The Core Tenets of Islam
The religion of Islam dates back to the 7th century CE and the life of its founder, Muhammad of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. Islam is an Arabic word meaning: making something safe and secure, making something sound and whole, entering into peace and tranquility, and surrendering to something other than oneself. A follower of Islam is called a Muslim. In the religion of Islam, it requires the belief in certain core tenets, which include the articles of faith and the five pillars of worship. These two combined, form the Islamic creed.
I- The Articles of Faith
The term monotheism is significant to Islam, meaning that a belief in only one God. The first article of faith in Islam is the belief that there is no deity but God (Allah) and that Muhammad is the messenger of God. A belief in a number of gods or in the extension of God’s spirituality to any person is strongly forbidden. Islam rejects the human points that the Christians and Jews added to their doctrines, such as the incarnation of God. It has been estimated that over ninety percent of Muslim theology deals with the implications of Unity. God, while One, is referred to by ninety-nine names (Fisher 233).
Believing in the Angels of God is the second article of faith in Islam. These angels are purely spiritual and glorious beings created by God. These angels are sinless. They require no food, drink or sleep. They have neither physical desires or material needs (“Islamic Path”). The angels spend their time in the amenity of God. Each angel is given a specific obligation. Each human being is assigned two angels who serve as guardians and recorders of the individual’s deeds, both good and bad (“Islamic Path”). Even though we cannot see the angels with ou...
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...y of life. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which have come to be associated with their faith” (“IslamiCity”).
Works Cited
Fisher, Mary Pat. Living Religions. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 2009. Print.
“The Hajj, The Journey of a Lifetime.” Calliope. Vol. 7 Issue 3. Jan. 1997. 38. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
“What Is Islam?” IslamiCity. Jan. 2001. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
“Pillars of Islam.” Islamic Path. WorldPress, 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2011
The Noble Qur’an: Translation in Roman Script with Arabic Text and English Translation. Trans. Al-Hilali, Muhammad Taqi-ud-Din, and Khan, Muhammad Muhsin. Saudi Arabia: Dar-Us-Salam, 1996. Print.
Ibn Munqidh, Usama. "From Memoirs." McNeill, William and Marilyn Robinson Waldman. The Islamic World. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1973. 184-206.
The book lays the foundation of Islamic basic beliefs and practices. Muslims believe in one God, and feel their religion continues the Judaic and Christian traditions. Arab peoples "trace their origins to the patriarch Abraham, who, according to the Koran was neither Jew nor Christian, but a kind of universal ancestor of monotheists" (5). Thus, Muslims believe in the same God as Jews and Christians.
The first and foundational pillar of Islamic faith is confession. The Muslim will publicly confess proclaiming “there is no God but God, and Muhammad is the apostle of God” (Corduan, 2012, p.118). In this a person is confirming submission to the authority of one God and the authority that God gave Muhammed (Corduan,
Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab Peoples. Cambridge, MA: Belknap of Harvard UP, 1991. Print.
Like many other religions, the Muslim faith has experienced many changes and branches. Like Christianity, the original faith is still practiced by some, but others have started new branches with their own unique interpretation being Muslim. Despite these differences within the Muslim religion, one set of rules for moral guidance is central to all. These rules are the Five Pillars of Islam. The Five Pillars act as a moral compass for Muslims and are universally accepted as they are mentioned specifically in the Qur’an, the sacred Muslim book of God’s words as they were recited to Muhammad (Molloy, 425).
This is the Book, in which there is no doubt, a guide for the God-fearing, who believe in the unseen and perform the prayer and spend of that which We have bestowed upon them, and who believe in that which is revealed unto thee [Muhammad] and that which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter. [2:2-4]
The creation of the Islamic religion is accredited to a man named Muhammad who had revelations in dreams sent from Allah (Swartley 16). He was moved so much by these revelations, that he set out on a mission to teach people how to appease Allah and to submit to their god (Swartley 17). In order to better understand the Islamic worldview, one must take a look at how this worldview would answer the five tenets of a worldview.
The religion of Islam is unique and has origins similar to that of Christianity and Judaism. Muslims, those who follow the religion of Islam, trace their lineage back to Ishmael who was the son of Abraham. However, the teachings and religious texts of Islam come from Muhammad who received from God, Allah, from the angel Gabriel. These religious texts are called the Qur’an. Tales from 1,001 Nights is a novel that was influenced by Islam and portrays Islamic values. Similar to Christianity and Judaism, Islam is a monotheistic religion who believes in the same God that Christians and Jews believe in. Islam does not believe in a messiah or a holy spirit. Muslims only recognize as their being one sole god they call Allah. Monotheism is the cornerstone
Esposito, John L. What Everyone Needs To Know About Islam. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. EBook. Web. 24 Apr. 2014.
Islam is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion alongside Judaism and Christianity. It is currently the second largest religion in the world today. Its beliefs come from the Qur'an which literally means "the recitation" which is believed to be a literal transcription of the word of God. Its main prophet is named Muhammad who began Islam by speaking with the angel Gabriel in a cave during his meditation and then acting as an instrument of God to help write the Qur’an. Muhammad then spread Islam to the scattered tribes of Arabia by becoming the leader of Yathrib and using his wonderful leadership abilities to then grow his influence over virtually all of Arabia. Muhammad is known by Muslims to be the seal of the profits because no profits after Muhammad should be considered legitimate. Muhammad also left behind the Hadith or “tradition” which is a collection of writings compiled of reports of Muhammad’s actions as leader of Yathrib. These reports are used as a more specific code of ethics in day to day life and from these reports the 5 Pillars of Islam are derived (Smith 160). Although Islam shares many similarities to Judaism and Christianity it is often viewed in the US with hate derived from preconceived notions following the attack on September 11th 2001. This paper seeks to provide an overview of Islam’s history as well as its two major sects and 5 main pillars to remove preconceived notions and provide a glance into the minds of the Islamic people.
Islam is a religion that is based on the submission oneself to the will of God, who is called Allah. Muslims are the people believe in that, regardless of their culture, background or ethnicity. It is believed that God’s prophets brought a message for the people to worship one God without intermediaries and that prophet Muhammad was the end of G...
Both Christians and Islam believe in one Supreme Being but according to Christian they call Him God while Muslims call him Allah. The two religions conceptualize God in different ways. Muslims view Allah as one God, this is emphasized through the word ‘tawhid’ which in Islam means “absolute unity”. Christians on the other hand view God as three holy beings, God the father, God the son, and God the Holy Spirit. According to theology this is known as the holy trinity. Early Christians did not understand the meaning of the word trinity which led to the thought that they worship three gods. However, through Christian teachings the meaning of trinity is brought out through the concept of love. Love cannot exist in seclusion ’God is Love’; hence God cannot exist in one form. This is considered blas...
Although Islam and Christianity differ in major ways, they also share some similarities in their belief of God. First of all, Christianity and Islam are both monotheistic religions; worshipping only one God. While both believe in the same God, he is called by two completely different names. He is referred to as "Allah" by Muslims and "God" by Christians. The basic creed of Islam is brief: “There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah”. Islam teaches that there is one God: the creator and sustainer of the universe, whom is compassionate and just. He calls all the people to believe in Him and worship Him. When someone disobeys the Lord, they may be forgiven if they are sincerely repent. In Christianity, the first, and most important of the Ten Commandments states that "I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt have no other gods before me". Identical to Muslims, Christians also believe that their God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. The Bible begins with the creation of the Earth by God in seven days.
The worship of Allah is principal in a Muslim’s mind at all time. There are also five formal acts of worship which help strengthen a the faith and obedience of a Muslim. They are frequently called the “Five Pillars of Islam”. The Five Pillars of Islam are the framework and guidelines of the Muslim life. They are the testimony of faith, prayer, supporting the needy, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the once in a lifetime trip to Makkah for those who are able to do so. These Five Pillars are the thing Muslim’s do to please God and to keep themselves well and happy in this lifetime and for the future ones to come. It was Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, who was reported to have said, “Islam is based upon five pillars”.
This introductory book in the teaching of Islam and Islamic way of life by Esposito can be categorized in three different sections with various sub-tittles.