An Understanding of Being Muslim - Essay Example

An Understanding of Being Muslim As the world moves towards a global community that will perhaps one day be to global laws, courts and leadership that pertain to all people regardless of their country of origin, there are bound to be problems. One of the first steps towards working through the problems that arise out of cultural and ethnic differences is to agree that people hold close to them their prejudices and while we may not always like one another, that doesn’t mean we can’t get along as human beings. Right now, as a result of the events that have transpired largely since the horrific images of September 11, 2001, one of the greatest obstacles proponents of a global community overcome is the image of the Muslim people as blood-thirsty, murdering terrorists. There are in fact millions of Muslims around the globe, in virtually every country of the world, who are in fact not terrorists and have little desire to do more than – like most people – provide for their families and live out their lives in a peace. A Brief History In Arabic, the word “Muslim” means one who surrenders, and for Muslims the surrender to God, or Allah (Merriam Webster on-line dictionary). Mary Pat Fisher (1999) describes how the Arab people received the Word of God through the Prophet Muhammad (p. 346). Just as those whose faith rests in Judaism and Christianity, Islam can also be traced to the patriarch Abraham (p. 344). Also, just as the expression of Judaism is held within the Old Testament of the Bible, as is the expression of Christianity held in the New Testament of the Bible, the expression of Islam rests within the Qura’an (p. 344). The revelations of the Qur’an unto the Prophet Muhmmad by an “angel in human-like form, Gabriel…,” began about 600 C.E., which began with the words “Proclaim! (or Recite!) In the name of they lord and Cherisher, who created – created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And they Lord is Most Bountiful – He who taught (The use of) of the pen, - Taught man that which he knew not (p. 347).” The revelations made unto Muhmmad by the angel Gabriel continued “intermittently,” says Mary Pat Fisher (p. 347). The central theme of the revelations was that there was but one God, and that one God was calling the people of Islam unto Him (p. 347). The word “Islam” means “complete trusting surrender to God (p. 347).” At first Muhammad shared his revelations only with those people he believed he could trust; his wife, Khadijah; his cousin Ali; a friend named Abu Bakr; and a freed slave named Zayd (p. 347). Then, after three years of receiving the Word of God from the angel Gabriel, Muhammad was instructed to take the Word of God to the people and to publicly proclaim the Word (p. 347-348). At first, when preaching the revelations made unto him, Muhammad was met with ridicule, and he was stoned by the wealthy members of his tribe known as the Qurayshites. Muhammad and the small group of people with whom he had shared his revelations, and who believed in what he spoke about, were banished out of Mecca and into the wilderness where they were forced to survive on what they find in the wild, and even tree leaves (p. 348). After three years in the wilderness, “The band of Muslims were asked to return to Mecca, but their persecution by the Qurayshites continued (p. 348).” By the time the Prophet Muhammad and his followers returned to Mecca, his following of supporters had enlarged, regardless of their continued persecution by the Qurayshites (p. 348). Like Jesus, Muhammad had an ascension experience that is called Night of Ascension (p. 348). The story of the Night of Ascension holds that Muhammad ascended through the “seven heavens to the limits of the cosmos, and thence into the Divine Proximity (p. 348).” Within the realm of the Divine Proximity Muhammad met other historical prophets “from Adam to Jesus (p. 348).” It was there that Muhammad received the enlightenment of paradise and hell, received, too, the “blessings of the Divine Presence (p. 348).” In 622 CE, Muslims migrated from Mecca to Medina, which marked the beginning of a mass spread of Islam. In Medina, Muhammad drew up a set of laws under which the city of Yuthrib/Medina would operate, and which laws became the blueprint for the social administration under the laws of Islam (p. 349). Unfortunately, because the Muslims formally established themselves in Medina, that act was perceived by the leaders of Mecca as establishing a base from which would be launched attacks against Mecca and its caravans in and out of Mecca (p. 349). Thus, Mecca declared war on Medina and conflict between the two cities ensued (p. 349). The story of the war between Mecca and Medina is a important one, because although Muhammad was outnumbered, according to the “Qur’anic revelations, God had sent thousands of angels to help Muhammad. Furthermore, Muhammad threw a handful of pebbles at the Meccans and this turned the tide, for it was God who threw, and he ‘He will surely weaken the designs of the unbelievers (p. 349).’” During a second attack on Medina by the Meccans Muhammad was wounded and the Muslims religious fighters fled to different parts of the area in an effort to escape the Meccans (p. 350). It was Muhammad who negotiated the peace between the two cities. Muhammad following had significantly increased and when he entered the city of Mecca he met with no resistance from the Meccans, and peace talks followed (p. 350). “The Ka’bah1 was purged of its idols, and from that time to the present it has been the center of Muslim piety (p. 350).” The Meccan’s conversion to Islam was “Acquiescing to Muhammad’s political power and the Qur’anic warnings about the dire fate of those who tried to thwart God’s prophets (p. 350).” Muhammad then returned to Medina where he established the political and religious seat of Islam (p. 350). “From there, campaigns were undertaken to spread the faith,” and in fact Islam rapidly spread through northern Africa, Persia and Bahrain (p. 350). “In the eleventh year of the Muslim era, Muhammad made a final pilgrimage to the Ka’bah to demonstrate the rites that were to be followed henceforth (p. 35).” Not long thereafter, having returned to Medina, Muhammad fell gravely ill, at which point he assured his followers that he would “meet them at the ‘Fountain’ in Paradise (p. 350).” Muhammad died in the 632 CE, having left no directives on who should take up his mantle, or how Muslims should proceed – except, perhaps, the Qur’an itself (p. 350). Following Muhammad’s death, his long-time friend and follower Abu Bakr was elected as the “caliph,” or successor to the Prophet Muhammad (p. 350). Here, too, began the divisions within Islam that yielded the different spiritual Islamic sects. Muhammad’s cousin, Ali, who was also the husband of Muhammad’s “favorite daughter, Fatima,” to who Islamic legend holds was “transferred his spiritual light,” before his death (p. 350). However, neither Fatima nor her husband took part in the elections that saw Abu Bakr become Muhammad’s successor, or caliph (p. 350). “The Shi’ite faction would later claim Ali as the legitimate heir. Abu Bakr and Umar, who became the second caliph upon Abu Bakr’s death, put military pressure on the Byzantine and Persian Empires. Soon, Persia, Egypt and the Fertile Crescent were within the Muslim fold (p. 350). Even with the divisions among Muslims, the life of Muhammad was held as special within Islamic history, however, the Prophet Muhammad always emphasized his humanness, and he held himself out as a servant, as were all mankind (p. 351). The Prophet Muhammad held that the only miracle he ever experienced was the revelations made unto him through which were delivered the Word of God so that he could serve God by carrying forth the Word (p. 351). Fisher describes what has been recorded as the physical appearance of the Prophet Muhammad as one of “physical beauty, his mobility of character, the fragrance of his presence, his humility, and his kindness (p.351).” However, it’s important to say, and it was the Prophet’s emphasis, that God, and not Muhammad himself, was the sole creator, the only God, and the only One through who salvation could come (p.351). The Prophet Muhammad was the “model” for mankind in his pursuit of God’s forgiveness, and is considered purer than other men since he was the vehicle for the Word of God (p. 351). The Qur’an In a discussion on being Muslim, it is both important to discuss the Qur’an, and impossible to have such a discussion without discussing the Qur’an. As previously mentioned, the Qur’an is the Book of Islam that holds the revelations given unto Muhammad (p. 352). In most societies there is a separation of church and state; meaning that religion is held separately from the legal code enforced upon the population to prevent chaos and crime. Islam, writes John Esposito (1987), with 900 million followers (as of 1987) exists “as a religiopolitical movement in which religion was integral to state and society (p. 1). Muslim belief that Islam embraces faith and politics is rooted in its divinely revealed book, the Qur’an, and the example (Sunnah) of its founder/Prophet Muhammad, and thus has been reflected in Islamic doctrine, history, and politics (p. 1).” Meaning that, again, the Prophet Muhammad by his own example and by the constitution of administration that he created in Medina pursues first, at any level, the pursuit of God first. It was important to mention this prior to discussing the Qur’an, because as an examination of the Qur’an proceeds, keeping in mind it is the revelation of the Word of God to the Prophet Muhammad, then it follows that it is from the Qur’an, through Islam as the religiopolitical philosophy, that the governance of Muslims is conducted. It holds, too, that the Qur’an will hold the answers as to how Muslims perceive themselves in world where it Islam is second to Christianity, but where other religions or religious-like philosophies exist. This is an idea that is important to hold on to as the discussion progresses towards Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism which have so profoundly cast a shadow upon the image of all Muslims as posing a threat to non-Muslims. “Ali Akbar!” (God is most great) “summarizes the centrality of God and the wedding of personal religious conviction and political life in Islam (p. 1).” According to the Qur’an, God imparted his Word to the Prophet because his message as set down in the Jewish Book (Torah) and the Christian Book (New Testament) were “tampered with (p. 1).” The Qur’an, Islam holds, is the final message from God that is meant to serve as man’s last opportunity to follow the path of God (p. 1). “The Islamic imperative is both personal and societal, individual and corporate (p. 1).” There is no separation of church and state for Muslims. Muslims have, too, another mission, and that is to take the Word of God to those people who do not have God’s Word, and therefore cannot follow his path. Fisher writes that it is expressed in the Qur’an that “…the mission of Islam is to reform society, to actively combat oppression and corruption, ‘inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding all that is wrong (p. 351).” In other words, Islam is the last religious reformation and the Muslims are charged with imparting the knowledge gained through the Qur’an to all others. “When he was asked how best to practice Islam,” Muhammad said, “The Best Islam is that you feed the hungry and spread peace among people you know and those you do not know (p. 351).” This last statement, too, becomes important as the discussion becomes fundamentalism and terrorism. Islamic Fundamentalism and Terrorism The central teachings of the Qur’an hold that there is but one God and Muhammad was His prophet (p. 354). Although Islam recognizes Judaism and Christianity, it sees those faiths as having gone astray from the path of God. For Muslims, God and humanity are inseparable, and it is with an eye toward staying on the path, and showing others that path around which Islam revolves (p. 354). Unfortunately, historical events have resulted in what can today only be described as suspicion, blatant hatred and what seems in one sense the focus of destruction of one another. Christian leaders have not accepted their role in the historical events. During the time of the Crusades, Christian religious leadership and Christians acting as Holy Crusaders, engaged in campaigns of holy war against the Muslims. Philip Almond (2003) writes, “By the middle of the nineteenth century, the traditional image of Muhammad as “anti-Christ” had become passé, and in the general framework of Victorian discussions of the Prophet has somewhat an air of quaint antediluvianism (p. 1). Anti-Christ he may not have been, but the issue of his imposture remained crucial (p. 1).” And this is perception is what ushered in the twentieth century. God, again, the focus of Islam, was put to the side while westerners examined and analyzed the Prophet Muhammad (p. 1). In so doing, the west began to perceive Islam’s lumping of social and religious and political philosophies as Muhammad’s ambitions to make himself a leader, the highest leader, in each of these regards (p. 1). Never mind that Muhammad devoted himself to a life of poverty and prayer, not so different than that of Mehatma Ghandi2 or twenty-first century’s Mother Teresa3. The fact remains that suspicion, differences in religious ideologies and the question of Israel’s right to exist, and especially the events that occurred in the United States on September 11, 2002, have brought the west and Islam to a face-off in Iraq and Afghanistan4. Co-authors Brenda and James Lutz (2004) write that, “Many people in the world would qualify as religious fundamentalists (p. 64). They follow the precepts of their religions with devotion, they attempt to avoid sin, and they practice virtue according to their religious values (p. 64).” This does not make them terrorists. Certainly for the millions of Muslims who do not belong to a terrorist organization, the pursuit of terrorism is not on the agenda of their daily lives, although the pursuit of the path of God may be very much on their daily agendas. The poverty levels5 in the Muslim world are extremely high, and to be occupied with subsistence and following the path of God no doubt takes much time than many people might who would lump all Muslims into the category of terrorist would understand. As the world moves towards a global community, it becomes more important than ever to accept the cultural and ethnic differences that exist between people, and to celebrate diversity instead of fear diversity. The images of poverty and starvation in the African – and Islamic – nations have probably been seen by most of the people in the world and especially western nations. It is important that the people of the developed nations look at the third world developing nations as members of the human race, before it counts them as members of the Islamic faith. It cannot be any more the desire of an Islamic mother to see her husband, son, or daughter killed in an act of terrorism than it would be for the western mother. At the same time, Islam must be understood as the religious faith of that ranks second only to Christianity in number, and that as time progresses, more and more people are turning to what they perceive to be the Word of God as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Faith is a choice that one makes for one’s self, and the faith of Islam should no more be a basis of distrust or exclusion than Buddhism, Shinto, or Judaism. This does not mean that Muslims are exempt from accepting others as they are, since no matter who is interpreting Islam, the Qur’an, as mentioned earlier and as spoken by the Prophet Muhammad himself, holds that the best practice of Islam is by example, which is perhaps why the Prophet left no formal instruction as to who should lead along the path to God. Works Cited Almond, Philip. "Western Images of Islam, 1700-1900." The Australian Journal of Politics and History 49.3 (2003): 412+. Questia. 27 Mar. 2006 . Fisher, Mary Pat. “Living Religions Fourth Edition.” New Jersey: Prentice-Hall 1999. Lutz, James M., and Brenda J. Lutz. Global Terrorism. New York: Routledge, 2004. Questia. 27 Mar. 2006 . Read More