Islam is Arabic for “submission” (to the will of God). It is the name given by Moslems to their religion. Approximately one-fifth of the world’s population is Muslim. Muhammad is regarded as the last of the great prophets. To him God gave a book, the Qur’an, or Koran (as God gave the Torah to Moses), and revealed himself to humankind through that book. Muslims believe that their religion was the one revealed to all the prophets. Islam is a way of life, with every aspect exhaustively examined, with thorough guidelines. There is also a belief in an afterlife, as detailed as the present life. This afterlife is written about in both the Qur’an and the Hadith (the sayings of Muhammad).
When he was forty years old, Muhammad spent a night in a cave, where he was visited by the Angel Gabriel, or Jibril. There he received the first of the communications from Allah. These contacts continued for twenty-three years. The words he received, Muhammad recited at Ramadan (the ninth month of the Muslim calendar), in the year 610 c.e. Every year thereafter, at that time, he would recite all that he had received. It has been said that Islam owes everything to Muhammad, because of his profound religious insight, his organizational talent, and his political leadership.
The early forging of Islam in effect attacked the polytheism that predated it, bringing in a form of monotheism. However, as with Christianity’s inability to completely erase Paganism, so Islam was unable to completely eradicate the worship of stones, trees, and nature. Today, relics and fetishes are in constant demand, and ancient places of worship are now ascribed to saints and prophets.
Star & Crescent
Adopted as the symbol of Islam in the fourteenth century, this waxing moon (associated with Diana) was used first and then the star was added later, as a symbol of divinity and sovereignty. In ancient Asia, the crescent moon represented the barque of Sin, the Babylonian moon-god.
Hand of Fatima
Named after Muhammad’s daughter, the Hand of Fatima represents the Five Pillars of Islam; the five fundamentals: faith, prayer, pilgrimage, fasting, and charity. Also, the thumb represents the Prophet, the first finger is the Lady Fatima, the second finger is her husband, Ali, and the third and fourth fingers are their sons Hasan and Husain.