Islam is a monotheistic religion that was founded in Saudi Arabia during the seventh century AD. The belief stems from a man who lived from 570 AD to 632 known as Muhammad, he is known to be the last prophet of god to Muslims. In contrast to Christian beliefs, Jesus, like Muhammad, was a messenger for the word of God, who is better known as “Allah”. In comparison with both Christianity and Judaism, Islam takes prophets from both religions; Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus, and apply it to their belief in Allah. The spread of Islam happened through Muhammad’s devoted followers all across the the Arabian peninsula, shortly after his death there were military expeditions, called "futuhat," or literally "openings," into what is now Egypt and other parts of North Africa. Their quest of conversion was very successful but those with a little more resistance were met with a “holy war”. Though Islam is not a religion that encourages violence, it is one that is very devoted to Allah, and followers are encouraged to defend it; and those that read the Koran would find loopholes to wage such acts in justification to their actions. The spread of Islam was only aided through the ongoing war between the Byzantine and Persian empires, the people were tired and open to conquest. In 636, Arab armies conquered Syria. The Muslims then won Iraq from the Persians and, within ten years after Muhammad 's death, subdued Persia itself. The greater part of Egypt fell with little resistance in 640
As of 2012, there were over 1.6 billion muslims around the world. The religion started from a prophet named Muhammad. An angel came to him and squeezed him so hard that words came out of his mouth saying, “Allah the one God.” Allah is the one God that Muslims believe in. The religion called Islam spread around the middle east quickly. It started in Mecca in 610 and took 120 years to completely spread. “Why did Islam spread so quickly?” Islam is a religion greatly influenced by trade, war, and rules.
The prophet Muhammad sparked the rise of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula by preaching the word of Allah, and inspired the caliphs that came after him to expand the religion and lead it to a period of prosperity. Without the benefits that Islam brought and the power of the Muslim army Islamic Civilization might have secluded itself to one region like Judaism did and not spread so quickly across the region like it did. The appeals that Islamic culture and the teachings of Muhammad offered, as well as practical benefits of converting to Islam, brought many People of the Book and other non-Muslims into the religion. Muslims used military force and threats in the name of Allah to strike fear into all non believers and expand Muslim territory through
There were hundreds of religions in the sixth century. However, only one became the fastest growing religion in the world today. Islam was started by a man named Muhammad. Muhammad was an ordinary man with and extraordinary purpose. In 610 C.E., Muhammad went into a cave in Mecca to pray.
By definition, Islam is a religion of those who obey the doctrines of the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad, who in the 7th century lived in Arabia, initiated a religious movement that throughout the Middle East was supported by the Arabs. Today, not only in Middle East origins, Islam has adherents, where it is the dominant religion in all countries (Non-Arab, and Arab), but also in other parts of Africa, Asia and, of course, as well as in the United States. Those who are loyal to Islam are called Muslims. The Sunni, Shiite conflict in Iraq started long before the ruling of Saddam Hussein, but when Hussein became Prime Minister of the country the conflict between the two religious sects was taken to a new level. Right when Hussein gained full power, under his control, began years of persecution of the Shiite Muslims in the country. But, before this happened, the conflict was based upon Muhammad and who was to rule after he had died. When Muhammad had died there were many disputes on who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad after his death in 632. Shiites believed that the prophet’s son-in-law, Ali, was to be the successor. Both consider the Koran the word of God. But, devoutness and religious practice distinguish between the two sects. However, Islam teaches that all Islam is equal so Sunni and Shiite sects fight with each other not only because of “hatred” but, also because of religious
Islam is one of the major world religions that quickly proliferated across the world. The spread of Islam started when Prophet Muhammad began to address the public a new revelation that he received from God in 632 CE. It was later written in the Quran, which is the Islamic sacred text. The religion united everyone under one rule and appealed to all because there was no hierarchy. It particularly diffused during the Middle Ages, when Islam had a great desire in exploring new information, developing extensive trade and creating a powerful military system in the Middle East and North Africa, which helped the Islamic World dominate politically and religiously.
Reasons for the Spread of Islam Throughout time, Islam has come to be known as a great empire that rules from the Middle East and stretches across North Africa into Europe. The religion of Islam started off in 610 CE, when a merchant trader from Mecca, made a visit to a nearby cave called Mount Hira. The merchant trader was named, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, according to him “it was on this visit to Mt.Hira that the archangel Gabriel squeezd him hard and cause the word to flow out, the words said that Allah wa the one god,” [Background Essay]. As years when on Muhammad preached the word of Allah and about the importance of charity. He first started preaching in a town called Medina and worked his way back to Mecca.
The Islamic prophet Muhammad founded Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. The resulting unified polity in the 7th and 8th centuries led to a rapid expansion of Arab power and influence to the northwest Indian subcontinent, across Central Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, southern Italy, the Iberian peninsula, and the Pyrenees.[12][13][14] Tolerance, trade, and political relationships between the Arabs and the Christian states of Europe waxed
Islam is a religion created in the seventh century by Muhammad a, Arab long distance merchant from Mecca. Muhammad was born and grew in an era where Christianity was the dominant religion in the Mediterranean region. The message of Christianity was at the time spreading so fast through the major trading routes in what is commonly known as the Trans Atlantic trade. Mecca happened to have been on one of the trade routes of goods and ideas. It is not a surprise to find that Islam as a religion was heavily influenced by other religions such as Christianity and Judaism; Muhammad claimed that angel Gabriel visited him with a message from God. The same angel for instance is being referred and
The Prophet Muhammad (AD 571-632) brought about world change with the establishment of Islam. His teachings united the people of the Arabian Peninsula, and within a century of his death, Arab powers conquered half of the old world. Islam quickly spread throughout the Middle East. Heading along the northern coast of Africa, it expanded into Spain and Sicily. By the thirteenth century it had already reached Indian and Southeast Asia. Around 750 AD the empire fell apart into the Eastern Caliphate, establishing Baghdad as its capital, and the Western Caliphate, whose government lay in Cordoba of Spain.
Long ago in 610, a man named Muhammad meditated in a cave near Mecca Arabia , and received a religious vision. This vision laid the foundations and a new belief system for an unknown religion, Islam. United by their faith in Allah, Muslims of Arabia succeeded in consolidating their beliefs throughout the Arabian peninsula into the Middle East. After the death of Muhammad, the Islamic state expanded rapidly through a remarkable success of trade, law and order, military conquest, and guiding principles.
Islam is a major world religion. Its origin can be traced back to 610 CE in Arabia. The basis of this religion is the revelations to the prophet Mohammad. Dissatisfied with his life, he traveled to deserts, hills, and the wilderness surrounding Mecca, where he lived, to meditate and reflect. He became a new man through his revelations, which many of his followers believe Allah transmitted to him through his angel Gabriel. Islam was originally an Arab religion, but many different beliefs and practices were added to it, making it extremely popular and aiding in its rapid spread. This new religion spread to many different areas surrounding Arabia, both under Mohammad and after his death. The Muslim Empire grew to encompass Spain and
Hinduism and Islam are two largely practiced religions, specifically in India and the subcontinents. Both Hinduism and Islam have unique practices and traditions, which can vary depending on the town, region or people. They share a common belief in a supreme god, that being either Brahma or Allah respectively. The traditions differ on the central texts used, as well as differences in the process of reaching the afterlife and basic beliefs.
"Islam" is derived from the Arabic root salaama meaning peace, purity, submission and obedience. Islam stands for making peace by submitting to the will of God and obeying His law. Jews and Christians view Islam as the latest of the world's great religions. However, worldwide Muslims (sometimes written "Moslems") understand their universal religion as the "final religion" and the "primal religion."
For my paper I decided to choose the religion of Islam. I decided to pick this religion because of its fast growing rate. It is also different from what I am used to growing up with, so I was interested in learning more. I had learned some basic facts after the 9/11 event, but the Muslim religion and culture was still a mystery to me. Picking this topic has helped me learn more about Muslims and will help me better relate to them in my future work.
The religion of Islam dates back to the 7th century CE and the life of its founder, Muhammad of Mecca, in Saudi Arabia. Islam is an Arabic word meaning: making something safe and secure, making something sound and whole, entering into peace and tranquility, and surrendering to something other than oneself. A follower of Islam is called a Muslim. In the religion of Islam, it requires the belief in certain core tenets, which include the articles of faith and the five pillars of worship. These two combined, form the Islamic creed.