islam :: essays research papers

The FounderMuhammad was born in Mecca, Arabia, in AD 570. His father died out front he was born and his mother died when he was only a child. He was first raised by his grandfather and later by his uncle Abu Talib. He lived with a desert tribe for a while and learned how to shepherd the flocks. At age 25, he began to serve a wealthy widow aged 40 by the name Khadija. They got married and had two sons and four daughters. The two sons died early. One of his daughters married his uncle Abu Talibs son Ali.Arabia at that time was under bloody civilized wars, political corruptions, and oppression of the poor. Muhammad felt the cal of Allah to preach against the present system. He began preaching in AD 610 but faced resistance from his own people. They threatened to killing him. In AD 622, he moved north to Medina. He soon gained some followers. Those accepted Muhammad as the messenger of god were called Muslims which means one who submits to God. In AD 630 Muhammad and his followers c ame back to Mecca and took control of it. Today, the cities of Mecca and Medina are significant in the Islam religion. The year 622 which Muhammad moved from Mecca to Medina is also significant. Muhammad died in AD 632. His elected successor, Abu Bakr, declared the international jihad or holy war from Medina and Mecca to win the world from Spain to India. When they reached Europe, they were defeated by Charles Martels troops at the appointment of Pointiers or known as the Battle of Tours in 732. Faced with opposition in Europe, they turned eastward to Central Asia, India, and Indonesia. Today, Islam is the major religion in the Middle East, North Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Indonesia.Although Muslims respect and honor Muhammad, they do not worship him. He is considered to be one of the prophets or messengers of God along with Moses, Abraham, and Jesus.The TeachingsThe Islamic book is called the Koran which means the recitation. Parts of the Koran resembles the sacred scripture especially, the Apocrypha and the Talmud. The book has many stories of the Old Testament prophets and Jesus whom was called the Word of God.Many tenets in Islam are identical to those of Christianity. The Koran teaches the absolute unity of the power of God. It teaches that God is merciful and just.