Introduction
The terms “Islam,”"Islamism,” and “Islamic Activist,” are regularly seen in Western commentary without any explanation of their meaning and frequently very inaccurately. The term “Political Islam” in particular arose in direct reaction to the Iranian revolution of 1979, and from its usage one would almost imagine that “Islam” had hitherto been resolutely apolitical. Nothing could be further from the truth and the casual way in which the expression, which is both self-serving and wrong, entered western discourse is an indication of the West’s continued to failure to deal with Muslims on any terms other than its own.
Islam is in fact intrinsically concerned with matters of governance and is thus inherently political. Now that this idea has entered into Western consciousness it has been taken to mean that all Islamic activism is equally political and resolutely anti-Western to boot. Again nothing could be further from the truth. There are major differences between those forms of Islamic activism that emphasise:
- Political activism.
- Missionary activity, and;
- Violence
respectively. What then should we understand by the terms “Islamism” and “Islamic activism?”
Both “Islamism” and “Islamic activism” are best understood as meaning “actively asserting and promoting;
- beliefs,
- prescriptions,
- laws,
- or policies,
believed by Muslims engaged in them to be Islamic in character.”
But first what do we mean by the word “Islam?”
Overview of Islam
In any overview of Islam it is wise to start with Islam’s most important prayer. Al-Fatiha (الفاتحة), "The Opening,"
Sura I, Fatiha, or, “the Opening” is the most important prayer in Islam.. It is recited seventeen times daily in particular during the five regular prayer times. It is also recited when marriage engagements or business deals are contracted. It is powerfully lyrical and its importance cannot be understated in any attempt to understand Islam and Islamic activism. The Fatiha is the first sura because of it sums up the entire content of Islam. It is thus very special both within the Qur’an (Koran) and in the minds of Muslims.
1. bismillah ir-rahman,ir-raheem.
1. In the name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
2. ilhamdoolilah reb el-‘alameen,
2.Praise be to God, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds;
3. irrahman-raheem,
3. The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful;
4. Malek yom id-deen,
4. Master of the Day of Judgement
5. ih-yaka n’aboodoo wuh ih-yaka nest’a-een
5. Thee do we worship, and Thine aid do we seek
6. iddeen-il-siraht il-mustaqeem,
6. Show us the straight way,
7. siraht aletheena anaamta aleihim
7. The way of those on whom Thou hast bestowed Thy Grace,
… gheir il-maghdoobi aleihim
… Those whose (portion)Is not wrath,
… wuh lah il-dohleen.
… And who go not astray.
Islam (الإسلام ‘al-’islām) is a religion with nearly 1.5 billion adherents world wide. Its followers are called Muslims and are predominant in East- and North Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia and Indonesia.
The word ‘Islam’itself is best translated as meaning an existential surrender to God’s will and guidance and has a deeper meaning of peace ’salam’, peace, and ’salama’, safety and security a fact which can be seen from its coming from the Arabic root word “s-l-m”. The same is true of the word “Muslim” (مسلم) which literally translated means a person who has made this existential surrender or acceptance of God’s will.
Islam is an Abrahamic religion and Muslims in common with Jews and Christians, trace themselves back to the Hebrew patriarch Abraham.
Islam itself was proclaimed by a prophet called Muhammad [b circa 571 - d 632 June 8.] Muhammad’s name Muhammad can be translated variously as “highly praised,” “the praised one,” or “the praiseworthy one” and comes from Arabic root word h-m-d حمد "to praise". He was a member of the Banu Hashim one of the clans comprising the Quraysh tribe. The Quraysh were effectively the rulers of Mecca, and the guardians of the Kaaba which was the most sacred place in Arabia and is now the holiest place on earth for Muslims.
When he was 40 Muhammad was visited by the Angel Gabriel (جبريل Jibril) who began dictating to him the Muslim sacred text the Qur’ān قرآن. The word قرآن is often transliterated variously as Qur’ān, Koran, or Qur’an, occasionally it is transliterated as Alcoran. For purposes of clarity I use Qur’an throughout this and subsequent texts. Irrespective of how it is transliterated it refers to Muslim sacred text called in Arabic قرآن a word which comes from the word meaning "recitation", with the verb being “to recite.” The recitation process continued for 23 years until shortly before Muhammad’s death - a fact that is considered to be the reason why some verses clarify others. From earliest times Muslim scholars have considered that the reason why some verses of the Qur’an appear to permit things forbidden in later verses is that God did not want to dismay the fledgling community by causing the full rigours of his laws to be revealed at once. That God was leading the Muslim community by gentle steps into a life in acordance with his will and commandments.
Muhammad’s message was profoundly unwelcome to the Quraysh and he and his followers were persecuted. In 622, Muhammad, fled for his life from Mecca 200 miles north to the city of Yathrib. (Yathrib was later renamed al-Medina (”the city.”) in present day usage Medina refers to the city and Yathrib to its environs, I adopt this usage throughout the site.)
The Hijra as this event is called (هِجْرَة “the migration”) marks for Muslims the turning point of all history. Islam is, as we shall see below an intrinsically political religion which postulates a community of believers run on Islamic lines. The Ummah أمة)
“community” at Medina was the first such community and for this reasom the Muslim or Hijri calendar is dated from the Muhammad’s founding of the Ummah at Medina. Eight years later Muhammad after protracted warfare in which the Quraysh unsuccessfully tried to wipe out the fledgling community entered Mecca in peaceful triumph and died there two years later. He was buried in Medina, the town which first acknowledged him him as a prophet.
Islam’s Five Pillars in Sunni Muslim Belief
According to Sunni Muslim belief and practice there are five fundamental requirements or “pillars of faith” that all who profess to be Muslims must observe:
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1. The shahada ( شهادتان )
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The shahada is Islam’s creed:
“There is no god except God, Muhammad is the messenger of God.”
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2. Salat/as-salah صل.
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Prayer, undertaken five times daily, facing Mecca [Qibla قبلة ]
.
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3. Zakat/az-zakat ( زكوة )
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Mandatory payment of a charity tax (2½%).
“And what you give in usury, so that it may increase through (other) people’s wealth it does not increase with God, but what you give in Zakat, seeking God’s Pleasure, then it is those who shall gain reward manifold…” (Qur’an 30:39)
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4. Sawm/as-Saum ( صوم )
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Muslims are required to fast during the (lunar) month of Ramadan ( رمضان ), the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.
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5. al-Hajj (حج)
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All Muslims who are physically and financially able are required to make at least one Pilgrimmage - al-Hajj to Mecca, in their lifetime. [Detailed information on the Hajj including a “virtual Hajj” can be found here.]
