The religious, social, political and economical climates of seventh century Arabia, also known as pre-Islamic Arabia, contributed immensely to the emergence of Islam.
Religious climates were one of the causes of the emergence of Islam.
At the time in the seventh century of Arabia, people lived in the days of ignorance, known as Jahiliyah. During this period of time, people of Arabia worshipped idols and Arabia was considered a God-less region.
Before the time of Jahiliyah, a group of people, al-Hanafiyyeen, followed the monotheistic teachings of Abraham (Ibrahim). He alleged faith in one universal God, but after his death, Arabs returned to the polytheistic society.
People of Arabia
"worshipped stones, trees, idols, stars and spirits; in short everything conceivable except God... they revelled in adultery, gambling and drinking." (Abul Ala Mawdudi).
The Hanifs believed that there was another religion or belief, and stood firm against their belief in monotheism. They would meditate and not get involved in the worship of idols. They were waiting for a specific significance to what they should believe and follow - one could say the message of Islam.
The area of Hijaz, in the North-West of Arabia, covering Mecca and Medina, followed many religions. There was Bedouin Polytheism, Judaism and Christianity, which broke down into the Orthodox, the Monophysites and the Nestorians.
Bedouin Polytheism was the religion of the majority of the population. They were mainly Arabian nomads who were animistic and believed in jinn, and many gods. These gods included al'Manat (goddess of fate), al'Uzza (all-powerful goddess of love) - daughters of Allah (the chief God) and his wife Allat.
Judaism was a minor religion. The Je...
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...makes sense that the questioning of what was next, or why this was happening like this, lead to the true belief of one god. As we can witness, after the emergence of Islam, things in Arabia got better and better. Yes, there was still hardship but the place was a much organized and happy atmosphere.
Pre-Islamic Arabia is called Jahiliyah for a reason, and the behaviours and attitudes of the pre-Islamic Arabs show that Islam was a religion that wiped out all evil and filth, and brought in a clear, pure way of worship and religion.
All these climates emerge Islam immeasurably because they bring together the views of what the world should be like - peace and harmony.
Islam was based on everything the people of pre-Islamic Arabia had in front of them but it was not clear enough for them to see or they were either just too ignorant to see it - hence, Jahiliyah.
The spread of the Islamic faith throughout the eastern world occurred due to the presence of Muslim cities. Iba Jubayr, a Spanish Muslim traveler and geographer, loves the city of Damascus as the type of paradise on earth (Doc 1). Among many Muslim cities, Damascus is a center of the Islamic faith and greatly contributed to the spreading of the Islamic faith. The Umayyad Caliphate based the Islam core in Damascus and the city’s power reached its highest point. Though Iba Jubayr provides a sufficient observation upon Damascus, his opinions were hidden due to his occupation. Being a traveler and geographer, Iba Jubayr was exposed to many various environments, some harsher than others. As a result, Jubayr’s opinion may have been wrong because a city that is nice such as Damascus can easily be viewed as a paradise on earth when compared to an extremely poor and suffering city. Even though Jubayr’s opinion is incorrect, Damascus is still an important element in the spreading of
The Favorability of the Social and Religious Situation in Arabia around 600 AD Toward the Rise of Islam
Although there are many religious in history, Islam is one of the quickest spreading in the Middle East. According to Document A, cultural diffusion helped advance the religion of Islam. For example, the city of Mecca was the center of trade, which meant there were many trade routes connected to Mecca. Some trade routes travelled farther away, like to India or China and Islam's culture and religion grew from all the trading. Document B explains that Islam spread so quickly because the laws from their God appealed to many. In other words, the laws of the Muslim community were fair, wanted people to be kind not evil, told followers their property would not be stolen or destroyed and also promised them afterlife in paradise. People that were not
Clearly protection, trading and Islamic religion are the three reasons why I think Islam is spreading so quickly. These are not the only reasons but major ones. Islam is continuing to grow around the world. Someday it may the the world's largest religion but only time will
Egyptian religion is polytheistic. The gods are present in the form of elements of life – natural forces and human condition. Greek religion is also polytheistic. Like Egypt, the Greek gods exist to represent different aspects of life, but they also play an active social role in the people’s lives. In Greek mythology, the gods have feelings and flaws as the normal people do. Greek Gods have even had children and committed adultery with people. The Egyptian gods interact more with each other than with the people. They interact with the people more on a supernatural level. Osiris, the Egyptian god of agriculture and afterlife, judges people when they die. Amon, the king of gods, is hidden inside the ruler (This “king of gods” title was not always so as the popularity of Aton, the sun-disk rose through the reformation of Pharaoh Akhenaton in 1369-1353 BC). Hebrew religion, being monotheistic, had only one all-powerful god. Instead of being believed by the people to be somewhere in the world, the Hebrew god was completely separated from the physical universe. Abraham in Canaan (about 1800 BC) is the first known practicer of monotheism. As for monotheistic resemblance in other cultures, the Greek god Zeus is seen as a leader of the other gods, but not independent of them. Akhenaton’s short-lived reform of Egyptian religion reveres Aton as the source of all life. This is the earliest religious expression of a belief in a sole god of the universe. Akhenaton’s challenge to the power of the priests did not last beyond his own lifetime.
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While Muhammad was successful at converting people to Islam, they were often people of the lowest class or slaves. After more than a decade of prosecution and harassment from the Meccans, many Muslims emigrated to Medina. This is where Muhammad established political and religious authority over his old and new followers. A Constitution of Medina was devised and it brought all the groups into one massive society. The formulated statement set up security, certain freedoms, Medina’s sacredness, a tax system and a judicial system. In 629, Muh...
During this time, Mecca was mostly populated with polytheistic followers. In 610 C.E, Prophet Muhammad, had his first revelations that advance the Islamic culture. His revelations became a way of life for his followers. When the religion started rising in numbers, Muhammad and his followers was exiled from Mecca. When the followers migrated to Medina, Islam began to spread. This religion had much influence in the locations it was practiced in. The Quran is the way of life to its people. The five pillars expressed in the Quran were the religious laws Muslims were expected to follow. They were expected to only accept there is one God and one messenger, Muhammad, pray five times a day, give the poor 2.5 percent of their savings, fast during the month of Ramandan, and pilgrimage to Mecca, where the Holy Ka’ba is located. Besides the religious impact, Muhammad also created a political empire. He united different tribes and customs. Muhammad was very influential that after his death, the religion faced a challenge. They did not have a successor or leader, so many followers left the religion, refused to pay taxes, and wars begun. In the mid- seventh century, the Muslims started wars with the Byzantine and Persian Empires and conquered them. Muslims ruled over many religious groups including Jews, Christians, and Zoroastrians. As the Muslims became powerful, they created laws that taxed other religious groups to practice their faith. In the “Pact of Umar”, Christians agreed under extreme circumstances in order to practice their faith. They agreed to not fix the damages done to their churches, to not display any religious ornaments, to not spread the faith, and many more. The Muslims conquered and progressed in
...did not die’. Islam belief in human nature is also different from Christianity; but the same in Judaism, that human nature has the equal ability to do good or evil. Means of salvation in Islam is closely the same to the other Abrahamic beliefs. In addition, good and bad afterlife beliefs are closely related as well. Interestingly, Christianity views Islam as a false religion and Islam views Judaism and Christianity as ultimately having wrong beliefs and ‘only partial revelation’. Ultimately, these Abrahamic religions are the most influential religions in the world. Their impact on the world is very deep and all trace their history to Abraham in the Hebrew Bible. The brief overview of the similarities and differences of the three monotheistic faiths enables people to enrich or at least receive a concrete vision of what can possibly come with death and the afterlife.
The culture of Islam has its positive aspects, as well as its negative aspects. Islam bestowed many unfortunate people the opportunity to gain more knowledge about their surroundings, and the adversities that they may face on a daily basis. Islam also created alliances, and trade contracts with other surrounding countries, allowing them to receive resources that other religions and groups could not envisage. However, to gain these privileges, Islam had to first fester the lives of many civilians that dared step in its path. Islam not only ruined the lives of people, but it ruined whole kingdoms. Many people felt an...
These aspects signify Islam as a return to the true Abrahamic faith that surpasses, subjugates and seals other religions in Jerusalem while defining the omnipresent and all-powerful nature of
Did you ever wonder about how the religion Muslim started? Muhammad was meditating in a cave in 610 AD, he was overcome by a powerful force and was instructed to recite. Attracted to Islam’s message of equality and social reform, people of different backgrounds converted and followed the Five Pillars of Islam: belief, prayer, fasting, alms-giving, and pilgrimage. After Muhammad died in 632, there was confusion over who should lead the Muslims. Muhammad was born in around 570 C.E. in Mecca, modern day Saudi Ar...
In the seventh century, a new faith arose in the Middle East known as the Islamic religion. Just like Christianity and Judaism, the Islamic religion believed in one God known as Allah. The founder of Islam was a very unique individual known as Mohammad. Mohammad had an amazing spiritual experience that transformed his life and made a great impact in history. He experienced visions and revelations from Allah which he accepted as messages. Mohammed
Abrahamic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam : similarities & contrasts. Beltsville, Md. -. Amana Publications, 2004. : Amana Publications, 2004. Ibrahim, I. A..