Inside Mecca Summary

Along with the central location of Mecca, it was also a center of pilgrimage trade. People from other areas of Arabia, often entered Mecca in hopes of visiting the Ka'bah (Document A). The Ka'bah, at the time, was one of the holiest Pagan sites, thus bringing in many people of different religions. While on pilgrimage, people would trade and interact with those who had converted to Islam. In examining Arab trade routes in 570, many would conclude that Islam spread quickly because of the ideas that spread along existing trade

“Fight in the name of God and in the ‘path of god’. Combat those who disbelieve in God.” The quote above is an excerpt from Matthew Gordon’s book, “The Rise of Islam”. Throughout the course of history, many religions have had a profound effect on western civilization. During the early 5th century a religion arose that had an extremely important impact on western civilization. The Arabic prophet Muhammad founded the religion known today as Islam. Violence, diplomacy, Arabic tradition, and public law played a vital role in the rise and conquest of Islam. These four key elements that fostered the rise of Islam helped establish one of the largest religions in western civilization.

Mecca was known as a trading city, for its camel caravans that would constantly visit, and an important religious shrine known as the Ka’ba which was economically beneficial since traders would pay to visit it and its other idols. Islam would begin with the teachings of Muhammad: monotheism, support for the weak and the poor, and that Muhammad was allah’s prophet. Muhammad would be unaccepted by the people of Mecca because his teachings threatened their economy and he wanted to eliminate idol worship. Muhammad fled to Medina and began to create a following known as the Ulma and later developed into a political leader. Eventually, Muhammad would return and conquer the city of Mecca, establishing Islam and destroying everything but the Ka’ba.

Hajj is a once-in-a-life time obligation upon Islamic adherents whose health and means permit it. It is an essential part of Muslim faith and practice as it is the fifth pillar of faith, symbolises central concepts of Islam and commemorates the trials of the Prophet Ibrahim. Hajj provides individuals with the opportunity for spiritual rebirth through developing a closer relationship with Allah as well as fulfilling the five pillars of Islam. The global Islamic community are also united through submission to the will and communal worship of their “one God” Allah.

Islam: Empire of Faith is a pretty general documentary about a large history of Islam in such a short viewing time. Sometimes the moving picture media can have a different effect than the static reading media. I think this is a great counter to the normal textbook learning that occurs during class. While reading about the beginning Islam, I felt more of an oppression of Muhammad as he was trying to get his word of God out to the people around him. When he left Mecca it was not pleasant but it didn’t seem like he was going to die before he left. When he returned to Mecca with his followers it just seemed like he was a returning son, back with good news. When presented with the video evidence of the process, it seemed that his desire to let

Islam began, as stated, in the desert land of Arabia. Due to the Arabs’ tribal nature, they were skilled at navigation and long-distance trading. They became the guides and couriers of the trade routes going to and from Africa and Asia. Thus, towns began to form, including the famous pilgrimage site, Mecca. Arabian tribes often worshipped the Black Stone, kept in the Kaaba, which was located in Mecca. Thus, those that controlled the shrine controlled the entire economic and spiritual life of the region surrounding Mecca. From this group came Muhammad, who founded Islam and changed the course of the Arabs worship. After experiencing a spiritual epiphany in, or around, 610, Muhammad made a decision to worship only the most prominent god in Arab faith, Allah.

Furthermore, the following of Muhammad 's steps as an integral part of the Hajj acts as a guide for adherents to base their future lives upon. The Hajj traces around the Saudi Arabia region, highlighting key components of the Prophet 's life. This life is one that evidently reflects all core Islamic values and teachings, and serves as the materialism of Allah 's will on Earth. Prayer, such as rak 'ah, Zakat, seen in the shaving of the head, and Jihad, present in the physical struggle required, are all key values reflected in Muhammad 's life, while Umma, given through the unity of the

Within the Arabian desert rests the town of Mecca which houses the Ka‘ba, the pantheon site where the all the pagan Arab pilgrims converged to worship their tribal deities. Although no one knows who built the square, roofless structure, or when it was set up, the Ka‘ba became the center of the religious life in pre-Islamic Arabia, the sixth century Anno Domini (AD), is characterized as a time of complex beliefs of no universalism or moral absolutism, neo-animism (providing a host of intermediary deities between the creator god and his creation), and henotheism (belief in a

For five weeks in 1964 Malcolm X completed the Hajj, a mandatory Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. When he returned from this trip, Malcolm had a different outlook and preached not to just African-Americans but to muslims of all races. It changed Malcolm’s world view and gave him hope for a better future.

Religion is a subject that affects everyone in many ways. As we have learned in this class, religion is a very controversial word and has numerous definitions, but one thing that’s known is that whatever the religion a person may practice, it will affect their daily lives in some way or another. A person’s religion makes up a huge part of their culture and influences many of their decisions. Persepolis is a film that speaks volumes about how the Islam religion and oppressive government in Iran affected children and adults during the late 1970s to the early 1990s. Throughout the movie, the main character, Marjane Satrapi (also known as Marji), has a difficult time understanding why things were the way they were in society when she was growing up during the Shah’s dictatorship and the Islamic Revolution (Scott, nytimes.com). Marjane’s rebellious, heroic, and outspoken attitude got her into trouble plenty of times, but it was because of her character that she was able to view the problems in society and other parts of the world like no other. There were plenty of symbols and themes in the movie that related to Muslim traditions from what they wore and how they acted to the different experiences they encountered. Closely analyzing the film Persepolis, the audience may see the many ways in which the Islamic religion not only influences the lives of its

The video starts off with showing the different religious rituals of the pilgrims, and then the video shows three different pilgrims in Malaysia, South Africa, and America. With that being said, they come to Mecca as a Sacred pilgrimage, and talks about how many people come, they com year round, and how it sacred territory. The video talks a lot about the Kaaba and the significance of that, how people, come around and worship what it means. Next the video shows many people strong in their faith who give wonderful insights. For example, they show one man who shows us what to wear and how to dress, and that the Hajj is a sign for redemption and continues to say Islam is one of the fast growing religions. It continues and briefly mentions Muhammad throughout the film. The video continues, and eventually shows that charity is a basic principle for the pilgrims, what pilgrims traded, and when it’s time for prayer everything stops. The video then continues and describes the reason for Mina tents, the schedule for the ritual sanctity, and eventually talks about the story of Abraham and Isaac. It continues to show the ritual of stoning, rejecting evil, cutting their hair,

Kaaba – a sacred building made of “black stone” in the shape of a cube in Mecca and when in prayer Muslins turn in this direction (Dictionary)

Muslims have a faith that Islam revealed in Mecca (Arabia) about 1400 years ago. Islamic culture is a resource academia for the illustration of cultures and traditions of Islamic people. Arabs were the first to depict and demonstrate Muslim culture to the world. Islam originated in Arabia in the seventh century. Islamic empires have been expanded and Muslims got assimilation from different cultures like Indonesian, Berber, Malay, Indian, Pakistani, Turkic and Persian (Kirabaev, 2000).

Hajj is one of the five pillars of God gave Muhammed and so it is very

For many years while trying to convert those of neighboring clans, constant feuding over the Kaaba and the city of Mecca ensued. Eventually Muhammad attacked Mecca to where the city surrendered. Mecca was changed into the new homeland of Islam, and the former pagan Kaaba was transformed into the monument in which all Muslims are to make a pilgrimage to. The Arabic world was engulfed in Islam and spread like wildfire.