Chapter 10 Of Patterns Of World History Essay -- Islam, Muhammad, Quran

The Prophet Muhammad is revered by many as the founder of Islam. As von Sivers, Desnoyers and Stow infer, the Quran and Sunna both depict a theology of Mecca and Medina (Yathrib) as the sacred cities where Mohamed would preach the God’s word to pagans (280). Muhammad’s new Religion Islam became an Arab religion that did not recognize the teaching of Judaism and Christianity (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow 280). Islam is distinct from all other religions due to five religious duties that identify Muslims, the profession of faith, prayer, fasting, alms-giving, and pilgrimage to Mecca (von Sivers, Desnoyers, and Stow 281). Establishing a new religion was not a seamless process as Muhammad had to overcome before a community of Muslims that were mandated to engage in a holy struggle or jihad against those who believe in other Gods (von Sivers Desnoyers and Stow 280). What resulted was the spread of Islam throughout the Middle East as Muhammad’s successors conquered A rabia, Islam and Arab empires were a crucial component in the developments of Islamic Civilizations and Byzantium that were covered in Chapter 10 Patterns of World History, Volume One. The religion of Islam was brought to pagan Arabia by the Prophet Muhammed who spread the word of Allah to Arabs in Mecca and Yathrib. Islam grew to a point where a rift grew among Muslims forming the Sunni and Shiite sects. First came the Umayyad empire and then the Abbasids, representing the first major Arab empires, however their approach to Islam and Conquest differed were significantly different. The final point was the differences between the Russian version of Vladimir I’s conversion to Christianity on behalf of Russians and the Muslim account. In the end, the development of Islam and Arab empires unified the Arab world and began to wield increasing power over European and Asian empires.