Islam

The Founder

Muhammad was born in Mecca, Arabia, in AD 570. His father died before he was born and his mother died when he was only a child. He was first raised by his grandfather and later by his uncle Abu Talib. He lived with a desert tribe for a while and learned how to shepherd the flocks. At age 25, he began to serve a wealthy widow aged 40 by the name Khadija. They got married and had two sons and four daughters. The two sons died early. One of his daughters married his uncle Abu Talib's son Ali.

Arabia at that time was under bloody civil wars, political corruptions, and oppression of the poor. Muhammad felt the cal of Allah to preach against the present system. He began preaching in AD 610 but faced resistance from his own people. They threatened to kill him. In AD 622, he moved north to Medina. He soon gained some followers. Those accepted Muhammad as the messenger of God were called Muslims which means "one who submits" to God. In AD 630 Muhammad and his followers came back to Mecca and took control of it.

Today, the cities of Mecca and Medina are significant in the Islam religion. The year 622 which Muhammad moved from Mecca to Medina is also significant.

Muhammad died in AD 632. His elected successor, Abu Bakr, declared the jihad or holy war from Medina and Mecca to win the world from Spain to India. When they reached Europe, they were defeated by Charles Martel's troops at the Battle of Pointiers or known as the Battle of Tours in 732. Faced with opposition in Europe, they turned eastward to Central Asia, India, and Indonesia. Today, Islam is the major religion in the Middle East, North Africa, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Indonesia.

Although Muslims respect and honor Muhammad, they do not worship him. He is considered to be one of the prophets or messengers of God along with Moses, Abraham, and Jesus.

The Teachings

The Islamic book is called the Koran which means the "recitation." Parts of the Koran resembles the Bible especially, the Apocrypha and the Talmud. The book has many stories of the Old Testament prophets and Jesus whom was called the "Word of God."

Many tenets in Islam are identical to those of Christianity. The Koran teaches the absolute unity of the power of God. It teaches that God is merciful and just. He wants all people to repent and purify themselves so that when they die they can go to heaven. Therefore, God sent prophets to remind people of their sins and compel them to come to Him. These prophets included Moses, Abraham, Jesus, and Muhammad. But since Muhammad was God's last and the latest, he was the most significant. Life on earth is a testing ground in preparation for the life to come. There are angels recording both good and evil deeds that people are doing. At the judgment day, everyone will be rewarded or punished for his or her deeds. Death is the gate to eternal life.

Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol and pork. The Koran forbids lying, stealing, adultery, and murder. It allows slavery but encourages slave owners to let them free. It permits a man to marry up to four wives at one time depending on certain conditions. It teaches all persons to show honor to their parents, kindness to slaves, charities to the poor, and to have honesty, industry, and courage.

Five Major Responsibilities

Islam teaches that each living person has five major responsibilities.

First, the profession of the unity of God and the prophethood of Muhammad. One cannot accept the unity of God and not accept the prophethood of Muhammad who was considered to be the messenger of God or Allah.

Second,