Early Islam and Islam Today Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Early Islam and Islam Today - Essay exerciseThe culture and beliefs of Muslims are also discussed. This paper also presents a brief overview on some(prenominal) diachronic and modern Islam, worldwide and in America. Culture and Beliefs of Muslims Islam is a monotheistic religion and Muslims believe in the unity 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 wiz 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. sympathy 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 Ha jj, or pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca, at least once in a keeptime (Shepard, 2009). Muhammad, who is believed by Muslims to be a prophet and messenger of Allah, founded Islam. Islam abolished the convention of polytheism, which was the religion of pagan Arabia, and introduced the concept of unity or oneness of God. According to Muhammads 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 whole kit and will be sent to hell or heaven based on their doings. Muslims place a slap-up signifi ordurece on the conservation of womens 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 the ir accessible 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 legion(predicate) universal elements that appealed to all cultures and religions extraneous 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. interest the death of Muhammad, his followers set up a caliph ate 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 caliphs government agency 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