Islam

Although Islam is largely unified in its own view of its historical development, Jews, Christians, and secular historians see things differently. Focusing on God’s revelation to Muhammad, Muslims believe that the central fact of Islam is the Qur’an. Aware that divine and human forces are at work in the dynamics of their faith, they deny their prophet adapted social influences from Jews and Christians. Peoples of those religions, however, were skeptical of the “revelation” that set aside their own scriptures as erroneous and antiquated.

I think that this is the same story of one group of people thinking that their religion is best and that all other religions are wrong. This is what has caused wars and death, supposedly in the name of God. I don’t understand why people do this.

Islam emerged in Arabia, specifically in the city of Mecca, in he seventh century C.E. The people in Mecca weres not Bedouins, who moved from place to place to find food and water. The Meccans were people who bought and sold what the wandering tribes had to offer. The famous Ka’bah was located in Mecca. The building possessed the Black Stone in its southeast corner, which was a symbol of divine power. The building contained some 360 idols, many of them representing forces of nature and celestial beings. The keepers of the Ka’bah were members of the Quraysh tribe. They had considerable status among Arabs due to their stewardship if this most sacred precinct.

Muhammad was born in 750 C.E. to a powerful but poor clan. His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was very young. He was an orphan and was raised by his grandfather and uncle. The time between his birth and marriage to Khadijah is vague, but it is known that he married the wealthy widow Khadijah, and this allowed him time to go outside the city to meditate among the hills.

The profundity of Muhammad’s message and the intricate implications of his revelations were carried out in acts that could be performed by the simple shepherd or his wife, warriors, merchants, scholars, and saints. Five requirements are made of all Muslims: First, they must declare in the Shahada, witness, that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his rasul, or messenger. Second, they must participate in salat, five periods of prayer each day. Third, they must pay an obligatory tax, called zakat, to the needy. Fourth, they must fast during the daylight hours in the month of Ramadan, know as sawm. Fifth, if they are able, they should make a pilgrimage to Mecca, a Hajj, once during their lifetime. These are acts even the simplest person can understand and practice; they are the five Pillars of Islam.

My thoughts about this are that the first requirement, the Shahada, that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is his messenger, seems like a problem. To say that only Muhammad is the messenger of god says that no one else is as good as Muhammad, and I don’t believe that Muhammad or Jesus or the Buddha were any better than anyone else. They were just people who devoted their lives to god and to helping others. I think any human being can be as good as Muhammad if they would just devote their lives to the divine.

Muhammad died without announcing to the Muslim community who he chose as his successor. There was a lot of disagreement about who should succeed him and this caused major divisions within the Muslim community. There were various people who succeeded Muhammad but none of them were accepted by everyone. The details of the story vary somewhat between the accounts of the Shi’a, the partisans of ‘Ali, and the Sunni, the traditionalists who accept the outcome that left Mu’awiyah the next leader. ‘Ali agreed to submit the dispute between himself and Mu’awiyah to arbitration. A group, the Kharijites, seceded from ‘Ali. These people thought the community had a right to select any morally pure Muslin as caliph and that any true successor would let god settle the issue through battle. ‘Ali was assassinated in 661 and Mu’awiyah retained power. The Shi’tes hold to the institution of imam, the spiritual leader of the community, and regard ‘Ali as the first imam. Although ‘Ali had the ideal of temporal power as well as spiritual, other imams have had only spiritual power. For the Shi’a ‘Ali and those who succeeded him – not Mu’awiyah and his successors – are true imams.

The phenomenal spread of Islam beyond Arabia is one of the most rapid expansions of a religion in the history of the world. From the dates alone, it would appear this marching of Muslim armies was an idea of the first caliphs that developed after the death of Muhammad. Other sources, however, indicate Muhammad had already contemplated expeditions to the north, such as the first encounter with the Byzantine armies that led to Muslim reverses, salvaged only by the abilities of Khalid Ibn al-Walid.

My thoughts about this are that I disagree that armies should invade areas where other people live just to make those people believe the same way. Everyone should believe the way they want.

The majesty of God comes through clearly in the earliest experiences of the Muslim community. He is not only compassionate to repenting sinners and those in need, but God is also just and requires justice in believers’ conduct toward himself and fellows. Both awe and fascination are characteristic of the worship experience of Muhammad and his close companions.

My thoughts about this are that I agree that God is a compassionate God who forgives everyone. I think that people who hurt themselves and others don’t believe in a forgiving God.

Territories occupied by Muslims tended to become predominantly Muslim. The Jews and the Christians who remained firm in their faith had to make considerable sacrifices. How severe these sacrifices were depended on the time and place and the wishes of the ruler. The pattern was sometimes based on the old Arab concept of a client people; that is Jews or Christians had to place themselves under the protective custody of a strong Muslim who could guarantee them certain privileges of survival and practice in exchange for compensation.

I think these people just didn’t know how to live and let live.

There are stories of chivalry and horror on both sides of the struggle between Christians and Muslims. For example, T.A. Archer, in his account of the crusade of Richard I, the Lion-Hearted, gives both a Christian account and a Muslim account of Christians killing Muslim hostages. A Christian account says that Saladin, the Muslim leader, waited past the deadline for redeeming Turkish hostages.

Islam reached India through three different sources – conquest, immigration, and conversion. Conquest started in 712 with the Arab takeover of Sindh. Arabs and Turks continued their conquest through the centuries. But these invading armies were relatively small, and they customarily built garrison cities outside the cities of the local population.

My thoughts about this are that in the early days of Christianity and Muslim, people were ignorant of many things. They lived in fear and thought that power was the only thing that would keep them safe. That fear took the form of armies fighting what they considered the enemy because the enemy was different from them. They felt threatened by anyone who was different so they thought they had to gain power over those who were different.