Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.

Muslim

Specialty Definition: Islam

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The neutrality of this article is disputed.

Islam is a monotheistic religion that arose in the 7th century based on the religious teachings of a desert preacher named Muhammed; these teachings are contained in the Qur'an. Muslims believe that Muhammed received these teachings from Allah, via the angel Jabril. In addition, the religious beliefs and practices of Islam are based on the Hadith literature, which Muslims believe clarify and explain the teachings of Muhammed.

Followers of Islam are known as Muslims, sometimes spelled in older English texts as "Moslems". In some older English texts they are referred to as "Muhammadans" or "Mohammadans", but these terms are not commonly used as they incorrectly imply that Muslims worship Muhammad.

Since Islam is in some ways derived from Judaism and Christianity, it is classified as an Abrahamic faith.

The meaning of the word Islam

Islam is an Arabic word meaning "submission (to Allah)" and is described as a "Deen" in Arabic, meaning "way of life" and/or "religion". It has an etymological relationship to other Arabic words, such as Salaam, meaning "peace". The Arabic word "Muslim" is related to the word Islam and means a "vassal" of Allah and "one who surrendered" or submitted (to Allah). Muslims see homage to Allah as a sign of distinction; this term has no negative connotations. Homage means serving the will of Allah above and beyond one's own goals.

Beliefs

Islam has a number of beliefs that it teaches one must adhere to,

God

The cornerstone of Islamic faith is a strict belief in monotheism. God is considered one and without an equal. Besides one chapter in the Qur'an, the remaining 113 all begin with "In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful". Allah describes Himself in Surat al-Ikhlas, (chapter 112): "Say: He is Allah The One, Allah The Eternal. He never begot, nor was begotten. There is none comparable to Him." See the entry on the The 99 names of Allah for Muslim views on God's attributes.

Prophets

Islam teaches that God may reveal His will to manking though an angel; such recipients of revelation as known as prophets. Islam makes a distinction between people it terms "prophets" and those it terms "messengers". Although all prophets are messengers, not all messengers are prophets.

Notable prophets include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad, all belonging to a sucession of men guided by God. Muhammad is viewed as the 'Last Messenger' bringing the final message of God to all mankind through the Qur'an. Messengers and prophets were sent to every nation and civilization, and every prophet was given a book for those people. These individuals were mortal humans; Islam demands that a believer accept all of the prophets, making no distinction between them.

Islamic law

The study of scripture is strongly emphasized. The Qur'an is the foremost source of Islamic jurisprudence, and the second is the Sunnah (Life and way of the Prophet). One cannot practice Islam without consulting both texts. From the Sunnah, related but not the same, is the Ahadith (narrations of the Prophet). A hadith is a narration about the life of the Prophet or what he approved - as opposed to his life itself, which is the Sunnah.

The Day of Judgement

Also believed is the Day of judgement, in Heaven and Hell, in the Angels, the Jinns (a species of invisible beings), in the existence of magic (strictly forbidden to practice), in the danger of evil eye (also forbidden), and in the mercy, wisdom, and almighty strength of God.

Revelation of the Qur'an

Muslims believe that the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad when Allah (God) sent an angel to dictate a series of revelations to him; Muhammad then recited this to his companions, many of whom were said to have memorized it and written it down on available material. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad was illiterate; the revelations to Muhammad were later gathered by his companions and followers in book form. Muhammad is considered to be the final prophet, sent to preach the same message as the prophets of Christianity (Jesus) and Judaism (Moses) (and possibly Zoroastrianism and other ancient religions).

Islamic belief holds that all the prophets successfully taught their nation the same message of the oneness of God. In the past, however, the message of Islam became distorted by later generations and the revealed scripture corrupted, leaving reason for another messenger to be sent. As Muslims believe that Muhammad is the last of a long line of prophets, they have taken his message to be a sacred trust, and have taken great care to ensure the message was assembled and transmitted in a manner that did not betray that trust. Although Muslims make scrupulous efforts to protect and respect the Qur'an, they believe that it is not through their own endeavours, but by the mercy of God that the Qur'an is preserved intact and will never be altered.

Misc.

Muslims believe that Muhammad was a truthful man, as were all prophets, and that prophets are incapable of doing wrong actions (or even witnessing wrong actions without speaking against them) by the will of Allah.

Not so popular beliefs, like with every religion, are widespread. Some Muslims believe in a group of people called the Walis, or "friends of God". Walis claim that Allah protects and guides them, and that God performs miracles for them. Most Muslims reject this view, as traditional Islam rejects the idea of miracles.

The Six Elements of Belief

There are several beliefs shared by all Muslims:

• God (in Arabic, Allah)
• Angels
• Books (sent by God)
• Messengers (sent by God)
• Day of Judgment
• Both good and evil (or more precisely, what people call good and evil) come from God. (Although in terms of Evil, it is more a product of people being misguided by the Devil.)

Religious authority

There is no official authority who decides whether a person is accepted to, or dismissed from, the community of believers. Islam is open to all, regardless of race, age, gender, or previous beliefs. It is enough to believe in the central beliefs of Islam. This is formally done by reciting the shahada, the statement of belief of Islam, without which a person cannot be classed a Muslim. As no one can split open another's heart to see what's inside, it is enough to believe and say that you are a Muslim, and behave in a manner befitting a Muslim to be accepted into the community of Islam.

The Five Pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam are five basic duties of muslims:

• the recitation and acceptance of the Creed (Shahada)
• daily prayer (Salat or Salah)
• paying ritual alms (Zakat or Zakah)
• observing the fast of Ramadan (Saum or Siyam)
• making the pilgrimage to Makkah (Hajj or Haj)

At least one group believes that Jihad, meaning inner struggle against Satan (greater jihad) or external struggle (lesser jihad), is the "sixth pillar of Islam". Other groups consider "Allegiance to the Imam" to be the so-called sixth pillar of Islam. For more information, see the article entitled Sixth pillar of Islam.

The Qur'an

The Qur'an, also spelled Quran or Koran, is the holy book of Islam. Its title means "Recitation" or "Reading". It consists of 114 chapters or Surahs laid out roughly in order of size, the largest being near the front, the smallest near the back. It describes the origins of the Universe, Man, and their relationship to each other and their Creator, Allah. It sets out laws for society, morality, economics and many other topic. It is intended for recitation and memorization. The Qur'an is primarily taught from one generation to the next this way. Muslims regard the Qur'an as sacred and inviolable.

For Muslims, the Qur'an answers questions about daily needs, both spiritual and material. It discusses God and God's Names and attributes; believers and their virtues, and the fate of non-believers (kuffar); Mary, Jesus, and all the other prophets; and even scientific subjects. Muslims do not follow the laws of the Qur'an exclusively; they also follow the examples of the prophet, which is known as the Sunnah, and the understanding of the Qur'an contained in the teachings of the prophet known as the Ahadith. Muslims are taught that God sent down other books. Besides the Qur'an, the others are the book of Ibrahim (now lost) the Law of Moses (the Taurah), the Psalms of David (the Zabûr) and the Gospel of Jesus (the Injil). The Qur'an describes Christians and Jews as "the people of the Book" (ahl al Kitâb). An article on The Bible in Islam is found here.

The teachings of Islam concern many of the same personages as those of Judaism and Christianity. However, Muslims frequently refer to them using Arabic names which can make it appear they are talking about different people: e.g. Allah for God, Iblis for Satan, Ibrahim for Abraham, etc. A belief in a day of judgment and an afterlife (Akhirah) are also part of Islamic theology.

The Qur'an is believed to be the word of God, sacred and immutable. Muslims do not touch the book unless in a state of ablution, known as "wudu." Muslims will typically keep it on a high shelf in their room, as a show of respect for the Qur'an, and some carry small versions with them for comfort or security. Only the original Arabic version of it is regarded as the Qur'an; translations are seen as poor shadows of the original's meaning. Critics and some Muslim scholars have stated that at one time there were verses in the Qur'an inspired by Satan, which Muhammad removed after the angel Jibreel revealed their source. These are referred to as The Satanic Verses, but scholars disagree as to whether they existed or if this is a mere fable.

The Qur'an describes two forms of Jihad ("struggle"). One form, the "Greater Jihad", is described as a struggle with oneself for mastery of the soul, another form, the "Lesser Jihad", is described as a holy war that Muslims are obligated to wage against those who are enemies of Islam. There are differing opinions as to what forms of conflict are considered Jihad. Jihad may only be waged to defend Islam. However, some groups hold that this applies not only to the physical defense of Muslims, but to the reclamation of land once belonging to Muslims, or even the protection of Islam itself against corrupting influences. The idea of Jihad as a violent war has become more popular in the latter half of the 20th century, especially within the Wahabbi movement and in the Islamist movement. According to most forms of Islam, if a person dies in the middle of Jihad, he is sent directly to heaven without punishment for any sins.

Islam in relation to Judaism and Christianity

According to Islam, the leaders of both Judaism and Christianity deliberately altered the true word of God, and thus led all of their believers down a false path. In the Qur'an, Allah (God) charges the Jewish people with "falsehood" (Sura 3:71), distortion (4:46), and of being "corrupters of Scripture."

Some parts of the Qur'an attribute differences between Muslims and non-Muslims to tahref-ma'any, a "corruption of the meaning" of the words. In this view, the Jewish Bible and Christian New Testament are true, but the Jews and Christians misunderstood the meaning of their own Scripture, and thus need the Qur'an to clearly understand the will of God. However, other parts of the Qur'an make clear that many Jews and Christians used deliberately altered versions of their scripture, and had altered the word of God. This belief was developed further in medieval Islamic polemics, and is a mainstream part of both Sunni and Shi'ite Islam today. This is known as the doctrine of tahref-lafzy, "the corruption of the text".

Historical origin of Islam

This is discussed in the articles on the History of Islam, and the Life of Prophet Muhammad.

Muslims are of many different races and (political and ethnic) nationalities. The majority of Muslims are in the countries of South Asia, South-East Asia, Central Asia, northern Africa and the Middle East (much of northern African being thought of as being a part of the Middle East).

The growth of Islam today

Islam is the largest religion after Christianity, and currently the fastest growing. It began in Saudi Arabia in about 610, and according to adherents.com it now comprises 1.3 billion believers, 23% of the world's population, with almost 2 million believers in the USA. Only 18% of Muslims live in the Arab world, a fifth are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, and the world's largest Muslim community is in Indonesia. There are significant Islamic populations in Europe, the former Soviet Union, and South America.

Islamic laws

The Islamic law is called Shariah. Its two main sources are the Qur'an and the Hadith, but also the ijma, the consensus of the community was accepted as a minor source. Qiyas, reasoning by analogy, was used by the law scholars (Mujtahidun) to deal with situations where the sources provided no concrete rules. However, what is today known as Shariah law, has also roots in local customs (Al-urf).

The Islamic jurisprudence is called fiqh and is divided into two parts: the study of the sources and methodology (usul al-fiqh - roots of the law) and the practical rules (furu' al-fiqh - branches of the law)

Dietary laws

When eating meat, Muslims may only eat from meat that has been slaughtered in the name of Allah, and meets stringent dietary requirements. Such meat is called pure, or halal. Islamic law prohibits a Muslim from eating pork, monkey, dog, cat, any carnivores, and several other types of animal, as these animals are haram (forbidden). For the meat of an animal to be halal (lawful) it must be one of the declared halal animals, it must be slaughtered by a Muslim, and the animal may not be killed by any cruel or prolonged means. The animal is killed by slicing the jugular veins, and thus rendering the animal unconscious immediately, the blood then flows out from the body, and the animal dies in its sleep. Some Muslim clerics have ruled that the animal does not have to be killed by a Muslim, but may be slaughtered by a Jew as long as it meets their strict dietary laws. Thus, some observant Muslims will accept kosher meat (meat prepared in accord with Jewish law) as halal.

The role of women in Islam

Islam does not prohibit women from working, but emphasizes the importance of caring for house and family for both parents. In theory, Islamic law allows each spouse to divorce at will, by saying "I divorce you" three times in public. In practice divorce is more involved than this and there may be separate state proceedings to follow as well. This practice is valid within most of the Muslim world today. Usually, the divorced wife keeps her dowry from when she was married, if there was one, and is given child support until the age of weaning at which point the child may be returned to its father if it is deemed to be best.

Women are generally not allowed to be clergy or religious scholars. Many interpretations of Islamic law hold that women may not have prominent jobs, and thus are forbidden from working in the government. This has been a mainstream view in many Muslim nations in the last century.

The Qur'an also places a dress code upon its followers. For women, it emphasizes modesty without an overt call for any specific covering of any body part; men have a dress code which is more relaxed: the loins must be covered from knee to waist. The rationale given for these rules is that men and women are not to be viewed as sexual objects. In practice, men dictate what women are allowed to wear in many culturally Islamic countries. It is worth noting that in Islam all things are done by intention and a choice. Therefore if a women is forced to wear a headscarf this is not deemed to be Islamic: only the choice of the woman can be considered Islamic. Infringement of these rules in some "Muslim" nations may result in beatings. One of the garments women are eventually required to wear is the hijab (of which the headscarf is one component). The word hijab is derived from the Arabic word hijaba which means "to hide from sight or view", "to conceal". Hijab means to cover the head as well as the body. Most Muslim scholars have based the amount of covering that a female Muslim must wear in front of those that are considered non-mahram (people she can marry) men on the Qur'an and the Sunnah.

Circumcision

Circumcision for males involves the removal of the foreskin and is customary in most Muslim communities. It is normally performed at different ages in different cultures. Female circumcision is not part of Islam.

Holidays

Friday is an important day in the life of a Muslim and it is believed that any devotional acts done on this day gain a higher reward. This day however should not be understood as a Sabbath, for Muslims reject the belief that God rested after Creation. Believers attend congregational prayer at the local mosque, perform prayer and listen to a sermon by the Imam. When the holidays occur, it is according to the lunar Islamic calendar. This calendar does not correct for the fact that the lunar year does not match the solar year. Therefore, the Islamic months precess each year; they shift relative to the Gregorian calendar.

Ramadan - month long observance of fasting during daylight hours.

Feast of Breaking the Fast (Eid-ul-Fitr), or the Little Feast (al-Eid saghir)- occurs at the conclusion of Ramadan and is held on the first four days of the month of Shawwal. After congregational prayers, Muslims immediately break the fast and exchange gifts

The Big Feast, (Eid-ul-Adha,), also "The Feast of Sacrifice" (Kurban Bayram) - two months and 10 days after the Little Feast. Animals are slaughtered to commemorate Abraham's sacrificing of a ram instead of his son Ismael. Those who are able make a pilgrimage to Makkah do so just before this date, on the Hajj.

Ashura - the 10th day of the month of Muharram. This is the day on which Allah saved Moses from Pharoa in Egypt as he crossed the Red Sea with the Children of Israel (the Exodus day). The prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is reported to have fasted along with the neighboring Jewish communities on this occasion, and according to narrations, Muhammad planned on preforming fast on the 9th and 10th of Ashoura.

Muslim New Year - not generally celebrated as an official Islamic holiday, although many Muslim communities have devised or revived some kind of new year ritual celebration. This holiday is prohibited by the Islamist movement (fundamentalist Islam), which is currently predominant in the Arab and Muslim world.

The Prophet's Birthday (Al-Mawlidu N-Nabawi Sh-Sharif) - Some scholars consider this holiday to be an innovation in the religion, as Muhammad himself did not celebrate it except by fasting. This holiday is prohibited by the Islamist movement (fundamentalist Islam). Some Arab nations, such as Saudi Arabia forbid Muslims to celebrate this holiday.

Muslim apostates

Conversion by Muslims to other religions is forbidden and is termed apostasy. In Muslim theology, apostasy resembles the crime of treason, the betrayal of one's own country. Penalties may include ostracism or even execution if they live or lived in an "Islamic State" and are deemed enemies of the state. Presently, however, a person who lives in a Western country such as the United States (or even many Muslim countries) will suffer no significant penalty for converting to another religion.

Muslims who convert to Christianity are sometimes at risk. See any of the works of Ibn Warraq, an outspoken former Muslim. A well-known example of a Muslim "apostate" undergoing persecution is that of Salman Rushdie, whose novel The Satanic Verses prompted furious clerics to issue a Fatwa for his execution.

Denominations of Islam

There are a number of Islamic religious denominations, each of which has significant theological and legal differences from each other. The major branches are Shi'a and Sunni Islam.

Sunni Islam comprises somewhere around 80% of all Muslims. It is broken into four schools of thought which interpret specific pieces of Islam, such as which foods are halal (permissible) differently. They are named after their founders Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanafi, and Hanbali.

While some consider the Islamic mysticism called Sufism to constitute a separate branch, there are some Sufis who can easily be considered Sunni, most notable among them the great medieval theologian Al-Ghazali, and practising within the traditional schools of thought. Other people may call themselves Sufis who have in reality left Islam (or never known Islam).

There are also some very large groups or sects that are not easily categorised as either Sunni or Shiah, such as the Bektashi

See also: Imam -- Islamic philosophy

Religions based on Islam

The following groups call themselves Muslims, but are not considered Islamic by most Muslims:

• The Ahmaddiya
• The Druze
• The Nation of Islam

• The Ismailis

The following religions evolved from Islam, but consider themselves independent religions with distinct laws and institution:

• Babism
• Bahá'í Faith
• Sikhism
• Yazidi

Islam in the modern world

Although the dominant movement in Islam in recent times has been religious fundamentalism, there are a number of liberal movements within Islam which seek alternative ways to reconcile the Islamic faith with the modern world.

Islamic traditions have several sources: the Qur'an, the hadiths, and interpretations of both by scholars. Over the centuries, there has been a tendency towards fundamentalism, with interpretations being regarded as immutable, even those that consist of folk religion not directly traceable to the prophet Muhammad.

Early shariah had a much more flexible character than is currently associated with Islamic jurisprudence, and many modern Muslim scholars believe that it should be renewed, and the classical jurists should lose their special status. This would require formulating a new fiqh suitable for the modern world, e.g. as proposed by advocates of the Islamization of knowledge, and would deal with the modern context.

This movement does not aim to challenge the fundamentals of Islam; rather, it seeks to clear away misinterpretations and to free the way for the renewal of the previous status of the Islamic world as a center of modern thought and freedom. See Modern Islamic philosophy for more on this subject.

The claim that only liberalisation of the Islamic Shariah law can lead to distinguishing between tradition and Islam is countered by many Muslims by saying that 'fundamentalism' rejects the cultral inventions e.g. they will accept that men and women have God given rights and duties that no human can infringe on but it rejects riba (interest). Fundamentalism as referred to often means traditionalism which is a seperate issue. A good example of a fundamentalist organisation is Hizb ut-Tahir.

Islam in the United States of America

It is estimated that there are more than 3 million Muslims in the United States. Like Judaism and Christianity, Islamic organizations in the United States are not unified; there are many organizations and groups that work to promote various forms of Islam. Below is a short list of some of the prominent Muslim-serving groups.

• The largest of these groups is the American Society Of Muslims, an association of American Muslims identifying with the leadership of the Honorable Wallace D. Mohammed. It is an expression of identity characterizing the evolution of a Muslim community from the ideology and structure of the Nation (or Temples) of Islam (1930-1975) through a 23 year process of religious reorientation and organizational decentralization that included other designations such as the American Muslim Mission. Estimates in 2002 placed its numbers at near 2.5 million persons, with a percentage of immigrant and naturalized American citizens from various Muslim ethnic peoples, European Americans, and a majority of African Americans representing.

• The next largest group is the Islamic Circle of North America, ICNA. ICNA is a non-ethnic, open to all, independent, North America wide, grass root organization. It is mostly comprised of immigrants and some caucasian and African American converts. Its membership may have recently exceeded ASM as many independant masjids throughout the United States are choosing to affiliate with it.

• The Council on American-Islamic Relations, known by its acronym CAIR. CAIR is a non-profit pro-Islam organization, established to promote a positive image of Islam and Muslims in America. CAIR portrays itself as the voice of mainstream, moderate Islam on Capitol Hill and in political arenas throughout the United States. Critics of the movement, notings its public support for Hizbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, view this organization as tacitly promoting a violent form of Islam and terrorism.

• The American Islamic Congress is a small but growing moderate Muslim organization that promotes religious pluralism. Their official Statement of Principles states that "Muslims have been profoundly influenced by their encounter with America. American Muslims are a minority group, largely comprising African-Americans, immigrants, and children of immigrants, who have prospered in America's climate of religious tolerance and civil rights. The lessons of our unprecedented experience of acceptance and success must be carefully considered by our community." Their Statement of Principles describes their full agenda.

• Another group is the Islamic Supreme Council of America. This group represents many Muslims, but likely less than 10% of Muslims in the USA.

Islam in France

See the article on Islam in France.

Views of other religions

Islam assigns Jews and Christians (and certain other, smaller, religions) the status of 'People of the Book' on the basis of their monotheism, and their beliefs about God and the world. This status is based on several passages from the Qur'an that say how Christians, Jews, and Muslims share common scripture, morals, and prophets. Muslims believe that the 'People of the Book,' if they submit to being second class citizens, should be allowed to love in peace.

In one verse of the Qur'an, it says "God forbids you not, with regards to those who fight you not for [your] faith nor drive you out of your homes, from dealing kindly and justly with them; for God loveth those who are just." (Qur'an, 60:8) which is interpreted as a clear admonition not to be disrespectful or unkind to non-Muslims. According to a hadith, Muhammad said to his people "The one who murders a dhimmi(non-Muslim under protection of the state) will not smell the fragrance of Paradise, even if its smell was forty years travelling distance" [Sahih Ahmed].

Where 'People of the Book' live in an Islamic nation under Sharia law, they become dhimmis. If they agree to paying a special tax called jizyah, they are given a number of rights, such as the right to freely practice their faith, be fully protected by government, and other necessities and luxuries. In an Islamic state, the giving of charity is mandatory by law for Muslims. The jizyah tax money goes to charity, as well as the construction of churches and synagogues for non-Muslims living in the state. As a benefit, non-Muslims are exempted from any draft for the state.

There are separate articles on the relationship between Islam and Judaism and the Judeo-Islamic tradition. A separate article, The Bible in Islam discusses the way that Muslims have traditionally understood the Bible. There are articles on Islam and anti-Semitism and Projects working for peace among Israelis and Arabs.

See also: History of Islam -- List of Islamic terms in Arabic -- -- Shariah -- Tawhid -- Qibla al-Qudsiyya -- Jihad -- Wahhabism -- Islamic rituals (births, weddings, burials...) -- Munkar and Nakir -- List of famous Muslims -- Life of Prophet Muhammad -- Islamic architecture -- Islamic art

References

• The Encyclopaedia of Islam
• The Qur'an
• H. A. R. Gibb, Islam, Oxford 1969
• The Islamism Debate, Martin Kramer, University Press, 1997
• Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook, Charles Kurzman, Oxford University Press, 1998
• The Challenge of Fundamentalism: Political Islam and the New World Disorder, Bassam Tibi, Univ. of California Press, 1998

External Links

Sources

• Hadith collections
• Bayt al-Hikmah: Islamic etext library

General

• Resources for Studying Islam (Department of Islamic Studies, University of Georgia)
• Islam Resources (Harf Information Technology, Cairo)
• Islamic Message (under supervision of sheikh Khaled Abdel Azim , Member of fatwa commity - Al Azhar)
• Questions/Answers on Islam (Sheikh Muhammed Salih, Saudi Arabia)
• Islam Online (committee of Islamic scholars throughout the Islamic world, headed by Dr. Yusuf Qardawi)
• Islamworld (large collection of sources and articles by different authors)
• Muslim Heritage (Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation, UK)
• Islamic resources on different topics (private site, no organisation)
• Islam101- The God, the Message, the Messenger (SABR Foundation)
• Arabic/English information on Islam (broadcasting service by volunteers)
• Introduction to Islam (private site by a Muslim family, New York)
• Islam and the Muslim World (Jewish Virtual Library - Islam analysis)

Aspects

• Islamic Philosophy (Journal of Islamic Philosophy, University of Michigan)
• Islamic dietary laws
• Islamic architecture
• Islamic art (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)

Organisations/Newsgroups

• American Islamic Congress
• American Society Of Muslims
• Islamic Circle of North America
• Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society
• islamicmsg Yahoo Newsgroup

Critics

• Muhammadanism (On-line books, commentary, news, and information critical of Islam)
• The Prevailing Myth (An Outpost of Reason) (claims to expose logical inconsistency of Islam)
• Tolerance in Islam (An essay on whether Islam is a tolerant religion or not)
• Notes on Islam (from a Bahá'í Perspective)
• Bharatvani Institute (Hindu Islam analysis)
• The Sword of Militant Islam (Arguements against Islam)
• Secularist ex-Muslims (Resources to help Muslims leave Islam)
• Koran Exposed (Alternative Qur'an interpretation)
• A history of Islam in America
• Video interviews with new Muslims
• Islam and the Muslim World (Jewish Virtual Library - Islam analysis)
• Freethought Mecca (Satirical and serious looks at Islam)

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Islam."

Top     

Islamic fundamentalism

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

The phrase Islamic fundamentalism refers to the belief by Muslims that the Quran was dictated by Allah (the Arabic word for God) through the Archangel Jabril to the prophet Muhammed, that the current text of the Quran is identical to what was said by Muhammed to be the Quran, and that the correct interpretation of the Quran must rely solely on the Quran and prophetic Hadith (oral accounts of Muhammad's teachings and practices), and nothing else.

As do the fundamentalist movements of other religions, Islamic fundamentalism holds that the problems of the world stem from modern influences, and that the path to salvation lies in a return to the original message of the faith, combined with a scrupulous rejection of all innovation (termed Bid'ah in Islamic terminology) and outside traditions.

In this view, while reading the Quran does not allow one to unambiguously know the will of God, reading the Quran in reference to the practices of Muhammad does allow one to unambiguously determine how Muslims should behave. This view, commonly associated with Wahhabism, rejects Shi'a Islam, and the four common schools of jurisprudence in Sunni Islam.

Islamic fundamentalism is not only a religious movement; it is also a political movement. Muslim fundamentalists often seek to change the laws of their nation to conform strictly to their interpretations of the Quran and Hadith. While there are, and have historically been, many non-violent Muslim fundamentalists, one connotation of the term fundamentalism is the assertion of views through violence or oppression, rather than persuasion.

The term is used to describe a rather wide variety of groups, both democratic Islamic parties and militant Islamic groups. The governments of some Muslim countries, such as Iran and Saudi Arabia, are said to be led by Islamic fundamentalists. Examples of other groups labelled "fundamentalist" by the media include al-Qaeda and Hamas. Perhaps the most notable example of Islamic fundamentalism was the old Taliban regime of Afghanistan, ousted in late 2001. Those who lump these groups together are accused of discrediting Islam as a political movement itself.

The political and religious philosophies of fundamentalist Islamic revival movements since the early 20th century are also sometimes collectively referred to as Islamism.

See also

• Islam
• Fundamentalism
• Islamism
• Islam as a political movement
• Salafi

  Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Islamic fundamentalism."

Top     

Muslim

(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)

A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. The word Muslim means one who submits and implies complete submission to the will of God. Muslims believe that nature is itself Islamic, since it follows natural laws placed by God.

Thus a Muslim strives to surrender to God's commands every step of the way. There is no distinction made between daily life and religion or politics.

The basic beliefs of Muslims are: belief in God, His angels, His revealed Books, His Messengers, and the Day of Judgement, and affirmation of fate and the Divine Decree, the good of it and the bad of it.

The five Arkaan or basic foundations on which a Muslim's life is founded are:

• The Testimony that there is none worthy of worship except God and that Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم) is his messenger.
• Establishing of the five daily Prayers (Salaah).
• The Giving of Zakaah (charity), which is generally 2.5% of the yearly savings for a rich man working in trade or industry, and 10% or 20% of the produce for agriculturists. This money or produce is distributed among the poor.
• Refraining from eating, drinking and having sex from dawn to dusk in the month of Ramadhaan (Sawm).
• The Pilgrimage (Hajj) to Makkah during the month of Zul Hijjah, which compulsory once in a lifetime for one who has the ability to do it.

Until recently the word was usually spelled Moslem; that spelling is now discouraged. Many English-language writers used to call Muslims "Mohamedans" or "Mohametans", meaning "followers of Mohammed", but this terminology is considered incorrect and insulting, because it is taken to imply that they worship the prophet Muhammad, contrary to the fundamental principles of Islam itself. By contrast, the term "Christian" does correctly imply the worship of Jesus Christ and the belief in his own ideas as divine. Muslims consider Muhammad and Jesus ("Isa") both to have been prophets of God.

Muslim civilization is over fourteen centuries old, and is one of the greatest world civilizations. Early Muslim philosophy is widely credited with being the vital bridge between classical Greco-Roman civilization and the Europeans of The Renaissance. What Europeans call the "Dark Ages" were in fact the golden age of civilization for Muslims and Islam itself, which spread extremely rapidly through Asia to China in its first decades of existence, and then spread more slowly to Africa and Indonesia.

During that time, the principal language of religion and science for all Muslims was Arabic, and for many, it was also the language of daily life. A list of Islamic terms in Arabic provides simple definitions of the most important concepts by which society, religion and law were ruled.

Under the Ottoman Empire and later under colonialism and the British Empire, practices (especially fiqh or jurisprudence) ossified, and failed to keep up with al-urf, or change in culture. Muslim culture began to revive after World War I, and some consider 1979 to be a crucial year when several events (peace between Israel and Egypt, Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and Iranian revolution) conspired to "wake up" the Muslim civilization. Shortly therafter, innovative programs such as the Islamization of knowledge began to emerge, and these are presently spreading widely.

There are 1.2 billion Muslims presently on Earth, almost entirely in the Eastern Hemisphere concentrated on the equator, with some in Europe. Small populations of four million in the US and two million in Canada are the largest in the Western Hemisphere.

The ten countries with the largest Muslim populations (comprising three quarters of the worldwide Muslim population) are as follows (rough estimates in 2002, in millions)

• Indonesia 203
• Pakistan 142
• India 125
• Bangladesh 110
• Turkey 67
• Egypt 66
• Iran 66
• Nigeria 65
• Algeria 32
• Morocco 31

Both the Arab and the Non-Arab Muslims pray in Arabic. Generally the non-Arabic languages of the Muslims are also written in Arabic script with few modifications, therefore the Muslims in non-Arabic countries are able to read the Qur'an with little difficulty

Muslims today disagree significantly on how one should reconcile modernity and enlightenment values with adherence to Islam as a faith and way of life. The Islamist is a new form of Islam which views its teachings as the original, authentic form of Islam, and which views other forms of Islam as corrupted and illegitimate. In contrast, many in Sufi Islam see the incorporation of modern enlightenment values consistent with the original theological program that they believe Islam was based on. In between these two views one can find a wide array of beliefs in Shiite and Sunni Islam.

There are distinctions between those who seek to live their lives as the first three generations of Islam did, and those who seek to change or reform Islam to conform to today's international norms. All the major denominations of Islam are fundamentalist, in the technical sense of the term. The term "fundamentalist" describes a movement to return to what it considers the defining or founding principles of the religion. For religious fundamentalists, their sacred scriptures are the words of God. Fundamentalist beliefs depends on the twin doctrines that God articulated His will precisely to prophets, and that they also have a reliable and perfect record of that revelation, which has been passed down to our day in an unbroken chain of tradition. Since Scripture is the word of God, no one has the right to change it or disagree with it. There are no denominations of Islam that have a liberal theological approach, but there are many individuals who promote such a point of view. For more on these topics, please see the articles on Islamic fundamentalism, Modern Islamic philosophy and Islam.

Please add information about different groups of Muslims. For example, the population distribution (second to Christians), nationality (e.g more Muslims in Asia than in middle east), culture (do Chinese muslims and Arab muslims follows the same rituals?), how do they study Quran if they are not Arabs, their view on terrorism etc...

Muslim culture

One of the tenets of Islam is that all mankind is one, so many Muslims do not reject inter-racial marriage.

See also: Islam -- List of noted Muslims -- List of Islamic terms in Arabic Qur'an -- Muslim names -- Islam in France

Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Muslim."

Top     

Top     

Top     

Modern Usage: Muslim

Top     

Commercial Usage: Muslim

Top     

Image Slideshow: Muslim

Photos: Muslim More pictures...

Computer Images: Muslim More pictures...

Top     

Photo Album: Muslim

Thumbnail	Description & Credit	Thumbnail	Description & Credit
	"Fooling around" - Cornelius Meaney staging fight - sometimes this was for real In 1941 a C&GS officer was seriously wounded by a bolo-wielding juramentado Occasionally Christian crewman from North would disappear in the Muslim South. Credit: Coast & Geodetic Survey Historical Image Collection.		"Religious fervor is mirrored on the face of a Black Muslim woman, one of some 10,000 listening to Elijah Muhammad deliver his annual Savior's Day message in Chicago. The city is headquarters for the Black Muslims. Their $75 million empire includes a mosque, newspaper, university, restaurants, real estate, bank, and variety of retail stores. Muhammad died February 25, 1975." By John H. White, Chicago, Illinois, March 1974. Credit: National Archives and Records Administration, Records of the Environmental Protection Agency.
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits.

Top     

Digital Photo Gallery: Muslim
 

"Old Chuch" by Tomaz Jug Commentary: "This is one of my favourites, an old muslim church on the way to the beach."	"Arab Tower of Bujaco" by Luis Alves Commentary: "The Bujaco Tower is the most beautiful one of the five that are left in the city when it was under Muslim control throughout the 12th century. Also known as the New Tower or Watch Tower, its most popular name derives from the Calif Abu-ya-gub. This slend"
Source: photographs selected by the editor, with permission from the photographers.

Top     

Non-Fiction Usage: Muslim

Top     

Spoken Usage: Muslim

Top     

Usage Frequency: Muslim

Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.

Top     

Name Usage Frequency: Muslim

Top     

Usage in Company Names: Muslim

Source: compiled by the editor from Icon Group International, Inc.

Top     

Expressions: Muslim

Top     

Frequency of Internet Keywords: Muslim

Top     

Modern Translation: Muslim

Top     

Misspellings: Muslim

Top     

Anagrams: Muslim

Top