Early Islam and Islam Today - Essay Example

? Early Islam and Islam today Schools Number and of (e.g., June 18, EarlyIslam and Islam today Islam is believed to have resulted in the creation of the “first global civilization” as it spread rapidly from Saudi Arabia, its place of origin, to Persia and subsequently to the west (Stearns, 2006, p. 264; Stearns et al., 2004). The Islamic empire founded by Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was commercially as well as culturally linked to all the major civilized regions present in the Eastern Hemisphere (Stearns et al., 2004). This paper discusses the origin and expansion of Islam throughout Persia and how it made its way to the west. The culture and beliefs of Muslims are also discussed. This paper also presents a brief overview on both historical and modern Islam, worldwide and in America. Culture and Beliefs of Muslims Islam is a monotheistic religion and Muslims believe in the oneness of god. They have five basic principles that they call the “pillars” of Islam (Shepard, 2009). The first pillar is that of the Shahada, which is the declaration that there is only one god and prophet Muhammad is his messenger. The second pillar is the Salah, i.e. prayer, which is performed five times a day. The third pillar is the Zakah, i.e. charity for the poor. The fourth pillar is the Sawm, which means fasting. Muslims fast during the entire month of Ramazan, a holy month of the Islamic calendar. It is believed that the Quran, the word of God (Allah), began to be revealed to Prophet Muhammad by angel Gabriel during this month. The fifth and final pillar of Islam is Hajj, or pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, at least once in a lifetime (Shepard, 2009). Muhammad, who is believed by Muslims to be a prophet and messenger of Allah, founded Islam. Islam abolished the practice of polytheism, which was the religion of pagan Arabia, and introduced the concept of unity or oneness of God. According to Muhammad’s teachings, there are certain tenets and standards of living, ethics and polity, as described in the Quran, the holy book of Muslims, to be followed by Muslims, failing which they would face penalty both in this life and in the afterlife. Muslims have faith in the Judgment Day, when all humans will be judged for their deeds and will be sent to hell or heaven based on their doings. Muslims place a great significance on the conservation of women’s modesty, and so, women are asked to cover themselves by veils. They are not allowed to reveal themselves to other men except their husbands and close kin. Women and men are segregated in their social gatherings. Although it is widely believed that Muslim women are suppressed, it is believed to be the wrongdoing of men themselves rather than Islam, as Islam preaches equality of both men and women (Ezzati, 2002). Muslims are forbidden to consume pork and alcohol (Shepard, 2009). While monogamy is the common practice among Muslims, polygamy is legal and permitted by Islam (Shepard, 2009). While Muslim women are allowed only one husband, Muslim men can have a maximum of four wives only if they can treat all their wives equally. The Arabs made great scientific and cultural progress with the advent of Islam (Shepard, 2009). Origin and Expansion of Islam Islam has many universal elements that appealed to all cultures and religions outside Arabia (Stearns et al., 2004). This led to the acceptance of Islam and conversion to Islam by people of other religions such as Christianity, Judaism, etc. Following the death of Muhammad, his followers set up a caliphate in order to maintain political stability among the Arabs (Hemminger, 1997). Abu-Bakr was made the first caliph and military exhibition was used to gain the caliph’s authority over Arabia (Hemminger, 1997). Under his caliphate, the Arabs overtook Persian and Byzantine forces. He was succeeded by Umar, who became the second caliph and under whose reign, many other neighboring empires were conquered. By 637 CE, Ctesiphon (Persia’s capital) was occupied, and the whole of Persia was under Muslim rule by 651 CE (Hemminger, 1997). In the Battle of Yarmouk, the Muslims defeated the Romans and entered Palestine (Hemminger, 1997). A covenant was drafted with the Jews and religious freedom was granted to them. The Arabs led further conquests to Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, all of which were successful. In Egypt, the Muslims were invited by the Archbishop to help liberate Egypt from Roman oppressors, following which, Islam spread to Egypt. Muslims practiced liberation instead of subjugation of the people in the conquered lands. By 654 CE, Islam had spread across the whole of North Africa and was ruled by the Abbasid and the Umayyad caliphates (Hemminger, 1997). By 710 CE, Islam had entered Spain, and by the end of 711 CE, the entire Persian Empire and most of the Roman Empire was under Muslim rule. Islam further spread into parts of Asia and Africa. Muslim rule in most of these countries ended with the breakdown of the Muslim empire into many military kingdoms. Islamic beliefs and culture spread into other lands mostly because of the Arab conquests over these lands. However, Muslim conquerors offered religious freedom to the conquered people. Most of the indigenous populations embraced Islam because of its universal appeal and tolerance (Stearns et al., 2004). Regarding the expansion of Islam globally, it is said that – The rise of Islamic civilization was without precedent. A largely nomadic people had built the first global civilization and had nurtured Islam, one of the great universal religions. Trade was crucial to developing widespread connections. Building on the achievements of Greece and Mesopotamia, Islamic civilization developed innovations in numerous pursuits and spread those innovations across the Eastern Hemisphere (World Civilizations). As Islam spread across the world, it imbibed the native cultures of Greece, Persia, Mesopotamia, Rome, etc (Stearns et al., 2004). It can thus be said that the expansion of the Islamic empire not only led to the spread of Islam to other regions worldwide but also led to its own transformation in the process. Historical and Modern Islam As Islam took over the Persian Empire, it transformed the Iranian society and culture (de Laet, 1994). The Islamization of Persia was gradual and occurred over several centuries. While Persia underwent Islamization, Islam itself underwent a fair degree of “Persianization”. As de Laet (1994) puts it – While the message of the Quran transformed the intellectual and cultural landscape of Persia on the cultural level – although not the ritual and the judicial – there also occurred a process which some have called the Persianization of Islamic thought and culture (p. 365). Several ritualistic practices such as Sufism resulted from this Persianization of Islam. As Islam expanded globally, it is believed to have spread at the expense of the Christian religion (Ezzati, 2002). Islam has not only transformed because of its expansion across the globe but also as a result of globalization and modernization. The social and cultural trends among modern Muslims are quite different from those of early Islam. Dress code, laws of marriage, inheritance, are topics of concern among Muslims across the world (Shepard, 2009). Dean contends that while Muslims, especially the youth in the west earlier took a more secular and modern approach to Islam, they are reverting back to the basic principles. Several fundamentalists oppose the modernization of Islam, however, most Muslims today are more tolerant and absorbent about other cultures, especially with regards to dress codes and lifestyles. References De Laet, S. J. (1994). History of Humanity: From the seventh to the sixteenth century. New York: UNESCO. Dean, I. A. (2003). Islamic Religion and American Culture, Paper presented at the Association of Muslim Social Scientists. Retrieved 18 June 2012 from http://www.minaret.org/islamic%20religion%20and%20western%20culture.pdf. Ezzati, A. (2002). The Spread of Islam: The Contributing Factors. London: ICAS Press. Hemminger, B. (1997). ‘Why Study Ancient World Cultures?’. Exploring Ancient World Cultures, University of Evansville. Retrieved 18 June 2012 from http://eawc.evansville.edu/. Shepard, W. (2009). Introducing Islam. New York: Routledge. Stearns, P. N. (2006). World history in brief: major patterns of change and continuity. New Jersey: Pearson. Stearns, P. N., Adas, M. B., Schwartz, S. B., & Gilbert, M. J. (2004). World Civilizations: The Global Experience. New Jersey: Pearson. World Civilizations. Companion Website, Pearson Longman. Retrieved 18 June 2012 from http://wps.ablongman.com/long_stearns_wc_4/17/4392/1124516.cw/index.html. Read More