CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF THE RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
This chapter deals with review of literature that are related to this study under the following sub-headings;
a. Concept and history of Islam,
b. Islam in Nigeria,
c. Islam in Ilorin,
d. Concept of Muslim organizations,
e. Roles of Muslim organizations in the development of Islamic education.
Concept and History of Islam
The word “Islam†was derived from the Arabic root “Salimaâ€; meaning peace, submission and obedience (Azeez, 2013 & Afolabi, 2011 ). In the religious sense, Islam means total submission to the will of God and obedience to His law (Ahmed 2011, & Oniye 2009). Islam dates back to the age of Adam and its message has been conveyed to man by God’s Prophets and Messengers including Abraham, David, Moses, Jesus and Muhammed. Islam’s message has been restored and enforced in the last stage of the religious evolution by God’s last Prophet and Messenger Muhammed.
The word Allah in the Arabic language means God, or more accurately the one and only Eternal God, Creator of the Universe, Lord of all lords, king of all kings, most compassionate, Most Merciful. Everything and every phenomenon in the world, other than man are administered totally by God-made laws i.e. they are obedient to God and submissive to His laws. Man possesses the quality of intelligence and choice, thus he is invited to submit to the good will of God and obey His law, which is to become a Muslim. Submission to the good will of God, together with obedience to his beneficial law, i.e. becoming a Muslim is the best safeguard for man’s peace and harmony (Tsoho, 2011).
The first set of historical circumstances in the career of Islam concerned the Arab environment where Islam was revealed. There were many “Pagan†Arabian practices and traditions such as blood-feuds, absolute allegiance to the tribe and cults of idol worship which were banned in the universal perspective of Islam. The field of Islamic history includes the early development of the Islamic faith, as well as its continuation into the different rulers and denominations of the Islamic civilization, and confluence of its philosophy and history. Muslim history is the history of Muslim people, and the territories they ruled. In the history of Islam, the followers of the religion of Islam have impacted political history, economic history, and military history. The concept of the Islamic world is useful in observing the different periods of Islamic history; similarly useful is an understanding of the identification with a quasi-political community of believers, or Ummah. The Islamic cultural identity, or identity as a member of the Ummah, has influenced the history of the world. Islamic world territories haves included populations of people of other religions, such as Christian and Jews, and the levels have varied over the centuries (Badirudeen, 2017). Three centuries after the death of the Islamic Prophet Muhammed (High Middle Ages), the Arab Caliphates extended from the Atlantic Ocean in the west to Central Asia in the east. The subsequent empires of the Umayyads, Abbasids, Fatimids, Ghaznavids, Seljuqs, Safavids, Mughals, and Ottomans were among the influential and distinguished powers in the world. The Islamic civilization gave rise to many centers of culture and science and produced notable scientists, astronomers, mathematicians, doctors, nurses and philosophers during the Golden Age of Islam. Technology also flourished and the importance of reading the Qur’an produced a comparatively high level of literacy in the general populace.
In a proper Islamic state, although the believers believe and know that the other religions are false and wrong; the non-believers freedom of practicing their religion will be protected. A non-believer would be allowed to practice his religion in his house or in his place of worship; but the propagation or spreading of his false beliefs would not be permitted. In no righteous society would it ever be allowed that a wrong or false thing is propagated, thus allowing mischief and chaos to spread in society. If one trusts, obeys, and follows the guidance and commands of Allah and His Messenger (SAWS), he can be assured of never ever being misled; but if one believes, obeys and follows any other guidance. Other than that of Allah and His Messenger (SAWS), he can be assured of being led astray. Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength. The Qur’an is a record of the exact words revealed by God through Angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammed. It was memorized by Muhammed and then dictated to his companions, and written down by scribes, who cross-checked it during his lifetime. Not one word of its 114 chapters, Suras, has been changed over the centuries, so that the Qur’an is in every detail the unique and miraculous text which was revealed to Muhammed 14 centuries ago they are the framework of the Muslim life; faith, prayer, concern for the needy, self-purification, and the pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able. Islam is built upon five pillars. These pillars must be accepted and practiced by all Muslims for one to be a true believer of Islam (Tosho, 2011).
