Islam, Submission and Serving Allah

"Righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the Angels and the Scriptures and the Prophets. -- Qur'an 2:177

Islam: An Introduction
Islam is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion articulated by the Qur'an, a book considered by its adherents to be the verbatim word of Allah (God), and by the teachings and normative example (called the Sunnah) of Muhammad, considered by Muslims to be the last prophet of God. An adherent of Islam is called a Muslim. The Arabic word islam means "submission," reflecting the religion's central tenet of submitting to the will of God. Believers demonstrate submission to God by serving God, following his commands, and rejecting polytheism. Islamic practices are defined by the Five Pillars of Islam: Shahadah (faith), Salat (prayer), Sawm (fasting), Zakat (alms), and Hajj (pilgrimage). With about 1.57 billion followers (23% of global population), Islam is the second-largest religion only to Christianity and one of the fastest-growing religions in the world.

Islam: An Introduction
Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of existence is to submit to and serve God. Muslims also believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed at many times and places before, including through Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus, whom they consider prophets. They maintain that the previous messages and revelations have been partially misinterpreted or altered over time, but consider the Arabic Qur'an to be both the unaltered and the final revelation of God. Religious concepts and practices include the Five Pillars of Islam, which are basic concepts and obligatory acts of worship, and following Islamic law, which touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, providing guidance on multifarious topics from banking and welfare, to warfare and the environment.

Six Articles of Faith

Based on the sacred narratives of the Qur'an and other texts (which we will discuss), Muslim doctrine is often summarized in "Six Articles of Faith" that unite most Muslims. To be a Muslim one must believe in: ! the reality of one God (Allah); ! the existence of the angels of God; ! the authority of the books of God (revelation), especially the Qur'an; ! The prophets of God, especially Muhammad; ! The Day of Judgment (or the afterlife); and ! The supremacy of God's will (or predestination). !! Allah has the knowledge of all that will happen; !! Muslims believe that this doesn't stop human beings making free choices.

Six Articles of Faith: Allah

Islam's most fundamental concept is a rigorous monotheism, called tawhid. God is described in chapter 112 of the Qur'an as: "Say: He is God, the One and Only; God, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him."(112:1-4) Muslims and Jews repudiate the Christian doctrine of the Trinity and divinity of Jesus, comparing it to polytheism. In Islam, God is beyond all comprehension and Muslims are not expected to visualize God. God is described and referred to by certain names or attributes, the most common being Al-Rahman, meaning "The Compassionate" and Al-Rahim, meaning "The Merciful.

Six Articles of Faith: Allah

Generally, Allah is the term with no plural or gender used by Muslims and Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews to reference God. Other nonArab Muslims might use different names as much as Allah, for instance "Tanri" in Turkish, "Khoda" in Persian or Xuda in Urdu. According to Islamic belief, Allah is not only the proper name of God, Allah is the supreme and all-comprehensive divine name, and all other divine names are believed to refer back to Allah. The heart of faith for all Muslims is obedience and humble submission to Allahs will; following divine ordinances and commandments describes the pivot of the Muslim faith.

Six Articles of Faith: Allah

Islam emphasizes that God is strictly singular (tawhid!), unique (wahid!) and inherently One (ahad!): ! Allah is eternal, omniscient, and omnipotent; ! Allah has always existed and will always exist; ! Allah knows everything that can be known; ! Allah can do anything that can be done; ! Allah has no shape or form; ! Allah can't be seen; ! Allah can't be heard; ! Allah is neither male nor female; ! Allah is just; ! Allah rewards and punishes fairly; ! But Allah is also merciful.

Six Articles of Faith: Allah

Allah = The one and only God !! All Muslims believe that God is one alone; !! There is only one God; !! God has no children, no parents, and no partners; !! God was not created by a being; !! There are no equal, superior, or lesser Gods; As we will discuss next week, this stressing of the God as absolutely One is often highlighted as a central dividing mark between Islam and Christianity.

Six Articles of Faith: Allah

For Muslims, the Quran is the most important source of knowledge about God. In a popular verse called the "Throne Verse" (surah 2.255), the Quran describes God in this way:

God, there is no god but He, the living, the self-subsistent. Slumber takes Him not, nor sleep. His is what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. Who is it that intercedes with Him save by His permission? He knows what is before them and what behind them, and they comprehend not aught of His knowledge but of what He pleases. His throne extends over the heavens and the earth, and it tires Him not to guard them both, for He is high and grand.

Six Articles of Faith: Allah

Muslims believe that the creation of everything in the universe was brought into being by Gods sheer command, Be and so it is, and that the purpose of existence is to worship and serve God. Allah is viewed as a personal God who responds whenever a person in need or distress calls him. There are no intermediaries, such as clergy, to contact God who states, "I am nearer to him than (his) jugular vein." The reciprocal nature is mentioned in the Hadith Qudsi (Sacred Hadith, a sub-category of hadith which are sayings of Muhammad): "I am as My servant thinks (expects) I am."

Six Articles of Faith: Angels

Belief in angels is fundamental to the faith of Islam. The Arabic word for angel (malak) means "messenger", like its counterparts in Hebrew (malakh) and Greek (angelos). In Islam, it is believed that angels have been created out of light, before the creation of humans from clay/earth. They are described as "messengers with wingstwo, or three, or four (pairs): He [God] adds to Creation as He pleases..." [Quran 35:1] Angels are genderless and do not require sleep, food, or drink.

Six Articles of Faith: Angels

Angels do not possess free will " they are naturally obedient creatures, worshipping Allah and carrying out His commands in total obedience. The Quran says, "They do not disobey Allah's commands that they receive; they do precisely what they are commanded" (Quran 66:6).

Six Articles of Faith: Angels

In Arabic, angels are called mala'ika, which means "to assist and help." The Quran describes that angels have been created to worship Allah and carry out His commands: "Everything in the heavens and every creature on the earth prostrates to Allah, as do the angels. They are not puffed up with pride. They fear their Lord above them and do everything they are ordered to do" (16:49-50). Angels are involved in carrying out duties in both the unseen and physical worlds. Angels' duties include communicating revelations from God, glorifying God, recording every person's actions, and taking a person's soul at the time of death.

Six Articles of Faith: Angels

In Islam, there is no concept of "fallen" angels, as it is in the nature of angels to be faithful servants of Allah. They have no free choice to disobey. Unseen beings who do have free choice, and who are often confused with "fallen" angels, are called jinn (demons). The most famous of the jinn is Iblis, who is also known as Shaytan (Satan). Muslims believe that Satan is a disobedient jinn who refused to bow to Adam, not a "fallen" angel.

Six Articles of Faith: Revelation

Muslims believe that God (Allah) has sent guidance through His prophets and messengers. Among them, several have also brought books of revelation. Muslims therefore believe in the Gospel of Jesus, the Psalms of David, the Torah of Moses, and the Scrolls of Abraham. However, the Quran which was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad is the only book of revelation which remains in its complete and unaltered form. The Islamic holy books are thus records which most Muslims believe were dictated by God to various prophets. Muslims believe that parts of the previously revealed scriptures, the Tawrat (Torah) and the Injil (Gospels), had become distorted either in interpretation, in text, or both.

Six Articles of Faith: Revelation

The Qur'an (literally, Reading or Recitation) is viewed by Muslims as the final revelation and literal word of God and is widely regarded as the finest piece of literature work in the Arabic language. Muslims believe that the verses of the Qur'an were revealed to Muhammad by God through the archangel Gabriel (Jibril) on many occasions between 610 CE until his death on June 8, 632 CE. While Muhammads revelations were written down by his companions (sahabah), the prime method of transmission was orally through memorization. In fact, Muslims usually view "the Qur'an" as the original scripture as revealed in Arabic and that any translations are necessarily deficient, which are regarded only as commentaries on the Qur'an.

Six Articles of Faith: Revelation

The Qur'an's name is derived from the Gabriel's initial command to Muhammad to "Recite!" Recitation is a fundamental concept associated with the Qur'an. The first followers of the Prophet memorized his recitation in order to recite it to others, following an established Arabic method for preserving poetry. The revelation was put in writing shortly after Muhammad's death to preserve the content from corruption, but it is still regarded as most authentic when recited aloud. Professional reciters of the Qur'an (qurra') are held in very high esteem, and have often been influential in deciding matters of doctrine or policy.

Six Articles of Faith: Revelation

The Qur'an is divided into 114 suras (or surah), or chapters, which combined, count 6,236 ayat, or verses, contains interspersed themes describing God's nature, guidance for daily living, stories from history and their moral messages, inspiration for believers, and warnings for disbelievers. The chronologically earlier suras, revealed at Mecca, are primarily concerned with ethical and spiritual topics. The later Medinan suras mostly discuss social and moral issues relevant to the Muslim community.

Six Articles of Faith: Revelation

Each sura has a heading, which usually incorporates the following elements: !! A title (e.g. "The Bee," "The Cow") taken from a prominent word in the Sura, but one that does not usually represent its overall contents; !! The basmalah, a formula prayer (e.g. "In the name of God the Merciful, the Compassionate"); !! An indication as to whether it was received at Mecca or Medina; !! The number of verses in the Sura; !! In 29 of the Suras, fawatih, or "detached letters" of unclear significance. They may be abbreviations, initials of owners of early manuscripts, or have some esoteric meaning. The verses (ayat, "signs") also vary in length, with the shortest usually found in the earlier suras. In these verses, the form closely resembles the rhymed prose of the seers (kahins) of Muhammad's time. The later verses are more detailed and less poetic.

Six Articles of Faith: Revelation

Most of the Qur'an is written in the first person plural, with God as the speaker. When Muhammad himself speaks, his words are introduced by "Say," to clarify he is being commanded by Allah to speak. The science of Qur'anic commentary and exegesis is known as tafsir. Rules governing proper pronunciation is called tajwid. The Qur'an is more concerned with moral guidance than legal instruction, and is considered the sourcebook of Islamic principles and values. Muslim jurists consult the hadith, or the written record of Prophet Muhammad's life, to both supplement the Qur'an and assist with its interpretation.

Six Articles of Faith: Revelation

Islamic holy books are the texts which Muslims believe were authored by God to various prophets throughout humanity's history. All these books, in Muslim belief, promulgated the code and laws that God ordained for those people. As we just discussed, Muslims believe the Quran to be the final revelation of God's word to man, and a completion and confirmation of previous scriptures. Yet despite the primacy that Muslims place upon the Qur'an as God's final word, Islam speaks of respecting all the previous scriptures; belief in all the revealed books is an article of faith in Islam. The four revealed books mentioned by name in the Qur'an are the Torah (revealed to Moses), the Zabur (revealed to David), the Injil (Gospel, revealed to Jesus), and the Qur'an itself. There is also brief mention of The Suhuf-i-Ibrahim (Scrolls of Abraham/ Ibrahim), which have been lost due to the passage of time.

Six Articles of Faith: Revelation

The Quran mentions at least three main Islamic scriptures which came before the Quran by name: !! Tawrat (at-Tawrat): The Tawrat (Torah) was given to the Prophet Musa (Moses). Like all revelation, it included teachings about monotheism, righteous living, and religious law. The Quran says: It is He Who sent down to you, in truth, the Book, confirming what went before it. And He sent down the Law [of Moses] and the Gospel [of Jesus] before this, as a guide to mankind. And He sent down the criterion [of judgment between right and wrong] (3:3)

Six Articles of Faith: Revelation

The Quran mentions at least three main Islamic scriptures which came before the Quran by name. !! Zabur (az-Zabur): The Quran mentions the Zabur, often interpreted as being the Book of Psalms, as being the holy scripture revealed to the Prophet Dawud (King David): "... and We preferred some of the prophets above others, and to David We gave the Psalms" (17:55). Not much is known about this revelation, but Muslim tradition confirms that the Psalms were recited much like poetry or hymns. The Arabic word "zabur" comes from a root word meaning song or music. Muslims believe that all of Allah's prophets brought essentially the same message, so it is understood that the Psalms also contain praises of God, teachings about monotheism, and guidance for righteous living.

Six Articles of Faith: Revelation

The Quran mentions at least three main Islamic scriptures which came before the Quran by name. !! Injil (al-Injil): According to the Qur'an, The Injil or Injeel (meaning Gospel) was the holy book revealed to Jesus, whom Muslims believe to be an honored prophet of God. Muslims believe that Jesus preached to his people about monotheism (the Oneness of God) and how to live a righteous life. Muslims believe that Jesus pure message has been lost, mixed with others interpretations of his life and teachings. Muslims believe that only the actual words of Jesus were divinely inspired," yet they have not been preserved in writing. Although many lay Muslims believe the Injil refers to the entire New Testament, scholars point out that it refers not to the New Testament but to an original Gospel, given to Jesus (Isa) as the word of God " the Gospel was the message that Jesus, being divinely inspired, preached to the Children of Israel. The current canonical Gospels, in the belief of Muslim scholars, are not divinely revealed but rather are documents of the life of Jesus, as written by various contemporaries, disciples and companions. These Gospels contain portions of the teachings of Jesus, but neither represent nor contain the original Gospel (a single book written not by a human but by God) which has been corrupted and/or lost.