This short article is intended to provide the reader with an essential understanding of the most salient components of the religion. Although it is futile to try and capture a vibrant 1400-year tradition with 1.4 billion adherents in a couple of pages, we will proceed with the acknowledgement that we are merely grazing the surface of the beliefs and practices of Islam and Muslims.
Islam literally means to voluntarily submit, or surrender oneself to the will of God (Allah). It is through submission that one enters into a state of true peace and harmony. A Muslim is one who freely accepts God’s will and abides by His commandments and prohibitions. Muslims regard Islam as the primordial religion, the religion that was revealed to every prophet, beginning with Adam and ending with Muhammad, the final messenger to humanity.
Like other monotheistic religions, at its cornerstone, Islam has a divinely reveal book, namely the Quran. Muslims believe that the Quran is the literal word of God revealed through the archangel Gabriel to Muhammad over a span of 23 years. Although the Quran has been translated into countless languages, Muslims only consider the original Arabic revelation to be the actual Quran, while the other versions are mere interpretations of the meaning. Moreover, Muslims from all around the world from Indonesia to Morocco, and from different sects refer back to the exact same Quran as their primary religious source and manual for life.
However, the Quran did not descend on a mountain side for humans to later discover. As with the Prophets of the past (Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, David, Joseph, Moses, Jesus), God chose an exemplary human being from amongst his people to be the living manifestation of the revelation in all aspects of life. It has been the custom of God to send Prophets as reminders to their people; as bringers of glad tidings and as warners. Endowed with the ability to expound and convey the message, Muhammad called to the Arabs to abandon their polytheistic traditions and adopt the final revelation which was a continuation of the faith of their forefathers, Ishmael and Abraham. Therefore, Islam is merely a re-expression of the identical prophetic message from previous prophets: genuine monotheism.
At the heart of Islam and frequently repeated in the Quran itself, is the absolute Oneness of God. From and Islamic worldview, God is transcendent, beyond human intellectual capacity to comprehend as He is unlike anything in all of creation. Although “He” is used here as it is the closest English equivalent, God is genderless; He is the Creator of everything in existence and the sole Sustainer of His creation. God is the supreme Legislature, and since He created everything, His laws permeate all realms of life. Naturally, He is Eternal, Omnipotent, All-knowing, Infinitely Merciful and the Source of Guidance.
Humans were placed on earth as vicegerents, to uphold the banner of justice and live righteous lives constantly aware of Divine injunctions. Thus, humans were endowed with free will; the inherent choice to fulfill their created purpose or rebel and disavow their Creator. For those who choose the path of obedience, the Divine promised eternal salvation and bliss in paradise with unimaginable joys. As for the one who denies his Lord and lives a life of sin and heedlessness, a painful chastisement awaits.
Through understanding the origins of humans, we can rationalize the purpose of life. Life can easily be seen as a test, with God as the proctor. He decides which actions are right or wrong, good or bad, just or oppressive; a divine rubric if you will. And within this life-long test, we face numerous tests on a daily basis, constantly struggling to align our outward actions with our internal beliefs, regardless of the scenario. In doing so, one hopes to obey God, to love Him, and to earn His divine pleasure, through which an eternal reward is attained.
To help reaffirm this faith, Muslims perform various rituals prescribed by the sacred law (shariah). Although the shariah was established during the time of the Prophet, the spirit of the law is applicable irrespective of time and place. The foundations of the sacred law are built upon five pillars which are:
To testify that “There is only One God and Muhammad was his last Messenger”
To pray five times a day
To give the annual charity
To fast the lunar month of Ramadhan
To make the Pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca
Of the five pillars, the declaration of faith (shahada) is the apex of all rituals. Its sincere utterance is what brings a person into the fold of Islam and establishes a degree of certainty which is constantly solidified by the remaining pillars. The five daily prayers throughout the day serve multiple purposes, one of which is a servant constantly affirming their humility in front of their Lord. The more one recognizes their own individual incapacity and true dependency on the Sustainer of life, the more one’s’ prayer becomes a transcendent doorway to connecting with the Divine.
Charity and fasting both share a unique attribute. Within the Islamic context, both are means of purification. Charity (zakah) in Arabic literally means to purify, which is attained through redistributing the wealth acquired to those less fortunate. In reality, the one who gives the alms is sharing the material blessing God bestowed upon him or her while protecting themselves from vices such as greed and miserliness. Likewise, fasting entails undergoing physical purification by abstaining from food and drink during the daylight hours. Along with numerous health benefits, fasting brings a sense of self-discipline and an immediate appreciation of the blessing of readily-available food and drink. The pilgrimage to Mecca is the last pillar, which is required once during every Muslim’s life who is financially and physically able.
Spirituality and Islam are intrinsically interwoven, and every outward form of worship is coupled with an inward reality. In prayer for example, even if one performs the ritual correctly, if one’s’ soul is distracted by worldly engagements, this prayer will be devoid of any spiritual connection with God, and one will be left feeling as if the prayer never actually took place. Spirituality must be understood as a life-long struggle to draw closer to God and always remain cognizant of Divine injunctions wherever one may be. Similar to other faiths, spirituality leads to enlightenment, embodying love and compassion, and debasing one’s ego.
As we mentioned above, even an ocean of ink would not suffice for describing the greatness and bounty of God. However, our aim was to provide a clear and concise medium to understand what it means to be a Muslim and practice Islam. In summation, it is through the embodiment of a creed that leads to outward implementation of rituals coupled with spiritual refinement of the self through sincere reflection and implementation of characteristics beloved to God that defines a Muslim.