|
Serving
Students at
Santa Ana
College and
Santiago
Canyon College
United Arab Emirates
Religion
|
Religions:
Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%. The official
religion is Islam. The authorities permit worship of other religions.
There are Christian churches and Hindu temples in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and
Sharjah.
Religion
Islam
is both a religion and a complete way of life for a fifth of the world's
population. One billion people from a vast range of races, nationalities
and cultures across the globe, from the southern Philippines to Nigeria,
are united by their common Islamic faith. About 18% live in the Arab
world; the world's largest Muslim community is in Indonesia; substantial
parts of Asia and most of Africa are Muslim, while significant minorities
are to be found in the Soviet Union, China, North and South America, and
Europe. Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy, and forgiveness,
and the majority have nothing to do with the extremely grave events which
have come to be associated with their faith.
Most of
the citizens of the U.A.E. are Sunni Muslims who adhere to the Maliki legal
tradition.
The degree
of religious freedom afforded non-Muslims is generally greater in the U.A.E.
than in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. For example, non-Muslims are permitted
to worship but not to proselytize. There are several large Christian
churches and schools in the U.A.E., primarily in Dubayy and Abu Dhabi.
Muslims
believe in One Unique, Incomparable God; in the Angels created by Him;
in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to mankind; in
the Day of Judgment and individual accountability for actions; in God's
complete authority over human destiny and in life after death. Muslims
believe in a chain of prophets starting with Adam, including Noah, Abraham,
Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, Elias,
Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus. Muslims believe God's final message
to man was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through Gabriel. An individual
may become a Muslim simply by saying 'there is no god apart from God, and
Muhammad is the Messenger of God.' By this declaration the believer
announces his or her faith in all God's messengers, and the scriptures
they brought.
Muslims
worship God not Muhammad. The Arabic word 'Islam' simply means 'submission',
and derives from a word meaning 'peace'. In a religious context it means
complete submission to the will of God. 'Allah' is the Arabic
name for God, which is used by Arab Muslims and Christians alike.
Religion
does not dominate everyday life in the West today and for this reason Islam
may seem extreme in the modern world. Muslims have religion always
uppermost in their minds, and make no division between secular and sacred.
They believe that the Divine Law, the Shari'a, should be taken very seriously.
Islam
and Christianity Origins
Together
with Judaism, Islam and Christianity go back to the prophet and patriarch
Abraham, and their three prophets are directly descended from his sons,
Muhammad from the eldest, Ishmael, and Moses and Jesus from Isaac.
Abraham established the settlement, which today is the city of Makkah,
and built the Ka'abah towards which all Muslims turn when they pray.
The
Ka'abah
The Ka'abah
is the place of worship which God commanded Abraham and Ishmael to build
over four thousand years ago. The building was constructed of stone
on what many believe was the original site of a sanctuary established by
Adam. God commanded Abraham to summon all mankind to visit this place,
and when pilgrims go there today they say 'At Thy service, O Lord', in
response to Abraham's summons.
Muhammad
Muhammad
was born in Makkah in the year 570, at a time when Christianity was not
yet fully established in Europe. Since his father died before his
birth, and his mother shortly afterwards, he was raised by his uncle from
the respected tribe of Quraysh. As he grew up, he became known for
his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after
for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. The historians describe
him as calm and meditative. Muhammad was of a deeply religious nature,
and had long detested the decadence of his society. It became his
habit to meditate from time to time in the Cave of Hira near the summit
of Jaba al-Nur, the 'Mountain of Light' near Makkah.
At the
age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad received his
first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation,
which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the Qur'an.
As soon as be began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel, and to preach
the truth which God had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers
suffered bitter persecution which grew so fierce that in the year 622 God
gave them the command to emigrate. This event, the Hijra, 'migration',
in which they left Makkah for the city of Madinah some 260 miles to the
north, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
After
several years, the Prophet and his followers were able to return to Makkah,
where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively.
Before the Prophet died at the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia was
Muslim, and within a century of his death Islam had spread to Spain in
the West and as far East as China.
Among
the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of Islam was the simplicity
of its doctrine. Islam calls for faith in only one God worthy of
worship. It also repeatedly instructs man to use his powers of intelligence
and observation.
Within
a few years, great civilizations and universities were flourishing, for
according to the Prophet, 'seeking knowledge is an obligation for
every Muslim man and woman'. The synthesis of Eastern and Western
ideas and of new thought with old, brought about great advances in medicine,
mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, literature,
and history. Many crucial systems such as algebra, the Arabic numerals,
and also the concept of the zero (vital to the advancement of mathematics),
were transmitted to medieval Europe from Islam. Sophisticated instruments
which were to make possible the European voyages of discovery were developed,
including the astrolabe, the quadrant and good navigational maps.
The
Qur'an
The Qur'an
is a record of the exact words revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel
to the Prophet Muhammad. It was memorized by Muhammad and then dictated
to his Companions, and written down by scribes. The Suras 114 chapters
have not been changed over the centuries so that the Qur'an is in every
detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammad fourteen
centuries ago. The Qur'an, the last revealed Word of God, is the
prime source of every Muslim's faith and practice. It deals with
all the subjects which concern us as human beings: wisdom, doctrine,
worship, and law, but its basic theme is the relationship between God and
His creatures. At the same time it provides guidelines for a just
society, proper human conduct and an equitable economic system.
Other
Sacred Sources
The Sunna,
the practice and example of the Prophet, is the second authority for Muslims.
A Hadith is a reliably transmitted report of what the Prophet said, did,
or approved. Belief in the Sunna is part of the Islamic faith.
'God has
no mercy on one who has no mercy for others'. 'None of you truly
believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself'.
'He who eats his fill while his neighbor goes without food is not a believer'.
'The truthful and trusty businessman is associated with the prophets, the
saints, and the martyrs'. 'Powerful is not he who knocks the other
down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger'.
'God does not judge according to your bodies and appearances but He scans
your hearts and looks into your deeds'. 'There is a reward for kindness
to every living thing'. (From the Hadith collections of Bukhari,
Muslim, Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi)
Five
Pillars' of Islam
The five
pillars of Islam are the framework of the Muslim life. They are faith,
prayer, concern for the needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to
Makkah for those who are able.
The Holy
Month of Ramadan is received with great religious fervor in the Islamic
world. Religious and social traditions during Ramadan have remained
unchanged, linking Muslims of today with their ancestors. The dates
of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Hijra, vary due to the lunar calendar,
falling approximately 11 days earlier each year. The first sighting
of the crescent moon announces the beginning of the fast.
Ramadan
When the
Prophet Mohammed first left Mecca for Medina, he fasted for three days.
In the month of Ramadan every Muslim fasts from dawn to dusk and requires
total abstinence from food, drink and tobacco,; it is one of the five pillars
of Islam. Exemption are made for the sick, travelers, and nursing
and pregnant women, who fast the number of days missed at a later date.
Elderly and children below the age of puberty are exempt. Ramadan
is not only a month of "moral abstinence," but it also has the social virtue
of creating new bonds of understanding between classes of people; the fast
is practiced by both the rich and the poor. The prophet Mohammed
said that "... whoever fasts during the month of Ramadan with sincere faith
and hoping only reward from God Almighty will have his past sins forgiven."
Muslims
in America
In 1947
the Washington Islamic Center was founded during the term of President
Truman, and several nationwide organizations were set up in the fifties.
The same period saw the establishment of other communities whose lives
were in many ways modeled after Islam. More recently, numerous members
of these groups have entered the fold of Muslim orthodoxy. Today
there are about five million Muslims in America.
Links
to More Information
World Religions
.
U.S.
Department of State: Background Notes
Central
Intelligence Agency
World Religions |
