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HISTORY'S
CURRENTS
THE FOUNDING OF ISLAM
The Islamic religion developed in the Arabian Desert around
the year 600 AD. The religion was the result of the visions,
experiences, and beliefs of Mohammed, the Profit of the
Moslem faith.
Mohammed was born around 570 AD. He became an orphan at
an early age and worked in the caravans, which traded in
the Middle East at that time. As he traveled, Mohammed heard
the stories and theologies of both Christian and Jewish
teachers in the area, and he became convinced of the idea
of one God. At this time the Arab tribes believed in local
tribal deities and were united only in the belief that Abraham,
the founder of their ethnic group through Ishmael (son of
Abraham and Hagar), had provided them with the Kaaba. The
Kaaba, a black stone, was housed in Mecca. Mecca became
a major center for the Arab world and culture. Mohammed
and his faith would unite the Arab world.
Mohammed married a wealthy widow, Khadija, which freed him
from the necessity to work. He spent long hours in meditation.
He was a highly emotional individual, given to visions,
voices from heaven, and visitations from angles. Around
610 he started to preach about his revelations of the one
God (Allah in Arabic). He was only successful in the conversion
of his family and close associates. The leaders in Mecca
expelled Mohammed and his followers in 622, fearing that
he would attack the Kaaba in his new religion. He fled to
Medina, the Hegira (or flight), where his religion gained
acceptance. The year of the Hegira is year one in the Moslem
calendar.
In Medina, Mohammed gained many converts. He allowed the
leaders of the city to attack the caravans bound for Mecca,
making the city leaders and Mohammed rich. By 630 (or 8)
he attacked and conquered Mecca. Mohammed accepted the Kaaba
as a holy relic of Islam and established Mecca as the first
city of Islam. The Arabs quickly embraced the new faith.
Mohammed died in 632 (10).
After the death of Mohammed in 632, his followers put together
the sayings, poetry, revelations and visions of the profit
into a collection known as the Qur’an (or Koran). The Qur’an
became the basic standard for the Arabic language and grammar.
The beauty in the Qur’an is in the language, especially
when recited. The poetry and chants of the Qur’an being
recited on a dark desert night led many to convert in the
early days of Islam.
The Moslem faith is based on five principal beliefs (the
five pillars). The first is the Moslem Creed: There is one
God, whose name is God (Allah) and Mohammed is his profit.
If you believe that, you are a Moslem. The Moslems fast
during the holy month of Ramadan. They observe prayers five
times a day. They must give alms to the poor, and they must
go on a pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj) once during their
life.
The Moslem faith is simple. There is no theology, no real
clergy, or sacraments. Jewish and Christians stories are
found in the Qur’an, and Jews and Christians were known
as ‘peoples of the book’. The revelation of Allah to Mohammed
is the last and perfect revelation. There will be no more.
Islam has three holy cities. Mecca is the birthplace of
the profit and the home of the mosque that holds the Kaaba.
It is the sight of the hajj that is to be made by all Moslems.
Medina, the second city of Islam, is the site of the Arab
acceptance of the revelation of Allah to Mohammed. Both
Mecca and Medina are in Saudi Arabia and Saudi soil is considered
sacred to Moslems. The third city of Islam is Jerusalem.
It was here that Mohammed traveled in a dream and was led
to heaven. He saw what heaven was to be like for true believers.
The Dome of the Rock Mosque commemorates the spot where
the profit slept and received this heavenly vision.
Today Islam is as divided as any religion. The major split
occurred soon after the death of Mohammed. The Shiites believe
that the leaders of Islam must be related to the prophet.
The Sunnites believe that any believer can be the leader
of the faithful. This is still a major rift in the Islamic
world today.
Today we would give Mohammed a little Prozac to begin each
day, but we would do that to all our profits. Islam spread
throughout the world. Today it is the second largest religion
in the world. The country with the largest Moslem population
today is Indonesia.
History’s currents, or current history. You decide!
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