Who is a Muslim?
Before the Quran was written and distributed, anyone who faithfully followed the prophet Muhammad was considered a Muslim, and since its revelation, those who are faithful to the Quran, which is believed to be the verbatim word of God, are considered Muslims; Thus, Mary and Jesus are referred to as Model Muslims because they existed before the Quran was revealed to Muhammad, but Christians today are not considered Muslims because they do not follow the holy book. It is important to note, however, that there are many discrepancies between different branches of Islam regarding this question, and whether each of them is truly following God’s verbatim word. Islam means submission to the will of God.
How did Islam begin?
Non-Muslims say that Islam began when the prophet Muhammad claimed in 610 AD to have been visited by the angel Gabriel, where he was given his first revelation of the Quran in the cave Hiraa.
Now, this encounter is given in two drastically different narratives between the Shia and Sunni Muslims. According to Sunni Muslims, Muhammad was surprised by this encounter, in fact, he feared for his life as the angel used harsh physical contact to try to force him to read, although Muhammad was unable to, and the angel kept pushing him, until Muhammad finally repeated five verses. When he went home, he told his wife, and feared that he had had an encounter with evil in the cave. In fact, he was so afraid, that according to the authentic report of Bukhari, The Prophet would have rather taken his own life than be touched by evil.
According to Shia Muslims, Muhammad was neither surprised nor afraid of the angel Gabriel. The encounter was filled with congratulations that God had selected The Prophet to be the last messenger of mankind. Muhammad knew his mission, and this was merely the sign necessary to begin. He left the cave anxious, and when he told his wife about the encounter, she reassured him that he is capable of carrying out Allah’s (The Muslim name for God) plan because “Allah would not forsake him”
The second encounter, then began the mission of Islam. The first convert was Muhammad’s wife. His mission became to destroy the worship of false gods, to introduce the unity of the creator to the world, and to invite mankind to the True Faith – Islam. Muhammad became known as Allah’s messenger, and the last of many prophets. (For more about this encounter: Birth of Islam, and its controversy from a Christian Perspective)
According to Muslims, Islam existed long-before Muhammad. In fact, every other prophet beforehand merely lost translation of God’s word because they were written by human hands and were not directly given by Allah in Arabic word-for-word from heaven. Below, you can see a brief overview of the prophets mentioned in the Quran and its lineage of Muhammad.
Crash Course Islamic History:
Beliefs – Articles of Faith
- Belief in pre-destination (God predestines some people for salvation, and some for damnation) and that God has absolute sovereignty
- God is indivisible, and One
- Angels are good messengers and helpers of God; There is one evil (sometimes identified with Satan). There is belief in a class of (good and evil) beings between angels and humans (the jinn), who are made of fire, with limited life-spans and free will. Some of them have converted to Islam (Q. 72:1-19)
- Muhammad is the last prophet from a long list of messengers, including Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus
- There is a final judgement, and God judges human beings based upon their moral actions and faithfulness; They believe in the resurrection of the body, and each person will stand before God alone and either go to Paradise or hell (the unjust).
- The Shi’ite Muslims believe in the Imamate, which is a doctrine about the Imams, which are beings divinely chosen and have special knowledge about God’s spirit. They are masters/friends of humankind’s spiritual path. Many sects have been formed with disputes about the Imams.
5 (+*) Pillars of Islam:
- Shahadah: the testimony of “I bear witness that there is no other god but God (Allah)” and “Muhammad is the messenger of God”
- Salat: worship/prayer toward Mecca 5x a day, on Friday, and during eclipses
- Zakat: almsgiving of a portion of one’s earnings & charity
- Sawm: fasting during the Month of Ramadan
- Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca required once in life of adult Muslims as long as capable with a series of rituals
- Jihad*: the struggle to overcome evil and to good with one’s self, one’s understanding of Quran, to those who do not believe, and even in war against non-believers (offensive Jihad & intervention to stop others from evil is optional in Shia Islam, but defensive is commanded)
*Not all branches fully support the Jihad
Hierology – View of the Supreme (God)
- Allah is absolutely just and merciful; He exists beyond time and space, is inseparable (one), has supreme sovereignty, and is beyond anything our mere human minds and words can attempt to describe. There are many names used to describe God and his characteristics. (See Quran verses that contrast that of Jesus being anything more than a prophet and their notion of the Holy Spirit)
Cosmology – View of the Universe
- God created angels out of light, and they do not have free will.
- Iblis, which was a jinni, was cast out of Paradise for refusing to bow to Adam according to God’s command; jinnis are able to prowl about until the final judgement, where they will be cast to hell
- Allah created the world in 6 days
- There are many worlds in the Islamic universe, and all are ordered according to Allah
- There is an invisible (where Paradise/Heaven/Jannah exists with 8 gates for believers) and visible universe
- Hell (Jahannam) is a place of judgement for jinn and humans, containing 7 gates, where sinners will be punished horribly
Anthropology – The Role of Human Beings
- Humans are made of body + spirit
- Humans were tempted by Iblis (often associated with Satan) to eat forbidden fruit, ate the fruit, felt bad, and God then showed them the door to Paradise and made them live on earth
- There is no notion of original sin.
- Sin is referred to as disobedience to God.
- People are born as true Muslims (with awareness of the true nature of God)
- Humans are free, but God has everything pre-destined because He is supreme
- Humans struggle (jihad) to conform to God’s will/laws by overcoming passions of the spirit
Soteriology – Things Necessary for Salvation
- Intention matters, so does Islam (submission), and iman (faith)
- Muslims must worship God “as if they see Him;” they must be aware of His constant presence, fear Him, love Him, strive to be holy, have pure intentions and actions
- Before one can practice any of the pillars below, he must be purified. Muhammad said that prayer is the key to paradise, and in order to pray, once must be purified spiritually (intentions/actions) and physically (food/behavioral practices)
- Haram – “sinful”/ actions that are religiously prohibited (See list of 70 major sins)
Eschatology – End of Times
- Islam believes in the resurrection
- There is a giant list of major/minor signs that signify the end of days
- The last minor sign is the Mahdi, which is believed to rule for so many years before the Final Judgement and rid the world of evil
- The major signs include: the false messiah, the return of Jesus to kill the false messiah, the coming of the Beast, etc.
“Those who believe, and those who are Jewish, and the Christians, and the Sabeans—any who believe in God and the Last Day, and act righteously—will have their reward with their Lord; they have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve”
The Quran: 62
Sacred Texts
Quran
- believed to be the exact words of God, written down by Muhammad from his encounter with Gabriel; it recognizes the TaNaK and Christian bible as important contexts written by earlier prophets, but it believes they are missing some information
- It is divided into chapters and verses (Full Text)
Hadith
- This is the record of sayings/traditions of The Prophet Muhammad
Culture
Marriage
In Islam, marriage is a “mutual contract” between a man and a woman. Marriages must be heterosexual and consensual. The purpose of a Muslim marriage is for each spouse to provide comfort, peace of mind, and acceptance toward one another. It is viewed as a gift from Allah. Young persons searching for marriage are supposed to make du’a, or a personal prayer to Allah to help them find the right person. Young people often seek the guidance of their family and friends in this process, though when they find a potential candidate, they are not recommended to be alone with them, for it is considered a great temptation in the Quran. After getting to know one another and each other’s families, a couple must agree whether or not to pursue marriage. Marriage is a choice that must be agreed upon by partners. In order to be married under Islamic law, two Muslims must sign a Nikah, or marriage contract. This is often followed by a Walimah, or wedding party, which is the public celebration of the marriage with friends and family. Islam also has a specific divorce process and recognizes that not all relationships work-out.
Islamic View on Contraception/Abortion
A Day in the Life
Halal
Haram – Things that are unlawful/forbidden
Hijab
Common Questions:
Do Muslims and Christians Worship the Same God? – an undoctrined Christian opinion, a Catholic perspective, a Muslim perspective, 2 neutral perspectives
Top 100 Frequently Asked Questions
Want to Learn More, but don’t know where to start?
View of Morality
View of Compassion
View of other religion
The Quran
- Brief overview of history and compilation (Quadri, 2007)
- The History of the Quran (20 min.)
- The Compilation of the Quran (10 min.)
- The Historical Basis of the Holy Quran (1 hour)
- Holy Quran Research Papers
Great Cultural Reads:
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Nafisi
No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam (Aslan, 2005)
Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources (Ling, 2006)
Branches/Basic Overview
Terrorism
Disclaimer: the vast majority of Muslims are not terrorists; in-fact those who are radical Islamists are not considered to be true Muslims abiding by God’s word
A Humanist perspective:Article
Speakers:
Islam on Demand (Video-Series)
LG❥
Pursuit of Truth 
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