Alyssa Sayegh Period 7 March 26, 2016
The Affect of Islamic Religion on the Muslim Culture
Throughout history there have been many belief systems. Some die out, while others become major religions still being practiced today. Belief systems greatly affect the societies and people where they are practiced. They give guidelines or standards for people on how to live their lives and how to govern. Religion allows people to better themselves and to live better lives, it answers questions that did not have an answer before. Religion also has the power to completely change the culture and people around it. Belief systems are so important in developing cultures because they can answer questions, and give reason as to why natural things occur. One of the most influential religions in the world today is Islam. While Islam 's followers first started out as a few friends and family members of founder Muhammad, it has now developed into the second largest religion in the world. Even though Islam has strict practices and controversial views, it grew and spread to all parts of the world. The ideology of the Islamic people greatly influenced their behavior, actions, lifestyle, and way of rule.
In order to fully understand the effects the Islamic religion had in the Muslim culture it is important to see what life was like in Arabia before the rise of Islam. Pre-Islamic Arabia is a term that refers to the Arabian Peninsula before the rise of Islam in the 630s. The Arabian Peninsula
Beginning with Muhammad’s age from the start of 7th century Islam, Islamic culture and politics have gone a great many events and occurrences. Throughout all of its years, it has boasted both a rich culture and technological/intellectual advancements. The preservation of the Quran, developments in mathematics, and the continued emphasis on respect and charitable nature are just some examples of Islamic achievement. However, as with any growing civilization, Islam has evolved beyond what it originated as. The cultural and political life of Islamic civilization beginning in the 7th century to the end of the Abbasids of the 13th century underwent many changes such as the deteriorating view of women in society and the shift from elected caliphates to dynastical caliphate. But, one aspect that persisted were the religious beliefs and traditions followed by the Islamic people.
Exactly what is considered as a Muslim? A Muslim is defined as a believer in Islam, however a Black Muslim is considered as a member of the nation of Islam. A follower of the religion of Islam, as Muslims, means one who submits to god. Muslims came in the seventeenth century with slaves from Africa. The history of Muslim Americans goes back more than 400 years. America is called home for the Muslims, they present as taxi drivers, homemakers, and also entertainers. Muslim Americans make up at least one percent of the U.S. population (“Teaching Tolerance”).
The spread of Islam throughout the world was among the most significant worldwide movements in history. Beginning as the faith of a small community of believers in Arabia in the seventh century, Islam rapidly became one of the major world religions. The core beliefs and culture of this faith is the belief that Muhammad (570-632), a respected businessman in Mecca, a commercial and religious center in western Arabia, received revelations from God that have been preserved in the Qur'an. The core of Islam remains the same today after 1396 years. Islam still translates to “submission” and Muslims still live by the Qur’an and follow the 5 Pillars of Islam. However, throughout the Pre-Islamic, Umayyad, and Abbasid
The history of the Islamic world has been one of weak state institutions and state underperformance, coupled with a high prevalence of violence, both by the state and by individuals. A major reason for these negative trends has been the role of political Islam in privileging homogeneity over diversity, in stifling dissent in public and private life, and the societal stagnation that follows such rigid controls. Malaysia and Indonesia have been notable exceptions to the underperformance of Islamic cultures.
The prominent effect Islam had on Muslims everyday thoughts and actions, portrays how essential the impact of God was in social and governmental relations. Muslim religion was influenced by both the Christians and Jews. Under the guidance of Muhammad the Prophet, Islam became both a meaningful faith and way of life. Unlike just simply “adding” a church like the Christian religion, Islam society was expected to be governed. Their political and religious views and decisions had to be intertwined as one, proving the effect Islam had on everyday lives. For example, the history book The Making of The West, had written, “Arabs had long been used to
Religions affect the lives of its followers greatly because if you're a Muslim you have to pray five times a day, if you're a Jew you can't have any other gods, and if you believe in Buddhism you have to follow the middle path to stop suffering. All these rules you have to follow can take away time from you and can make you give up stuff you have, even make you leave money behind.
The most common popular opinion of Muslim Americans is formed through an uneducated understanding of Muslim life and their culture. Muslim Americans actually become a common discussion point among Americans post 9/11 due to misinformation about the events that occurred. Muslim Americans are often stereotyped with terms such as, terrorist, violent, restrictive, and more. Not only are Muslim Americans’ stereotyped often, but their citizenship is often questioned and their life style still remains a mystery to many Americans. Many Americans wonder what Muslim Americans’ place in society is, where their allegiance lies, and how exactly they are supporting America.
Islam is more than a religion, it’s a culture, and as such has an effect on political, social, and economic aspects of life—this is especially true outside of the Western world. Followers of Islam believe in full submission to God and this submission is practiced in the secular realm (Taha, 114). Of the five pillars of Islam, one (the zakat) has a direct affect on economic policy and ethics. The culture of Islam has shaped economic and business guidelines In the Islamic World and continues to do so. Cultural ideals attributed to the Qur’an or the Prophet Muhammad, have been a vital source for economic and business practices that have helped to shape the history of many Islamic nations, and are guiding the creation of policies
Most decisions and obligations made in our lives are heavily impacted by the concepts in which we believe. The intricacies of human beliefs and religions often affect how we choose to live. They act as catalysts that predispose us to making moral or immoral decisions. Many examples that support this statement can be found in the Muslim Empire. The term Muslim translates to "one who submits to Allah," the supreme god of Islam. To maintain a pure relationship with Allah as well as a spiritual balance within themselves, people of the early Muslim empires were rather hesitant in following Islamic law. The beliefs and practices of Islam strictly determined how the Muslims were to behave. Islam was the source in which the inhabitants of the early Muslim Empire referred to in making decisions pertaining to social, economic and political matters. The practices within the religion heavily influenced the nature of early Muslim citizens, dedicated members of the military, and non-Muslims.
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
As history continues, many religions have had an over powering effect on western civilization. When the 5th century arose, the religion, Islam, had an extremely important impact on the civilization. Muhammad, an Arabic prophet founded Islam and began to introduce it the people of his time. Diplomacy, violence, warfare, public laws, and Arabic tradition played a crucial role in the building of the Islamic religion. These important aspects helped shape and build the Islam religion that is now one of the world’s most widely practiced religions.
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).
"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.
Islam is one of the oldest religions in history dating back to about 600 AD. It began when a man named Muhammad heard a voice from the heavens instructing him to proclaim the word of god. Currently there are over 800 million followers of the Muslim religion. The main text of the religion is the Quran which is said to be the word of God, or Allah as called in Muslim. Within the Quran, The five pillars of Islam are proclaimed along with many other concepts very unique to the Muslim religion. Prayer is a very important aspect of Islam as well. Islam has a long history of invention, heritage, and world imperialism that must be understood to completely identify with the concepts of the religion and culture.