Question about the History of Islam - Assignment Example

Question 1 Islam has distinct gender roles with the men always enjoying more liberties than their female counterparts do. The position and the roles of women in the society arise from the interpretation of the Qur’an, the religion’s holy book. Key among the provision of the Qur’an is the fact that men always act as the guardians of the women. The systematic sharia laws in the Islamic societies enforce such laws by defining the place and roles of women in the society. The manifestations of the limited freedoms the women enjoy begin with the women’s dressing. Unlike the men who dress in any type of cloth, the women must always cover themselves in lengthy hijabs complete with a veil that covers both their faces and hair (Ruggles 77). The unique attire portrays the society’s archaic treatment of women who must always behave differently when in public space and when in their private spaces. The history of Islam and early Islamic society shows a unique position and roles of women especially in marriages. At such times, marriages were alliances. The men therefore married their female children to specific families with the view to creating relations and alliances with the appropriate families. Prophet Mohammad had thirteen wives a feature that portrays his belief and resect of women. The men in Islamic societies believed that a man could take care of as many women as they wished. As such, the polygamous society encouraged men to marry as many women as they wished. This portrays a situation where women did not influence the structure of their families since just as stated earlier, men served as guardians to the women. Furthermore, all of Muhammad’s marriages had political connotations. They served as alliances that influenced his position in the society and in the faith. According to the Sharia laws, virginity was a phenomenal issue in the society since it represented honor to both the girl’s family and society (Haylamaz and Hülya 121). As such, families raised their female children strictly with the view to guarding their virginity. Another equally important feature of Muhammad’s polygamous marriages was the fact that she married widows as well. A number of his wives were widows. Such was a strategic undertaking that sought to influence the position of widows in a society that valued virginity of women. The society often contradicted itself by believing that men were guardians to the women while making it difficult for widows to remarry. As such, widows remained exposed especially after being indoctrinated to the fact that women are always dependent on men. By marring widows, Muhammad wished to change the society’s view on widows thus encouraging the men to remarry widows thus providing them with the companionship they desire. As early as the 7th century, Muslim women and female children had minimal if any rights. At the time of Muhammad’s birth, the Islamic society often buried female children alive in times of scarcity. Such was a revered acts glorified since the society believed that girls had no value. Muhammad sought to reverse some of such retrogressive cultures thus providing women with some of the basic rights like the right to life. Key among Muhammad’s legacies was the ending of the famous infanticide and remarriage of widows (Sonbol 55). Question 2 The Qur’an was the basis of Islam. The Holy text provides divine guidance to the adherents of the faith thus enhancing their beliefs. Qur’an was the final of Allah’s revelations through Angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad. The prophet thus wrote the recital with the guidance of the angel. Islam translates to “one who submits to God.” The Qur’an formed the basis for the faith and its subsequent spread to different parts of the world. Islam spread rapidly soon after the death of Prophet Muhammad (Coulson 43). One century after his death for example, the religion had spread concurrently with the spread of the Islamic Empire from Spain in the west to the East. The Qur’an enhanced the spread of the Islamic culture owing to the fact that it provided a reliable blue print for both the religion and the formation of Islamic societies. Key among the messages in the Qur’an is the position of God. God calls himself Allah and he is the creator of the earth, Heaven and all that is in them. Allah deserves respect, adoration and constant praises for His works in the life of humans, Verse 9 of Surat Al-Naml (Chapter 27) states that Allah is the sacred name that God chose for Himself. The holy text presents Allah as the master of the universe. As such, Muslims must refuse Satan by upholding the ways that Allah describe in the holy book as the most appropriate ways of life on earth. Al-Tabari explains that Allah the Beneficent brought His Holly Qur’an to earth as an extension of His mercies with the view to guide humans to a happy life on earth besides helping them avoid His punishment after leaving earth. Quran manifests God’s existence and the existence of life after death at which point He will punish and reward humans for their life and deeds on earth. Among the central themes in the book is monotheism. God is the only one being in charge of the Universe since He created it. The Quran presents Him as an omnipresent and omnipotent Being. Another theme in the book is eschatology. The book explains that life on earth will end thus paving way for God’s judgment after which he will reward those who obeyed his instructions with eternal life while punishing those who did not. Additionally, the book portrays the position of prophets in the religion. Prophets enhanced the spread of the faith and God’s teachings. As such, the book encourages the formation of leaders of the faith to perpetuate the growth of the faith into prosperity. The complications in Quran arise from the structure of Arabic words. Arabic words have various meanings all of which influence the comprehension of the holy text. The words have etymological base, grammatical category and contextual location all of which influence the structure of the words and sentences in the holy text thereby influencing the comprehension of the messages in the Quran. The Quran for example arises from four root words all of which have varied meanings. The first is qura’a referring to collect. This portrays the Quran as a compilation of teachings from Allah through Angel Jibrael. Question 3 Prophets are important people in Islam. The prophets played significant roles, Muslims believe that prophets had specific missions to complete on earth thus fostering the growth of the faith. God gave every of the numerous prophets a single mission to accomplish. All the prophets and their followers enhanced the growth of the faith by teaching the oneness of God (Watt and Pierre 41). Just as explained earlier, the prophets enhanced the spread of the faith as explained in the Quran. Prophets lived in separate times thus fostering the growth of the faith in their times. Besides teaching on the oneness of God, the prophets taught on the need to worship the one God, avoidance of idolatry among other sins and eschatology which refers to the judgment day when God would come back to judge both the living and the dead. As such, prophets were God’s messengers who conveyed specific messages. The prophets engaged in various duties and interacted with the people in various capacities. In doing this, they influenced the growth of the religion both through their messages and through their actions. Key among such prophets was Muhammad. Muhammad was the main prophets in the faith who contributed to the development of the modern day Islam. He relayed God’s message by composing the Quran a feature that remains integral in the growth of the faith to date. Additionally, he instituted various radical changes in the beliefs of the faith thereby influencing the structure of Islamic societies. Muhammad was a different kind of Prophet, one whose works proved that Islam is dynamic and in deed capable of change. At the time of his birth, Islamic societies had conservative social structures. Muslims in as early as the 7th century had retrogressive cultural beliefs most of which limited the liberties and rights of the people especially the women in the society. Firstly, Muhammad fits Muslim’s definition of a prophet since he was a leader who God used just as he did with many others before him to convey messages to the adherents of the faith. Muhammad sought to implement the teachings of the faith thus influencing the construction of the Sharia laws. The laws helped with the governance of the societies. Additionally, Muhammad introduced polygamy in Islamic societies. He married fifteen wives most of whom were widows. In doing this, he sought to prove that men were guardians to the women. As such, the men had to provide and protect the women including the widows. Muhammad lived at the time of wars and the society therefore had numerous widows whose husbands died in the wars (Ibn, Muneer, Gassick and al-Wāḥid 78). Additionally, Muhammad brought order to faith by developing a definite relationship between humans and God. By composing the Quran, Muhammad’s influence in Islam remains to this day as the holy text helps create order in the worship and relationship both among humans and between humans and God. This way, the society is ordered since the people have a reliable guidance on every social issue and challenge they face on a daily basis. Works cited Coulson, Noel J. A History of Islamic Law. New Brunswick, N.J: Aldine Transaction, 2011. Print. Haylamaz, Reşit, and Hülya Coşar. Khadija: The First Muslim and the Wife of the Prophet Muhammad. Somerset, N.J: Tughra Books, 2009. Print. Ibn, Kathīr I. U, Muneer G. Fareed, Gassick T. Le, and al-Wāḥid M. ʻAbd. The Life of the Prophet Muḥammad: Vol. 3. Reading: Garnet Publishing, 2000. Print. Ruggles, D F. Women, Patronage, and Self-Representation in Islamic Societies. Albany, N.Y: State University of New York Press, 2000. Print. Sonbol, Amira E.-A. Beyond the Exotic: Women's Histories in Islamic Societies. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse Univ. Press, 2005. Print. Watt, W M, and Pierre Cachia. A History of Islamic Spain. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1997. Print. Read More