Islam is not only a religion but also a civilization since it is represented by over one billion Muslims and over 50 Muslim states. Emerging as a civilization influenced by religious beliefs and practices, Islam influenced different groups of people in diverse stages of history and in different countries. A major part of the Islamic faith is the strong belief in an afterlife. Muslims spend their life preparing for their death and the bliss they will face if they follow the rules and life style of a model Muslim.
Before the influence of Islam, the people of the Arabian Peninsula followed many different religions through the tribe that they belonged to. The thought that there were many
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One important factor is Jihad. Jihad is the idea that it is the Muslim’s mission to spread the religion (Braswell 245). This is also one reason why the Islamic religion spread so rapidly. Battles that the Muslims fought to spread Islam secured Northern Africa, Spain, Anatolia, Balkans, India, Sicily and the Mediterranean Coasts (Alkouatli 58). However, once the lands were one, they let people keep their religion. “People of the book”- individuals who were either Christian, Jewish or Zoroastrian could live on the concurred land and freely follow their religion as long as they paid taxes. However, many converted to Islam once they were conquered (Braswell 45). If Muslims follow these basic beliefs, they will go into the afterlife. At the time of loss, the angel of death comes to take the soul. The soul will stay in the grave until the Day of Resurrection, when all souls lost will be awakened. After, the Day of Judgment occurs. This is when the souls will be evaluated in terms of their actions and intentions when they were on Earth ((Alkouatli 71). Good deeds will bring contentment and negative deeds will bring unmanageable pain. Muslims believe that Heaven is for the souls of people who acknowledged God, were compassionate toward others, bighearted, truthful, and patient, and those who followed the Muslim religion. Hell is reserved for the people who denied or ignored the existence of God and were arrogant, oppressive, unjust, and untruthful
Before Islam, many Arab tribes raided each other for resources. After they converted to Islam they were forbidden from attacking other muslims(Doc D). This meant that they had to unit to get these resources from other people who were outside the Arabian peninsula. This strong Muslim force helped spread Islam to different corners of the
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
Though Islamic jihads spread rapidly throughout the Middle East and North Africa (even into Europe), they rarely forced conversion by the sword and instead wanted people to come to it of their own will, which allowed a “truer” believer. The reason for this difference is probably due to the threats that the early western European church faced from constantly invading nomads and thus wanted those under their control to be Christian and nothing else. Islam was not as concerned with this due to the overwhelming nature of their conquests. This is also demonstrated in the eastern Roman empire (Byzantine Empire) because they never “collapsed” and thus allowed a diversity of religions within their empire unlike western Europe. The structure of these religions allowed both regions to have a sense of stability and common beliefs even though both had a diversity of cultures within their regions. This structure allowed for political systems to get stronger and protect the people during this period of constant invasion (especially for Europe) and allowed the rise of more advanced civilizations. One sees this with rise of the Holy Roman Empire in Western Europe and the caliphate empires of the Umayyad and Abbasid dynasties. This similarity in the impact of structured religion in both regions can be explained by the need for people to latch on to any stable, organized entity that would allow them to survive the chaos after 500 CE.
Though the religion started in Mecca, Islam spread far and wide. Under the rule of Muhammad, the Four Caliphs, and the Umayyad caliphs, lands from Spain and North Africa to the Middle East became Muslim territory. (Document C). The expanding of Muslim lands exposed more people to the religion. Previously they may not have heard of Islam until the areas in which they lived in came under Muslim control. Later on, a golden opportunity for the Muslims came from their neighboring kingdoms, "Persia and Byzantium had both been engaged for decades in a long . . . series of wars with one another. Both were exhausted. (Document D). With both kingdoms, Persia and Byzantium, weakened, Muslims had a quick and effortless victory and were able to double the size of their kingdom. Altogether, the expansion of Muslim territory resulted in the spread of Islam due to more people being exposed to the Islamic
Lastly, Islam spread quickly through military campaigns which is depicted in “The Spread of Islam (map)” (Doc. C) This map shows how the people that were conquered by the Muslims chose to convert to Islam
Islam was a very popular religious belief that had followers from all around, but we ask why
In the 7th and 8th centuries, Islam spread from its beginnings in Arabia to cover the entire Middle East and parts of Africa, Asia, and Europe. As (Document 8) shows, by the year 750, Islam stretched from Eastern Persia in the Middle East, all the way to the westernmost edges of Spain and North Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Islam expanded so rapidly because of its techniques on conquering unstable areas and converting people to Islam, preventing setbacks and obstructions. Islam had three main reasons for its eminent prosperity. The way that Muslims treated the conquered people allowed for peace throughout the empire. Tolerance, combined with the military power, a disciplined army, and an overall appealing religion of Islam, provided the template that allowed the empire to expand to encompass an enormous amount of area.
The religion of Islam has become a controversial issue in today’s 21st century. In spite of excessively negative representations by Western propaganda, increasing numbers of the population are pursuing to learn more about the wonderful religion of Islam. More frequently than not, these people are becoming more pleasantly startled by the product of their exploration. In fact, increasing numbers of people are embracing Islam nowadays then they did prior to the horrific attacks on September 11th, 2001; which evoked much attention to misconceptions about Islam and Muslims. Yet, there does endure an abundant amount of misconception and misinterpretations about Islam, frequently invigorated by political policies which reckon their interest’s to patronage Islam 's enemies. Islam is a religion which elucidates the way of life and is the second largest religion after Christianity, with approximately one-fifth of the world 's population and is currently the fastest growing religion. Muslims are existent all around the world and come from diverse nationalities, cultures and races. However, Islam instills that all people are principally equal no matter the differences (colour, class, culture, etc.) as long as they are peaceful and law-abiding citizens. The behaviour of particular erroneous groups or individuals outside mainstream Islam cannot be accredited to Islamic beliefs and practices as correspondingly hostility in North Ireland or illegal mafia activities being attributed
His experience left him with the conviction that in all the world there is only one true god Allah, that ruled the universe. Before Islam, many Arabs that lived in Northern Arabia were converting to Christianity. The Arabs were Barbaric people, they raided other Arabic tribes for goods. Muhammed told his followers that a Muslim tribe can not raid another Muslim tribe. As a result, many tribes converted to Islam. The Muslim tribes started to raid the non-Muslim tribes. As a result, many members of the non-Muslim tribes started to convert to Islam. The Islamic empire began to expand in area and in the number of followers. Another way Islam spread was through merchants. Merchants would tell other merchants about Islam and Merchants would tell people about the new religion they heard about. Moreover, Islam has significantly influenced the middle east. Islamic scholars made great advances in mathematics and architecture. For example, the middle east contains many Mosques and building that show characteristics Islamic architecture influence such as Domes, arches, and mosaics. Characteristics Islamic architecture is also seen in Spanish architecture. Moreover, the majority of people that live in the middle east is
Isis was the most beloved goddess in ancient Egypt, whose popularity spread to the Greco-Roman world, and then was Mourner. Could be Isis mourning Osirissuppressed by Christianity. Today, she is worshiped by some Pagans. This article will discuss her history, her cult, and her mythology.
First, religions in civilizations of the ancient world impacted the way of life for followers of the religions. Followers of different religions worshiped their religions differently, but it is true that all followers of religion have some sort of way to practice their religion. It is known that many ancient peoples spent a significant amount of time in their lives to practice their religion. For example, the religion of Islam stresses the importance of praying five times a day. Thus, Muslims, compared to adherents to other religions, would have had spent more time each day on praying. Another facet of Islam is jihad. In wars, this principle of striving in the way of Allah motivated Muslim soldiers to fight gloriously and fearlessly, knowing that their actions are honorable and righteous. Undoubtedly, this common belief within Muslim armies boosted war morale and helped Islam under Muhammad spread like wildfire throughout the Arabian
Paper 4 Islam changed in many ways over time, and these alterations led to one of the most evolved, developed, and influential religions to this day. Islam materialized in 610 B.C by the prophet Muhammad, a boy raised by an uncle in Mecca since his parents passed early in his childhood. He matured and married at the age of twenty-five and bore six children. As he grew older he retreated into the Arid Mountains to meditate daily and find peace within himself.
Islam is the religion for about a fifth of the world’s population and is continually growing in numbers. The people who believe in Islam, are called Muslims. It is a religion full of peace, mercy, and forgiveness (Basic facts about). Islam was founded in the 7th
The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means. The religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx. Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the total submission to the will of Allah "God". The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a
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.