Islam: The Religion of Submission to God
Chapter Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should be able to:
• Describe the Arabian world before Islam.
Chapter Summary
Islam means “to submit” to the will of God (Allah). Though Islam originated in Arabia it is
hardly synonymous with it. Islam also is unique in that its founder Muhammad, while revered,
never assumes a deified status in the theology as he is seen as a messenger only of the one true
God. Islam began in a region both heterogeneous in culture and spiritual beliefs. Mecca,
however, was a site of active commerce and worship prior to Islam.
The Qur’ān is the final formulation of Muhammad’s recitation of the word of God and
was compiled over time. Islam is described under three heads: The articles of faith (īmān), right
conduct (ihsān) and religious duty (ibādāt), the last being a later addition. Acceptance of Allah as
the one and only God is the central component to Islam.
Compiling Muslim thought into coherent and consistent traditions is challenged by the
multitude of “attestors” and their recollections of Muhammad’s utterances and habits that were
being compiled centuries after Muhammad’s death. The crux of the issue occurs in the
evaluation or judgment of a behavior not explicitly discussed in the Qur’ān or in Muhammad’s
utterances. Four schools of Law arose to address the administration of the true criteria used to
evaluate religious and ethical issues.
Chapter Outline
I. Introduction
II. Arabian Beliefs and Practices Before Muhammad
A. Racial and Geo-Economic Factors
B. North and South Arabia
C. The West Coastal Mountains (Al-Hijāz)
III. The Prophet Muhammad
A. Birth and Early Influences
B. Muslim Views of “Influences”
C. Religious Awakening
D. Prophetic Call
IV. The Faith and Practice of Islam
A. Articles of Faith: Imān
1. One God
5. Pilgrimage
V. The Spread of Islam
A. The Companions: Abū Bakr and the Unification of Arabia
VI. The First Five Centuries of Muslim Thought
A. The Formation of the Hadīth Canons
B. The First Controversies
1. The Khārijites
2. The Murjites
C. The Sunnīs and the Sharī`a
1. The Four Schools of the Law
a. The Hanīfite: Qur’ān and Analogy
D. Muslim Philosophers
1. The Orthodox Champion: Al-Ash‘Ārī
2. Al-Māturīdī
E. Sufis
1. The Mystics: Forerunners of Sūfism
Discussion Questions
1. What religions and experiences appear to have shaped Muhammad’s beliefs and view of
the nature of God?
2. What were the key historical events that facilitated the spread of Islam in Muhammad’s
lifetime?