6 Things You Didn’t Know About Islam
Islam is one of the most well-known religions in the world. In some cases, this is because it has over 1.5 billion followers, in other cases, it is for less favorable reasons. However, knowing of a religion and knowing about a religion are two very different things. In most cases, people only learn of the existence of a religion, without paying much attention to what the ideology actually involves. Here are a few things about Islam that not many people pay attention to.
- Promotes Critical Thinking
The holy book of Islam is the Quran, as the Bible is in Christianity. However, it is not just a book full of instructions; rather, there are multiple verses of the Quran that encourage critical thinking, analysis, and reason. The book doesn’t recommend readers to have blind faith, but rather to use their minds and evaluate life and try to understand how the world around them is working, and how it has come to be. In many verses throughout the Quran, the reader is encouraged to look around, look at past civilizations and look at the many signs of Allah, and try and understand whether or not there really is a Higher Power that is managing everything.
- Muhammad (PBUH) Is The Final Messenger
Islam speaks of a lot of messengers. It is believed that Allah sent down guidance to many different nations through many different messengers. In fact, Islam also acknowledges many of the Prophets that are mentioned in Christianity, for instance, Jesus, Adam, Abraham, and Moses. However, Muslims believe that Muhammad (PBUH) is the last and final messenger from God and that the Quran is the final Book from God. All the previous messengers also brought their own message, and some even had a book, (Bible for example) but the Quran is the final text.
- One God
The first pillar of Islam is the belief in One God, Allah. In Islam, there is no concept of children of God or siblings of God, or any other kind of relationship with God. Allah is the only God and the Book that He has sent down is the Quran. It’s also important to note that Muhammad (PBUH) could not write. When Muhammad (PBUH) would receive revelation, he would narrate this to scribes and some of the people would memorize the Quran as it was being revealed and then later write it down from memory. In this way, the Quran was revealed in parts over several years and then formally put together in the format in which we see it today. All of the revelations were sent from One God and sent through Muhammad (PBUH).
- Tolerance Towards Other Beliefs
The Quran certainly advocates that it is the right way, but in no way does it recommend that Muslims mistreat those of a different faith. It recommends Muslims invite others to listen to the message of Islam, and then come to a decision on their own about what they want to believe. Islam grants individuals the freedom to believe whatever they want to and behave according to whatever they think is right. The matter of what a person believes is something that is between that person and God. One orne not to be forced to pray, fast, or be a Muslim. Everyone is free to do as they please, Islam is simply showing the right way.
- Relevant To Modern Science
In line with how Islam promotes critical thought and a deep individual analysis of the world around us, Islam also provides a lot of evidence about the world that is in line with modern scientific findings. For instance, the Quran mentions how the mountains are connected to the tectonic plates and how they act as pins that hold the crust of the earth together. In other places, the Quran references how God has created the universe and continues to expand it, which is in line with modern science that suggests that the universe is constantly expanding. Islam teaches a lot of things that are very similar to what modern science is telling us about the world.
- Angels
Just like how Islam acknowledges many of the prophets that are mentioned in other religions such as Christianity, it also acknowledges angels, including Gabriel. In fact, Gabriel plays a pivotal role throughout the life of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). It was Gabriel who brought Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) the first revelation. Gabriel visited Muhammad (PBUH) on multiple occasions, in many forms, and played an instrumental role in facilitating communication between Allah and Muhammad (PBUH).
Like any other religion, if one is to get into the technicalities of Islam, there are many things that would be confusing. This is because there is a backstory to everything, and it is important to look at that bit of information in context to really get the right message from it. This is why there are experts for advanced matters. Reading the Quran is one thing, but understanding it requires a lot more work.
Please note that this post was written by a third-party and does not necessarily reflect the views of Arab America or its employees. These posts help allow Arab America to produce our wonderful original content, thanks for your understanding.