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[[Image:Koran.png|thumb|300px|The [[Koran]] is regarded by Muslims as their holy book. Religious concepts and practices include the five pillars of Islam, which are obligatory acts of worship, and following Islamic law ([[sharia]]), which touches on virtually every aspect of life and society, from topics ranging from banking and welfare, to family life and the environment. Most Muslims are of one of two denominations: [[Sunni]] (75โ€“90 %) or [[Shia]] (10โ€“20 %). In some cases this division is associated with ethnic divisions such as between Arabs and Persians. With about 1.7 billion followers or 23 % of the global population, Islam is the second-largest religion by number of adherents and, according to many sources, the fastest-growing major religion in the world. A 2017 estimate predicted that Islam will be the world's largest religion by 2070.<ref>Islam Will Be Largest Religion in the World by 2070, Says Report http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/01/islam-will-largest-religion-world-2070-says-report/</ref>]]
'''Islam'''ย - One of the three [[monotheistic]] Abrahamic faiths, Islam originated with the teachings of Muhammad in the 7th century. Muslims believe Muhammad is the final of all religious prophets (beginning with Abraham) and that the Koran, which is the Islamic scripture, was revealed to him by God. Islam derives from the word submission, and obedience to [[God]] is a primary theme in this religion. In order to live an Islamic life, believers must follow the five pillars, or tenets, of Islam, which are the testimony of faith (shahada), daily prayer (salah), giving alms (zakah), fasting during Ramadan (sawm), and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).ย 
'''Islam''' or '''Mohammedanism''' is a religion originating with the teachings of [[Muhammad]], a 7th century [[Arab]] religious and political figure. It emerged principally from a synthesis of various religious currents competing in the Arabian Peninsula at the time; [[Christianity]], [[Talmudism]] and local Arabian paganism. An adherent of the religion is called a Muslim meaning "one who submits (to God)".<ref name="EoI-Islam">{{cite encyclopedia | title=Islam | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam Online | author=L. Gardet | coauthors=J. Jomier | accessdate=2007-05-02}}</ref><ref name="Lanes Lexicon">{{cite web|url=http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume4/00000137.pdf|title=Lane's lexicon |accessdate=2007-07-03}}</ref> There are approximately 1.61&nbsp;billion Muslims,<ref>This claim is made by [http://www.islamicpopulation.com/ Islamic population]. Other sources give a range from 1 billion to 1.8 billion.[http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html#Islam]</ref> belonging to the various competing sects of the religion; making it the second-largest organised religion in the world, after [[Christianity]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html#Islam |title=Major Religions of the Worldโ€”Ranked by Number of Adherents |accessdate=2007-07-03 |format=HTML |work= }}</ref>


The two major sects of Islam are the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] and [[Shia Islam|Shi'a]], splitting in the 7th century. The latter prefered the religious and political leadership of Muhammad's family and their descendants; known as the [[Imams]]. Today, Shia are most prominent in [[Iran]], [[Iraq]], [[Lebanon]], [[Bahrain]] and elsewhere, they form a minority of 15 % and in general are more Aryanised and least barbaric sect. The majority of 85 % are Sunni, but within that are also various schools of thought. The most objectionable groups; [[Salafism]] and [[Deobandism]]; are fairly recent in origin, deriving their thought from 19th century puritanical cultists, similar in some sense to the impact that [[Calvinism]] had on Western Christianity. Major Sunni dominated countries include [[Egypt]], [[Turkey]], [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Indonesia]], [[Pakistan]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Nigeria]] and many others.
==Basic Groupingsย ==
The two primary branches of Islam are Sunni and Shia, which split from each other over a religio-political leadership dispute about the rightful successor to Muhammad. The Shia believe Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, was the only divinely ordained Imam (religious leader), while the Sunni maintain the first three caliphs after Muhammad were also legitimate authorities. In modern Islam, Sunnis and Shia continue to have different views of acceptable schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and who is a proper Islamic religious authority. Islam also has an active mystical branch, Sufism, with various Sunni and Shia subsets.ย 
ย ย  ย 
==Sunni==
'''Sunni Islam''' accounts for over 87-90% of the world's Muslim population. It recognizes the Abu Bakr as the first caliph after Muhammad. Sunni has four schools of Islamic doctrine and law - Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali - which uniquely interpret theย Hadith, or recorded oral traditions of Muhammad. A Sunni Muslim may elect to follow any one of these schools, as all are considered equally valid.ย 
ย ย  ย 
==Shia==
'''Shia Islam''' represents 10-13% of Muslims worldwide, and its distinguishing feature is its reverence for Ali as an infallible, divinely inspired leader, and as the first Imam of the Muslim community after Muhammad. A majority of Shia are known as "Twelvers," because they believe that the 11 familial successor imams after Muhammad culminate in a 12th Imam (al-Mahdi) who is hidden in the world and will reappear at its end to redeem the righteous.ย 


==Beliefs and practices==
==Variantsย ==
Muslims believe that God reveled the [[Qur'an]] to Muhammad through the Archangel Gabriel; they consider him to be the Final Prophet of the religion initiated with the [[Ancient Israelite religion|Israelite prophets]], including [[Abraham]], [[Moses]], [[John the Baptist]], [[Jesus of Nazareth]] and others amongst the Prophets. They regard the Qur'an and the [[Sunnah]] (words and deeds of Muhammad) as the fundamental sources of Islam. There are various different ''[[hadith]]'' collected purporting to document the saying (''Sunnah'') of Muhammad; examples including the Shia's ''Al-Kutub Al-Arb'ah'' and the Sunni's ''Al-Kutub al-Sittah''.<ref>See:
'''Ismaili faith''': A sect of Shia Islam, its adherents are also known as "Seveners," because they believe that the rightful seventh Imam in Islamic leadership was Isma'il, the elder son of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq. Ismaili tradition awaits the return of the seventh Imam as the Mahdi, or Islamic messianic figure. Ismailis are located in various parts of the world, particularly South Asia and the Levant.ย 
*Esposito (1996), p.41
ย ย ย 
*Ghamidi (2001): [http://www.renaissance.com.pk/JulRefl2y6.html Sources of Islam]</ref> Muslims claim that they are the true representatives of the Israelite religion and that [[Christians]] and [[Jews]] distorted the texts either by alteratio, false interpretation, or both.<ref name="Distorted">See:
*Accad (2003): According to Ibn Taymiya, although only some Muslims accept the textual veracity of the entire Bible, most Muslims will grant the veracity of most of it.
*Esposito (1998), pp.6,12
*Esposito (2002b), pp.4โ€“5
*F. E. Peters (2003), p.9
*{{cite encyclopedia | title=Muhammad | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam Online | author=F. Buhl | coauthors=A. T. Welch | accessdate=2007-05-02}}
*{{cite encyclopedia | title=Tahrif | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam Online | author=Hava Lazarus-Yafeh | accessdate=2007-05-02}}</ref>
Islam includes many religious practices. Adherents are generally required to observe the [[Five Pillars of Islam]], which are five duties that unite Muslims into a community.<ref>Esposito (2002b), p.17</ref> In addition to the Five Pillars, [[Sharia|Islamic law]] (''sharia'') has developed a tradition of rulings that touch on virtually all aspects of life and society. This tradition encompasses everything from practical matters like [[Islamic dietary laws|dietary laws]], [[Islamic banking|banking]], [[jihad|warfare]], sexuality and even toiletry habits.<ref>See:
*Esposito (2002b), pp.111,112,118
*{{cite encyclopedia | title=Shari'ah | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia Britannica Online | accessdate=2007-05-02}}</ref>


==Mohammed as Final Prophet==
'''Alawi faith''': Another Shia sect of Islam, the name reflects followers' devotion to the religious authority of Ali. Alawites are a closed, secretive religious group who assert they are Shia Muslims, although outside scholars speculate their beliefs may have a syncretic mix with other faiths originating in the Middle East. Alawis live mostly in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.ย 
[[Muhammed]] was the founder of [[Islam]] and is regarded by [[Muslim]]s as the last messenger and [[prophet]] of God (''[[Allah]]''), and is also regarded as a prophet by the [[Druze]] and as a [[Manifestation of God]] by the [[Baha'i Faith]]. Muslims do not believe that he was the creator of a new religion, but the restorer of the original, uncorrupted monotheistic faith of Adam, Abraham and others. They see him as the last and the greatest in a series of [[prophets of Islam]].<ref>See:
ย ย ย 
*Esposito (1998), p.12
*Esposito (2002b), pp.4โ€“5
*F. E. Peters (2003), p.9</ref>


Sources on Muhammadโ€™s life concur that he was born ''ca.'' 570 [[Common Era|CE]] in the city of [[Mecca]] in [[Arabia]].<ref name="EncWorldHistory">''Encyclopedia of World History'' (1998), p.452</ref> He was orphaned at a young age and was brought up by his uncle, later worked mostly as a merchant, and was married by age 26. At some point, discontented with life in Mecca, he retreated to a cave in the surrounding mountains for meditation and reflection. According to Islamic tradition, it was here at age 40, in the month of [[Ramadan]], where he received his first revelation from God. Three years after this event, Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that "[[Tawhid|God is One]]", that complete "surrender" to Him (lit. ''islฤm'')<ref>The word "''islฤm''" derives from the [[Triliteral|triconsonantal]] [[Arabic]] root [[S-L-M|sฤซn-lฤm-mฤซm]], which carries the basic meaning of safety and peace. The [[masdar|verbal noun]] "''islฤm''" is formed from the verb ''aslama'', a derivation of this root which means to accept, surrender, or submit; thus, 'Islam' effectively means submission to and acceptance of [[God]]. ''See:'' [[Islam#Etymology and meaning]]</ref> is the only way (''[[Deen (Arabic term)|dฤซn]]''),<ref>'Islam' is always referred to in the Qur'an as a 'dฤซn', a word that means 'way' or 'path' in Arabic, but is usually translated in English as 'religion' for the sake of convenience</ref> acceptable to God, and that he was a prophet and messenger of God, in the same vein as [[Adam]], [[Noah]], [[Abraham]], [[Moses]], [[David]], [[Jesus]], and [[Prophets of Islam|other prophets]].<ref name="EspositoI">Esposito (1998), p.12; (1999) p.25; (2002) pp.4-5</ref><ref name="EoI-Muhammad">"Muhammad", ''Encyclopedia of Islam Online''</ref><ref name="Peters">Peters (2003), p.9</ref>
'''Druze faith''': A highly secretive tradition and a closed community that derives from the Ismaili sect of Islam; its core beliefs are thought to emphasize a combination of Gnostic principles believing that the Fatimid caliph, al-Hakin, is the one who embodies the key aspects of goodness of the universe, which are, the intellect, the word, the soul, the preceder, and the follower. The Druze have a key presence in Syria, Lebanon, and [[Israel]].ย 


Muhammad gained few followers early on, and was largely met with hostility from the tribes of Mecca; he was treated harshly and so were his followers. To escape persecution, Muhammad and his followers migrated to [[Yathrib]] ([[Medina]])<ref>After Muhhammad's migration to Yathrib, the city came to be known as ''Madina al-Nabi'', lit. 'City of the Prophet'; hence, the name Medina</ref> in the year 622. This historic event, the [[Hijra (Islam)|Hijra]], marks the beginning of the [[Islamic calendar]]. In Medina, Muhammad managed to unite the conflicting tribes, and after eight years of fighting with the Meccan tribes, his followers, who by then had grown to ten thousand, conquered Mecca. In 632, on returning to Medina from his '[[The Farewell Pilgrimage|Farewell pilgrimage']], Muhammad fell ill and died. By the time of his death, most of [[Arabia]] had converted to Islam.
The revelations (or ''[[Ayat]]s'', lit. ''Signs of God''), which Muhammad reported receiving till his death, form the verses of the [[Qur'an]],<ref>The term ''Qur'an'' was first used in the Qur'an itself. There are two different theories about this term and its formation that are discussed in [[Quran#Etymology]] cf. "Qur'an", ''Encyclopedia of Islam Online''.</ref> regarded by Muslims as the โ€œword of Godโ€, around which the religion is based. Besides the Qur'an, Muhammadโ€™s life (''[[sira]]'') and traditions (''[[sunnah]]'') are also upheld by Muslims.
==Sects==
Almost all Muslims belong to one of two major denominations. The schism developed in the late 7th century following disagreements over the religious and political leadership of the Muslim community. Roughly 85 percent of Muslims are Sunni and 15 percent are Shi'a. Islam is the predominant religion throughout the [[Middle East]], as well as in parts of [[Africa]] and [[Asia]]. Large communities are also found in [[Islam in China|China]], the [[Balkan Peninsula]] in [[Eastern Europe]] and [[Islam in Russia|Russia]]. There are also large Muslim immigrant communities in wealthier and more developed parts of the world such as [[Western Europe]]. About 20 percent of Muslims live in [[Arab world|Arab countries]].<ref>See:
* Esposito (2002b), p.21
* Esposito (2004), pp.2,43</ref>
Islam has many schools and branches. Sufism is a mystical-ascetic form of Islam with a large number of orders. There is Kharijite Islam, an early branch with the only surviving Ibadi order.ย  Ahmadiyya does not believe Muhammad is the final prophet. Quranism holds the Qur'an to be the only canonical text in Islam and rejects the religious authority of Hadith and often Sunnah (which Shi'a and Sunni use).ย  There are also smaller branches like Ahl-e Haqq (a mystical version), Mahdavism (believes it to be a redeeming of the religion), Messiah Foundation International (Pakistani sect), and Zikri (based around the teachings of Muhammad Jaunpuri). One German professor of the religion in Germany who converted at age fifteen even believes Muhammad never existed.<ref>[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122669909279629451.html Professor Hired for Outreach to Muslims Delivers a Jolt]</ref>
==Controversies==
A sect known as the [[Salafists]] tend to be barbaric, hostile to all forms of culture and are often covertly allied in the political arena to the interests of [[Zionism]]. Most of the international terrorist attacks against gentile civilians, are carried out by Sunni Salafists. Even within Islam this group has proven controversial because of their fanatical iconoclasm, which has led them to carry out the destruction of many early heritage sites in the Arabian Peninsula associated with Islam around Mecca and Medina.
In earlier times, there was an alliance between Jews and Muslims as part of the [[Caliphatism]] imperialism against [[Christian]] nations, this led to capturing of the Levant, North Africa, parts of the [[Byzantine Empire]] and the [[Iberian Peninsula]] by them. Even into the early modern era, Sephardic Judaics, who had been expelled from Spain, went to the [[Ottoman Empire]] and the [[Netherlands]], to incite proxy wars against the Christians inbetween. It was under the watch of the Ottoman Empire, that [[Sabbateanism]], the cult of fake "convert" [[Sabbatai Zevi]] was allowed to develop. Out of this came a most potent energising force of [[Kabbalistic]], [[Freemasonic]] and Zionist movements.
== Criticisms of Islam ==
Criticisms of Islam is a moderately [[politically incorrect]] topic that is often labeled as "[[Islamophobia]]". However, while it is not a politically correct topic like criticisms of [[Christianity]], it is also not a very politically incorrect topic like criticisms of [[Judaism]]. Even politically correct wikis like [[Wikipedia]] and [[RationalWiki]] have many articles on this topic. There are also entire wikis on this topic (such as [[WikiIslam]]) and many other websites and writings by a wide variety of critics such as Christians, Jews, Muslims (such as Muslims from one denomination criticizing Muslims from another denomination), atheists/agnostics, conservatives, and even liberals. See such sources regarding various detailed criticisms.
==Quotes==
* ''"But those, whose faces will be white, they will be in Allahโ€™s mercy."'' โ€“ [[Al-Quran]]
* ''"Beware of marrying the [[Negros]] (''zunj'') for they are a distorted creation."'' โ€“ Book of Nikah from the [[Kitab al-Kafi]], recognised as hadith by Shia Twelvers
==See also==
*[[Anti-Islamization]]
==Further reading==
* Esposito, John
** (1998). ''Islam: The Straight Path'' (3rd ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-511234-4
** (2003). ''Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam''. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 0-19-516886-0
** (2004). ''The Oxford Dictionary of Islam''. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-975726-8
* Esposito, John; Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck (2000). ''Muslims on the Americanization Path?.'' Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-513526-8
* Steven Emerson: ''Jihad Incorporated โ€“ A Guide to Militant Islam in the US'', 2006
* Akif Pirincci: [https://web.archive.org/web/20180511160245/https://de.metapedia.org/wiki/Das_Schlachten_hat_begonnen ''Das Schlachten hat begonnen''],ย  2013 (in German)
* Muแธฅammad Ibn แธคabฤซb: ''Prominent Murder Victims of the Pre- and Early Islamic Periods Including the Names of Murdered Poets'', 2021
==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170131072713/http://rencesvals.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/concerning-mohammedanism.html Concering Mohammedanism] by E. J. G. Jones <small>(traditional Christian view)</small>
*[http://www.npr.org/2007/02/12/7280905/chronology-a-history-of-the-shia-sunni-split Chronology: A History of the Shiite-Sunni Split] at NPR
==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Islam| ]]
[[Category:Religion]]
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Latest revision as of 22:07, 5 February 2024

Islam - One of the three monotheistic Abrahamic faiths, Islam originated with the teachings of Muhammad in the 7th century. Muslims believe Muhammad is the final of all religious prophets (beginning with Abraham) and that the Koran, which is the Islamic scripture, was revealed to him by God. Islam derives from the word submission, and obedience to God is a primary theme in this religion. In order to live an Islamic life, believers must follow the five pillars, or tenets, of Islam, which are the testimony of faith (shahada), daily prayer (salah), giving alms (zakah), fasting during Ramadan (sawm), and the pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj). 

Basic Groupings 

The two primary branches of Islam are Sunni and Shia, which split from each other over a religio-political leadership dispute about the rightful successor to Muhammad. The Shia believe Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law, Ali, was the only divinely ordained Imam (religious leader), while the Sunni maintain the first three caliphs after Muhammad were also legitimate authorities. In modern Islam, Sunnis and Shia continue to have different views of acceptable schools of Islamic jurisprudence, and who is a proper Islamic religious authority. Islam also has an active mystical branch, Sufism, with various Sunni and Shia subsets.      

Sunni

Sunni Islam accounts for over 87-90% of the world's Muslim population. It recognizes the Abu Bakr as the first caliph after Muhammad. Sunni has four schools of Islamic doctrine and law - Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, and Hanbali - which uniquely interpret the Hadith, or recorded oral traditions of Muhammad. A Sunni Muslim may elect to follow any one of these schools, as all are considered equally valid.      

Shia

Shia Islam represents 10-13% of Muslims worldwide, and its distinguishing feature is its reverence for Ali as an infallible, divinely inspired leader, and as the first Imam of the Muslim community after Muhammad. A majority of Shia are known as "Twelvers," because they believe that the 11 familial successor imams after Muhammad culminate in a 12th Imam (al-Mahdi) who is hidden in the world and will reappear at its end to redeem the righteous. 

Variants 

Ismaili faith: A sect of Shia Islam, its adherents are also known as "Seveners," because they believe that the rightful seventh Imam in Islamic leadership was Isma'il, the elder son of Imam Jafar al-Sadiq. Ismaili tradition awaits the return of the seventh Imam as the Mahdi, or Islamic messianic figure. Ismailis are located in various parts of the world, particularly South Asia and the Levant.     

Alawi faith: Another Shia sect of Islam, the name reflects followers' devotion to the religious authority of Ali. Alawites are a closed, secretive religious group who assert they are Shia Muslims, although outside scholars speculate their beliefs may have a syncretic mix with other faiths originating in the Middle East. Alawis live mostly in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.     

Druze faith: A highly secretive tradition and a closed community that derives from the Ismaili sect of Islam; its core beliefs are thought to emphasize a combination of Gnostic principles believing that the Fatimid caliph, al-Hakin, is the one who embodies the key aspects of goodness of the universe, which are, the intellect, the word, the soul, the preceder, and the follower. The Druze have a key presence in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. 

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