The Straight Path by John Esposito - Literature review Example

and Section # of Write a book review on any book dealing with Islam as a religion Islam: The Straight Path by John L. Esposito was published in 1998 by Oxford University Press. This book covers the whole Islamic history, ideologies and also Islamic Laws. The book starts with Mohammad and the basic teachings of Koran and Islam. It tells about the how Islam basically starts and when Mohammad starts preaching and the behavior of people in the land at that time. The writer then comes to the history of different Islamic Empires. The Four Caliphs: Begging with Caliphs, the writer gave the descriptions about the four caliphs of Muslim world. Starting with Abu Bakar, who was the first Caliph, and started his rule after the death of Mohammad. It was a difficult time for Muslims, as after the death of their Prophet, people started to pay less attention to Islamic laws and also there was a chance of anarchy. But Abu Bakar controlled the Muslims with his wisdom. He ruled for two years and was succeeded by Omar. A man of rules, Omar played an important role in Muslim’s revival and also many areas were conquered in his era. His era shows the great development within Muslim world, not only as they conquered different parts of Middle East and Africa, but also he solved many conflicts within Muslim world. He established few basic practices. He remained as a Caliph for almost a decade and during this time, Islam spread worldwide and he conquered large are of land as well. Hence, his era could be called the unforgettable era of Muslims. He established the first public treasury and also financial administration for the first time. Umar succeded by Usman, the third Muslim Caliph, ruled for almost twelve years. Islam spread worldwide during his era. He arranged the Koran in an order and spread it all over with the same order. The Koran that is read by Muslim today is the same version. He was murdered by few young men, as anarchy among Muslims started at that time. He was succeeded by Ali, Shia Muslims consider him as their spiritual leader. Ali was famous for his bravery, his rule is still remembered as the one which kept Muslims united. But after all these Caliphs, Muslims never get united again. Ummayad: Emirs  Abd al-Rahman I (755-788) Hisham I (788-796) Al-Hakam I (796-822) Abd al-Rahman II (822-852) Muhammad I (852-886) Al-Mundir (886-888) Abd Allah (888-912) Abd al-Rahman III (912-929) Caliphs   Abd al-Rahman III (929-961) Al-Hakam II al-Mustansir (961-976) Hisham II al-Muayyad (976-1009, 1010-1013) Muhammad II al-Mahdi (1008-1010). A great-grand-son of Abd al-Rahman III.   Sulayman ibn al-Hakan ibn Sulayman al-Mustain (1009-1010, 1013-1016) Alí ibn Hammud (1016-1018) Abd al-Rahman IV (1018) Al-Qasim ibn Hammud (1018-1021, 1023) Yahya ibn Alí ibn Hammud (1021-1023, 1025-1027) Abd al-Rahman V (1023-1024) Muhammad III (1024-1025) Hisham III (1027-1031) After telling about the four Caliphs, writer stated about Ummayad Caliphs. It was established in 661 and last for a century. Damascus was the capital of Islamic World which got wider till that. It includes a great part of Asia and some part of Europe as well. Ummayad era is remembered as a golden era. Islamic conquests continued during this time, including Asia and Europe, the main parts conquered at that time were Central Asia, Spain, France and Indian subcontinent. Not only they did well in Defense side but also they did great at founding and organizing the basic social and legal institutions of the Islamic world. A great work on Literature, Sciences, Medical and Humanities was conducted in Ummayad era. Abbasids: They were succeeded by Abbasids, who shifted the capital of Muslim world from Damascus to Baghdad. Baghdad developed into a true centre of learning and culture. Abbasids rule for over five hundred years. The beginning of their era is marked with the success of Islamic scholars who played a great role in today’s world sciences. Not only in sciences, the great philosophers published their famous work during this time. In the end, gradually their power got waned to Baghdad only and they became symbolic rulers who lack the military skills and also the actual power over their country. Finally Hulagu, the Mogal Empire, conquered the capital of Abbasid Caliphs, Baghdad, in 1258 and destroyed the whole city. The city was bathed into blood of its citizens and another unbearable loss was of libraries which contains the precious treasure of books within it, and all those books were said to be thrown into the river Baghdad. Golden Era in Spain: When Abbasids captured Damascus, and Umayyad Prince escaped and went to Spain. The Muslim Golden Era in Spain started after that that longed for almost two centuries hundred years. Cordoba was established the capital and it became the centre of culture and education in the continent (Europe). They ruled there unless they weekend and like this the unforgettable Muslim era in Spain ended. North Africa: Morocco and Egypt are the great examples of early Muslim rulers. They ruled in these areas and set an example there. Ottoman Empire: The writer tells us about Ottoman Empire. Turks rose up and dominate over their own country and also Europe. They started from 1453. They conquered much of Eastern Europe and nearly the whole of the Arab world, which is considered as a great achievement by them. Not only the military power, they also provided a great environment for Muslims to have their cultural and educational centre to be developed in these countries. Although from fourteenth century onwards, western powers started to rise in the region but their were strong at their positions. But then comes first World War, and then the Ottoman empire ended like this. Five Pillars of Islam: The writer tells about the five pillars of Islam. These are considered to be the foundation of Muslim’s life. The five pillars of Islam are: Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad; Establishment of the daily prayers; Concern for and almsgiving to the needy; Self-purification through fasting; and The pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able. Faith or Iman: "There is none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is the messenger of God." A Muslim must accept this declaration and its called “Shahadat”. It clearly indicated that there is no God in this world except Allah and he is the only one who needed to be worshiped. Mohammad is the prophet of Allah, he is the last Prophet and no Prophet will come after him. To be a Muslim, one needs to believe in this statement and one should obey and God and also practice the teachings of Prophet Mohammad. Prayer or Salah: Muslims should pray five times a day, which is “farz”, means necessary for every Muslim man and woman. It’s a direct link between man and Allah. Prayers are usually given in Mosque where a learned Muslim man lead the prayers and all others follow him. There are five prayers a day: Fajar (said in the early morning) Zuhar (said in the afternoon) Asar (said in late-afternoon) Maghrib (said when the sunset) Isha (said in the nightfall) Zakah: An important principle in Islam is that everything belongs to Allah. And human must share their resources, money and other blessings, given by Allah, with their fellow humans. Specially with those who deserves this. The belief is that the money or possessions are purified by giving Zakah. It gives the economy a new growth and also it keeps the rotation of Capital within society which discourages the frozen capital. Every Muslim must calculate his Zakah individually and that is 2.5% of his annual income. Its not a big amount yet its necessary for every Muslim, who falls within the category of Zakah. Muslim can give Sadka anytime they want to and in any amount they are willing to. Fasting: Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam. In the month of Ramdan, all Muslims fast (neither they drink water nor they eat anything, and also no sexual relation with their spouse) from dawn to sunset. It is compulsory for every adult Muslim men and women to keep fasting for a month unless he/she is ill or on a journey. Fasting is a good way to renew the faith in Allah, and for the whole month of Ramdan, Muslim fasts for Allah. Muslims enjoy this month and prepare themselves specially for this month. Hajj: Hajj or Pilgrimage to Makkah, is the last pillar of Islam. It is compulsory on those Muslims who are physically and financially able to go to Makkah and sped almost a week there. It begins in the Twelfth month of Islamic calendar. Muslims wear a special cloth for this know as Ahram. Muslims from different parts and cultures around the world gather together in Makkha and perform Hajj, which renews their faith and also give them time to socialize with other Muslims who belong to different parts of world. Sunni Muslims: The followers of Al-Ashari are usually called Sunni Muslims. They represent a specific school of thoughts and ideologies. The sources of Islamic law in Sunni beliefs are the Quran, the Sunna of the Prophet (Muhammads deeds as a normative model), analogical reasoning, and the consensus of the community. The five pillars of Islam are the profession of faith, prayer, almsgiving, the Ramadan fast, and the Hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca. These five pillars of Islam are compulsory to follow in every theology. Different schools of law handle other areas in different ways: Esposito touches on family law (divorce and inheritance), the relationship between customary practice and Quranic prescription (in rules about veiling and seclusion), Sufism, and Shii differences. Wahabi Muslims: Pre modern revivalist movements attempted "to reclaim and implement authentic teachings of the Quran and Sunna". In contrast modernist movements "felt free to suggest that many practices acceptable in the past were no longer relevant", claiming "the right and necessity to formulate new regulations" and advocating "an adaptation of Islam to the changing conditions of modern society". And beginning in the first half of the twentieth century, neorevivalist movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood and the Jamaat-i-Islami saw Islam as "a comprehensive ideology for personal and public life, the foundation for Muslim state and society". Many Muslim Scholars rejected this idea as it leads to the extremism and fundamentalism. As the write wrote in the beginning that his goal is "to enable readers to understand and appreciate what Muslims believe and practice", he tries his best to achieve it and told the world the real face of religion Islam. Reference Page John L. Esposito. Islam: The Straight Path. London: Oxford University Press, 1998. Read More