The land of the Arabs was scattered and ruled by different tribes prior to the rise of Islam as a religion. Survival needs made everyone follow their own tribal lord; lack of governance and principles existed in the absence of any moral or legal constitution. It was the “Asabiyya” or the clan spirit that drove the mechanism of life, which meant ethics were overruled by the need to survive together in a clan. The clans were often led by the beliefs of the tribal leaders.
With the emergence of Islam, as established by Prophet Muhammad, all had been changed. Born in 570 B.C., he attained first revelation in 610 B.C. The holy Quran is believed to be his dictation of the knowledge received from the Archangel Gabriel, stated in Arabic. Quran is interpreted in other languages, but never translated. Quran preaches about accountability for one’s actions to God while stating the rules for leading a pure life.
His successors extended Islam with the sword creating an empire but received a major setback with the division of the Shiaa and the Sunni. The split originated from the dispute for the post of the fourth Caliph between Ali Ibn Abi Talib, son in law of the Prophet Mohammed and Mu’waiyah Ibn Abi-Sufyan, the first Umayyad Caliph and the then Governor of Syria as well as the previous heir to the pagan throne in the city of Mecca.
With a population of 1.5 billion, Sunnis outnumber Shiaas in the present context. The word “Sunni” stands for “orthodox”. While both believe in the holiness of Mecca, Shiaas look upon Karbalaa as the religious capital. Shahada, Salat, Zakat, Sawm and Hajj form the basis of Islam. They refer to, respectively, Putting faith in only Allah to worship, praying five times every day, distributing alms to the poor, fasting to purify inner self (especially in Ramadan) and being a part of the annual pilgrimage to holy Mecca (to be done at least once in a life). Shiaas developed further rituals merging with the basic five.
The clash between the West and followers of Islam dates back to Islam’s conflict of Byzantine that followed through the famous “Crusade”. It continued through ages till modern date, but as some people say, history repeats itself, though with different faces. Many Muslims agree to as being a Muslim individuals who have freely distinct the actual Shahadah (declaration regarding faith) which expresses, “I state that there’s simply no God except for Allah, and also My spouse and I state that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Additionally they assume that Muhammad is the Closure with the Prophets and the last prophet. Their own essential spiritual techniques are generally enumerated inside the five support beams regarding Islam, which, in addition to Shahadah, include things like every day hopes (salat), starting a fast throughout Ramadan (sawm), almsgiving (zakat), and the pilgrimage to be able to Mecca (hajj). The history of Islam is very interesting and fascinating.
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