Islam’s Middle East Dynamics
Islam is the second-largest religion in the world after Christianity. It is monotheistic and one of the Abrahamic faiths, which refers to God as “Allah.” The term “Islam” means peace through submission to God. With the notion of “None to be worshipped but Allah,” Muslims believe that Allah is a supreme being and the creator of everything in the universes. The religion regards the Quran as the holy book, which guides their way of life. The purpose of this paper is to describe the historical foundations of Islam and the current relations with other religious communities in the Middle East. The paper also establishes the goals and objectives of the religion.
Historical Foundations
The founder of Islam is Prophet Muhammad, who was born in the city of Mecca in central Western Arabia – currently known as Saudi Arabia. The believers in this religion are known as Muslims in the Arabic language. Further, the religion upholds the belief in the oneness of God and the prophethood of Muhammad, who is said to be the last prophet of Allah. The religion emerged in the early 7th century through revelations made to Prophet Muhammad by Allah (Green, 2019). Muhammad received the revelations through Archangel Gabriel while meditating in a cave on the summit of Mount Hira, which constitutes to the Quran –the Islamic holy book. The prophet remained confided to his wife, close family, and friends until later after two years when he set off his public preaching. Although the prophet’s close relatives stood to deny his teachings, some chose to follow them and consequently spread them to the entire country (Green, 2019). Apparently, every generation built faith in the claims made by their predecessors hence establishing a better and updated version of the truth regarding the belief in one God. The Quran constitutes the principles of Allah and his relationship with human beings.
An essential element in the Quran is that God is all-powerful, without a partner, and equals to no-one. The religion has two significant subdivisions, which are Shi’a and Sunni, which differ in their approaches to maintaining religious authority. Islam is founded on the Five Pillars, which form the religion’s fundamental practices. They include ritual prayer, fasting, the hajj, the zakat, and the ritual profession of faith (Bashir, 2018). Muslims are majorly characterized by their commitment in five times a day prayer and observance of the fasting known as Ramadan. The core sacred places observed by Muslims are Medina, Mecca, and Jerusalem. The mosques are the gathering places for Islam worship, and the religion rapidly spread in the Arabian Peninsula and has a significant influence in Europe, Africa, Asia, and America. The core purpose of human life, as defined in the Quran, is to worship Allah. Worship in Islam is revered as a critical concept that urges human beings to be conscious of God in their daily living (Bashir, 2018). As such, worship provides the framework that leads people into a virtuous and balanced life.
Current Practices/Relations with Other Religious Communities in the Middle East
The Middle East is dominated by the Abrahamic religions, which are Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. However, Islam constitutes the largest religion, with an occupancy of approximately 44% of the region. As such, these religions share some values and norms. The relations of these religions are largely shaped by the theologies and beliefs found in each historical circumstances under which they established. The relations of these religions are primarily based on religious identity, linguistic behavior, and cultural heritage. In this regard, the conflation between ethnic and religious identity is a common challenge faced in the Middle East (Knysh, 2016). As a result, the Arabs are generally paralleled as Muslims, obliterating the existence of both Jewish and Christian Arabs. Importantly to note, there are Arabs who thoroughly practice the Arab culture, yet belong to Christianity or Judaism religion, as opposed to a frequent association with the Islam religion.
A critical tool to analyze the relations between Islam and the two Abrahamic religions in the Middle East is the placement of behaviors and ideas in specific geographical and temporal contexts. The interpretation of the past visions and historical events in each religious’ context plays a vital role in distinguishing Islam from other religions. For instance, the Islam uses the Quran to mark its conduct and identity from other religions. The Christians and Jews, too, use their religious teachings to distinguish their identity from that of the Islam. Importantly, the historical interactions of the Islam and other religions in the Middle East play an essential role in shaping its constituency, and the others’. Additionally, while the critical concept of the Islam is peace, for Christianity is love, and the adherents of these religions hold communal crusades to discuss their differences (Knysh, 2016). In this regard, religious harmony and unity are enhanced in this region.
Goals and Objectives for the Future of Religion.
The Islamic religion is based on Islamic law (Sharia law) and hence has various goals and objectives for the future. Sharia law has been overly translated and hence deriving different applications. Numerous activists and scholars are currently focusing on reforming the Sharia law to revolutionize people’s perceptions concerning Islamic beliefs (Knysh, 2016). Consequently, religion aims to derive and apply new Islamic law, using the ancient methodology.