The Spread of Islam in the Middle East Essay Example for Free

The Spread of Islam in the Middle East Essay The Muslim Perspective   Islam is the religion of all prophets of God, including Adam, Abraham, Lot, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad.   Born in Mecca, Muhammad is known among Muslims as the final messenger of God to have brought a divine book on earth for the guidance of humanity.   Moreover, he is the reviver of Islam, rather than its founding father.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At the time of Muhammad’s birth in Mecca, Arabia was going through a period called the Age of Ignorance.   The followers of Abraham’s faith had turned to idol worship, and turned the Holy Ka’aba into a house of idols which they circumambulated naked.    Tribal feuds were very common; bloodshed was not rare.   Moreover, the society of Arabia at the time looked down upon women so much so that its people buried their baby girls alive.   Crime flourished, and there was no hope of bringing justice into the existing order.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Muhammad grew up among idol worshippers, who referred to him as Sadiq (Truthful) and Amin (Trustworthy).   At the age of forty, the man was visited by Archangel Gabriel who informed me about the new message of God to be revealed to Muhammad in order to revive the faith of Abraham once again. This message was the same as that received by the messengers before Muhammad.   The most important tenet of the faith was that there is no god except Allah (translated in Arabic as The God); and nobody else has any right to be worshipped.   The rest of the Ten Commandments were also included as the basic principles of faith.   Humanity, through Muhammad’s revival of Islam, was reminded to do good deeds, to stop killing unlawfully, to honor the parents, to stay away from adultery and fornication, and to expect final judgment and the afterlife in either heaven or hell.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   With its social ills, the society of Arabia required reform at the time that Muhammad received the message of God.   Many people, upon hearing Muhammad’s message in Mecca, embraced Islam.   The prophet also sent some of his followers to other cities of Arabia in order to spread the message.   Once again, he was joined by a lot of people who embraced the faith and accepted him as a God-sent guide on earth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Muhammad was also visited by some of the people from Medina, previously known as Yathrib.   These people wholeheartedly accepted Islam, before Muhammad moved to their city faced by severe trials in Mecca.   Such trials were posed by the idol worshippers of Mecca who insisted on continuing to worship idols as well their practices from the Age of Ignorance.   Even when Muhammad had moved to Medina, the idol worshippers of Mecca kept on harassing him and his followers.   This led to various battles between the forces of God and Muhammad, and those of the infidels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Muhammad and his followers were often victorious on the battlefield.   Although they lost much at the same time, their main force was Allah who never let them give up in the face of trials.   By the time Muhammad conquered Mecca, the Muslims alongside Muhammad had become a tremendous power. As a matter of fact, the prophet of God conquered Mecca without bloodshed.   The awe that he had inspired in his enemies was enough to allow him and his followers a peaceful reentry into the city of the Ka’aba.   Many of Muhammad’s enemies also embraced Islam.   Historians inform us that even his enemies were thoroughly impressed by Muhammad’s personality, and especially his sense of forgiveness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Muhammad expired soon after the conquest of Mecca.   His followers, having spent time with a great role model, continued to fight battles against the infidels who provoked them.   Furthermore, the prophet’s followers continued to move to far and distant places to spread the message of Islam.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Muhammad’s followers entered many lands in the Middle East as conquerors and rulers.   After settling in new lands in the Middle East, they showed by example the humane treatment of peoples that Muhammad himself had shown them.   Countless people embraced Islam in the Middle East, although they were never forced to do so, given that Islam prohibits the use of force to spread the message of God.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Muslim conquests were always for the cause of God’s faith.   Hence, Umar, one of the four chiefs or caliphs of Islam after Muhammad, took Muslim armies to invade Palestine and Mesopotamia.   Muslim armies under Umar also won a crushing victory over the Byzantines.   This paved the way for them to conquer Egypt and Syria.   Following a victory over the Sassanid Empire, Umar and his followers also overwhelmed the Persians in Mesopotamia. The Non-Muslim Perspective Although Muhammad had a great personality, his faith was essentially spread by the sword.   Muhammad only claimed that he was God’s messenger by taking notes from the Holy Bible.   Moreover, his followers conquered many lands because they were greedy for power.   People in the Middle East who came to be ruled by Muslim invaders had no choice but to accept Islam, given that the Muslims inspired fear into the non-Muslims.