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Muslim
*** Shopping-Tip: Muslim
{{Islam}}
''for '''Imam Muslim''', see
Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj''
A '''Muslim''' (
Arabic language Arabic: مسلم) is an adherent of
Islam. Literally, the word means someone who has submitted to the will of
God.
Definition
Most Muslims accept as a fellow Muslim anyone who has publicly pronounced the
Shahada, a ritual declaration of submission to God and assertion that Muhammad is the last prophet.
Muslims describe many Biblical figures, such as
Musa (Moses) and
Isa (Jesus), as Muslims because they submitted completely to God (Allah) and preached his message as
prophets of Islam prophets.
Etymology
The word Muslim is Arabic and is the
agent noun formed from the
causative (Form IV) of the tri-consonantal root S-L-M سلم (be at peace), which is أَسْلَمَ meaning "to submit" or "to surrender". "Muslim" thus means "someone who has submitted" (to the will of God). The plural form is "Muslimeen" (مسلمين) in Arabic and "Muslims" in English. The word Islam is the corresponding abstract noun, meaning "submission" (to God.) "Moslem", an old-fashioned transliteration generally avoided at present, approximates the
Persian language Persian pronunciation of the word; "Musulman" (with various spellings) is based on the corresponding
Urdu language Urdu form.
The Qur'an offers several illustrations of the word's usage, and of the resulting ambiguity in English translation, as exemplified in two translations of
Al-Baqara 127-128:
: (
Marmaduke Pickthall Pickthall) And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): Our Lord! Accept from us (this duty). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower. Our Lord! And make us submissive unto Thee and of our seed a nation submissive unto Thee, and show us our ways of worship, and relent toward us. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Relenting, the Merciful.
: (
Yusuf Ali): And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): "Our Lord! Accept from us (this duty). Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Hearer, the Knower. Our Lord! make of us Muslims, bowing to Thy (Will), and of our progeny a people Muslim, bowing to Thy (will); and show us our place for the celebration of (due) rites; and turn unto us (in Mercy); for Thou art the Oft-Returning, Most Merciful."
Pronunciation and spelling
Until around the late 1980s, the word was commonly spelled ''Moslem''. The spelling has since fallen into disuse. Muslims do not recommend this spelling because it is often pronounced "mawzlem" /{{IPA|mɒzlɛm}}/ which sounds somewhat similar to an Arabic word for "oppressor" (''Za'lem'' in
Arabic language Arabic). The word is pronounced /{{IPA|muslem}}/ in Arabic, but often /{{IPA|mʊzlɪm}}/ in English. The word is now most commonly written "Muslim".
Other words for Muslim
Many English-language writers used to call Muslims ''
Mohammedans'' or ''Mahometans'', meaning "followers of Mohammed," but this terminology is considered incorrect and insulting by Muslims, because Muslims believe it implies that they worship the prophet
Muhammad, contrary to the fundamental principles of Islam itself. This terminology is also seen as too similar to
Christians as followers and worshippers of
Christ. In addition, Muslims believe that the religion of submitting to God (''IslÄ?m'' in Arabic) existed long before the birth of Muhammad, making all the prophets before him "Muslims."
English writers of the 19th century and earlier sometimes used the words Mussulman, Musselman, or Mussulmaun. Variant forms of this word are still used by many Indo-European languages. These words are similar to the French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese words for "Muslim."
Arabic terms used in discussions of Muslim identity
When discussing whether or not someone is a ''real'' Muslim, the following terms may be used by those arguing:
*
Mu'min - believer
*
Fasiq - shameless sinner
*
Munafiq - hypocrite; professes Islam but does not believe in it (one who professes but does not practice is a fasiq)
*
Kafir - neither professes nor believes; an
infidel
Also, one verse in the Qur'an makes a distiction between a
Mu'min and a '''Muslim''':
:(
Rodwell 49:14) ''The Arabs of the desert say, "We believe." (tu/'''
Moh'min min'''oo) Say thou: Ye believe not; but rather say, "We profess Islam;" (a'''
Islam slam'''na) for the faith (
Iman al-e'''eman'''u) hath not yet found its way into your hearts. But if ye obey God and His Apostle, he will not allow you to lose any of your actions: for God is Indulgent, Merciful.
Disagreements
There are some groups that claim to be Muslim, but are not accepted as Muslim by the majority of Muslims. For example, neither Sunni nor Shi'a Muslims accept
Ahmedis as fellow Muslims. Some Sunni regard the
Shi'a and the
Alawite Alawī sects as non-Muslim. There have also been numerous instances in which some Sunnis have declared other Sunnis to be unbelievers, some Shi'a have declared other Shi'a the same.
The act of calling another a ''disbeliever'' is called ''
takfir''.
See also
*
Islam
*
Qur'an
*
Muhammad
*
List of Muslims
Category:Islam
Category:Muslims Muslims
ar:إسلام
cs:Muslimové
da:Muslim
de:Muslim
et:Muslim
es:Musulmán
eo:Islamano
fa:مسلمان
fr:Musulman
it:Musulmano
he:מוסלמי
ja:ムスリãƒ
ko:무슬림
nl:Moslim
ms:Muslim
pl:Muzułmanin
sr:МуÑ?лимани (религија)
sv:Muslim
zh:穆斯林
th:มุสลิม
tl:Muslim
tr:Müslüman
{{Portal}}
See also:
*
Portal:Islam
*
Muslim
*
Islam
Category:Islam
Category:Islam
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