Islam and Holy Quran - Essay Example

? Islam Islam People who follow the religion of Islam are called Muslims. The word “Islam” literally means “submission” which is a word derived from the one which means “peace”. Islam is a monotheistic religion that is articulated by the Holy Quran. Islam is based on the concept of submission to Allah and accepting his supremacy over all and believing in the Holy Prophet and the Holy Quran. One becomes a Muslim by reciting the Shahadah declaring his submission to Allah and accepting that Muhammad is the prophet. Islam is not just a religion; in fact, it is a complete way of life which teaches Muslims peace, mercy and forgiveness (Mawdudi 1975). Islam is a relatively new religion as compared to the other religions of the world. Muslims believe that the Holy Prophet was the last prophet and there were many before him starting from Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and many more. The Holy Prophet was born in Makah and became the prophet at the age of 40. He was a pious man who had to face many persecutions in order to propagate the word of god. He faced persecutions because Islam taught equality amongst all and people of Makah were not willing to accept that. During his life, he propagated Islam throughout the Arabian Peninsula and beyond. He led his life by example. Today’s Muslims try to follow the footsteps of the Holy Prophet, which is called the Sunnah. They try to live their lives like him in order succeed in the world hereafter. Hadith, the sayings of the Holy Prophet, also provide Muslims with guidance for how to go about different endeavors. Religions are dogmatic in nature and Islam provides a complete guideline for how to go about our lives in the form of the Holy Quran, Sunnah and Hadith (Understanding Islam and Muslims, 2012). Muslims believe that the Holy Quran is the word of the Almighty Allah himself. The words of Quran were revealed upon the Holy Prophet through angel Gabriel over a span of 23 years of prophethood. Quran is the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language and is believed to be authentic word to word copy of Allah’s revelation. The holy Quran is divided into 114 surahs and 30 Siparahs. It provides Muslims with the complete code of life as instructed by Allah and serves as an authentic guideline to Muslims when in need of guidance for economic system, justice system, and proper human conduct; therefore, Muslims hold the Holy Quran in the highest regard. Since its very beginning, Islam was at the gateways of European countries. Merely 12 decades after the fatalities of the prophet Muhammad, Muslims spread out in Armenia, Atlanta, Georgia, Dagestan and elsewhere, such as places of the Byzantine Kingdom. 12 decades later, they were in the eastern places of this particular language (Arabic) and in almost all the places of the Mediterranean Sea from the region of the island of Malta to Sicily, Majorca and Rhodes. Extensive places in South Eastern European countries came under Islamic concept for over 500 decades, finishing only at the starting of the twentieth century (Europe and Islam: Shared History, Shared Identity, 2006). According to history, Muslim scholars have contributions in fields of psychology, philosophy, ethics, education, mathematics, chemistry and humanities. ‘Abu Bakr Mohammad Ibn Zakariya al-Razi (864-930 A.D.) is a renowned scholar in the history of Islam. He made great contributions in the field of medicine and was a known philosopher. His contribution is of a great value to the people of the religion and is compared to that of another scholar named Ibn Sina. Al- Razi was known to have written many books in the field of medicine which included Kitab al- Mansoori,  Kitab al-Mulooki and others.  Kitab al-Mansoori was a book which was translated in Latin and mostly revolved around the subject of Greco- Arab medicine. (Muhammad Ibn Zakariya Al-Razi, 2012). Another famous scholar known as Ibn Sina was born in 980 A.D. He was also known to be a great scholar for the studies of medicine and philosophy. His contributions to the field of medicine are also vast and praised till date. He wrote a book known as Qanun fi al-Tibb which has the definition of many medical words. Lastly, Ibn Haiyan was another scholar in the religious history and was known to be the founder of chemistry (Ibn Sina 2012). From Islamic point of view, a perfect example of tolerance can be derived from Holy Prophet (P.B.U.H) who, despite being brutally treated by the community of Taif, prayed for the well being of the community and ordered the angels to not harm anyone in that community. Besides that, Hajj is quoted as the best example where Muslims display tolerance towards each other irrespective of their identity. Though the deteriorating situation of peace, law and order in several Islamic Republics create a dichotomy with respect to what Islam is generally believed to teach—tolerance. Islam has two major branches, Shiites and Sunnis; whereas Christianity, on the other hand, has three major braches, namely: Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants. Both religions have their holy places: Muslims regard Makah, Medina and Jerusalem as their holy places and Christians regard Jerusalem as their holy place. Christians and Muslims have different places of worship, churches and mosques respectively. Christians have leaders such as pope, priests, archbishops etc. and Muslims have Imams. In today’s world, Christians are concentrated mainly in the regions of Europe, North and South America. Muslims are concentrated in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. The religion itself does not have a direct impact on its followers but it does influence them to change their life in accordance to the teachings of Islam. Piousness and humbleness are required by the religion in accordance to the teachings of Islam. People are urged to lead a simple life and follow the five pillars of Islam. Every Muslim must abide by these principles in order to be a proper Muslims. Firstly, the Shahadah, a person must recite and accept this in order to become a Muslim. It shows that person has submitted to the Almighty Allah. Second, Salat (prayer), all Muslims are to pray to god five times a day in order to get forgiveness and get close to Him. There is no hierarchical order in Islam so a learned person, the Imam, leads the congregational prayers. Third, Zakat (alms giving), all Muslims must give 2.5% of their income to the needy. By doing so, one purifies one’s income and has great benefits for the society as well. Fourth, Saum (fasting), every Muslim must fast in the month of Ramadan; it helps one become more resilient and also realize what the less privileged suffer from. Fifth, Hajj (pilgrimage), during the month of Ramadan, Muslims from all over the world travel to Makah to perform the hajj ceremony. This is only obligatory if the person is able to afford the trip. Muslims must perform these obligations to become true Muslims (Understanding Islam and Muslims, 2012). To the present date, only four of the Muslim leaders have won Nobel Prize in Peace keeping: Anwar Saadat, Yasser Arafat, Iran’s Shirin Ebadi, and now Mr. El-Baradei (Full list of Nobel Prize winners, 2012). Today’s Islam is a mile away from what the history and gist of Islam have always claimed to teach; now we need to see what else is going to change in the coming years. Bibliography Europe And Islam: Shared History, Shared Identity. NYU Center for Dialogues: Islamic World–U.S.–The West. Viewed 11 November 2012, http://islamuswest.org/events_Islam_and_the_West/europe_islam_shared_identity/europe_islam_shared_identity_speech.html Full list of Nobel Peace Prize winners - Europe - Al Jazeera English. Viewed 11 November 2012, http://www.aljazeera.com/news/europe/2012/10/2012101294812290692.html Ibn Sina, Muslim Scientist and Thinkers – INDEX. Viewed 14 November 2012. http://wzzz.tripod.com/SINA.html Mawdudi, A.A. (1975). The Message of the Prophet’s Seerat. Viewed 14 November 2012 http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Articles/sunnah/message_of_the_prophets_seerat.htm Mohammad Ibn Zakariya Al-Razi, Muslim Scientist and Thinkers – INDEX. Viewed 14 November 2012, http://wzzz.tripod.com/RAZI.html Understanding Islam and Muslims. Viewed 14th November 2012. http://www.islamicity.com/Mosque/uiatm/un_islam.htm> Read More