The youngest religion on Earth is Islam. The culture of the peoples professing it is based on faith in the one God of Allah and respect for the memory of past generations. The essence of the Islamic religion is to preserve the best of the cultural heritage of their ancestors and in a constant reference to the covenants of Mohammed contained in the Quran.
Islam helps preserve national traditions and culture
The culture of Islamic countries harmoniously reflects the national characteristics of ethnic groups professing faith in Allah. This is clearly seen in the works of literature and art by representatives of the peoples who converted to Islam. All the achievements of the culture of Islam are somehow connected with religion. There is not a single outstanding work of architecture or literature in which Allah and his prophet Mohammed are not glorified.
Modern Islamic civilization does not abandon its history and does not try to rewrite it, presenting the past in a more favorable light. This is the phenomenon of this religion. The traditions of Islam have not changed much over time. How can this be explained? In our world, crises affecting and destroying a variety of socially and economically significant areas occur almost every year, and generations of people change every three years, if not more often. The connection with the roots is lost, customs are forgotten and die. To understand how the peoples of Islam preserve their individuality, one needs to get to know more about their cultural heritage, which includes literature, architecture and national traditions.
The origins of Islamic culture
Islam is six hundred years younger than Christianity. In 610, a man named Mohammed witnessed a miracle. The archangel Jabrail (Gabriel) appeared to him and opened a scroll with the first sura. This event is included in the main Islamic holidays and is called the Night of Predestination. The supreme angel visited the prophet for the next twenty-two years. Mohammed, who could not read and write, miraculously read divine texts himself, memorized and then retold what he heard to his friends, and they wrote down. The angel repeated to Mohammed all those divine messages that the Bible contains, that is, the Adam Testament, the scrolls of Abraham, the Torah, the Psalter and the Gospel, and also told the New Message. He said that this is the last Divine Revelation - the Lord will no longer send his prophets to people. Now everyone will die when he falls asleep, then he will be resurrected as he wakes up, after which he will immediately go to the Court of God, where his outcome will be decided - eternal paradise or eternal hell.
In order to convert to Islam, it is enough to declare yourself believing in one God, and also that Mohammed is the last prophet. Before him were Musa (Moses), Isa (Christ) and others whose names are preserved in the Scriptures. To deny the divine essence of Mohammed is the same as denying it from Christ and the Old Testament prophets.
Interestingly, the ministers of the Christian church continue to wait for the second coming of Jesus and deny the divine essence of Mohammed. In this connection, the thoughts of F. M. Dostoevsky are recalled, where he writes about the sad fate of Christ when He will return to the people again. Islam accepts Isa as a true prophet and believes that his teaching was largely distorted and used by the representatives of the Church of Christ not for the benefit of people, but for the commission of many acts of God. There is some truth in this - the Christian Gospel was repeatedly rewritten, translated into different languages, and those, in turn, were constantly transformed. As a result, it is difficult to expect initial authenticity from a modern text. If there is a desire to learn a more complete truth about the path of Christ, then the most correct is to learn the Arabic language and read the Qur'an.
In fairness, it should be noted that in Islam, not everything is absolutely smooth. The Islamic world, unfortunately, is not perfect either. The separation between Muslims is similar to the separation between representatives of any world religion. The most basic currents of Islam are Sunnis, Shiites and Kharijits. The disagreement between them appeared even at the dawn of Islam and was expressed in the following: the first, the Sunnis, unconditionally accepted the text of the Revelations, written by a friend of Mohammed Zeid ibn Sabit (this text is considered canonical); the latter, Shiites, claimed that the Caliph Osman had removed part of the text from the canonical version; the third, the Kharijites, believed that the 12th Sura should be removed, since it is too frivolous a description of how the wife of the Egyptian nobleman Potiphar seduces Joseph.
Muslim General Book
Numerous detailed studies of the Qur'an confirmed the validity of this book as Revelation from God, or, as Muslims call it, Allah.
It is interesting that some of the information about modern man and society given in the Qur'an was not understood by readers for a long time. Their meaning became clear only over time. In the Qur'an, some scientific discoveries that have been made in the last hundred years have been anticipated. Researchers argue that the information contained in this book has far exceeded the level of knowledge that was in the years of its writing.
All Islamic literature is attached to the Qur'an and is full of references to sacred texts. We, Christian Europeans, perceive as a hypocrite or a hypocrite a person who mentions the Gospel in a conversation, and we consider the writer’s story reminiscent of a gospel parable as plagiarism. It is no accident that Jesus said that His teaching would be distorted and bring people disunity and enmity, evil would be done in His Name, and the Christian church would be founded by that apostle who would betray Him three times during the Savior’s life. Islam is a religion that unites people, and the Koran is the main law in such a rich and prosperous country as Saudi Arabia, in all the emirates of the Persian Gulf, as well as in Libya, Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, Sudan and others. Moral norms written in it and sanctified by Allah, in justice, wisdom and power of influence on people is much stronger than the norms of secular constitutions. This conclusion was reached by lawyers who are able to compare the effectiveness of the laws of Islamic states with the situation in other countries.
The night of predestination. Eid al Adha
All Islamic holidays are related to religion. The night of predestination is the most important event in the history of Muslims when the archangel Jabrail opened the first scroll to Mohammed. This event is celebrated on the 27th night of Ramadan. Then for ten days, Muslims pray most earnestly, asking Allah for the remission of sins. The fast, called Ramadan, ends with a great holiday - Uraza Bairam, when believers congratulate each other and generously give out gifts and money to those in need. Ramadan takes place in the summer months.
Sacrifice. Eid al-Adha
The second important holiday for Muslims is associated with the sacrifice of Ibrahim. It is celebrated 70 days after Uraza Bairam. On this day, Muslims rejoice that Ibrahim showed Allah the power of his faith and complete obedience to His will. Allah accepted his humility and canceled human sacrifices, and also blessed the birth of a son. This story is also in the Old Testament, which confirms the connection between the two major world religions operating on the territory of Russia, which are Christianity and Islam. The culture of the two faiths is somewhat similar, in particular, this is noticeable in relation to the bearers of faith in cultural and ethical values, as well as in the socio-political processes taking place inside the country and abroad.
Arabic - music recorded in script
Unlike the Christian Bible, the Qur'an is a folio whose text does not change from the very first writing. Arabic can and should even be studied in scripture. This is done all over the world. Such is Islam - religion and culture in it are inseparable from each other. Beautiful, viscous, throaty and very musical language, as if by nature itself, was created for reading prayers. It is not distorted by Americanisms or other newspeaks. The thin and graceful ligature of Arabic letters, more reminiscent of an intricate ornament, is a wonderful decoration for home decoration. The depiction of letters on the letter is a real living art of calligraphy, which Islam can rightly be proud of. The culture of European countries is becoming more and more universal every year, not to say primitive - in secondary schools, hours for writing, writing and drawing have also been rejected as irrelevant. And this is at a time when in Arab countries, all segments of the population are learning their native language according to the Koran. Comprehending the native alphabet, they also remember the laws of their country, which are common to all. The differentiated approach extends only to the amount of obligatory cash donations - the poor are completely exempt from them, and the rich pay as income increases. We call this progressive taxation and dream that someday such a system will work in our country.
The Arabic alphabet has 28 letters and four spelling variants each, in addition, vowels are indicated with separate signs. The ligatures that designate individual words or combinations of letters look unusually beautiful. They are used as a decoration for various objects.
It is said that Islamic civilization will sooner or later supplant Christianity. It’s hard to argue anything.
The unique differences of Islamic culture
Some features of the culture of Islam seem strange and not quite rational, however, it should be remembered: difficult to understand does not mean bad. This applies to the relationship between people, marriage traditions, ways of expressing feelings, etc. The Qur'an says that all people are equal, like the teeth of a comb, and there is no difference between an Arab and a non-Arab, white or black. Everyone - men and women, peoples and tribes - should strive to understand each other and try to do good to each other.
Islamic culture can rightfully be proud of magnificent monuments of architecture. These are mosques, mausoleums, palaces, fortresses, baths, etc. Their distinctive feature is ornate and delicate patterns of calligraphic inscriptions, leaves and flowers. All buildings are kept in perfect cleanliness. Muslims perceive their language, culture, nationality, intangible goods, and real estate as values transferred to people for storage by Allah himself. This is called amanat. And this explains why Islam so praises the material comfort and purity. The culture of this religion pays tribute to the beauty created by the hands of man for the glory of Allah and with his blessing.
The mosque is the main building professing Islam. Here, believers worship Allah. General prayers are held in mosques, sermons are read, orthodox people gather here to solve important issues. At mosques, there are always schools where those who wish are taught the Arabic language.
Legendary love story
Speaking of Islamic culture, one cannot ignore the famous Taj Mahal and the history associated with it. This mausoleum, or tomb palace, was built by the paddies of the Mughal empire, Shah Jahan, in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, whom he loved with eternal divine love. The writer and historian of the 17th century Inayatullah Kanbu left information about the descendant of Tamerlane, who also built other structures that amaze the imagination with the luxury of the materials used and the complexity of the designs. He compiled the most complete epic about the Mughal dynasty "Behar-e danesh." Shah Jahan is written in the book Tarih-e delgusha as a ruler who placed a great empire on the brink of financial collapse. The reason lies not only in huge expenses for luxury, but also in the many unsuccessful military campaigns to which the shah set off, ensuring himself complete comfort. His many wives and concubines always rode with him. Not all women and children returned from campaigns alive. Mumtaz-Mahal also died during childbirth, when she accompanied her husband's army. This was her 14th child of those who did not die immediately after birth. She was pregnant and gave birth to children almost every year. Constant pregnancies that occurred earlier than the time for menstruation are a sign that the woman is clean, like white marble, from which the mausoleum is made. And death during childbirth is considered to be a blessing and a sign of holiness for a woman. In Islam, it is customary to divide women into clean and unclean. Mumtaz-Mahal throughout his marriage with the Shah was clean and died during childbirth, for which he admired her.
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal was built for twenty years. The palace is magnificent. White during the day, at sunrise and sunset it turns pink, and on a moonlit night it seems cast in silver. The cold shine of the metal is reflected in the waters of the pool and fountains. In the absence of electric lighting, it causes a feeling of an independent source of radiance, which is born from the smooth walls of the building. These are the properties of a rare variety of marble brought from Rajasthan, located three hundred kilometers from the construction site.
The mausoleum includes several elements - a tomb with the tombs of the khan and his wife, two mosques and a park complex with a marble pool.
Taj Mahal is a mixture of Indian, Persian and Arab architectural styles. It is made with absolute symmetry. Talented architects planned it in such a way that when viewing the palace from different angles, interesting optical effects arise.
Islam forbids portraying animals and people. Thin and delicate patterns covering marble slabs are drawings of flowers and leaves, as well as extracts from the Koran.
Semi-precious and precious stones - carnelian, malachite, turquoise, jadeite, agate and others were used for internal and external decoration of walls and decorative elements. According to some estimates, only 28 types.
Over twenty thousand craftsmen from all over the Mughal empire worked on the palace. Legend has it that at the end of the work the architect was cut off his hands so that he would not create anything more perfect. True or not, it's hard to say. If you think about it, the construction of the Taj Mahal was accompanied by so much material costs, and this against the background of hunger, which killed millions of Indians almost every year, then it makes no sense to talk about whether the khan could have committed a cruel act. What is the mere story that he killed all the relatives who stood in his way to the supreme power. True, in old age he himself was removed from the throne. One of his sons followed the path of his father, killing all the brothers and imprisoning Khan Jahan himself.
The Taj Mahal is very similar to the tomb of the great-grandfather of Khan Jahan - the padishah Khumayun, which was built by the widow of the padishah by 1570.
Currently, the Taj Mahal is considered one of the wonders of the world and is under the protection of UNESCO, however, time and adverse changes in climatic conditions put the palace complex in danger of destruction. Marble loses its whiteness, the foundation sags - cracks appear.
