Introduction of Foundations of Islamic Culture

        The culture is an element, which shows the customs, beliefs, behaviors and traditions adopted by a certain group of people. There are various things, which are influential in the essence of culture such as race, ethnicity, and religion. The Islamic culture is influenced by the religion of Islam, and its every aspect is derived from their religion, where God and his Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) have provided them the ways of living their lives. More than 1 billion Muslims are living all around the world, and they belong to different regions, and speak different languages, but when it comes to cultural attributes, they are all unified by a common Islamic culture. This culture is based on religion of Islam, which asserts that God is one, and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the Messenger of God. The culture is bit different with regards to every country in terms of food, clothing, & traditions, but there are many other elements, which are similar across the Muslim societies in the world like their wedding traditions, family structure, values & beliefs etc. It is important to look at different aspects of Islamic culture, and analyze where its actual foundations are in the history (Moaddel 2002)

Scope & Objective of the Study of Foundations of Islamic Culture

            In this study, the aim is to briefly analyze the foundations and different aspects of Islamic culture that how it was developed, and what are the actual foundations of this culture, making it a unified one for Muslims all over the world. The project will look at different features of the Islamic culture, and each one would be explained briefly to get an idea about different attributes of Islamic culture. The objective of the study is to review every relevant aspect of Islamic culture starting from its foundations to its modern evolution in the modern era that how it has changed or evolved overall in terms of different traditions like wedding or other living traditions. The literature will be reviewed to get each aspect of the topic get covered.

Literature Review of Foundations of Islamic Culture

            It is important to understand that day to day living practice of Muslims can be reviewed by their customs as well as traditions which they follow in routine. But there is a bit distinction in their core Islamic culture, which they follow, and the culture, which is represented by their regional and other social aspects. The core features of the Islamic culture can be found in every Muslim society and there can be various examples to explain this fact. For instance, the dress code both for Muslim men and women is to cover their whole body as per the teachings of Islam, but when it comes to different countries, the dress styles, colors, and relevant features could be different from one another. But the core Islamic culture driven by the religion of Islam asks them to make sure that their dress covers their whole body except their hands & face. This is something, when compared to Western culture is quite different as Western culture comes with dresses, which may never look to necessarily cover the whole body. The other important aspect of Islamic culture is the essence of morality, deicing between the right and wrong. It means that Islamic culture would ask Muslims to be more honest, and doing things which are considered morally right and ethical. The dishonesty as well as unethical practices of any kind is forbidden in Islamic culture as per the teachings of Islam (Philips 2006)

Understanding the Islamic Culture of Foundations of Islamic Culture

            It is critical to understand that how the Islamic culture has been guided by the foundations of Islam, given through the word of God and His messenger. The God has sent His message to Muslims with the Holy book named Quran. The source of many traditions and customs of Islamic culture can be attributed to Quran as God has given his order to Muslims, and they have to obey the message of God. In any culture, the cultural festivities are important part to review their lifestyle, and when Islamic culture is discussed; their festivals are even driven out of their religion. For instance, the Muslims celebrate two major festivals every year; one is Eid ul-Fitr, and the second is Eid ul-Adha. These both celebrations in the Muslim culture are the biggest one of all and God has asked Muslims to celebrate these two occasions. The practical application of such festivals and activities was presented by the Muhammad (PBUH), the messenger of God. The marriage is another example to be part of an Islamic culture, as it is must for Muslim men and women to get married (Journal of the History of Sport 2010)

The Sexual Behavior and Relationships in Islamic Culture of Foundations of Islamic Culture

            As it is mentioned above that in every aspect of Islamic culture, the foundation is laid by the religion of Islam. The Islam drives the way forward for most of the cultural attributes for Muslims like the sexual relationships marriage and sex outside marriage. It is important to mention here that sex outside marriage is strictly prohibited in Islam, whereas it is something, which can be found as a normal thing in other cultures such as in Western culture. It is also important to tell that even extramarital affairs and sexual relations are also prohibited in Islamic culture, and deemed to be extremely wrong and unethical acts. The Muslim men and women have to get married in order to proceed with any kind of sexual relations. A study found out among Islam, Christianity and Hinduism that Muslim people were mostly associated with absence of premarital or extramarital sex practices as compared to other two religions. It shows that religion has a great influence on Islamic culture to shape its advent of sexual relationships and behaviors (Adamczyk and Hayes 2012)

The Muslim Marriage in Islamic Culture of Foundations of Islamic Culture

            The marriage traditions are another aspect of Islamic culture, which rooted deep into the essence of religion, but the overall values have changed with the passage of time. The modern Muslim marriages are influenced by various regional and international attributes. In its true form, an Islamic wedding should be a simple one without incurring any huge expenses. But this is not the case anymore with Islamic culture in most parts of the world. The one example could be of Dowry, which is prohibited in Islam, and Islamic traditions allows does not promote any lavish wedding celebrations and ceremonies. But when modern wedding practices are reviewed in detail, it is evident that Islamic culture has been influenced by the presence of western and other popular cultures. The simplicity was the foundation stone for Muslim wedding, but it has changed now. The Nikah ceremony should be held with the guidelines provided in Islamic Sharia law, and if those guidelines are not met, then a marriage may not be considered valid in an Islamic Culture. The overall look of an Islamic wedding should be simple, but the modern practices are going against it. The Dowry has become an important part of Muslim marriages all around the world (Akhtar 2018)

The Family Structure in Islamic Culture

            In the Islamic culture, the family is considered to be one of the most significant institutions, which shapes the overall look of an Islamic society. In terms of family structure and way of living, the Islamic approach is considered to be more conservative in nature. In various other cultures, the role of family may not be considered important anymore, but in Islamic case, the fact is totally opposite. The Islamic culture values the institution of family with its all core elements. In a Muslim society, the family is important one to develop a balanced as well as healthy society. The Muslim society is built with various building blocks, and family is the critical one of those. The parents, children as well as relatives are the essential part of a family system in an Islamic culture. And they have to follow certain guidelines provided by Islam that how to live & behave with each other (Dhami and Sheikh 2000)

Other Elements of Islamic Culture

            The art and entrainment is one of the other important elements of Islamic culture. It is important to mention that in Islamic culture, the art & entertainment activities cannot be vulgar in nature; rather they have to comply with strict moral codes proved by the religion of Islam. Thee religion has been important one to drive the way Islamic culture is determined in every Muslim society. The deep roots of religion have been important to its existence, but modern ways of popular culture has influenced its various aspects in so many ways.

Conclusion of Foundations of Islamic Culture

            After analyzing all aspect and elements of Islamic culture, it can be said that foundations of Islamic culture can be attributed to the religion of Islam. The Quran as well as the message of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is deeply rooted in every aspect of Islamic culture. In other cultures, religion may not be as evident and influential in their foundations, but Islamic culture is heavily guided by its religious beliefs. The marriage, family, art, entertainment, and sexual behaviors as well as sexual relationship and related values; everything is driven out of the basic provided by Islamic teachings. However, the popular and Western culture has made an influential mark to change the overall look of Islamic culture, but still, in many societies; the stronghold of conservative Islam is evident on the Islamic culture.

 References of Foundations of Islamic Culture

Adamczyk, Amy, and Brittany E. Hayes. 2012. "Religion and Sexual Behaviors: Understanding the Influence of Islamic Cultures and Religious Affiliation for Explaining Sex Outside of Marriage." American Sociological Review (American Sociological Association) 77 (5): 723–746.

Akhtar, Rajnaara C. 2018. "Modern Traditions in Muslim Marriage Practices, Exploring English Narratives." Oxford Journal of Law and Religion (Oxford University Press) 1–28.

Dhami, Sangeeta, and Aziz Sheikh. 2000. "The Muslim family predicament and promise." Western Journal of Medicine 173 (5): 352–356.

Journal of the History of Sport. 2010. "Islam and Islamic Culture: Earliest Foreign Influences on Physical Activity in Pre-Colonial East Africa." The International Journal of the History of Sport 27 (5): 798-819 .

Moaddel, Mansoor. 2002. "The Study of Islamic Culture and Politics: An Overview and Assessment." Annual Review of Sociology 28: 359-386.

Philips, Dr. Abu Ameenah Bilal. 2006. The Moral Foundations of Islamic Culture.