Major Religions of the Modern World: Islam

Abstract

This paper discusses Islam as one of the major religions of the world today. The work done include the origin of Islam and the authors of the Koran, the religious book used among the Muslim faithful. It also gives an account of the major characters, where and when was it written, and the major themes of this religion. Sample passages are also given and the significance of the written sources is discussed.

Islam is one of the major religions of the world today. It is the second-largest religion after Christianity. Muslims are the adherents of Islam and the Koran is the name given to the religious book used by these believers. Muslim means one who submits. Islam is a verbal noun, which means to accept, surrender, or submit to God totally. Allah is the name given to God among the Muslim faithful. Islam originated from Prophet Muhammad, but some devout Muslims believe that it started many years before Muhammad was born in 570 and died on June 8, 632(Origin of Islam).

Chapter 2, verse 31 of Koran says, And Allah taught Adam the names of all things; then He placed them before the angels and said: Tell me the names of these if ye are right. (Holy Koran,.). This is a clear indication that Islam may be as old as humankind may. Historically, Islam originated in Arabia at the beginning of the 7th century.

According to Koran, Muhammad received divine revelations from angel Gabriel and since he was not literate, he would only recite the revelations received from the angel. This divine visitation happened for over two decades and Muhammad preached to people in Mecca urging them to turn from polytheism and adopt monotheism of worshiping Allah as the only God. This marked the beginning of Islam with Muhammad termed as the last and the greatest of all prophets who ever existed. The majority of Muslims belong to one of the two denominations, the Sunni, which is the largest (about 85%), and Shia (about 15% (Islam for Today 4).

Different duties and practices exist today in Islam and a large number of Muslim faithful adhere to these practices considering Islam to be the complete and universal religion shared by people like Abraham, Adam, and Moses among other prophets of the ancient times. These practices include the Five Pillars of Islam, which are profession to faith, prayers, fasting during Ramadan, giving alms to the poor, and pilgrimage to Mecca (Ishaq 2). Islamic law governs all aspects of life including dietary requirements, banking practices among others.

Koran (Quran) is the holy book used by all Muslim believers. The origin of this holy book dates back to 610 AD when Prophet Muhammad started receiving divine revelations from Allah through angel Gabriel. Because Muhammad was not literate, he recited and preached these revelations to people orally. Later on, companions of Muhammad, known as Sahabah, compiled his work and wrote Koran shortly before and after Muhammad died. Koran contains 114 chapters or suras, divided further into 6,236 verses or ayat (Holy Koran).

Several translations made in the 17^th and 18^th centuries due to varying opinions of believers and scholars put Koran into two categories. One group encompasses traditionalists who believe in the original version that was put across by the Shabab. Western scholars make up the other group that questions the credibility of the original version of the Koran. Despite the divisions between these two factions, the fundamental information contained in this holy book deals with critical issues of life. It states that there is resurrection and judgment and that the Day of Judgment is a mystery to man (How Does Islam Differ from other Faiths?).

According to Koran, there is hell, and sins that lead to it are dishonesty and usury among others (Koran, n. d.). There is paradise (Jannah) viewed as a holy place for the righteous, place of joy and celebration. According to Muslims, everything happens for the good of those who believe and nothing can happen outside the plan of Allah. Allah predestines all that occurs in this life, be it good or bad and his judgment is final because he is the beginning and the end. According to Muslims, Koran is holy and is the only book recommended for reading because Muhammad is the only prophet and there is no other god other than Allah (The Religion of Islam).

The written source of this religion is very significant to the current Muslims as far as history is concerned. These accounts provide a rich source of information about the origin of Islam, which is a point of discussion among many scholars. In their research and study of the origin of Islam, scholars obtain crucial information from this source and this helps them to defend their claims in education circles. Times are changing and so is the teaching of Islamic law. In such cases, this written source of this religion help Muslims to make choices about what is taught today and what was taught by Muhammad in ancient times (What is Islam? 1). This helps Muslims to establish the truth concerning such controversial issues like the requirements the payment of interest, and diet.

There are different literary forms used in writing Koran. For instance: Koran chapter 33, verse 37 states, And when thou didst say to him [Muhammads adopted son] God had shown favor to and thou hadst shown favor to, Keep thy wife to thyself and fear God; and thou didst conceal in thy soul what God was about to display; and didst fear men, though God is more deserving that thou shouldst fear Him; and when Zaid had fulfilled his desire of her we did wed thee to her that there should be no hindrance to the believers in the matter of the wives of their adopted sons when they have fulfilled their desire of them: and so Gods bidding to be done. (Holy Koran.). This verse uses acrostic forms to stress the power of God. The major theme in this passage is to show that Allah is full of favor for those who revere him.