FREE ESSAY ON MUSLIM VS. MUSLIM

MUSLIM VS. MUSLIM

It may seem similar and it may not, but what we do know, is that they both believe that
they are Muslims. The Islamic beliefs of the black American male and the males of the
Middle East are the same. My argument lies in the question of whether or not Africans can
call themselves true Muslims, believers and followers of the Islamic faith. To be
considered a true Muslim you must follow the rules and regulations of the Islamic faith.
What is Islam? Islam is defined as the complete acceptance of and obedience to the
teachings of Allah  (I. A. Ibrahim 45) As a Muslim you are to believe in Allah, who is
incomparable. He has no son nor does he have a partner, he is unique and he is one. You
shall not worship, magnify, or pay tribute to any other, for all others are false. Yet we
see otherwise in Africans who call themselves Muslims.
In John S. Mbiti's book, Introduction to African Religion he states traditional African
beliefs mixes those of Islam to suit the requirements of the people concerned so they get
the best out of both religions (188-189). How can one say such a thing? To believe in
something is to fight for it, is to die for it. You can not get the best of a religion if
you do not fully believe in it. You should not adopt the way of dress and some other
cultural forms (Mbiti 189), just to suite a community. Religion is something that is held
dear to the heart of many people and to mix and mingle them does not allow you to truly
believe in one.
When you convert to a religion it is not to convert halfway, it is not to convert three-
fourths of the way, but to convert all the way. It is stated that even if Africans
convert to another religion, they do not completely abandon the traditional religions
(Mbiti 14) Here we see that the first real defiance has already occur. By mixing the two
would not you be doing an injustice to the true believers of the Islamic faith and
defying Allah the leader of the Islamic faith. in addition, are you not doing an
injustice to the rites and rituals to the Gods, Spirits, and Divinities of the African
religion? How can you please the leader/leaders of these separate religions if you are
not even following them fully with your heart, mind, body and soul? I can not see how you
can be a true religious follower or worshiper of any sort if you do not believe with all
of you.
If we look at the Hausas of the Habe kingdom in northern Africa we can see despite their
nominal adherence to Islam, they continue to practice spirit possession and animal
sacrifice. They eat pork, let their women appear in public unveiled, engage in prohibited
degrees of marriage, and practical matrilineal inheritance (Ray 179) Islamic practices
set strict standard and regulations that Muslims must follow. It is without a doubt that
the Hausas have sin. They knowingly and continuously practice what is Al-Haram. 
Al-Haram is something that is unlawful or prohibited. As we have witnessed it is without
a doubt, a sin to worship any other, but Allah. Furthermore, they commited and engaged in
five more sins against the Islamic creed. It is Haram (strictly prohibited) to eat flesh
of dead animals, that died of natural causes or had been strangled, beaten, or partly
eaten by a wild beast (Elmastry 78). Animals must also be slaughtered by a sharp object
so that the animals are able to bleed from their blood vessels. It is also Haram to eat
any swine, pork of any sort. Before being slaughtered Allah's name must be mention for
giving such bounty (Elmastry 78). It is Haram for woman to wear clothes that is
transparent and body tight, they are also to have their body covered, leaving only their
hands and face to be seen (Elmastry 79). It is also Haram for men to take any of their
wive's money or property before you marry, during the marriage and after marriage. It is
solely the mans responsibility to care for the family regardless of their wives wealth
(Elmastry 78).
How can such people practice a religion and pay it no nevermind? It is to no fault of the
religion that they followed be for converting to the Islamic sect, but to what respect
are they paying tribute? Are they paying tribute out of belief, out of enjoyment, out of
respect, or out of selfishness? Can we or do we blame the Hausa scholars who did not draw
the line between what is right and what is wrong, what was sinful and what was in the
name of Allah? Do you blame the Hausa scholars for compromising the law of the Islamic
faith to tailor the religion to the needs of wealthy Habe patrons?
Another example of an Islamic group taht failes to fully live up to The poorest of the
Yorubas make up the largest portion the Islamic religion. The Yorubian Muslims who only,
mostly follow the traditions of the Islamic sentiment. They live as do any true Muslim,
except they take part in other festivals of other religions that are practiced within
their families as well as the community, for they are merely acts of social custom
(Trimingham 222). This can be seen as a means of keeping peace through the community, but
again does it make it right? Is it exceptable, to partake in rituals that may be held in
the pagan belief , or Christmas celebration of the Christian belief, or any other for
that matter? 
Egypt on the other hand, is the perfect example of a modern African nation that
wholeheartedly follows the distinct beliefs and rules of the Islamic faith. Even though
they are the oldest African civilization and have much documentation on their old
religion and belief, they do not combined the two. They have the pyramids which they use
within their praying to point them in the right direction of Mecca. They do not worship
or pay tribute to any other god or man. Only in Allah do they put their trust. 
Not to come down upon the African religion, I make arguments for both cases. As I stated
in a pass journal entry, the beliefs of African religion are remarkable in the sense that
the religion leaves out no one. It unifies the community and tribes. Why mix something so
traditional so, powerful, so peaceful? Regardless of what religion you choose to follow,
it should be followed with the whole of you, not half of you. I would like to reiterate
that each civilization whether it be the Gogo's or the Yoruba's, has their own meanings
for their gods, spirits and divinities. Whoever, each religion shares a general
understanding of African religions and the African religious system. 
In African religion, though it is a vast religion that encompasses more than twenty-eight
countries, there is still a general belief system. There is the belief that God is the
creator of all things, he rules over the universe, sustains his creation and provides for
what he has created. God is merciful, good, all-powerful, all-knowing, and He is
everywhere. He is holy, never changes, unknowable, and is the first and last cause.
There is also a belief in spirits, their are many types of spirits. There are nature
spirits, human spirits, sky spirits, earth spirits, and the spirits of the long dead
(ghost) and the recently dead (Mbiti 70). The belief in spirits helps to provided people
with explanations of the many mysteries of the universe (Mbiti 81). Whether spirits are
good or evil is questionable, since a majority of spirits can not be classified as either
(Mbiti 79). Spirits do not have any kind of shape or form, since by definition they have
no physical form (Mbiti 79). All of these beliefs should be believed in full. If their
not, then what is the purpose? The beauty of religion lies within the heart and the
belief of which ever god and religion you choose to worship or follow.
My religion is my god and I have no title for it; I may say I am Baptist or Episcopalian
for reasons of labeling myself, when asked. But through this paper I have realized that I
need not label myself, I need not mix and mingle, because in my heart is where god lies.
I worship and praise him in my own way.
Hans Kang gave one of the most eye opening and satisfying statements I have read or ever
been told. Religion is  a beliving view of life, approach to life, way of life and
therefore a fundamental patter embracing the indvidual and society, man and the world,
through which a person (though only partially consious of this) sees and experiecnces,
thinks and feels, acts and suffers,everything. It is a transcendentally grounded and
immanently operated system of coordinates by which man orients himself intellectually,
emotionally, and existentially. (Kung xvii) In closing, if a religion is forced upon you
would you not stand up for it? Would you not you die for it? Many of these questions can
be answered just by reading Chinua Achebe's, Things Fall Apart. Okonkwo felt just like
anyone else who is a strong beliver in their religion, and he died for that in which he
believed, for what he held the utmost respect. That was the religion of his people, the
religion of his heart.
Bibliography
Bibliographies
Ibrahim, I.A. A Brife Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam Darussalam Publisher,
Houston, Texas, USA, 1997
Elmasry, Mohamed 1000 Questions on Islam, International Books & Tapes Supply, Inc. Long
Island City, NY, 1995
Mbiti, John S. Introduction to Afracian Religion
Heinemann Educational Publishers, Oxford 1975
Ray, Benjamin C. African Religions, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood New Jersey, 1976
Trimingham, J. Spencer Islam in West Africa, Oxford University Press, 1959
Kung, Hans Christianity and World Religions: Paths of Dialouge with Islam, Hinduism,
and Buddhism Orbis Books, Ney York, 1993