How can we deal with Islam respectfully or intelligently without a grasp of Islamic basics? In order to deal with Islam intelligently we must grok Islamic doctrine. How can we best do this? Well, perhaps the best way is by going to the source documents of Islam. The holy texts are the Quran, Hadiths and the Sira.
Where to get your information
Together the holy texts are known as the Islamic trilogy. Hadiths and the Sira, together they are known as the Sunnah of Muhammed. The Quran is the central religious text of Islam. Muslims believe it is the word of God, Allah, perfect and unchanging.
The Hadiths area a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. They are “the backbone” of Islamic civilization. Within Islam the authority of hadith serves as a source for religious law and moral guidance. The Sira is the story of the Prophet Mohammad’s life.
The common assumption is that Islam is a religion. That may be true but it is certainly not complete and correct. Islam is part religion but only one part. The better description is a complete civilization containing a culture and its own laws. Perhaps more accurately it is a worldview.
Religion is about answers to what happens after death. Westerners are generally tolerant and most do not care about what others believe with respect to religion. This is not true of Islam. We, westerners and non-believers, need only to understand how Islam impacts non-Muslims in this life, today.
In the beginning
Islam interacts with non-believers, mainly through its Sharia law. The part of Islam that affects the non- Muslim (Kafir) let’s call Political Islam. We know from the holy texts Mohammed started preaching his religion at about 40. He was largely unsuccessful, converting about 150 people in 10 years. Mohammed so annoyed his fellow Meccans … he was encouraged to emigrate.
He went to Medina where he became a politician, a jihadist and a great success. Mohammed used the follow me or die approach. We can see this division in Sharia texts. About the first quarter by volume concerns religion. The balance concerns business law, family law, jihad, the kafir, slavery, and criminal law. Jihad for example is both religious and political.
The Sharia is “Allah’s” law and within Islam it is superior to Kafir laws. Sharia requires Muslim immigrants’ to make constant demands on the host country. They must seek concessions to Islam in order to create acceptance of submission to Allah.
Conclusion
It is important that our leaders understand Sharia and what it is and what it aims to accomplish. The concept of Political Islam allows our leaders to see the demands as just that … political demands that must be rejected when they contradict our laws … unless we are going to become submissive to Allah and accept embracing Islam.