Etymology and meaning
Further information:
S-L-MIslam is a verbal noun originating from the
triliteral root s-l-m which forms a large class of words mostly relating to concepts of wholeness, completion and bonding/joining.
[15] In a religious context it means "voluntary submission to God".
[16][17] Muslim, the word for an adherent of Islam, is the
active participle of the same verb of which
Islām is the
infinitive. Believers demonstrate submission to God by serving God and following his commands, and rejecting
polytheism. The word sometimes has distinct connotations in its various occurrences in the Qur'an. In some verses (
ayat), there is stress on the quality of Islam as an internal conviction: "Whomsoever God desires to guide, He expands his breast to Islam."
[18] Other verses connect
islām and
dīn (usually translated as "religion"): "Today, I have perfected your religion (
dīn) for you; I have completed My blessing upon you; I have approved Islam for your religion."
[19] Still others describe Islam as an action of returning to God—more than just a verbal affirmation of faith.
[20] Another technical meaning in Islamic thought is as one part of a triad of
islam,
imān (faith), and
ihsān (excellence) where it represents acts of service (
`ibādah) and Islamic law (
sharia).
[21] Articles of faith
Main articles:
Aqidah and
ImanThe core beliefs of Islam are that there is only one God – unitary and beyond comprehension – and that Muhammad is the prophet of God, the last in a
series of prophets beginning with
Adam. The Qur’an is upheld as the eternal, literal word of God, and revelations to earlier prophets, as seen in the Jewish Torah and Christian Gospels, are believed to have become distorted by human intervention. Muslims believe that the Qur’an was revealed to Muhammad through the angel
Gabriel, and
belief in angels as God’s servants is part of the Islamic tradition. Belief in the
Day of Judgment, when all people will undergo
bodily resurrection and be judged by God, is another core tenet. While Sunni and Shi’a Muslims adhere to these basic beliefs, Shi’a also believe in the
Imamate, the line of
infallible spiritual and political leaders who succeeded Muhammad, beginning with his cousin and son-in-law,
Ali.
[22] God
Main article:
God in IslamIslam's most fundamental concept is a rigorous monotheism, called
tawhīd (
Arabic:
توحيد). God is described in chapter 112 of the Qur'an as:
[23] "Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him." (
112:1-4) Muslims repudiate the Christian doctrine of the
Trinity and divinity of
Jesus, comparing it to
polytheism, but accept Jesus as a prophet. In Islam, God is beyond all comprehension and Muslims are not expected to visualize God. God is described and referred to by certain names or attributes, the most common being
Al-Rahmān, meaning "The Compassionate" and
Al-Rahīm, meaning "The Merciful" (See
Names of God in Islam).
[24]Muslims believe that creation of everything in the universe is brought into being by God’s sheer command “‘Be’ and so it is.”
[25][26] and that the
purpose of existence is to love and serve God.
[2][27]He is viewed as a personal God who responds whenever a person in need or distress calls Him.
[25][28] There are no intermediaries, such as
clergy, to contact God who states “We are nearer to him than (his)
jugular vein”
[29]Allāh is the term with no
plural or
gender used by Muslims and Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews meaning the one God, while
ʾilāh(
Arabic:
إله) is the term used for a deity or a god in general.
[30] Other non-Arab Muslims might use different names as much as Allah, for instance "Tanrı" in
Turkish or "Khodā" in
Persian.
Angels
Belief in angels is fundamental to the faith of Islam. The Arabic word for angel (
Arabic:
ملاك
malak) means "
messenger", like its counterparts in
Hebrew (
malakh) and
Greek (
angelos). According to the Qur'an, angels do not possess
free will, and worship God in total obedience.
[31] Angels' duties include communicating
revelations from God, glorifying God, recording every person's actions, and taking a person's
soul at the time of death. They are also thought to
intercede on man's behalf. The Qur'an describes angels as "messengers with wings—two, or three, or four (pairs): He [God] adds to Creation as He pleases..."
[32] Revelations
The Islamic holy books are the records which most Muslims believe were dictated by God to various prophets. Muslims believe that parts of the previously revealed scriptures, the
Tawrat (
Torah) and the
Injil (
Gospels), had become
distorted—either in interpretation, in text, or both.
[4] The
Qur'an (literally, “Reading” or “Recitation”) is viewed by Muslims as the final revelation and literal Word of God and is widely regarded as the finest
piece of literature work in the
Arabic language.
[33][34][35]Muslims believe that the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to
Muhammad by God through the
archangel Gabriel (
Jibrīl) on many occasions between 610 CE until his death on June 8, 632 CE.
[36]While Muhammad was alive, all of these revelations were written down by his companions (
sahabah), although the prime method of transmission was orally through
memorization.
[37] After the death of Muhammad, it was compiled in the time of
Abu Bakr, the first
caliph, and was
standardized under the administration of
Uthman, the third caliph.
The Qur'an is divided into 114
suras, or chapters, which combined, contain 6,236
āyāt, or verses. The chronologically earlier suras, revealed at
Mecca, are primarily concerned with ethical and spiritual topics. The later
Medinan suras mostly discuss social and moral issues relevant to the Muslim community.
[38] The Qur'an is more concerned with moral guidance than legal instruction, and is considered the "sourcebook of Islamic principles and values".
[39] Muslim jurists consult the
hadith, or the written record of Prophet Muhammad's life, to both supplement the Qur'an and assist with its interpretation. The science of Qur'anic commentary and exegesis is known as
tafsir.
[40]When Muslims speak in the abstract about "the Qur'an", they usually mean the scripture as recited in Arabic rather than the printed work or any translation of it. To Muslims, the Qur'an is perfect only as revealed in the original Arabic; translations are necessarily deficient because of language differences, the fallibility of translators, and the impossibility of preserving the original's inspired style. Translations are therefore regarded only as commentaries on the Qur'an, or "interpretations of its meaning", not as the Qur'an itself.
[41] Prophets
Muslims identify the prophets of Islam (
Arabic:
نبي
nabī ) as those humans chosen by God to be his messengers. According to the Qur'an
[42] the descendants of Abraham and
Imran were chosen by God to bring the "Will of God" to the peoples of the nations. Muslims believe that prophets are human and not divine, though some are able to perform miracles to prove their claim. Islamic theology says that all of God's messengers preached the message of Islam—submission to the Will of God. The Qur'an mentions the names of numerous figures considered
prophets in Islam, including
Adam,
Noah,
Abraham,
Moses and
Jesus, among others.
[43] Muslims believe that God finally sent
Muhammad (
Seal of the Prophets) to convey the divine message to the whole world (to sum up and to finalize the word of God). In Islam, the "normative" example of Muhammad's life is called the
Sunnah (literally "trodden path"). This example is preserved in traditions known as
hadith ("reports"), which recount his words, his actions, and his personal characteristics.
Hadith Qudsi is a sub-category of hadith, regarded as the words of God repeated by Muhammad differing from the Quran in that they are "
expressed in Muhammad's words", whereas the quran are the "
direct words of God". The classical Muslim jurist
ash-Shafi'i (d. 820) emphasized the importance of the Sunnah in Islamic law, and Muslims are encouraged to emulate Muhammad's actions in their daily lives. The Sunnah is seen as crucial to guiding interpretation of the Qur'an. Six of these collections, compiled in the 3rd century
AH (9th century
CE), came to be regarded as especially authoritative by the largest group in Islām, the Sunnites. Another large group, the Shīʾah, has its own Ḥadīth contained in four canonical collections.
[25] Resurrection and judgment
On Yawm al-Qiyāmah, Muslims believe all mankind will be judged on their good and bad deeds. The Qur'an
lists several sins that can condemn a person to
hell, such as
disbelief (
Arabic:
كفر
Kufr), and dishonesty; however, the Qur'an makes it clear God will forgive the
sins of those who repent if He so wills.
[45] Good deeds, such as charity and prayer, will be rewarded with entry to heaven. Muslims view
heaven as a place of joy and bliss, with Qur'anic references describing its features and the physical pleasures to come. Mystical traditions in Islam place these heavenly delights in the context of an ecstatic awareness of God.
[46] Predestination
In accordance with the Islamic belief in
predestination, or divine preordainment (
al-qadā wa'l-qadar), God has full knowledge and control over all that occurs. This is explained in Qur'anic verses such as "Say: 'Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our protector'..."
[50] For Muslims, everything in the world that occurs, good or evil, has been preordained and nothing can happen unless permitted by God. According to Muslim theologians, although events are pre-ordained, man possesses free will in that he has the faculty to choose between right and wrong, and is thus responsible for his actions. According to Islamic tradition, all that has been decreed by God is written in
al-Lawh al-Mahfūz, the "Preserved Tablet".
[51] Five pillars
The Pillars of Islam (
arkan al-Islam; also
arkan ad-din, "pillars of religion") are five basic acts in Islam, considered obligatory for all believers. The
Quran presents them as a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to the faith. They are (1) the
shahadah(creed), (2) daily prayers (
salat), (3) almsgiving (
zakah), (4) fasting during
Ramadan and (5) the pilgrimage to Mecca (
hajj) at least once in a lifetime. The
Shia and
Sunni sects both agree on the essential details for the performance of these acts.
[52] Testimony
The
Shahadah,
[53] which is the basic
creed of Islam that must be recited under
oath with the specific statement: "
'ašhadu 'al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh", or "I testify there are no deities other than God alone and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." This testament is a foundation for all other beliefs and practices in Islam. Muslims must repeat the
shahadah in prayer, and non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the creed.
[54] Prayer
Ritual prayers, called Ṣalāh or Ṣalāt (
Arabic:
صلاة), must be performed five times a
day. Salah is intended to focus the mind on
God, and is seen as a personal communication with him that expresses gratitude and
worship. Salah is compulsory but flexibility in the specifics is allowed depending on circumstances. The prayers are recited in the
Arabic language, and consist of verses from the Qur'an.
[55]A mosque is a
place of worship for Muslims, who often refer to it by its Arabic name,
masjid. The word
mosque in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated to Islamic worship, although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller, privately owned mosque and the larger, "collective" mosque (
masjid jāmi`).
[56] Although the primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as a place of prayer, it is also important to the
Muslim community as a place to meet and study. Modern mosques have evolved greatly from the early designs of the 7th century, and contain a variety of architectural elements such as
minarets.
[57] Shia Islam permits combining prayers in succession.
[58] Fasting
Fasting, (
Arabic:
صوم
ṣawm), from food and drink (among other things) must be performed from dawn to dusk during the month of Ramadhan. The fast is to encourage a feeling of nearness to God, and during it Muslims should express their gratitude for and dependence on him, atone for their past sins, and think of the needy.
Sawm is not obligatory for several groups for whom it would constitute an undue burden. For others, flexibility is allowed depending on circumstances, but missed fasts usually must be made up quickly.
[59] Alms-giving
Main articles:
Zakat and
Sadaqah"Zakāt" (
Arabic:
زكاة
zakāh "
alms") is giving a fixed portion of accumulated wealth by those who can afford it to help the poor or needy, and also to assist the spread of Islam. It is considered a religious obligation (as opposed to voluntary charity) that the well-off owe to the needy because their wealth is seen as a "trust from God's bounty". The Qur'an and the hadith also suggest a Muslim give even more as an act of voluntary alms-giving (
ṣadaqah).
[60] Pilgrimage
Law and jurisprudence
Main articles:
Sharia and
FiqhThe
Sharia (literally "the path leading to the watering place") is Islamic law formed by traditional Islamic scholarship, which most Muslim groups adhere to. In Islam, Sharia is the expression of the divine will, and "constitutes a system of duties that are incumbent upon a Muslim by virtue of his religious belief".
[62]Islamic law covers all aspects of life, from matters of state, like governance and
foreign relations, to issues of daily living. The Qur'an defines
hudud as the punishments for five specific crimes: unlawful intercourse, false accusation of unlawful intercourse, consumption of alcohol, theft, and highway robbery. Though not in the Qur'an
[where?], there are also
laws against apostasy (although Muslims disagree over punishment).
[63] The Qur'an and Sunnah also contain laws of
inheritance,
marriage, and
restitution for injuries and murder, as well as rules for
fasting,
charity, and
prayer. However, these
prescriptions and
prohibitions may be broad, so their application in practice varies.
Islamic scholars (known as
ulema) have elaborated systems of law on the basis of these rules and their interpretations.
[64] Over the years there have been changing views on
Islamic law but many such as
Zahiri and
Jariri[clarification needed] have since died out.
[65][66]Fiqh, or "jurisprudence", is defined as the knowledge of the practical rules of the religion. Much of it has evolved to prevent innovation or alteration in the original religion, known as
bid'ah. The method Islamic jurists use to derive rulings is known as
usul al-fiqh ("legal theory", or "principles of jurisprudence"). According to Islamic legal theory, law has four fundamental roots, which are given precedence in this order: the Qur'an, the Sunnah (the practice of Muhammad), the consensus of the Muslim jurists (
ijma), and analogical reasoning (
qiyas). For early Islamic jurists, theory was less important than pragmatic application of the law. In the 9th century, the jurist
ash-Shafi'i provided a theoretical basis for Islamic law by codifying the principles of jurisprudence (including the four fundamental roots) in his book
ar-Risālah.
[67]
Jurists
Main articles:
Ulama,
Sheikh, and
ImamThere are many terms in Islam to refer to religiously sanctioned positions of Islam, but "jurist" generally refers to the educated class of
Muslim legal scholars engaged in the several fields of
Islamic studies. In a broader sense, the term
ulema is used to describe the body of Muslim clergy who have completed several years of training and study of Islamic sciences, such as a
mufti,
qadi,
faqih, or
muhaddith. Some Muslims include under this term the village
mullahs,
imams, and
maulvis—who have attained only the lowest rungs on the ladder of Islamic scholarship; other Muslims would say that clerics must meet higher standards to be considered ulama (singular Aalim). Some Muslims practise
ijtihad whereby they do not accept the authority of clergy.
[68] Etiquette and diet
Many practices fall in the category of
adab, or Islamic etiquette. This includes greeting others with "
as-salamu `alaykum" ("peace be unto you"), saying
bismillah ("in
the name of God") before meals, and using only the right hand for eating and drinking.
Islamic hygienicpractices mainly fall into the category of personal cleanliness and health.
Circumcision of male offspring is also practiced in Islam.
Islamic burial rituals include saying the
Salat al-Janazah ("funeral prayer") over the bathed and enshrouded dead body, and burying it in a
grave. Muslims are restricted in their diet. Prohibited foods include pork products, blood,
carrion, and
alcohol. All meat must come from a
herbivorous animal slaughtered in the name of God by a Muslim, Jew, or Christian, with the exception of game that one has hunted or fished for oneself. Food permissible for Muslims is known as
halal food.
[69] Family life
The basic unit of Islamic society is the
family, and Islam defines the obligations and legal rights of family members. The father is seen as financially responsible for his family, and is obliged to cater for their well-being. The division of
inheritance is specified in the Qur'an, which states that most of it is to pass to the immediate family, while a portion is set aside for the payment of debts and the making of bequests. With some exceptions, the woman's share of inheritance is generally half of that of a man with the same rights of succession.
[70] Marriage in Islam is a civil
contract which consists of an offer and acceptance between two qualified parties in the presence of two witnesses. The groom is required to pay a bridal gift (
mahr) to the bride, as stipulated in the contract.
[71] A man may have up to four wives if he believes he can treat them equally, while a woman may have only one husband. In most Muslim countries, the process of divorce in Islam is known as
talaq, which the husband initiates by pronouncing the word "divorce".
[72] Scholars disagree whether Islamic holy texts justify traditional Islamic practices such as
veiling and seclusion (
purdah). Starting in the 20th century, Muslim social reformers argued against these and other practices such as
polygamy in Islam, with varying success. At the same time, many Muslim women have attempted to reconcile tradition with modernity by combining an active life with outward modesty. Certain
Islamist groups like the
Taliban have sought to continue traditional law as applied to women.
[73]
