Islam in the modern world Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Islam in the modern world - Essay Example After the death of Prophet Muhammad his four companions which are Abu Bakr, Umar ibn Al-Khattab, Ali ibn abi Talib and Uthman ibn Ghani were appointed as the Caliph to run the state (Najeebabadi 2001). The first Caliph was Abu Bakr. During his reign many battles were fought against the non-Islamic states. These battles were fought in western and eastern Iraq, Syria and some other regions. The second caliph was Umar ibn Al-Khattab. Umar ibn Al-Khattab fought many battles for the expansion and defense of Islam. The third Caliph of the Islamic history was Uthman ibn Ghani. Ali ibn Abi Talib was the forth caliph of Islam (Najeebabadi 2001). Islam is not only a religion but it also teaches us how to lead our lives in peace and harmony. Prayers in Islam are very important. The main and the most important following of the Prophet’s sunna is prayers and the ways to pray. Prophet’s sunna are those deeds which were done by the Prophet Muhammad. During the life of Prophet Muhammad , he emphasized on giving Zakat, which is giving charity to the needy and poor from one’s surplus wealth. Fasting in the month of Ramadan is also an obligatory practice in Islam. Pilgrimage is practiced as Prophet’s sunna, which is only obligatory on those who have financial resources to perform it. (Nigosian 2004) In the opinion of many Muslim scholars, Islam is a religion that is amended by the every Prophet from Adam to Prophet Muhammad and it is completed with the completion of Holy Qur’an or Koran. Holy Qur’an is a divine book (like Bible and Torah) that was revealed upon Prophet Muhammad (Najeebabadi 2001). The key belief that a Muslim must have is to believe that God (Allah in Arabic) is one and Muhammad is His Prophet. A Muslim must have faith in all the Messengers of God and in all Holy Books. He must have belief that Angles exist and they do as they are ordered by Almighty God. A Muslim must know that he will be asked about his every bad deed at the Day of Judgment and God (Allah) will punish him for his wrongs and reward him for the good deeds. Qur’an is a divine book and covers almost all aspects of life. It also guides us to give charity (Zakat) but it does not tell us the rate of Zakat on our assists. In order to clarify the matter Prophet Muhammad told us that the rate should be 2.5% or 5%. (Nigosian 2004) In first century of Islam, the key beliefs and practices are almost same as directed by Prophet Muhammad. Some scholars believe that religion and politics have no similarity. The difference between the two is vast. The politics in Islam changed the way, people think about Islam. After the first four Caliphs, the system of Caliphate was not remained the same as it was before (Nigosian 2004). During the first century of Islam, it has no sectarian system and the religion is in the principles of Prophet’s Sunna but some Muslims believed that instead of Caliph Abu Bakr, it would be more appropriate that Ali ibn abi Talib would be the first Caliph (Najeebabadi 2001). They argued that Ali ibn abi Talib was Prophet Mohammad’s cousin, so he would be the most appropriate choice. But Ali ibn abi Talib discouraged those people, who were making these discussions. Ali ibn abi Talib had two sons Hasan ibn Ali ibn abi Talib and Husayn ibn Ali ibn abi