Islam: The Essence

The essence of Islamic culture, arts, sciences, and civilization is Islam, and the essence of Islam is tawhid, an act of affirming Allah, the God to be One, absolute, transcendent Creator, Lord and Master of all that is.

As opposed to the generally misunderstood notion in the West, Islam is not a new religion brought forth by Prophet Muhammad 14 centuries ago, but it has existed since the creation of man.

It came to this world with Adam, and the Almighty had been constantly reminding mankind of Islam whenever there was a deviant behavior in the society. Prophetic figures like Noah, Jonah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses and Jesus were none other than these very reminders of Islam onto mankind.

The prophetic chain, however, ended with Prophet Muhammad, and therefore, the Law the Almighty communicated through Muhammad shall remain in force until the end of time, and this way of life is what is acknowledged to be Islam today.

The Culture

The spread of Islam in the world was extremely rapid. Within two centuries Islam had spread to all the Middle East, North and sub-Saharan Africa, Spain and all of Asia, including the Far East.

Today, there are one billion Muslims in the world, making up one-fifth of the world population. A universal brotherhood and culture can be seen among the global community of Muslims.

The Islamic culture, which can also be called "Quranic culture," because it is derived from the Quran, is what unites the world body of Muslims.

For instance, a Muslim from Ningxia, China would feel at home in Egypt, and a Muslim from Hyderabad, India would have no problems mingling in a Muslim society in Poland.

Whenever two Muslims meet they greet each other with Assalamalaikum, meaning peace be on you. This greeting being so eternal and majestic, is always preferred to a temporal "good morning" or "good day."

Muslims offer prayers in congregation five times a day, and these congregational prayers are usually held at a mosque, which also serves as a cultural center for Muslims. Most devout Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan.

The life code of Muslims is upright in accordance with the Quran, and their qualities of honesty, humility and moral rectitude impress non-Muslims; in the past, this often led to their acceptance of Islam, and this was one of the reasons for the rapid spread of Islam.

A Muslim society usually does not have any problems like AIDS, drugs, racism and intolerance, sexual perversion and promiscuity, and teenage pregnancy which plague many other societies.

The Sciences

Did you know that the experimental method, generally ascribed to Roger Bacon, was actually forwarded by Ibn Hatham a long time before Bacon did?

Did you know that before the advent of Islam, people used to be afraid of the elements of the earth and the universe, and it was the Muslims who drove away those fears by declaring that they were only subservient to mankind?

Did you know that algebra was invented by Muslims?

Or, did you know that the medical textbook Shifa, written by Ibn Sina (Avicenna), was the only authoritative book used by both Europeans and Muslims for centuries?

The achievements of Muslims in the spheres of arts and sciences are numerous. Muslim scientists engaged in the exploration of the earth and the universe freely because Islam always encouraged everyone to contemplate and investigate.

Disparity between science and religion is unknown in Islam, unlike in many other religions. For example, Christianity could not reconcile with the findings of Galileo and Kepler and it subjugated them to punishment.

Muslims freely exercised their rationale, and this resulted in the advancement of sciences and culminated in a superstition-free society. The great European thinkers were verily inspired by the Muslims, and thus Muslims were responsible for the Renaiss

The Arts

Islamic arts are based on the concept of tawhid (Transcendence and Oneness of God) and the holy Quran. The Quran serves as definer of tawhid, as an artistic model, and as artistic iconography.

Islamic art and architecture influenced Europeans to a great extent. Usage of glassware was first introduced by Muslims in Spain. Muslims also introduced paper to Europeans.

If you stroll down the streets of Palermo, Sicily, you would find remarkable similarities between its architecture and north African Muslim designs.

If you are in south-east Italy, you will notice Muslim influence in art and design. In many paintings of Europe in medieval times, certain Islamic elements can be found.

Environment

Finally, a word about environment. Muslims view this planet to be a trust from God to man, and it is to be enjoyed and preserved.

This inherent concept led to remarkable preservation of nature and environment in the Muslim nations while, in the West, the environment is being destroyed due to overexploitation to meet instant gratification of the people.