World Religions: Islam

Unlike Christians, who believe that Jesus was the Son of God and part of the Trinity, Muslims believe that the Holy Prophet Mohammad was a man and that he followed Adam, Abraham, Moses, David, Solomon, and Jesus as the last of the great prophets to receive divine revelation. A Muslim believes in the revelation of God through the Quran that was given to Mohammed.

Mohammad was born in Mecca, in what is now Saudi Arabia, in the year 570. As an adult, he worked as a traveling merchant, which put him in contact with Christians and Jews, who worshiped one God. The Arabians at that time worshiped many gods, but Mohammad was attracted to this notion of one God. When he was 40 years old, he had a mystical experience, receiving the first in a series of revelations that lasted over 23 years. During those revelations, the Quran, God’s Word, was revealed to Mohammad. It contains 114 chapters or suras, which cover topics from reverence for Allah – God – to practical ways of living.

The Five Pillars of Islam are five basic acts which are a framework for worship and a sign of commitment to the faith. They are: the creed, or profession of faith that Allah is the one God and Mohammad His prophet; prayer, which is said up to 5 times a day; fasting during the holy month of Ramadan; almsgiving, a sharing of earthly prosperity; and lastly, a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime.

When Mohammad died suddenly at age 62, Islam – which by then had spread throughout the Middle East – was left in a state of disarray. There was a struggle between those who followed Mohammad’s son-in-law Ali – they are the sect known as the Shiites – and those who wanted another man, Abu Bakr, to be the leader; they became the Sunnis.

When it comes to Catholics and their relationship with Muslims, we once again look to the Church document Nostra Aetate, which says: “We cannot truly call on God, the Father of all, if we refuse to treat in a brotherly way any man, created as he is in the image of God. Man's relation to God the Father and his relation to men his brothers are so linked together that Scripture says: "He who does not love does not know God." That said, we make an effort to set aside the misunderstandings we may have of each other, especially the harmful stereotypes we may have of our Muslim brothers and sisters. Instead, we are called to invest our time and energy in learning about the deep connections of our faiths, and to engage in fruitful, God-filled dialogue.