World Religion Report: Muslims - Essay Example

Running head: MUSLIMS World Religion Report: Muslims You're This research will discuss the religion that many Muslims follow which is known as the Islamic religion. The Islamic religion will be compared with Christianity and the research will show how it differs from traditional Christian beliefs. While there are contrasting similarities between the two there are stark differences as well, especially with regard to religious customs, lifestyle habits, codes of dress, and places of worship as well. Islam does happen to be one of the founding religions that developed out of Judaism which is perhaps why there is a defining similarity between all the religions in the world, specifically with Judaism, Christianity, and the Muslims religion as well. One summary of an interview is included in this research that has been carried out with an individual who is a follower of the Islamic religion. The conclusion of the research shows that while there is always going to exist some characteristics that are comparable to Christianity; the Islamic religion is very opposite in many, many ways. World Religions Report: Muslims Introduction Islam is a religion that was founded on the revelation brought to humanity by the Prophet Mohammad (Islam 2004). Islam was taught as the latest version in the ongoing religion of God which can be tracked back through Jesus to Moses and Abraham. Thus, Islam accepts Christianity and Judaism as the true religions that were sent to human-beings by God. Although this is the situation, teaching of Islam claims to supersede these other two important religions' truths with a new divine revelation. The word Islam comes from the Semitic root "slm" which means submission to a higher power or the peace that comes from that submission (Islam 2004). The most important scriptures that are holy to Islam were collected in a book called Qur'an by the Prophet Mohammad. The Qur'an was sent to Mohammad by Allah through the messenger angel Gabriel to guide the people of the world in the true way of living. It was given to Mohammad in pieces over a period of 23 years from 610 C.E till 632 C.E. (Godlas 2006). Qur'an consists of 114 chapters called Surahs consisting of 6,236 ayats or in other words verses. It is a unique book in the way that it remained unchanged till the present time for over 14 centuries and according to the teachings of Islam, it is the last message of God. In addition to these concepts of Holy Scriptures of Islam, there is also Shariah which is known as the sacred law of Islam (Ammar 1997). It sets out the way of worship prescribed in Qur'an and Prophet's practice of life. It encompasses the whole human life; individual and social. In Islam there are worships that every Muslim is required to practice in their entire lives in order to be near God during the afterlife period (Godlas 2006). Practices in Islam are generally called the five pillars of Islam. However, without faith, these required practices are not enough to be a true Muslim, not according to the sacred laws of Islam (Ammar 1997). First of all, a Muslim should have faith in Allah, his angels such as Gabriel and Michael, his messengers such as Moses, Jesus and Mohammad, his books such as the true New Testament, true Torah and in the Qur'an. Moreover, a devoted Muslim should have faith in last day or judgment day and divine preordainments good or bad. After having faith in these six articles, a Muslim is required to practice the five pillars of Islam. These practices are; Repeating Shahada: Every Muslim or person who decides to convert to Islam should repeat the statement, "There is no God but God and Mohammad is the prophet of God." Salat or Obligatory Prayer: This practice involves confession of sins which begins with the purification of body and ends with the purification of the soul. It is practiced five times a day; between dawn and sunrise, at noon, in late afternoon, immediately after sunset and at night before midnight. Worshippers pray facing the point of adoration that is qiblah in Arabic and it points Ka'bah in Mecca. Zakat or Almsgiving: This is a charity given to the poor and it benefits poor while it helps the giver by moving him towards submission of Allah. Sawm or Fasting: All Muslims fast an entire month, which is known as the month of Ramadhan, starting from the sunrise until the sunset everyday. Hajj or Pilgrimage: Pilgrimage to Mecca has to be done by every healthy and wealthy Muslim at least once in a life time. (BBC 2006). There is one particular similarity that Islam does have with Christianity and that is with regard to how they both follow core doctrines such as believing in one God, God being omnipresent, God as all-knowing and all-powerful, and even in a judgment day. However, one stark difference is in how they do not believe in the trinity like Christians do. They believe that their Allah is only one being while Christians believe in the father, the son, and the Holy-Ghost (BBC 2006). Both religions do worship the Lord though and in that regard they aren't so different. It is the customs and the religious writings that are found to be varied and of which create some confusion as well. Interview and Location of Worship Summary Two years ago I visited an area known for Islamic worship for Muslims who live in the United Kingdom but do not travel back to their homeland. It was intriguing to find how mandatory some of their customs are in their religion. The person I interviewed was a 34 year old female and surprisingly she was American and had dedicated herself to the Islamic religion. I will not give her name of course, due to confidentiality reasons but she was a very intellectual woman and very observant of her religious customs and specific days and hours that she prayed even though she had only visited the Middle East once in her life and was not Muslim either. She lives in Birmingham and visits the Birmingham Central Mosque for her daily prayers and other religious customs, always keeping her hair covered and half of her body veiled as well. She explained to me that the five pillars are obligations in the religion and it is up to the Muslim believer to satisfy these in order to have a complete, happy, and responsible life according to the Islamic customs. So, she attempts herself, to meet the customary religious statutes that best that she can, always following the customs set forth for women in the Islamic religion. The mosque that she visits is not decorated like Christian churches are but it is rather plain. To her though, as she explained to me, the designed writing on the outside and the domed structure of it represent a more spiritual quality than any decorative art in a building ever could. This is simply the type of buildings that they use for their worship and prayer. Also, the name of the person that calls them to prayer is often referred to as a, "muezzin" and he calls to the Islamic followers from the tall tower known as a, "minaret". It was fascinating to learn these things as I had no idea about them beforehand. She also stated that many believe all Islamic followers are fanatics but this is not true, normally Muslims are peaceful people and don't look for trouble but as has been obvious there are radicals who have changed some of the beliefs in the religion to suit their own needs and desires. In this regard Islam, just as any religion has good and bad people, Christianity is no different in such circumstances. The Customs of Muslim Women and Family Life Muslims view marriage as the foundation of society and family life. In a practical aspect, Islamic marriage is thus structured through legally-enforceable rights and duties of both parties. In an atmosphere of love and respect, these rights and duties provide a framework for the balance of family life and the fulfillment of both partners. In the Qur'an, the marriage relationship is described as one with "tranquility," "love" and "mercy." Elsewhere in the Qur'an, husband and wife are described as "garments" for each other (2:187). Garments offer protection, comfort, modesty, and warmth. Above all, the Qur'an describes that the best garment is the "garment of God-consciousness" (7:26). These verses of the Noble Qur'an clearly show that in contrast to other religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism etc. which consider celibacy or monasticism as a great virtue and a means of salvation, Islam considers marriage as one of the most virtuous and approved institutions (Muslim Matrimonial 2006). The word zawaj is used in the Qur'an to signify a pair or a mate. But in common parlance it stands for marriage. Since the family is the nucleus of Islamic society, and marriage is the only way to bring families into existence, the Prophet (peace be upon him) insisted upon his followers entering into marriage The Shari'ah prescribes rules to regulate the functioning of the family so that both spouses can live together in love, security, and tranquility. Marriage in Islam has aspects of both 'ibadah (worship) of Allah and mu'amalah (transactions between human beings) (Muslim Matrimonial 2006). Islamic wives listen attentively to their husbands and do not ordinarily work outside of the home. They keep their hair veiled as a customary habit and out of respect for their husbands so that no other men will stop and look upon them or take notice of them. This is another reason why they wear the robes that they do as well. They are meant to keep their body concealed while out in public and also to not make eye contact with other men as this goes against their religious beliefs. The woman is found to be more self-sufficient in the house while the main is more so outside the home, providing the sustenance needed for survival for food, clothing, and other necessities. This is another area that is very similar to the traditional role of the Christian woman as many do still stay in the home and care for the children while managing household responsibilities as well. The difference between the women is that covering the hair and wearing long clothing is not necessary for women who follow the Christian tradition but it is an Islamic requirement for Muslim women. Another difference is the religious belief that Muslim women who are obedient to their husbands and that who bring up their children in the right way following the religious customs will be rewarded abundantly in the afterlife. There is no such belief in Christianity as women are not looked upon in the same way and are more of an equal partner, with spouses sharing various responsibilities and not just focusing on this area or that. However there are still similar views present, especially with regard to teaching children about God and attending church and such. So again, although this has some opposite characteristics the similarities are present as well (Shariah Program 2006). Conclusion To conclude, the start of Islam actually derived from Christianity and the history books can efficiently prove this. Therefore it should be quite understandable why they are so very similar to one another. In Christianity one of the Ten Commandments states that "I am the Lord your God.....you shall have no other gods before me", also identical to Islam, God is considered to be the creator of the universe, and he is also just. On the last day, or judgment day, the same holds true as in Islam in the Christian beliefs, the dead will be resurrected and either rewarded with heaven or punished with hell. Mankind is regarded as the crown of creation, entrusted by God with management of the whole created order. In Christianity this was Adam, who had dominion over all the animals and beasts of the earth. Islam sees humanity as weak and prone to disbelief in God and to disobedience to His will. Humanity's weakness is pride. In the Christian religion it was pride that caused the downfall of man, Eve thought that God had no right to tell them what they could and could not eat. In Islam, God sent prophets to communicate His will. These prophets, all mortal men, were elected messengers to whom God spoke through an angel, identical to Christianity, an example of that was God sending Moses to free his people out of Pharaohs hands. In Islam, they also believe in forgiveness, another basic Christian principle, Islam teaches that God is always ready to pardon the individual and restore him to the sinless state in which he started life. In Christianity this is called being "born again". Furthermore, the Koran relies heavily on Christian traditions. It was Muhammad's contention that Christianity had departed from belief in God's message as revealed in their Scriptures. God had sent many prophets, among them Abraham, who is considered the founder of the faith for Islam, as well as the faith of Christianity. The Koran uses sources from the older Scriptures and relates the stories of Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Jesus, and others, all of whom are declared to have been true prophets whose messages were largely ignored. In finality, this research has clearly shown that Islam and Christianity are indeed woven from identical fabrics. In a sense, it was geography that separated these prodigal brothers. In recent years people (Christians) have come to view Islam as an "evil" religion, mainly because of the fanatics, but they must also look at the Christian fanatics who kill, and bomb in the name of God. Thus all the religions in the world have their faults and in many ways they are also somewhat intertwined. References Ammar, Nawal. (1997). The Sacred Law of Islam. New York: Simon & Schuster. BBC. (2006). Religion and Ethics: Islam. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.bbc.net.uk/religion/religions/islam/practices/fivepillars.shtml Godlas, Alan. (2006). Muslims, Islam, and Iraq. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.uga.edu/islam/iraq.html Islam. (2004). Islam: Spread by Sword. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.iranian.ws/cgi-bin/iran_news/exec/view.cgi/2/4793 Muslim Matrimonial. (2006). Islamic Marriage Handbook for Young Muslims. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.ezsoftech.com/omm/handbook.asp Shariah Program. (2006). A Journey Through Traditional Learning. Retrieved October 11, 2006 from the World Wide Web: http://www.shariahprogram.ca/articles/forced_marriage_islamic.shtml Read More