Interfaith Relationships : What is Islam?
So first things first. In order to note Islam's differences and similarities compared to Christianity (mainly Orthodox Christianity) we must have an understanding about the religion.
Here's a brief....VERY BRIEF history lesson. This religion is VERY well documented so I'm going to pick out pieces that pop out to me as key points:
Spiritual Leader/ Founder:
Prophet Muhammad who lived for 62 years from 570 -632 is considered to be one of the messengers of God's (Allah) Word. He was orphaned as a young child and many Muslims believe this earthly abandonment was due to divinity and enabled him to become more receptive to God's Message. Also, his upbringing draws parallels to Moses and his upbringing in Islam. (Yes, they believe in Moses but in a different light.) Anyways, it is said that Muhammad was the last and final prophet sent from God. God is said to have spoken to him while he was sleeping in a cave, Mount Hira. The experience was so powerful that it propelled him to talk about God and start the beginning of what we know as Islam.
Side note: Caves have a lot of significances to religious individuals not just in Islam...it is found in Christianity, Buddhism...ect. There is something to be noted when the mind is cleared of all earthly distractions. Makes me want to go find one in order to achieve a sense of oneness.
Denominations/ Tribes:
There's three major denominations of Islam and a fourth. The fourth is more or less a mixture of many smaller ones. Also, there are many tribes within the Muslim community but it gets way too confusing, so we will only talk about the three major denominations: Sunni, Shia, and Sufism.
Sunni:
This makes up for the majority of Islam, roughly 75-90% of all Muslims. (According to Wikipedia) The formal name of this denomination is Ahi as-Sunnah meaning people of the tradition. These individuals adhere to the traditions as set by the Prophet Muhammad and can be found in the Kutub al-Sittah. Kutub al-Sittah is a series of 6 books that contain a collection of sayings or acts of Muhammad (hadith). So basically, along with the Qur'an these 6 additional books are practiced. Also, this denomination believes that leaders, caliphs, should be elected.
Shia:
This denomination is the second largest branch. For the most part, their beliefs are similar to the Sunni with the major difference as to whom is allowed to be a caliph. This branch believes that leaders must be of blood lineage of Muhammad's son-in-law.
Sufism:
This last denomination is VERY different from the other two. It approaches Islam with the idea that in order to figure out the divinity and love of God, one must have a personal and direct relationship with him. Overall, the focus of this denomination is more spiritual.
Views on Jesus Christ:
Muslims believe in Jesus Christ! They believe he is a prophet and the Messiah to the Israelites BUT that he was not the FINAL messenger of God.
Five Pillars of Islam:
These are the five basic acts in which a Muslim must abide to in their lifetime.
Shahadah : A declaration that there is only one God and Muhammad is his messenger.
Salat : Praying five times a day. These five prayers are broken into Dawn (Fajr), Noon (Dhuhr), Afternoon (Asr), Evening (Maghrib), and Night (Isha).
Side note: I actually probably do pray this many times a day. But no to the conversion.
Zakat : Giving to the poor. This does not only mean money but can be acts of charity.
Sawm : Fasting during Ramadan. During this month, individuals must abstain from food and water from dawn to dusk as a means of repentance. Also, this abstinence extends of other things/ acts as well. AKA: Vegas is not permitted during this month.
Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca.
Holy Book:
The Qur'an which means 'recitations/ reading.' It is broken into 114 chapters (surah) of various lengths. Each line (aaya) is considered 'a sign' and a verse is called aayah.
Spiritual Leader/ Founder:
Prophet Muhammad who lived for 62 years from 570 -632 is considered to be one of the messengers of God's (Allah) Word. He was orphaned as a young child and many Muslims believe this earthly abandonment was due to divinity and enabled him to become more receptive to God's Message. Also, his upbringing draws parallels to Moses and his upbringing in Islam. (Yes, they believe in Moses but in a different light.) Anyways, it is said that Muhammad was the last and final prophet sent from God. God is said to have spoken to him while he was sleeping in a cave, Mount Hira. The experience was so powerful that it propelled him to talk about God and start the beginning of what we know as Islam.
Side note: Caves have a lot of significances to religious individuals not just in Islam...it is found in Christianity, Buddhism...ect. There is something to be noted when the mind is cleared of all earthly distractions. Makes me want to go find one in order to achieve a sense of oneness.
Denominations/ Tribes:
There's three major denominations of Islam and a fourth. The fourth is more or less a mixture of many smaller ones. Also, there are many tribes within the Muslim community but it gets way too confusing, so we will only talk about the three major denominations: Sunni, Shia, and Sufism.
Sunni:
This makes up for the majority of Islam, roughly 75-90% of all Muslims. (According to Wikipedia) The formal name of this denomination is Ahi as-Sunnah meaning people of the tradition. These individuals adhere to the traditions as set by the Prophet Muhammad and can be found in the Kutub al-Sittah. Kutub al-Sittah is a series of 6 books that contain a collection of sayings or acts of Muhammad (hadith). So basically, along with the Qur'an these 6 additional books are practiced. Also, this denomination believes that leaders, caliphs, should be elected.
Shia:
This denomination is the second largest branch. For the most part, their beliefs are similar to the Sunni with the major difference as to whom is allowed to be a caliph. This branch believes that leaders must be of blood lineage of Muhammad's son-in-law.
Sufism:
This last denomination is VERY different from the other two. It approaches Islam with the idea that in order to figure out the divinity and love of God, one must have a personal and direct relationship with him. Overall, the focus of this denomination is more spiritual.
Views on Jesus Christ:
Muslims believe in Jesus Christ! They believe he is a prophet and the Messiah to the Israelites BUT that he was not the FINAL messenger of God.
Five Pillars of Islam:
These are the five basic acts in which a Muslim must abide to in their lifetime.
Shahadah : A declaration that there is only one God and Muhammad is his messenger.
Salat : Praying five times a day. These five prayers are broken into Dawn (Fajr), Noon (Dhuhr), Afternoon (Asr), Evening (Maghrib), and Night (Isha).
Side note: I actually probably do pray this many times a day. But no to the conversion.
Zakat : Giving to the poor. This does not only mean money but can be acts of charity.
Sawm : Fasting during Ramadan. During this month, individuals must abstain from food and water from dawn to dusk as a means of repentance. Also, this abstinence extends of other things/ acts as well. AKA: Vegas is not permitted during this month.
Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca.
Holy Book:
The Qur'an which means 'recitations/ reading.' It is broken into 114 chapters (surah) of various lengths. Each line (aaya) is considered 'a sign' and a verse is called aayah.
Celebrations:
Outside from Eid al-Fitr, 'breaking of the fast', there no celebrations because it takes away from the glory of God. ie: Birthdays
Okay, I'm done now. It took all day to figure out how to write a thorough entry without completely butchering up major theology and practices. I know I missed a couple key points and didn't emphasize on certain topics, but you'll see why in the entries to come.
In any case, stay tuned...I will be discussing the differences in the next entry. Give me a week.
Many Blessings.
Linda
P.S. I hope I don't offend anyone in this process. Cause there's a really big lot of you who read my writing but I only know of two. Lol. I'm not quiet sure why you read my blog but this is mainly for me to be transparent in my journey with HIM.
Outside from Eid al-Fitr, 'breaking of the fast', there no celebrations because it takes away from the glory of God. ie: Birthdays
Okay, I'm done now. It took all day to figure out how to write a thorough entry without completely butchering up major theology and practices. I know I missed a couple key points and didn't emphasize on certain topics, but you'll see why in the entries to come.
In any case, stay tuned...I will be discussing the differences in the next entry. Give me a week.
Many Blessings.
Linda
P.S. I hope I don't offend anyone in this process. Cause there's a really big lot of you who read my writing but I only know of two. Lol. I'm not quiet sure why you read my blog but this is mainly for me to be transparent in my journey with HIM.
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