SYLVANUS
GATORWU
THEO5243 SYSTEMATIC
THEOLOGY: CHRISTIANITY AND ISLAM
Professor
Page Brookes
Book
Review
Book
Title: Islam, Its history, teaching, and practices
Author:
S. A. Nigosian
Description:
The
book has 202 pages and comes with seven chapters which deal with detailed
information about everything Islam. Written by S. A. Nigosian, there is hardly
anything about Islam that is not covered.
Thesis:
Nigosian
does not “spare” the Moslem in stating the facts just as they are. Unlike books
on comparative religion that comes in a “gentle format,” this one is as raw as it
can be, exposing all that needs to be known about Islam.
Summary and Interactive
Analysis:
The
book opens with an introduction to world religious leaders and then zooms into
a good description of the Arabia, where the Prophet of Islam hails from and
where most of the events surrounding Islam occurred. Notable issues worth
mentioning is the fact that the Kabah used to attract pilgrims “long before
the days of the prophet Muhammad”[1].
It is interesting to also not the “numerous references” that this area has
received in the Bible[2].
The author takes time to give a vivid description of the Quraysh tribe. The
characteristics of which would be the epitome of the religion founded by
Mohammad.
The rest of the
first chapter is dedicated to the life of Muhammad ibn Abdullah was born in
Mecca around 570 c.e. who would, later on, become the prophet of the second-largest religion in the world. His prophetic call, opposition and the various
threats he faces are all dealt with into detail by the author. These activities
“put Arabia on the map”[3]
Chapter
2 narrows down on the survival of the religion with the rise of the Caliphates
following Muhammad's death in 632 AD. It is well noted that after the first
four Caliphs two huge dynasties emerge. the Umayyad dynasty (661–750) and the
"Abbasid dynasty (750–1517).[4]
These all claim descent from Mohammad. This part of the book also touches on
the Umayyad dynasty in Syria, which monopolized the caliphate for ninety years
(661–750)[5].
This dynasty would restrict succession to the Caliphate mainly to family
members instead of election. The end of which ushered in the Abbasid Caliphate
who moves the headquarters of the religion to from “Damascus in Syria to Baghdad
in Iraq”[6].
Chapter two also touches on Rival Dynasties which dominated the leadership of
the religion from 945–1925 AD. These
rivals are more or less local governors and military officers giving the
religion a look of militarism as they dethrone each other in coup-like
fashions.
The Mughals
(1526–1858)
The Safavids
(1501–1722) in Persia
The Qajars
(1779–1925)
The Ottomans
(1281–1924) Turks
The
rest of the chapter looks at how recent activities like the first and second
world war led to the influence of the European community into these Islamic
territories. The response in pushing against these European influences becomes
a complex web as each fashion tires to woe a part of Europe to their side. The
author notices how these activities lead to the formation of supposed groups
pushing for pan-Arabianism, Islamic socialism, and lately Islamic Marxism[7].
Expansion
of Islam in sub-Saharan Africa is the next major issue handled in Chapter two.
Penetration into Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco
according to the author was slow, and then reached a crescendo around the
1400s.[8]
Chapter
three takes on the various groups in Islam, the author makes very serious
revelations about the religion that should make every missionary sit up. Differences
in these Islamic groups “do not impair their basic sense of solidarity as
adherents of Islam”.[9]
He then takes
time to explain the three main factions in Islam, namely Sunni, Shi"i, and
Sufi and the minor ones.
“The largest
group of Muslims (making up more than 85 per cent of the total Muslim
population) being the Sunnis, this group accordingly recognize the first four
caliphs and attribute no special religious or political function to Ali or his
descendants”
The
Shai’s however view descent by birth in a direct line from the prophet Muhammad
as crucial. The Sunnis can be likened to the Christian orthodox. One of the
major differences between the two main groups in Islam as postulated by the
author has to do with the Sunni’s doctrine of infallibility. To the Sunnis,
infallibility is not a quality inherent in all prophets, it is a special grace
received from God. They, therefore, postulate that all prophets may sometimes
commit mistakes, but they are exempt from minor and grave sins, from unbelief,
and from sordid deeds. This is not so with the Shia’s. On their part, Prophets
and imams are sinless and infallible and therefore cannot err. In fact, the
imams possess an inherited superhuman knowledge that enables them to anticipate
every event in the world until the day of resurrection and judgment.[10]
The Shi make up
about 10 per cent of the total Muslim population. The author further goes deeper
into the differences as it pertains to (a) prayer, (b) marriage, (c) the
veneration of tombs of imams, and (d) dissimulation of faith, which is the
opposite of a proclamation or of a witness to faith.[11]
Other
Islamic groups mentioned by the author are The Imami (the Twelvers), The Zaydi, The Isma"ilis (the
Seveners), the Nizari founded by al-Hasan ibn al-Sabba, who occupied
the fortress of
Alamut in northwest Qazwin and other strongholds in Lebanon[12].
All the aforementioned groups are subsets of the Shi group.
The
third group, a comparatively smaller group is the Sufi, a mystical Islamic
movement.
Aside from these
three groups are other Islamic groups. These other smaller sects differ in
“beliefs and practices”, some of which are at variance with Islamic values.[13]
Even though it
is still controversial as to whether they should even be mentioned, they are
for the purposes of study given a mention by the author. Seven of which are
Murji’ah, Khariji, Nusayri, Druze, Yezidi, Baha’i, and Black Muslims[14].
The
fourth chapter of the book is dedicated to the Quran, a book believed by
Muslims to be the final revelation of a series of revelations given to Prophets
of God beginning from Adam to Mohammad. According to the author, Muslims
believe in other scriptures such as the The
Scrolls (Suhuf ) Ten
scriptures (now lost or untraceable) revealed to the Prophet Abraham, The
Torah, The Holy Book revealed to the prophet Moses, The Psalms (Zabur) The Holy Book revealed to the
prophet David and The Gospels (Injil ) The Holy Book revealed to the
prophet Jesus.[15]
According
Islamic believes, the first book believed to be lost, while the other three all
serve one purpose, i.e. to reform humanity[16].
The
chapter explores the Holy book of 114 chapters which has been arranged in order
of length from longest to shortest. Unlike the Bible, the Quran is considered a
holy mysterious book with strict laws that can best be described as codes of
life. For example, drinking alcohol and gambling are banned on the grounds that
both “are the
works of the
devil” (Quran 5:93). Polygamy is strictly regulated to a maximum of four wives,
provided that husbands can do justice to all. If they cannot, they may marry
only one woman (Qur#an 4:3).[17]
These
legal proscriptions are many, cutting across every aspect of life ranging from
the honour of parents, the prohibition against infanticide, rules governing murder and
vengeance, rights of orphans, property rights, trafficking, usury, and many
more[18].
The
Quran touches on several topics, albeit differing from the standpoint of the
Bible on these, some of which are Fatherhood
of God, Divinity of Christ, Doctrine of Original Sin. The Quran disagrees with
the Divinity of Christ event though he is held in high esteem as a prophet. It
also disagrees with the doctrine of original sin while “fatherhood of God is abhorrent
to Muslims”[19]
The
last three chapters of the book, i.e. five, six, and seven concerns itself with
the Sunnah, Hadith, and Shari"ah, faith and action and then lastly
observances and festivals.
These play a key
role in Islam. The Sunnahs are the “way” of life of the Prophet. practices that
Muhammad approved, allowed, or condoned, as well as those he refrained from or
disapproved of which have been inculcated into the Islamic way of life[20].
The
Hadiths are narratives of activities, most of which concern the Prophet
Mohammad, the author notices that some of these Hadiths are not accepted within
Islamic scholars. For example, Sunni Muslims (the majority group) accept six
authentic collections[21].
Shariah is the divinely ordained path for Moslems to
follow, these are moral codes of living.
As the book approaches the end, the author gives details of various
Islamic schools, religious duties and observances of the religion. The last
chapter devotes itself to the birth, circumcision and marriage of Mohammad.
These are milestones in the life of the prophet that are very important to the
Islamic Umah.
The
books come as very detailed work on Islam making a brief review almost
impossible. I find it as the finest and most detailed work on religion.
What is intriguing is the depth of knowledge espoused about the typical
traditional work contained in the last three chapters.
I
find the work on the different groups and sects of Islam particularly revealing
since these are not known to the ordinary Christian. The unity however that
exists within the Islamic community albeit their differences is missing in
Christian cycles and a trait worth emulating.
The Similarities
in the Bible and Quran that are also enumerated is a positive one on which
missionaries can ride on to get the yielded results of getting the Gospel
across.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Nigosian, Solomon A. Islam: Its History,
Teaching, and Practices. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2004.
[1] Solomon A. Nigosian, Islam: Its
History, Teaching, and Practices (Bloomington: Indiana University Press,
2004), 4.
[2] Ibid., 2.
[3] Ibid., 13.
[4] Ibid., 18.
[5] Ibid., 22.
[6] Ibid., 27.
[7] Ibid., 40.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Ibid., 44.
[10] Ibid., 46.
[11] Ibid., 47.
[12] Ibid., 76.
[13] Ibid., 82.
[14] Ibid.
[15] Ibid., 67.
[16] Ibid., 65.
[17] Ibid., 74.
[18] Ibid., 72.
[19] Ibid., 75.
[20] Ibid., 80.
[21] Ibid., 82.
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