The history of the emergence and foundations of the creed of Islam are of great interest to historians and religious scholars. One of the youngest religions on earth is also one of the most numerous. Her followers exist in every corner of the planet and every year their number continues to increase. More and more people are interested in Islam itself and the fundamentals of the faith in order to understand how they are compatible with the worldview of modern man. In fact, the history of the emergence of this religious movement is extremely interesting, because Islam managed to win a large number of followers during the lifetime of the Prophet, during the first decades of the religion's existence. In our article, we will tell you what provisions form the basis of the dogma in Islam, and also analyze how exactly this belief arose among the Arabs living on the Arabian Peninsula.
The Arabian Peninsula in the early seventh century
Before you start studying the basics of the Islamic faith, it is worth understanding the conditions under which this religion arose. The Prophet Muhammad was born on the Arabian Peninsula, inhabited by Arabs. Interestingly, by the beginning of the seventh century, this people did not have a single faith, and pagans, followers of Zoroastrianism, Christians of different directions and Jews calmly got along side by side. There have never been strife and disagreements between such different faiths, because the main goal of the Arabs was to take care of earning money in order to adequately support their families. It is worth noting that this work was not easy. Most of the inhabitants of the peninsula lived extremely poorly, although quite peacefully. Income was mainly brought in by merchants who drove caravans through the desert and stopped to rest in oases.
I would like to clarify that the Arabian Peninsula cannot be perceived as a single territory. The Arabs themselves divided it into several parts. The first was a narrow strip of land stretching along the coast of the Red Sea. Here, in addition to rocky pieces, there are many oases with springs, which later became the main artery for small towns. Merchants often stopped there to stock up on water and buy dates.
Most of the territory of the Arabian Peninsula is occupied by the desert, but it is not lifeless, so a large number of people successfully lived on these lands. Precipitation was frequent in the desert, vegetation cover was encountered at certain intervals, and the air waspretty wet. In such conditions, tribes from generation to generation successfully overtook camels, which earned them a living.
The southern part of Arabia today we know under the name of Yemen. There were fertile lands where numerous fruit trees grew, and the people did not know the need for water and food.
However, the Arabs living in different territories were extremely divided, which was partly facilitated by the lack of a single religion. But the rise of the Islamic faith completely changed the situation in the Arabian Peninsula.
Life of the Prophet
Muhammad was born in 570 in a fairly we althy family. Little is known about the first years of the future founder of Islam (we will outline the basics of the dogma in the following sections of the article). It is believed that his childhood was happy, but at the age of six the boy lost his parents and went to live with his grandfather's family. After his death, his uncle took care of the boy, raising Muhammad as his son.
As soon as the young man grew up, he began to help his uncle engage in trade and showed great talent for this business. At the age of thirty, the Prophet took part in the reconstruction of the Kaaba. This shrine is considered pan-Arab, so many gave money for the work. During this period, Muhammad's uncle experienced serious financial difficulties, since, due to his high position, he had to feed all the pilgrims. To help his relative, the Prophet adopted his son.
It is worth mentioning that at the age of twenty-five, Muhammadmarried. His wife was a we althy widow fifteen years older than him. This woman was the most faithful companion and follower of the prophet and bore him several children. The wife's money strengthened the Prophet's financial position, allowing him to take a more powerful position in society.
Rise of Islam
A brief history of the emergence of Islam and the basics of the faith today knows almost every Muslim. If you ask any follower of this religion, he will tell you the date from which it is customary to count the years of Islam's victorious march across the planet. This point is taken to be the six hundred and tenth year when the forty-year-old Prophet received his first revelation from the angel Gabriel.
It is believed that at this moment Muhammad was in seclusion in a cave. He responded to the angel's call and memorized the first five verses of the Qur'an. In Islam they are called "verses".
From that moment, the life of the Prophet completely changed, because he devoted himself completely to the service of God. And until his death, he preached, trying with all his might to increase the number of followers of the new religion.
The first sermons of Muhammad
The emergence of Islam and the foundations of the Muslim faith are processes that did not occur at all simultaneously. A new religious movement appeared in an instant, but its main postulates were formed over time. The Prophet spoke about them throughout his life in order to teach his followers the basics of a righteous life. Later, they were all stated in the Qur'an.
Many religious scholars note that the foundations of the creeds of Buddhism, Christianity and Islam are very similar. And this is not surprising, because Muhammad himself in his first sermons said that God is one. He argued that the Creator had sent his prophets to people more than once, and now the time had come for the last of them. Among the messengers of God he included Adam, Noah, David and Solomon. He called on his fellow tribesmen to turn away from paganism and polytheism, turning their faces to the true Creator. The Prophet often spoke about how people used to know about all the commandments of a righteous life, but over time they turned away from them and lost their faith. However, the time has come to remember the true God again, because there will be no other chance to do this.
It was all these statements that later formed the basis of the doctrine of Islam. Buddhism and Christianity from the very beginning of their existence adhered to such dogmas, which unites all the listed religious beliefs.
The meaning of the term "Islam"
We will briefly outline the basics of the Islamic faith a little later, but now let's talk about exactly how the new religion got its name.
Besides the fact that the Prophet often spoke in his sermons about faith in God itself, he tried to cover in them all aspects of the life of future faithful Muslims. In his own words, Muhammad urged them to be more modest, not to indulge in gluttony, to distribute alms to the needy and to treat everyone fairly. He also talked about how to conduct business in order to receive the mercy of Allah.
Mostlysermons, the main idea was devotion and humility before God's will, so the new religion was called "Islam". Translated from Arabic, it can sound like "obedience to God." The followers of the creed did not have their own name for a long time, but the Europeans spoke of them as “Muslims”, changing the word “Muslim”. It means "submissive" in Arabic.
Thanks to this terminology, one can understand the basic principles of the creed of Islam, to which we will move on a little later.
Formation of a new religion
The first sermons of Muhammad were not very popular. Within a few years, only nine people accepted the new religion. Among them were the Prophet's wife, his nine-year-old nephew and uncle. These people have become the most devoted followers of Islam, ready to follow Muhammad anywhere in the world.
Over the following years, forty more people joined the ranks of Muslims. It is noteworthy that after the emergence of Islam, the foundations of the doctrine were equally studied by the rich and the poor. The new religion gradually began to win the trust of the Arabs, the number of Muslims steadily grew, and this began to cause serious concern to the nobility of the city of Mecca. We althy merchants began to oppress the newly minted followers of Islam, but ran into fierce resistance from them. All Muslims sincerely believed in their Prophet and adhered to his sermons. This could not but irritate the Meccan nobility, so it was planned to kill Muhammad and thereby get rid of the new religion. Learning aboutIn an insidious plot, the Prophet was forced to leave Mecca with his followers and create a new community.
Hijra and the introduction of a new chronology
In the year 621, the Prophet left his hometown and tried to settle in one of the oases. This exodus was called "hijra" and marked the countdown of the new chronology, which Muslims still use.
The small oasis where Muhammad decided to stay, later turned into a prosperous city of Medina. It received its name in honor of the Prophet, but during the years of his appearance in the oasis, it was inhabited by various tribes united in communities. They were constantly at odds with each other, so real armed conflicts often broke out on the territory of the settlement.
Muhammad organized his community and accepted new members into it with great pleasure. And there was no end to them, since there were no slaves in the ranks of the Muslims. Everyone who came here and accepted Islam into his heart became a free and equal member of the community. Over time, it has grown to an incredible size and has become the most influential in the city.
From that moment, Muhammad began to destroy the pagans, Christians and Jews. Even during his lifetime, he managed to take control of most of the Arabian Peninsula, including Mecca, to which he returned victorious.
Twenty-two years after the emergence of a new religion, it was adopted by all the tribes on the peninsula. It was in this year that the Prophet left our world, leaving behind a large number of followers who continued the work of theirteachers, carrying the basic tenets and fundamentals of the faith of Islam around the world.
A few simple words about Islam
Summing up, I would like to say that Islam was formed by absolutely disinterested people. They did not pursue any material goals and blindly believed in the ideals that their teacher spoke about.
However, according to historians, Muhammad did not offer anything new. He only managed to turn people away from paganism, providing them with an alternative in the form of a monotheistic religion. At the same time, he developed a number of prescriptions that regulate all aspects of the life of a Muslim. Since they were all very detailed, they practically deprived the new convert of the risk of making a mistake. He could always compare his actions with the rules and make sure that he did not deviate from the foundations of the Islamic faith.
Briefly, we can say that every person who adopted a new religion changed not only faith, but also fate.
The Rise of Islam and the Foundations of the Muslim Faith (briefly)
All the tenets of Islam are set out in the Koran in a very accessible language. This book is sacred for Muslims, because it is believed that its text was transmitted to the Prophet by the Almighty himself. Every follower of Islam believes that the Quran was not created by man. His texts were put together after the death of Muhammad, but before that he received them from God's angel and quoted from memory. The Holy Book is divided into one hundred and fourteen chapters, whichit is suggested to read daily to every believer.
The second most important source of doctrine is the Sunnah. This book describes the whole life of the Prophet and his sayings, as well as the stages of the formation of religion. Here are the main dogmas of Islam, which can be imbued with its essence. Interestingly, Islam also recognizes the books of other religious cults as sacred. For example, the Gospel and the Torah fall into this category.
"Pillars of Faith": a description of the basics of the cult of Muslims
Every Muslim has a certain range of duties, he must fulfill them strictly. Obedience and humility is the main meaning of Islam and this is what the “Pillar of Faith” calls for, which can be summarized in five points:
- reading the main position;
- daily prayer five times, which can only be said after a thorough ablution;
- alms given to all those in need, designed to cleanse from sins;
- fasting in Ramadan (abstinence from food and water until sunset);
- hajj (every Muslim must make a pilgrimage to the Kaaba temple and other holy places).
I would like to clarify that the cult of the Kaaba is supported by all followers of Islam. This temple is a structure with a black stone embedded in it. The Arabs were sure that this was a piece of a meteorite sent to earth for certain purposes. And the Prophet said that only Allah could send him from heaven to people. This cult is so important that, regardless of being inanywhere in the world, a Muslim during prayer turns to face Mecca, where the Kaaba is located.
Don't forget about Sharia. This set of laws regulates the behavior of every true believer. Briefly describing Sharia, we can say that it includes moral, legal and cultural norms. It is worth noting that some differences in the interpretation of these norms are allowed in different currents of Islam. But in general, this does not contradict accepted religious norms.
Holidays and worship services are of particular importance in the Islamic cult. Most of the religious holidays have their own history, and therefore their meaning is clear even to kids. Mosques where prayers are held are considered the center of the spiritual life of the community. Schools are organized under them, rituals are performed and donations are made.
In conclusion, I would like to say that at the moment Islam unites more than one and a half billion people and ranks second in the number of followers among other religious movements in the world.
