The Religion of Islam

Los Angeles Times, Thursday, December 28, 2000

A BRIEF HISTORY

    Islam is the world's second-largest religion, after Christianity, and was founded by the prophet Muhammad based on revelation from Allah through the angel Gabriel in the 7th century AD. These revelations took place over a 22-year period in the cities of Mecca and Medina in today's Saudi Arabia.

     Muslims believe that they are part of a single religious tradition that includes Judaism and Christianity. They fully recognize Abraham, Moses, Jesus, the Virgin Mary and other pre-Islamic figures as part of that single tradition.

     Islam literally means "to submit or obey." Muslims believe that they submit to a set of divinely revealed laws upon which social and moral codes that govern everyday life are established.

     One of every five people is Muslim. Although Islam began in Arabia, more than half the world's 1.2 billion Muslims live in South and Southeast Asia. The most populous Muslim countries are Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nigeria. Only a quarter of all Muslims live in the Middle East. In Europe, Muslims rank as the second-largest religious group in Belgium, France and Germany and the largest in Albania and Bosnia-Herzegovina. More than 6 million Muslims live in the U.S., where Islam is the fastest-growing religion.

BRANCHES DIFFER ON LEADERSHIP

    The two largest sects--Sunni and Shiite--differ little in their basic beliefs about God, prophecy, revelation and the Last Judgment. The first and biggest schism that divided the two main sects grew out of a dispute over leadership.

     After Muhammad's death in AD 632, the Sunni majority argued that a caliph, or leader, of the young Islamic empire should be selected from among his followers. A minority advocated leadership within the family circle most familiar with the prophet's thinking and lifestyle, specifically the prophet's cousin and son-in-law Ali. Shiite means "follower of Ali." The Sunnis prevailed.

     Today, the two sects still differ on the role of leadership. Sunnis believe that clerics are guides or advisors and that the individual's relationship with God is direct, somewhat comparable to Christianity's Protestant sects. Shiites believe that clerics are empowered to interpret God's will for the faithful, somewhat comparable to Catholicism's view of its more powerful clergy.

     In most countries, the mainstream Sunnis are the majority. They also rule in most countries where Shiites are the majority. Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iran and Iraq are the only Islamic countries with a Shiite majority, although India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf region have significant minorities. Shiites rule only in Iran.

THE FIVE PILLARS

•  Shahada: Declaration that "there is only one God and that God is Allah and Muhammad is his prophet." 
  
• Salat: Five daily ritual prayers.
  
• Zakat: Almsgiving, or an annual tax to assist the poor.
  
• Sawm: Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan from dawn to dusk, abstaining from food, drink and sexual activity.
  
• Hajj: The pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, an obligation only for those who are physically and financially able to undertake it.

GLOSSARY

• Ayatollah: The highest rank in Shiite Islam; literally means "mirror of Islam."
• Fatwa: An Islamic opinion or decree made by a senior cleric.
• Hejab: Generic term for chadors and other modest dress required of Muslim women.
• Imam: The spiritual head of a Muslim community.
• Jihad: Literally means "struggle" and refers to all aspects of life, from learning in school to fighting for justice in a holy war.
• Madrasa: Religious school or seminary.
• Ramadan: The holy month of fasting, one of the five pillars of Islam.
• Sharia: Islamic law.

WORLD'S RELIGIONS

     Christianity: 33%

     Islam: 19.6%

     Nonreligious and atheist: 15.5%

     Hinduism: 12.8

     Chinese folk religions: 6.2%

     Buddhism: 6%

     Other: 6.9%

Sources: World Christian Encyclopedia, World Book, CIA, the World Factbook 2000, "The Muslim Majority: Views From Beyond the Middle East," January 2000, State Department survey

Researched by VICKI GALLAY/Los Angeles Times