The Islamic Religion

The Islamic Religion

In Arabia during the sixth century, the rise of Islam began. Islam which means, "Submission to one God," was started by Muhammad, a merchant from Mecca. He is referred to as the "merchant-turned-holy-man" and the Prophet of the Islam religion. In Arabia at the time of Muhammad, people worshipped various gods. Muhammad identified one God, the God of the Jews and the Christians. Muhammad saw himself as God's last prophet, the person who was given God's final words to share with humans.

At age six, Muhammad was orphaned and lived with his grandfather for two years and then with his uncle, a leader of the Quraysh tribe. In time, Muhammad became a trader. When he was twenty-five, he married a rich Widow named Khadija, who was a former employer. They had at least four daughters and seemed to live successful, comfortable, and happy lives. However, Muhammad sometimes left the home to retreat for contemplation and prayer. It was during one of these retreats that Muhammad saw a vision and heard a voice calling him to worship Allah, the God of the Jews and the Christians. He accepted the summons as coming from God.

Muhammad was first welcome by the people of Medina as a mediator. He exerted powers of both a religious and a secular leader; a dual role that was adopted by his successors, the caliphs.

Over the next several years, Muhammad received messages that he understood to be divine revelation. After Muhammad's death, the revelations were written and arranged in what became the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. Qur'an means recitation and each of the suras (chapters) are believed to be God's revelation to Muhammad by the archangel, Gabriel, which Muhammad recited to others. To the Muslims, the Qur'an is more than simply a holy book, it is the divine words of Allah given to Muhammad through the angel