When asked what century Islam appeared in, many answer that it is one of the youngest religions, originating in the sixth century AD.
There are three religions in the world with common roots. We are talking about Judaism, Christianity and Islam - in this sequence they appeared to the world.
Judaism originated in Palestine among the Jews even before the era of the birth of Christ, its very beginning was laid in the 3rd millennium. Islam as a religion appeared much later, several centuries later, having formed in the west of the Arabian Peninsula. The teaching of Christ arose between them as a kind of offshoot of Judaism, within which temples, priests and icons were not needed to communicate with God. Everyone could directly turn to the Lord with a request, which actually meant the equality of people before the Almighty, regardless of their nationality, occupation or class. It was convenient for many captured Jews and slaves, and, like a ray of hope, illuminated their hearts, exhausted by slavery.
How Islam appeared: a summary of the history of the emergence of religion
The word "Islam" in Arabic means obedience and obedience to the laws of Allah. The word "Muslims", which is called adherents of this religion, translated from Arabic means "followers of Islam". The city of Mecca is the center of pilgrimage for all Muslims of the world.
In what year did the religion of Islam appear? When the angel Jabrail, sent by God in 610, appeared to the prophet Muhammad, who lived in Mecca from 571 to 632, then the emergence of this religion was laid, which incredibly strongly influenced the entire world history of mankind. The Prophet - a man of forty years of age - was sent down the most important mission on earth by Allah himself - the spread of Islam, the first postulates of the Holy Scripture - the Koran were dictated.
Mohammed secretly began to spread among the people the highest truth, told by the Lord. In 613, he made his first public appearance before the people of Mecca. Anything new is condemned, many not only disliked Muhammad, but planned his assassination.
Let's turn to historical events that describe where and how Islam appeared. A short story should begin with a description of the Arabs who inhabited these lands, as well as the history of their origin.
Arabs - who are they
In ancient times, the Arabian Peninsula was inhabited by different tribes. According to legend, they owe their origin to Ishmael, the son of Hagar, Abraham's concubine. In the XVIII century BC. e. Abraham, having listened to his wife Sarah, who weaved intrigues against the girl, drove the unfortunate Hagar with her son straight into the desert. Ishmael found water, mother and son survived, andit was Abraham who was the ancestor of all Arabs.
The Arabs, remembering the intrigues of Sarah and the fact that her children took advantage of the rich inheritance of Abraham, for a long time quietly hated the Jews, not forgetting that Hagar and Ishmael were thrown into the wilderness to certain death. But at the same time, wanting to take revenge, they lived quietly even where Islam appeared, not annoying anyone, and this continued until the seventh century AD.
Geography
Arabia can be geographically divided into three parts.
The first is the coastline along the Red Sea - a rocky area with a huge number of underground springs, near each of which an oasis is broken and, accordingly, the prerequisites for the emergence of the city are created. There were date palms and grass that could feed livestock, people lived quite poorly, but they came up with ways to earn extra money. Caravan routes from Byzantium to India always lay through rocky Arabia, and the locals were hired as caravaneers, and also created caravanserais, where they sold dates and fresh water at high prices. Merchants had nowhere to go, and they purchased goods.
The second, largest part of Arabia is a desert with growing shrubs, separated from each other by dry land. In fact, this land is a steppe, surrounded on three sides by seas. It rains here and the air is humid.
The third, southern part of the peninsula, in ancient times was called Happy Arabia. Today it is the territory of Yemen, rich in tropical vegetation. The local population once grew here mocha - coffee, considered the best in the world, thenbrought to Brazil. There, unfortunately, it became worse in quality. The people who inhabited this territory were happy, but the whole picture was spoiled by the neighbors - the Abyssinians-Ethiopians and Persians. They constantly fought among themselves, while the Arabs tried to remain neutral and live peacefully, watching them destroy each other.
Among the Christians who inhabited Arabia were Orthodox and Nestorians, Jacobites and Monophysites, as well as Sabellians. At the same time, everyone lived peacefully, there were no disagreements on the basis of religion. People lived and earned their living, they had no time to be distracted by something else.
The origin and life of Mohammed (Mahomet)
Prophet Muhammad was born in 571 in Mecca, he was from the powerful Meccan tribe Quraish, the grandson of Abu al-Muttalib, the head of the Hashim clan, the son of Abdullah.
At the age of six, Muhammad, unfortunately, lost his mother. Uncle Abu Talib was appointed guardian of the one who became the founder of Islam. When he appeared - Muhammad - the real "guardian" - the Almighty himself, Mohammed was already over forty.
According to numerous reports, Muhammad was ill with epilepsy, was not educated, could not read and write. But the inquisitive mind and outstanding abilities of the young man favorably distinguished him from others. Mohammed drove a caravan, and at the age of 25 he fell in love with a we althy 40-year-old widow named Khadije. He married in 595.
Preacher
Prophet Muhammad became fifteen years later. He proclaimed this in Mecca, declared that his callingis to correct all the vices and sins of this world. At the same time, he reminded people that other prophets appeared to the world before him, starting with Adam and Noah, Solomon and David, and ending with Jesus Christ. According to Muhammad, people have forgotten all the right words they have spoken. The only God - Allah - sent his people, Muhammad, to reason with all the people of the world who have strayed from the true path.
The new religion preached by a man was accepted at first by only six. Other residents of Mecca dismissed the newly minted teacher. Thanks to his gift of persuasion and abilities, Muhammad gradually rallied around him dozens of like-minded people of different classes and material we alth with great willpower and courageous characters. Among them were the brave Ali, the good-natured Uthman and the just Umar, as well as the adamant and even cruel Abu Bakr.
Sincerely believing in the new doctrine, they supported their prophet, who tirelessly preached. This caused great discontent among the population of Mecca, and they simply decided to destroy it. Muhammad fled to the city of Medina. Here everyone lived on a national basis in the formed communities: in the Abyssinian and Jewish, in the Negro and Persian. Muhammad and his disciples formed a new community - the Muslim one, which began to preach Islam.
It must be said that the community became very popular in the city, because, according to its members, a Muslim who joined its ranks ceased to be a slave and could not be one at all. Anyone who says "La ilaha ilAllah, Muhammadun rasulAllah" ("There is no God butAllah, and Muhammad is his messenger") immediately became free. It was a wise move.
Bedouins and blacks, those who used to be oppressed, were drawn into the community. They believed in the truth of Islam, began to agitate others to join the community and adopt a new faith. They, who joined again, were called Ansar.
After some time, the community of Muhammad acquired the status of the strongest and most numerous, began to restore order, cracking down on the pagans, killing them. Christians did not stand aside, they were also either killed or converted to Islam by force. Jews were destroyed. Who could - fled to Syria.
The inspired army of Muslims went to Mecca, but was defeated. The followers of Islam forced the Bedouins to accept their faith by force, the forces of the supporters of Allah increased, the army captured the Arabian region of Gadramaut - the fertile lands of the southern coast - establishing Islam there. Then they moved again to Mecca.
The inhabitants of Mecca offered the commander-in-chief not to conflict, but to resolve everything peacefully, recognizing the gods Zuhra and Latu along with Allah, and make peace. But the proposal was not accepted, since Allah is one, there are no other gods. The townspeople agreed with this surah (prophecy).
The Arabs agreed
When Islam appeared in the world, its preachers did not try to extract any self-interest or personal gain from it. They carried to the masses the principles invented by themselves. From the point of view of theology, religion did not contain anything that would differ from other religiouscurrents of the Middle East.
The Arabs were right, the aggressive Muslims were not worth arguing with. The Arabs abandoned their habitual cults, uttered the formula of Islam and… healed as they used to, as before.
But the prophet corrected the behavior of new converts to Islam, for example, by saying that it is a sin for a Muslim to have more than four wives, the Arabs did not argue with this, although earlier 4 wives was the minimum. They silently kept concubines, which could be any number.
When Islam appeared as a religion, the prophet Muhammad, suffering from epilepsy, banned wine, saying that the first drop of this drink destroys a person. Cunning Arabs, who loved to drink, sat down in a quiet closed courtyard, set a vat of wine in front of them. Each lowered his finger, shaking off the first drop on the ground. Since it destroys a person, they didn’t use it, the prophet didn’t punish anything about the rest, so they calmly drank everything that wasn’t the first drop.
History of the Black Stone
In the Kaaba - the mosque of the city of Mecca - there is a mysterious black stone, they say it once "fell" from the sky, it is not specified in which century. Islam appeared, a new community thought about how to deal with it, and here's why. The stone was considered divine, sent down by Allah, and faith does not provide for the extraction of any material benefit from what was granted by the Almighty. The stone brought profit to the city: hundreds of pilgrims visited it, making their way through the bazaar, where they bought goods from the inhabitants of the city: God's gift enriched the inhabitants. The Prophet Muhammad agreedto remove this sacred stone for the benefit of the city, despite the fact that the delicate issue of profiting from the faith arose quite explicitly.
Teaching
After his death, the Prophet Muhammad left the people the word of God - the teachings set forth in the Koran. He himself was a model of how to behave and whom to imitate, his actions and behavior, which were observed and well remembered by his companions, were the standard of life of a real Muslim. "Traditions about words and actions" (the so-called hadiths) form the Sunnah - a kind of collection on which, as well as on the Koran, the law of Islam - Sharia is based. The religion of Islam is very simple, there are no sacraments, monasticism is not provided. Following the dogmas, a Muslim understands what he needs to believe, and Sharia defines the norms of behavior: what is possible, what is not.
The end of Mohammed's life
In the last years of the Prophet's life, Islam was adopted by all the western and southwestern regions of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as the state of Oman in the eastern part. Shortly before his death, Mohammed dictated letters to the Byzantine emperor and the Persian Shah demanding that he recognize and accept Islam. The first left the letter unanswered, the second refused.
The Prophet decided to wage a holy war, but died, and then most of Arabia abandoned Islam and ceased to obey the governor - Caliph Abu Bekr. For two years a bloody war was waged throughout the Arabian territory. Those who managed to survive finally recognized Islam. The Arab caliphate was formed on these lands. The caliphs began to implement what the prophet did not have time - to plant religionaround the world, including through wars.
Five Pillars of Faith
When Islam appeared in the world, every Muslim had five main duties, the so-called "lasso". The first pillar (creed) is "shahada". The second is "salat" - worship, which must be done five times a day. The third obligation is connected with the holy month of Ramadan - the period when the believer from sunrise to sunset strictly observes fasting and abstinence (does not eat, does not drink, does not allow himself any entertainment). The fourth "pillar" is the payment of tax ("zakat"), which the rich are obliged to help the poor. The fifth is the obligatory hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, which every respectable Muslim is obliged to perform at least once in his life.
Dogmas
From the moment when the faith of Islam appeared, there were also rules within which every Muslim must keep himself. They are easy to perform and very few in number. The main one is the belief that God is one, and his name is Allah ("tawhid" - the dogma of monotheism). The next is faith in angels, in particular in Jabrail (in Christianity, the archangel Gabriel), the messenger of God and his commands, as well as in the angels Michael and Israfil. Each person has two guardian angels. A Muslim is obliged to believe in a terrible judgment, as a result of which God-fearing and pious Muslims will go to Paradise, and unbelievers and sinners to Hell.
As for social relations, first of all, a Muslim must fulfill his main duty - to marry,start a family.
In the lands where Islam came from, a man can have up to four wives, but subject to material we alth and a fair attitude towards all wives (that is, if he can provide everything necessary and maintain at the proper level). Otherwise, marrying more than one woman is highly undesirable.
Thieves are punished very harshly. According to the Koran, the money-grubber must cut off the hand. However, this punishment is applied very rarely. A respectable Muslim has no right to eat pork and drink wine, while the latter dogma was also not always observed.
Sharia - are the laws the same?
When Islam appeared as a religion, every Muslim believer had to agree to a lifestyle dictated by Sharia law. The word "sharia" comes from the Arabic "sharia", which in translation meant "the right way" and was a list of rules of conduct determined by the authorities of Islam. The written form of Sharia - books, as well as the oral form in the form of sermons, are mandatory. These laws apply to all aspects of life - legal, domestic and moral.
Islam appeared in a century when people needed freedom and a clear understanding of who God is. Since this religion proclaimed each of its Muslim followers a free person and implemented the principle of monotheism, many people joined its ranks. Different peoples, different languages, different mentalities… The Koran and Sunnah, on which Islam is based, had to be interpreted, and these interpretations differed. Muslims at all times, having one Koran and one Sunnah, could follow many sharias, in which there was something in common, but there were also differences. Thus, when Islam appeared, in different countries, Sharia did not proclaim the same rules of conduct. In addition, at different times in the same country, different norms could be proclaimed through Sharia. That's right - times are different, and the laws of life can change over time.
Afghanistan is an example. Under the Sharia law of the 80s of the 20th century, women could not cover their faces with a veil, and for men it was not necessary to grow beards. Ten years later, in the 90s, the Sharia of the same country categorically forbade women to appear in public places with open faces, and men began to be required to wear a beard without fail. The presence of different requirements in the Shariahs of different countries leads to disputes, and it is no longer so important for people how and where Islam came from, here the question of who professes the true religion is already acute. Hence the wars.
Food
Within the framework of Sharia, certain prohibitions regarding food are implied. There were no compromises on this issue. No matter in what century the religion of Islam appeared, the question regarding the acceptance of food and drink was determined immediately and nothing changed. In no Muslim country, residents should not eat pork, shark meat, crayfish and crabs, as well as predatory animals. Drinking alcoholic beverages is not allowed. Of course, modernity brings certain amendments to life, and many Muslims today do not comply with these requirements.
Punishments
Having found out when Islam appeared as a religion and where it was adopted, it is interesting to know how those who dared to disobey the laws prescribed by Allah were punished? As punishment for violations of Sharia law in a number of countries, both public flogging and imprisonment were present, as well as amputation of a hand (for thieves), and even the death pen alty. Some countries are more loyal and do not execute those who disobey, but somewhere it is present - there are more orders of magnitude.
Prayers
Muslims all over the world say prayers of three kinds. Shahada is a daily testimony of faith, prayer is a daily five-fold obligatory prayer. There is also an additional prayer recited by a follower of Islam. Prayers are said after ablution.
Jihad
A real Muslim has another important obligation - the struggle for faith - "jihad" (in translation - "effort", "diligence"). There are four varieties of it.
- In the sixth century, Islam appeared. And the preachers of religion have always promoted the jihad of the sword. In other words, an armed struggle against the infidels. This is such a process when a country in which Muslims live participates in any military actions against the infidels, declaring jihad on them. For example, since 1980 Iran and Iraq have been at war. Both Shiite-majority Muslim countries (there were more of them in Iran) believed that the Muslims of the neighboring country were "infidels", mutual jihad led to an eight-year war.
- Jihad hands. itdisciplinary action against criminals and violators of moral standards. It also works in the family: its older members can punish the younger ones.
- Jihad of language. The believer is obliged to express encouragement to others when they do things pleasing to Allah, and vice versa, to blame for violating the dogmas of Sharia.
- Jihad of the heart is the struggle of everyone with their own vices.
Today
More and more people in the world become adherents of this religion, people learn Arabic, study the Koran, read prayers - the fashion has appeared for Islam! No matter what century we live in, it is necessary to know the characteristics of the people living nearby. Islam is widespread in 120 countries of the world, about one and a half billion people are Muslims, and this number is growing. And with it, the number of people who want to know in which century Islam appeared is also growing. The youngest religion has become one of the most popular in the world.
