Muslim versus Islamist
Acknowledge that the Islam is currently the second most followed religion in the world, characterized by over a million followers. Introduced in Mecca, Arabia, over 1400 years ago by a Prophet named Muhammad. The Islam is compounded by five pillars and the Qur’an regulates and teaches every phase of the Islamic law. You can also encounter the Sunnah, which are the practical examples from the Prophet Muhammad, also being guidelines alongside the acts of worship and lifestyles advices.
Knowing that is a universal religion with people embracing it bravely from Europe, Asia, Africa, America and the Middle East, some corners of the world will still fail on recognizing the comprehension its depth. Western writers of the past created certain misconceptions in order to question even the most essential foundations of the religion. Regarding the exploration in deep detail of both “Islam” and “Muslim” roots, will lead you to the knowledge of the language itself. English speakers will incorrectly assume that the same root in two Arabic words denote a relationship between the meanings of the words.
Islam derived from the Arabic root sīn-lām-mīm (S-L-M [ س ل م ]) will basically be translated into “submission” or “surrender.” However we encounter that in the same root are also the words “peace” and “safety” which make it simple to understand the term “salaam,” the official Muslim greeting now world wide spread. Islam is recognized and characterized to be the entire body of Muslim believers, and the basic principle in which you demonstrate absolute submission is that you recognize one personal and unique God, Allah.
Literally means “the one who surrenders,” will derive from the Arabic. A Muslim is a person who believes in and consciously follows the Islam.
Islam will commonly be used in conversations in order to represent the religious entity of the whole believers. Furthermore, the word Islam can also be used as a noun to refer to the religion itself.
Here are some examples:
“That Islamic neighborhood welcomes people from all the religions and cultures.”
“Islam is a religion of peace, which will base its teaching in the way from the Prophet Muhammad, and in the laws of the holy Quran.”
Muslim it is used when a person is being commonly characterized and distinguished. At the same time, it can also be used to describe or categorized someone at the core of the individual’s religious beliefs.
Here are some examples of then usage of the words:
“Do you still remember the Muslim man who once owned a restaurant?”
“I am a Jew, but he is Muslim.”
It is interesting that as Muslims living in some particular places are still notice in the minority, describing them with the term “Muslim” you will be displaying their dressing style or lifestyle in accordance with their religion.
Do not use them as
The term “Islam” should solely be use to indicate the religion or acts of the faith in the name of the religion it represents, but not to pinpoint someone who practices the religion. Know that you cannot say “Islamic people practice Islam” or that “the Quran is the Islamic Holy book.”
But saying “Islamic community” or “Islamic art” is not wrong at all. Thereby, grammatical errors should be avoided to prevent ambiguity.
The “Muslim” term in Arabic will be the participle form of the verb with addition to Islam as an infinitive. A Muslim is a person who will exclusively dedicate worships to God. Therefore you will not use the word “Muslim” to represent the faith itself but instead to represent the people and the followers.
A correct way to use the word will be “Muslim people practice Islam.” Instead of saying the wrong usage as: “people practice the Muslim religion.”
The words Islam and Muslim are both interconnected and will be used to represent the message and religion revealed to the Prophet Muhammad.
-They both come and originate from the same Arabic root s l m.
–“I am a Muslim, my religion is Islam.” The sentence will clearly indicate the differences in context on which the words are used in. Islam, being the religion itself, the act of submissiveness to the one only God while Muslim, refers to a person who takes the role in the act of the submissiveness.
-Islam will also symbolized the cultural notions of the religion itself, meanwhile the term “Muslim” only shows the follower of the specific religion.
Want to know about Shia and Sunni Muslims? Well, the main differences between them are political differences, not spiritual ones. They both do share the same central core beliefs and articles of the Islamic faith. If you zoom out the picture, as centuries passed by, diverging practices came to birth after political differences rage and later they all brought retaliation to become significant enough to impact the people’s spirituality.
Their division grew roots after the passing away of the Prophet Muhammad, just after the need of the leadership individual came to life. The argument and discussions lies where the first Caliph, Abu Bakr, became elected by the Holy Prophet and the rose of minority of Muslims believing that leadership should have being haired by the Prophet’s own bloodline, his son in law and cousin, Ali Bin Abu Talib.
The term “Sunni” stands for “followers of the traditions of the prophet.” While the term “Shia” stands for “supportive party or a group of people.” Along decades, this last division was based on the line of Imamat, which they proclaim was elected by God Himself or the Prophet Muhammad.