A. According to Islam, Muhammad is the seal of the prophets. This means that Muhammad is a reassertion of God’s will and that he is the final prophet. Islam believes that Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Adam were all prophets, but that Muhammad was the culmination of their prophetic vision. They believe that the other prophets’ messages have been distorted through translations by the hand of man. Man’s involvement in the compiling of scriptures has disenfranchised them. This gives way for the Quran to build on those scriptures as the final word of God. This is what sets the Quran apart from pre-Islamic Abrahamic scriptures. The Quran is accepted as the direct word of God as recorded by Mohammed and his men. To a naysayer, this might appear to be a crazed man, running around telling others to record his channelings from God. Why did the direct word of God never come before? Muhammad believed humanity was not ready for it. To Muslims, the old prophets and scriptures were historically-based and simplistic so that humanity could grasp them at the time. Muhammad came along with the final revelations because humans were ready to hear it. Muhammad and Islam’s massive success didn’t come until the Hijra. Muhammad had a following in Mecca and the Meccan nobility was treating him and his people as a threat. Muhammad saw this and took a deal with Yarthrib, a city north of Mecca, to fix splitting factions within their leadership. The Muslims then migrated to Yarthrib, which later became Medina. This pilgrimage marked the start of the Hijra. During the Hijra, Muhammad became an excellent statesman and performed a miracle that united five tribes of the city, three of which were Jewish. Through his excellent state craft, he attracted people from all over Arabia. People flooded to Medina to see the prophet’s amazing governing abilities. Mecca was upset by this competition and sent armies to level Medina. After a couple battles, Muhammad counter-attacked Mecca and won. After speaking with the Meccan leaders he accepted the mass conversion of Mecca. The Hijra turned Muhammad into a world leader of sorts; by his death, he controlled most of Arabia. Even years after his death, armies of Muslims conquered most of the Middle East and Africa. Muhammad readied Islam to spread as easily as the wind blows.
The story of Abraham and Ishmael is a good example of Muhammad’s Hijra. Abraham has a son with servant Hagar, named Ishmael. He does so because his wife, Sarah, is unable to bear children. Many years later, Sarah surprisingly gives birth to Isaac. God soon tells Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael into the desert with God's protection. Just as Muhammad had been cast out of Mecca, Ishmael was cast from his home. Muhammad ended up returning to Mecca and taking it back. Ishmael also made it to Mecca and is credited with building the foundations of the Ka'aba, just as Muhammad had built the foundations for Islam in Mecca. To reverse this example, Abraham and Isaacs’s relationship is another illustration of Muhammad’s claim to being the seal of the prophets. God promised Abraham that Isaac would be the seed of a great nation, and when he was born Abraham though he was perfect. He bore everything a son needed to be and was the seal of Abraham’s seed. Abraham then chose to send Ishmael, his eldest son, into the desert. Muhammad’s importance as the seal of the prophets is like Isaac in the eyes of Abraham. A perfect son that created a great nation. This parallels Muhammad’s creations through direct messages from God.
B. The ummah is the Muslim community. Allah works through the ummah to raise people’s eyes up to Heaven. Islam means unity and Allah expects Man to look higher than the kings, and have their eyes on Him. The Five Pillars of Islam are built on ummah. They reflect the trials and experiences Muhammed encountered with the early Islamic Ummah. To gain admittance to the community, one must first accept the Shahadah or Islamic creed that Allah is the only God and Muhammad was his prophet. This must be done on an individual basis. Another individualistic task is the daily prayers; they constantly remind Muslims that they must submit before Allah. By having each person perform this prayer at the same time, the community keeps their social dealings in perspective with God. Ramadan fosters compassion and social cohesion through fasting. By fasting, they not only commemorate Muhammed’s revelation and Hijra, but also pull Muslims together to feel the hunger of the poor. This leads into the next pillar of Zakat, or charity. The Quran specifies that a basic tax of 2.5% must be given to the poor and hungry. The final pillar, which best represents the spirit of the Islamic community, is the Hajj. This pilgrimage back to Mecca champions equality among the Muslims and shows their ability to stand as a community under Allah. These five pillars provide a simple groundwork to identify oneself as a Muslim on a broad level. The day-to-day laws of the ummah are the shari‘a. The shari‘a gives guidance from the Quran and the Hadith to lawmakers, so that they can better institute Islamic law. The ummah must be united under these laws to exist. The culmination of these laws creates a universal brotherhood among Muslims. The ummah is connected among people, not countries. It has no national boundaries. The laws and pillars of Islam provide unity among all Muslims, unlike many religions which only direct the individual’s path.
For the purpose of this example, we shall assume that a table needs and relies on five legs to stand. The legs are the five Pillars of Islam. Attached at the top of the legs is a broad table top. This table top represents the Islamic law, Shari ‘a. Standing on top of the table is the Islamic ummah, which requires the table’s support to stay connected. If a pillar falls off or the table top cracks, it could all fall down. To prevent this from happening, the table needs constant repair and upkeep by the people standing on it. Through this constant upkeep, the ummah is formed through an interconnecting brotherhood that depends on the table.
C. Ali is the origin of the Shi’a and Sunni split. Sunnis view Ali as the fourth and last of the caliphs following on from Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman. Sunnis believe that the caliphs are to be chosen by the community; blood ties with Muhammad is not a requirement. Shi’as believe that Ali was the first caliph and because of this, the caliphate only passes through direct descendants of Mohammed. Uthman was murdered and Ali became caliphate. Ali soon had to fight Mu'awiya Ummayad who refused to recognize Ali as the Caliph. Ali compromised with Mu'awiya, and upset his supporters, who felt betrayed and killed him. Mu'awiya declared himself to be the caliph. Mu'awiya finally died and his son, Yazid, took over the caliphate. Hussein, Ali’s son, led an army against Yazid, but he was slaughtered and beheaded. Hussein’s death was the final divide between the Shi’a and Sunni. The Shi’a believe that imam is the spiritual leader of the community. Ali was the first imam and his successors were the only true imams. The imam tradition ended with Muhammad al-Mahdi al Hujja, who disappeared in a cave, but would reappear every once in a while. He finally appeared for the last time as the Mahdi, or expected one. This was the golden age of Shi’a Islam. Now, the imam’s influence is representative and there is no physical imam living. Sunnis, on the other hand, look at the imam as just a person who leads services at a mosque. The theological differences of Sunni and Shi’a are minor. The basis of the two tribes’ division is a historical and political feud.
Imagine there is a faceless coin. This coin is Islam. The coin is shared by two friends who mean for the coin to be equal forever. One day, the friends have an argument and one of them stamps his face on one side claiming ownership of the coin. The other friend is upset by this and stamps his face on the other side. Now, the coin is split because of a feud and the coin adorns two faces. Though at the root, it is still a coin. This illustrates the Sunni and Shi’a split over the caliphates. They may look different and on the surface seem to be different, but they are still Islam.
Critique:
My biggest problem with Islam is that it proposes kingdoms and countries be run by Islamic law. The Quran’s laws are a product of their time. Back when Muhammad started receiving Allah’s message, Mecca was a distraught and corrupt place. Mass orgies, lawlessness, and other social dysfunctions were commonplace. Islamic law is based on the eradication of these corruptions. The world is a little more stable now, but Middle Eastern countries still use this Islamic law to rule their people. The wealthy leaders of Saudi Arabia use it to keep lower classes poor and keep themselves rich. Sudanese warlords use it as an excuse to slaughter thousands of innocent people. Who are the people to argue Islam’s law when interrupted by a dictator? The fact that the Quran is the direct word of God strikes fear into the people who challenge the dictator’s reign of exploitation. If the world leaders were true to the Quran and sought to fight hunger and poverty, then we wouldn’t see the large poverty rates in Islamic countries where the leaders live with the spoils of ancient kings as they step on the backs of the people. We see this happening in the west as well, but it’s not under the façade of divinity. The use of Islamic law would be more acceptable if leaders were companionate and cared for their people. Unfortunately, this is not the case; they only care about their riches and use Islam to extort the people. The post-colonial world isn’t so romantic and leaders don’t lease with their heart. They lead with ideas of power and wealth.
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