Teachings and Practices of Islam Faith
Muslims around the world mark the ninth month as the holiest month of the Islamic calendar as they begin the fast of Ramadan. It was during Ramadan that the prophet Muhammad received the first of what are believed to be his revelations from God, later written down in the Koran. The Islamic holy book calls on the faithful to fast for the entire month to learn self-restraint, and to gain spiritual guidance.
Muslims will be expected to abstain from all food, drink, and conjugal relations from the first light of dawn until sundown. Those who are sick, elderly, pregnant or at war, however, may fast at another time. At the close of each day, families and friends gather to break the fast together with water and dates and a special dinner.
Ramadan is also traditionally a time to extend forgiveness and to reach out with charitable acts. The good gained from fasting can be lost, though, if one engages in such acts as lying or slander. The month will with communal prayers and one of the two cherished Islamic holidays - the feast of Eid al-Fitr.
Fasting is one of the "five pillars" of Islam, the special obligations expected of all Muslims.
The Five Pillars
In Islam, practice is of greater importance than doctrine, and the "five pillars" represent the framework for a responsible and good life.
1. The declaration of faith - the shahada: "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God." One becomes a Muslim by formally making this declaration, which represents the belief that the purpose of life is to serve and obey the one God, and that it is achieved through the teachings and practices of Muhammad.
2. Prayer (salat). Muslims are to perform formal prayers five times a day, involving verses in Arabic from the Koran, thus structuring their lives around God. Congregational prayer is traditionally on Friday. Personal prayers are offered at any time.
3. Almsgiving (zakat). A principle of Islam is that everything belongs to God, and wealth is held by people in trust. Muslims also have a responsibility to care for the less fortunate. The zakat calls for annual giving of 2.5 percent of a Muslim's capital, calculated by the individual.
4. Fasting during Ramadan.
5. Pilgrimage (the hajj). The pilgimage to Mecca
Five articles of faith
Islamic teachings include five foundational beliefs:
1. One unique, infinite, all-powerful and merciful God (Allah) is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. Everything is contingent upon God, including all of nature. Yet there is nothing like Him - an unqualified difference exists between the divine and the human. Man is God's creature, created out of clay, and orthodox Muslims have criticized Islamic mystics for affirming their experiences of oneness with God. The Koran gives 99 names for God, but His essence is unknowable.
2. The angels of God play an active part in human life. Muhammad received the revelations in the Koran through the angel Gabriel.
3. God's revelations have been sent to humankind through prophets and messengers. He has spoken through prophets to all peoples in history, but messengers - such as Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad - have universal significance. Jesus is revered as the greatest of all before Muhammad, but he is not the son of God. Muhammad did not preach a unique faith, but summed up all previous revelations, and is thus the Last Prophet for all humanity.
4. God has spoken His eternal message through holy books, to Jews and Christians as well as Muslims. Jews and Christians have special status in the Koran as "people of the book." The truths in those books included some distortions, however, and the revelation had to be sent one last time in the Koran.
5. With the Day of Resurrection and Judgment, God will hold every individual accountable for his or her actions. Bodies will be resurrected, and individuals will receive their "book of deeds." If put into the right hand, the reward will be the gardens of paradise; if put into the left, the eternal fires of punishment.
Other Islamic teachings
According to the Koran, man was created to be God's viceregent on earth and has been given free will and great potential. His mission is to create a moral and egalitarian social order.
Human experience is a test in which each individual is constantly called upon to choose between right and wrong.
There is no original sin, but Satan attempts to seduce human beings from the straight path. Yet God is with every individual who makes the necessary effort (jihad), and salvation lies in keeping to the right path.
The family is foundational to Islamic society and is seen as essential for its members' spiritual growth. Marriage is a legal agreement, not a sacrament, and either partner may include conditions.
Muslims are taught to value many kinds of knowledge, and to travel "even to China
As Islam is a way of life, the Koran provides guidance on what constitutes a just society and places particlar emphasis on equitable economic relationships.
When Muhammad and his followers fled persecution in Mecca for Medina
Islamic law (sharia)
Within a century of the prophet's death in 632, Islam had spread through conquest and conversion into Asia and Africa, and as far west as Spain
Since the end of the Ottoman Empire after World War I and colonization by the West, various movements have developed for a return to Islamic law as the basis for society in the Muslim world. There are strict schools of interpretation and others seeking to reinterpret Islamic law to meet the needs of the 21st century.
Islamic community (umma)
A prime aim of the Koran is the establishment of a just, ethically based social order on earth, and Muslims are to strive to bring this about. A high value is thus placed on the community of the faithful and on propagating the faith (da'wa). Some political and religious groups active in many countries are working to bring nonobservant Muslims back to active practice and to make conversions. Other Muslims see da'wa as their responsibility simply to lead moral and exemplary lives.
Religious pluralism
On the various religious communities, the Koran says, "If God had so willed, He would have made all of you one community, but [He has not done so] that He may test you in what He has given you; so compete in goodness. To God shall you all return and He will tell you [the Truth] about what you have been disputing."
Pluralism is a challenging issue within Islam today. In some historical periods, people of other faiths lived harmoniously under Islamic rule, but today the status of religious minorities is threatened in some countries. Some Muslims preach a strict division between "believers," and "nonbelievers" while others are actively involved in interfaith relations.
Comparison of Christianity and Islam Faith
Christianity and Islam are the two largest religions in the world and they have many points of contact. Both inherited from Judaism a belief in one God who created the world and cares about the behavior and beliefs of human beings.
The Prophet Muhammad knew Christians in his lifetime and respected them along with Jews as "People of the Book." Because of their monotheism and roots in the revealed Jewish Bible, the Prophet and his successors extended conquered Christians (and Jews) more freedoms than conquered pagans.
In the approximately 1,300 years of history since the life of the Prophet, the relationship between Christianity and Islam has rarely been harmonious. As it spread, the Muslim Empire quickly conquered much of the Judeo-Christian Holy Land and the Christian Byzantine Empire. The Christian Crusades of the 11th through 13th centuries, waged in large part against Muslims, served only to widen the divide between the two faiths. Constantinople , the "New Rome" and the center of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, fell to the Turks in 1453 and has lived under Islamic rule ever since.
In recent centuries, mutual distrust between Christians and Muslims has continued to grow. On the other hand, some have pointed out that the conflict has more to do with political tensions and divergent cultural worldviews than with religion, and efforts have been made by both Christians and Muslims to find common ground and engage in respectful dialogue.
To illustrate the similarities and differences between the two largest religions of the world, the following chart compares the origins, beliefs and practices of Christianity and Islam. Please note that numbers are estimates and beliefs and practices are oversimplified for brevity's sake.
History & Stats
Christianity Islam
date founded c. 30 AD 622 CE
place founded Palestine Arabian Peninsula
founders & early leaders Jesus, Peter, Paul Muhammad
original languages Aramaic and Greek Arabic
major location today Europe, North and South America Middle East,
current size rank largest in the world second largest in the world
major branches Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant Sunni, Shiite
Religious Authority
Christianity Islam
sacred text Bible = Old Testament (Jewish Bible) Qur'an (Koran)
+ New Testament
religious law canon law (Catholics) Sharia
Beliefs & Doctrine
Christianity Islam
ultimate reality one creator God one creator God
nature of God Trinity - one substance, three persons unity - one substance, one person
other spiritual beings angels and demons angels, demons, jinn
revered humans saints, church fathers imams (especially in Shia Islam)
identity of Jesus Son of God, God incarnate, true prophet of God
savior of the world whose message has been
corrupted
birth of Jesus virgin birth virgin birth
death of Jesus death by crucifixion did not die, but ascended bodily into
heaven (a disciple died in his place)
resurrection of Jesus affirmed denied, since he did not die
second coming of Jesus affirmed affirmed
mode of divine revelation through Prophets and Jesus through Muhammad
(as God Himself), recorded in Bible recorded in Qur'an
human nature "original sin" inherited from Adam – equal ability to do good or evil
equal ability to do good or evil tendency towards evil
means of salvation correct belief, faith, good deeds, correct belief, good deeds,
sacraments (some Protestants Five Pillars
emphasize faith alone)
God's role in salvation predestination, various forms of grace predestination
good afterlife eternal heaven eternal paradise
bad afterlife eternal hell, eternal hell
temporary purgatory (Catholicism)
view of the other religion Islam is respected as a fellow Christians are respected
monotheistic religion, but Muhammad as "People of the Book,"
is not seen as a true prophet but they have mistaken beliefs
and only partial revelation
Rituals & Practices
Christianity Islam
house of worship church, chapel, cathedral, mosque
basilica, meeting hall
day of worship Sunday Friday
religious leaders priest, bishop, archbishop, patriarch, imams
pope, pastor, minister, preacher, deacon
major sacred rituals baptism, communion (Eucharist) Five Pillars: prayer, pilgrimage,
charity, fasting, confession of faith
central religious holy days Lent, Holy Week, Easter Eid-al-Fitr, Eid-al-Adha,
month of Ramadan
other holidays Christmas, saints days Mawlid, Ashura
major symbols cross, crucifix, dove, anchor, fish, crescent, name of Allah in Arabic
alpha and omega, chi rho, halo
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