An introduction to Islam

Social Studies Review, Fall 2002

The word "Islam" derives from the three-consonant Arabic root SLM which is usually translated as "submission" or "surrender" - but seldom with the implied "to God" (and only to the one God). And since the words submission and surrender seem to be "loaded" words in the English language and in the American experience, perhaps a clearer picture comes from other meanings which we find listed in the Arabic dictionary: "reconciliation, resignation; to be safe and sound, intact, secure; to preserve, keep from injury, protect from harm. "

It is also of course the same root word meaning "peace" (as in the Hebrew shalom SH L M), or more fully: soundness, well-being, wholesomeness.

A rule of Arabic grammar has the meaning of words altered slightly by the addition of prefixes and suffixes. Add the prefix M to SLM and you get a Muslim -literally one who embodies the qualities expressed in the word Islam.

There is an inherent problem in transliterating these words from a language where there are no lower and upper case letters (but only one way of rendering letters) into a language with capital letters and lower case letters. Perhaps we inscribe a different meaning in the word Islam than in the word islam, and likewise with Muslim as opposed to muslim. We all know the difference between a "small d" democrat and a "large D" Democrat. It might do well to keep these in mind when considering Islam/islam. When the Qur'an speaks of "islam" it speaks of a state of being and a "muslim" as one who embodies this being. It should not give offense therefore to learn that the Qur'an speaks of Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Noah, and Adam, as "muslims."

It is the western non-Muslim who sees "Islam" as the name of a particular religion and "Muslim" as a follower of that religion. If we discard the meanings inherent in these words with capital letters, we will come closer to understanding the Qur'anic meaning of the words.

About "Allah"

"Allah" is the Arabic word for God. A Muslim is anyone who says publicly, "There is no god but God, and Muhammad is a messenger of God." The term "Muslim" is not synonymous with

"Arab." The former is a religious term; the latter is linguistic/cultural. Only one-fifth of the world's one billion Muslims speak Arabic as their mother tongue. "Muslim" and "Arab" are not interchangeable terms. Twelve million Christians and ten thousand Jews live in Arab countries and consider themselves Arab.

"Allah" therefore is the Arabic word used by Arabic-speaking Christians, Muslims, and Jews as the word for God. We can hear its counterpart in the other two semitic languages - Aramaic (Jesus called God "Allaha") and Hebrew (Ellohim). It makes no more sense to say "Muslims worship a god called Allah" than to say "The French worship a god called Dieu." or "The Spanish worship a god called Dios."

Qur'an

Muslims believe the Qur'an is God's word as revealed to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel. Statements by Muhammad himself are collected in the Hadith, not the Qur'an. The Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad over a period of twenty-three years. It was memorized and recited to others who also memorized it. The Prophet Muhammad was guided by the revelation itself to understand the proper ordering of the chapters and verses, and it began to be written down. The chief secretary to the Prophet Muhammad, Zaid Ibn Thabit, was responsible for overseeing the task of recording the revelation in written form. Recounting many stories also present in Judaic and Christian traditions, the Qur'an states that Christians and Jews (as well as Muslims themselves) are "People of the Book" (Ahl al-Kitab) who, as believers, hold juridical rights under Islamic law to live as protected people. (See the section: Qur'an.)

Muhammad

Muslims believe (because the Qur'an so states) that Islam did not begin with the Prophet Muhammad. He is only the last in a long line of prophets that began with Adam and continued through Noah, Abraham, Solomon, Moses, and Jesus. The Prophet Muhammad is not the "founder" of Islam. He is revered but not worshipped by Muslims. His role was that of transmitter of the words that God revealed to him. Muhammad was clear that Muslims should "call me the servant of God and His messenger." Understanding Muhammad as the messenger makes it clear why for Muslims the attention is on the message (the Qur'an). Stories about Muhammad's life, his teachings and sayings are contained in the Sunna and Hadith, which are secondary in importance to the Qur'an.

Haditb

Just as people memorized and wrote down the text of Qur'an, so too did they memorize and record what the Prophet Muhammad said and did, when he was not reciting the Qur'an. The records of his words and the reports of his activities came to be called hadiths.

Since both the sayings of Muhammad recorded in the Hadith and the verses of the Qur'an are words people first heard from Muhammad's mouth, Muhammad himself always distinguished carefully between his words and God's words, and all Muslims have preserved this distinction, whose importance cannot be overemphasized. God's words are uncreated and must not be confused with those of his messenger. The Qur'an always takes pride of place. Muslims say and write, "God says,"when referring to the Qur'an and "the Prophet said," when referring to the Hadith. (See the subject of hadith discussed further in the Qur'an section.)