Muhammad was born around 570 A.D. in the sweltering heat of the Arabian Peninsula. By the time he was six, both of his parents had died, and he was taken under the protection of his uncle who was the chief of his clan. Later in life, Muhammad became a merchant and had a talent for trade. At age 25, he met Khadijah who was the owner of the shipments Muhammad was in charge of. Khadijah proposed to Muhammad because she was infatuated with him and she was a mentor to him as well as his wife. Through his job as a merchant, he had contact with a vast variety of people and he was able to communicate well with them because of his charisma and open-mindedness. His communication skills helped him greatly when resolving people’s disputes. During this time, Muhammad would go to the rocky hills around Mecca and meditate. In the documentary Islam: Empire of Faith, it states that during his meditation, Muhammad had an experience that would be the defining moment of his life. An angel is said to have appeared before him in the form of a man instructing him to recite in the name of God the Almighty. This encounter with the angel was the beginning of his prophetic career. Muhammad had one message for his people, a simple but radical proclamation, there is only one God. This proclamation meant there was to be no tribal divisions and to the poor and unprotected this was revolutionary. Under Islam, everyone was equal no matter your race, gender, or age. Islam had a universal appeal which is what helped it spread so rapidly. Muhammad began to have a following and they called themselves Muslims. They set out to preserve the message he had brought, and it was called the Quran. A first it was presented only orally, but people began to write it down to make sure it wasn’t corrupted and that the original message was maintained. Muhammad’s goal was to bring unity and peace with his message and the Five Pillars of Islam helped him do this. The Five Pillars are the profession of their faith (shahada); praying five times a day towards Mecca (salat); fasting from dusk to dawn during the month of Ramadan (saum); giving alms, or sharing their wealth with the poor, (zakat); and if they have the ability to do so, make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime (hajj).
The religion of Islam sees itself in relation to the earlier religions of Judaism and Christianity and they are protected peoples in the book of the Quran. According to the article, “Three Religions, One God”, it sees Christianity and Judaism as earlier versions of Islam, with revelations given within the same tradition by Allah but misunderstood by their followers over time. Muslims see Islam as the complete, correct, and final revelation in the monotheistic traditions of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Islamic tradition recognizes many of the Jewish and Christian prophets such as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. In “Three Religions, One God”, it is also stated that people often mistakenly think that Muhammad is the equivalent to Jesus in the Islamic faith while it is actually the Quran that is the equivalent. Muhammad is not divine, but he is a prophet chosen by God to deliver his message and be an example. The spread of Islam was very different from the spread of Christianity. For Islam, the Muslim people invaded others and gave them a choice to practice their religion and if the people chose not to, they could not be involved in the government and they had to pay a tax. Many people chose to convert because of Islam’s universal religion. For Christianity, monks and missionaries were sent out to try to convert people, but conversion was also forced by Charlemagne in Western Europe.
In Islam, there are two main groups: the Sunnis and the Shia. In the article “Sunnis and Shia: Islam’s ancient schism”, it is stated that the divide between these two groups is the oldest and largest in Islamic history. Members of these two groups have co-existed for centuries and share fundamental beliefs and practices, but have varying views on doctrine, ritual, law, theology and religious organization. The Sunnis make up the majority of the 1.5 billion Muslim population. The name Sunni also means “People of the Tradition” and the tradition refers to practices based on what Muhammad said, did, agreed to or condemned. The Shia, or “Party of Ali”, only make up about ten percent of the Muslim population and are guided by Muhammad’s descendants through his son-in-law and cousin, Ali. They claimed that Ali was the rightful successor to the Prophet Muhammad as leader of the Muslim community. In countries where the Sunnis make up the government, the Shia tend to make up the poorest part of society and are often victims of discrimination and oppression. Sectarianism has played a major role in the battle between these two groups not only centuries ago, but even today. The “Sunnis and Shia: Islam’s ancient schism” article also states that recently in Syria, Iranian-backed Shia militiamen have been helping the Shia-led government battle the Sunni-dominated opposition. Sunni groups, including Islamic State (IS), have been targeting Shia and their places of worship in Syria and neighboring Iraq. I find it hard to believe that such an accepting and universal religion has these significant, violent issues within the two main groups if its religion. Learning about Islam has not only taught me about its origin and its spread but also how the spread of Christianity and Judaism are tied into it. These three Abrahamic religions have their similarities but are also remarkably unique and their followers all have a distinct way of life.