“To you be your religion, to me be mine” (Muhammad 109:6). This quote is one of the examples of Prophet Muhammad’s tolerance. Islam came into existence when Prophet Muhammad received a revelation from God and was granted to bring his faith to the rest of the world. It is a monotheistic religious tradition that developed in the Middle East. Islam spread almost immediately beyond its birthplace in the Arabian Peninsula, and now has significant influence in Africa, throughout Asia, Europe and the Americas. Beginning the late thirteenth century, Islam played an important role in changing the belief system of South and Southeast Asia. The main factor that helped for spreading this religion was trade. Trade created an environment of spreading and receiving Islam and encouraging its growth throughout the region. Later on, Islam was established in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Philippines, and Vietnam and most importantly in the Indonesian archipelago. Muslim religion and culture- carried by trade routes and Sufi movements- supported religious conversion in South and Southeast Asia.
Islam started to spread this religion peacefully. The meaning of Islam is peace. Islam means submission to the will of God and obedience to his law. To become a Muslim, a man is invited to submit to the good will of God and obey his law. Conversion by forcing is not a good way to spread a religion. In Southeast Asia Islam did not spread forcibly. People received and welcomed it with a great enthusiasm. In his article Mohammad Saleem Ahmed expressed that acceptance of the Islamic faith by the people of this religion was voluntary rather than the result of use of force (135). His main point is that Islam spread its message through a peaceful process. People welc...
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The town of Mecca was the birthplace of Islam, at first the leaders of the city refused the changing of this new religion and forced Muhammad to leave. Muhammad returned and preached to the people about what he had heard, that there is only one god. Islam spread quickly for two main reasons they are the message and military conquest.
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Why and how did Islam spread so quickly? I will give three reasons to answer this question. One answer is because of the large trading happening, two is that muslims are protected by Islam, three is because of the religion Muhammad created was attractive to people.
Islam continued to spread by making the idea of being a Muslim sound great. The Muslim Empire didn’t force any Muslims to pay taxes(Doc 1). The idea of changing religions made a lot of sense money wise. The change to Islam was not a large difference, pray more, and eat a little less during sun up. The idea of going to paradise after your death seemed Marvelous (Doc 2). It also gave you an idea about fighting for the Muslim Army, if you died, you would be taken to Heaven with Allah and his Apostle. To some
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 the Eastern Roman Empire as well Persia and Africa. Many different practices and methods were used to spread Islam. The religion itself was appealing to, in addition to the inhabitants of Arabia, other people in the surrounding areas because of its distinct religious beliefs and practices, such as the five pillars, as well as the humility and prayerfulness of the Islamic people. They fought cruel, vicious wars with their enemies. Many different things motivated the warriors to expand, but above all, the riches they would gain from the people of the Fertile Crescent encouraged them to expand.
Thomas W. Lippman gives an introduction to the Muslim world in the book Understanding Islam. He has traveled throughout the Islamic world as Washington Post bureau chief for the Middle East, and as a correspondent in Indochina. This gave him, in his own words, "sharp insight into the complexities of that turbulent region." However, the purpose of the book is not to produce a critical or controversial interpretation of Islamic scripture. It is instead to give the American layman an broad understanding of a religion that is highly misunderstood by many Americans. In this way he dispels many myths about "Muslim militants," and the otherwise untrue perception of Islamic violence. In this way the American reader will become more knowledgeable about an otherwise unfamiliar topic. However, the most significant element of Lippman’s book is that it presents Islam in a simple way that makes the reader feels his awareness rise after each chapter. This encourages him to continue learning about the world’s youngest major religion. Understanding Islam dispels many misconceptions about the Muslim world, and presents the subject in a way that urges his reader to further his understanding of Islam through continued study.
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Islam first emerged in the Arabian Peninsula. The word Islam means “universal submission to God.” There were several reasons for the rapid and successful spread of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula. The first cause of the successful spread of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula was Muhammad's ability to inspire almost unlimited devotion in persons with whom he came in close contact. The second cause of the rapid spread of Islam was the shallowness and the inadequacy of the paganism of the Arabs, who indeed attached but little importance to their old religion. The third reason for the rapid spread of Islam in Arabia was after the Apostasy, all the tribes accepted Islam and the former conflict between religion and tribal loyalty disappeared. The fourth reason was that as soon as the war commenced against Byzantium and Persia, all the objections against Islam disappeared. The fifth reason for the rapid spread of Islam in Arabia was that after Muhammad’s death, there was nothing that succeeded like his success. The sixth reason for the rapid success of Islam in Arabia was its perfect suitability to the people and the age. It was essentially an Arabic religion. The Qur’an was revealed in Arabic, which the Arabs thought to be the language used by God (Glubb 381-384).
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Islam culture has not been very popular in Hong Kong. It has been always viewed by the public as an ethnic minorities’ religion and separated from our society. However, people have been ignoring the fact that this culture have established in Hong Kong for a long time. Back to the early 19th century, South Asian sailors and merchants were brought to Hong Kong by Europeans and they have started to promote this religion to people here (O'Connor, 2012).Since then, the Muslims have becoming part of our society and the Islam culture have been laying its roots under Hong Kong’s ground. Walking through Wan Chai, It is obvious that Islam culture have its own significance in Hong Kong and it is a cultural heritage that worth our concern. In the following essay, the importance of Islam culture and the current situation of this culture will be examined.
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Kenneth Jost. 2005. “Understanding Islam.” Annual Editions: Anthropology 11/12, 34th Edition. Elvio Angeloni. New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.