islam :: essays research papers

The FounderMuhammad was born in Mecca, Arabia, in AD 570. His father died before he was born and his bring 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 phratry 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 get 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 well-mannered wars, political corruptions, and oppression of the poor. Muhammad felt the cal of Allah to preach against the present system. He began discussion in AD 610 but faced resistance from his own people. They peril to kill him. In AD 622, he moved north to Medina. He soon gained some followers. Those accepted Muhammad as the messenger of deity were called Muslims which manner one who submits to God. In AD 630 Muhammad and his followe rs came back to Mecca and took control of it. Today, the cities of Mecca and Medina ar 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 jihad or holy war from Medina and Mecca to set ahead the world from Spain to India. When they reached Europe, they were defeated by Charles Martels troops at the action of Pointiers or known as the Battle of Tours in 732. Faced with opponent 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 adore him. He is considered to be one of the prophets or messengers of God along with Moses, Abraham, and Jesus.The TeachingsThe Muslim halt is called the Koran which means the recitation. Parts of the Koran resembles the Bible 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.