Islam: Empire of Faith

The holy book of Islam is called the Qur'an, which holds the teachings of Allah. Within it a verse from the Qur'an states that, "Those who submit to God and accept the true faith; who are devout, sincere, patient, humble, charitable and chaste; who fast and are ever mindful of God – on these both men and women, God will bestow forgiveness and rich recompense." (Document B). This verse explains to people that submitting themselves to Allah and showing the traits of proper Muslim would be rewarded with happiness. Also, in the Qur'an, people would be able to see the value of Muslims in the Islamic religion. The holy book explains the value of human for Muslims, it states that killing one person is equivalent to killing all mankind and the same with saving a person's life which is equal to saving all of mankind." (Document B). Learning of the equivalent of human life in Islam could have convinced people into converting. In examining verses from the Qur'an, one may conclude that Islam spread quickly because the message the holy book sends appealed to the

Islam was a very popular religious belief that had followers from all around, but we ask why

The basic tenets of belief in Islam surround the words Allah revealed to the Prophet Muhammad within the holy text the Koran (Qur'an in Arabic). Muslims do not believe that Muhammad was the originator of Islam, but that it was he who brought back the original monotheism of Abraham, Moses, Jesus of Nazareth, and other Prophets from the Christian and Judaic Old Testament. Islam holds that these Prophets were seminal instruments of God's word, but that both the Judaic and Christian traditions have misinterpreted the meaning of the word of God, altered the texts given to man by

The film was well made and appeared to be a pretty authentic representation of the minimal amount of information that they was trying to get across. While to actions of the Islamic Empire against their own kind might have been shown to be slightly violent, I think the actions of the empire against outsiders and conquered areas might have been played down a bit. Positive spin was definitely placed upon the contributions made by the Empire. While I am not saying these additions to world society were not great, I am sure there was more than enough conflict in the Empire to place a counterpoint somewhere in the film if it had been desired. The cinema experience was pleasant, with the quality of the cut scenes done with attention to detail. The narration by Ben Kingsley was spot on and he is always a good listen. I would however like to see a bit more

Ordinary people can have an extraordinary impact on the world. At the top of Mount Hira in the year 610, Allah spoke to a humble merchant named Muhammad Ibn Abdallah, stating that He, Allah, was the one and only God. Within a hundred years of Muhammad’s death in 632, Islam, a religion that taught the importance of charity and “submitting to the will of Allah”, had sparked a new empire. The empire originated in the Middle East and quickly expanded across North Africa and into Europe (Background Essay). For an era that did not have the modern technology that made it easy to spread new ideas and beliefs, Islam dispersed rapidly due to active trade, the clear laws presented in the Qur’an and other religious texts, and an active army that allowed

The Islamic Golen Age was a tiem of knowlegable prosparity, and intellectual gain. People from

“Muslim forces took control” (Document A: Battle of the Yarmuk, first sentence.)Document A is a historical document that shows how the Islamic Empire expanded. The early Islamic Empire expanded in many different ways but one is due to the Muslims winning the Battle of the Yarmuk.

This chapter begins with the Muhammad and the message he brings. It all began in the Arabian Peninsula, which was mostly desert. The people who lived there were called Nomadic Bedouin, and they are organized in family and clan groups. The importance of long-distance trade networks became important again between China, India, and Persia, Byzantium. The section starts talking about the early life Muhammad ibn Abdullah was born in to a Mecca merchant family in 570 C.E. He had a difficult life growing up, but in 595 C.E, he married a wealthy widow. By the time, he was thirty he became a merchant and exposed too many faiths. He had a spiritual transformation at the age of forty, and declared that there was only one true god, whose name was Allah, “the god.” His believe that Allah would soon bring judgment on the world, and the divine messenger, Gabriel, delivered these revelations to Muhammad. The Quran, also known as the “recitation,” is the holy book of Islam. Muhammad followers complied with his revelations. They had works of poetry and definitive authority on Islam;

In comparison, the Holy Quran, written after the Old Testament, remains in its original form. Written in Arabic, Quran means “recitation” and contains Islamic teachings believed to bring guidance, direction, and “IS the word of God,” whom they call Allah. It is against Islamic law to change the text in any way because Muslims believe Mohammad, founder of Islam, wrote the verses as revealed to him by the angel Gabriel. Muslims view Mohammad not as the creator of the religion, but as the restorer of the original the Hebrew Bible. Islam teaches Mohammad was not only a religious prophet but also a political and military leader. He was human, but not without sin, so he is not God. Although there have been several language translations, a good follower must read and memorize its teaching in its native Arabic language. For a follower to live by Islam he must completely submit (to God). In looking at its history,

The Muslim prophet, Muhammad, was born in 570 in the city of Mecca. Muhammad lived a normal life just like any Muslim, until he began seeing visions believed to be inspired by Allah. Muhammad believed that since Allah has already revealed himself to Moses and Jesus, it was now his turn to receive the final revelations. After receiving them, Muhammad tried to convince his people that the revelations were true, but most thought he was insane and crazy, or that he would upset the social and political order of society. As a result, Muhammad and some of his followers left to the rival city of Yathrib in 622. Yathrib was later renamed Medina, which meant “city of prophet”, as he began to win support from the residents in Medina and on the surrounding country side. With these people, Muhammad formed the first Muslim community.

I think it relates to the article of Witt (Discovery and Conquest). There are plenty of misconception about Islamic World in the Western world. We are invaded, conquered, and blamed, and I think history is not taking our side. We are known as people of the dark ages but in real Muslims brought civilization to the European world. Father of European world civilization was a Muslim named Averroes. I would really recommend reading about Islamic Golden Age and I am sure it will wipe all those misconceptions. Lack of knowledge and one-sided view of history has brought up these misconceptions. As a Muslim, I will never accept it. Frankly, I am not religious. It is just because I am known Muslim, and my family members are all Muslims. I want to stand

The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very

The Qur’an is believe to the ultimate source of God by many Muslim believers. It contains 114 suras for the believers as the core practices of the Islamic religion and Muslims throughout the world recites its verses (Chang, Lecture. 1/21/14). They believed the prophet of Allah was Muhammad, who received the words of Allah through Angel Gabriel, and was passed on with the Qur’an during Ramadan. Angel Gabriel one night came to Muhammad “in clear human form” (“Scripture and Tradition in Islam- The Qur’an and Hadith” 104), and gave the messages from Allah to him. From the establishment of the Qur’an, Muslims have viewed the book as the last revelation of their god Allah, and thus are the true words from God for their ways of life and in

As a religion, Islam is based on the teachings of Muhammad, embodying a sound belief in one God (Allah). Islam is an Arabic word meaning submission, surrender, and obedience (Maududi, 1). It also stands for peace. Its followers are known as Muslims or Moslems. Islam emerged in Arabia, specifically in the city of Mecca, in the seventh century C.E. (Matthews, 386). With the evolution of Islam in Mecca, Mecca is known as the center of Islam. Islam is the youngest of the major world religions with the exception of Sikhism, which is a derivative of Hindu and Muslim beliefs that appeared in India. Islam is a universal religion of monotheism. The goal of Islam is to

His influence and words continue to deeply inspire muslims even though he has been dead for centuries. Muhammad is one of the most interesting religious figures of any religion. He is a mix of all the other important figures from other religions. Like the Bhudda, he began his life as a normal citizen and then became a spiritual figure. At least for me, this allows me to find his words and teachings more believable because he is completely human. He is like Jesus because he is a prophet of God, but he isn't described as half human, half God. This gives him the same importance and validity as a translator of the Holy Spirits word. Since Muhammad is completely human his interpretations can be more believable because there isn't room for confusion on how he was created. Not only was he a spiritual leader of Islam but, he was also a political leader of the Islamic state. I think his leadership background with his business and political background allows Muhammad to better preach the word of Allah.