People Who Follow the Religion Islam - Research Paper Example

? Religion and theology RELIGION AND THEOLOGY INFORMATIVE PAPER ON ISLAM People who follow the religion Islam are called Muslims. The word “Islam” literally means “submission” which is a word derived 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 the 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 provides 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). 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 prophet hood. Quran is the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language and is believed to be word to word copy of Allah’s revelation and is most authentic. 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, just system, and proper human conduct, therefore, Muslims hold the Holy Quran in the highest regard. Every religion has some basic principles, in Islam; they are called the 5 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). There are 1.57 billion Muslims of all ages in the world today which is about 23% of the global population. Muslims are divided into 2 major sects: Shiites and Sunnis. Even though their prayer practices are different, but their belief is still the same and worship Allah (Comparison Chart: Christianity and Islam). Islam and Christianity are the two most populous religions in the world. Both the religions are monotheistic religions and believe in God; they inherited from Judaism. Christianity is the older of the two religions with Islam beginning in 622. Christianity originated from Palestine region and Islam began from the Arabian Peninsula where the Holy Prophet was born. Christians respect Muslims because they are monotheists, however, Christians do not see Prophet Muhammad as a true prophet. Muslims refer to Christians as people of the book, meaning people who also have the word of God in the form of Bible. Christians were not able to keep their original text intact. Christian’s literature is also subject to the old and new testament. Muslims were able to keep the Holy Quran intact and consistent. One major disparity amongst the two religions is that Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God where as Muslims do not believe so and say that Jesus was in fact a prophet. Also, Christians believe in the concept on the Holy trinity, which consists of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, whereas, Muslims believe in unity, on god. Christians believe that Jesus was crucified and Muslims believe that he was ascended to the heavens (Understanding Islam and Muslims). 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 and are concentrated in the region of mainly Europe, North and South America. On the other hand, Muslims are concentrated in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Islam is the second most populous religion in the world, and one of the fastest growing religions of the world. Even though people think that Islam teaches violence but the truth is that Islam teaches peace, mercy and prosperity for all human beings as everyone is a creation of the Almighty God. References: Comparison Chart: Christianity and Islam. Retrieved from http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/charts/christianity_islam.htm Mawdudi, A.A. (1975). The Message of the Prophet’s Seerat. Retrieved from http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Articles/sunnah/message_of_the_prophets_seerat.htm Understanding Islam and Muslims. Retrieved from http://www.islamicity.com/Mosque/uiatm/un_islam.htm Read More