Essay on "Historical Islamic Faith"

Essay 5 pages (1489 words) Sources: 2

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Islamaphobia is one of the most catching illnesses of nowadays and on the rise. However, Islamaphobia is caused by an erogenous impression of Islam where people make the mistake of mixing up Islamists with Moslems. Moslems, according to the way I see it, are the true practitioners of historical Islam that had developed throughout the generations but stayed close to religion. Islamism, on the other hand, is a politicized Islam that attempts to constrain the Islam of the Koran to a contemporary political agenda. Knowing more about historic Islam and the underpinnings of the Islamic faith can help us make a distinction between Islamism and between Islam or between Islamists and Moslems.

The following essay provides us with a brief historical background of the Islamic faith as developed by Mohammed, with its principles from the Quran, the five pillars, duties and prohibitions, whilst also explaining the religious ethnic-divisions between Sunni Muslims and Shiite as well as Muslims vs. Arabs and Muslims in general. In the end, it is the aim of this essay to provide a distinction between the various sects of the Muslim faith and attenuate some of the Islamaphobia that, due to prejudice and ignorance, is sweeping the world at the moment.

Birth of Islam

Islam was created by a devout businessman, Mohammed ibn Abdullah, on 17th Ramadan in 610 CE. One night, he awoke to "find himself overpowered by a devastating presence, which squeezed him tightly until he heard the first words of a new Arabs' scripture pouring from his lips" (Armstrong, 2000, p.4). His wife, Khadja, and her cousin, Waraqa ibn Nawfal encouraged him in his revelations, and in 612 he acquired his f

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irst converts, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abu Bakr, and Uthman ibn Affan. Mohammed's teachings recreated Judaism and Christianity, only placing Ishmael, alleged father of the Arabs as the focus.

The new scripture was called the quran (recitation) (Armstrong, 2000), and the new sect would eventually be called Islam (surrender to God). A Muslim was a man or woman who had made this submission to Allah. The Koran's teachings were based around regular prayer (salat), charity (zakat), and the fast of Ramadan. A Muslim community (ummah) was supposed to be compassionate and egalitarian in its distribution of wealth (zakat). It is commendable that hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca be done at least one in one's lifetime, and the shahada (i.e. creed) made up the last of the 5 pillars of Islam. The majority Sunni and the minority Shiites agree on the essential details of these Pillars, although each calls them by different names. There is believed to be one God and Mohammad is the last of various prophets (who included Abraham, Moses and Jesus); the Quran is the unaltered and final revelation of God; and Islamic law touches on every aspect of human life from business to environment and to all minutia of daily human conduct.

The conquest of Mecca, in 630, resulted in the beginning of an expanded Moslem empire, and Mohammed's famous speech, known as the Farewell sermon, abolished the system of traditional blood feuds and disputes and established the fundamentals of a moral, socially concerned society.

When Mohammed died in 632, he had united the tribes of Arabia into a single Arab Muslim religious society led by the Koran and following his example. He was succeeded by Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, and Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first four caliphs (deputies) who had been among the Prophet's closest companions and who had played a leading role in the formation of Islam. During their reign, expansion of Islam's empire continued unabated, but both Uthma and Ali, two son-in-law's of Mohammed were murdered during this period (Goldschmidt & Davidson, 2007).

The Empire was taken over by the tolerant, successful and powerful Ummayads who expanded Islam as both cultural and scientific center as well as global superpower, and its religion developed via the jurists (faqihs) who turned the narrative phraseology of the Koran into a tangible and practical code of law. In order to codify this law, they collected hadith (reports) about the Prophet and his companions to find out how they had acted in given situations so that their conduct could be modeled upon. Abu Hanifah, legal expert of this period, founded a school (madhhab) of jurisprudence which Muslims still follow today. His teachings were developed by later jurists who founded new madhabs.

The Abbasids period (750-935) that succeeded the Ummayads was characterized by… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Historical Islamic Faith" Assignment:

“

I need most of the information to be referenced from the following book:

A Concise History of the Middle East (Ninth Edition)

Author: Authur Goldschmidt Jr./Lawrence Davidson

I also need the following question answered in detail:

1. Briefly explain the historical background of the Islamic faith as developed by Mohammad, with its principles from the Qur*****an, the five pillars, duties and prohibitions, while also explaining to the best of your knowledge the religious-ethnic divisions between Sunni Muslims and Shi*****a Muslims vs. Arabs and Muslims in general.

Explanation of Essays

You are to write formal (APA style) essays-papers, approximately 1500 words each from a selection of topics covered in class.

The format for the essay should not only be a review and contain a summary of what other critics say about the work. The major purpose of it is to voice your concerns, views and opinions based on correct and logical evidences.

You should be reflective (think deeply and engage in multiple rewrites).

Since the required word count is 1500 words each paper (please keep writing within 100 words in either direction).

Format of essay:

A. Introduction -*****" Your introductory paragraph should set the stage for what is to follow. Use a catchy first line to grab the reader*****s attention. In this paragraph you should present the central theme, the thesis statement, and facts surrounding the main theme. Any important definitions and terms that will have relevance in the body can be defined and explained here if necessary.

B. Short summary - Provide a very brief summary of the work being reviewed. Then preview your argument, briefly stating what you will attempt to prove your argument. Never present any more than the minimum that the reader needs to know to understand your argument.

C. Body-*****" This should be the bulk of your paper. It is where the scope of the essay should be explored and where the facts and data presented in the article are analyzed and checked for their logic and accuracy. It is where you will present details of the reviewed material and where you ask the critical questions we have covered so far in the course. It should clearly demonstrate how your analysis and evaluation influences how you reacted to the reasoning. Most importantly, it should be your argument and not a summary. You need to cite your information and use parenthetical citation or footnotes / endnotes.

*****

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