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The Pearl of the Orient Seas
Copyright © 2008 - 2012 All Rights Reserved The Philippines My Philippines News Magazine
How the Koran was born
"Al Salam Alley Koum... Alah Ho Akbaar"
Muhammad, (A.D.
570?-632), was a prophet whose life and teachings form the basis of the Islamic
religion. The name Muhammad means Praised
One. Muslims believe Muhammad
was the last messenger of God. They
believe he completed the sacred teachings of such earlier prophets as Abraham,
Moses, and Jesus. Muslims respect
Muhammad but do not worship him.
Muhammad was one of the
most influential men of all time. He
felt himself called to be God's prophet. This
belief gave him the strength to bring about many changes in Arabia.
When Muhammad began to preach in the 600's, Arabia was a wild, lawless
land. The fierce tribes of the
deserts fought continual bloody wars.
In Mecca, a city in southwestern Arabia, there was much suffering among the poor. Most of the people worshiped many gods, and prayed to idols and spirits.
Muhammad brought a new message to his people from God. He taught that there is only one God, and that this God requires people to make Islam (submission) to Him. Muhammad replaced the old loyalty to tribes with a new tie of equality and allegiance among all Muslims. He also preached against the injustice of the wealthy classes in Mecca, and tried to help the poor.
During his lifetime,
Muhammad led his people to unite in a great religious movement.
Within a hundred years after his death, Muslims carried the teachings of
Muhammad into other parts of the Middle East, into northern Africa, Europe, and
Asia. Today, there are Muslim
communities throughout the world.
Early life:
Muhammad was born in Mecca. His
father died before his birth, and his mother died when he was a child.
His grandfather, and later Abu Talib, his uncle, became his
guardians. For a time, Muhammad
lived with a desert tribe. He
learned to tend sheep and camels. According
to tradition, he joined his uncle on caravan journeys through Arabia to Syria.
He probably attended assemblies and fairs in Mecca, where he may have
heard people of different faiths express their ideas.
At the age of 25, Muhammad
entered the service of Khadija, a wealthy widow of about 40.
He later married her. They
had two sons and four daughters. The
sons died young. One daughter, Fatima,
married Ali, son of Abu Talib. Many
Muslims trace their descent from Muhammad through this couple.
His religious life:
The most sacred shrine in Mecca was the Kaaba.
It had a black stone, believed to be especially sacred, in one corner.
When Muhammad was 35, a flood damaged the Kaaba.
Because of his moral excellence, Muhammad was chosen to set the sacred
stone back into place. Later, when
Muhammad was meditating alone in a cave on Mount Hira, a vision appeared
to him. Muslims believe the vision
was of the angel Gabriel, who called Muhammad to serve as a prophet and proclaim
God's message to his people.
At first, Muhammad doubted
that his vision had come from God. But
his wife Khadija reassured him. She
became his first disciple. For a
time, no more revelations came, and Muhammad grew discouraged.
Then Gabriel came again, and told him, "Arise and warn, magnify thy
Lord ... wait patiently for Him." At
first, Muhammad may have told only relatives and friends of the revelations.
But soon he began to preach publicly.
Most people who heard him ridiculed him, but some believed.
Abu Bakr, a rich merchant, became a disciple.
Omar (Umar Ibn al-Khattab in Arabic), a Meccan leader, persecuted
Muhammad at first, but later accepted him as a prophet.
The Hegira:
Muhammad continued to preach in Mecca until several calamities took
place. First, both Khadija and Abu
Talib died. Also the people of
Mecca began to hate Muhammad for his claims and his attacks on their way of
life. Finally, in A.D. 622,
Muhammad fled north to the nearby city of Medina, then called Yathrib.
His immigration to Medina is called the Hegira.
It is considered so important that the Muslim calendar begins with the
year of the Hegira. The people of
Medina welcomed Muhammad. His
preaching and statesmanship soon won most of them as followers.
His teachings: Muhammad was now the head of both a religion and a community, and he made his message law. He abolished idol worship and the killing of unwanted baby girls. He limited polygyny (marriage to more than one wife at a time) and restricted divorce. He reformed inheritance laws, regulated slavery, and helped the poor. He also banned war and violence except for self-defense and for the cause of Islam.
Muhammad seems to have
expected Jews and Christians to accept him as a prophet.
At first he was friendly toward them.
He chose Jerusalem as the direction to be faced in prayer, similar to the
Jewish practice. He also set aside
Friday as a Muslim day of congregational prayer, perhaps because the Jews began
their Sabbath preparations then. But
the Jews of Medina conspired against him with his enemies in Mecca.
Muhammad angrily drove them from the city and organized a purely Muslim
society. To symbolize the
independence of the new religion, he ordered Muslims to face Mecca, instead of
Jerusalem, when praying.
The people of Mecca went to war against Muhammad and his followers. They attacked Medina several times but were always driven back. In 630, Muhammad entered Mecca in triumph. He offered pardon to the people there, most of whom accepted him as the Prophet of God. He destroyed the pagan idols in the Kaaba, prayed there, and made it a mosque (house of worship). Muhammad died two years later in Medina. His tomb is in the Prophet's Mosque in Medina.
Medina, is a city in
western Saudi Arabia. It lies on a
fertile plain about 270 miles (434 kilometers) north of Mecca.
Medina and Mecca are the holiest cities in Islam, the Muslim religion,
and only Muslims may enter them. The
Holy Mosque of the Islamic prophet Muhammad is located in Medina.
This mosque holds Muhammad's tomb. Islam
requires every Muslim to make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca if possible.
Most pilgrims who visit Mecca also go to Medina.
Farmers grow fruits and
vegetables in the area around Medina. Agriculture
and money spent by pilgrims form the basis of Medina's economy.
The city is the home of the Islamic University.
Medina has kept much of its traditional appearance.
As Medina has grown, however, the walls of the old city have disappeared.
New suburbs have grown up, and wealthy residents live in these areas.
No one knows when Medina
was founded. It was originally
called Yathrib, and farmers settled there before 200 B.C. Medina received
its present name, which means town or city, about A.D. 600.
Muhammad and his disciples found safety in Medina after they were forced
to flee from Mecca in 622. Medina
became the center of the Muslim community, but its political importance fell as
the Islamic empire grew.
Koran, pronounced kaw RAHN or pronounced koh RAHN, is the sacred book of the Muslims. It is also spelled Qur'an. Muslims believe the angel Gabriel revealed the book to the Prophet Muhammad. The name Koran means a recitation or something to be recited, presumably in worship.
Muslims believe the Angel Gabriel revealed the Koran to Muhammad a little at a time. The revelations began about A.D. 610 and continued until Muhammad's death in 632. Islamic tradition does not specify whether many of the ayas (verses) and suras (chapters) were written down during Muhammad's lifetime or after his death. Muhammad's followers, who wrote down the revelations, collected them into the book that is now known as the Koran. The standard text of the Koran was formed during the reign of Caliph Uthman, who ruled from 644 to 656. Muslims consider the Koran to be the words of God Himself, and in no sense the composition of Muhammad. They believe that the earthly book, bound between covers, is a copy of an eternal book that is kept in heaven.
The Koran consists of verses grouped into 114 chapters. The chapters vary in length from a few lines to over 200 verses. Much of the Koran is written in rhymed Arabic prose. Muslims believe that the rich, forceful language of the text is humanly unmatchable, and a miracle that confirms Muhammad's prophet hood.
Teachings.
The central teaching of the Koran is that there is only one God.
The word for God in Arabic is Allah.
Allah is the creator of the universe and requires Islam (submission) to
Himself. Allah, in His mercy, sent
the Koran as a guide for humanity.
Another important teaching
concerns the prophets who have been God's messengers to different peoples.
The Koran mentions the prophets Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and many others.
It describes Muhammad as the last of the prophets.
The Koran speaks of a day
of judgment when people shall stand before God to account for their lives.
It contains many specific teachings designed to regulate Muslim daily
life. It requires daily prayers,
and stresses charity and brotherly love among Muslims.
The Koran teaches that one should be humble in spirit, temperate, brave,
and just.
The influence of the Koran
is great. It is one of the most
widely read books in the world. Its
teachings formed the basis of the great Islamic civilization of the past, and it
guides and inspires millions of Muslims. The
Koran is the final authority in matters of faith and practice for all Muslims.
It is also the highest authority for Islamic law.
The Koran has been taught
orally and is memorized, at least in part, by virtually all Muslims.
Thus, even illiterate Muslims possess and prize the text.
The reverence for the holy book is so great that many Muslims learn the
entire work by heart. The art of
properly reciting the Koran has been preserved and passed on through the
centuries, and has been enhanced by the modern technology of audio cassette
recording.
For hundreds of years, Muslims refused to translate the Koran into other languages. They thought they should preserve the words of God in their original form. But in the early 1900's, Muslims began to translate the Koran into Eastern and Western languages.
Africa, Spain, India,
and Syria: They transmitted
much of the classical knowledge of the ancient world, and built such magnificent
structures as the Alhambra in Spain and the Taj Mahal in India.
For a discussion of Muslim achievements and their influence, see MUSLIMS.
The teachings of Islam
The companions of Muhammad
preserved the revelations that came to Muhammad by memorizing them or writing
them down. Muslim scholars believe
Muhammad approved these teachings. Later,
the materials were combined to form the holy book of the Muslims.
It is called the Koran, from the Arabic word meaning recitation.
The caliph Uthman, who ruled from 644 to 656, ordered the first
official edition of the Koran. He
sent a copy of the edition to the chief mosque in each of the capital cities of
the Muslim provinces. Muslims
consider the Koran the words of God Himself, spoken to Muhammad by an angel.
Parts of the Koran
resemble the Bible, the Apocrypha, and the Talmud.
The Koran contains many stories about the prophets that appear in the Old
Testament. The Koran also has
stories about Jesus, whom it calls the Word of God.
God and humanity:
The Koran teaches the absolute unity and power of God, the creator of the
whole universe. It also teaches
that God is just and merciful, and wishes people to repent and purify themselves
so that they can attain Paradise after death.
Therefore, God sends prophets with sacred books to teach people their
duty to God and humanity. The
Muslims believe Muhammad was the last of the prophets.
Jesus and the Old Testament prophets were among his predecessors.
The Koran forbids the
representation of human and animal figures, so orthodox Islamic art rarely
pictures living beings. The Koran
also denounces usury, games of chance, and the consumption of pork and alcohol.
Ethics and morals:
The Koran, like the Bible, forbids lying, stealing, adultery, and murder.
Punishment for some offenses, such as theft or adultery, can be severe.
But the Koran softened the ancient law of "an eye for an eye, a
tooth for a tooth" by permitting the payment of "blood money" and
by urging forgiveness. The Koran
permits slavery under certain conditions, but urges that slaves be freed.
It permits a man to have as many as four wives under certain conditions.
Virtue and justice:
The Koran teaches honor for parents, kindness to slaves, protection for
orphans and widows, and charity to the poor.
It teaches the virtues of faith in God, kindness, honesty, industry,
honor, courage, and generosity. It
condemns mistrust, impatience, and cruelty.
Heads of families must treat household members kindly and fairly.
A wife has rights against her husband to protect her from abuse.
It teaches that a person should not refuse requests for help even if they
seem unnecessary. God judges the
dishonest petitioner and rewards the giver in this and the next world.
Life and death:
Islam teaches that life on earth is a period of testing and preparation
for the life to come. The angels in
heaven record a person's good and bad deeds.
People should therefore try their best to be good and help others, and
then trust in God's justice and mercy for their reward.
Death is the gate to eternal life. Muslims
believe in a last, or judgment, day when everyone will receive the record of his
or her deeds on earth. The record
book is placed in the right hand of the good, who then go to heaven.
It is placed in the left hand of the wicked, who go to hell.
The sorrows and tortures of hell resemble those described in the Bible.
The Muslim heaven is a garden with flowing streams, luscious fruits,
richly covered couches, and beautiful maidens.
Customs and ceremonies
Duties:
A Muslim's chief duties can be summarized in the Five Pillars of Faith.
They are (1) profession of the unity of God and the prophet-hood of
Muhammad, (2) prayer, (3) almsgiving, (4) fasting, and (5) pilgrimage.
Prayer, or Salat:
Muslims pray five times daily: at dawn, at noon, in the afternoon, in the
evening, and at nightfall. A crier,
or muezzin (pronounced myoo EZ in), announces prayer time from the minaret
(mosque tower). Muslims
ceremonially wash their faces, hands, and feet just before prayer.
On Friday, Muslims are expected to attend noon prayers at a mosque.
The prayer leader faces Mecca. The
men stand behind him, and the women stand behind the men.
Prayers consist of reciting passages from the Koran and other phrases of
praise to God. They include such
movements as bowing from the hips and kneeling with the face to the ground.
Friday prayers are preceded by a sermon.
Almsgiving may be required
or free will. Required almsgiving
is called Zakat and the free will type is called Sadaqah.
Zakat is like the tithe mentioned in the Bible (see TITHE).
Muslims must give 21/2 percent of their wealth each year as a trust fund
for the needy. Islam does not limit
free will charity, except that Muslims cannot deprive their own families of
their fixed legal inheritance by giving all their wealth to charity.
Fasting:
Ramadan, the ninth month in the Muslim year, is the holy month of
fasting. Muslims may not eat or
drink from dawn to sunset. Travelers,
the sick, nursing mothers, and soldiers on the march are exempt, but must make
up the days missed. Muslims
joyfully celebrate the end of the long fast in the three-day Festival of the
Breaking of the Fast (Little Bairam).
Pilgrimage, or the Hajj,
to Mecca is commanded by the Koran. All
able Muslims are required to make the pilgrimage at least once.
Many ceremonies are required during the pilgrimage.
The most important ceremonies include walking seven times around the
Kaaba and kissing the sacred Black Stone in its wall.
Most Muslims include a visit to the Mosque of Muhammad in Medina.
The pilgrimage is concluded with the Festival of Sacrifice, when the
Muslims sacrifice a sheep, goat, or camel, and usually give the meat to the
poor. This is the Muslims' Great
Festival, while Little Bairam is the Lesser Festival.
Muslims celebrate both of these festivals by visiting, wearing new
clothes, and by exchanging gifts.
Celebrations of many kinds
take place throughout the Muslim world. Public
holidays include Muhammad's birthday, which is widely celebrated.
Members of the Shiah sect of Islam, called Shiites (pronounced SHEE eyets),
have some additional festivals and ceremonies.
The most important ceremony observes mourning for the death of Husain, a
grandson of Muhammad, in 661. Shiites
also celebrate the birthday of Fatima, Muhammad's daughter.
Private ceremonies in a
Muslim's life occur at birth, circumcision, and weddings.
The event that Muslims take most pride in is a child's memorizing of the
entire Koran. Then the child's
family holds a party for the student and the teacher, and both receive gifts.
The structure of Islam
The mosque, or
Muslim place of worship, is the most important building for Muslims.
Mosque comes from the Arabic masjid, which means a place of kneeling.
A typical mosque has a mihrab (niche) that points to Mecca.
It also contains a pulpit for the preacher and a lectern for the Koran.
Most mosques have at least one minaret from which the muezzin chants the
call to prayer. A court and a water
fountain are generally provided for the ceremonial washing before prayer.
The mosque is often decorated with colorful arabesques and Koranic
verses.
Many mosques have a
religious elementary school where young scholars learn to read and memorize the
Koran. Some mosques, especially in
Muslim countries, also have a madrasah (religious college) where students
may complete their religious education. Madrasah
graduates, sometimes called mullahs, may teach in a mosque school or a madrasah,
or they may preach in a mosque. See
MOSQUE.
The Imam, or leader,
is the chief officer in the mosque. The
Imam's main duty is to lead the people in prayer.
The Prophet Muhammad led prayers in his mosque in Medina and in the
mosque surrounding the Kaaba in Mecca. The
caliphs led the people in all religious and political matters, so they were the
chief Imams. On special occasions,
a distinguished visitor or religious teacher may lead the public prayers.
Islam does not have an
organized priesthood. Any
virtuous and able Muslim can lead prayers in most mosques.
However, it is usually the Imam, a person chosen for piety or
scholarship, who handles the services of the mosque.
Sects:
Like all religions, Islam has its sects.
In the 600's, the Muslim world split into two great divisions, Sunni
and Shiah. Most Muslims are
Sunnites. They believe that Muslim
leadership after the death of Muhammad passed to caliphs elected from Muhammad's
tribe. The Shiites believe that
leadership was restricted to descendants of Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law.
Shiites form the largest minority. Members
of this Islamic group live scattered throughout Asia and Africa and, more
recently, in Europe and America.
There have also been a
number of smaller sects. In the
early years, a group called the Kharijites broke away from the Muslim
community and formed a more puritanical and democratic sect.
The Kharijites have disappeared as an active group.
Another prominent sect, the Wahhabis, or Ikhwan, also form
a puritanical group. They are
dominant in Saudi Arabia. The Baha'i
faith grew out of the Shiite group.
Aga Khan IV is the
49th Imam of the Ismaili Khoja Muslims, a sect that has been in existence
almost from the beginning of Islam. Members
of this Islamic group, numbering about 10 million, live scattered throughout
Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.
Until recently, Islam had no organized missionary movement. But today al-Azhar University of Cairo, the intellectual center of Islam, trains students for missionary work. Several Islamic sects, especially the Ahmadiyya of Pakistan, work as missionaries throughout Europe, America, Asia, and Africa.
The Koran in English....Those who wanted to read and learn from this holy book, reserve a copy by sending money order check for US$50 per copy, postage included, payable to The Traders Point, P.O. Box 91, Station B, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3B 3J5.
Bismillahirrohmanirrohim
Assalamu'alaikum
warohmatullahi wabarokatuh (Bahasa Indonesia)
Compiled & Edited by Conrad David Brillantes for The Philippines My Philippines
Please
see Mohammad, the last Prophet….Mecca,
Islam
Info
Year 630
AD. Muhammad lead the invasion of
Year 62
AD, Muhamed Died, Abubakar, succeeded him instead of Ali
Year 7-8th
Century AD Papou,
Muhammad,
pronounced “moo HAM uhd” (A.D. 570?-632), was a prophet whose life and
teachings form the basis of the Islamic religion.
The name Muhammad means Praised One.
There are several common spellings of the name, including Mohammad,
Mohammed, and Mahomet. Muslims
believe Muhammad was the last messenger of God.
They believe he completed the sacred teachings of such earlier prophets
as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Muslims
respect Muhammad but do not worship him.
Muhammad
was one of the most influential men of all time.
He felt himself called to be God's prophet.
This belief gave him the strength to bring about many changes in
In
Muhammad
brought a new message to his people from God.
He taught that there is only one God, and that this God requires people
to make Islam (submission) to Him. Muhammad
replaced the old loyalty to tribes with a new tie of equality and allegiance
among all Muslims. He also preached
against the injustice of the wealthy classes in
During
his lifetime, Muhammad led his people to unite in a great religious movement.
Within a hundred years after his death, Muslims carried the teachings of
Muhammad into other parts of the
Early
life. Muhammad was born in
At the
age of 25, Muhammad entered the service of Khadija, a wealthy widow of about 40.
He later married her. They
had two sons and four daughters. The
sons died young. One daughter,
Fatima, married Ali, son of Abu Talib. Many
Muslims trace their descent from Muhammad through this couple (see FATIMID
DYNASTY).
His
religious life. The most sacred
shrine in
At
first, Muhammad doubted that his vision had come from God.
But his wife Khadija reassured him.
She became his first disciple. For
a time, no more revelations came, and Muhammad grew discouraged.
Then Gabriel came again, and told him, "Arise and warn, magnify thy
Lord ... wait patiently for Him." At
first, Muhammad may have told only relatives and friends of the revelations.
But soon he began to preach publicly.
Most people who heard him ridiculed him, but some believed.
Abu Bakr, a rich merchant, became a disciple.
Omar (Umar Ibn al-Khattab in Arabic), a Meccan leader, persecuted
Muhammad at first, but later accepted him as a prophet.
The
Hegira. Muhammad continued to
preach in
His
teachings. Muhammad was now the
head of both a religion and a community, and he made his message law.
He abolished idol worship and the killing of unwanted baby girls.
He limited polygyny (marriage to more than one wife at a time) and
restricted divorce. He reformed
inheritance laws, regulated slavery, and helped the poor.
He also banned war and violence except for self-defense and for the cause
of Islam.
Muhammad
seems to have expected Jews and Christians to accept him as a prophet.
At first he was friendly toward them.
He chose
The
Meccans went to war against Muhammad and his followers.
They attacked
Farmers
grow fruits and vegetables in the area around Medina.
Agriculture and money spent by pilgrims form the basis of Medina's
economy. The city is the home of
the Islamic University. Medina has
kept much of its traditional appearance. As
Medina has grown, however, the walls of the old city have disappeared.
New suburbs have grown up, and wealthy residents live in these areas.
No one
knows when Medina was founded. It
was originally called Yathrib, and farmers settled there before 200 B.C. Medina
received its present name, which means town or city, about A.D. 600.
Muhammad and his disciples found safety in Medina after they were forced
to flee from Mecca in 622. Medina
became the center of the Muslim community, but its political importance fell as
the Islamic empire grew.
Koran,
pronounced kaw RAHN or pronounced koh RAHN, is the sacred book of the Muslims.
It is also spelled Qur'an. Muslims
believe the angel Gabriel revealed the book to the Prophet Muhammad.
The name Koran means a recitation or something to be recited, presumably
in worship.
Muslims
believe the angel Gabriel revealed the Koran to Muhammad a little at a time.
The revelations began about A.D. 610 and continued until Muhammad's death
in 632. Islamic tradition does not
specify whether many of the ayas (verses) and suras (chapters) were written down
during Muhammad's lifetime or after his death.
Muhammad's followers, who wrote down the revelations, collected them into
the book that is now known as the Koran. The
standard text of the Koran was formed during the reign of Caliph Uthman, who
ruled from 644 to 656. Muslims
consider the Koran to be the words of God Himself, and in no sense the
composition of Muhammad. They
believe that the earthly book, bound between covers, is a copy of an eternal
book that is kept in heaven.
The
Koran consists of verses grouped into 114 chapters.
The chapters vary in length from a few lines to over 200 verses.
Much of the Koran is written in rhymed Arabic prose.
Muslims believe that the rich, forceful language of the text is humanly
unmatchable, and a miracle that confirms Muhammad's prophethood.
Teachings.
The central teaching of the Koran is that there is only one God.
The word for God in Arabic is Allah.
Allah is the creator of the universe and requires Islam (submission) to
Himself. Allah, in His mercy, sent
the Koran as a guide for humanity.
Another
important teaching concerns the prophets who have been God's messengers to
different peoples. The Koran
mentions the prophets Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and many others.
It describes Muhammad as the last of the prophets.
The
Koran speaks of a day of judgment when people shall stand before God to account
for their lives. It contains many
specific teachings designed to regulate Muslim daily life.
It requires daily prayers, and stresses charity and brotherly love among
Muslims. The Koran teaches that one
should be humble in spirit, temperate, brave, and just.
The
influence of the Koran is great. It
is one of the most widely read books in the world.
Its teachings formed the basis of the great Islamic civilization of the
past, and it guides and inspires millions of Muslims.
The Koran is the final authority in matters of faith and practice for all
Muslims. It is also the highest
authority for Islamic law.
The
Koran has been taught orally and is memorized, at least in part, by virtually
all Muslims. Thus, even illiterate
Muslims possess and prize the text. The
reverence for the holy book is so great that many Muslims learn the entire work
by heart. The art of properly
reciting the Koran has been preserved and passed on through the centuries, and
has been enhanced by the modern technology of audio cassette recording.
For
hundreds of years, Muslims refused to translate the Koran into other languages.
They thought they should preserve the words of God in their original
form. But in the early 1900's,
Muslims began to translate the Koran into Eastern and Western languages.
Africa,
Spain, India, and Syria. They
transmitted much of the classical knowledge of the ancient world, and built such
magnificent structures as the Alhambra in Spain and the Taj Mahal in India.
For a discussion of Muslim achievements and their influence, see MUSLIMS.
The
teachings of Islam
The
companions of Muhammad preserved the revelations that came to Muhammad by
memorizing them or writing them down. Muslim
scholars believe Muhammad approved these teachings.
Later, the materials were combined to form the holy book of the Muslims.
It is called the Koran, from the Arabic word meaning recitation.
The caliph Uthman, who ruled from 644 to 656, ordered the first official
edition of the Koran. He sent a
copy of the edition to the chief mosque in each of the capital cities of the
Muslim provinces. Muslims consider
the Koran the words of God Himself, spoken to Muhammad by an angel.
Parts of
the Koran resemble the Bible, the Apocrypha, and the Talmud.
The Koran contains many stories about the prophets that appear in the Old
Testament. The Koran also has
stories about Jesus, whom it calls the Word of God.
God and
humanity. The Koran teaches the
absolute unity and power of God, the creator of the whole universe.
It also teaches that God is just and merciful, and wishes people to
repent and purify themselves so that they can attain Paradise after death.
Therefore, God sends prophets with sacred books to teach people their
duty to God and humanity. The
Muslims believe Muhammad was the last of the prophets.
Jesus and the Old Testament prophets were among his predecessors.
The
Koran forbids the representation of human and animal figures, so orthodox
Islamic art rarely pictures living beings.
The Koran also denounces usury, games of chance, and the consumption of
pork and alcohol.
Ethics
and morals. The Koran, like the
Bible, forbids lying, stealing, adultery, and murder.
Punishment for some offenses, such as theft or adultery, can be severe.
But the Koran softened the ancient law of "an eye for an eye, a
tooth for a tooth" by permitting the payment of "blood money" and
by urging forgiveness. The Koran
permits slavery under certain conditions, but urges that slaves be freed.
It permits a man to have as many as four wives under certain conditions.
Virtue
and justice. The Koran teaches
honor for parents, kindness to slaves, protection for orphans and widows, and
charity to the poor. It teaches the
virtues of faith in God, kindness, honesty, industry, honor, courage, and
generosity. It condemns mistrust,
impatience, and cruelty. Heads of
families must treat household members kindly and fairly.
A wife has rights against her husband to protect her from abuse.
It teaches that a person should not refuse requests for help even if they
seem unnecessary. God judges the
dishonest petitioner and rewards the giver in this and the next world.
Life and
death. Islam teaches that life on
earth is a period of testing and preparation for the life to come.
The angels in heaven record a person's good and bad deeds.
People should therefore try their best to be good and help others, and
then trust in God's justice and mercy for their reward.
Death is the gate to eternal life. Muslims
believe in a last, or judgment, day when everyone will receive the record of his
or her deeds on earth. The record
book is placed in the right hand of the good, who then go to heaven.
It is placed in the left hand of the wicked, who go to hell.
The sorrows and tortures of hell resemble those described in the Bible.
The Muslim heaven is a garden with flowing streams, luscious fruits,
richly covered couches, and beautiful maidens.
Customs
and ceremonies
Duties. A Muslim's chief duties can be summarized in the Five Pillars of Faith. They are (1) profession of the unity of God and the prophethood of Muhammad, (2) prayer, (3) almsgiving, (4) fasting, and (5) pilgrimage.
Prayer,
or Salat. Muslims pray five times
daily: at dawn, at noon, in the afternoon, in the evening, and at nightfall.
A crier, or muezzin (pronounced myoo EZ in), announces prayer time from
the minaret (mosque tower). Muslims
ceremonially wash their faces, hands, and feet just before prayer.
On Friday, Muslims are expected to attend noon prayers at a mosque.
The prayer leader faces Mecca. The
men stand behind him, and the women stand behind the men.
Prayers consist of reciting passages from the Koran and other phrases of
praise to God. They include such
movements as bowing from the hips and kneeling with the face to the ground.
Friday prayers are preceded by a sermon.
Almsgiving
may be required or free will. Required
almsgiving is called Zakat and the free will type is called Sadaqah.
Zakat is like the tithe mentioned in the Bible (see TITHE).
Muslims must give 2 1/2 percent of their wealth each year as a trust fund
for the needy. Islam does not limit
free will charity, except that Muslims cannot deprive their own families of
their fixed legal inheritance by giving all their wealth to charity.
Fasting.
Ramadan, the ninth month in the Muslim year, is the holy month of
fasting. Muslims may not eat or
drink from dawn to sunset. Travelers,
the sick, nursing mothers, and soldiers on the march are exempt, but must make
up the days missed. Muslims
joyfully celebrate the end of the long fast in the three-day Festival of the
Breaking of the Fast (Little Bairam).
Pilgrimage,
or the Hajj, to Mecca is commanded by the Koran.
All able Muslims are required to make the pilgrimage at least once.
Many ceremonies are required during the pilgrimage.
The most important ceremonies include walking seven times around the
Kaaba and kissing the sacred Black Stone in its wall.
Most Muslims include a visit to the Mosque of Muhammad in Medina.
The pilgrimage is concluded with the Festival of Sacrifice, when the
Muslims sacrifice a sheep, goat, or camel, and usually give the meat to the
poor. This is the Muslims' Great
Festival, while Little Bairam is the Lesser Festival.
Muslims celebrate both of these festivals by visiting, wearing new
clothes, and by exchanging gifts.
Celebrations
of many kinds take place throughout the Muslim world.
Public holidays include Muhammad's birthday, which is widely celebrated.
Members of the Shiah sect of Islam, called Shiites (pronounced SHEE eyets),
have some additional festivals and ceremonies.
The most important ceremony observes mourning for the death of Husain, a
grandson of Muhammad, in 661. Shiites
also celebrate the birthday of Fatima, Muhammad's daughter.
Private
ceremonies in a Muslim's life occur at birth, circumcision, and weddings.
The event that Muslims take most pride in is a child's memorizing of the
entire Koran. Then the child's
family holds a party for the student and the teacher, and both receive gifts.
The
structure of Islam
The
mosque, or Muslim place of worship, is the most important building for Muslims.
Mosque comes from the Arabic masjid, which means a place of kneeling.
A typical mosque has a mihrab (niche) that points to Mecca.
It also contains a pulpit for the preacher and a lectern for the Koran.
Most mosques have at least one minaret from which the muezzin chants the
call to prayer. A court and a water
fountain are generally provided for the ceremonial washing before prayer.
The mosque is often decorated with colorful arabesques and Koranic
verses.
Many
mosques have a religious elementary school where young scholars learn to read
and memorize the Koran. Some
mosques, especially in Muslim countries, also have a madrasah (religious
college) where students may complete their religious education.
Madrasah graduates, sometimes called mullahs, may teach in a mosque
school or a madrasah, or they may preach in a mosque.
See MOSQUE.
The
Imam, or leader, is the chief officer in the mosque.
The Imam's main duty is to lead the people in prayer.
The Prophet Muhammad led prayers in his mosque in Medina and in the
mosque surrounding the Kaaba in Mecca. The
caliphs led the people in all religious and political matters, so they were the
chief Imams. On special occasions,
a distinguished visitor or religious teacher may lead the public prayers.
Islam
does not have an organized priesthood. Any
virtuous and able Muslim can lead prayers in most mosques.
However, it is usually the Imam, a person chosen for piety or
scholarship, who handles the services of the mosque.
Sects.
Like all religions, Islam has its sects.
In the 600's, the Muslim world split into two great divisions, Sunni and
Shiah. Most Muslims are Sunnites.
They believe that Muslim leadership after the death of Muhammad passed to
caliphs elected from Muhammad's tribe. The
Shiites believe that leadership was restricted to descendants of Ali, Muhammad's
son-in-law. Shiites form the
largest minority. Members of this
Islamic group live scattered throughout Asia and Africa and, more recently, in
Europe and America.
There
have also been a number of smaller sects. In
the early years, a group called the Kharijites broke away from the Muslim
community and formed a more puritanical and democratic sect.
The Kharijites have disappeared as an active group.
Another prominent sect, the Wahhabis, or Ikhwan, also form a puritanical
group. They are dominant in Saudi
Arabia. The Baha'i faith grew out
of the Shiite group (see BAHA'IS).
Aga Khan
IV is the 49th Imam of the Ismaili Khoja Muslims, a sect that has been in
existence almost from the beginning of Islam.
Members of this Islamic group, numbering about 10 million, live scattered
throughout Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America.
Until
recently, Islam had no organized missionary movement.
But today al-Azhar University of Cairo, the intellectual center of Islam,
trains students for missionary work. Several
Islamic sects, especially the Ahmadiyya of Pakistan, work as missionaries
throughout Europe, America, Asia, and Africa.
In
the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful!!!
The
Holy Koran (Qur’an)
(In
English)
1.
The Opening (Al-Fátíha)
In
the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.
001.002 Praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds,
001.003 The Beneficent, the Merciful.
001.004 Master of the Day of Judgment,
001.005 Thee (alone) we worship; Thee (alone) we ask for help.
001.006 Show us the straight path,
001.007 The path of those whom Thou hast favoured; Not the (path) of those who
earn Thine anger nor of those who go astray.
2.
The Cow (Al-Baqarah)
002.001
Alif. Lam. Mim.
002.002 This is the Scripture whereof there is no doubt, a guidance unto those
who ward off (evil).
002.003 Who believe in the Unseen, and establish worship, and spend of that We
have bestowed upon them;
002.004 And who believe in that which is revealed unto thee (Muhammad) and that
which was revealed before thee, and are certain of the Hereafter.
002.005 These depend on guidance from their Lord. These are the successful.
002.006 As for the Disbelievers, Whether thou warn them or thou warn them not it
is all one for them; they believe not.
002.007 Allah hath sealed their hearing and their hearts, and on their eyes
there is a covering. Theirs will be an awful doom.
002.008 And of mankind are some who say: We believe in Allah and the Last Day,
when they believe not.
002.009 They think to beguile Allah and those who believe, and they beguile none
save themselves; but they perceive not.
002.010 In their hearts is a disease, and Allah increaseth their disease. A
painful doom is theirs because they lie.
002.011 And when it is said unto them: Make not mischief in the earth, they say:
We are peacemakers only.
002.012 Are not they indeed the mischief-makers ? But they perceive not.
002.013 And when it is said unto them: believe as the people believe, they say:
shall we believe as the foolish believe? are not they indeed the foolish ? But
they know not.
002.014 And when they fall in with those who believe, they say: We believe; but
when they go apart to their devils they declare: Lo! we are with you; verily we
did but mock.
002.015 Allah (Himself) doth mock them, leaving them to wander blindly on in
their contumacy.
002.016 These are they who purchase error at the price of guidance, so their
commerce doth not prosper, neither are they guided.
002.017 Their likeness is as the likeness of one who kindleth fire, and when it
sheddeth its light around him Allah taketh away their light and leaveth them in
darkness, where they cannot see,
002.018 Deaf, dumb and blind; and they return not.
002.019 Or like a rainstorm from the sky, wherein is darkness, thunder and the
flash of lightning. They thrust their fingers in their ears by reason of the
thunder-claps, for fear of death, Allah encompasseth the disbelievers (in His
guidance, His omniscience and His omnipotence).
002.020 The lightning almost snatcheth away their sight from them. As often as
it flasheth forth for them they walk therein, and when it darkeneth against them
they stand still. If Allah willed, He could destroy their hearing and their
sight. Lo! Allah is able to do all things.
002.021 O mankind! worship your Lord, Who hath created you and those before you,
so that ye may ward off (evil).
002.022 Who hath appointed the earth a resting-place for you, and the sky a
canopy; and causeth water to pour down from the sky, thereby producing fruits as
food for you. And do not set up rivals to Allah when ye know (better).
002.023 And if ye are in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto Our slave
(Muhammad), then produce a surah of the like thereof, and call your witness
beside Allah if ye are truthful.
002.024 And if ye do it not - and ye can never do it - then guard yourselves
against the Fire prepared for disbelievers, whose fuel is of men and stones.
002.025 And give glad tidings (O Muhammad) unto those who believe and do good
works; that theirs are Gardens underneath which rivers flow; as often as they
are regaled with food of the fruit thereof, they say: this is what was given us
aforetime; and it is given to them in resemblance. There for them are pure
companions; there for ever they abide.
002.026 Lo! Allah disdaineth not to coin the similitude even of a gnat. Those
who believe know that it is the truth from their Lord; but those who disbelieve
say: What doth Allah wish (to teach) by such a similitude ? He misleadeth many
thereby, and He guideth many thereby; and He misleadeth thereby only miscreants;
002.027 Those who break the covenant of Allah after ratifying it, and sever that
which Allah ordered to be joined, and (who) make mischief in the earth: Those
are they who are the losers.
002.028 How disbelieve ye in Allah when ye were dead and He gave life to you!
Then He will give you death, then life again, and then unto Him ye will return.
002.029 He it is Who created for you all that is in the earth. Then turned He to
the heaven, and fashioned it as seven heavens. And He is knower of all things.
002.030 And when thy Lord said unto the angels: Lo! I am about to place a
viceroy in the earth, they said: Wilt thou place therein one who will do harm
therein and will shed blood, while we, we hymn Thy praise and sanctify Thee ? He
said: Surely I know that which ye know not.
002.031 And He taught Adam all the names, then showed them to the angels,
saying: Inform Me of the names of these, if ye are truthful.
002.032 They said: Be glorified! We have no knowledge saving that which Thou
hast taught us. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Knower, the Wise.
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