The major beliefs of Muslims are that God, who is called Allah by them, is One and has no equal or associates. This oneness or Unity of God is called “Tawhid’ in Islam. Together with ‘Tawhid’, Muslims believe that Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger or ‘Rasul’ of Allah.
This requires a rather long answer. Among those who have faith in an Almighty God, it is universally believed, irrespective of religion and sect, that whenever God wanted to deliver a message to mankind, He sent it through a designated person chosen by Him and these persons have been called prophets. All of the Abrahamic religions adhere to this nature of deliverance and so does Hinduism as the sayings of their ancestral geneses were compiled to form the base of the four Vedas, though its followers have given names like avatars and mahatmas and their mutations subsequently. The messages, thus, delivered became the base of the formation of all existing religions.
Against this background, what needs to be understood is that the messages, which became traditions, were passed orally by word of mouth for thousands of years from generations to generations before they were finally compiled and written down on a piece of paper or parchment and the sources and contents were so many and enormous that the written manuscripts were in volumes. Then these volumes were condensed to form the sanctioned or ‘canonised’ scripture of a particular religion. The Pentateuch and Old Testament of the Jews and the New Testament or Bible of Christians followed the same course. The scriptures of the Hindus have not been condensed into a single book, but the actual tenets of the ‘dharam’ are contained in the Vedas and these, too, were written down after at least a thousand years of oral transmission. What is to be noted here is that a holy script is expected to contain the words and ways of The Almighty who deputed His messengers to spread His words. And it is difficult to comprehend that The Almighty would instruct something that was not only divergent with each other and far from reality but, later on, also proved to be scientifically inaccurate. As such, it was expected that fundamentally all of the Holy Scriptures would convey, more or less, the same meanings and information and would also stand the test of times. However, some dissimilarities crept in which were basically due to the manner in which the revelations were preserved, transmitted, translated and recorded. In the primordial circumstances of those eras the chances of distortions and modifications were many and inevitable. Moreover, the scribes who wrote these texts, years after they were revealed, were under the influence of pre-existing theological views and their social and cultural dispositions had not completely erased. Though all of the scriptures originated from the words of the same God, differences came in because, as said above, there was a certain degree of human element in their compilations and that led to errors and dissimilarities. As such, The Almighty had to keep on deputing men to correct the faults that crept in over the years as medium of preservation of the messages were not secured till the time written manuscripts at first instant became possible.
In comparison, the Quran is the only Holy Scripture, the verses of which were written as they were being revealed over a period of 23 years. Ever since the first copy of the entire book was written, not a single word has changed, and even after 1400 years none of the information contained in its verses have proved to be scientifically inaccurate. Thus, the Muslims believe that the need for the arrival of another prophet will not arise because the final words of God is already in hand and it is intact in the form of the Quran the verses of which were revealed for the entire mankind.
A widely held belief about the origin of the universe is the Big Bang theory which occurred between 13.8 to 18 billion years ago. Then it took about 10 billion years for planet Earth to form and cool down for habitation. This is the scientific view. Islamic view, as given in the Quran, does not differ and, as a matter of fact, it goes on to describe origin of earth and life on it quite vividly.
Humanity has many sides – physical, emotional, social, moral, mental and spiritual. One of these aspects cannot be neglected for the benefit of others. Islamic teachings exhorts mankind for the establishment of a healthy society in which a material, moral and spiritual environment is created so that man gets the chance to develop his potentialities in harmony with God’s plan of creation. The Islamic concept of God as the Creator, Nourisher and Sustainer of all people and nations demolishes all barriers of race, colour and geography and welds mankind into one family.
Anyone who believes in One God alone and does not associate anyone or anything with His Omnipotent attribute and believes Prophet Muhammad to be God’s messenger is a Muslim. The Quran states that Jesus, Moses, Isaac, Ismail, Abraham, Noah and Adam and the rest of the prophets were believing men and, in fact, it goes on to say that they were Muslims, even though Quran was revealed long after all of them had departed from the world. So Allah knows best what it takes to be a Muslim.
Kafir is derived from the Arabic word ‘kufr’, which means to hide or cover something. Thick clouds are also called kafir because they cover up bright sunshine. In theistic terms, a kafir is someone who rejects or does not agree to a dictum. For instance, socialists and capitalists are kafirs for each other. In Islamic terminology those who believe in the Unity of God and do not associate anyone or anything with Him are considered as Muslims or believers in Islam. But that does not mean that all non-Muslims are to be automatically considered as kafirs. At the same time, it has to be asserted, that Allah has given the free will to man to choose what he may and there is no compulsion in matters of faith. Therefore, no one has the right to discredit anyone who does not believe in the Unity of God or in His prophets and vice versa.
One of the connotations of the word Islam is peace. The customary greetings of Muslims for fellow beings is ‘assalaam alai kum’, which means may peace be with you. Again, when a Muslim takes the name of a prophet he/she adds the words ‘may peace be upon him’. Therefore, peace is the central essence of Islam and the primary purpose of this religion is to establish peace among family, friends, neighbourhood, nations and the world.
This is a much hyped and maligned word because due to a vicious propaganda initiated by the West, people, in general, have formed a stereotyped meaning of Jihad. The correct meaning of the word and its implications should be searched in light of the teachings of Quran as well as the Hadiths (The traditions related to Prophet Muhammad). In Arabic language ‘jihad’, is a single word substitute for an action in which an effort or struggle is made to achieve something. As such, the connotations of this word adapts according to a situation. At one instant Prophet Muhammad had said that the greater jihad was to curb our own desires, ego, selfishness, lust, greed and anger. While the Quran has specified that the greatest jihad is to speak the truth if up against an oppressive and ruthless ruler.
However, there is another form of jihad which is known as al-Qital Jihad and it works as a necessary armed resistance or self-defence in the face of aggression. This kind of jihad came about for the first time when the small band of the earliest followers of Islam were relentlessly persecuted and attacked by the Quraish tribes of Mecca for three years and they had to ultimately migrate from Mecca to Medina to get away from the oppression. But the Quraish tribes even then did not relent and collected together to attack the Muslims in Medina. At that stage the Quranic verses were revealed that permitted the Muslims to fight back in defence. “Permission (to fight) is given to those against whom war is being wrongfully waged – and, verily, God has the power to help them – those who have been driven from their homelands unjustly, for no other reason except that they say: ‘Our Lord is Allah!” (Quran 22; 39-40)
Therefore, Jihad is an eternal phase of human life. It takes various forms in different circumstances, and one of those forms is war against injustice and untruth.
Hillel, a scholar of the Mishnah school of Jewish thought had said, “Do not do unto others what you don’t want others to do unto you.”
Years later, Jesus had said, “Do unto others what you want others to do unto you.”
And then the Quran says, “Those who are merciful will be shown mercy by the Most Merciful. Be merciful to those on the earth and the One above the heavens will have mercy upon you.”
Fatwa is an authorized opinion from a religious point of view which is given by a Mufti or a qualified person when somebody seeks for it. It is not a decision of the judge of a court and is, as such, not binding.
Islam provides directions and guidance to its followers on how to lead life. The things which are permitted to perform and eaten are called Halal. Whereas, all of those things which are not allowed are called Haram. For instance, cheating, theft, bribe, extortion, gambling, etc, are those activities which are haram and so is eating flesh of a swine or that of an already dead animal.
As far as meat is concerned, foremost is the procedure of cutting the neck of the permitted animal in a manner that the blood is completely drained out. This procedure is called ‘zabiha’ by Muslims and the Jews call it ‘kosher’. The animals and birds that are permissible or halal can be bracketed as follows.
Besides the above, consumption of liquor and other forms of intoxicants is also prohibited.
This question relates to a social practice, custom and tradition that was prevalent at a particular time in the past. Prophet Muhammad was not the only one who married more than one woman. Among the prophets, Abraham had two wives, namely Sarah and Hajra, Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines, Jacob had four wives, David eight and Moses four , namely, Sofia, Gibshia, Bint Kini and Bint Hubab. As per Encyclopaedia Biblica, a common Jew could keep four wives and a king eighteen.
Among the Christian there are numerous examples of polygamous kings. Right till the 17th century the Christian Church recognised and solemnised polygamy. While the Jews were permitted to have four wives by the Rabbis right until 1950.
In ancient India, polygamy was not only permitted but was also widely practiced. The evidence of this can be found in various religious scripts of the Hindus. At that time there was also no upper limit on the number of women who could be legally wedded. As recently as 1955, the Hindu Marriage Act was passed which prohibited Hindus to marry more than one woman, but there are still quite a few who have married a second one through some fraudulent ceremony and have got away with it.
As such, though the query is discriminatory the fact is that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) married for the first time at the age of twenty-five and as long as his first wife, Khadija, was alive he did not marry any other woman. Then after the age of 55 years, when he was the undisputed ruler, commander-in-chief, chief justice, teacher, trainer and guide of the entire Arabian Peninsula, he married 11 other women at varied stages for personal, tribal and political reasons although this period of his life was extremely strenuous with the responsibilities of his varied roles. Except for two, all of his wives were widows and were above the age of 36 years when he married them. Through these marriages the Prophet strengthened familial ties within his clan, got the support of other tribes and made friendship and allies with distant power heads. His marriage with Jubairiya got for him the support of Bani Mustaliq tribe and their allies; marriage with Safia neutralised a big group of the antagonistic Jews; accepting a Christian woman of Kibti tribe of Egypt as a wife established a political relationship with a powerful Christian ruler. Similarly, marrying the Christian girl, Marium, gifted to him by Emperor Negus earned for him unstinted support and friendship. Umme Habiba was the daughter of Abu Sufiyan, a powerful Arab leader and at one time one of the biggest foes of Prophet Muhammad. His marriage with Umme Habiba not only transformed Abu Sufiyan but his forces too strengthened the army of the Muslims.
In the Quran, a curtain or a screen is referred to as ‘Hijab’. This word has come eight times in the Quran and socially it is supposed to provide dignity and respect to the demeanour of women. This hijab is in various forms and have different names in various parts of the Muslim world. Accordingly, in the Indian peninsular it is a long and flowing robe which covers the entire body and is called ‘burqa’. In Middle-East it is called ‘naqab’, and in Iran it is in the form of a black shawl which covers the upper part of the body while in other Arab nations a robe from shoulder to feet is called ‘abaya’. In South-East Asia a head scarf is worn which is called ‘tudung’ in local language.
In Islam emancipation of women is not an outcome of women’s liberation movement of the West. As an illustration of this statement it should be taken into account that after Prophet Muhammad, the first person to accept Islam as a religion was Khadija, wife of the Prophet, and Hazrat Umar bin Khattab’s sister, Fatimah, who was also one of the earliest converts, played an instrumental role in Hazrat Umar’s decision to accept Islam. Ever since, Prophet Muhammad had kept provision for the social security and fair treatment of women uppermost. During his last sermon to the Muslims, the Prophet had said, “O people, it is true that you undoubtedly have some rights over your women. But they too have some rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His permission…”
As the Quranic verses pertaining to women’s rights and their welfare were revealed the same were readily accepted by the men folks and they changed their attitude accordingly. The Prophet had also told them, “The best among you is the one who is the best man for his wife.” On another occasion he said, “Whoever has been bestowed two daughters by Allah and that person has been kind to them; then they would turn out to be the source for his entry into paradise.”
Thus it can be seen that Islam and Prophet Muhammad had always given special attention and status to women and the Prophet went on to make rape, murder and female infanticide punishable by death. He also pleaded that women should be looked at with modesty; they should not be taken as a financial strain or treated as a plaything.