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| Quran,Book of Guidance |
All Muslims believe in the words
and guidance of their holy text: The Qur'an. Consisting of 114 chapters, the
Quran is the single most predominant authority on the Muslim religion,
explaining to its adherents on a general scale how to attain salvation, what
deeds to perform, and how to live their life. The Quran is considered as God's
word delivered to mankind through the prophethood of Muhammad: the last and
final messenger among a venerable line of prophets, beginning with Adam.
Literally translated as "The
Reading" or "The Lecture," it is not just viewed as the only
text revealing God's word, but rather as a culmination of all of God's divine
messages, as first revealed through the Torah, the Scrolls, and even the Bible.
Many people mistakenly assert
that Islam denies the teachings within the Bible and previous holy texts, but
this isn't entirely so. While Islam does have its differences with what is now
considered the modern Holy Bible, due to its belief that it has been constantly
revised, adherents of Islam believe that the true word of God was revealed
specifically to Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and finally Muhammad, among a few other
key apostles. At its core, Islam is the restatement of the religion of Abraham.
An interesting thing to note is
that the Quran does not refer to itself as a book of religion, but rather as
"messages of the divine writ, full of wisdom." It is neither a
historical account, in the accepted sense of the phrase, nor an absolute
rulebook that dictates every single aspect of a Muslim's life. Rather, it is to
be used in conjunction with a Muslim's own inner spiritual light and innate
sense of reason, providing general guidelines that are intended to help those in
search of truth.
While the Quran does not spell
out entirely all the religious customs and traditions to follow, a second
source has been created by Muslims in the years after Prophet Muhammad to fill
in this gap: the Hadith, or sayings of the Prophet.
However the Hadith, which covers
a wide range of social, cultural, and legal issues, raises much controversy.
This is because in Islam, the Hadith is viewed as man's word, not God's.
Nevertheless, the Hadith combined with the Quran make the basis of what determines
a Muslim's life: Sharia.
One of the important caveats the
Quran brings is that, while its messages and lessons are universal in nature,
its applicability is not. Charity, for example, was enjoined upon the early
Muslims following Muhammad, and still is for the Muslims living today. But how
does one calculate how much to give now? What percentage of their earnings
should be dedicated to alms-giving? Does that include investments as well, or
just salaried income? Can one give charity with money that has been accrued
through interest? The Quran does not explicitly answer these questions.
This wide room for interpretation
makes it very difficult for the Muslims now living in America. Often pressured
to choose between their faith and nationality, many of the Muslims here do not
know how to respond to the swift changes of modernity, making many people
question, "Can Islam survive in America?" And if so, "Will the
Quran and the life of its messenger be able to guide its followers?"
Writer
Najim Mostamand was born in
Anaheim, California, the son of Afghan immigrants who left their homeland after
the Soviet Invasion. Raised as an American Muslim, he was named Valedictorian
from Tesoro High School and graduated Magna Cum Laude at the University of
California, Irvine, receiving a B.A. in Business Administration. His book In
Search of Truth: A Modern Snapshot of a Misunderstood Religion is now available
on Amazon. To follow Najim's newest blog The Path to Enlightenment, click on
the following link: The Path to Enlightenment
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