Life of Muhammad & The History of Islam - Essay Example

Quetion The Life of Prophet Muhammad The prophet Muhammads birthplace was in the of Mecca in 570 CE. The city currently lies in the modern Arabian Peninsula, in Saudi Arabia. Muhammads father had died before his birth. Therefore, his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, raised the prophet. Their familys origin was from the richest and most influential in the region. They originated from the tribe of Quraysh. Since his grandfather was the head of the family, he became the most powerful person in the region.

At an early age if six, Muhammads mother died and his grandfather too when eight years old. In his teenage years, he married a widow but did not embrace polygamy. In those days, polygamy was a common occurrence. He developed a habit of visiting a certain cave in which one could only witness the sky and the mountains around. In later years when Muhammad turned forty, he received his first revelation from Allah. This happened in 610 CE and continued for the next twenty-two years. He began preaching the new faith to close people after two years of revelation.

Later he started spreading the word to people publicly. However, he received opposition from most idol worshippers in the region. Despite the opposition, he still had many followers who listened and sought advice.The disbelievers, from the tribe of Quraysh, started an operation to stop the spread of Islam. The believers were constantly persecuted. Muhammad saw the suffering of the believers and could sometimes advice them to escape to safer regions. There was a plot to assassinate Muhammad quietly by the tribe of Quraysh but did not succeed.

Many believe that a divine intervention saved Muhammad. He later fell ill and died (Allen & Toorawa 4-10).Question #2 The history of IslamThe word Islam in Arabic language means submission. The followers of the religion are referred to as Muslims. The Muslims population is about a billion worldwide (Allen & Toorawa 4). As others believe that Islam began in Mecca, where Prophet Muhammad was born, others believe that it has been in existence since the time of Adam, Abraham and Jesus.

The religion is known to start spreading after the death of the last prophet Muhammad. The division after the death of Muhammad led to the formation of two groups. These groups were Shia and Sunni. The Shia believe that Muhammad named a successor, and they follow the authoritative teachings from them. On the other hand, the Sunni rely on the teachings from the hadith. These two groups became the main ones in Islam. They both believe in Quran, and the distinction is only in leadership beliefs.

By the end of the first century after the death of Muhammad, Islam had spread to people of different races and customs. At this time, Islam had reached Mombasa, where the people embraced it as a way of life. The first civil war in the history of Islam came in 656 when the third Caliph Uthman was assassinated. It was after the war that a group of Muslims known as the Khariji came up with the idea a setting rules in Islam. Both the Sunni and Shia agreed on the idea, and it agreed that there would be no judgement of character and left it to Allah on the last day.

The religion has come under the rule several dynasties including Abbasids, which conquered the whole of the Islamic world (Allen & Toorawa 12-19).Work CitedAllen, Roger, and Shawkat M. Toorawa. Islam: A Short Guide to the Faith. Grand Rapids, Mich: William B. Eerdmans Pub, 2011. Print.