D. Utebayeva

PhD candidate, specialty Religious studies

Al-Farabi Kazakh National University,

Almaty, Kazakhstan

The features of the spread of Islam

Introduction

Islam by the conquest of other countries had widely disseminated religious ideas since its origin. As Islam considered to be the youngest religion, therefore it has its own history and has its own characteristics depending on area of distribution, regional migration. It is currently the world's second-largest and the fastest-growing major religion in the world after Christianity. And this figure is growing every year. Indeed, if current demographic trends continue, the number of Muslims is expected to exceed the number of Christians by the end of this century. According to Pew Research Center estimate on the future of world religions, the number of Muslims around the world will nearly equal the number of Christians by the year 2070 and Muslims will be at the top of the chart by 2100. As the Center survey shows followers of Christianity continue to increase but this process will be very slow. It also forecasts that the growth of Muslims will depend on demographic trends as well as Islamization and revival of Islam [1].

Today, as on the one hand, the acceptance of Islam is becoming ‘popular’, on the other hand, there is an increase in Islamophobia. Islam is still a matter for debate. For some people, Islam is the source of anxiety and fear but the others are trying to justify and prove its advantages.

The history of Islam has been considered as the main theme of fundamental research in various countries around the world. Islam was initially studied with the aim of identifying weaknesses of Christianity in order to increase the number of Muslim believers. The Quran is the Holy book of Islam, was first translated in Latin, then in English, French, Italian and other European languages. Islam is known to be thoroughly investigated during the colonial policy of the Russian Empire. As you know, there was anti-Muslim theological seminary missionary department in Kazan. The students of this department published their ‘Anti-Muslim collection’ researches between 1873 and 1894. Introduction of this periodicals reflects how the tsarist Russia performs the colonial policy over the subordinate people [2].

Later, Islam has been studied objectively since the introduction of religious science in XIX century. It is possible to cite as an example the winged words of one of the founders of the religion study M. Muller «One who knows only one religion knows nothing» [3]. Since that time Western and Russian universities had opened Islam and Oriental studies’ departments and Islam has become a subject for special research. The history of Islam and its spread was also seen in the work of many western and soviet scholars such as A. Masse, B. Lewis, T. Arnold, R. Eaton, J.Addison, G. E.Grunebaum and Russian researchers V. Barthold, I. P. Petrushevsky, O. G. Bolshakov, S. M. Prozorov, A. B. Khalidov and etc.

Sh. Valikhanov began his research work “Islam steppe” about Islam distribution and its role in Kazakhstan history continued in the Soviet era was the reason of writing dissertations in the history of independent Kazakhstan. N. Nurtazina, A. Sultangalieva, V. Basilov, A. Izbairov, A. Tasmagambetov, A. Nurgaliev, G. Mukhtarova and other Kazakh scholars wrote about the spread of Islam in the Kazakh steppe.

The term and the theory of Islamization

Today, in many countries the spread of Islam and the number of believers is growing, in this regard, the concepts such as "Islamization" and the revival of Islam ("reislamization") were appeared [4]. Also, Islam is widely spread in traditionally Christian regions. As a result, the term euro Islam was introduced. This, in turn, became the reason of occurrence of the phenomenon of Islam on a global level. If you look at the dictionaries of Islam terms Islamization is the acceptance of Islam through religion adherents or as a result of the conquest of other countries. Islamization has been used to describe the process of a society's conversion to the religion of Islam. In contemporary usage, it may refer to the perceived imposition of an Islamist social and political discourse on a society with a tradition of a more varied interpretation of Islam. But nowadays it means the spread of Islam in non-Muslim regions. At the same time in western dictionaries Islamization means not only changing from one faith to another but certain religious rites and customs are strictly observed by the Muslims and from here we can see the term of ‘reislamization’ or revival of Islam. Here is the "modernization of Islam" concept. This is especially characterized by formation of new public consciousness and the increasing role of Islam in Muslim countries and people. However, it is very difficult to give a clear definition to the concept of Islamization because politicization of Islam situation increases in the middle East now.

In her article ‘Transformation of the meaning islamization and reislamization in the context of modern social political processes’ the Russian scholar A. Sadiqova states the complexity of giving definition to Islamization and Reislamization. In her opinion, initially, Western and Russian Oriental studies gave the explanation that Muslims conquered other countries and made voluntary or involuntary its people to accept Islam. However, in recent years because of the international and political situations these terms are used as the process of growing influence of Islam to Muslims’ social life and politics [5].

There are some western theories about Islamization. The first Islam propagation theory is called ‘sword’ theory. By this theory, Islam was accepted by force. This theory lasted until the late of nineteenth century. This view has changed with the release of the book ‘Spread of Islam’ by British Orientalist T. Arnold [6]. The second theory of spreading Islam is that Muslims immigrants combined with the local population, married, and settled there. According to the third theory of Islamization under the government of Muslim rulers, in order to achieve certain benefits one must accept Islam. The last fourth theory, Islam acts as a social force aimed at removing inequalities in society. It was especially shown in India in destroying caste system and formation of social equality. However, in our view, these theories are not sufficient in spreading Islam as it needs. For example, "sword" theory proves that Muslim rulers in conquered countries showed the tolerance in religious beliefs. During the history, the right of dhimmis was given to people with other faith and they paid tax and were free following their own religion. However, considering the geographical facts, these theories do not fully capture the process of Islamization [7].

The acceptance of Islam in different cultures and people points out that it could give people different ideas. Time, places and historical events closely related to the spreading of Islam. For example, according to Turkish scholar Ali Kose, in the ninth century the acceptance of Islam of Andalusians affected social conditions, in the XIII a big contribution of Sufism played a significant role in accepting Islam to Anatoly people [7, P. 4]. As you know, it was Khozha Ahmet Yassawi who founded Sufism among Kazakh people.

It is also necessary to remember that in the when studying the spread of Islam there must be religious and spiritual reasons. Thus, individuals do not accept new ideas, philosophy, religion, and new technologies at once giving up with their old principals. If they like it, they will accept. Later they compare the new and old and then they choose what is better. As an example, R.Eaton studied about the spreading of Islam in Indonesia, Bengal region and made inclusion, identification, displacement theory .

In R. Eaton’s opinion, the displacement of one religion to another or from one outlook to another is very difficult. If they find similar values, signs and symbols only then they will change their worldview. Therefore, R. Eaton believes that the process of Islamization consists of 3 stages as it said above. They are inclusion, identification, displacement. For example, Islam concepts came gradually to cosmology to Bengal people after they accepted these concepts as their own and at last they totally changed their beliefs with Islam rules [8].

Some beliefs connected with God and new principles joined together among Kazakh people in accepting the religion. The concept of “saint” that had been used for a long time today has its new meaning. In this direction, the teachings of Sufism had a great influence on the penetration of Islam in the Kazakh steppe. Sufism means striving for purity, practice of dhikr that was similar to old Kazakh beliefs. The people worshipped them as God. Such talented sufis as Baba Tukles, Arystan bab, Khoja Akhmet Yassawi, Beket Ata, Sufi Aziz, Okysh Ata remained in the people’s mind forever [9].

Dawah as the basis of Islam

There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. Islam prohibited the forcible imposition of religion. As an example, we can give several verses (ayat) from The Quran "there is no compulsion in Religion" [10, 2:256]. Therefore, every Muslim should use it to spread Islam in order to show its advantages. One who invites people to the faith should know this ayat ‘Invite to the way of your Lord with wisdom and good instruction, and argue with them in a way that is best. Indeed, your Lord is most knowing of who has strayed from His way, and He is most knowing of who is [rightly] guided’ [10, 16-125]. Because, according to Islam scientists each Muslim promotes religion by their actions and words. That is, the spreading of Islam depends on its modesty and patience.

Dawah usually denotes the preaching of Islam. Dawah literally means “issuing a summons” or “making an invitation”, being the active participle of a verb meaning variously “to summon” or “to invite”. This word is often found in the Quran, written and oral classical Muslim texts and modern theological texts. Dawah has three meanings in the Quran: 1. To worship God and Idols; 2. Ask, summon (God, idols, people); 3. inviting to religion (Islam or other religions) [11]. Dawah has also different meanings concerning to politics, religion, law and human being but the origin is to invite.

Dawah or Call towards Allah, is the means by which the Islamic Prophet Muhammad spread the message of the Qur'an to mankind. After Muhammad, his followers or Ummah assumed the responsibility of the Dawah to the people of their times. They convey the message of the Quran by providing information on why and how the Quran preaches monotheism. "And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness and says, "Indeed, I am of the Muslims." [10, 41-33]. In Islamic theology, the purpose of Dawah is to invite people, both Muslims and non-Muslims, to understand the worship of Allah as expressed in the Quran and the sunnah of the Prophet, as well as to inform them about Muhammad. Many people think that Dawah is close to the Christian concept ‘missionary’ and most Islam scholars agree and support the usage of this concept because Christian missionary as a means of colonization and expansion described negatively for Muslim countries. “Islam is an evil religion.” “It promotes violence.” These are some common labels used against Islam by the rightwing Christian media. Such bias is based on the historical stereotype that the Arabs forced the non-Arabs into the Islamic faith.

And we can say that Islam is the religion of missionary because in his lecture M. Müller, in 1873 in Westminster Abbey told that the missionary was the faith that people took a great responsibility and duty to spread Islam and that God is one and everyone arrives to God. M. Muller indicates the missionary and non-missionary religions and he classified Buddhism, Christianity and Islam as a missionary religion [13]. Of course, there are the features of the propagation of the religion of Islam, and Christianity. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin missionem (nom. missio), meaning «act of sending» or mittere, meaning «to send». The word was used in light of its biblical usage; in the Latin translation of the Bible, Christ uses the word when sending the disciples to preach in his name. The term is most commonly used for Christian missions, but can be used for any creed or ideology. A Muslim who practices dawah, either as a religious worker or in a volunteer community effort, is called a dā‘ī, plural du‘āt. A dā‘ī is thus a person who invites people to understand Islam through a dialogical process, and may be categorized in some cases as the Islamic equivalent of a missionary, as one who invites people to the faith, to the prayer, or to Islamic life saying ‘Nor is there to Him any equivalent’. The western scholar D.Kerr told about the differences between dawah and mission: «If mission is directed from God to people, dawah is directed from people to God» [14].

The increased integration of world societies as a result of enhanced communications, media, travel, and migration makes meaningful the concept of a single Islam practiced everywhere in similar ways. According to some researchers of the XIX century Islamic missionary activity had systemic structure under the influence Christian missionary [6, P. 10-11]. Systematization of dawah in the twentieth century carried through Islam missionary societies, special seminars, distribution of religious literature, the Internet, by preaching.

Conclusion

In the 60 of XX century many countries considered Islam as one of world’s religion without moral and socio-political context. But nowadays in connection with the situation in the modern world the attitude towards Islam has changed and Islam basics, religious knowledge and intensive study has become a key issue. According to scientists, today, we can say about the second modernization of the Muslim. Its reasons are different and deep. The world process connecting with Islam opens the way to study the essence of Muslim morality.

If we consider the formation epoch of the Islamic faith, we found a new style of cultural behavior important than national values but in the development of culture ethical concepts has humanistic orientation replacement of "canonization" and "authoritarianism". Although, it didn’t prevent from keeping, the specifics of Islam with different ethnic groups or "cultural sign". There is every reason to say that Islam wasn’t accepted by force among the Jews and the Christians in Muslim countries. Islam teaches that human beings have a moral obligation to live in harmony with one another. Islam also recognizes and accords rights to all human beings regardless of race, color or creed. Islam requires its followers to show respect and tolerance even to those who do not share their faith. Islam encourages Muslims to respect the rights of all living things.

Referense

1. The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050. 02.04.2015// http://www.pewforum.org/2015/04/02/religious-projections-2010-2050 Сайтқа кіру уақыты: 27.09.2016 ж.

2. Missionerski protivomusulmanski sbornik//Ensiclopedicheski slovar Brokgauza I Efrona: v 86 t. (82 t. i 4 dop.). — SPb., 1890—1907.

3. M. Muller Vvedenie v nauku o religii/Klassiki mirovogo religiovedenia// www.gumer.info/bogoslov_Buks/Relig/klass/01.php Date:: 24.09.2016

4. Russko-angliiskii slovar religioznoi leksiki //http://religion_ru_en.enacademic.com/ Date: 27.07.2016 ж.

5. Sadihova A.A. Osnovnie konsepcii i podhodi k ponimaniu islamizasii I reislamizasii v zarubejnoi nauke (obzor Internet-resursov)//Lichnost. Kultura. Obshestvo. — 2009. – Т. ХI. Vip. 3. – No 50. – S. 362 – 369

6. The Preaching of Islam A History of the Propagation of the Muslim Faith T.W. Arnold MA. C.I.F Professor of Arabic, University of London, University College Second Edition Revised and Enlarged London Constable & Company Ltd. 1913

7. Ali Köse The assessment various factors in the spread of islam during the medieval period//Islam araştırmaları dergisi, Sayı 1, 1997. Б. 65-89

8. Eaton, Richard M. The Rise of Islam and the Bengal Frontier, 1204-1760. Berkeley: University of California Press, c1993. http://ark.cdlib.org/ark:/13030/ft067n99v9/

9. Zatov K., Gabitov T., Satershinov B. Bagashar K., Omirbekova A., Kazakstannin ruhani madenieti. Toleranttilik. Ensiclopedia. –А., 2014

10. Quran-Karim kazaksha tusindirmeli audarma. А. 2015

11. T. Janson Your Cradle is Green: The Islamic Foundation and the Call to Islam in Children’s Literature. Lund: Lund University. 2003. Б. 59–61.

12. Racius, Egdunas The multiple nature of the Islamic Dawa. Helsinki 2004, Б. 31

13. Prof. Arvind Sharma Problematizing Religious Freedom. – 2011//http://www.springer.com/series/6958 Date: 10.01.2015

14. David Kerr, "Islamic da 'wa and Christian Mission: Towards a comparative Analysis in International Review of Mission. 2000