What is Islam ?

 

Islam

is a Abrahamic monotheistic religious system based on the teachings and practices of the holy prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and his followers, often referred to as the Sunnis or Shia. It arose in the Arabian Peninsula around the 7th century CE as part of the larger Saudi-Arabian Empire under Prophet Muhammad's rule and has its roots in Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and classical Islamic literature.[1] The name Islam derives from "al-Imama" which means messenger from God (or Allah) for Muslims.[2] The term was first used by an anonymous scholar circa 1652 who wrote that Islam is one of the 'world religions' and thus the only true faith.[3] In modern times, it remains largely unchanged with some minor alterations and changes which were mostly brought about as a result of modernisation and foreign expansion. There are more than 1.5 billion members of this worldwide religious movement globally.[4]

Influence on Western culture [ edit ]

The idea and concepts of Sufism in its original form were developed primarily by Muslims in the Ottoman Empire.[5] From these ideas expanded by Muslim scholars such as Mohammad al-Din Rushdawi, Saif al-Din Zakariya, Ibn Battuta,[6] Ali ibn Abi Talib, Sayed Qutab[7] Ibn Tirmizi,[8] and Abu’l Rahman from the Umayyad era,[9] but also by other scholars like Ibn Al-Hajj Al-Maghreb,[10][11] Khwazran Ghamdi,[12] Ibn Sahlib,[13] Fathullah Bhatti,[14] and Ahmad Rafi Uddin, among others.[15][16] These scholars explored the connection between religion and philosophy,[17] poetry and philosophy.[18][19]

With the advent of the west and new technologies in the second half of the 20th century, many western thinkers began exploring spirituality and how we can connect with our higher consciousness.[20][21][22][23] This led to most of what we now call “spirituality studies” and “spiritual psychology” being coined by sociologist and philosopher Max Horkheimer. An increasing number of scientists and philosophers have been attracted to the study of spirituality and the meaning of life, as they believe we get answers to those questions through spiritual practice.[24][25] One prominent example of the emergence of this type of research is Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory which posits that humans are motivated by their physical needs, safety and security and self-actualization needs, love and belongingness, esteem and social status, as well as spirituality and transcendence. A growing body of evidence suggests that people achieve these aims through prayer as a way of connecting with themselves, a belief that transcends any particular religion or tradition.[26][27]

A 2018 report found that approximately 5% of Americans identify as Muslim,[28] and there is consensus that Islam is an important factor in American society.[29] Some argue that this trend may be driven by people becoming less hostile toward outsiders[30] and being more accepting in general.[31]

In 2011, Pew Research Center estimated that about 3.5 million Americans identified as Muslims in 2014.[32] Since then, however, reports suggest that the population of Muslims in America has steadily increased over the last twenty years.[33][34][35][36][37] According to Pew World Report in 2013, an average of 30 million Muslims live in the United States, including 2.9million living in California, Florida, New York and Texas.[38][39] In 2015, according to CIA data, 9.7 percent of US adults identified as non-Muslims.[40][41][42]

The political impact of Islam [ edit ]

The United States Senate, House of Representatives, and Supreme Court of America have all called Islam an "impediment" to democracy.[43][44] Religious fundamentalists have called Islam the world's biggest threat to global peace.[45] Other conservative groups like Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) and National Republican Women's Club (NRWC) have made statements against women wearing hijab (Islamic headscarves), while promoting cultural appropriation of Arabic music, writing it off as not representing true Islam.[46] Anti-Muslim hate groups use cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad as a tool to spread anti-Muslim rhetoric.[47][48] On May 25, 2020, several Muslim activists were arrested at pro-Trump rallies across the country. They were charged with crimes ranging from assaulting two police officers to obstructing an official proceeding, assault and conspiracy. They were accused of defacing buildings. The following day, four men who had attended multiple violent clashes among Trump supporters stormed into the Michigan Statehouse building, where they attacked law enforcement, vandalized the property, damaged state records and entered Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives Lee Chatfield's office. At least three of them later became known as suicide bombers, and two killed himself at the scene.[49] This was carried out by Islamic terrorist group ISIS.[50]

History of Islam [ edit ]

The concept of Jihad[51][52] is considered to be founded upon Islam’s founding principles.[53] Islam's founder, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), preached tolerance and forbade violence[54] and he stated that man should not harm another animal without reason, such as dogs, cats, monkeys, birds and horses as defined by Quran. He added: “those who believe in God will be sure of His reward.[55] After Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) death at age 40, no one has claimed control over Islam religion and it has continued to expand through different branches of Islam, including Sunni, Shi’a, Salahiya, and Hanafi [56].[57] Many historians consider that the growth of Islam can be traced from the rise of Sufi schools within the Muslim community (Shi’a). The earliest surviving manuscripts written from c. 780 to 1258, called Qur’an, were used as reference material for early Arabic text, but only translated into Latin in the early 13th century. Later translations into European languages, such as Dante's Inferno and Virgil's De Monarchia, were completed during the Renaissance. Among Islam's early figures are Jalaluddin, a Persian scholar who served as governor of Kufa between 1206 and 1210, Imam Husayn, a Jewish theologian in Persia, Abu Bakr al-Kaur, a third-century Arab caliph who served as a judge of a small city during the Abbasid Caliphate, and Ibn Zabti who was an Arab physician.[58] During the 14th century, Muslim scholars migrated to Spain to study Arabic and learn to read the Quran.[59][60] Through the centuries, Islam's influence reached Europe in the works of Arabs, Greeks, Ottomans, Venetians, Florentines, etc. The Crusades provided opportunities for spreading Islam throughout Eastern Europe. By the 15th century, the crusader's influence on Europe was so strong that the Portuguese King Manuel II forced Jews to convert to Catholicism and took the initiative from Pope Alexander VI in declaring the Council of Trent in 1543. The Catholic Church was very opposed to the ideas of Protestant reformers in Germany and England. Following the creation of the Estado Nacional de la Muerte (New Spanish Inquisition), the pope was allowed to create a tribunal to investigate heretical activity by all Christians against Judaism, particularly Catholics, to remove dangerous leaders from power.[61][62]

In the late 17th century, France experienced a major wave of immigration from North Africa that resulted in intermarriage of French and West African peoples. Religion played a large role in shaping the lives of these newly arrived Africans, and their descendants, forming the largest and unique Christian population in Europe at the time. Over 400 million people converted to Islam across Europe in the 1800 or 1800s.

Beginning in 1839, the British Government established the Society of Friends, a network of churches and charities aimed at eradicating poverty and providing support for orphans. Under the leadership of the Reverend Robert Owen Meigs, the organisation grew rapidly to include thousands in London[63] and numerous charity works outside of Great Britain to help impoverished individuals and families in Africa and Asia.[64] The Charity Committee of Britain was formed under Robert Owen in 1840 to provide financial relief in aid of orphans in London. When Mr. Meigs died in January 1853, the committee continued.[65] However, in June 1850 William Gladstone replaced him and the organization folded due to lack of funds.

In 1875, Sir Frederick Lugard launched the First White Australia Policy[66], which advocated the settlement of Aboriginal Australians in isolation from white settlers[67][68] and sought to reduce black populations, but there were widespread efforts to assimilate indigenous peoples into Australian culture, including Buddhism and Hinduism.[69][70] The policy was challenged by both Europeans and Aboriginal Australians in 1880, and much support remained divided despite public debate.[71]

After the Second Booms resulted in industrialization, workers organized unions to demand better wages for their hard work and for fair hours.[72] Labor parties won seats in parliament in 1891 and 1903 after establishing successful programs such as compulsory education, child labour laws, pensions, unemployment insurance, housing and childcare.[72] Social justice movements were organized in 1915 to protect Indigenous culture and traditions from exploitation.[73]

Cultural diversity [ edit ]

Islam was introduced to India by invaders in the 11th century.[74] Between 1393 and 1500, Muslim traders came to Indian shores bringing with them new forms of architecture including mosques and khanwaras, and introducing Indian traditions such as jhundi (a sweet dish similar to curries) and hal