Islam

The word Islam has roots in ancient words meaning ‘peace’, ‘security’, and ‘allegiance to God’. The faith of Islam was introduced into the world by the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad was dissatisfied with the nature of the religions he encountered on his travels as a young man. He spent long periods in isolation, praying and meditating. In 610CE (Christian Era) the will of Allah (God) was revealed to him by the angel Jibreel (Gabriel) in what is now the Holy City of Mecca. These revelations are recorded in the verses of the Qur’an, or Koran. In 622CE, following increasing persecution by unbelievers, he travelled to the Arab city of Medina. Through a combination of negotiation and military success Muhammad became the most powerful leader in the Arab world. Within 100 years of Muhammad’s death in 632CE, the message of Islam had spread from the Atlantic coast in the west to the borders of China in the east.

There are five basic ‘pillars’ of Islam:

• There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet;
• Prayers must be said five times a day, while facing towards Mecca;
• A Muslim must give generously to the needy;
• Believers must fast during Ramadan, the 9^th month of the Islamic year;
• Believers must try to make at least one pilgrimage to Mecca.

Besides the Qur’an, Islamic law and custom are contained in a body of tradition called the hadith and in the legal code of Shar’ia. Abraham, Moses, and Jesus are generally regarded as earlier prophets in a line that ends with Muhammad. Islamic law forbids gambling, alcohol, the use of illegal substances, and eating pork and other ‘unclean’ foods. Modesty in the style of clothes, particularly for women, is also important in Islamic tradition.

There are two main branches of Islam. Sunni Muslims make up some 90 per cent of believers. Broadly speaking, Sunni Muslims have historically adapted to life alongside a range of other cultures, while maintaining allegiance to the Qur’an and the Hadith. The second main branch consists of Shi’ite Muslims. Shi’ites are led by clerics (religious scholars) called Imams, who generally believe in keeping Islamic culture sealed from all outside influences and cultures. Some Berber groups practise a form of ‘folk Islam’, involving the worship of saint-figures.

The number of Muslims in the world today is estimated at over one billion, making it the second largest world religion after Christianity, and the number of believers is growing. As with all major religions, friction between opposing schools of thought and political groupings can lead to violent conflict. This is the case in Algeria today.

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