What is the Difference? Islam

ISLAM

“Allah is one and Christ was just a prophet”

Islam originated in what is now called Saudi Arabia and from there expanded along trade routes to Africa and Asia. The country with the most Muslims is Indonesia, with 120 million. One out of every six human beings on the face of the earth subscribes to the faith of Islam.

Islam is the correct name for the religion often incorrectly called Mohammedanism. The word Islam means “submission” (to Allah, the God of Mohammed, the man who founded this religion). A believer in Mohammed’s religion is a Muslim, meaning “one who lives his life according to God’s will”.

Mohammed came from a prominent and highly respected family. His father died a few days before his birth, his mother when he was six, his grandfather (whom he lived with) when he was nine. Then he lived with his uncle where he herded flocks. As he grew older, he got into the caravan trade and accompanied his uncle on trips to Syria and Persia. At 25 her married a 40 year old wealthy widower and she bore him several children. For much of the next 15 years he spent in solitary meditation. At the age of 40, he received his first revelation while contemplating in a cave on Mount Hira near Mecca. According to Mohammed, the archangel Gabriel came to him during a dream and brought the following command of God:
“Read in the name of the Lord who created, who created man of blood coagulated. Read! They Lord is the most beneficent, who taught by the pen, taught that what they knew not unto men.”

From this command to “read” comes the name for the holy book of Islam, the Qur’an, meaning “the reciting” or “the reading”. Because Mohammed could not read or write, the Qur’an is his reciting of revelations given to him.

Mohammed never claimed to be divine but insisted that Allah had called him to be a prophet.

The Qur’an is the sacred scripture of Islam. About four-fifths the length of the New Testament, it includes 114 surah (chapters). While the ideas are all credited to God, Mohammed dictated parts of the Qur’an while the rest came from the writings of disciples who remembered his oral teachings after he died.

In addition to the Qur’an, Mohammed developed important teachings and sayings called “Sunnah” (“path”). The Sunnah became a base for traditions build on Mohammed’s conduct as a prophet and how he handled things while being guide, judge and ruler of his Muslim followers. The Sunnah were gathered into one body of work called the “Hadith”, which supplements the Qur’an.

Another important body of teachings in Islam is the Shariah, a combination of legal interpretations of the Qur’an and the Sunnah. Shariah means “law” and it lays down the strict and comprehensive guide for life and conduct for Muslims. It includes prohibitions against eating pork and drinking alcoholic beverages, as well as punishments for stealing, adultery, apostasy (denying Islam) and blasphemy (saying anything derogatory about Islam or Mohammed).

The Six Doctrines of Islam:
1. God-There is one true God and His name is Allah. Allah is all-seeing, all-knowing and all-powerful
2. Angels-The chief angel is Gabriel, who is said to have appeared to Mohammed. There is also a fallen angel name Shaitan (from the Hebrew “satan”), as well as the followers of Shaitan, the jinns (demons).
3. Scripture-Muslims believe in four God-inspired books: the Torah of Moses (Christians call the Pentateuch), the Zabur (Psalms of David), the Injil (Gospel) of Jeus, and the Qur’an. The Qur’an is Allah’s final word to mankind. It supersedes and over-rules all previous writings.
4. Mohammed-The Qur’an lists 28 prophets of Allah. These include Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jonah, and Jesus. To the Muslims, the last and greatest prophet is Mohammed.
5. The end times-On the last day, the dead will be resurrected. Allah will be the judge, and each person will be sent to heaven or hell. Heaven is a place of sensual pleasure. Hell is for those who oppose Allah and his prophet Mohammed.
6. Predestination-God has determined what He pleases, and no one can change what He has decreed (the doctrine of fate). From this doctrine comes the most common Islamic phrase “If it is Allah’s will”.


The Five Pillars of Faith-beside the six doctrines to be believed, there are five duties to be performed:
1. Statement of belief-To become a Muslim, a person must publicly repeat the Shahadah: “There is no other god but Allah and Mohammed is the prophet of Allah.”
2. Prayer-Muslims pray five times per day-at day break, noon, midafternoon, after sunset and early evening. The Muslim must kneel and bow in the prescribed manner in the direction of the holy city Mecca
3. Alms-Muslim law today requires the believer to give one-fortieth of his profit (2.5 percent). This offering goes to widows, orphans, the sick and other unfortunates.
4. Ramadan-The night month of the Islamic lunar year is called Ramadan and is the highest of Muslim holy seasons. Muslim are required to fast for the entire month (during daylight hours)
5. Pilgrimage to Mecca-This is called the Hajj and must be performed at least once in a Muslim’s lifetime. However, if the pilgrimage is too difficult or dangerous for the believer, he can send someone else in his place.

Religious leaders of Islamic countries by and large believe that if Islam is to be practiced correctly, all society must submit to Islamic law (Shariah).

Islam in the West is completely different from Islam in Muslim-dominated countries.

Muslims claim that humans are born with hearts that are clean slates. If they commit sins, these can be overcome by acts of the will.

Muslims say that Allah does not love those who do wrong, and each person must earn his or her own salvation.