Islam, Essay Sample

Islam Among the needs of humans, all around the universe, there is the need to worship. Human beings have been accustomed to believe in a divine nature on whom they mostly depend on for guidance and help. The belief in these divine beings has led to the rise, growth, and existence of different religions all across the universe. Among the major religions include Christianity Islam, Hinduism, Judaism, and Buddhism. These faiths differ concerning teachings, believes and modes of worship. Thus, this essay seeks to explore such a religion as Islam, which was started by Mohammed the prophet of Allah, focusing on it tenants, history, belief structures, divisions and articles of faith. Nature of Islam Islam is one of the major religions in the universe. In its teachings, it stresses the existence of only one God. In Islam religion, God is referred to as Allah, and it is believed that Muhammad was his messenger. Actually, Islam is the worlds second-largest religion, with almost two million followers globally. The principles of Islam are based on its teachings that God is merciful, all-powerful and unique. According to Muslim teachings, God uses prophets to guide people. Additionally, scripture and signs are what Allah used to guide people. The teachings of Islam are encrypted in the holy book of Quran. According to Muslims, who are the followers of Islam the teachings of Islam were revealed to humankind through different prophets such as Adam Abraham and Moses. Islam teaches about the ultimate judgment that will be given to humanity, with the right people who follow the instructions of slam and lived according to its requirements getting rewarded for their actions and those who liv ed contrary to the teachings being punished eternally. Islam’s articles of faith The Islam religion constitutes the Islam creed, also known as Aqidah which recited is recited to profess the Islam faith, also referred to as Iman. The creed is often represented as the six articles of faith. The articles of faith are spelled out in the hadith of Gabriel. The concept of God in Islam is that there is only one God and that he is eternal and absolute. He Quran further stresses that there is no one like God. The religion further disputes the Christian belief on the Trinity and Jesus as the son of God. The doctrine also stresses that God cannot be understood by human beings. In Islam, all creations were brought into being by the simple command of God. Angels are considered to be an essential component of the Islam religion. Primarily they are deemed to be agents of God through which he communicates to humanity. Their duties include passing Gods message to humankind. They also glorify God and record the actions of human beings on earth. Additionally, angels are the ones responsible for receiving the souls of humans once they die. Another article of faith in the Islam is the belief in the existence of revelations which are contained in the Quran, the Wahy, and the Islamic holy books. The Islam region considers the Quran as the source of guidance of the Islam culture. Mostly, it is more concerned with the issue of direction than legislation. Muslim believe that in communicating his message to humans, there are special people who he used. These people are the prophets of God. As much as prophets were sent by God to communicate his message and will, unlike the angels they are human and not divine. The religion also believes in the holy resurrection of human beings on the final day when there shall be the judgment of humans depending on their deeds on earth. Pillars of Islam The Islamic religion is based on five pillars. The pillars focus on the obligation to participate in worship including the adherence to the Islamic law. The Islamic law is based on the aspect of life including banking, the welfare of the society, in addition to the issues affecting women and the environment. The first pillar of Islam is the shahada, with primarily refers to the profession of faith. The pillar states that there is no other God apart from Allah and that Mohamed is his prophet. In essence, the pillar stresses the monotheistic aspect of the religion. The second pillar is zakat. The pillar emphasized the importance of offering help to the needy in the society. The third pillar of Islam is salat. This pillar stresses the issue of daily prayer. The followers of Islam are expected to pray five times a day facing the holy city of Mecca. The fourth pillar of Islam is Ramadhan or saum which requires that all Muslims should fast in the holy month during which their focus should be on prayers. The final pillar of Islam is the pilgrimage to Mecca, also known as Hajj, which requires that all Muslims should take a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime if they can do so. The divisions of Islam The Islam religion is divided into two categories, including the Sunni Muslims, which is composed of approximately eighty percent of the Muslims and the Shia Muslims, which form around twenty percent of the Muslims. The division between the Shia and the Sunni Muslims originates from a schism occurred after the death of Mohammed. There arose a battle of succession. The battle led to the two battles of Jamal and Kiffin. Currently, despite the fact that both sects refer to the Quran, there are differences in their religious practice. The relationship of the Shia and Sunna Muslims is continuously defined by conflicts. Large numbers of Muslims population are found in the Middle East and North Africa where most Islam countries are located. There also a substantial amount of Muslims who live in South Asia an Indonesian, with a small population in America. History The Muslim religion is viewed to have originated from the prophet Mohamed who was instructed by God to start the new faith. God sent revelations to Mohamed through angel Gabriel, also referred to in slam as Jibril, commanding him to start the Islam religion. The announcement that the angel brought to Mohammed is what is recorded as the teachings of the holy Quran and used for instructions in the Islam religion. The revelations came to Mohammed in Mecca, from where he preached to the people, asking them to stop polytheism and turn to the worship of one God, Allah. The preaching of Mohammed, however, provoked the authorities in Mecca, who as a result persecuted the prophet and those who converted to Islam. Twelve years after the persecution of Muslims, there was an emigration of the Muslim communities to Mecca. As a result, there was a formulation of a new constitution. The constitution facilitated equality and fairness among the communities that lived in Medina. The main communities in the medina at that time were the Muslim community, the Christians, the Jews and the pagan community. Following the security that the Muslim community gained Islam was able to spread across the universe especially as Muslim traders moved to other parts of the world. Conclusion In relation to other religions, the uniqueness of the doctrine of Islam is on its history, with it having originated from a prophet who was explicitly instructed to start a religion that is focused the worship of only one God. Additionally, its articles of faith offer a unique factor to the faith. In addition, its pillars form the guideline on how Muslims should behave. The Muslim culture with regards to other religions is very strict with strict rules of worship that are observed by its followers.