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Islam in a Nutshell

This Rock Volume 18, Number 2   February 2007     Reasons for Hope By Cherie Peacock   Letters   God Made It. We Can’t Change It. By Mary Beth Kremski   Live by the Sea and You Will See God By Peter Kreeft   Pope Benedict Speaks to Muslims By Matthew E. Bunson   Islam in a Nutshell   The Five Pillars   Pope Benedict XVI on Nostra Aetate and Islam   Quo Vadis, Canterbury? The Plight of the Anglican Church By Dwight Longenecker   Does the Watch Tower Society Speak for God? By Joel Peters   Damascus Road How We Caught the Roman Flu By Paul and Anise Yarbrough   By the Book Judge Not? By Jim Blackburn   Truth be Told A True Christian Conquest By Matthew E. Bunson   Up a Notch Elementary Logic and the Beginning of Life By Patrick Beeman   Classic Apologetics Freedom in Truth By Oliver Barres   Quick Questions   Last Writes By Karl Keating    Preview (pdf; 3MB)    Subscribe    Permissions

The word Islam means "grateful surrender" (or submission) to God. The religion was established in the early seventh century by Mohammed, a one-time merchant from Arabia who claimed to have received a revelation near the city of Mecca in modern Saudi Arabia. Islam is considered one of the three great monotheistic religions in the world (Judaism and Christianity being the other two) and its tenets are centered in Mohammed’s proclaimed revelation, recorded in the Qu’ran. For Muslims, the Qu’ran is the literal word of God revealed directly to Mohammed through the angel Gabriel. The Qu’ran was written originally in Arabic, and only the Arabic text is considered valid for official religious use—an obstacle for non-Muslims who do not read Arabic. It is not uncommon for Muslims to tell Catholics who have read the Qu’ran in English (or any other language) that their points are invalid because they have read an unofficial translation.

Muslims accept the final judgment, the resurrection of the body, heaven, and hell. They also follow divinely revealed moral norms and dietary regulations (e.g., avoiding alcoholic beverages and pork). On Fridays, noon prayers are said in a mosque and an imam gives a sermon. Muslims do not have an ordained ministry, although religious leaders, such imams and mullahs, can wield considerable influence.

Muslims do not recognize Christ as the Son of God but do acknowledge him as a prophet. The Qu’ran records his miraculous birth, teachings, and miracles performed with God’s permission, but it stresses that he was only human, not divine. Muslims reject Christian Trinitarian theology (God who is one and unique in his nature as three distinct Persons) and believe instead in what they see as the one God, Allah in Arabic. According to the Qu’ran, God is one and transcendent, Creator and Sustainer of the universe, all-merciful and all-compassionate Ruler and Judge. God possesses numerous other titles, known collectively as the ninety-nine names of God. The profession of faith states: "There is no god but the God, and Mohammed is the messenger of God."

Of special note in the Qu’ran is the veneration given to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the only woman named in the Qu’ran. Called "Maryam" in Arabic, Mary is honored significantly in the Qu’ran—the nineteenth chapter is named after her and is devoted to her life. She is one of only eight people who have a chapter named after them.