Dictionary of Meaning

<<Back
Please select a letter:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | 0-9

Islam

*** Shopping-Tip: Islam
see Islam {{dablink|For other uses, including people named "Islam", see Islam (disambiguation).}} {{portal}} {{Islam}} '''Islam''' (Arabic language Arabic: {{Ar|Ø§Ù„Ø¥Ø³Ù„Ø§Ù…}}; ''{{ArabDIN|al-islÄ?m}}'' ({{Audio|ar-al_islam.ogg|listen}}), "submission (to the will of God)" is a Monotheism monotheistic faith and the world's second-largest religion. Islam is considered an Abrahamic religion, along with Christianity and Judaism. Followers of Islam, known as Muslims, believe that God (''Allah AllÄ?h'' in Arabic) Revelation revealed his Divinity divine word directly to Human humanity through many earlier prophets, and that Muhammad was the final prophet of Islam.

Etymology
In Arabic ''islÄ?m'' derives from the Triliteral triconsonantal root {{ArabDIN|SÄ«n-LÄ?m-MÄ«m}}, with a basic meaning of "to surrender; to obey". ''IslÄ?m'' is a verbal abstract to this root, and literally means "submission/obedience," referring to submission to God. ''SalÄ?m'', meaning "peace", is from the same root, compare the cognate word in Hebrew, ''shalom'', which derives from the cognate root meaning "completeness, fulfilment, well-being", a concept usually encapsulated by translation in the word "peace". Other Arabic words derived from the same root: * ''SalÄ?m'' is also part of a common salutation, ''Salam aleikum As-SalÄ?mu alaykum'' (Peace be upon you), and ''as-SalÄ?m'' (The Peace) is one of the 99 names of God found in the Qur'an. * ''Muslim'', a follower of Islam, an agentive noun meaning "one who surrenders" or "submits" to God. * ''SalÄ?mah'', meaning "safety," which is used in saying "goodbye" with ''ma' as-salÄ?mah'' ([go] with safety).

Beliefs
The basic tenet of Islam is found in the shahada ''shahÄ?datÄ?n'' ("two testimonies"): ''{{ArabDIN|lÄ? ilÄ?hÄ? illÄ?-llÄ?hu; muhammadu-r-rasÅ«lu-llÄ?hi}}'' — "There is no god but God (Allah) and Muhammad is the messenger of God (Allah)." A person who truly believes in the meaning of these words is a Muslim. However, for practical reasons one may need to recite the words in the presence of witnesses to be considered Muslim by other members of their society. Muslims believe that God (or, in Arabic language Arabic, Allah ''AllÄ?h''; also in Aramaic language Aramaic ''Alaha'') revealed his direct word for humanity to Muhammad (c. 570–632) and earlier Prophets of Islam prophets, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Muslims believe that Muhammad is the Last, or the Seal of the Prophets Seal, of the prophets and that his teachings for humanity will last until Qiyamah (The Day of the Resurrection). Muslims assert that the main written record of revelation to humanity is the Qur'an (see Islam#The Qur'an below), which they believe to be flawless, immutable, and the final revelation of God to humanity. Muslims believe that parts of the Gospels, Torah and Jewish prophetic books have been forgotten, misinterpreted, incorrectly edited by humans, or distorted by their followers and thus their original message has been corrupted over time ''(tahrif)''. With that perspective, Muslims view the Qur'an as a correction of Jewish and Christian scriptures, and a final revelation. Muslims hold that Islam is essentially the same belief as that of all the messengers sent by God to humanity since Adam, with the Qur'an (the text used by all sects of the Muslim faith) codifying the final revelation of God. Islamic texts depict Judaism and Christianity as derivations of the teachings of Abraham and thus acknowledge common Abrahamic religion Abrahamic roots. The Qur'an calls Jews and Christians (and sometimes people of People of the Book#Application of term other faiths) "People of the Book." Historically, the second Caliph Umar ibn Khattab created what came to be known as "the Pact of Umar" in establishing that any people of the book who submitted to Muslim authority as dhimmis during the wars of Muslim expansion retained their freedom of religion and their existing churches. IslÄ?m is described as a Din (Islamic term) dÄ«n, meaning "way of life" and/or "guidance".

Six articles of belief
There are six basic beliefs shared by all Muslims: # Belief in God, the one and only one worthy of all worship (''tawhid''). # Belief in the Angels (''Angels#Islamic views mala'ika''). # Belief in the books (''kutub'') sent by God: #* The Suhuf-i-Ibrahim (Scrolls of Abraham); #* The Tawrat sent to Musa (Moses); #* The Zabur sent to Daud (David); #* The Injil sent to Isa (Jesus); #* The Qur'an sent to Muhammad. # Belief in all the prophets (Prophet#The Islamic concept of prophet ''nabi'') and messengers (''rasul'') sent by God (see Prophets of Islam). # Belief in the Day of Judgement (''qiyama'') and in life after death - heaven (''jannah'') and hell (''jahannam''). # Belief in Fate (''qadar''). The Muslim creed in English language English: : "I testify that there is no god but God Almighty, Who is One (and only One) and there is no associate with Him; and I testify that Muhammad (peace and blessings of God be upon him), is His Messenger." : "I believe in God; and in His Angels; and in His Scriptures; and in His Messengers; and in The Final Day; and in Fate, that All things are from God, and Resurrection after death be Truth."

The tenets of Islam
{{main_articles|Five Pillars of Islam, Branches of Religion, Roots of Religion}} Image:Supplicating Pilgrim at Masjid Al Haram. Mecca, Saudi Arabia.jpg Hajj.html" title="Meaning of 300 px 300 px|thumb|right|The Pilgrimage ([[Hajj) to Kaaba, Masjid al Haram, Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam or one of the roots of religion (for the Shi'a)..html" title="Meaning of thumb|right|The Pilgrimage ([[Hajj">300 px|thumb|right|The Pilgrimage ([[Hajj) to Kaaba, Masjid al Haram, Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam or one of the roots of religion (for the Shi'a).">thumb|right|The Pilgrimage ([[Hajj">300 px|thumb|right|The Pilgrimage ([[Hajj) to Kaaba, Masjid al Haram, Mecca, is one of the five pillars of Islam or one of the roots of religion (for the Shi'a). The two largest subgroups of the Muslims are the Sunni Islam Sunni and the Shi'a Islam Shi'a. Sunni Muslims make up the largest percentage of the Muslim world, although large majorities of Shi'a Muslims are found in Middle Eastern countries such as Iran and Iraq. However, in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, and Pakistan, Sunni Muslims are the majority. Sunni Islam's fundamental tenets are referred to as the Five Pillars of Islam^{#Notes 2}, while Shia Islam has a slightly different terminology, encompassing five core beliefs, the Roots of Religion and ten core practices, the Branches of Religion. All Muslims agree on the following five basic obligations of believers, which Sunnis term the Five Pillars of Islam, and which Shia would consider to be elements of the Roots of Religion and the Branches of Religion. * Shahada ShahÄ?dah: Testifying that there is none worthy of worship except God (Tawheed) and that Muhammad is his servant and messenger (Nubuwwah). * Salah: Performing the five daily prayers. * Sawm: Fasting from dawn to dusk in the month of Ramadan. * Zakat ZakÄ?t: Giving ''Zakaah'' (charity). * Hajj: The Pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of ''Dhul Hijjah'', which is compulsory once in a lifetime for one who has the ability to do it. Shi'a and Sunni also agree on the following beliefs, although they classify them differently: * Adl: The justice of God. * Qiyamah: The Day of Resurrection. * Amr-Bil-Ma'rÅ«f: Commanding what is good. * Nahi-Anil-Munkar: Forbidding what is evil. * Jihad Al Jihad fi sabilillah: Striving to seek God's approval. Distinctive Shi'a beliefs, not held by the Sunni, include: * Imamah: Leadership. The belief in the divinely appointed and guided imamate of Ali and some of his descendants. * Khums: Paying the tax on profit. Many Muslims, however, do not like to label themselves as from any of the denominations listed above. These Muslims believe that the following extract from the Qurâ€™an bans the formation of sects within Islam, and therefore classify themselves as simply 'Muslims'. :As for those who divide their religion and break up into sects, thou hast no part in them in the least: their affair is with Allah. He will in the end tell them the truth of all that they did. (6:159)

God
{{main_articles|Allah, God, Islamic concept of God}} The fundamental concept in Islam is the oneness of God (''tawhid''). This monotheism is absolute, not relative or pluralistic in any sense of the word. God is described in Sura al-Ikhlas, (chapter 112) as follows: :Say "He is God, the one and only. Allah, the Eternal, Absolute the Self-Sufficient master. He begetteth not, nor is he begotten. And there is none like unto Him." In Arabic, God is called ''AllÄ?h''. The word is etymologically connected to ''Ê¾ilÄ?h'' "deity", ''AllÄ?h'' is also the word used by Christian and Jewish Arabs, translating ''ho theos'' of the New Testament and Septuagint; it predates Muhammad and in its origin does not specify a "God" different from the one worshipped by Judaism and Christianity, the other Abrahamic religions. The name "Allah" shows no plural or gender, unlike the word "God" that may take plural sense "Gods" and feminine form "Goddesses". In Islam "Allah" Almighty as the Qurâ€™an says: :"(He is) the Creator of the heavens and the earth: He has made for you pairs from among yourselves, and pairs among cattle: by this means does He multiply you: there is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that hears and sees (all things)" (42:11). The implicit usage of the definite article in ''Allah'' linguistically indicates the divine unity. Muslims believe that the God they worship is the same as the Judeo-Christian God, i.e. the God of Abraham. However, Muslims reject the Christian theology concerning the trinity of God (the doctrine of the Trinity which regards Jesus as the eternal Son of God), seeing it as akin to polytheism. Quoting from the Qur'an, sura An-Nisa(4:171): :"O People of the Scripture! Do not transgress the limits of your religion, and do not say about God except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus the son of Mary, was only a messenger of God, and His word that He had sent to Mary, and a revelation from Him. Therefore, you shall believe in GOD and His messengers. You shall not say, "Trinity". You shall refrain from this for your own good. God is only one God. Be He glorified; He is much too glorious to have a son. To Him belongs everything in the heavens and everything on earth. God suffices as Lord and Master." No Muslim visual images or depictions of God are meant to exist because such artistic depictions may lead to idolatry and are thus disdained. Such aniconism can also be found in Judeo-Christian theology. Moreover, most Muslims believe that God is Spiritual being incorporeal, making any two- or three- dimensional depictions impossible. Instead, Muslims describe God by the many 99 Names of God divine attributes mentioned in the Qur'an. All but one Sura (chapter) of the Qur'an begins with the phrase "In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful". These are regarded as the most important divine attributes, at least in the sense that Muslims repeat them most frequently during their prayers (salat) and throughout their daily lives.

The Qur'an
Image:FirstSurahKoran.jpg Al-Fatiha thumb|300px|The [[Al-Fatiha|first surah in a Qur'anic manuscript by Hattat Aziz Efendi..html" title="Meaning of first.html" title="Meaning of thumb|300px|The [[Al-Fatiha|first">thumb|300px|The [[Al-Fatiha|first surah in a Qur'anic manuscript by Hattat Aziz Efendi.">first.html" title="Meaning of thumb|300px|The [[Al-Fatiha|first">thumb|300px|The [[Al-Fatiha|first surah in a Qur'anic manuscript by Hattat Aziz Efendi. {{main|Qur'an}} The Qur'an is the sacred book of Islam. It has also been called, in English, "the Koran" and (archaically) "the Alcoran". Qur'an is the currently preferred English transliteration of the Arabic original (Ù‚Ø±Ø¢Ù†); it means â€œrecitationâ€?. Although the Qur'an is referred to as a "book", when a Muslim refers to the Qur'an, they are referring to the actual text, the words, rather than the printed work itself. Muslims believe that the Qur'an was revealed to Muhammad by God through the Gabriel (archangel) Angel Gabriel on numerous occasions between the years 610 and up till his death in 632. In addition to memorizing his revelations, his followers are said to have written them down on parchments, stones, and leaves. Muslims hold that the Qur'an available today is the same as that revealed to Muhammad and by him to his followers, who memorized and wrote down his words. Scholars generally accept that the version of the Qur'an used today was first compiled in writing by the third Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan, sometime between 650 and 656. He sent copies of his version to the various provinces of the new Muslim empire, and directed that all variant copies be destroyed. However, some sceptics doubt the recorded oral traditions (hadith) on which this account is based, and will concede only that the Qur'an must have been compiled before 750. There are numerous traditions, and many conflicting academic theories, as to the provenance of the Qur'anic verses that were eventually assembled into a single volume. (This is covered in greater detail in Qur'an). Most Muslims accept the account recorded in several hadith, which state that Abu Bakr, The First Caliph, ordered his personal secretary Zayd ibn Thabit to collect and record all the authentic verses of the Qur'an, as preserved in written form or oral tradition. Zayd's written collection, privately treasured by Muhammad's wife Hafsa bint Umar, was, according to Muslim sources, later used by Uthman and is thus the basis of today's Qur'an. Uthman's version, organized the suras roughly in order of length (excepting the brief opening surah Al-Fatiha), with the longest suras at the start of the Qur'an and the shortest ones at the end. More conservative views state that the order of most suras was divinely set. Later scholars have struggled to put the suras in chronological order, and at least among Muslim commentators, there is a rough consensus as to which suras were revealed in Makkan sura Mecca and which at Medinan sura Medina, with distinctive characteristics observed within these two subgroups. Some suras (e.g. surat Iqra) are thought to have been revealed in parts at separate times. To understand the notion of "variants" within the received Qur'anic text, one must understand that Arabic had not yet fully developed as a written language. The Qur'an was first recorded in written form (date uncertain) in the Hijazi, Mashq, Ma'il, and Kufic scripts; these scripts write consonants only and do not supply vowels. (Imagine an English text that wrote the word 'bed' as "BD," and required the reader to infer, from context, that the reference was to "bed" - and not to 'bad" or "bide.") Because there were differing oral traditions of recitation as non-native Arabic speakers converted to Islam, there was some disagreement as to the exact reading of many (vowel-free) verses. Eventually, scripts were developed that used diacritical markings (known as ''points'') to indicate the vowels. For hundreds of years after Uthman's recension, Muslim scholars argued as to the correct pointing and reading of Uthman's (unpointed) official text. [http://www.spaceandmotion.com/religion-islam-muslim-islamic-quran.htm The Qur'an (Koran)], ''spaceandmotion.com'', retrieved March 27, 2006 Eventually, most commentators accepted seven variant readings (qira'at) of the Qur'an as canonical, while agreeing that the differences among the seven are minor and do not affect the meaning of the text. The Qur'an early became a focus of Muslim devotion and eventually a subject of theological controversy among sceptics. In the 8th century, the Mu'tazilis claimed that the Qur'an was created in time and was not eternal. Their opponents, of various schools, claimed that the Qur'an was eternal and perfect, existing in heaven before it was revealed to Muhammad. The Ashari theology (which ultimately became predominant) held that the Qur'an was uncreated. Most Muslims regard paper copies of the Qur'an with extreme veneration, wrapping them in a clean cloth, keeping them on a high shelf, and washing as for prayers before reading the Qur'an. Old Qur'ans are not destroyed as wastepaper, but burned. Most Muslims memorize for personal contact at least some portion of the Qur'an in the original language. Those who have memorized the entire Qur'an are known as ''hafiz'' (plural ''huffaz''). This is not a rare achievement; it is believed that there are millions of huffaz that are alive today. From the beginning of the faith, most Muslims believed that the Qur'an was perfect only as revealed in Arabic. Translations were the result of human effort and human fallibility, as well as lacking the inspired poetry believers find in the Qur'an. Translations are therefore only commentaries on the Qur'an, or "translations of its meaning", not the Qur'an itself. Many modern, printed versions of the Qur'an feature the Arabic text on one page, and a vernacular translation on the facing page.

Organization

Religious authority
There is no official authority who decides whether a person is accepted into, or dismissed from, the community of believers, known as the ''Ummah'' ("family" or "nation"). Islam is open to all, regardless of race, age, gender, or previous beliefs. It is enough to believe in the central beliefs of Islam. This is formally done by reciting the ''shahada'', which should be made sincerely from the heart, the statement of belief of Islam, without which a person cannot be classed a Muslim. It is enough to believe and say that one is a Muslim, and behave in a manner befitting a Muslim to be accepted into the community of Islam.

Islamic Law
{{main|Sharia}} The Sharia (Arabic for "well-trodden path") is Islamic law, as elaborated by traditional Islamic scholarship. The Qur'an is the foremost source of fiqh Islamic jurisprudence. The second source is the sunnah of Muhammad and the early Muslim community. The sunnah is not itself a text like the Qur'an, but is extracted by analysis of the hadith (Arabic for "report"), or recorded oral traditions, which contain narrations of the Muhammad's sayings, deeds, and actions. Ijma (consensus of the community of Muslims) and qiyas (analogical reasoning) are the third and fourth sources of Sharia. Islamic law covers all aspects of life, from the broad topics of governance and foreign relations all the way down to issues of daily living. Islamic laws that were covered expressly in the Qurâ€™an were referred to as ''hudud'' laws and include specifically the five crimes of theft, highway robbery, intoxication, adultery and falsely accusing another of adultery, each of which has a prescribed "hadd" punishment that cannot be forgone or mitigated. The Qur'an also details laws of inheritance, marriage, restitution for injuries and murder, as well as rules for fasting, charity, and prayer. However, the prescriptions and prohibitions may be broad, so how they are applied in practice varies. Islamic scholars, ''the ulema'', have elaborated systems of law on the basis of these broad rules, supplemented by the hadith reports of how Muhammad and his companions interpreted them. See Sin for further discussion about the concept of sin and its atonement according to the Islamic law. In current times, not all Muslims understand the Qur'an in its original Arabic. Thus, when Muslims are divided in how to handle situations, they seek the assistance of a mufti (Islamic judge) who can advise them based on Islamic Sharia and hadith.

=Apostasy and Blasphemy
= {{main|Apostasy in Islam}} Local Islamic communities may exclude those they regard as apostasy apostates and blasphemy blasphemers. In states following some version of Islamic law, apostasy and blasphemy are sometimes considered crimes against the state and may be punished with execution or exile.

Islamic calendar
{{main|Islamic calendar}} Islam dates from the Hijra, or migration from Mecca to Medina. Year 1, AH (Anno Hegira) corresponds to AD 622 or 622 CE, depending on the notation preferred (see Common era). It is a lunar calendar, but differs from other such calendars (e.g. the Celtic calendar) in that it omits intercalary months, being synchronized only with lunations, but not with the solar year, resulting in years of either 354 or 355 days. Therefore, Islamic dates cannot be converted to the usual CE/AD dates simply by adding 622 years. Islamic holy days fall on fixed dates of the lunar calendar, which means that they occur in different seasons in different years in the Gregorian calendar.

Schools (denominations)
{{main|Divisions of Islam}} Image:Masjidnabawi.jpg Medina.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|300 px|right|Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet), [[Medina..html" title="Meaning of 300 px|right|Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet), [[Medina">thumb|300 px|right|Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet), [[Medina.">300 px|right|Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet), [[Medina">thumb|300 px|right|Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet), [[Medina. There are a number of Islamic religious denominations, each of which has significant theological and legal differences from each other but possess identical essential belief. The major schools of thought are Sunni Islam Sunni and Shi'a, with Sufism considered as a mystical inflection of Islam, but is also referred to as a separate text. According to most sources, present estimates indicate that approximately 85% of the world's Muslims are Sunni and approximately 15% are Shi'a. [http://countrystudies.us/afghanistan/61.htm Sunni and Shia Islam], ''Country Studies'', retrieved April 04, 2006

Sunni
The Sunni are the largest group in Islam. In Arabic, ''as-Sunnah'' literally means '''principle''' or '''path'''. Sunnis and Shi'a believe that Muhammad was a perfect human being, and that they must imitate the words and acts of Muhammad as accurately as possible. In fact, the Qur'an states that the character of Muhammad was a good example to follow. Because of this reason, the Hadith in which those words and acts are described are a main pillar of Sunni doctrine. The understanding that Muhammad (and the Prophets in general) did commit sins does exist among Sunnis. However, the doctrine of sinlessness of Muhammad is also more or less incorporated into Sunnis beliefs. Some Sunni scholars believe that the doctrine of the sinlessness of the Prophets originated with the Shi'a, specifically in connection with the Imamate, and was transmitted to the Sunnis via the Sufis and Mu'tazila. [http://www.usc.edu/dept/MSA/fundamentals/pillars/prophets/sinlessnessofprophets.html The Sinlessness of the Prophets in Light of the Qur'an], by R. Azzam, ''USC-MSA Compendium of Muslim Texts'', March 27, 2000, retrieved March 27, 2006. Shia scholars disagree [http://www.almizan.org/new/article12.asp Are Prophets of Allah not Sinless?], by Ali A. Khalfan, May 07, 2005, retrieved March 27, 2006. Both Shia and Sunni scholars believe that Muhammad was sinless in the sense of transmitting the revelation. Sunnis recognize four legal traditions (madhhabs): Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanafi, and Hanbali. All four accept the validity of the others and Muslims choose any one that he/she finds agreeable to his/her ideas. There are also several orthodox theological or philosophical traditions (kalam).

Shi'ite
Image:Dome_of_the_rock_distance.jpg Dome of the Rock.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|300px|A view of the [[Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a holy site in Islam.html" title="Meaning of right|300px|A view of the [[Dome of the Rock">thumb|right|300px|A view of the [[Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a holy site in Islam">right|300px|A view of the [[Dome of the Rock">thumb|right|300px|A view of the [[Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a holy site in Islam Shi'a Muslims, the second-largest branch, differ from the Sunni in rejecting the authority of the first three caliphs. They honor different traditions (hadith) and have their own legal traditions. Shi'a scholars have a larger authority than Sunni scholars and have greater room for interpretation. The Imams play a central role in Shi'a doctrine. Shi'a Muslims hold that Muhammad, his daughter Fatima and the twelve descendants of Muhammad, the Imams, were all sinless and pure. This is based on Qur'anic verses (such as 33:33) and Hadith narrations such as the Event of the Cloak. The Arabic word Shi'a literally translates into the word 'group' or 'sect'. Originally known as Shi'at Ali (the sect of Ali), the group formed shortly after the death of Ali, in Iraq. Ali ibn Abi Talib was the cousin of prophet Muhammad, and after marriage to Fatima, he also became Muhammad's son-in-law. The Shi'a consist of one major school of thought known as the Ithna 'ashariyah or the "Twelvers", and a few minor schools of thought, as the "Seveners" or the "Fivers" referring to the number of infallible leaders they recognize after the death of prophet Muhammad. The term Shi'a, when used without qualification, is usually taken to be synonymous with the Ithna Ashariyya or Twelvers. Most Shi'a live in Iran, Iraq (the country where Ali passed away), Bahrain, Lebanon, India, Azerbaijan, Yemen and Pakistan. A minority group (about 4 million) of Shi'a is known as Ismaili. The Shia Ismaili branch is subdivided into Nizari Ismaili and Mustaali Bohra subbranches. The Nizari Ismaili or are led by the Aga Khan and are found mainly in Pakistan, Tajikistan, Bangladesh, India, Canada and United States, although the modern day practices of this branch are very different from that of the mainstream Twelvers. The Mustaali Bohra branch is further subdivided into Dawoodi and Sulaimanis subsects. The Dawoodi Bohras are concentrated in Pakistan and India. The Sulaimani Bohras are concentrated in Yemen and Najran province of Saudi Arabia. {{see also|Historic background of the Sunni-Shi'a split}}

Sufism
Sufism is a spiritual practice followed by both Sunni and Shi'a. Sufis generally feel that following Islamic law or jurisprudence (or ''fiqh'') is only the first step on the path to perfect submission; they focus on the internal or more spiritual aspects of Islam, such as perfecting one's faith and fighting one's own ego (''nafs''). Most Sufi orders, or tariqa, can be classified as either Sunni or Shi'a. However, there are some that are not easily categorized as either Sunni or Shi'a, such as the Bektashi. Sufis are found throughout the Islamic world, from Senegal to Indonesia. However, Sufis are often criticised for innovative beliefs and actions, and often find themselves at odds with the Muslim majority.

Others
Wahhabis, as they are known by non-Wahhabis, are a smaller, more recent Sunni group. They prefer to be called Salafis. Wahhabism is a movement founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab in the 18th century in what is present-day Saudi Arabia. They are classified as Sunni and claim to follow (mostly) the Hanbali legal tradition. The major trend, however, is the abolition of these "schools of thoughts" (legal traditions), and the following of Muhammad directly through the study of the sciences of the Hadith (prophetic traditions). The Hanbali legal tradition is the recognized official school of Islamic law in Saudi Arabia and they have had a great deal of influence on the Islamic world because of Saudi control of Mecca and Medina, the Islamic holy places, and because of Saudi funding for mosques and schools in other countries. The majority of Saudi Islamic scholars are considered as Wahhabis by other parts of the Islamic world. Sunni and Shi'a have often clashed. Some Sunni believe that Shiâ€™a are heretics while other Sunni recognize Shi'a as fellow Muslims. According to Shaikh Mahmood Shaltoot, head of the al-Azhar University in the middle part of the 20th century, "the Ja'fari school of thought, which is also known as "al-Shi'a al- Imamiyyah al-Ithna Ashariyyah" (i.e. The Twelver Imami Shi'ites) is a school of thought that is religiously correct to follow in worship as are other Sunni schools of thought". Al-Azhar later distanced itself from this position. Another sect which dates back to the early days of Islam is that of the Kharijites. The only surviving branch of the Kharijites are the Ibadi Ibadhi Muslims. Ibadhism is distinguished from Shiism by its belief that the Imam (Leader) should be chosen solely on the basis of his faith, not on the basis of descent, and from Sunnism in its rejection of Uthman and Ali and strong emphasis on the need to depose unjust rulers. Ibadhi Islam is noted for its strictness, but, unlike the Kharijites proper, Ibadhis do not regard major sins as automatically making a Muslim an unbeliever. Most Ibadhi Muslims live in Oman. Another trend in modern Islam is that which is sometimes called progressive. Followers may be called Ijtihadists. They may be either Sunni or Shi'ite, and generally favor the development of personal interpretations of Qur'an and Hadith. ''See'': Liberal Islam One very small group, based primarily in the United States, follows the teachings of Rashad Khalifa and calls itself the "Submitters". They reject the Hadith and Fiqh, and say that they follow the Qur'an alone. They also consider Khalifa the next prophet after Muhammad (Rashad Khalifa proclaimed himself a prophet). Most Muslims of both the Sunni and the Shia branches consider this group to be heretical. Some Muslims, however, will reject Khalifa's prophet status but will also reject both the Fiqh and the Hadith.

Religions based on Islam
The following consider themselves Muslims but acceptance by the larger Muslim community varies: :* The Druze :* The Alawites (Alnusairiya) The following groups consider themselves Muslims, but are not considered Islamic by the majority of Muslims or Muslim authorities: :* The Nation of Islam (based in the United States) :* The Zikris :* The Ahmadiyya Movement (also called Qadiani) :* The Al-Ahbash (also called Habashies / AICP) The following religions are said by some to have evolved or borrowed from Islam, in almost all cases influenced by traditional beliefs in the regions where they emerged, but consider themselves independent religions with distinct laws and institutions: :* Yazidi :* BÃ¡bÃs BÃ¡bÃsm (now called Bayanis) :* BahÃ¡'Ã Faith ::The claim of the adherents of the BahÃ¡'Ã Faith that it represents an independent religion was upheld by the Muslim ecclesiastical courts in Egypt during the 1920s. As of January 1926, their final ruling on the matter of the origins of the BahÃ¡'Ã Faith and its relationship to Islam was that the BahÃ¡'Ã Faith was neither a sect of Islam, nor a religion based on Islam, but a clearly defined, independently founded faith. This was seen as a considerate act on the part of the ecclesiastical court and in favor of followers of BahÃ¡'Ã Faith since the majority of Muslims regard a ''religion based on Islam'' as a heresy. The following religions might have been said to have evolved from Islam, but are not considered part of Islam, and no longer exist: :* The religion of the medieval Berghouata :* The religion of Ha-Mim

Islam and other religions
{{main|Islam and other religions}} The Qur'an contains injunctions to respect other religions. It also asks the followers to fight and subdue unbelievers in times of war and "evict them whence they evicted you" (Al-Qur'an 2:191). Some Muslims have respected Jews and Christians as fellow "peoples of the book" (monotheists following Abrahamic religions), while others have reviled them as having abandoned monotheism and corrupted their scriptures. At different times and places, Islamic communities have been both intolerant and tolerant. The classical Islamic solution was a limited tolerance — Jews and Christians were to be allowed to privately practice their faith and follow their own family law. They were called Dhimmis, and they had fewer though similar legal rights and obligations than Muslims. According to the Qur'an (Sura 9:29), dhimmis were to pay a special tax called Jizya, to their Islamic rulers, in exchange for protection and tolerance. The medieval Islamic state was often more tolerant than many other states of the time, which insisted on complete conformity to a state religion. The record of contemporary Muslim-majority states is mixed. Some are generally regarded as tolerant, while others have been accused of intolerance and human rights violations. See the main article, Islam and other religions, for further discussion.

History
{{main|History of Islam}} Islamic history begins in Arabia in the 7th century with the emergence of Muhammad. Within a century of his death, an Islamic state stretched from the Atlantic ocean in the west to central Asia in the east, which, however, was soon torn by civil wars (fitnas). After this, there would always be rival dynasties claiming the caliphate, or leadership of the Muslim world, and many Islamic states or empires offering only token obedience to an increasingly powerless caliph. Nonetheless, the later empires of the Abbasid caliphs and the Seljuk Turks were among the largest and most powerful in the world. After the disastrous defeat of the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, Christian Europe launched a series of Crusades and for a time captured Jerusalem. Saladin, however, restored unity and defeated the Shiite Fatimids. From the 14th to the 17th centuries, one of the most important Muslim territories was the Mali Empire, whose capital was Timbuktu. In the 18th century, there were three great Muslim empires: the Ottoman empire Ottoman in Turkey, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean; the Safavid in Iran; and the Mogul in India. By the 19th century, these realms had fallen under the sway of European political and economic power. Following WWI, the remnants of the Ottoman empire were parcelled out as European protectorates or sphere of influence spheres of influence. Islam and Islamic political power have revived in the 20th century. However, the relationship between the West and the Islamic world remains uneasy.

Contemporary Islam
Image:Islam by country.png CIA.html" title="Meaning of thumb thumb|right|300px|Countries with Muslim populations over 5% of total (after the 2004 [[CIA World Factbook and other sources). Green represents a Sunni majority and red represents a Shia majority..html" title="Meaning of right|300px|Countries with Muslim populations over 5% of total (after the 2004 [[CIA">thumb|right|300px|Countries with Muslim populations over 5% of total (after the 2004 [[CIA World Factbook and other sources). Green represents a Sunni majority and red represents a Shia majority.">right|300px|Countries with Muslim populations over 5% of total (after the 2004 [[CIA">thumb|right|300px|Countries with Muslim populations over 5% of total (after the 2004 [[CIA World Factbook and other sources). Green represents a Sunni majority and red represents a Shia majority. Although the most prominent movement in Islam in recent times has been fundamentalism fundamentalist Islamism, there are a number of liberal movements within Islam, which seek alternative ways to align the Islamic faith with contemporary questions. {{citation needed}} Early Sharia had a much more flexible character than is currently associated with Islamic jurisprudence, and many modern Muslim scholars believe that it should be renewed, and the classical jurists should lose their special status. This would require formulating a new fiqh suitable for the modern world, e.g. as proposed by advocates of the Islamization of knowledge, and would deal with the modern context. One vehicle proposed for such a change has been the revival of the principle of ijtihad, or independent reasoning by a qualified Islamic scholar, which has lain dormant for centuries. This movement does not aim to challenge the fundamentals of Islam; rather, it seeks to clear away misinterpretations and to free the way for the renewal of the previous status of the Islamic world as a centre of modern thought and freedom. (See Modern Islamic philosophy for more on this subject.) Many Muslims counter the claim that only "liberalization" of the Islamic Sharia law can lead to distinguishing between tradition and true Islam by saying that meaningful "fundamentalism", by definition, will eject non-Islamic cultural inventions — for instance, acknowledging and implementing Muhammad's insistence that women have God-given rights that no human being may legally infringe upon. Proponents of modern Islamic philosophy sometimes respond to this by arguing that, as a practical matter, "fundamentalism" in popular discourse about Islam may actually refer, not to core precepts of the faith, but to various systems of cultural traditionalism.

The demographics of Islam today
{{main articles|Islam by country and Demographics of Islam}} Based on the percentages published in the 2005 CIA World Factbook ([http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/xx.html "World"]), Islam is the second largest religion in the world. According to the [http://www.wnrf.org/news/trends.html World Network of Religious Futurists], the [http://www.religioustolerance.org/growth_isl_chr.htm U.S. Center for World Mission], and the controversial Samuel P. Huntington Samuel Huntington, Islam is growing faster numerically than any of the other major world religions. [http://www.religioustolerance.org/isl_numb.htm Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance] estimate that it is growing at about 2.9% annually, as opposed to 2.3% per year global population growth. Non-Muslim observers attribute this growth to the higher birth rates in many Islamic countries (six out of the top-ten countries in the world with the highest birth rates are majority Muslim [http://www.nationmaster.com/graph-T/peo_bir_rat&int=10 Stats > People > Birth rate > Top 10], ''NationMaster.com'', retrieved March 27, 2006). A recent demographic study, however, has determined that the birth rates of some Muslim countries are plummeting to the levels of western countries [http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Front_Page/GH23Aa01.html "The demographics of radical Islam"], by Spengler, ''Asia Time Online'', August 23, 2005, retrieved March 27, 2006. The most exact calculations estimate Islamic population to be a little over 1.3 billion. Commonly cited estimates of the Muslim population today range between 900 million and 1.4 billion people (cf. [http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html Adherents.com]); estimates of Islam by country based on U.S. State Department figures yield a total of 1.48 billion, while the Muslim delegation at the United Nations quoted 1.2 billion as the global Muslim population in September 2005. Only 18% of Muslims live in the Arab world; 20% are found in Sub-Saharan Africa, about 30% in the South Asian region of Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, and the world's largest single Muslim community (within the bounds of one nation) is in Indonesia. There are also significant Muslim populations in China, Europe, Central Asia, and Russia. France has the highest Muslim population of any nation in Western Europe, with up to 6 million Muslims (10% of the population [http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/fr.html#People France], ''CIA - The World Factbook'', January, 2006, retrieved March 27, 2006). Albania is said to have the highest proportion of Muslims as part of its population in Europe (70%), although this figure is only an estimate (see Islam in Albania). The number of Muslims in North America is variously estimated as anywhere from 1.8 to 7 million.

Symbols of Islam
{{main|Islamic symbols}} Muslims do not accept any icon or color as sacred to Islam, as worshipping symbolic or material things is against the spirit of monotheism. Many people assume that the star and crescent symbolize Islam, but these were actually the insignia of the Ottoman Empire, [http://islam.about.com/library/weekly/aa060401a.htm Crescent Moon: Symbol of Islam?], by Huda, ''About'', retrieved April 01, 2006 not of Islam as a whole. The color green is often associated with Islam as well; this is custom and not prescribed by religious scholars. However, Muslims will often use elaborately calligraphed verses from the Qur'an and pictures of the Ka'bah as decorations in mosques, homes, and public places. The Quranic verses are believed to be sacred.

See also
{{Further|:Category:Islam List of Islamic and Muslim-related topics}} {| |- style="vertical-align: top;" | * Adhan (also called azan or aazan) * Christo-Islamic * Criticism of Islam * Dawah * Du'a * Ihsan * Jinns * Islamic economics * Islamic feminism * Islamic literature * Islamic studies * List of converts to Islam * List of Muslims * Timeline of Islamic history * Religion |}

References

- Encyclopedia of Islam Online Edition * Arberry, A. J. ''The Koran Interpreted: a translation by A. J. Arberry''. Touchstone, ISBN 0684825074 * Kramer, Martin. ''The Islamism Debate''. University Press, (1997) ISBN 9652240249 * Kurzman, Charles. ''Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook''. Oxford University Press, (1998) ISBN 0195116224 * Rahman, Fazlur. ''Islam''. University of Chicago Press; 2nd edition, (1979) ISBN 0226702812 * Safi, Omid. ''Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender and Pluralism''. Oneworld Publications, (2003) ISBN 1-85168-316-X * Tibi, Bassam. ''The Challenge of Fundamentalism: Political Islam and the New World Disorder''. Univ. of California Press, (1998) ISBN 0520088689

External links
{{wikiquote}}

Academic sources

- Encyclopedia of Islam (Overview of World Religions)
- Resources for Studying Islam (Department of Islamic Studies, University of Georgia)
- Unit on Islam from the NITLE [http://arabworld.nitle.org/index.php Arab Culture and Civilization Online Resource]

Directories
*Islam in [http://wwwuser.gwdg.de/~mriexin/euroislam.html Western Europe], [http://wwwuser.gwdg.de/~mriexin/UKIslam.html the United Kingdom], [http://wwwuser.gwdg.de/~mriexin/DIslam.html Germany] and [http://wwwuser.gwdg.de/~mriexin/sasislam.html South Asia]
- Inter-Islam (Categorised Articles, Books, Audio and Software in a number of languages)

Islam and the arts, sciences, & philosophy

- Islamic Art (Los Angeles County Museum of Art)
- Muslim Heritage (Foundation for Science Technology and Civilisation, UK)
- Islamic Architecture (IAORG) illustrated descriptions and reviews of a large number of mosques, palaces, and monuments.
- Islamic Philosophy (Journal of Islamic Philosophy, University of Michigan)
- Famous Muslim scientists & scholars Category:Islam Category:Religious faiths, traditions, and movements {{Link FA|he}} {{Link FA|pt}} {{Link FA|ru}} af:Islam ar:Ø¥Ø³Ù„Ø§Ù… an:Islam ast:Islam bg:Ð˜Ñ?Ð»Ñ?Ð¼ ba:Ð˜Ñ?Ð»Ð°Ð¼ be:Ð†Ñ?Ð»Ð°Ð¼ bn:à¦‡à¦¸à¦²à¦¾à¦® bs:Islam br:Islam ca:Islam cv:Ð˜Ñ?Ð»Ð°Ð¼ cs:IslÃ¡m cy:Islam da:Islam de:Islam et:Islam el:Î™ÏƒÎ»Î±Î¼Î¹ÏƒÎ¼ÏŒÏ‚ es:Islam eo:Islamo eu:Islam fa:Ø§Ø³Ù„Ø§Ù… fr:Islam gl:Islam ko:ì?´ìŠ¬ëžŒêµ? haw:HoÊ»omana Mohameka hi:à¤‡à¤¸à¥?à¤²à¤¾à¤® à¤§à¤°à¥?à¤® hr:Islam io:Islamo ilo:Islam id:Islam ia:Islam is:Ã?slam it:Islam he:×?×¡×œ×?×? jv:Islam kw:Islam sw:Uislamu ku:ÃŽslam la:Religio Islamica lv:IslÄ?ms lt:Islamas li:Islam ln:Islamu jbo:musyjda hu:IszlÃ¡m mk:Ð˜Ñ?Ð»Ð°Ð¼ ms:Islam nl:Islam ja:ã‚¤ã‚¹ãƒ©ãƒ æ•™ no:Islam nn:Islam ps:Ø§Ø³Ù„Ø§Ù… pl:Islam pt:IslÃ£o ro:Islam ru:Ð˜Ñ?Ð»Ð°Ð¼ sh:Islam simple:Islam sk:Islam sl:Islam sr:Ð˜Ñ?Ð»Ð°Ð¼ su:Islam fi:Islam sv:Islam ta:à®‡à®¸à¯?à®²à®¾à®®à¯? tt:Ã?slam th:à¸¨à¸²à¸ªà¸™à¸²à¸à¸´à¸ªà¸¥à¸²à¸¡ vi:Há»“i giÃ¡o tr:Ä°slam uk:Ð†Ñ?Ð»Ð°Ð¼ ur:Ø§Ø³Ù„Ø§Ù… yi:×?×™×¡×œ×?×? zh:ä¼Šæ–¯å…°æ•™ {{portal}} {{sisterlinkswp|Category:Islam}} {{catmore}} {{CategoryTOC}} This :Category category is for articles related to Islam, the world's second largest religion. Category:Monotheism Category:Abrahamic religions Category:Eastern culture Category:Western culture Category:Middle Eastern culture Category:Religious faiths, traditions, and movements af:Kategorie:Islam ar:ØªØµÙ†ÙŠÙ?:Ø¥Ø³Ù„Ø§Ù… ast:CategorÃa:Islam bg:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸Ñ?:Ð˜Ñ?Ð»Ñ?Ð¼ be:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚Ñ?Ð³Ð¾Ñ€Ñ‹Ñ?:Ð†Ñ?ÑŒÐ»Ñ?Ð¼ bs:Category:Islam cs:Kategorie:IslÃ¡m da:Kategori:Islam de:Kategorie:Islam et:Kategooria:Islam es:CategorÃa:Islam eo:Kategorio:Islamo eu:Kategoria:Islama fr:CatÃ©gorie:Islam ko:ë¶„ë¥˜:ì?´ìŠ¬ëžŒêµ? hr:Kategorija:Islam io:Category:Islamo id:Kategori:Islam is:Flokkur:Ã?slam ka:áƒ™áƒ?áƒ¢áƒ”áƒ’áƒ?áƒ áƒ˜áƒ?:áƒ˜áƒ¡áƒšáƒ?áƒ›áƒ˜ ku:KategorÃ®:ÃŽslam lt:Kategorija:Islamas lb:Category:Islam mt:Category:Islam ms:Kategori:Islam nl:Categorie:Islam ja:Category:ã‚¤ã‚¹ãƒ©ãƒ æ•™ no:Kategori:Islam nn:Kategori:Islam pl:Kategoria:Islam pt:Categoria:IslÃ£o ro:Categorie:Islam ru:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ð¸Ñ?:Ð˜Ñ?Ð»Ð°Ð¼ sk:KategÃ³ria:Islam sl:Kategorija:Islam fi:Luokka:Islam sv:Kategori:Islam tt:TÃ¶rkem:Ã?slam th:Category:à¸¨à¸²à¸ªà¸™à¸²à¸à¸´à¸ªà¸¥à¸²à¸¡ tr:Kategori:Ä°slam uk:ÐšÐ°Ñ‚ÐµÐ³Ð¾Ñ€Ñ–Ñ?:Ð†Ñ?Ð»Ð°Ð¼ vi:Thá»ƒ loáº¡i:Há»“i giÃ¡o zh:Category:ä¼Šæ–¯å…°æ•™ {| class="toccolours" id="WSerie_Islam" cellpadding="1" width="160px" style="float: right; margin: 0 0 0.5em 1em; text-align:center; border: 1px solid #007f00; font-size: 90%;clear:right;" |Part of the series on
'''Islam'''
Image:Mosque02.svg 100px
'''History of Islam''' |- | style="color:#ffffff; background-color:#007f00;"|'''Aqidah Beliefs and practices.html" title="Meaning of Beliefs and practices">Beliefs and practices''' |- | TawhÄ«d Oneness of Islamic concept of God God
Shahadah Profession of Faith
Salat Prayer • Sawm Fasting
Hajj Pilgrimage • Zakat Charity |- | style="color:#ffffff; background-color:#007f00;"|'''List of Muslims Major figures.html" title="Meaning of Major figures">Major figures''' |- | Muhammad
Ali • Abu Bakr
Sahaba Companions of Muhammad
Ahl al-Bayt Household of Muhammad
Prophets of Islam |- | style="color:#ffffff; background-color:#007f00;"|'''List of Islamic texts Texts & Laws.html" title="Meaning of Texts & Laws">Texts & Laws''' |- | Qur'an • Hadith • Sharia
Fiqh Jurisprudence • Kalam Theology
Sira Biographies of Muhammad |- | style="background-color:#007f00;"|'''Divisions of Islam Branches of Islam.html" title="Meaning of Branches of Islam">Branches of Islam''' |- | Sunni Islam Sunni • Shi'a Islam Shi'a • Sufism Sufi
|- | style="color: white; background-color:#007f00;"|'''Muslim culture Sociopolitical aspects.html" title="Meaning of Sociopolitical aspects">Sociopolitical aspects''' |- | Islamic studies Academics • Islamic philosophy Philosophy
Islamic art Art • Islamic science Science
Islamic architecture Architecture • List_of_holy_cities#Islam Cities
Islamic calendar Calendar • Muslim holidays Holidays
Women in Islam • Islamic religious leaders Leaders
Political aspects of Islam Politics • Jihad • Liberal movements within Islam Liberalism
|- | style="color: white; background-color:#007f00;"|'''See also''' |- | List of Islamic terms in Arabic Vocabulary of Islam
:Category:Islam Index of articles on Islam |- |} fr:ModÃ¨le:SÃ©rie Islam see Islam {{purge|Purge server cache}} {{browsebar}}

{{/box-header|Selected article|Portal:Islam/Featured article|}} {{Portal:Islam/Featured article}} {{/box-footer|History of Islam Read more...}} {{/box-header|Selected picture|Portal:Islam/Featured picture|}} {{Portal:Islam/Featured picture}} {{/box-footer| :Featured_pictures More featured pictures...}} {{/box-header|Selected scripture|Portal:Islam/Featured scripture|}} {{Portal:Islam/Featured scripture}} {{/box-footer|}} {{/box-header|Did you know...|Portal:Islam/Did you know|}} {{Portal:Islam/Did you know}} {{/box-footer|}} {{/box-header|Selected Muslim|Portal:Islam/Selected Muslim|}} {{Portal:Islam/Selected Muslim}} {{/box-footer|Al-Ghazali Read more...}} {{/box-header|Selected Location|Portal:Islam/Selected Location|}} {{Portal:Islam/Selected Location}} {{/box-footer|Medina Read more...}} {{/box-header|Wikiprojects|Portal:Islam/Wikiprojects|}} {{Portal:Islam/Wikiprojects}} {{/box-footer|}}

{{/box-header|Categories|Portal:Islam/Categories|}} {{Portal:Islam/Categories}} {{/box-footer|}} {{/box-header|Things you can do|Portal:Islam/Things you can do|}} {{Portal:Islam/Things you can do}} {{/box-footer|}} {{/box-header|More Links|Portal:Islam/Templates|}} {{Portal:Islam/Templates}} {{/box-footer|}}

Category:Portal:Religion Islam Category:Islam * Category:Islamic scholars Category:Mosques Category:Muslims de:Portal:Islam nl:Portaal:Islam tr:Portal:Ä°slÃ¢m

*** Shopping-Tip: Islam