Historical background of the Islamic faith

Islamaphobia is one of the most catching illnesses of nowadays and on the rise. However, Islamaphobia is caused by an erogenous impression of Islam where people make the mistake of mixing up Islamists with Moslems. Moslems, according to the way I see it, are the true practitioners of historical Islam that had developed throughout the generations but stayed close to religion. Islamism, on the other hand, is a politicized Islam that attempts to constrain the Islam of the Koran to a contemporary political agenda. Knowing more about historic Islam and the underpinnings of the Islamic faith can help us make a distinction between Islamism and between Islam or between Islamists and Moslems.

The following essay provides us with a brief historical background of the Islamic faith as developed by Mohammed, with its principles from the Quran, the five pillars, duties and prohibitions, whilst also explaining the religious ethnic-divisions between Sunni Muslims and Shiite as well as Muslims vs. Arabs and Muslims in general. In the end, it is the aim of this essay to provide a distinction between the various sects of the Muslim faith and attenuate some of the Islamaphobia that, due to prejudice and ignorance, is sweeping the world at the moment.

Birth of Islam

Islam was created by a devout businessman, Mohammed ibn Abdullah, on 17th Ramadan in 610 CE. One night, he awoke to "find himself overpowered by a devastating presence, which squeezed him tightly until he heard the first words of a new Arabs' scripture pouring from his lips" (Armstrong, 2000, p.4). His wife, Khadja, and her cousin, Waraqa ibn Nawfal encouraged him in his revelations, and in 612 he acquired his first converts, Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abu Bakr, and Uthman ibn Affan. Mohammed's teachings recreated Judaism and Christianity, only placing Ishmael, alleged father of the Arabs as the focus.

The new scripture was called the quran (recitation) (Armstrong, 2000), and the new sect would eventually be called Islam (surrender to God). A Muslim was a man or woman who had made this submission to Allah. The Koran's teachings were based around regular prayer (salat), charity (zakat), and the fast of Ramadan. A Muslim community (ummah) was supposed to be compassionate and egalitarian in its distribution of wealth (zakat). It is commendable that hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca be done at least one in one's lifetime, and the shahada (i.e. creed) made up the last of the 5 pillars of Islam. The majority Sunni and the minority Shiites agree on the essential details of these Pillars, although each calls them by different names. There is believed to be one God and Mohammad is the last of various prophets (who included Abraham, Moses and Jesus); the Quran is the unaltered and final revelation of God; and Islamic law touches on every aspect of human life from business to environment and to all minutia of daily human conduct.

The conquest of Mecca, in 630, resulted in the beginning of an expanded Moslem empire, and Mohammed's famous speech, known as the Farewell sermon, abolished the system of traditional blood feuds and disputes and established the fundamentals of a moral, socially concerned society.

When Mohammed died in 632, he had united the tribes of Arabia into a single Arab Muslim religious society led by the Koran and following his example. He was succeeded by Abu Bakr, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, and Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first four caliphs (deputies) who had been among the Prophet's closest companions and who had played a leading role in the formation of Islam. During their reign, expansion of Islam's empire continued unabated, but both Uthma and Ali, two son-in-law's of Mohammed were murdered during this period (Goldschmidt & Davidson, 2007).

The Empire was taken over by the tolerant, successful and powerful Ummayads who expanded Islam as both cultural and scientific center as well as global superpower, and its religion developed via the jurists (faqihs) who turned the narrative phraseology of the Koran into a tangible and practical code of law. In order to codify this law, they collected hadith (reports) about the Prophet and his companions to find out how they had acted in given situations so that their conduct could be modeled upon. Abu Hanifah, legal expert of this period, founded a school (madhhab) of jurisprudence which Muslims still follow today. His teachings were developed by later jurists who founded new madhabs.

The Abbasids period (750-935) that succeeded the Ummayads was characterized by periods of bloodshed interspersed with scholarship and culture represented by famous reulers such as Harun al Rashid and Sueliman the magnificent. Dhimmis (minorities of other religions) participated as equal citizens in this renaissance and Muslim scholars made more scientific discoveries during this time than in the whole of previously recorded history (Goldschmidt & Davidson, 2007). The break between the Shiis (those who considered Ali to be legitimate ruler of the nation) and the Sunnis (those who revered Muhammad and all four rashidun) occurred during this period. Mystic Islam (best known as Sufism), or esoteric groups were born during this period as well as Muslim philosophy.

Today, approximately 80-90% of Moslems are Sunnis whilst 10-20% are Shiites. The key difference between Sunnis and Shiites is that Sunnis believe that the first four caliphs were rightful successors to Mohamed and that caliphs should be chosen by the whole community. The Salafi sect (otherwise notoriously known as Wahabbissm) is an extreme Islamic movement derived from Sunnism. Shiites, on the other hand, believe in the leadership of Imams from Ali, Mohamed's assassinated son-in-law, and that the caliphate is a result of divine will. The Twelver Shiites are one of the several groups that emerged from Shiiism.

Sufism, a mystical, ascetic and very moderate and tolerant derivation, is not considered Islamic by many Moslems (although it, itself, insists that is follows the Koran). Believing that goodness can be found from all religions, Sufism accesses God through the emotions and intuition.

Incidentally, many people erroneously confuse Moslems with 'Arabs', but the latter belong to a country in Saudi Arabia, whereas there are about 1.41-1.57 billion Muslims all over the world in countries that range from Europe to America to sizable communities in South and Central Asia, the Middle East, and in sub-Saharan Africa. All are Moslem due to the fact that they practice their Moslem faith, but are not Arabs since they do not live in Saudi Arabia.

From 1500 -- 1700, Islam seemed invincible. The Safavid Empire was succeeded by the Mogul Empire, which reached its climax under Suleiman the magnificent and then imploded in on itself, leaving the West to take over in 1750.

The alien cultural influence of the West and its imposition of Western values instigated Islamic fundamentalism, one of its founders being Sayid Qutb (1906-1966), who told Moslems to model themselves on Mohammed by separating themselves from mainstream societies, and engaging in a violent jihad where one must convert non-Muslims to Islamic faith. Fundamentalist movements, such as the Taliban, and fundamentalist-inclined individuals, such as Khomeini and Osama ibn Laden, have all been influenced by Qutb where there is a resurgence of a return to alleged traditional Islam, in some countries more radically than in others (Armstrong, 2000).