Early Islam - Research Paper Example

Thus, contrary to what some outsiders may think, Islam did not appear as a separate or new religion. Rather, it confirmed the earlier messages of God to mankind (HQ, 6:92) and took the form of a completion of his messages. Islam therefore has a very close relationship with other religions. Indeed all prophets are seen as brothers, as demonstrated when the Holy Prophet led them all in prayer on the night of the ascension in Jerusalem. Prophet Muhammad is thus widely seen as the ‘Seal of the Prophets’.

In particular, Islam gives high regard to the ‘People of the Book’, which refers to Jews and Christians. Allah advises Muslims not to dispute with them (except with better means or in the case of a wrong being inflicted) (HQ, 29:45-49). The beginning of Islam thus stretches back to the beginning of creation itself. The same one God, who sent earlier prophets to guide mankind, also sent the final prophet Muhammad (SAWS). The Quran also describes at length, the lives of the prophets that were sent earlier, including Prophet Isa (Jesus) and Musa (Musa), peace be upon them all, among others.

Racially, the Arabs share a common ancestry with the Jews. Both are viewed in Islam as the ‘Children of Ibrahim (Abraham)’. The linkage of these two races has also been proven genetically. The genetic signature of Prophet Harun (Aaron) has been shown to be CMH as the primary Y-marker, which is found among Jews and in high numbers among Arabs (Kleiman, 161-162). The two races were divided by Ibrahim’s (AS) sons. Whereas the Jews descend from the Prophet Ishaq (Isaac), the Arabs are descended from his brother Ismail (Ishmael), peace be upon them both.

This also explains some of the tenets of Islam. For example, the hajj (pilgrimage to Makkah) has its origins in the story of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), his wife Hajar and son Ismail (AS). The three were responsible for building the Ka’ba and finding the well of Zam-Zam (Ibrahim, 219). This holy family is thus respected not only by Jews but also by Muslims. In fact, Muslims regard Prophet Ibrahim (AS) not as a Jew as such, but a ‘Hanif’ referring to his abhorrence for idolatry (Peters, 121). Similarly, prophet Musa (AS) played a significant role in the assigning of the five daily prayers obligatory on Muslims.

The relationship between Prophet Isa (Jesus) and Prophet Muhammad is also very close but the Trinitarian Christians have elevated Jesus’ status to such an extent, by ascribing to him Godly qualities, that it becomes difficult to make them appreciate their connection. Suffice it to say, Prophet Isa’s (AS) life is covered in detail in the Holy Quran, including his life as a child that is not mentioned in the Holy Bible. Also, in Islam, Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) is seen as the paraclete spoken of by Jesus Christ.

Like Christians, Muslims also await the return of Jesus Christ in the end times. Some Christians even view Islam as an offshoot of Christianity, as do for example, Ohlig & Puin in tracing its origins of its tenets to pre-Nicean, Syrian Christianity. However, this approach makes the mistake of attributing similarities to one (in this case Christianity) being the origin of the other (i.e. Islam), whereas similarities in beliefs and tenets actually show that both have a common origin. Hence, there are bound to be similarities because God had been sending his messages and prophets