Muhammad and the Founding of Islam
The prophet Muhammad was born in c. 570 AD. During Ramadan in the year 610 CE, Muhammad went to a cave on Mount Hira, by Mecca, as he usaully did during Ramadan. One night at the cave, Muhammad was awoken by a vision of the angel Gabriel, who caused him to recite the words of the Qu'ran. Though this vision, Muhammad became the last of God's prophets according to Islam, even following Jesus and Moses.
http://sangha.net/partners.htm
Muhammad became Allah's prophet, and began to preach the new message to his relatives. Muhammad and his followers moved and preached to others throught Saudi Arabia and the Middle East, and Muhammad's movement grew in strength. The following became known as Islam, which means "surrender". The central aim of Muhammad was for all Muslims to fully submit to Allah, and Islam was the medium they used for this "surrender". Muslims were originally persecuted, but their precense spread and became the prmiary religion in the Middle East. Muslims all over the world consider Mecca to be their holiest city to this very day.
The Teachings of Islam
The key teachings and morality of Islam come from the sacred Qu'ran The goal of a devout Muslim is to submit to Allah. Muslims believe in one God, Allah, no original sin, and that there is no forgiveness for sins, only Allah's mercy. Therefore, the good are rewarded and the bad are punished after death. Islam teaches that moral dilemmas are the biggest struggles that a Muslim will face, and the use of the Qu'ran and Five Pillars help Muslims to live moral and evout lives. The Five Pillars serve as a code the Muslims live their lives by. The Five Pillars are the "Shahada", admitting that Allah is God and Muhammad is his prophet, the "Salat", which is a vow to pray five times a day facing Mecca, the "Sawm", which is a vow to fast during Ramadan, the" Zakat", which is a promise to give 2.5% of yearly income to charity, and the "Hajj", the promise to make a pilgrimmage to Mecca in one's lifetime. The purpose of the Five Pillars is to help Muslims fulfill the teachings of the Qu'ran. These five pillars teach Muslims to be devout followers of Islam, make sacrifices, and help the poor. Thus, a fundamental moral value of Islam is sacrifice and helping the needy. The full Qu'ran can be viewed in several translations here.
Islam has a distinct view on human sexuality. Sex is confined to marraige only, and parents of a child are expected to care greatly for the child. Sex outside of marraige, whether adultery or pre-marital, is strictly prohibitted by Allah. Therefore, temptations caused by either place or dress is to be avoided. Contraception is allowed in marraige however. It is believed that if Allah wills a child to be born, then the child will be born. Therefore, married couples are encouraged to have children, but may use contraception. Abortion is not specifically banned in Islam. In some contexts abortion is allowed. For example, if a child-birth will endanger a woman's life, or is the result of rape or incest, abortion may be permitted. Homosexuality is understood to be a part of human uniqueness, but is prohibited because it can not be practiced within the conifnes of marraige. However, it is Allah's duty to judge in the end. Although specific methods differ, Muslims generally believe that children should be educated in sex prior to marraige so that they understand the concept of sex and the rules pertaining to sex. Femile gentital mutilation is prohibited, for it prevents the importance or sexual satisfaction of a Muslim married couple.
Alcohol is strictly prohibitted in Islam. Muslims are not to buy, sell, or consume alcohol. Alcohol alters ones thinking and mind-set, thus interferring with the strong self-discipline of Islam. Furthermore, alcohol is seen as the root of corruption in society, and the cause of violence, suicide, and family problems, and alcohol consumption is a major sin.
Materialism is not compatiable with the Islamic religion. In fact, all wealth and material goods are supposed to be seen by Muslims as the property of Allah. Muslims are to submit and worship Allah, and material goods are an obstacle and take man away from Allah. Muslims are to spend money wisely, and not extravagantly on luxuries or "waste" money. Rather, Muslims are greatly encouraged to give to charity and the poor.
The Islamic view on lying is actually quite mulit-sided. Muslims believe in appropriate lies and innappropraite lies, but lying in itself is not seen as soley immoral. Muslims are not allowed to lie against Allah or Muhammed, either by telling lies about them or failing to follow teachings that they promised to follow. Furthermore, lying to or about (slander) other Muslims is typically discouraged. However, certain sitautions allow lying in Islam. Lies can be told to save a life, cause peace, "persuade" a woman, or to hide one's intentions for a journey or trip.
Although Islam promotes peace, there are instances when war is justified, specifically with jihads. War can be used as a defense of self, religion, or forced eviction. However, war crimes, innocent casulaties, and pillaging are forbidden. The Jihad is a greatly misunderstood term in Islam. Many thing Jihad is a term used to justify Islamic terrorism or war. However, a true Jihad is both internal and external. A Jihad is a battle for submission of self to Allah, battling internal evils and temptaions. A Jihad is also a war or battle fought to advance, spread or defend Islam. However, terrorism is not a true Jihad, for it violates the Islamic view on war and killing innocnet civilians.
Key Ethical Terms of Islam
Qu'ran - The Holy Book of Islam, containing the words of Allah as spoken through Muhammad. THe Qu'ran contains the guidelines Muslims require to live their lives.
Jihad - The controversial term Jihad, or "holy war", is a war or battle fought on behalf of Islam. Many radical terrorists claim that their terrorism is a Jihad. However, as Jihad is an internal struggle and an external struggle for the advancement of Islam and Allah, and the elimination of evils.
Fiqh - Although a difficult term to define, Fiqh refers to Islamic law, most likely dealing with the moral and religious rules and restrictions that Muslims are to live by.
God-Consciousness - God-consciousness is acknowledging, feeling and realizing Allah's precense at all times. This term is the core of the term "taqwa", whihc is roughly translated as "god-fearing"
Sources Back to my Faith Page
Islam: A Short History by Karen Armstrong
Muhammad and the Islamic Tradition by Emile Dermenghem
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad
http://www.islam101.com
http://lexicorient.com
http://www.quran.org.uk/ http://www.arches.uga.edu/~godlas/sexuality.html
http://www.inter-islam.org/Prohibitions/khmrmk.htm#No%20-%20Drinking!
http://answering-islam.org.uk/Index/L/lying.html
http://www.iad.org/Islam/war.html
http://www.danielpipes.org/article/990
http://www.islamonline.net/english/introducingislam/Worship/Heart/article13.shtml
You can also view other Islam websites from the class:
John Burton
Dave Auffenberg
Jim Barbieri