions 25, treating Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Mohammed as the most influential.
Ramadan — The ninth month in the Islamic calendar, devoted to obligatory daily fasting and prayer.
Salat — Obligatory prayers said five times a day.
Shariah — Literally ``the path.'' Islamic law, drawn from the Koran, the Sunna and other sources.
Shiite — Second-largest Muslim group. Emphasizes the authority of imams, less concerned with the Sunna.
Sunna — A supplement to the Koran, based on the teachings and example of Mohammed.
Sunni — The largest group in Islam, comprising up to 95 percent of all Muslims. Emphasizes the Sunna. Ulema — Religious scholars. Zakat — Obligatory contributions to the poor.
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