elfurqan.com – Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centered on the Quran and the teachings of Muhammad, the religion’s founder. Islam is a revelation religion among other religions (Christianity and Judaism), and Islam is also a closing religion after several other revelation religions before Islam taught their followers to recognize God, but then lost their purity.
This means that from the seventh century since Islam was conveyed by Prophet Muhammad until now, the beginning of the 21st century, Islam is guaranteed by God to be the perfect religion, and there will be no other religion that precedes it except the inevitable apocalypse. Islam was conveyed by Prophet Muhammad around the years 570 – 632 AD in the Arabian Peninsula, or the 7th century AD.
The spread of Islam was carried out by God Himself over a period of twenty-three years (610 – 632). The meaning of the word Islam is “submission,” meaning complete submission to Allah in human life. The affirmation that humans must submit can be seen in Surah Az-Zariyat, 51:56. “And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me.
” As for the name taken by Muhammad’s followers for their religion, it is taken from Allah’s word in Surah Al-Maidah, 5:3, “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.”
As for Islam, the name of its holy book can be seen in the contents of the Quran, Surah Al-Isra (17:9), along with various other surahs with the name Al-Quran, which literally means “recitation.” The first revelation received by Prophet Muhammad was in the year 610 AD, in his seclusion at the peak of Jabal Nur (Mountain of Light), located approximately 7 miles from the city of Mecca.
The Holy Quran is divided into 114 surahs, each surah consisting of collections of verses. The entire contents of the Holy Quran consist of 6,666 verses. The longest surah, consisting of 286 verses, is Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow) 2:1-286. The shortest surah, consisting of only 3 verses, is Surah Al-Kawthar (Abundance) 108:1-3.
Of the 114 surahs, they are divided into: first, Makkiyah, which are collections of verses revealed to Muhammad during his preaching in the city of Mecca over a period of thirteen years (610-622). The emphasis of its contents is to establish faith. Second, Madaniyah, which are collections of verses revealed to Muhammad during his leadership in religious and social matters in the city of Medina over a period of ten years (622-632). The emphasis of its contents is to establish Sharia, which is a collection of laws governing worship and life conduct.
During his time in Mecca and Medina, Prophet Muhammad had scribes (“assistants”) who voluntarily recorded every verse revealed to him as needed. The Holy Quran was not revealed all at once but gradually over a period of 23 years in response to the changing circumstances. Among the many scribes of Prophet Muhammad were Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, Umar Ibn Khattab, Uthman ibn Affan, Ali Ibn Abi Talib, and others.
Initially, the verses of the Quran were written on palm leaves thinly peeled to a certain size and arranged by thread, and some on parchment. When Prophet Muhammad passed away in the year 11 H / 632 AD, these collections of records were kept in the possession of the Prophet’s widow, Hafsah bint Khattab.
These collections were preserved during the two-year reign of Caliph Abu Bakr and during the ten-year reign of Caliph Umar ibn Khattab. During these 12 years, the Islamic empire expanded to Arabia, conquered the Persian empire, and various territories of the Eastern Roman Empire.
On one hand, many of the Muhajirin and Ansar had died or fallen in battle defending Islam. The number of Prophet’s companions known as Al-Huffadz (those who memorized the Quran) decreased. It was feared that the Al-Huffadz in Medina would diminish further, especially as they became more dispersed.
Therefore, during the reign of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan (644-656 AD), a committee was formed under the leadership of Zaid ibn Thabit to compile (codify) the Holy Quran from the collections of records kept in the possession of the Prophet’s widow, Hafsah bint Khattab.
Then, during each governor’s term in the Islamic empire, official copies of the Holy Quran, stamped with the seal of approval from Caliph Uthman ibn Affan, were distributed or sent to them. This is what is known until now as the Mushaf-Uthman.
Today, some of these manuscripts are still well preserved in various museums around the world. Among them is one in the Tashkent Museum in the Soviet Union. Another manuscript was gifted by the Sultan of Turkey to Emperor Wilhelm II (1888-1918) of Germany.
So, unlike the scriptures of various other religions, Islam up to this day possesses authentic manuscripts of its holy book that originate from the time of Prophet Muhammad. Therefore, not a single letter of the contents of the Quran will undergo any changes over such a long period, from the 7th century to the present 21st century.
In Islam, besides referring to the Quran as the primary source, there is also another reference for Muslims called the Hadith. The Hadith contains statements of the Prophet, actions of the Prophet, and silent approvals from the Prophet regarding the actions of the Sahaba (companions) that were not rebuked.
The Islamic world until now recognizes the existence of eight compilations of Hadith, which were actively collected and compiled by visiting various Islamic regions during their lifetimes. Among these figures are: (1) Imam Malik ibn Anas, (2) Muhammad Al-Bukhari, (3) Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj, (4) Abu Dawud Al-Sijistani, (5) Abu Isa Al-Tirmidhi, (6) Ibn Majah Al-Qazwini, (7) Ahmad Al-Nasa’i, (8) Ahmad Al-Baihaqi.
These eight figures have criteria for screening each Hadith they include. Al-Bukhari and Muslim have very stringent criteria. Therefore, the Hadith declared “authentic” by these two figures hold strong positions compared to Hadith from other figures.
In Islam, every collection of Hadith is not included in the holy scriptures. However, every Hadith deemed authentic, whose content does not contradict the content of the Quran, can be used as a source for legislation, whether related to social conduct, commerce, warfare, and others.
Faith in Islam is a belief trusted with the whole soul and heart. In Islam, there are six pillars of faith (belief) that every Muslim must believe in. These six pillars are: (1) Faith in Allah, believing that Allah exists. (2) Faith in the messengers, every Muslim is also required to believe in the messengers of Allah. (3) Faith in the books of Allah, every Muslim is required to believe that every nation in the past was also given the books of Allah, such as the Torah for Moses, the Psalms for David, the Gospel for Jesus, but all these books have been manipulated by human hands,
Therefore, for the followers of Muhammad, the Quran is the book of Allah, and until the end of time, it is the authentic book of Allah. (4) Faith in the angels, every Muslim is required to believe in the existence of angels, spiritual beings who constantly glorify Allah. (5) Faith in the Day of Judgment,
Every Muslim is required to believe that the universe will one day experience destruction and annihilation, followed by the Day of Resurrection (Qiyamah). (6) Faith in destiny and predestination, qadha and qadar mean decree and determination, meaning the decree and determination of Allah towards His creatures.
Besides the pillars of faith, Islam also has another set of pillars called the Five Pillars of Islam, which consist of five practices. These pillars mean “supports”, and this analogy can be illustrated in every building that requires several supports to stand firmly. In Islam, in order for it to stand firm and strong, five supports are needed, namely five obligations that involve devotion and must be fulfilled by every Muslim.
These five things are: (1) Shahada, the declaration of faith, which every Muslim must make as a pillar of faith. (2) Prayer (Salat), a devotion performed by every Muslim five times a day at five specified times. (3) Fasting, abstaining from food and drink for approximately twelve hours during the day, and also refraining from any prohibited behavior.
Fasting lasts continuously for a month during the month of Ramadan every year. (4) Zakat, obligatory charity imposed on every type of wealth and service, which is income, and the amount has exceeded a certain limit (al-Nisab). (5) Performing Hajj, a Muslim is obligated to make a pilgrimage to the holy land, namely Mecca Al-Mukarramah, and there perform various acts of devotion. Such as Tawaf around the Ka’bah, Sa’i between the hills of Safa and Marwah, standing at Arafah, stoning the pillars at Mina, and others.
The expansion of Islamic power that began in the 7th century AD grew rapidly and immediately succeeded in controlling certain territories. This success was not solely due to coincidence but because the Muslims at that time, with guidance from the Quran and directly led by Prophet Muhammad, Islam had become a strong and formidable force politically, economically, and militarily, feared by its opponents.
At that time, Muslims were greatly benefited by having a leader who could lead both worldly and religious matters directly, and this system is called Imamat (religious leadership). Prophet Muhammad himself at that time served two functions in Medina, namely Prophethood and Imamat.
Then after the death of Prophet Muhammad, this Imamat was taken over by the Khulafaur-Rashidin (632-661 AD), consisting of Caliph Abu Bakr Siddiq, with a term of office from 632-634 AD, Caliph Umar ibn Khattab from 643-644 AD, Caliph Uthman ibn Affan from 644-656 AD, and Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib from 656-661 AD.
During the reign of the Khulafaur Rashidin, Islamic power expanded and controlled the former territories of the Persian empire, as well as various territories of the Roman empire such as Palestine, Syria, Egypt, and Libya. The Khulafaur-Rashidin, with their center of power in the capital city of Medina Al-Munawarah, were later replaced by the Umayyad Caliphate (661-750 AD), which was centered in the city of Damascus.
During the Umayyad Caliphate, the Islamic power extended from the Tian Shan mountains in the East to the Pyrenees mountains in the West, including the southern regions of France and the northern regions of the Italian peninsula (Savoy and Lombardy). This was a vast territory under a centralized authority. Later, the Umayyad Caliphate was succeeded by the Abbasid Caliphate (750-1258 AD), with its capital in Baghdad.
At a time when Islam was still limited to the social sphere of the Arabian Peninsula, and Islamic culture had not yet been influenced by external cultures (acculturation), the faith of the Muslim community in Arabia at that time was very devout, steadfast, or very strong. In the sense that their faith was placed above all else, even reason.
For example, although the Quran contains the phrase “the hand of God” (fatah, 48:10), it is not questioned by reason but fully believed with the conviction that “God is not like anything. What is meant by His hand and other attributes, only God knows best.” This similar path of faith is called the salaf movement, meaning the early movement. In other words, reason submits to the revelation of God.
However, when the external influences (acculturation) became strong, such as the absorption of Greek, Syriac, Pahlavi, and Sanskrit works into Arabic, and when dialogues between different religions took place before the caliphs in Baghdad, the Khalaf movement emerged, meaning the later movement.
From then on, all religious issues began to be questioned and discussed, and reason began to interpret the position of revelation. With such a climate, other movements were born, such as the Jabariah, Iktizal, Alkalam, and Philosophical movements in Islamic history. And each of these movements was built and developed by its prominent figures.
As a result of this formation, both the impact within and the impact of external culture on the old Islamic tradition (Shalaf), then accumulated into the emergence of two major sects in the journey of Islam, and other sects on a smaller scale, although not significant and not long-lived for their existence.
The three sects are as follows: first; the Shia sect, which developed in Iran and the valleys of Iraq. The Shia sect is characterized by its great reverence for Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib and his descendants. Ali ibn Abi Talib was the cousin of Prophet Muhammad, raised and nurtured by Prophet Muhammad, and then married to his daughter named Fatimah Al-Zahra.
From this marriage, Ali ibn Abi Talib had two sons named Hasan and Husayn. Hasan and Husayn are the grandsons of Prophet Muhammad. However, the veneration of the Shia sect then became more dominant in honoring the descendants from the line of Husayn, the youngest grandson of the Prophet.
Second; the Sunni sect, which is the largest group of followers throughout the Islamic world, including in Iraq and Iran. The Sunni sect is usually referred to as the community of Ahlu Sunnah Wal Jam’ah. The characteristic that distinguishes this sect from the Shia sect is that the Sunni sect does not deify any figures, but adheres firmly to the Quran and the Sunnah. The Sunni sect holds that Ali ibn Abi Talib was not the chosen one (Al-Washi).
Third, the Kharijite sect; a group characterized by independence and spread throughout the hinterland of Arabia. They do not recognize the Caliphate of Ali, the Umayyad Caliphate, and the Abbasid Caliphate. The Kharijite sect holds that they alone are pure Muslims, and all others are considered infidels, according to them.
This Kharijite group during the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates often caused chaos and developed their own teachings, and they were also divided into several groups. Later, the Kharijite group could be eliminated from their influence on society. The Kharijite group is also known for their asceticism, devotion to worship, simple living, fanaticism for Islam, and they strongly oppose the lifestyle of the rulers of the Caliphate.
To create a uniform Muslim society towards legal obedience, the legal sources in Islam are derived from four types: first; the source from the Quran. Second; the Hadith. Third; Al-Qias, which is an analogical interpretation of a problem that does not yet have a law with a case that already has a law.
By considering similarities and extracting laws based on capability. Fourth, Al-Ijmak; which is the agreement of legal experts on a case, based on the decisions of the court regarding the same case.
In the history of the Islamic community, especially among Sunni followers, there are four respected figures as the greatest legal experts. And these four became schools of thought with their respective characteristics that influenced the whole world, and they had certain regions as their dominant influence.
Such as the Hanafi School of thought, which was founded by Abu Hanifah Nu’man ibn Thabit (born in Kufa in 80 AH / 699 CE and died in 150 AH / 768 CE). His school of thought is widely spread in India, Pakistan, Turkey, Central Asia, and China. Second; the Maliki School of thought; founded by Malik ibn Anas ibn Malik ibn Abiamir (born in Medina in 93 AH / 715 CE and died in 179 AH / 795 CE), his school of thought spread in North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Spain or Portugal, and West Africa.
Third; the Shafi’i School of thought, founded by Muhammad ibn Idris ibn Abbas ibn Uthman ibn Shafi Al-Shafi’i (born in Gaza within the territory of Ascalon, Palestine in 150 AH / 767 CE, and he died in 204 AH / 817 CE). His school of thought is spread in Egypt, Syria, East Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Fourth; the Hanbali School of thought, founded by Ahmad ibn Hanbal ibn Hilal Al-Shaybani (born in the city of Marw, Khurasan, in 164 AH / 780 CE, and he died in Baghdad in 242 AH / 855 CE). His school of thought is widely spread in the Arabian Peninsula.
After the golden era achieved by Islam during the time of the Prophet and his companions, who organized the community with the guidance of the Quran and the Sunnah, Islam also achieved glory and advancements in knowledge, science, and technology gradually, so Islam at that time became the dominant force over others.
However, the greatness and power of Islam that lasted for centuries, starting from the 7th century, also eventually faced a very sad fate. In the years 1162-1227 CE, the Mongol people under the leadership of Genghis Khan invaded various Islamic bases, including the regions of Central Asia.
Then, under the leadership of his grandson Hulagu Khan in 1217-1265 CE, they sacked Baghdad in 1258 CE, leading to the end of the Abbasid Caliphate. Additionally, there were also Crusader invasions from the West (1096-1270 CE), where they committed horrific massacres wherever they went.
The downfall of Islamic power in the Middle East aroused a sense of despair and desolation among Muslims, urging them to rise again. As a refuge from this internal pressure and desolation, at that time, all Muslims threw themselves into the mystical world, seeking spiritual solace through mystical practices blended with Islamic teachings.
It was under such conditions that various Sufi orders flourished within the Islamic world. Among them, the Naqshbandi Order was founded by Muhammad ibn Bahauddin Al-Naqshbandi. He was born in the village of Naqshband near Bukhara in 1317 CE and died in 1389 CE. Second; the Qadiri Order, founded by Abdul Qadir Al-Jilani (1077-1166 CE), born in Iraq.
Third; the Mevlevi Order, founded by Jalaluddin Al-Rumi (1207-1273 CE), born in Balkh (Central Asia) and died in Konya. Fourth; the Rifai Order, founded by Ahmad Al-Rifai Al-Husaini (1118-1183 CE), born in the village of Hasn, Iraq. Fifth; the Shadhili Order, founded by Abu Hassan Ali Al-Shadhili (1178 CE), born in Egypt. Sixth; the Akbari Order, founded by Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi Al-Andalusi (1165-1240 CE), from Seville and died in Damascus. Among the Sufi orders mentioned above, there are also many local ones.
The ascetic lifestyle of the Sufis turned away from worldly matters (neglecting worldly needs during their lives) and devoted their lives to worship according to the methods of each Sufi order based on their beliefs.
During the seven centuries of Islamic power, Philosophy and Science also flourished. Thus, other great and important figures emerged, such as in philosophy, Al-Kindi, Al-Razi, Al-Farabi, Ibn Sina, Al-Ghazali, Ibn Khaldun, and many others. In the field of Science, other important figures were also born, such as Al-Khwarizmi, Al-Battani, Ibn al-Haytham, Al-Biruni, and many more.
It’s no wonder that at that time, the whole world regarded Islam as the focal point of knowledge, and Islam dominated the world because of the excellent knowledge of the Muslim community.
At that time, Europe was still in the Dark Ages, living in ignorance and poverty due to their centuries-long ignorance. When they (Europeans) realized their ignorance, their subsequent efforts were to translate all the knowledge produced by Islamic scholars into Latin in the 13th and 14th centuries CE.
The impact of this effort to translate knowledge eventually led them out of the Dark Ages, towards a period they called the Renaissance in the European hemisphere.
The collapse of Islamic power also resulted in the decline of Muslims worldwide, one of the triggering factors being when “forbidden fatwas” were issued by Muhyiddin Al-Nawawi, Ibn Shilah, and Ibn Taymiyyah, regarding the study of logic (Al-Mantıq).
Whoever studied this science among Muslims was strictly prohibited. Thus, since then, the intellectual activities of the Muslim world ceased (the state of mental stagnation, static) within the Islamic world. And from then on, it was the turn of Muslims to experience a dark age and decline.
On one side, Islam experienced a decline, while at the same time, Europe was actively learning from Islam. This happened in the 13th century CE, and after that, Islam never produced enlightened figures again.
Then, a breath of fresh air blew towards the 19th century, starting with the movement of renewal in the Islamic world, initiated or echoed by Jamaluddin Al-Afghani, Muhammad Abduh, and Rashid Rida. These figures then spoke out loudly from their exile in the city of Paris, through step-by-step efforts.
And their efforts were so loud that they reached various figures in Egypt, Turkey, Iran, India, Indonesia, and the whole world. The efforts of these figures then showed tangible results of improvement. Gradually, a new spirit was heard in the steps of the Muslim world towards the peak of enlightenment.
Finally, Muslims rose in various movements against superstitions and opposed the absurd forbidden fatwas, allowing Muslims to wake up from their long slumber. This event began in the early 20th century CE, and over time, it expanded and gained more victories until now. Nowadays, the Muslim community is no longer in a state of ignorance, and there is no longer any prohibition of “forbidden” knowledge.
