Islam
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In order to understand all religions, there is a great method to use. This method is called the seven elements, and these seven elements include experiential, historical, doctrinal, ethical, ritual, social, and material. These key points, along with what the Catholic Church deems as "true and holy" is what I will use to explain the religion of Islam.
The first element is experiential. This element is the hardest to capture in words, because the purpose is to understand what it feels like to be a part of the religion. This is hard because you cannot not truly know the experiential aspect of a religion unless you practice it yourself. From what you can learn the experiential element of Islam a lot about prayer and and personal relationships with God, or Allah. They pray at five specific times of the day, and you see a lot more people who are really serious about heir faith, as opposed to Christianity, where we see people who are very casual about their faith. They also very strongly believe in al-fana, which is the extinction of one's self. In Islam, the people who are associated with this religion are referred to as Muslims.
The second element is historical, which is all about how Islam began. Just like Christianity and Judaism, Islam has roots in Abraham. Abraham had a son with someone besides his wife, and when the son, Ishmael, was born him and his mother fled. Ishmael is seen as the first important figure in Islam. There are many prophets that are recognized by the Muslims, but the prophet Muhammad is the most important. Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570 AD. When Muhammad was around forty years old he felt that he was selected by God to be a prophet. It was a time when he was praying in a cave, and he was visited by the angel Gabriel. When he was first visited, Muhammad thought he was being possessed and left the cave running. This was his first revelation from God. After talking to his wife and friends he believed God was working through him. He initially only preached to family and close friends, and a few years later he started preaching publicly about these revelations. He told people about this God, and that he was chosen by him to be a prophet. This caused many issues for him because Meccan tribes did not want him spreading these false ideas to people. Because of this he had very few followers in the beginning of his prophetic career. Even as more people believed in the call to become Muslims, many leaders in the Meccan community did not support him. Discrimination was very high towards the Muslims, but people still stayed dedicated to Muhammad and God. After Muhammad's wife, Khadijah, and his uncle died, Muhammad and is followers fled to Yathrib (which is now Medina) to escape persecution. Muhammad later died in Medina in 632 AD, just after he made the Hijra to Mecca to take back the holy city.
The third element is Doctrinal. This represents the main and central beliefs in Islam. These beliefs come mainly from the Qu'ran. The Qu'ran should not be mistaken for some sort of "Islam Bible," because it is very different. The Qu'ran is made up of almost entirely the Angel Gabriel's messages to Muhammad. It was initial all Oral tradition, but was eventually written down. The Qu'ran includes teachings on women, marriage, jihad, and interactions with other religions. Another huge belief in Islam is Divine unity, which is a belief, and thought of only one God. It is also important to know that Muhammad is believed to be the final and most influential prophet. There are also five confessions of faith that are very essential to this religions. In English they translate as confession of faith, prayer, fasting, wealth sharing, and the pilgrimage.
Ethical is the fourth element of religion, and its purpose is to understand what the morals of this faith are. The idea is that religions have different ethics, and we want to see what ones are specific to Islam. Like the doctrinal element, much of the ethics in the Islamic faith are derived from the Qur'an itself. Also with the Shari'a, "Divine Law," there are different levels and laws that fall under the following categories: obligatory, recommended, indifferent, disapproved, and forbidden. Their particular dietary restrictions, wealth sharing, and tolerance of others are also a strong part of their main beliefs concerning right and wrong. The idea of Jihad, translated as the struggle, is the idea of an armed struggle for the sake of Islam. This is where a lot of misconceptions about Islam come from. Fighting in self defense is very controversial and the majority of Muslims do not believe in this nor do they condone any violence, though many people view Islam as a violent religions, it is not. Another important ethical code for Muslims is the idea of Ihram. This is a pure frame of mind that calls Muslims to be patient, kind, and understanding in every situation.
The fifth element of Islam is ritual. The purpose of ritual is to discuss the main religious activities and celebrations. Rituals give faith traditions their structure. A muezzin in the Islamic faith is one who gives the azan, or the call to prayer. In ancient Islamic history, Bilal was the first muezzin of the Islamic faith. Muslims pray 5 times a day and they face the holy Kaaba in Mecca during their prayers, where they are in the world. The Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, is also an extremely important ritual. It is a very difficult, long, and tedious process to go through because they try to recreate the conditions that Muhammad would have gone through. Muslims also strongly believe in the washing of the body because their bodies belong to God, and therefore must be very clean.
Social is the sixth element of religion. This element is supposed to help us understand how this religion functions, and who the leaders are. The term Muslims actually means "those who surrender to God". In the ancient times the Bedouin tribes used to tell stories and traditions through poetry and stories. The Qur'an itself was originally oral, and it has an amazing tone when read aloud along with naturalness and imagery. An umma is a Muslim community, and an imam is a leader who conducts the Friday prayers and also delivers a sermon. After Muhammad died there was a slight split in the Muslim community. The split was not necessarily a bad thing, but it was a result of who Muslims thought should follow Muhammad and become the next sort of leader. Those who believed that Muhammad wanted to allow his son in law to succeed became the Shi'ites and those who though that Muhammad never appointed a successor became the Sunni. These two groups still don't always get along today.
The seventh, and last, element of religion is material. The purpose of material is to recognize what objects and places play a role in Islam.
Qu'ran- sacred texts reveals to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel
The Kaaba (cube)- sanctuary
Yathrib/ Medina- another holy city because Muhammad fled here
Mecca- holy city
Mosques- places of worship
Kiswah- cover for the Kaaba
Ihram- proper dress
Zamzam- water
Islam is a monotheistic religion, a belief that is also central to the Catholic faith. While Muslims don't necessarily believe that Muhammad was God like we believe of Jesus, they do believe that he was a prophet spoken to by God, the most important, and the final prophet. These are ideas that while they don't fully line up, Catholics do believe in a sense about Jesus. Muslims are tolerant people who wish to celebrate their faith while respecting the faith lives of others which is something very true and holy in the Islamic faith. Catholics could certainly be more diligent in prayer or devout to customs, which is something we can certainly learn from the Islamic faith. By looking at certain teachings and ethical codes of the Islamic faith, we can begin to better understand even our own faith.
The first element is experiential. This element is the hardest to capture in words, because the purpose is to understand what it feels like to be a part of the religion. This is hard because you cannot not truly know the experiential aspect of a religion unless you practice it yourself. From what you can learn the experiential element of Islam a lot about prayer and and personal relationships with God, or Allah. They pray at five specific times of the day, and you see a lot more people who are really serious about heir faith, as opposed to Christianity, where we see people who are very casual about their faith. They also very strongly believe in al-fana, which is the extinction of one's self. In Islam, the people who are associated with this religion are referred to as Muslims.
The second element is historical, which is all about how Islam began. Just like Christianity and Judaism, Islam has roots in Abraham. Abraham had a son with someone besides his wife, and when the son, Ishmael, was born him and his mother fled. Ishmael is seen as the first important figure in Islam. There are many prophets that are recognized by the Muslims, but the prophet Muhammad is the most important. Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570 AD. When Muhammad was around forty years old he felt that he was selected by God to be a prophet. It was a time when he was praying in a cave, and he was visited by the angel Gabriel. When he was first visited, Muhammad thought he was being possessed and left the cave running. This was his first revelation from God. After talking to his wife and friends he believed God was working through him. He initially only preached to family and close friends, and a few years later he started preaching publicly about these revelations. He told people about this God, and that he was chosen by him to be a prophet. This caused many issues for him because Meccan tribes did not want him spreading these false ideas to people. Because of this he had very few followers in the beginning of his prophetic career. Even as more people believed in the call to become Muslims, many leaders in the Meccan community did not support him. Discrimination was very high towards the Muslims, but people still stayed dedicated to Muhammad and God. After Muhammad's wife, Khadijah, and his uncle died, Muhammad and is followers fled to Yathrib (which is now Medina) to escape persecution. Muhammad later died in Medina in 632 AD, just after he made the Hijra to Mecca to take back the holy city.
The third element is Doctrinal. This represents the main and central beliefs in Islam. These beliefs come mainly from the Qu'ran. The Qu'ran should not be mistaken for some sort of "Islam Bible," because it is very different. The Qu'ran is made up of almost entirely the Angel Gabriel's messages to Muhammad. It was initial all Oral tradition, but was eventually written down. The Qu'ran includes teachings on women, marriage, jihad, and interactions with other religions. Another huge belief in Islam is Divine unity, which is a belief, and thought of only one God. It is also important to know that Muhammad is believed to be the final and most influential prophet. There are also five confessions of faith that are very essential to this religions. In English they translate as confession of faith, prayer, fasting, wealth sharing, and the pilgrimage.
Ethical is the fourth element of religion, and its purpose is to understand what the morals of this faith are. The idea is that religions have different ethics, and we want to see what ones are specific to Islam. Like the doctrinal element, much of the ethics in the Islamic faith are derived from the Qur'an itself. Also with the Shari'a, "Divine Law," there are different levels and laws that fall under the following categories: obligatory, recommended, indifferent, disapproved, and forbidden. Their particular dietary restrictions, wealth sharing, and tolerance of others are also a strong part of their main beliefs concerning right and wrong. The idea of Jihad, translated as the struggle, is the idea of an armed struggle for the sake of Islam. This is where a lot of misconceptions about Islam come from. Fighting in self defense is very controversial and the majority of Muslims do not believe in this nor do they condone any violence, though many people view Islam as a violent religions, it is not. Another important ethical code for Muslims is the idea of Ihram. This is a pure frame of mind that calls Muslims to be patient, kind, and understanding in every situation.
The fifth element of Islam is ritual. The purpose of ritual is to discuss the main religious activities and celebrations. Rituals give faith traditions their structure. A muezzin in the Islamic faith is one who gives the azan, or the call to prayer. In ancient Islamic history, Bilal was the first muezzin of the Islamic faith. Muslims pray 5 times a day and they face the holy Kaaba in Mecca during their prayers, where they are in the world. The Hajj, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, is also an extremely important ritual. It is a very difficult, long, and tedious process to go through because they try to recreate the conditions that Muhammad would have gone through. Muslims also strongly believe in the washing of the body because their bodies belong to God, and therefore must be very clean.
Social is the sixth element of religion. This element is supposed to help us understand how this religion functions, and who the leaders are. The term Muslims actually means "those who surrender to God". In the ancient times the Bedouin tribes used to tell stories and traditions through poetry and stories. The Qur'an itself was originally oral, and it has an amazing tone when read aloud along with naturalness and imagery. An umma is a Muslim community, and an imam is a leader who conducts the Friday prayers and also delivers a sermon. After Muhammad died there was a slight split in the Muslim community. The split was not necessarily a bad thing, but it was a result of who Muslims thought should follow Muhammad and become the next sort of leader. Those who believed that Muhammad wanted to allow his son in law to succeed became the Shi'ites and those who though that Muhammad never appointed a successor became the Sunni. These two groups still don't always get along today.
The seventh, and last, element of religion is material. The purpose of material is to recognize what objects and places play a role in Islam.
Qu'ran- sacred texts reveals to Muhammad by the Angel Gabriel
The Kaaba (cube)- sanctuary
Yathrib/ Medina- another holy city because Muhammad fled here
Mecca- holy city
Mosques- places of worship
Kiswah- cover for the Kaaba
Ihram- proper dress
Zamzam- water
Islam is a monotheistic religion, a belief that is also central to the Catholic faith. While Muslims don't necessarily believe that Muhammad was God like we believe of Jesus, they do believe that he was a prophet spoken to by God, the most important, and the final prophet. These are ideas that while they don't fully line up, Catholics do believe in a sense about Jesus. Muslims are tolerant people who wish to celebrate their faith while respecting the faith lives of others which is something very true and holy in the Islamic faith. Catholics could certainly be more diligent in prayer or devout to customs, which is something we can certainly learn from the Islamic faith. By looking at certain teachings and ethical codes of the Islamic faith, we can begin to better understand even our own faith.