The Catholic Approach: Seeking the "True and Holy" in Islam
While many would believe that there are very few similarities between the Catholic and Islamic faith, this belief would be untrue. The Catholic Church recognizes numerous aspects of the Islamic faith as "true and holy". This means that there are points of their religion that align with some of the Catholic Church's teachings. Perhaps the most prevalent teaching that occurs in both faiths is the teaching that there is only one God, making both of these religions monotheistic. Another aspect of the Islamic faith that is widely accepted by the Catholic Church is the mandatory fasting that occurs throughout the year. Muslims are encouraged to participate in fasting during many different parts of the year, which is something that the Catholic Church urges its members to do as well, especially on Holy Days of Obligation. Along with this, Islam bases salvation on faith and works, not just faith alone. This is a belief of Catholics as well. The Islamic faith also denies the Biblical view of Atonement, just as the Catholic church does. The Catholic Church believes that one must go to Purgatory in order to be cleansed of sin, which is like the Muslim teaching that an individual's works will save them, but they will not know of his or her salvation until Judgement Day. One of the most obvious links between these two different faiths is the lineage back to Abraham. Both faiths draw their religious history back to Abraham. While there are many differences between these two Abrahamic faiths, they still share numerous similar beliefs and teachings. The Catholic Church recognizes these things as "true and holy".
Mythic & Historical
There are many major historical events in the Islamic faith that have led them to be the faith they are today. The most important event in Islamic history is the life of Muhammad. Muhammad is the founder of Islam. He is seen as the last prophet sent by God to mankind and the restorer of Islam. He lived from 570-632, all while preaching his message of God’s love and recording the Islamic Word of God, or the holy Qur’an. After Muhammad, from 632-661, the Rightly-Guided Caliphs (or the first four Caliphs who truly followed in Muhammad’s footsteps) followed as the successors of Muhammad. These four Rightly-Guided Caliphs (Abu Bakr, 'Umar, Uthman and Ali) lived lives of justice, peace, and piety, and continued to spread the same teachings and morals as Muhammad. Following the period of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, the Umayyad Dynasty came into power. Ruling from 661-750, this dynasty was the first great Muslim dynasty to rule the Caliphate. The Umayyads are a merchant family from Mecca who converted to Islam in 627. The dynasty reached its peak with the overtaking of Spain, parts of India, and much of Central Asia. They were then overthrown by the Abbasid Dynasty in 750, who continued to rule until 1258. The Abbasid dynasty ruled as the second dynasty of the Muslim Empire and reigned as the ʿAbbāsid caliphate until overthrown by the Mongol invasion. In 1299, the Ottoman Empire began to rise to power across Europe. Beginning with the weakening of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rûm, the Ottoman Empire generated a shift from a Christian-European society to an Islamic influence. The Ottoman Empire continued to thrive until it couldn’t defend itself against foreign invasions and occupations. While these are just a few of the many historical events in Islamic history, these events have played a major role in turning Islam into the religion it is today.
Experiential
The experiential level of a religion is an extremely difficult aspect to grasp. One can truly only know what it means to be a Muslim if they are a Muslim. The way for non-Muslims to learn about the experiential element is through the testimonies of Muslims themselves.
Ritual
The rituals of Islam are the practices and celebrations that are essential to the structure of the religion. Muslims partake in the ritual of daily prayer each and every day. Daily prayer occurs five time per day and is said in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca. The Muslim prayer is a combination of physical actions, verbal sayings, and an internal feeling in the heart. The sayings include reciting parts of the holy Qur'an, the holy book of Islam, as well as other sayings glorifying God and thanking Him for all of His blessings. It also gives Muslims the opportunity to ask God for anything they desire. All Muslims are also encouraged to fast, especially during the month of Ramadan. Fasting means to refrain from having all kinds of food, drink and sexual intercourse from dawn to sunset. It is viewed as a way to cleanse the soul of all worldly desires and devout oneself completely to the obedience of God. Another ritual of Islam is the holy pilgrimage, or the Hajj. The Hajj is the physical and spiritual journey that every Muslim is expected to make at least once in their lifetime. There, they are expected to spend their days in complete devotion to worship and to asking God for forgiveness. They also perform other specific rituals, such as walking around the Kaaba, running between the hills of As-Safa and Al-Marwah, and the stoning of the devil. Muslims are also required to give charity to the poor and needy. They are encouraged to donate about three percent of their savings to those in need every year. All these rituals and many more are very important to the Islamic faith. Rituals play a pivotal role in faith life of Muslims all across the world.
Material
Understanding the material aspects of a religion is crucial to understanding the faith as a whole. There are four principle architectural types in Islam: the Mosque, the Tomb, the Palace, and the Fort. From these four types come other architectural features such as fountains and public bathrooms. The Dome of the Rock, located in Jerusalem, is one of the most important buildings in Islamic architecture. It features interior vaulted spaces, a circular dome, and stylized repeating decorative patterns. The Great Mosque of Damascus was built on the site of the basilica of John the Baptist after the Islamic invasion of Damascus. Another important part of the Islamic faith is the Kaaba. The Kaaba the cuboid building located in the center of Islam's most sacred mosque. It is built out of granite and limestone. Verses of the Qur'an line the top corners of the Kaaba. The Kaaba is considered the "House of God". All these things and more are what make the material objects of the Islamic faith so great.
Ethical
Muslims believe in living holy and moral lives. In order to do this, Muslims have to abide by certain ethical teachings within the faith. Overall, Muslims must not only be morally healthy, but must also contribute to the moral health of society as a whole. This means that Muslims are required to lead lives of moral and virtue and also spread this teaching to others and prevent others from sinning. This lifestyle can be achieved by living life as Muhammad lived. Muslims are to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad. This means living life kindly and justly, studying the scriptures, and growing in relationships with others and with God. The most fundamental characteristics of a Muslim are piety and humility. This is achieved through the guiding principle for behavior, or “Virtuous Deeds”. Islam also teaches that individuals should be in control of their passions and desires and should not be vain or over-attached to worldly pleasures. Muslims also have various dietary regulations. The foods explicitly forbidden are meat from animals that die of themselves, blood, the meat of swine, and animals dedicated to any gods other than Allah. Another important aspect of the dietary restrictions is the importance of food hygiene and how an animal is killed. Animals for food may not be killed by being boiled or electrocuted, and the carcass should be hung upside down for long enough to be free of blood. All these aspects (and many more) are what make the Islamic religion as ethical and moral as it can be.
Doctrinal
The doctrinal elements of the faith are the major teachings and beliefs of the faith. In Islam, there are numerous core beliefs. The most prominent belief would be their understanding that there is one God and a divine unity. This belief is what makes Islam a monotheistic religion. The Islamic profession of faith is the Shahada, which is where Muslims declare, "there is only one God, and Muhammad is his Prophet". This profession of faith is found in the Qur'an, or the holy book of the Muslims. The Qur'an is the written word of God, recorded by Muhammad. One of the main teachings of Islam is the "surrender/submission" to the will of Allah. It is necessary for all Muslims to submit themselves to the glory and the work of God. Another important belief of the Islamic faith are the Five Pillars. The Five Pillars are the framework of the Muslim life. The First Pillar is the Shahada, or the profession of the Islamic creed. The Second Pillar is the Salat, which are the five obligatory prayers at the time and in the way taught by Muhammad. The Third Pillar is the Zakat, which is the giving to the poor and those in need a percentage of one's wealth beyond basic needs. The Fourth Pillar is the Siyam, or the fasting from dawn to sunset during the month of Ramadan. The Fifth Pillar is the Hajj, or the journey to Mecca to perform the rites during the pilgrimage season. The Five Pillars of Islam are the foundations of proper and moral Islamic living. All Muslims are to follow these Five Pillars in order to lead good and moral lives. There are many other core beliefs and teachings, but these aspects are the most important of the Islamic teachings.
Social
The social aspect of Islam are the things that structure the community and bring the community together. For starters, Islam is the second largest religion in the world. That means that there are millions of Muslims across the world that are unified by the same beliefs. No matter where they go, Muslims can find someone who shares their same background and core beliefs. There are various social roles within the Islamic faith. One could be a muezzin, or the man who calls Muslims to prayer from the minaret of a mosque. One could also be a religious leader. In Islam, a religious leader is often known formally or informally as an imam, mufti, or ayatollah. Universally, the community of all Muslims is called the Umma. The Umma is considered to extend from Mauritania to Pakistan. An extremely important aspect of the social element in Islam is the family. Family life and marriage are very sacred to the Muslims. They stress the importance of a healthy and holy marriage to be the foundation of a moral and unified family. All of these different aspects of the social element play an important role in the Islamic faith.