1. Elkadri 1
Belal Elkadri
Professor Linn
History 313-001
29 November 2012
Deism and Islam
Islamic Influence on the Founding Fathers and America
Although many Founding Fathers of the United States were Deist, they “explicitly
included Islam in their vision of the future” of America (“US”). Islam is one of the fastest
growing religions and Muslims nearly occupy a fifth of the world’s population (Shabbas, Nijim,
and Qazzaz 2). However, Islam is not normally associated with the United States even when
over six million Muslims live in America, making Islam the second largest religious group in
America after Christianity (Shabbas, Nijim, and Qazzaz 2). While many people perceive that
Muslims have had no part in the American experience, many people would be shocked to find
out that the Founding Fathers of America were influenced by Islamic ideology and principals
(“US”). As mentioned, many of the Founders of America were Deist which is a belief in God
based on reason and nature (Mossner 681). Islam is a monotheistic religion based on revelation
and complete submission to the oneness of God (Foltz 533-534). Both Deist and Islam have
differences, however they are very similar in a way and what the facts show is that Islam had a
major influence on the Founding Fathers of America.
Deism is the belief in God based on reason and nature (Mossner 681). The principals of
Deism is the belief in “one supreme God, he is to be worshiped by” being moral, goodness is the
main part of “divine worship”, men should repent and be remorseful for his sins, and goodness
will be rewarded and evil will be for punishment in both “this life and after it” (Mossner 683).

2. Elkadri 2
Deists reject divine revelation and divine intervention (Mossner 681). Deists believe that God
gave humanity reason and a conscious so mankind could develop moral and ethnic principals
(Mossner 689). They believe that humans should be free to worship God in their own way and all
views of God are respected (Mossner 681). They reject oaths, prophets and holy books and
advocate moderation, reason and free thinking (Mossner 681,685). Some major American Deists
include Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and George Washington (Mossner 689).
In contrast to Deism, the oath or “shahadah” to become a Muslim is to sincerely say, “I
bear witness that there is no deity worthy to be worshipped but Allah and I bear witness that
Muhammad is the final and last messenger of Allah” (“Five”). In addition to the shahadah,
Muslims must pray five times a day to worship Allah or the One God, fast during the month of
Ramadan “to teach humility and sacrifice”, give Zakat, or “alms giving to cure greed”, and
complete Hajj, a “once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage” to Mecca (“Five”). These basic tenets of the
faith are known as the “Five Pillars of Islam” (“Five”). In addition to the five tenets, there are
also six articles of faith that Muslims must believe in. First, belief in the one, unique God and
believe that has no son or partner (Ibrahim 45). Second, the belief in God’s revealed books, the
Torah, Psalms, Gospel, and Quran (Ibrahim 48). Muslims believe that the Quran is the verbatim
word of God that was revealed to Prophet Muhammad from 610 AD to 632 AD (Foltz 533).
Next, the belief in all the Prophets and Messengers of God starting from Adam and including
Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (Ibrahim 48). The last three are the belief in
angels, the Day of Judgment, and Al-Qadar or Divine Predestination which means God has given
human beings freewill (Ibrahim 47-48).
Deism and Islam, as well as other monotheistic religions, overlap in many ways although
they do have differences. In contrast with Deism, Islam has holy books, prophets, and oaths.

3. Elkadri 3
However, both believe that God is one. They believe that humanity’s duty is to worship God and
to worship Him with morality. They believe that God will forgive us if we repent and leave our
sins. Also, the idea of good and bad will be rewarded and punished in this life and the hereafter.
One big comparison is the ideal of all men are created equally under God. Racism is forbidden in
Islam and when Malcolm X traveled to Mecca to make pilgrimage, he said he saw Muslims of
“all colors, from blue-eyed blonds to black-skinned Africans” interacting as equals (X and Haley
390-391). Deist believe that God is caring and created “all men equally” (“Deist”). The human
right of “all men created equally” is in the Declaration of Independence written in the 18th
century. This same principal is in Islam, founded in 7th
century, when racism was abolished
under Islamic law. Therefore, the argument that can be drawn from this is that the religion of
Islam influenced Jefferson and other Deists who contributed to the foundations of the United
States of America.
The “very core of being American” for the Founding Fathers was religious freedom
(“Islam”). Second president John Adams declared “Prophet Muhammad one of the world’s great
truth seekers alongside Socrates and Confucius” (“Islam”). Jefferson learned Arabic, read the
Quran, and “hosted the first presidential Iftar dinner which is the marking of the end of a fasting
day during Ramadan (“Islam”). The Founding Fathers “admired Islamic ideals” and “drew upon
principals from Muslim civilization to fashion the American political and judicial system”
(“Islam”). “Inspired by his legal studies and his interest in natural law”, Jefferson purchased a
translated copy of the Quran “not long after the injustice of the Stamp Act” (Hayes 247-248).
The Quran addresses important issues that involve “adultery, laws of succession, marriage,
gambling, wine, and the validity of warfare” (Hayes 248). Jefferson studied the Quran as a law
book, “finding answers of natural law and natural rights” and as his desire increased, he read the

4. Elkadri 4
“book in terms of religion, law, and culture” (Hayes 248-252). Many of the founding fathers
were Deist or Unitarians and were influenced by English thinkers like John Locke who was
influenced by Islamic theology (Shah). Jefferson, who wrote the Declaration of Independence,
said that the “three greatest men to live was John Locke, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton”
(Shah). Therefore, “John Locke’s ideas were embedded in the bill of rights, Declaration of
Independence and the United States constitution” (Shah).
Locke, who is more notable for the phrase “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”,
was accused of being a Muslim (Shah). Locke agrees with Islamic fundamentals on the
“disagreement of trinity, original sin, and predestination” (Shah). Locke admired Islamic
teachings like religious diversity, religious tolerance, self-control, free will, salvation through
good deeds, and individual moral responsibility (Samad 87-98). The idea of “Life, Liberty and
the Pursuit of Happiness” that Locke is famous for was actually derived from an Islamic scholar
who lived in the 11th
century named Imam al-Ghazali (Azli 88). In al-Ghazali’s book al-Mustafa,
he says “the Sharia covers all aspects of life including personal, social, political, economic, and
intellect” (Azli 88). The objective of Sharia is to “promote the well-being of mankind through
preserving religion, life, intellectual, posterity and property” (Azli 88). Therefore the American
dream that Locke is famous for that influenced Jefferson in writing the most important American
document, the Declaration of Independence, was derived from al-Ghazali summery of the Sharia
or the Islamic law based on the Quran and traditions of Prophet Muhammad.
In 1780, Reverend Samuel West of Boston gave a lecture saying, “A Mahometan”, or
Muslim, “is excited to practice good morals in hopes that after resurrection he shall enjoy the
beautiful girls of paradise…afraid to commit murder, adultery and theft lest he should be cast to
hell where he will drink scalding water” (Hutson 21-22). Benjamin Rush, a founding father, a

5. Elkadri 5
signer of the Declaration of Independence and a friend of Jefferson, admired this Islamic belief
and said “what stronger motive to virtue and to the preservation of liberty can the human mind
perceive, next to those rewards and punishment (Hutson 23). With that being said, America’s
forefathers were influenced by Islamic teaching.
A mural in the Supreme Court depicts Muhammad and other people that had an impact
on America’s legal system (“Courtroom”). In addition to the legal system, Muhammad also
advanced American technology and education (“Innocence”). In an interview on “The Deen
Show”, a show that talks about Islam, Hamza Tazortzis, an Islamic philosopher, argues that
Prophet Muhammad “advanced science, the presumption of innocence, and tolerance
(“Innocence”). “The scientific revolution in Muslim Spain that allowed us to develop” things like
the iPhone and laptops, came about when the “Sharia was implemented in the La Convivencia or
the Coexistence period” (“Innocence”). Religions worked together to look into science, nature,
and progress (“Innocence”). Therefore, “if it wasn’t for Muslim Spain, we wouldn’t have the
renaissance where we developed things like the algorithm and we wouldn’t have phones or
laptops without algorithm (“Innocence”). The reason it was Prophet Muhammad who progressed
science because “he was the carrier of the message of Islam that was implemented in Muslim
Spain and Muslim Spain formed the scientific revolution which formed the things we have”
(“Innocence”). In court the idea of “innocent before proven guilty was from Prophet Muhammad
(“Innocence”). King Louis IX “was responsible for forming presumption of innocence in
Europe” (“Innocence”). He met a monk who told him, “If you want justice in Europe, then
follow the Islamic civilization” (“Innocence”). Another statement that Tzortzis makes is that
tolerance came from Prophet Muhammad (“Innocence”). Locke, who we mentioned was accused
of being Muslim, developed “treaties on tolerance and civil governance and he was influenced

6. Elkadri 6
by Edward Pococke, an English Orientalist who learned Islamic Civilization at Oxford
University” (“Innocence”). In Civil Government Locke writes “government is a vicegerent” and
in Arabic is translated to “Khalifah”, the Islamic principal known as a “civil and religious leader
of a Muslim state that represents God on earth” (“Innocence”).
Throughout the Quran, there are many verses that say to ponder, use reason, and reflect;
one of the main concepts of Deism. There is even a verse that “says there shall be no compulsion
in religion” which in other words means freedom of religion and free will, something found in
the first amendment (Ali 31). So, is it possible that Islam influenced America and its forefathers?
Without uncertainty, Founding Fathers who created the constitution and the foundations of this
country were influenced by John Locke and he was influenced by Islamic thought. Therefore,
Islamic thought influenced the Founding Fathers in their fight for independence and forming an
America that lives by the words “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

7. Elkadri 7
Works Cited
Ali, Abdullah Yusuf. "Al Baqara." The Quran. Istanbul: Asir Media, 2005. 31. Print.
Azli, Rafidah Mohd, et al. "Implementation of Maqasid Shari'Ah in Islamic House Financing: A
Study of the Rights and Responsibilities of Contracting Parties in Bai' Bithaman Ajil and
Musharakah Mutanaqisah." Journal of Applied Business Research 27.5 (2011): 85-
95. ABI/INFORM Complete. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
"Courtroom Friezes: South and North Walls." Supreme Court. Office of the Curator, 8 May
2003. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. <http://www.supremecourt.gov/about/north&southwalls.pdf>.
"Deist or no Deist?" Los Angeles Times: A.22. Jul 12 2008. ProQuest Newsstand. Web. 20 Nov.
2012.
"Five Pillars of Islam." Austin American Statesman: 0. Dec 19 1998. ProQuest Newsstand. Web.
20 Nov. 2012.
Foltz, Richard. "Islam." Encyclopedia of Environmental Ethics and Philosophy. Ed. J. Baird
Callicott and Robert Frodeman. Vol. 1. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2009. 533-
537. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
Hayes, J. Kevin. "How Thomas Jefferson Read the Qur'an." Early American Literature 39.2
(2004): 247-61. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
Hutson, James H. "A Future State of Rewards and Punishments." Forgotten Features of the
Founding: The Recovery of Religious Themes in the Early American Republic. Lanham,
MD: Lexington, 2003. 21-23. Print.
Ibrahim, I. A. A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam. Houston: Darussalam, 1997.
Print.
"Innocence of Muslims Film Response." Interview by Eddie Redzovic. The Deen Show. The
Deen Show, 3 Oct. 2012. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <thedeenshow.com>.

8. Elkadri 8
"Islam, the Founding Fathers and the 4th of July." Daily News Egypt. Jul 07 2010. ProQuest
Newsstand. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
Mossner, Ernest Campbell. "Deism." Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Ed. Donald M. Borchert. 2nd
ed. Vol. 2. Detroit: Macmillan Reference USA, 2006. 680-693. Gale Virtual Reference
Library. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
Samad, Joy. "John Locke and Muslim Liberalism." Journal of Church and State 53.1 (2011): 84-
108. ProQuest Research Library. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.
Shabbas, Audrey, Basheer K. Nijim, and Ayad Al-Qazzaz. "An Introduction to Islam."
Introduction. Arab World Notebook: Secondary School Level Handouts. Berkeley, CA:
NAJDA (Women Concerned About the Middle East), 1989. 1-2. Print.
Shah, Zulfiqiar Ali. "Influence of Islam on the Founding Fathers." Speech. Islamic Shura
Council. South California. 20 Nov. 2012. Youtube. Islamicshuracouncil, 7 June 2012.
Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylSmCL8lHF8>.
"US Founding Fathers' View of Islam." Daily News May 03 2011. ProQuest Newsstand. Web.
20 Nov. 2012.
X, Malcolm, and Alex Haley. "Mecca." The Autobiography of Malcolm X. New York:
Ballantine, 1973. 390-91. Print.