Islam

• Islam is the youngest among the world’s major religions but has become the second
largest group with more than 1.5 billion adherents. The Arabic term Islam means
“surrender”, particularly putting oneself totally to the will of the one God (Manaloto and
Rapadas 2016).
• Muslims share the same belief with Jews and Christians that God’s covenant with
Abraham is the foundation of their faith. The people of Israel came forth from Isaac, the
son of Abraham and Sarah, while Muslims claim that Abraham became the patriarch of
the Arabs through Ishmael, his son by the Egyptian servant Haggar. Hence, this becomes
the start of the widespread faith of the Muslims that is considered one of the fastest
growing religions in the world. (Ong and Jose 2016)
‫ل إله إاال هلال محمد رسوال ه‬
lā ʾilāha ʾillallāh, Muḥammad rasūlu-llāh
"There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah."
• These words resound the very heart of the Islamic faith. Muslims repeatedly pronounce
these words to profess their faith in Allah, and to Muhammad as Allah’s messenger.
• Place of Origin Islam began in Arabia in the Middle East
• God Allah
• Founder Muhammad
• Sacred Text The Quran is the central religious text of Islam
• Sacred Building Homes or wherever they are, in fact even in the streets, Muslims also
worship in mosques.
• Holy Places Temple Mount, Mosque
• Major Festivals Ramadan, Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha
• Main Branches Sunni, Shi'a, Ibadi, Ahmadiyya, and Sufism
• Muhammad was born in the oasis of Mecca around 570 C.E. He began hearing the voice
of God in cave on the summit of Mt. Hira as God speaks to him in the Arabic language.
He first disclosed this revelation to his wife as he was preaching a new order built upon
the will of God and the people’s submission to him. (Ong and Jose 2016)
• The term “Islam” is an Arabic word that means “submission.” As cited from Ong and
Jose 2016), Islam means “to surrender or submit oneself for obedience to God” or “to
enter into a condition of peace and security with God through allegiance and surrender to
him. More so, a Muslim is “a person who surrenders or submit himself to obey God.
 • Muslims also believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial
faith that was revealed through the prophets including Adam, Abraham, Moses and Jesus,
and the Quran in its Arabic to be the unaltered and final revelation of God. The prophet
Muhammad alone has revealed the undiluted truths from Allah, which is expressed in
Quran (Manaloto and Rapadas 2016).
• Muslims call God Allah which is a compound name al (the definite article, the) and ilah
(god or deity) or “the one who is God.” Muhammad preaches that there can only be one
God (Ong and Jose 2016). This makes the Islam faith a monotheistic religion in line with
Judaism and Christianity.
• In 632 C.E., Muhammad died at the age of 62 after battling against the pagan believers
around him about the religion he is about to establish. His successful preaching of Allah
spread across the entire Arabian Peninsula and to the whole world. (Ong and Jose 2016)
The Sacred Scriptures
• Qur’an (Koran) is the sacred text of Islam which means “recitation” or “reading”. It is
believed to be the revelation of God of his speech which is also the foundation of the
Islamic faith. When Muhammad first received Allah’s revelation in 610 C.E., he was
commanded by the Angel Gabriel to “iqra” or “recite”. Hence, Muslims believe that the
Quran is a copy of the eternal scripture written in heaven which was revealed to
Muhammad chapter by chapter (Manaloto and Rapadas 2016). Allah revealed these
messages through Muhammad for twenty-three years and memorized them all since he is
apparently illiterate. It was only twenty years after the death of Muhammad that the
Qur’an had officially been written which was virtually unaltered ever since that guides all
Muslims in every stage of their lives. A person who memorized the whole of the Qur’an
is called hafiz (guardian) while the female counterpart is called hafiza. (Ong and Jose
2016)
Beliefs/ Doctrines
The Five Pillars of Islam
• First Pillar: Shahada (Profession of Faith/ The Creed) The first pillar of Islam is the
Shahada, the assertion of faith. There is no God, but Allah and Muhammad are his
messenger”. It is essential to utter it to become a Muslim and to convert to Islam. The
creed asserts the divinity of Allah and that he revealed his message to Muhammad.
Denying the shahada is tantamount to a serious crime punishable by the Islamic law.
(Ong and Jose 2016)
• Second Pillar: Salat (Obligatory Prayer) Before prayer is observed, ablutions are
performed including washing one’s hand, face and feet. Verses from Quran are recited
either loudly or silently. These prayers are very specific type, and these are done five
times a day, at a set strict time with the individual facing Mecca. The prayers are
performed at dawn (as-subh), noon (az-zhur), mid-afternoon (al-asr), evening or
immediately after sunset (al-maghreb) and before midnight (al-isha). Aside from salat,
 Muslims can utter their prayer anywhere in any circumstances, provided they are facing
Mecca. (Ong and Jose 2016)
• Third Pillar: Zakat (Almsgiving/ Poor Tax) Zakat means purification which indicates that
a payment makes the rest of ones’ wealth legally or religiously pure. By following this
pillar, Muslims have to deduct certain amount of their income to support the Islamic
community and it is usually about 2.5% of an individual’s income. This is not merely
charity but an annual wealth tax to help the poor and the affluent. (Ong and Jose 2016)
• Fourth Pillar: Sawm (Fasting) Fasting takes place during the month of Ramadan, which is
the holy month in the Islamic Calendar (lunar calendar). The fasting occurs from dawn to
sunset each day during which time believes are expected to prohibit themselves from any
food, drink, sexual intercourse or smoking. However, after sunset or before dawn,
individuals can participate in any of the actions previously stated as desire. Ramadan is a
period of reflection when Muslims are called upon to recharge their faith, increment their
charity and make apology to Allah. Any Muslim who has reached the age of puberty
must undertake sawm. (Ong and Jose 2016)
• Fifth Pillar: Hajj (Pilgrimage to Mecca) During one’s life, a Muslim is required to make a
pilgrimage to Mecca during the 12th month of the lunar calendar. This ritual consists of
making journey to Mecca wearing only 2 white sheets, so all of the pilgrims are identical
and there is no class distinction among them. The Grand Mosque in Mecca houses the
most sacred site in Islam, the Kaaba (Black Stone) which they believe is the place where
Muhammad received Allah’s divine revelation.
Sacred Building
• A Mosque or Masjid (“place of prostration”) is a place of worship for followers of Islam.
Informal and open-air places of worship are called musalla, mosques used for communal
prayer on Fridays are known as jāmi. Mosque buildings typically contain an ornamental
niche (mihrab) set into the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca, ablution facilities
and minarets from which calls to prayer are issues. (Ong and Jose 2016)
Subdivisions
• Sunni Islam is the largest denomination of Islam, followed by 90% of the world's
Muslims. Sunni comes from the word Sunnah (Followers of the Smooth Path), that refers
to the behavior of Muhammad the Islamic prophet. They are traditionalists and
considered to be the Orthodox of Islam. (Ong and Jose 2016)
• Shia Islam, also known as Shi’ism, originated as a response to questions of Islamic
religious leadership which became manifest as early as the death of Muhammad. They
are the largest faction that separated from the community. The main Shi’ite sects are the
Seveners, Twelvers, and ‘Ibadis. (Ong and Jose 2016)
• Sufis are Muslims who are more concerned to dwell in mystical union with God. The
word originally came from suf which means “woolen” or the garment they are wearing
that symbolizes poverty and denunciation of earthly pleasures. It began very early in
Islamic history that represents the manifestation and also the most important and the
central crystallization of mystical practices of Muslims. (Ong and Jose 2016)