Historical Context of Islam, Belief Pillars of Islam - Essay Example

?ISLAM al Affiliation) Islam constitutes part of the religious doctrines that are associated with certain segments of the world’s humanity. It is one of the religions that have firmly been rooted among the nations of the Earth owing to its strong historical heritage. Moreover, it has unique belief patterns and worship to an exclusive deity that is evident among all the other worldly religions. Introduction The word Islam connotes the willful and total submission to the worship of the god ‘Allah’ (Tamara, 2010). Moreover, the word ‘Islam’ represents peace as it is a natural effect that comes by when one submits to the doctrines of Allah. To this end, an adherent to the precincts of Islam is referred to as a Muslim. The adherents of Islam believe that it is the sole and authentic religion in the face of the Earth. Moreover, the Islamic faith believes that Muhammad was the true messenger of Allah and the teachings of Quran were revealed to him. At this juncture, a historical foray on the origin of Islam is pertinent before delving on its six pillars of belief. Historical Context of Islam The first worship of Allah as the sole god is credited to Adam (Tamara, 2010). Consequently, he adhered to Allah’s commandments through worship. However, as the population grew, and people dispersed to other corners of the Earth, people digressed from the worship of Allah. To this end, worship was directed to false gods that represented forces of nature or spirits. As a result, Allah sought to return the populace back to worshipping him alone by sending his messengers. These messengers were responsible of warning humanity of the dire consequences that would result if they failed to worship Allah as the only true God. Evidently, Noah was the first messenger sent to spread the word of Islam and bring humanity back to Allah (Tamara, 2010). A portion of the populace heeded to Noah’s teaching and returned back to Islam. However, the non believers in Noah’s message were afflicted with punishment. Subsequently, other messengers or prophets were sent by Allah to all the nations of the Earth that had veered of the path of Truth. The message among all the prophets was united in one voice; to avoid the worship of false gods and re dedicate worship back to Allah and adhere to his commandments. Consequently, Abraham was sent to the Kingdom of Babylon where people rejected his message and sought to end his life. Moreover, Abraham was subjected to many trials but he overcame them all. To this end, Allah blessed him as the heir to a prominent nation from which great prophets would arise (Tamara, 2010). Incidentally, the great prophets from Abraham’s descent were called by Allah to spread his message. These included Ishmael, Isaac, Joseph, Jacob, Solomon, David, Moses and even Jesus. Evidently, the final messenger of Allah was Muhammad. Muhammad was a descendant from Ishmael’s lineage who was the son of Abraham (Tamara, 2010) . Moreover, Muhammad is believed to have succeeded the prophet Jesus and preached the same message as his predecessors. Consequently, Prophet Muhammad did not represent the beginning of a new religion but he embodied the last prophet of Islam and Allah. To this end, the Muslim faithful believe that Allah revealed his ubiquitous and eternal message for all humanity to Muhammad. Thus, Allah had fulfilled his binding covenant with Abraham. Belief Pillars of Islam In the practice of Islam, a Muslim is expected to adhere to six fundamental principles that are firmly rooted to one’s conviction. The first aspect relates to a belief in God (IslamReligion.com, 2010). In effect, Islam espouses Allah as the giver and taker of life, as well as the one who provides for his creations. Moreover, he is the only creator of life, the ruler and Savior of the world. Moreover, Allah has no equal either in qualities and abilities. Furthermore, as the only, true god, all veneration and worship should be devoted to him and no one else. The second precinct relates to the belief in the angels. To this end, Islam teaches its adherents to believe in the unseen angels of Allah. Moreover, the angels are crafted by nature to obey the will of God without the benefit of free choice. Evidently, they are assigned specific obligations according to Allah’s wishes. Consequently, they embody Allah’s servants and should not be viewed as demigods worthy of worship and praise in the same measure as Allah. The third belief encompasses faith in the messengers or prophets of Allah (Vartan, 2004). Incidentally, Islam teaches that prophets were sent to the whole of humanity and not only to the Christians or Jews. In addition, the message by all the prophets was on the central call of worshipping Allah alone. To this end, all the Muslims believe in all the prophets such as Moses, Abraham, John the Baptist, Jesus, and Muhammad. Evidently, Muhammad is believed to be the last prophet of Allah and no other prophet shall succeed him. Consequently, Muhammad’s message represented the eternal and ultimate message to humanity. The fourth pillar pertains to the belief in the sacred literature (IslamReligion.com, 2010). Evidently, Islamic teachings are based on the books written by Abraham, the Torah as elaborated by Moses, the Psalms written by David, and he Gospel according to Jesus Christ. To this end, these books were Allah’s word and based on the message of truth. Moreover, Islamists believe that revelations of God were revealed to Prophet Muhammad by the angel Gabriel. These revelations were represented by the Quran and were aimed at correcting human error that had invaded the doctrines of other religions. To this end, the Quran is seen as a guiding tool in man’s individual, temporal, collective and spiritual nature. Furthermore, the Islamic faith confesses to a life after death (Vartan, 2004). To this end, all mankind shall perish and later be resurrected on judgment day. Consequently, the righteous will proceed to heaven while the evil ones will be cast into hell. Lastly, Islamic faith is based on the divine decree. Evidently, the divine decree recognizes Allah as having knowledge over all things. Consequently, Allah already knows the fate or destiny of each person. As a result, Muslims believe that whatever befalls them occurs in the full knowledge and will of Allah. In the quest of seeking to convert to Islam, a person should proceed to proclaim the Shahada (Vartan, 2004). To this end, the Shahada represents a testimony of faith in Islam as the authentic religion envisioned by Allah. Bibliography IslamReligion.com, 2010. A look at some of the beliefs of Islam. [Online] Available at: http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/4/ [Accessed 12 11 2012]. Tamara, S., 2010. Islam: A Brief History. 2, illustrated ed. s.l.:John Wiley & Sons. Vartan, G., 2004. Islam: A Mosaic, Not a Monolith. s.l.:Brookings Institution Press. Read More