Muhammad

With all the different types of religions and practices it is hard to remember what’s what and the differences and similarities. One thing all religions have in common is they all have a leader of some sort, Christianity has Jesus, Buddhism has Buddha, and Islam has Muhammad. Muhammad is considered the founder of Islam and was a prophet and messenger to God. He grew up an orphan and lived with many different families, when he was older he became a merchant, traveling between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. He later married a much older wealthy widow named Khadija, but also had 12 other wives later. He had seven children, most of which died, and only one carried on his name. In 610 the angel Gabriel appeared to him, while he was meditating in a cave outside of Mecca. Gabriel told Muhammad that he was messenger to God; Muhammad only told close friends and family at first. Then he started preaching and gaining followers. During the years following Muhammad had many supporters, but he also had many opponents, most of which were gained when he condemned the worshiping of idols. Also, many people were not happy that he was preaching monotheism and there were many attempts to take his life. Around this time Muhammad and his followers moved from Mecca to Medina; Medina means “city of the prophet” and became the first Muslim settlement. Soon after Muhammad left Mecca, war broke out between the two. After the war ended from a treaty, Muhammad made a pilgrimage to Mecca. Three months later he died from an illness; he was burned where he died and is housed in a mosque in Medina. He word lives on through the Qur'an and the Islamic religion.

Sources:
http://www.pbs.org/muhammad/timeline_html.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad

Striking Similarites: Christianity and Islam

How many of us can explain either of the world's vast religions? From our own society in this part of the world, it is likely most know a bit about the Christian religion. Maybe if you follow another specific religion, you can surely tell all about your own. However, do you know any of the elements of another? Have you ever examined anything beyond your own personal beliefs? I admit, before learning about Islam, I never realized its origins or connections it has with another main religion, Christianity. To illustrate, here is a list of fundamental concepts that both Islam and Christianity share. This will surely enlighten you on both of these major world religions that have existed for several hundreds of years.

Monotheism: One God, recognized as the Creator.
God is omnipotent, omniscient, immanent within His creation yet transcendent.
At the end of the world, God will judge humans based on their actions in compliance with a moral code, specified in the Covenant which God makes with us.
This judgment will determine one's eternal abode, heaven or hell
Human beings have a soul which is eternal, continuing its existence after our physical death
Humans have the ability (free will) to choose between good and evil
Angels exist who are the servants, and sometimes messengers of God
Satan exists, as well as evil spirits who follow him; they are the enemies of humanity
Miracles occur on occasion.
If a person errs or transgresses, God may forgive them, if they sincerely repent.
Prophets brought spiritual instruction.
Jesus Christ was born to the virgin Mary.
At the time of the end of the world, Jesus Christ will come again.
Prayer is a means of communicating with God; God hears prayers and sometimes grants requests.
Charity and relieving the suffering of others carries spiritual rewards.
Certain standard prayers exist.

This long list of very significant items shows how similar these two religions are. It is quite curious to consider the members of each of these religions and their own understanding of the other. Are they aware? Would they be shocked to see this list of similarities?

Islam: Qur’an

A couple weeks ago, I discussed the importance of sacred texts and intentionally focused on Buddhism and Christianity. This week, coming back to the idea of sacred texts, I explored the religion of Islam and its holy text, the Qur’an.

In my opinion, holy texts offer a reference to answers in life. These answers include how to live life, the purpose of life, and after life. For the Islamic faith, the answers lie in the Qur’an.

Originally written in Arabic text, the Qur’an offers guidance and direction for mankind. The Islamic faith rose to existence as the angel Gabriel spoke to Muhammad while he resided in the mountains. Muhammad soon gathered followers to memorize and recite the word of Gabriel. These teachings did not become documented right away, like many other religions. Instead, Islam continued orally, and eventually, individuals began recording the Qur’an on tablets and other surfaces. Individuals pooled together the tablets and other surfaces with the holy text to produce the completed version of the Qur’an after Muhammad’s death.

The text consists of one hundred fourteen chapters each of varying length. Interestingly, the text does not seem to have a beginning, middle, and end. Also, the Qur’an mentions stories of people and events found in the Jewish and Christian religion, some including Noah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, and John the Baptist.

One of the principles of the Islamic faith consists of prayer. Prayer, typically, involves reciting segments of Qur’an. For this reason, many Muslims end up memorizing much of the Qur’an.

Originally written in Arabic text, printed on large tablets, the Qur’an appeared to be an inconvenience. However, in today’s society, an individual can access the Qur’an in different languages, fonts, and sizes. With improving technology in the past decade, individuals have uploaded the Qur’an to the internet for anyone to access.

Islam Reaches the East

Buddhism and Islam were the two main religions that spread to China as a result of the Silk Road. The Silk Road, as suggested by its name, was a trade route primarily for silk. However, many other items and ideas were traded along this pathway including items such as metals, spices, tools, and animals. In order for this trading to occur, merchants moved from city to city bringing their items and ideas. Most merchants did not travel great distances because of security purposes which means the items and ideas that traveled great distances must have been passed on through several merchants and travelers.

One of the ideas that traveled great distances was the Islamic faith. Islam, founded by Muhammad, came from Mecca which is located in current day Saudi Arabia. Islam’s fundamental teaching is following God’s word. The five important aspects of this religion include faith, prayer, fasting, sharing, and pilgrimage.

Visit http://gallery.sjsu.edu/silkroad/religion.htm or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam or http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_in_china to read more on the Islamic faith and its influence on China. The distance traveled by this religion is great in magnitude and has become great in importance. Today, Islam dominates many parts of China and is one the major religions besides Buddhism.

It is without a doubt that the creation of The Silk Road was an important aspect in history because of its influence on today’s society. Islam and Buddhism might have never reached China without The Silk Road. Without Buddhism and Islam, China might not be the country that it is today.