Understanding Islam Essay

In our time, there is a concept that says that each of the religions of the world is unique; each gives meaning to human existence. History does not know human cultures or peoples that do not have any religious ideas. Moreover, all the best for thousands of years, people devoted to God. Religion gave humanity the basis of morality and legal relations, as well as it shaped aesthetic moral ideals and was the source of inspiration. Religious teachings actively influenced the course of history and the relationship between people, nations and states. Thus, the main purpose of the assignment is to construct a summary of different facts about Islam because lack of knowledge in the field of religions becomes a source of prejudice and leads people into unnecessary delusion.

Making a brief summary of the history of Islam, it can be said it arose in the era of the early Middle Ages on the Arabian Peninsula. According to Pal (2011), the word “Islam” in Arabic means “obedience and voluntary surrender to the will of Allah and obedience to His commands”. The emergence of Islam was a natural result of the development of the Arabian society and the evolution of the religious consciousness of the peoples of Arabia. Muhammad (570-632) is considered to be the founder of Islam, while the Arab Caliphate was a community that was created by Muhammad and which became the basis of long-existent theocratic medieval state.

The very basis of Islam is faith in one God. The foundations of Islam include the belief in one God, the Angels, the Prophets and the Heavenly Books sent down to them, as well as faith in destiny. Moreover, there is also a strong belief in the fact that both good and evil are created by God, while there exists faith in the resurrection after death, existence of the Day of Judgment, possibility of eternal torment in hell for unbelievers and eternal prosperity in paradise for believers.

Islam is more consistent in matters of monotheism than other monotheistic religions. It is impossible to think of anyone equal to Allah, who created the world in six days. Every faithful accept Islamic system of values without any discussion. At the early beginning, the majority of believers got the doctrine of Islam in the oral form in sermons, or in the form of sacred commandments. Those true revelations presented in the Quran constitute a set of rules of behavior for every believer, and Muslims accepted them as unquestionable truths. The Sharia, in its turn, became the guarantor of all the principles and existing moral laws presented in the Quran.

Exploring the importance of different basic parts of the religion for the Muslims, it is good to remember that everyone has a natural inclination to ask questions about the purpose of life. While there are no answers to these questions, the human soul will not find peace, and life will seem useless and meaningless labor. The soul will be in constant turmoil in the uncertainty about the future. The Quran invites people to go on a journey through the earth, make their own observations and think about the truth of creation.

Just as the pillars supporting the building are important for its structure and stability, in the same way five pillars of Islam are important for every Muslim. According to Ahmed (2002), they provide external stability and perseverance of people’s faith and unite Muslims in a single brotherhood. The first pillar is the testimony of faith (shahada), which is at the same time the formulation of dogma and the act of public confession of faith. Being sincerely devoted to their god, Muslims sharply feel the line separating them from non-Muslims. The second pillar is prayer (salah), and it is a ritual state of obedience, when certain movements are as important as the state of mind that accompanies them. The third pillar is the payment of the obligatory donation (zakāt). According to Muslim ideas, it clears the remainder of the property of the giver. The fourth pillar is the fasting month of Ramadan (sawn), while the fifth pillar is pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). Thus, these five prescriptions are related to the private life of a Muslim.

Explaining the meaning of Ramadan for Muslims, it is important to mention that Ramadan is not only the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, but it is also a very important part of their life. It is a time of sober meditations, and depending on the time of the year and the region, it may require the full strain of physical strength. It is a month of a strict fast, which implies a rejection of water, food and intimate relationships during the daytime. Refusal to eat is not an aim in itself. The meaning of fasting is hidden in the necessity to strengthen faith and achieve spiritual growth, using rethinking of one’s way of life and priorities. Thus, Ramadan is primarily the purification of the soul, the purification of oneself from all sinful things.

However, Islam is a religion with a pronounced social teaching. The ideal of Islam is the same as in the teaching of Jesus: brotherly love. Yaran (2007) states that Islam not only talks about the true path, but also gives detailed instructions on how to achieve this ideal. Supporting trade and profit, Islam underscores the need for justice in any social relations.

Islam, because of the absence of a clear and stable sacred structure, immediately after the death of Mohammed began to split into currents, responding differently to the question about the person who should be considered the first caliph, i.e. heir of the Prophet, because he did not have time to appoint his successor before his death. At present, Islam is divided into several currents, while two main currents have the largest number of followers. These two currents are the Sunnis, and the most of the world’s Muslims belong to it, while the second current is the Shiites.

The Sunnis adhere to the accepted set of Hadiths, religious practices and rules of behavior of the Muslim in all life situations. The Shiites represent the party (from the word “shia” – the party), which claims that power in the community should be inseparable and belong only to the descendants of Muhammad, and never to some elected persons, as it exists for the Sunnis. The Shiites consider that imams are special mediators between Allah and Muslims, while the Sunnah needs additional supplementation with their own decrees. Moreover, a large area of ​​modern Islam is represented by Wahhabis, who are speaking under the slogan of “purifying” Islam, “returning” to the orders of the times of Muhammad.

Sunnis and Shiites do not agree with each other on the meaning of the Scripture. Sunnis emphasize the authority of written traditions, which include not only the Quran, but also the Sunnah. The Sunnah includes Hadiths – stories about the life and utterances of Muhammad and his companions. The Sunnah says many things the Quran does not say. The Sunnis are also guided by the principles, at one time jointly developed by elders or theologians (ulema), who based their decisions on the Quran, the Sunnah and later sources.

In addition, it is important to mention that a mystical, semi-monastic trend of Sufism has emerged in Islam in the VIII-X centuries. It originated in the bowels of Shiism, but also penetrated into the environment of the Sunnis. The Sufi doctrine was influenced by the ideas of Mazdaism, Buddhism and even Neoplatonism. According to Morgan (2010), the Sufis did not attach much importance to external ritual, but sought for a true knowledge of God, a mystical fusion with the deity. The Sufis attached special importance to the names of God, found in the Quran. The mystical-pantheistic course of Sufism was first subjected to persecution by Muslim fanatics-orthodox, but gradually both sides made concessions. Followers of Sufi teachings began to form orders of wandering monks – dervishes – led by sheikhs, or ishans. These orders were recognized as legitimate for both Sunnis and Shiites.

In conclusion, we have explored the essence of Islam and discussed many issues associated with this religious tradition. We have also realized that military, political, economic, educational and other successes of generations of Muslims led to the fact that Islam became a world religion. From the perspective of Muslims, the emergence and development of Islam is primarily associated with the Divine Revelation and predestination. Islam became the basis of a new civilization, a new type of thinking, a way of life that influenced the history of humanity. Thus, Islam is a religion that pays special attention to the mind of a person, and it does not accept compulsory, violent conversion.

References

Ahmed, A. (2002). Discovering Islam: Making Sense of Muslim History and Society. Routledge.

Morgan, D. (2010). Essential Islam: A Comprehensive Guide to Belief and Practice. Praeger.

Pal, A. (2011). “Islam” Means Peace: Understanding the Muslim Principle of Nonviolence Today. Praeger.

Yaran, C. (2007). Understanding Islam. Dunedin Academic Press.

The terms offer and acceptance. (2016, May 17). Retrieved from

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016.

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

freeessays.club (2016) The terms offer and acceptance [Online].
Available at:

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]

"The terms offer and acceptance." freeessays.club, 17 May 2016

[Accessed: March 29, 2024]
close
Haven't found the right essay?
Get an expert to write you the one you need!
print

Professional writers and researchers

quotes

Sources and citation are provided

clock

3 hour delivery

person