A.  Muhammad was born in Mecca, Arabia in 570 AD. He was an orphan at 6 years old and was raised by his uncle who traced his line back to Ishmael – the son of Abraham and Hagar. He became a merchant/trader and married a successful businesswoman when he was in his 20’s.

At 40 he went to the desert outside Mecca (Mt. Hira) and received the first revelation from the angel Gabriel. He was told to memorize and recite what became the first verses of the Quran – which means recitation. These revelations continued for 23 years and form the Quran.

He believed he may have been delusional or demon-possessed and consulted a friend of his wife’s – a Christian – who assured him he was not and was a prophet.

Three years later he began preaching the message of one God and his role as prophet. Islam means voluntary submission to God and the worship of one God alone.

Why one God? Up to that time, Arabia was polytheistic and tribal. Each tribe had its own god or goddess. Some say there were as many as 360 statues of gods represented at the Kaaba in Mecca. While there were many gods, there was one supreme god – Allah. He was a remote deity who was more like Zeus. He was supreme compared to the other gods but not the only God.

He was persecuted in Mecca by his fellow merchants and rival tribes but was protected by his powerful uncle. When his uncle died he moved to Medina with 75 followers. There he displayed his genius for uniting warring tribes and parties. He brought together Christians, Jews and Muslims.

In 630 at age 60 he conquered non-Muslim Mecca with 10,000 troops and destroyed all the statues of gods in the Kaaba – which is now the most holy shrine in Islam. According to tradition, it was built by Abraham and Ishmael and houses the most sacred relic – the black stone. Muslims trace it back to Adam and Eve.

He died in 632 and is buried in Medina. His last words were “there cannot be two religions in Arabia.” Not a wealthy man, he died with seven coins in his purse.

B.  Ironically, Islam split into two parties at his death. The Shia sect (those who followed Ali – his earliest convert after his wife and his son-in-law) and the Sunni sect (those who followed Abu-Bakr and the dictates – sunnah – of Muhammad) That split exists today with 90% of Muslims being Sunni and 10% being Shiite. Both follow Shariah law (called the Path in the Quran) that governs civil and criminal justice as well as regulating individual personal and moral conduct.

C.  So what are the core beliefs of Islam? There are six of them.

1.  God is One. “He is God, the One and Only God, the Eternal Absolute. He begetteth not, nor is He begotten and there is none like unto Him.” The purpose of our existence is to worship Him. There are no intermediaries and no priests or clergy. Nothing comes between the individual and God. He is the creator and He is personal. The top five names of God in Islam are: The one who is compassionate and gracious, the one who is merciful, the one who is King, the one who is holy, pure and perfect, the one who is the source of peace, the Savior.

2.  There are angels. While the most important angel is Gabriel who delivered the Quran there are many others – angels and archangels.

– Rafael blows the trumpet at the end of time.
– Azrael is the angel of death.
– There are personal angels: One writes down good deeds and the other bad deeds for the book of judgment. Each person has a protector who keeps them from death until the appointed time. There are angels who question the dead in their graves, maintain the order of the world, govern hell, torment sinners and watch over paradise.

3.  Revelations. There have been many prophets and each spoke a word from God with a particular message for a particular time. Two of those are the Torah from Moses and the gospel from Jesus – called Isha. (When Islam speaks of the gospel it does not mean the written Gospels. Both the Torah and Gospels have been corrupted. It means the revelation of Jesus and his message to the Jews) However, the Quran is the final revelation and the last Word from God.

4.  Prophets. God sent different prophets in different times to different people but with the same message – the message of Islam. Worship God alone. Avoid sin and idolatry. Even Jesus was a prophet of Islam who foretold the coming of Muhammad. Many Jewish figures were prophets – Adam, Noah, Abraham, Ishmael, Moses, David and even John the Baptist. However, the only prophet with a message for all of mankind is Muhammad. He is the universal prophet. He is not the founder of a new religion but the final messenger with the completed word of God that started with Adam. He is not a reformer, like Luther. Islam is not new. It is the fulfillment of all the revelations and prophets that preceded Muhammad.

5.  Resurrection and Judgement. Every human – Muslim and non-Muslim – is accountable for their deeds and will be judged by God. There are some interesting parallels here.

i. Timing is not known.
ii. Belief in Muhammad and good works are the requirements of salvation.
iii. The earth will be destroyed and a new earth created.
iv. The dead will be resurrected and judged.
v. The righteous will be in heaven and the sinners in hell (There is no mention of 72 virgins in paradise. It is described as a garden where every wish will be fulfilled, everyone will be the same age (33) and it will be a life of bliss).

(There are major signs of the end that are interesting. First will come the appearance of the false messiah. Second will be the appearance of Gog and Magog. Third, the appearance of the beast. Fourth, three huge earthquakes. Fifth, the smoke will cover the earth for 40 days and nights. Sixth, the rise of the Mahdi to restore Islam. He will stay on earth for several years and will rid the world of wrongdoing, injustice and tyranny. Seventh, the return of Jesus from heaven. (According to Islam, Jesus did not die but was taken to heaven alive) Finally, the sun will appear to rise from the West.)

6.  Finally, predestination. God has exact knowledge of all events and He has determined the exact span of our lives. There is still free-will but all within the overall will of God.

D.  What are the core practices of Islam? These are called the five pillars of Islam.

1. Recite the shahad – the testimony or confession. There is no God but God and Muhammad is the messenger of God.
2. Pray five times a day – pre-dawn, noon, late afternoon, sunset and evening before bed.
3. Charitable giving. This is not voluntary giving. That is over and above. This is required. It is 2.5% of all wealth after deducting expenses.
4. The fast of Ramadan. These are 29 days to observe the month in which the Quran was first delivered to the Prophet. Fast from dawn to dusk and break the fast in the evening.
5. The Hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca is required for everyone, if possible, once in your lifetime. It is to go to the Kaabad and remember Abraham and Ishmael at a particular time each year.

This year it is November 4-9. There are other pilgrimages but not required like this one.

Bernard Lewis said of Muhammad – “For him, religion was not a private and personal matter but the total response of his personality to the total situation in which he found himself.” He changed the whole society and in doing so has changed the world.

Jihad – struggle. The struggle to maintain faith. The struggle to improve Muslim society. The struggle to defend Islam.