Islam as a Worldview - www.khouse.org
Note: With recent events highlighting Muslim terrorists (ISIS in Syria, the attacks in Paris and the attack in Australia), a quick review of some of the basics of Islam may be useful.
The Muslim concept of God is summed up in the name "Allah." A constant phrase repeated in Muslim prayers is "Allah Akbar" (God is greater). Muslims believe that their god is far greater than any other gods man may have, including the God of Abraham. Allah is so great that he can be capricious: he can do what he likes, even break his own laws.
In Islam, Allah has decreed all that will occur. He is the creator of all that is in heaven and on earth. His knowledge is perfect; his will is beyond challenge; and his power is irresistible.
All of these attributes-omniscience, sovereignty, and omnipotence-are evident in his creation. Many pious Muslims carry a rosary that has ninety-nine beads, each one representing one of Allah's names. The one-hundredth name is unknown to humans; according to Muslim legend, only the camel knows it.
Allah's might is said to be tempered with justice. He rewards and punishes; yet he is merciful, a guardian of his servants, defender of the orphan, guide of the wrongdoer, liberator from pain, friend of the poor, and a ready-to-forgive master.
Allah resides in the seventh heaven, far removed from his creation.
He is unknowable, but he has chosen to make himself known through the holy books and through his prophets. The books include the Old and New Testaments, and the prophets include the prophets of the Old Testament and Jesus.
Angels and Evil Spirits
Allah is surrounded by angels who worship and adore him. Angels also serve as messengers from Allah to his people and fight for the true Muslim believers. Some of them are known as the good "jinn," as the guardian angels of man, who not only guard humans but also keep records for the Day of Judgment. Other angels guard hell to insure that all who are condemned to go there, stay there.
The fear of evil spirits plays a prominent role in the lives of Muslims. They believe that the entire universe is inhabited by both good and bad jinn. Chief among the evil jinn is the devil or Satan. Once an angel, Allah expelled him from heaven for refusing to bow to Adam at Allah's command. Most Muslims believe in Satan and continually ask Allah for protection from him.
The Holy Books
According to Indian Islamic Scholar Abdullah Yusuf Ali (1872-1953) in his book The Meaning of the Holy Qur'an, Muslims maintain that Allah handed down 104 books, and of these, only four are most important.
1.They believe that the Law was given to Moses;
2.That the Psalms were given to David;
3.That the Gospels were given to Jesus, and
4.That the Qur'an was given to Muhammad.
Again, according to Ali, Muhammad made no claim that his teaching invalidated the Jewish and Christian Scriptures; rather he instructed both Christians and Jews to follow their respective teachings and commanded Muslims to believe in and obey the Law and the Psalms. He taught that the Gospels were sent to confirm and safeguard the Law, which served as guidance and light to those who fear Allah. The Qur'an safeguards both the Law and the Gospels.
The Prophets
Muslims believe that Allah sent 124,000 prophets and apostles, but that the three greatest prophets were Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad.
Muhammad, the Qur'an teaches, is the last and the greatest prophet, for he proclaimed Allah's final revelation. The heart of his message was one of morality, a call to righteousness. That meant abandoning polytheism and paganism and submitting totally to the will of Allah.
His message, however, also involved community. Islam would create a new fellowship based on loyalty to Allah and to one another. The old loyalties to clan, tribe, nation, and state would be set aside for loyalty to Allah. For that reason, even today, Muslims of all clans, tribes, and nations gather in Mecca. Islam refuses to separate church and state, and Islamic judges always respect the consensus of the community.
The Day of Judgment
The inevitability of divine judgment permeates the Qur'an. In Sura 2, it is described as the Day of Gathering, when there will be a group in Paradise and one in the Fire. It teaches that Allah will take a scale and weigh the good and evil deeds of each person. If the good outweighs the bad-paradise; otherwise there is hell. But for Muslims, Allah is great and merciful, and Muhammad intercedes for them. The result is that Allah's decision on judgment is more related to his will than to his justice. The Qur'an offers little assurance on this matter of eternity.
The Pillars of Islam
Submission and obedience constitute the core of Islam. By good deeds, the Muslim expresses his commitment to Allah. The moral and ritual obligations of Muslims are summed up in the five pillars of Islam:
*Pillar 1: The Witness: To make the profession, "There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet," is to become a Muslim. In uttering the first part, one submits to Allah; by uttering the second, one becomes an adherent of Islam. Muslims believe that once you make this witness, it can never be recanted and if one tries, they are subject to death.
*Pillar 2: The Ritual Prayers: Every devout Muslim performs the ritual prayers at least five times a day. There are the prayers of the morning, at midday, midway between midday and sunset, at sunset, and one hour after sunset. Ritual prayers mainly are praises to Allah and are always recited in Arabic.
In most Muslim countries, a spiritual leader, called a "muezzin," mounts the balcony of the minarets that dot Muslim city skylines and calls Muslims to prayer. The prayer is recited in any location a Muslim finds himself, although urban Muslims usually gather in the mosques. All face the direction of Mecca when they pray-to remind them of the birthplace of their faith.
*Pillar 3: The Paying of Alms: Paying alms is giving back to Allah a portion of his bounty in order to avoid suffering in the next life and as a purification of what one retains materially. It is not voluntary, but is an obligation to gain favor with Allah.
*Pillar 4: The Fast of Ramadan: The fast of Ramadan is an obligatory duty for all Muslims (except the sick, pregnant women, travelers under certain conditions, and soldiers in combat). Because Muslims follow the lunar calendar, Ramadan lasts thirty days, and in each successive year it occurs about nine days earlier than the previous year. Each day the fast begins from the moment one awakes, and it lasts until sunset. The night is spent eating and drinking. During the day of the fast, the Qur'an prohibits eating, drinking, smoking, swallowing saliva, and sex. The fast is a debt owed to Allah, and it atones for sin, helps control passions, and merits favor with Allah.
*Pillar 5: The Pilgrimage to Mecca: This obligation to Allah is to be performed at least once during a Muslim's life. The pilgrimage is filled with ritualistic observances such as stopping at the well where Gabriel heard Hannah's plea for water, the place where Satan is believed to have been stoned, and kissing the sacred black stone of the Ka'bah.
A Word about Jihad
The term jihad literally means "struggle" or "exertion." In the religious context it involves a struggle against evil. There are three kinds of jihad: a jihad that involves the heart, where the Muslim fights the evil of his nature, but it can also be a "jihad of the mouth," where the Muslim tries to convert unbelievers. The most controversial form of jihad and the ones Westerners are most familiar with is "jihad of the sword."
Throughout the Qur'an there are calls to physical combat on behalf of Islam. As the doctrine of jihad developed, Muhammad taught that those who sacrificed their lives in the battle for Allah were guaranteed admission to the highest level of heaven. Jihad became a violent military means of spreading the faith, and Allah was glorified through it. Historically, jihad became the heart of Islam's expansion. Today Islamic terrorists, such as ISIS and al-Qaeda are trying to promote this militant, aggressive form of jihad.
The militant fanatic form of jihad was clearly seen on September 11, 2001 and is very much a part of the tenets of Islam. To the followers of ISIS, al Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, the Palestinian terrorists of Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic Jihad, fanatical jihad is becoming the norm.
Many of these terrorists were radicalized in the war against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan during the 1980s. They defeated a superpower there, and now they believe they can do so against the United States, which they regard as corrupt, decadent, and ultimately weak. They also believe that not only can they, but they must defeat Israel; "drive them into the sea" as former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was famously quoted as saying.
Such groups believe they can destroy Israel and the United States. Although small, such groups can wreak devastation, fear, and destruction on their enemies.
Such fanaticism will not be easily defeated.
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