Ferment in the Middle East: The Rise of Islam - Essay Example

Ferment in the Middle East: The Rise of Islam Chapter 7, “Ferment in the Middle East: The Rise of Islam”, of the article, “World History: Comprehensive Volume, 3rd Edition” written by Spielvogel, talk about Islam tenet, it comparison to Christianity and Judaism, give an explanation why the Arab underwent rapid expansion in the 18th century and Islamic civilization. According to the article Muslims are monotheistic, they believe in one God, Allah. They believe in eternal life after death.

On the other hand, they don’t believe in the Holy trinity. Quran is their holy book which they believe was given to them by Allah. Their religious culture is almost similar to that of Christians and Judaism, with the disparity being in recognition of holy trinity, Muslim doesn’t but Christians and Jews do believe. The rise of Muslim is attributed to the teachings that Muhammad gave them. Arabs were monotheistic and they could therefore follow any religion that supported monotheism. Muhammad succeeded in winning Arabs into Muslim because he claimed to be a prophet just like Jesus.

Moreover, he the promises that he gave people, that those who followed him and fought for his cause, would have eternal life, made a lot of people follow him. This led to growth of Islam in the Middle East. Death of Muhammad fueled new energies within the hearts of Muslim who joined forces and conquered empires. However, as Arabs expanded, they encountered internal conflicts as who to rule them and this led to the emergence and rise of the Umayyad’s dynasty which was later overthrown by Abu al-Abass giving way into the establishment of the Abbasids dynasty, which is currently known as Iraq (Spielvogel, 188).

The Abbasids brought a lot of political, economic and social transformation that shaped Islam culture. For instance, it enabled Arabs intermarry with other people in the region. Due to lack of adherence to religious practices, this dynasty grew weak and was overthrown by Seljuk Turks. The Seljuk Turks were however against Christians and they went all over destroying shrines. Christians responded by calling for crusades with that aim of mobilizing other Christians against the Turks attack. This war however led to destruction of Jerusalem and emergence of a non-Muslim barbaric people known as Mongols.

History records that they would raid a village and spoil everything including pets. Finally, the article focuses on Islamic civilization. Their religious beliefs demand than one ought to live in accordance to the immutable doctrine found in the Quran. Politically, leaders are chosen on the basis of their ability to lead people and on hereditary basis. The foundation however is the ability to lead people. Emergence of Muslim was also accompanied by positive changes. It has been seen that trade within Muslim and the world, china, flourished in Middle East.

As to conclusion, trade brought division of classes among the Arab even though their religious belief is that everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah.Works Cited Spielvogel, J., Duiker, W. World History: Comprehensive Volume, 3rd Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, (2001).