MH 355 – The Middle East

What is Islam?

By Thomas G. Spearman

     On September 11, 2001, nineteen Muslim extremists embarked on a terrorist mission by hijacking four passenger jets, and then flying them into the World Trade Center in New York City and into the Pentagon in Washington D.C., killing more than three thousand people.   The hijackers were disciples of Osama bin Laden, whose militant brand of Islam was deeply influenced by Sayyid Qutb.  The vast majority of Muslims recoiled at this atrocity.  They believed it contradicted the most basic tenets of Islam, which teaches that the only just war is one of self-defense.  There was an immediate backlash against Muslims in Western countries.  It was assumed there was something in the religion of Islam that impelled Muslims to cruelty and violence.1 In the days that followed, President George W. Bush recognized the danger of such misunderstandings and publicly proclaimed that Islam was a great and peaceful religion. At the ceremony of mourning for those lost in the 911 tragedy, held in Washington National Cathedral, a prominent Muslim priest began the proceedings while the rest of the world watched.  These and other events began a heightened interest in Islam.  People wanted to know more about it.

     The focus of this paper will center on answering the question of what is Islam.  It will examine the central figure, the Prophet Muhammad, and his “revelations,” including the Five Pillars of Islam.  It will also look at basic Islamic doctrine, its two major sects, and the impact it has had on the political landscape of the Middle East.  By no means will it be a definitive study of Islam.  That kind of study is for the dedicated scholars of the subject.  However, it should be comprehensive enough to give a basic understanding of the Islamic faith, both from a historical and a present point of view.  With this knowledge, it will easier to understand the foundations of Islamic belief and put it into a context that is relevant.    

     The term Islam means “surrender” or “submission.”  However, a Muslim would understand it as, “one who submits to the will of God.”  Indeed, supplication to God’s or Allah’s will is key to the faith of Islam and is demonstrated by those who practice Salat, or ritual prayer.  PBUH means The Prophet, and refers to Muhammad, the essential figure.  The name Muhammad means “messenger,” or more contextually, “messenger of God.”  The Quran, the counterpart of the Christian Bible, is the recitation of Mohammed’s discourse with Allah, otherwise known as the revelations. In it contains the teachings of Islam, which is the code by which Muslims live.2 These definitions will be helpful as we examine the life of Muhammad and the religion of Islam.            

     In 610 AD, the Prophet Muhammad (Muhammad ibn Abdillah) was about 40 years old when he received the first of many divine revelations, somewhere in a cave, in Mecca.  Two years later, he began to preach.  So began the religion we know today as Islam, practiced today by over one billion followers worldwide.  Not much about his life as a child is known, except that he was raised primarily by his grandfather and later, by his uncle.  He supported himself as a caravan trader and became a business partner to his future wife.  The religious climate in that region was polytheistic in nature, although monotheistic religions such as Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism had a their share of followers.  According to scholars, the Hanafis, a pious religious group who was critical of paganism in Meccan society, influenced Muhammad.  The society he lived in troubled him enough that he retreated to a cave for meditation and contemplation.  It was then when he entered a trance-like state and received messages from God, through the angel Gabriel.  Over a period of twenty years, he received these divine revelations, which he would tell to his wife and friends.  It was not long before he began to spread these teachings to the people in Medina, then later, to Meccans.  Eventually, he succeeded in making Mecca the power base for Islam, but he did not live long after that.3

     An important point to make about Islam, where Muhammad is concerned, is distinguishing the features of his prophethood, or PBUH.  What made him different from the hundreds of other prophets recognized by Islam?  Muslims believe that prophets are necessary for conveying God’s instructions and guidance to mankind.  They act as channels to answer questions concerning life after death, if are we accountable for our actions, paradise, hell and so on.  They also believe that at least one prophet was sent to every nation, referred to as “resolute” prophets (Jesus, Abraham, Moses, and even Noah are included in this group).4 According to Muslims, Muhammad is the last in a long line of prophets whose greatest miracle was the Quran.  Just as Jesus was a miracle healer, Muhammad’s legacy, and greatest miracle, were the teachings of the Quran. Among these teachings in the Quran are the Five Pillars of Islam, which carry the same weight as the Ten Commandments in the Bible.  

Join now!

     The Five Pillars of Islam form the framework of Muslim belief and practice.  They are, to put it succinctly, a code or practice by which Muslims follow.  The Five Pillars encompass Confession of Faith, Prayer, Alms, Ramadan, and Pilgrimage.  The greatest of these pillars is Confession of Faith.

     Confession of Faith is saying with conviction, “There is no true god but God (Allah), and Muhammad is the Messenger (Prophet) of God.”  The first part, “There is no true god but God,” means that none has the right to be worshipped but God alone, and that God ...

This is a preview of the whole essay