Islam teaches that faith must come first and that it cannot be tailored or compromised to fit round secular lives. At the heart of the commitment it demands are the “Pillars of Islam,” a concept shared by all branches of the religion. These pillars—numbers vary between the different Islamic traditions—represent the duties incumbent on every Muslim if they are to lead a good and responsible life in line with Allah’s teaching. They shape the daily lives of the one-billion-plus Muslims worldwide.
Sunnis—who make up around 60 percent of all Muslims—hold that there are five pillars. These are: (1) Shahadah—sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith that “there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah”; (2) Salat—performing five times each day, facing Mecca, the ritual prayers (dawn, noon, midafternoon, sunset, night); (3) Zakat—paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy; (4) Sawm—abstaining from food, drink, cigarettes and sex during daylight hours in the month of Ramadan; and (5) Hajj—making the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca.
Hadith If the Qur’an sets out for Muslims the word of Allah, then the Hadith, the sayings and teachings of Muhammad, enables them to understand and imitate his life and example—which together are known in Islam as the Sunnah. While the Qur’an is roughly equivalent in length to the Christian New Testament, the Hadith stretches to many volumes and is much debated. After its first written versions started circulating, around a hundred years after the Prophet’s death, many unauthorized texts also appeared, claiming to represent Muhammad’s life. Strict rules were then established to decide which of these were authentic. The most revered remains the collection put together by Isma’il al-Bukhari (d.870 CE).
“Take whatever the Messenger gives you, and keep away from what he forbids you.”
Qur’an 59:7
Together the Qur’an, the Hadith and the Sunnah form the basis for Islamic—or Shar’iah—law. Up until the eleventh century, debate was encouraged between scholars as to what should be considered Shar’iah, but such flexibility was subsequently lost, though Islam continues to allow for what it calls istihsan—interpreting the spirit rather than the letter of the law.
The Hadd penalties
In Shar’iah law, Hadd (plural Hudud) laws cover specific crimes—consumption of alcohol, theft, murder, adultery, slander and apostasy. Some Muslims believe that these laws come straight from the Qur’an and therefore have divine sanction. Others argue that they are particular interpretations and represent the most extreme penalty a judge can impose. The real punishment for the offender is the knowledge that he has let Allah down. Drinking alcohol can result in flogging. Theft can be punished by limb amputation. Murder is treated by some Shar’iah jurists on the basis of a life for a life. Flogging is also prescribed for adultery or any form of sexual license, and the Qur’an recommends it for anyone who makes an accusation against a woman that can’t be substantiated by four witnesses (a result, it is thought, of Muhammad’s wife Aisha being falsely accused). In some Islamic societies this law has been turned round so that a woman who accuses a man of rape can be flogged if she can’t find four witnesses to the crime. Finally, regarding apostasy, the Prophet rejected any compulsion in religion, though the Qur’an describes those who repudiate Islam as being under a curse.
Rites of passage A new baby is welcomed into the family of Islam soon after birth by having the call to prayer—used to summon worshippers to the mosque five times a day—whispered into its right ear and the command to rise and worship into its left. Circumcision of male babies—in accordance with the same injunction that Jews find in Genesis, and which makes up part of the Qur’an—takes place at seven days if the child is healthy. As soon as they are able, children start to learn by heart verses from the Qur’an, and by the age of 10 they can participate in fasting.
“To this day, Muslims remain deeply attached to the Shar’iah, which has made them internalize the archetypal figure of Muhammad at a very deep level and, liberating him from the seventh century, has made him a living presence in their lives and a part of themselves.”
Karen Armstrong, 2000
Marriages are often arranged by families, following the custom of centuries, though according to Muhammad’s wife Aisha, the Prophet insisted that the girl must always be consulted. No one should be forced. The marriage ceremony—or nikah—is often a simple affair, conducted by the imam at the mosque, but the walimah—or wedding party—that follows is a public acknowledgment of commitment. Mixed marriages between a Muslim male and a non-Muslim female are accepted in most societies, but the other way round is regarded with less tolerance.
Though a Muslim man may take up to four wives, the Qur’an stresses that he should only do so if his first wife is not upset by it, and if the subsequent wives do not hurt her. The man must also be able to provide materially and emotionally for the wives he takes. A woman may have it written down when she marries that if her husband takes any more wives, she can divorce him. Divorce is accepted in Islam but is regarded with great sadness. The Qur’an states that there is nothing more hateful to Allah on the face of the earth.
There is one verse in the Qur’an (4:34) that does appear to allow wife-beating, but scholars point out that it is in the context of divorce proceedings where the woman has refused to listen to reason. The Prophet, it is further noted, did not use this sanction himself with any of his wives.
The Crusades and Islamophobia
Jerusalem holds a unique place in all three monotheistic traditions. For Muslims it is the third holiest city after Mecca and Medina. In 1099, Christian Crusaders sent by the Pope to defeat the Muslim “infidel” attacked Jerusalem, massacred 30,000 of its largely Muslim inhabitants and set up a Christian kingdom. Not until 1187 were the Crusaders dislodged by Saladin, and it was the end of the thirteenth century before they were driven out of the region altogether. The image of Muslims invoked by popes and Crusaders alike in this period—as uneducated savages, intent on war, inherently violent and intolerant—may have been at odds with actual Islamic practice, but it imprinted itself in the minds of the Christian West with lasting effect.
Islamic calendar There are two principal festivals in the Islamic calendar—Eid ul-Fitr, the feast that breaks the fast at the end of the Ramadan month, and Eid ul-Adha, the feast of sacrifice that occurs during the hajj. Ramadan itself simply means “the ninth month,” and was marked in Arabic culture long before Muhammad. In Islam, it is a time for atonement for sins, for stepping back from the world and concentrating on religion, and for showing patience.
the condensed idea
Faith must come first for Muslims
| timeline | |
|---|---|
| c.635 | Qur’an started after death of Muhammad |
| c.730 | First written versions of Hadith |
| 1096 | First Crusade |
| 1187 | Jerusalem retaken |