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Josie Ortiz-Reauso

Block H

Islam Essay

11 October 2016

Behind a "Violent Religion"

Islam is the third largest monotheistic religion in the world behind Christianity and

Judaism. It is a religion that was founded by the Prophet Mohammad and its main form of text is

from the Quran. This religion has become largely ridiculed in the past couple of decades because

of misunderstandings and controversies involving individuals who participate in the religion. It is

easy to judge a religion from the outside so looking into a religion would prove to be beneficial

for close minded people.

The Prophet Mohammad is put at a large pedestal by followers of Islam. He is known as

the founder of Muslim culture from outsiders but, he actually was sent by God to reform the

religion and that is exactly what he did. He made sure that the religion followed his teachings,

practices, and scripture from the Quran. By doing this, he united Arabia which had a ripple effect

and brought peace to the country.

Muhammad was born an orphan in the now holy city of Mecca in Arabia. He was passed

around foster care until he ultimately ended up with his uncle on his father's side. His uncle

began to take him along on trading trips which is where his merchant roots began. By age 12,

Muhammad went on a mercantilist trip to Syria. Here he met a Christian monk who predicted

and saw the future of Muhammad as one of God's sent prophets. For many years, he would go to

a mountain and pray in a cave by himself. It was during one of these prayer sessions that he was

visited by the angel Gabriel and was told he would be a messenger with the large task of
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reforming Islam. With the help of Muhammad, Islam acquired five basic beliefs: the belief in one

god, belief in prophethood, belief in the justice of their god, belief in the Apostles of their god,

and the belief in the day of judgement.

The belief in one God is a monotheistic view that is shared by many religions such as

Christianity. In Islam, this belief is the single most important belief. This belief is the foundation

for all other beliefs. Their God is called Allah, Arabic for "God". Members believe that Islam is

meant to worship not creation, but the creator of creation. This is a belief that all prophets from

the religion have repeatedly pointed out.

The belief in prophethood does not come as a surprise. Tying to the belief of one God, it

is believed that humans were made to worship Allah and that is their sole purpose in life. How

were Muslims of the time supposed to know this though? This is the reason for the sending of

prophets. They help to guide people to the life we were meant to live such as Muhammad for

Muslims. Moses is also an example in Christian religion because he helped to guide the Israelites

to their true life. The followers of Islam then become apostles who are devoted believers. This

proves the next main belief of apostles of their god.

The belief that God gives justice to all people ties to the belief of equality. The Quran and

its scripture sets a strong foundation of faith and justice. It does not only speak of justice as being

something followers are supposed to show others, but as a personal virtue a follower and believer

must have. Along with Muslims, Allah is just with all on the day of judgement which is another

main belief. Like Christianity, Islam believes in a day of judgement where their respective god

will decide whether or not one will enter the state of eternal holy life. Whether or not we did

good things in our physical life will not only determine if we enter paradise but also God's

mercy.
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Like every other religion in the world, Islam has certain unique practices that Muslims

live by. These include devoting a certain time to prayer, how to dress, fasting, and more. All of

the main practices of Islam come together to form "The Five Pillars of Islam". These are

practices that are punishable by law if they are not practiced by believers of the faith. The five

practices are Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and Hajj.

Shahada is the proclomation of faith that Muslims hold close to their belief. Christianity

has the Nicene or Apostle's Creed to profess their faith but Islam simply has the sentence "There

is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger". Anybody who says this phrase with a full

believing soul is a true follower of Islam. To become Muslim, one simply needs to recite this

phrase three times in front of witnesses. This is much different and quicker to the sacrament of

Baptism and Confirmation that Christians go through to become a follower.

Salat is mandatory prayer that occurs five times a day at set times. These times are at

dawn, midday, late afternoon, just after sunset, and between sunset and midnight. It is extremely

important in this culture that prayer is said because it is showing your devotion and giving praise

to Allah. No matter where in the world a Muslim is, they all face toward the holy city of Mecca.

In Muslim countries, life occurs around times for prayer so that all can abide by the law.

Zakat is basically alms giving. It is required that everyone give atleast 2% of their wealth.

to help benefit the poor. This shows devotion to the faith and Allah. This also frees the mind

from material possession and greed. There is also a belief that God has chosen who he makes

poor or wealthy and this act of giving money to the poor is a way of acknowledging those whom

he has made poor.

Sawm is the action of fasting meant to show self discipline and devotion to Allah.

Muslims are required to fast during the time of Ramadan which occurs on the ninth month of the
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Islamic calendar. Ramadan is similar to Lent because followers of both religions are required to

fast but, Ramadan is a bit more extreme. Muslim adults are not allowed to eat or drink during

daylight hours during the 30 days of Ramadan, according to Islamic law. Not only do they give

up physical things but they are also required to avoid evil thoughts toward anyone or anything.

The final pillar of Islam is Hajj. This is an annual pilgrimage that every Muslim must take

in their adult life atleast once. It is expected of each person to go on this spiritual journey if their

financial and health state allowed them to and if they could support their family while they were

gone. This ritual gathers thousands of Muslims together to worship and praise Allah. It is meant

to promote bonds between Muslim brothers and sisters so that each person feels united together

under one religion.

The practices and beliefs of Islam are all unique but there are many similarities to

Christianity such as in the practice of fasting, almsgiving, and the belief in monotheism. This is a

practical religion that has a reason for each of its practices and beliefs. No matter what the

practice is, it typically is based on the want and need to worship and praise Allah and to better

oneself. Islam has gotten a bad reputation because of acts of violence over the years but has not

earned it. A religion should not be negatively judged because of individuals who expressed their

devotion in extreme ways and it is our job as followers of Christ and humans to spread positivity

and love throughout the world for people to feel.

Works Cited

Brown, Laurence B., MD, "Beliefs of Islam 177 Articles." Category: Beliefs of Islam. N.p., n.d.

Web. 7 Oct. 2016.

"A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam." Islam Guide: A Brief Illustrated Guide to

Understanding Islam, Muslims, & the Quran. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2016.
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Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. Islam: Religion, History, and Civilization. San Francisco:

HarperSanFrancisco, 2003. Print.