What do Muslims believe?
The Arabic word Islam, contrary to popular belief, has little in common with the word salam - peace. It derives from the Arabic word aslama, meaning "to give up, to submit, to surrender, to give into, or to hand over." "Islam" in its literal sense thus means to surrender, to submit, to rely on someone. In this sense, the followers of Islam are called Muslims, in Arabic Muslims, that is, those who have submitted to the will of God (Allah).
The original meaning of the word Islam becomes the key to understanding the message received in 610 by an Arab of Mecca, Muhammad Ibn 'Abd Allah, commonly known as Muhammad. Muslims believe that at night during sleep (in the month of Ramadan), in the cave of Hira, he was visited by the archangel Gabriel (Jibrīl), who ordered him to recite words that later entered the 96th sura of the Qur'an: "In the name of Allah (God), the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. Recite in the name of your Lord Who created man from a clot of congealed blood. Recite: and your Lord is Most Generous, Who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know”.
The turbulent life of Muhammad, the struggles with which he paved the way for the new religion, both among his own and among strangers, do not fully explain how this new religion so quickly entered the history of not only the entire Middle East, but also the world, becoming a "competitor" to Judaism and Christianity.
Islam became the religion that united the shattered Arab tribes. Was also able to use the drama of Christianity, which had already been broken down into various branches. In its intricate and subtle theology (Christological disputes) entangled in the politics of Byzantium, it was quickly almost completely driven out of the Arabian Peninsula.
Dogmas of Islam
The faith of Muslims is built by five dogmas:
1.Faith in one God. This is an absolute fundament. Literally everything is concentrated around it in Islam. The other dogmas grow out of this truth. Man owes God absolute obedience (this is surrender - aslama). God is completely transcendent, existing outside the world of human experiences, sensations, thoughts, he is one and there is no other besides Him. That is why, for Muslims, the Christian vision of the Triune God is simply irk, that is, the greatest sin of ascribing partners to God. God in the Qur'an is described in a way that absolutely avoids anthropocentric associations. These are the ninety-nine most beautiful names of God (e.g., the first, one of a kind, hidden, just, forgiving, avenging, reborn, independent, last), the recitation of which created a prayer, similar to the Christian rosary or Jesus Prayer - it is accompanied by moving the beads of the so-called subḥa (aka Misbaha).
2. Belief in angels. The most important of them are: Jibrīl (Gabriel), Izrai'il (Azrael), Mika'il (Mika'al-Michael), Israfil (Raphael). In addition to them, there are also demons (djinns, Iblis, Satan)
3. Belief in the Qur'an or Koran.
Islam recognizes that God entrusted His Word to man through revelation through the Torah, the Psalms, the Gospels, and the Qur'an. However, all the Books, except the Qur'an, contain distortions concerning The Revelation of God. According to the Qur'an, Jews and Christians have distorted the meaning of words, forgotten some of what God commanded them to do, and even falsified some passages. Christians have distorted above all the mission of 'Isa (Jesus).
4. Faith in the messengers of God.
According to the followers of Islam, God constantly sent messengers to humankind who proclaimed God's truths to man and warned him against sin. The Qur'an distinguishes between two types of messengers: prophets - people of the Old Testament and Gospels, and envoys - those who found themselves among the Arabs. The first prophet was Adam, the first man on earth. The others are Nuh (Noah), Lut (Lot), Ibrahim (Abraham), Musa (Moses) and of course 'Isa (Jesus). Muhammad is the most important and the last of all the prophets and messengers. It is the "seal of the prophets": he confirms the mission of the others, but above all he fulfills it. Over time, this expression took on the meaning of ending all prophecies in the person of Muhammad.
5. Faith in the day of judgment (paradise and hell, resurrection).
Each person will be judged separately, without any intermediaries. With God's permission, however, Muhammad can intercede for Muslims. As to what works are evil, sinful, bringing death, there has been a great debate in Islam. Islam, like Judaism, has no equivalent of the Magisterium of the Church, which is why one can find in it (both among theologians and in the Qur'an itself) many opinions contradictory or unresolved problems in the field of ethics and morality. Belief in the last judgment, also called the last day in the Qur'an. According to the Shiites, the final judgment will be preceded by an attack by infidels on the town of Lod in Palestine and the birth of the Mahdi, who is to defeat the false prophet, Dajjal (antichrist) and save humanity from Satan. According to the Sunnis, Mahdi will be supported in the fight by Isa – Jesus Christ. The war will be accompanied by great cataclysms and signs in the sky. It will end with the appearance of Allah, the death of all infidels, the resurrection of the faithful and the judgment of their deeds.
Muslim duties
Since Islam means surrender, every Muslim need to fulfill certain duties, accompanied by an appropriate ritual. These are the so-called arcana, or pillars of faith, which characteristic feature is an eminently communal way of practicing them, creating a strong sense of unity of faith. There are five pillars of faith.
1. Confession of faith in one God - shahada. It is a formula that reads: " I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, alone without any partner, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. Reciting this formula is a condition to becoming a Muslim. This inscription can often be found in Muslim ornamentation in the form of elaborate "arabesques".
2. Prayer - salat. Every Muslim should pray five times a day, at strictly designated times. It is such a sacred duty that even God prays. Salat is a ritual prayer; it is accompanied by certain activities (their exact fulfillment makes the prayer to be recognized).
3. Fast- sawm. Fast for a whole month, by refraining from eating, drinking, smoking from sunrise to sunset. After sunset, you eat very good. However, Muslims can keep the Sawm any time of the year as a form of worship, or in order to make up for lost fasts outside Ramadan.
4. Almsgiving - zakat. Its conditions are also determined by the Qur'an, the Sunnah (Tradition) and the principles of Muslim law. It often happens that zakat is a special tax in a Muslim state. Muslims are supposed to donate a fixed amount of their property to charity every year.
5. Pilgrimage -The Hajj
This is a conditional obligation, that is, it must be fulfilled if possible. Whoever is unable to do so can send his substitute, who will make a pilgrimage on his behalf. This obligation is also regulated in detail by Muslim law. The destination of the pilgrimage is Mecca, where all ceremonies take place. The clarity of the principles of the Muslim faith and the efficient policy of conquest of the Arab tribes made Islam an attractive proposition for people living at that time. Nowadays, it is becoming a new challenge for Christianity, not only in the context of the controversial thesis about the conflict of religion or civilization, but also because it is attractive to many Christians, tired of the today blurred and highly individualized practice of the Christian faith.
Love of God
Muslims and Christians are aware of their dependence on one and only God, by which they confess to the faith of Abraham (cf. LG 16). This dependence, i.e. relationship with the one God, they cherish, among others, through pray, fasting and pilgrimage.
The task of Christianity is to proclaim the Good News – Jesus Christ, in spite of everything, despite all difficulties. Establishing good relations with the followers of Islam is very discouraging, especially for the fact that they treat Christianity as a "falsification" of the true Abrahamic (monotheistic) religion or as a religion that should end with the birth of Islam – "pure religion". Christians, however, must not forget that for centuries they have treated the followers of Judaism in the same way. Judaism was recognized as obsolete, as a religion that ended with the appearance of Christianity (the so-called replacement theology).
Just as in the field of Christian-Jewish dialogue the Good News has begun to be proclaimed by presenting the existing convergent points between Christianity and Judaism, so it is necessary to undertake this work in the field of Christian-Muslim dialogue, by showing the similarities between Christianity and Islam. The Good News for Christians and Muslims of the whole world is: faith in one God, love of God and neighbor, doing God's will and awareness of a specific mission. We should talk about them first, and then about what makes the two religions different.
Interreligious dialogue has a permanent place in the Catholic Church. It is not only her duty, but her nature, because the Triune God is an eternal dialogue. Although it is accompanied by joy and sorrow, successes and failures, the Catholic Church still remains a place of dialogue "with others"! On the Muslim side, there is also a visible willingness to dialogue, although within Islam there are many "closed" currents that exert a huge influence on their followers. It is true that today's Muslim openness is "small" (Muslim scholars such as Mouhanad Khorchide and Ednan Alsan and Bosnian Islam), but it is an "essential" sign of hope that the Christian-Muslim process of communication will develop and deepen. Interreligious dialogue, understood as an "exercise in listening" and as a "pedagogical duty", while requiring "the need for adequate education", is a common path for Christians and Muslims that can make a significant contribution to building peace between people (cf. Pope Francis, 2015).
“We Christians joyfully recognize the religious values we have in common with Islam. Today I would like to repeat what I said to young Muslims some years ago in Casablanca: We believe in the same God, the one God, the living God, the God who created the world and brings his creatures to their perfection" (Insegnamenti, VIII/2, [1985], p. 497). The patrimony of revealed texts in the Bible speaks unanimously of the oneness of God. Jesus himself reaffirms it, making Israel's profession his own: "The Lord our God, the Lord is one" (Mk 12:29; cf. Dt 6:4-5). This oneness is also affirmed in the words of praise that spring from the heart of the Apostle Paul: "To the king of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen"(1 Tm 1:17). […] In today's world where God is tragically forgotten, Christians and Muslims are called in one spirit of love to defend and always promote human dignity, moral values and freedom. The common pilgrimage to eternity must be expressed in prayer, fasting and charity, but also in joint efforts for peace and justice, for human advancement and the protection of the environment. By walking together on the path of reconciliation and renouncing in humble submission to the divine will, any form of violence as a means of resolving differences, the two religions will be able to offer a sign of hope, radiating in the world the wisdom and mercy of that one God who created and governs the human family.” (John Paul II, General Audience, 12 May 1999)
When we meet Muslims, let us welcome them as brothers and do not be afraid of Islam. At the same time, it is a challenge to bear witness to the Christian life according to the Gospel. Even if many people do not convert, because it is forbidden in Islam, evangelical values, such as mutual love, respect or openness to other people, will penetrate their lives. They may not legally become Christians, but in fact they will live in a Christian way.