Mankind has been created with an innate desire to worship. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “A person will worship something. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character…for what we are worshipping, we are becoming.” The Islamic religion has proclaimed throughout the world that Allah is God. Their belief determines their behavior, for Allah’s followers are willing to kill or be killed for their faith. The Islamic religion, through conquest and zeal of its followers, has convinced millions of people of its infallibility and has expanded to all corners of the world. Portrayed as a religion of peace, Islam has deceived millions of people and contains the potential to expand to even greater heights …show more content…
Represented as a religion of peace, millions have decided to follow the Islamic religion hoping to find peace and eternal reward. As Islam expanded, devoted followers built beautiful mosques in each new conquest to prove the dedication of the followers of Islam. Monumental names with corresponding actions in remembrance of the Islamic faith are concreted into the temple of worship, therefore those who come behind may see the beauty and worthiness of the Islamic faith. Islam conveys submission and requires serious commitment to the religion. The complete dedication of the followers of Islam has been a main cause for millions of conversions. The complete confidence in Islam is evidenced through their actions and way of life. Submission to the requirements of the Islamic religion are seen as acts of devotion to Allah and the Prophet the …show more content…
Islamic merchants traveled throughout kingdoms trading goods, becoming friends with rulers of the countries, and opening the countries for teachers and missionaries. Missionary efforts would begin to attempt conversion of those they encountered, and Islamic communities were established throughout the continents. As a result of this immigration, Islamic groups were able to band together and rise up against countries and conquer them. The people of the conquests were given three options according to the Koran. First, they could convert to the Islamic faith. Secondly, they could remain under Islamic rule, but maintain their own religion. However, severe taxes and restrictions in government were placed on those who chose to remain. Lastly, if the conquered refused both options, the people would be killed in name of the holy war of the jihad. Islamic jihads affected millions of people, for the Islamic followers believed all people must either convert to the Muslim faith or submit to its authority in government. Not only have geographical trade routes enhanced the spread of Islam, but the faithfulness and zeal of Islamic followers have played an immense role in the spread of Islam throughout
In this case, conquest is when people take over other people’s land and force people to convert to Islam. In the 7th and 8th centuries the Muslims had conquered land in Northern Africa and the Middle East. During that time, there were four caliphs. Muhammad’s second successor, Umar (one of the four caliphs), took over the north part of Jerusalem. He gave people three options during conquest and they were: Convert to Islam, pay very heavy taxes, or die (Outside Source: Spread of Islam Background Reading Packet). Another method of conquest was from military campaigns. The military campaigns had spread from all over Europe to Asia. The cities Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Cairo, Baghdad, and Saragossa had come under Muslim control between 622 CE and 750 CE (Doc C). For centuries because of the Ghazu raids, the Arabs have been adding to their inadequate resources, but Islam came to the rescue and put an end to the raids because the Ummah (Muslim Community) was not allowed to attack others. Then, the Arabs tried to attack on the richer lands further out of the peninsula (the Persian Empire and the Byzantium Empire) and wanted to attack to preserve the unity of the Ummah. The two empires facilitated (Facilitated/Facilitate: to make something easier) for the Arabs to attack because the empires have been fighting wars for so long, they became very tired (Doc D). In the year 636 CE, the Byzantine fought against the Muslims
There were two men that wanted to be the first caliph (successor) of Muhammad. The first man, named Abu Bakr, many people believed he was a good candidate because he was an old friend and was one of the first ones to convert to Islam. Yet others believed that Ali Talib was the best choice because he was a cousin and a son in law to the prophet. The disputes between the two groups of people would lead to a split; the followers of Abu Bark became the Sunnis and the followers of Ali became the Shia. At the end, the majority of people decided to choose Abu Bark and he became Islam’s first caliph. Abu Bark was Muhammad’s caliph for only two years until he died; even though it was a short period of time, he accomplished big things. For example, the spread of Islam to Byzantines and the Persians. The other caliphs (Umar, Uthman and Ali) expanded the Islamic empire rapidly and grew faster than any other religion. The Muslims conquered a massive amount of land from Indus River, across North Africa and into Spain. There were many factors that help Islam succeed; for example, people would rather fight for God and their salvation instead of fighting for a king, the use of military force by the Muslims and how easy it was to convert to
The culture of Islam has its positive aspects, as well as its negative aspects. Islam bestowed many unfortunate people the opportunity to gain more knowledge about their surroundings, and the adversities that they may face on a daily basis. Islam also created alliances, and trade contracts with other surrounding countries, allowing them to receive resources that other religions and groups could not envisage. However, to gain these privileges, Islam had to first fester the lives of many civilians that dared step in its path. Islam not only ruined the lives of people, but it ruined whole kingdoms. Many people felt an...
In the investigation of Islam, the five pillars of Islam provide a glimpse of the life and obligations of the Muslim. The main pillars include confession, prayer, fasting, almsgiving, and pilgrimage. This essay will provide a brief overview of the pillars, how prayer is lived out in an individual Muslims life, and how Christians assimilate to Muslim culture in Saudi Arabia.
rompt: List and explore in depth the factors that contributed to the rapid and widespread adoption of the Islamic Faith and the creation of an empire that extended from Spain to the farthest borders of the Persian Empire.
Although Islam has made substantial progress, many would argue that Islam is incapable of change. Understanding Islam’s past is imperative to understanding its future. Since its inception, Islam has been a vio...
While Muhammad was successful at converting people to Islam, they were often people of the lowest class or slaves. After more than a decade of prosecution and harassment from the Meccans, many Muslims emigrated to Medina. This is where Muhammad established political and religious authority over his old and new followers. A Constitution of Medina was devised and it brought all the groups into one massive society. The formulated statement set up security, certain freedoms, Medina’s sacredness, a tax system and a judicial system. In 629, Muh...
3) Five Pillars of Islam- The Five Pillars of Islam are five important actions that all Muslims must complete during their life. Muslims must recite the profession of faith, pray five times a day facing Mecca, give alms, fast during the month of Ramadan, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The Five Pillars of Islam are the base for the whole religion of Islam. The pilgrimage to Mecca is the only one that is not required; if a person is not able to go at all, they are not required to.
Islam the complete ‘surrender to Allah’ is a living religious tradition with the principal belief in one God – Allah. Islam has remained the same in its principle beliefs of Allah, His Angels, His Prophets, His Books, The Last Day and his complete authority over destiny and has also changed over time to ensure that Islam remains a living religious tradition. Over its history Islam has had many significant people including Al Ghazali and Aisha Bint Abu Bakr who have ensured that Islam remains living in the hearts and minds of its adherents. In addition to significant individuals participation in the Five Pillars e.g. the Hajj ensure that Islam will continue to be the living religious tradition that it is.
The prophet Muhammad had a significant impact on the rise and spread of the religion Islam. According to World Civilizations, Muhammad “began receiving revelations transmitted from Allah,” and later these revelations became holy scripts in the Quran. Muhammad started off with very few followers but as the faith of Allah started to spread, he gained more followers and he became a threat to Mecca’s rulers. As mentioned in World Civilization, “in 622 Muhammad left Mecca for Medina where his skilled leadership brought new followers.” In Medina, Muhammad became the religious authority in the area and he used this power to conquer Mecca, a holy place for Islamic believers. By the time of his death, he was able to have created a religious empire that controlled all of the Arabian Peninsula.
Islam is a monotheistic and Abrahamic religion alongside Judaism and Christianity. It is currently the second largest religion in the world today. Its beliefs come from the Qur'an which literally means "the recitation" which is believed to be a literal transcription of the word of God. Its main prophet is named Muhammad who began Islam by speaking with the angel Gabriel in a cave during his meditation and then acting as an instrument of God to help write the Qur’an. Muhammad then spread Islam to the scattered tribes of Arabia by becoming the leader of Yathrib and using his wonderful leadership abilities to then grow his influence over virtually all of Arabia. Muhammad is known by Muslims to be the seal of the profits because no profits after Muhammad should be considered legitimate. Muhammad also left behind the Hadith or “tradition” which is a collection of writings compiled of reports of Muhammad’s actions as leader of Yathrib. These reports are used as a more specific code of ethics in day to day life and from these reports the 5 Pillars of Islam are derived (Smith 160). Although Islam shares many similarities to Judaism and Christianity it is often viewed in the US with hate derived from preconceived notions following the attack on September 11th 2001. This paper seeks to provide an overview of Islam’s history as well as its two major sects and 5 main pillars to remove preconceived notions and provide a glance into the minds of the Islamic people.
In addition to the many different ways the followers of Islam spread the religion and expanded their empire, the religion itself was appealing to many people outside of Arabia. The Islamic religion contained many beliefs and practices that were extremely appealing to others. One of these beliefs was that Islam is an uncompromising monotheistic religion, meaning there is only one God. In addition, there was an extremely well and highly developed set of legal codes and a strong sense of community among the followers of Islam. The five pillars were also extremely appealing because they provided the basis for religious unity. The humbleness and prayerfulness of the Islamic people was admirable to those of other faiths.
The worship of Allah is principal in a Muslim’s mind at all time. There are also five formal acts of worship which help strengthen a the faith and obedience of a Muslim. They are frequently called the “Five Pillars of Islam”. The Five Pillars of Islam are the framework and guidelines of the Muslim life. They are the testimony of faith, prayer, supporting the needy, fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the once in a lifetime trip to Makkah for those who are able to do so. These Five Pillars are the thing Muslim’s do to please God and to keep themselves well and happy in this lifetime and for the future ones to come. It was Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Islam, who was reported to have said, “Islam is based upon five pillars”.
Religion is an important factor in many lives in today’s society. A particular western religion that is taken very seriously by many is known as Islam. Essentially, Islam means “submission”, or in other words a person is to abide by God and peace will follow. In order to comprehend the Islamic religion, it is consequential to view the major themes associated with this religion. By going through the central themes of Islam it could help others comprehend what is involved with this specific religion.
In this book , Esposito provides a succinct, up-to-date survey of the Islamic experience, an introduction to the faith, belief, and practice of Islam from its origins to its contemporary resurgence. He traces the emergence and development of this dynamic faith and its impact on world history and politics. He discusses the formation of Islamic belief and practice (law, theology, philosophy, and mysticism), chronicling the struggle of Muslims to define and adhere to their Islamic way of life. Equally important is the essential information Esposito provides on the contemporary world of Islam, from Muslim responses to the challenges of colonialism and modernization to the reassertion of Islam in politics and society.