Islam Essay

1. The word Islam is derived form the Arabic root asalama which liter eachy means heartsease, purity and submission. Thus Islam means surrender to the Almighty and Moslem means wiz who is in a state of submission. It is understood that this submission is to the go garrisonh of God, as is determined down in the Quran. This tenet is unequivocally current by all sects of Islam be they Shia, Sunni or Sufis.2. Islam is an unerringly monotheistic religion. It enjoins the creative activity of star God, his oracle Muhammad who is the Last seer (khatam-in-nabiyin) in a presbyopic line of prophets sent throughout time and to either civilization, and the Quran as the Word of God revealed to Muhammad through the angel Jibrael. Muslims believe that God is champion and incomparable and the purpose of life is to worship him and to adhere to his word, as laid down in the Quran, and in Sunnah (the normative practices of the Prophet), as nigh as possible. They believe that Islam is the final, completed and universal version of a conviction (Deen-e-Ibrahimi) revealed too many prophets before more or less notably Abraham, Moses and Jesus, but whose meat has now been distorted.3. The practices of Islam ar found on the ubiquitous Five Pillars. These are, in order of importance, Shahadah or acceptance of One-ness (Taw hid) of God, Salat or five cursory Prayers, Saum or Fasting in the month of Ramadan, Zakat or obligatory Alms-giving, haj or Pilgrimage to the Kaabah (House of God) at least once in a lifetime, for those able to afford it. These five Pillars of Faith are incumbent upon e real Muslim and form the basis for his belief. Some scholars say that the pillars in Shia Islam take away an additional four points in addition to the principal ones. Namely, Nabuwah or Prophet Hood of Muhammad, Jesus, Moses etc., Imamah or Leadership of the Tweleve Imams, Qiyamah or Day of Judgment and Adel or Justice.4. The fundamental goals of Islam are a complete submission t o God and bail bond to the teachings of the Quran and the example of Sunnah. When a child is born he is enact into Islam by reciting the Kalima (the verses outlining Tawhid) into his ear, and thereby giving Shahadah i.e. acknowledgement of the One-ness of God. Muslims must perform the religious rite of prayer five times a day, fast and give alms in the month of Ramadan, and perform the pilgrimage to the Kaabah if he is of sound mind and soundbox and is able to afford it.The principles of the Promotion of Virtue (amr bil-maaroof) and Pr all the sametion of Vice (nahi an-al-munkar) are long-standing and Muslims are expected to inculcate them in their dealings with others. As Islam enjoins peace and harmony with mankind and with nature there is a great tenseness placed on connection. Indeed, the Muslim brethren at enormous are considered one community (Ummah), irrespective of governmental, cultural or physical barriers. A Muslim is encouraged to perform good deeds for the commun ity (masawaat) and to call mickle to worship the One God (Dawah).5. Authority in Islam remains with God. His injunctions, as laid down in the Quran, and the practices and teachings of the Prophet, Sunnah are to be followed in establishing a political structure. Traditionally the concept of political leadership was body forth by the Great Caliphs (Khulfa-e-Rashiduun), who succeeded Muhammad in leadership of the nascent Islamic Empire. This political set-up personified adherence to the Shariah, duty of the rulers to seek consultation or Shura and of censuring unjust rulers. It is widely believed that the Great Four, the four to succeed Muhammad in succession, were the unaccompanied ones in practice true to the cause of Islam and subsequent rulers fell victim to dynastic politics and greed.With the fall of the Ottoman Empire there was an abolition of the Caliphate, no matter how symbolic, and closure of the traditional Islamic political setup. Shia Islam has a theological concept o f the Imamate. This term is often used interchangeably with the Caliphate but has rattling different connotations. The Shia believes that it is a divine institution succeeding the Last prophet and the Imams divinely chosen. The chosen Imams take up the mantle of religious, political, social etc. leader of all the Ummah. Traditionally Shia followers and scholars have shown political remoteness or activism against what was viewed as an increasingly corrupt caliphate.6. The legal paperl in Islam resides with God. His injunctions form the basis for Islamic Law or Shariah. Shariah derives from ii sources divine revelations set forth in the Quran, and the normative practices of the Holy Prophet, Sunnah, as pertained to everyday matters. Fiqh or Jurisprudence extends on matters not directly touched(p) upon in these primary sources. The foundations for Fiqh come from Ijma or consensus of learned scholars and qiyas, analogy from playscript and Sunnah. Shia jurisprudence fill ins this with aql or reason. Shariah law is not widespread, and even in Muslim countries there are often parallel arbiter systems. In countries where it enjoys official status Shariah is upheld by the qadis. Shariah has widespread implications from matters of politics and economics to diet and personal hygiene. Shia scholars employ a different tack. According to them sources of law (usul-e-fiqh) are Quran, Sunnah, the practices of the Twelve Imams and aql (reason).7. Islamic philosophy and divinity have more or less a harmonious perspective. divinity in Islam centers on six main articles of belief Belief in One God (Tawhid), Belief in the Last Prophet (Nabi) and all the Messengers of God (Rasul), belief in Angels (Malaika), books sent by god (kutub), vox populi (qiyamah) and predestination (qadar). Islamic philosophy as produced in an Islamic baseball club is not exclusively concerned with religious matters nor is it wholly Islamic in origin rather it has grounds in Hellenistic and Pr e-Islamic Indian traditions. The princely age of Islamic philosophy is centered on the 8th to twelfth centuries and exemplified Averroes and Avicenna.The first aspect of theology is Kalam which deals with theological questions and the other is Falsafa based on Aristotelianism. Kalam centers on ijtihad or using thought to investigate the doctrines of the Quran, charm Falsafa was mainly concerned with the translation of Greek and Hindu texts and expounding them to the community at large. It is quite possible for a Muslim to hold demote philosophical and theological beliefs believing on the one hand in the Aristotelian principle that the creative activity of the world is not only a possibility but also a necessity, and also valuing the fact that existence of the world in due only to God. The Shia school of thought differs only in what it considers purely theological matters i.e. Roots of religion (Usul e-Din) and Branches of Faith (Furu-e-Din)8. By the end of the 12th century, the I slamic Empire was a vast entity. stint from beyond the shores of the Mediterranean to much of India. Thus Islamic art and computer computer architecture shows wide and varied themes, each influenced by the culture and climate of the peculiar(a) land. The principal Islamic architectural styles are the mosque, tomb, fort and palace and from these an idea of the happen themes may be gleaned. Soon after Muhammad, a perceptible style of architecture emerged comprising interior vaulted spaces, a circular attic and decorative arabesques.The great mosque of Samarrah in Iraq, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and the Hagia Sofia in Turkey are prime examples. The conquest of the Persian Empire in the 7th century introduced large arcades and arches. Moorish architecture is perhaps the well-nigh familiar example in the western world. The Great Mosque (Mezquita) in Cordova, the Alhambra and the fort of Granada introduced wide breezy interiors and decorative foliage and Arabic inscription m otifs. Mughal architecture has reinforced a class of its own.Perhaps the most famous is the Taj Mahal, built in white marble entirely in symmetry with large minarets and cupola domes. The Mughals also introduced gardens as a relevant theme in their architecture, most famously the Shalimar Gardens. While theology does not have a very significant impact on Islamic architecture a recurring theme is the absence of human or animal imagery, widely considered to be forbidden by the Prophet. Instead calligraphic inscriptions of the Quran and geometric patterns replace as decorative influences.