Islam

We all remember September 11, 2001. It was a day that changed America. It was a day that enshrouded our nation with suspicion. It was a day we realized the threat of Islam. But the mainstream media promotes many misconceptions about Islam, causing us to disregard the religion and shrug it off as if it weren't a threat at all. I hope to dispel these misconceptions, but I will do so in a later post about Ji'had. Here, I am going to relate the basic doctrines and teachings of Islam to provide some background.

Islam is a relatively simple faith. Like all religions, there are complex aspects to it, but for the most part it is a very simple, believable form of works righteousness. A Muslim's life goal is to please Allah so that they can enter paradise. Allah, however, is a distant, impersonal, warlike deity that must be appeased. Muslims do this by keeping the Five Pillars of Islam and by engaging in Ji'had. There are also five tenets and five social teachings of Islam, which I will also relate.

The Five Pillars of Islam:

1) A faithful Muslim must make a profession of faith. This profession is: There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet. This profession embodies the whole of the Muslim faith. There are no complex creeds or doctrines, which makes this faith believable and appealing.

2) A faithful Muslim must pray five times a day. This prayer is simply the profession of faith. And once a week on Fridays Muslims gather at the mosque for a special prayer and some teaching from the imam.

3) A faithful Muslim is expected to be generous. As such they are required to give to the poor. An amount is not specified; they are supposed to have generous hearts.

4) A faithful Muslim must keep Ramadan. Ramadan is a month-long fast from food and drink during the daylight hours.

5) A faithful Muslim must endeavor at least once in their life to make a pilgrimage to the holy city Mecca and pray at the Ka'aba, a temple to Allah. If, however, they are physically unable to do so, they can pay someone else to go for them.

These pillars form the basis of a Muslim's life.

The Five Tenets:

1) Muslims serve Allah, whom they claim to be a just, compassionate, merciful god, creator of the universe and punisher of the infidels. However, Allah shows no grace or mercy and his wrath cannot be appeased. In order to be faithful, Muslims must obey his will completely. The word Islam actually means "submission."

2) Mohammed is the greatest prophet, and there are no other great prophets after him. Islam has varied views on Jesus Christ. Sometimes He is referred to as one of the great prophets, but He is often despised for manipulating the "true doctrine" in claiming the be the Son of God.

3) Muslims believe there are many sacred books, those including the Torah, the Psalms, and the Gospels, but the Qu'ran (also spelled Koran) is the last and greatest of the sacred texts. It is the perfect revelation, and it "corrects" errors in the other texts. However, classical Arabic is the official language of the Qu'ran, and since its integrity must be preserved, it may not be translated. Unfortunately, most Muslims today do not understand classical Arabic, so they do not have access to their sacred book.

4) Muslims believe that life on earth is just a test. It is just preparation of the eternal life to come. Those that are faithful adore Allah, praise Mohammed, and keep the five pillars. Apart from this, life has no meaning.

5) Muslims believe that in the final judgment, the faithful will go to eternal paradise, and the infidels will go to eternal hell. There is no grace. There is no mercy. Islam is simply works righteousness.

The Five Social Teachings:

1) I do not have time to relate the history of Islam (I will probably do this in another post), but Islam grew up in a trading environment. Mecca was a crossroads. It was a little oasis out in the desert, and it was a kind of Middle Eastern truckstop for the caravanners and traders. This is the environment Islam grew out of, so it is only natural that Islam should bless trade and commerce.

2) Islam holds to an idea of a chain of being. This means that every living thing is a part of a hierarchy. Unfortunately, women are just below dogs. However, family is of vital importance. Muslims are responsible for populating the earth with warriors for Islam. Muslims are commended for having big families. The Qu'ran allows for polygamy up to four wives, except noblemen can have more. Islam promotes strict segregation of the sexes. Orthodox Islam treats women as property.

3) Every Muslim will be judged. Justice is based on retribution. Every man is judged by his labors, and if someone does not follow the pillars of Islam, retribution will be against him.

4) Muslims are brothers. They are the Umma, the faithful, and they stand together against the infidels, the unbelievers.

5) The last social teaching is probably the most controversial subject of Islam: Ji'had. This I will deal with separately in another post.