I got this form this site:

http://philtar.ucsm.ac.uk/encycloped...am/geness.html

General Essay on Islam
The rise of Islam began with the Prophet Muhammad, who was born in about 570 in the city of Mecca, in central western Arabia. From about the age of forty until shortly before his death in 632 Muhammad received frequent revelations from Allah delivered through the angel Gabriel. These were written down into 114 chapters or suras and collected together a generation after the death of Muhammad. The revelations are collectively known as the Qur'an, the sacred book of Islam.

A second source of authority for Muslims is the Hadith (which literally means "statement") . The Hadith consists of a collection of sayings and deeds of the Prophet and his companions which were transmitted by a chain of authorities and written down between the ninth and eleventh centuries. (Individual sayings or traditions of the prophet and his companions are also known as hadith.) The example set by the Prophet as recorded in the Hadith is known as the Sunnah, a term that literally means "w ell-trodden path". The Sunnah provides the normative basis upon which Muslims conduct their lives.

The main sectarian division in Islam is between the Sunni and Shi'a traditions. Sunni and Shi'a share the same prophetic revelatory event described in the Qur'an and the Sunnah: they each accept as fundamental Allah's unity and the mission and mes sage of Muhammad. The division between the two traditions derives from the question of who is authorised to rule over the community of Muslims (Ummah). For the Sunni, authority to rule was originally in the hands of the community , which appointed a caliph (vice-regent/president) to rule on its behalf. They recognise the first four caliphs as Muhammad's legitimate successors.

The Shi'a, however, placed authority solely in the hands of the fourth caliph, Ali, who was also the Prophet's cousin and son-in-law, and his descendants. Shi'ism has developed its own system of law and theology; its own clergy; festivals and places of pilgrimage; and a special religious ethos characterised by a fervour to suffer for the cause.

In spite of the division between Sunni and Shi'a, Islam has avoided the extensive fractural divisions that have occurred in some other major world religions. There have of course been various splits, but many of these were the result of slightly variant approaches to jurisprudence and theology rather than actual sectarian divisions caused by doctrinal differences. The various jurisprudential and theological schools in Islam tend to be referred to with the Arabic word "Madhhab" (which means "a path that is walked along") since the term does not suggest any value judgements with regard to the style of Islam that is being practised. Muslims who affiliate themselves to different theological or jurisprudential madhhabs will worship in the same mosque. There is no sense of denominational difference here, and it is inappropriate to regard the different madhhabs as sects.

The terms sect or independent group can, however, be used to refer to those groups which, through developing doctrines and practices clearly at odds with Qur'anic teaching or the traditions of the Prophet, have placed themselves outside of main stream Islam. Four such major sects have emerged from within the Sunni tradition: Kharijiyyah, Mu'tazilah, Wahhabiyyah and Ahmadiyyah. Three have arisen from within Shi'a: Isma'iliyyah, Nusayriyyah and Qarmatiyyah. These are all regarded by orthodox Muslims as heretical. Other groups that have emerged from within the Shi'a tradition are the Druzes, the Babis and the Baha'is. Although these groups emerged from within the Shi'a branch of Islam they do not consider themselves to be Muslims but are independent traditions in their own right.

Islam decrees that every believer who kills an infidel,(anyone who does not miror there belief system) will spend eternity in paradice serounded with young vigins.

How will it serve the young Arab male to spend eternity in paradice serounded with young virgins if he has to blow his balls of to get there???

Let me clarify something.........

The "Virgins of paradise" are not Human virgins! They do not belong to the children of Adam(Humanity). They are totally different creatures not far from the Angels!

Personally, I would rather have those "Virgins of paradise" rather than any girl on Earth! The girls on Earth are a disappointment! Eventhough, you even risk your job and security to please them it would do no good. So, I am sure that the promise in the RELIGION OF ISLAM will never disappoint me!

Let me say something else........Black and White girls are a disappointment! Just wanted to clear that up! None of them deserve flowers or candy.......NONE!

I would rather die in a battlefield or get murdered(because both will guarantee you paradise)! than to ever try to please a female from humanity! ever again!

Love poems, flowers, candy ,etc are a waste of time! What they want is a man with money and power and or someone within an affluent family. So, you got have those before you send poems,flowers, or candy,etc to any female. AND I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY NOR THE POWER NOR AM I PART OF AN AFFLUENT FAMILY! So, fighting in the battlefield or getting murdered is the best thing for me right now.

I am feeling better.

I love women! I wish I would find out what I am doing wrong? I do not like to be ignored! Like no response or nothing.

Let me be positive..... probably I will find a way to be rich and powerful? But I am sure that is not important in a relationship.

This thread is about Islam not me. However, I did clarify a statement about "virgins of paradise(Heaven or heavens)". Probably I will be corrected about certain women and I hope so.

Everyone seems to be wondering why Muslim terrorists are so quick to commit suicide. Lets see now...No beer, No booze, No bars, No television, No cheerleaders, No baseball, No football, No basketball, No hockey, No golf, No tailgate parties, No hooters, No pork BBQ, No hotdogs, No burgers, No lobster, shellfish, or even frozen fish sticks. Rags For clothes, towels for hats.

Constant wailing from the guy next door because he is sick and there are no doctors. 24 hour wailing from a guy in the tower. No chocolate chip cookies, No Christmas, You can’t shave, Your wife can’t shave. You can’t shower to wash off the smell of donkey cooked over burning camel dung. The women have to wear baggy dresses, and veils at all times. Your bride is picked by someone else, she smells just like your donkey, but your donkey has a better disposition. Then they tell you when you die it all gets better.

No mystery here!

I loved that, it was great

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Blue

AHIP message board

Looks like you have been broken hearted many times by them, maybe it's because of your religion. I think, if I'm not mistaken, females aren't treated with respect.

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Blue

AHIP message board

My Error Detector just went off.

First: article mentions "orthodox Muslims" without specifying orthodox Sunni or orthodox Shiya. What's commonly assumed is that Sunni = orthodox, but to people trying to understand Islam in all its versions, the omission of a definition here is misleading AND Sunni-biased.

Second: No mention of Sufis. Overlooked by one and all here including the professing Muslim.

Shame, shame, shame.

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I shall continue to be an impossible person as long as those who are now possible remain possible.
Hypercrites

SedyAlpha clone,

This:

ABROGATES the previous post! Unless you chose not to read it!

As for your comments. I am from a Non-Muslim family so most of what you have said I have experienced it already. I am the only Muslim in my family. By the way, the more that you oppose my decision of becoming Muslim the more I attach to Islam because you do not respect my opinion nor my decision. Like I said I am NOT ARAB!

So, unlike an Arab I will defend myself if I ever see you in the street if you ever dare say those things in my face!

How vomiting and having an upset stomach makes you feel good?

I only got drunk once when I was a Non-Muslim and never touched alcohol again! It was my teen years and my cousin is to blame for my early dislike of alcohol. I believe I became a philosopher very young after that episode.

Hold on, I play GOLF and BASKETBALL! and soccer and other sports! Just to review his comments I still do some of them.

The next paragraph is just ignorance as if we could not just observe other cultures with similar descriptive characteristics.