The Prophet of Islam - Essay Example

? Islamic Faith 01/14 Islamic Faith Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, was born in Quraysh family in the northwestern region of Arabia, Hijaz. Muhammad attained a taste for rich language of Arabs, which the Arabs love a lot and learned the patience of herdsmen. Muhammad married Khadijah, who was a renowned trader of that time and Muhammad served as her merchant for a long time. Muhammad travelled a lot as a merchant. He finally retired as he reached his 40s. Then he began to meditate in a cave which was located on Mount Hira outside the city of Mecca. This was the beginning of Islam. One day, while was meditating in the cave, Angel Gabriel came on God’s orders and recited: “In the name of thy Lord who created, created man from a clot of blood” (Religion, 2012) The message of Islam was revealed by Muhammad to his friends and family at first. After that, as the number of revelations on him begin to increase, celebrating the oneness of God, preaching of Muhammad augmented. It was the destitute slaves who were revealed at first, but the revelations spread finally to whole of Mecca including the rich.The revelations are integrated in Quran, which is the Scripture of Islam. Not everybody at that time accepted the message of God brought by Muhammad. Even the people from his own clan rejected the teachings and message and many traders and merchants were on the forefront in opposition. However, the hostility helped to sharpen the sense of mission and understanding of religion brought about by Muhammad on how precisely Islam is different from paganism (Religion, 2012) The paramount of Islam is belief in unity of God and this is the basis of religion Islam. The verses of Quran also stress upon the uniqueness of God, and warn people of warnings that God has given if they don’t follow the right path. Quran also announcing the punishment people will receive if they disobey God after their death. After the death, people will be judged among the rights and wrongs they did in the world and will be given punishment or great success by God as Quran promises. On the Day of Judgment, everyone will be gifted according to the deeds they performed on Earth. God will measure their faith and faithful will be rewarded while sinful punished. Polytheism is refuted in Islam as practiced by Meccans of that time (Religion, 2012) Five Pillars The five pillars of Islam are as follows: 1. Faith The faith is that there is no other god except Allah (God) who should be worshipped and Muhammad His messenger, or Prophet. The statement of faith is known is known as Shahada, an easy formula that faithful acclaim. In Arabic, first part of Qalima is la ilaha illa Llah which states there is no god except Allah (God) and the other part Muhammadur rasulu’Llah which means Muhammad is God’s messenger on earth (Islamic City, 2013). 2. Prayer Salaat is an Arabic name for Prayer is the compulsory prayer for all followers of Islam. It is the best connection between worshipper and God and also the shortest one. Islam negates hierarchy and prayers are led by someone who has profound knowledge of Quran. This person is chosen by the congregation. The prayer timings are dawn, mid-afternoon, noon, nightfall, and sunset. Prayers set the rhythm of entire day for a Muslim (follower of Islam). These prayers contain Quranic verses and are delivered in Arabic. Salat is an Arabic word which is also called Namaz (Islamic City, 2013). 3. Zakat One of the eminent principles of Islam say that wealth given to human beings by Allah is a trust upon them hold by Allah. The word Zakat means growth and purification. By giving Zakat, all the belongings of a man are purified as Zakat believes in giving others and is like giving water to plants where your reap good results, cutting money and balances encourages growth and prosperity for the people. Each Muslim (follower of Islam) calculates Zakat by himself or herself. For most reasons, the payment of Zakat is every year of 2 and a half year of one’s own capital. Zakat, according to Islam, keeps money flowing in a society (Islamic City, 2013). 4. Fast Each year, in the month of Ramadan, all the Muslims observe fast from dusk to dawn, keeping away from drink, food and sexual relations. People who are elderly, sick, on a journey, or women are allowed to abstain from fasting but then they can make up the same amount of days any time in the following year. When people are physically unable to do this, they can easily feed a needy person instead of that for each day that he or she did not fast. It is necessary for every Muslim to fast when he or she reaches his or her puberty level. Though, fasting has its benefits for health but for Muslims, it is more of a way of self purification from all sins. By keeping one self away from all the pleasures of the world, even if for a short period of time, a person who is fasting can attain genuine sympathy to hungry people and can become spiritual (Islamic City, 2013). 5. Pilgrimage Pilgrimage or Hajj is the yearly pilgrimage to the city of Makkah and is the obligated on each Muslim who is financially and physically able to do it. Nonetheless, over and about two million people travel to Makkah every year from all over the world. Hajj begins in 12th month of Islamic lunar calendar where Hajis wear a special costume which banishes the concept of race, and ethnicity and proves that all Muslims are equal (Islamic City, 2013). Duties and Prohibitions for a Muslim The two basic duties of a Muslim are: 1. to perform ritual worships according to five pillars of Islam and six articles of faith described in Islam. 2. to work for a good life, and for community and the universe. To fulfill these duties he or she should follow commands described in Quran, the Sunnah (practices and sayings) of Prophet Muhammad and the good conduct and morals described in Islam and by Prophet Muhammad (The Religion of Islam, 2012). The Prohibitions are based on Haram (don’ts) and Halal (do’s) of Islam. Muslims are only allowed to eat meat of animals which is slaughtered in an Islamic way and are only allowed to eat meat of certain animals such as cow, goat, hen, chicken, camel, sheep, etc. Muslims are prohibited to eat pork, dead animals, and meat which is not cooked properly and has flowing blood. All the Marine animals are Haram. Muslims are prohibited to have sexual relations with the opposite gender before marriage which is performed in an Islamic manner under the guidance of a religious learned scholar and 3 witnesses. Alcohol and all other drinks that make a person unconscious and unaware of his surroundings are prohibited, except drugs for medical purposes. Consuming harmful things is Haram. Men are prohibited to wear gold. Harmful things consumption is Haram. Revealing clothes are prohibited for both men and women. Islam also prohibits its followers from tattooing, cutting teeth and going on Surgery for Beautification. Dressing for pride and ostentation is strictly prohibited (The Religion of Islam, 2012). Divisions in Islam Shia and Sunni are the basic divisions of Islam. The division between Shia and Sunni is the oldest and largest in Islamic history. Both of them agree on Islamic fundamentals and have same Holy Book Quran but there have been many differences in them mostly from historical experiences, social and political developments, and also ethnic symphony. The differences began from who will succeed Prophet Muhammad as Islamic leader of Muslims after his demise. To comprehend that, we need to look into the life of Prophet and his spiritual inheritance (BBC Religions, 2009). In the 7th Century, when prophet Muhammad died he not only left Islam but a community of 1000 people organized as Muslim state on Arabian Peninsula. The question arrive that who will lead the Prophet. The larger group of Muslims, Sunnis choose Abu Bakr, one of Prophet’s close companions as Caliph (socio-political) leader of Islam and he was renowned as a successor in political terms but not spiritual. But, the smaller group, the Shiites which included senior companions of Prophet Muhammad as well believed that Ali, cousin and son-in-law of prophet Muhammad should become Caliph of Muslims. They comprehended that Prophet had chosen Ali as his sole interpreter of legacy, in both spiritual and political terms. The outcome was Abu Bakr being appointed as First Caliph (BBC Religions, 2009). Both the Shiites and Sunni have sound evidence t bolster their understanding of this succession. Sunni believe on the premise that Prophet selected Abu Bakr to lead congregational prayers as he lay on deathbed, which clearly suggests that Abu Bakr was the next leader of Muslims. However, Shiites believe that Ali is the next leader after Muhammad because Muhammad stood up on his way back to Mecca after his last sermon and announced Ali as the spiritual master and guide of all Muslims. Shia history says that Muhammad took Ali’s hand in his and said that anyone who follows Muhammad should now follow Ali or he is outside the reign of Islam (BBC Religions, 2009). Later, Sunni was termed as meaning those who follow the Sunnah (what Prophet said, and did, and agreed to prohibit) and Shia is a short phrase for Shia’n Ali (advocates of Ali). The use of word “successor” should not be confused with Prophet. The leaders who came after Prophet Muhammad were not Prophets. Both Shia and Sunni believe that Prophet Muhammad was the last Prophet (BBC Religions, 2009). Bibliography BBC Religions. (2009, 08 19). Sunni and shia. Retrieved from http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/subdivisions/sunnishia_1.shtml Islamic City. (2013, January 14). Five pillars of islam. Retrieved from http://www.islamicity.com/mosque/pillars.shtml Religion, I. (2012). About islam. Retrieved from http://www.islam-religion.net/p/about-islam.html The Religion of Islam. (2012). Category: The six pillars of faith and other islamic beliefs . Retrieved from http://www.islamreligion.com/category/50/ Read More