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Islam
Islam is a monotheistic faith and the world's second largest religion. Followers of Islam, called Muslims, believe that God revealed His will to Muhammad and other prophets, including Moses, Abraham, Adam, and Jesus.
21,950 Questions
How did Islam spread across the middle east in the 8th century?
Answer 1
Islam spread through the good morals, true belief in the one and only one God, tolerance, and justice. All people were treated in Islamic countries equally irrelevant to their colors, races, gender, or faiths.
Some think that Islam spread by war which absolutely wrong. Muslims didn't go in war unless being attacked by others or when people of some countries where oppressed and deprived from practicing their own free will of belief.
Non Muslims in Islamic countries were paying what is called Jizya for being exempted from fighting with Muslims. That is why it was payed only by people who are in age and health and ability to share Muslims in their wars.
It should be differentiated between true Islam beliefs and some Muslims who deviated from real Islam teachings and accordingly commit some terrorist acts. Otherwise, Christianity would blamed because of the Christians who waged the WW1 and WW2 that resulted in killing of millions of civilians, those who committed massacres in Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and many other countries.
Refer to questions below for more information.
Answer 2
The early Caliphates (or Islamic Empires) expanded due to a number of factors. It is notable that although there are a few occurrences of Muslims carrying out the "Convert or Die" scenario, this is not the most common reason for Islam's expansion exclusively in terms of territory.
1) Arabia - What's that?: Prior to Mohammed, Arabia had been seen as a cultural and political backwater barely worth notice and therefore Mohammed's consolidation of the Arab Tribes was not seriously considered by the Byzantine and Sassanian Empires. This lead to a very porous southern defense and miscalculation of the Islamic Armies.
2) Byzantine-Sassanian Wars: Since the Byzantines and Sassanians considered each other the only real civilizations in the region, they fought each other numerous times in the early 600s C.E. over control of what is today East Turkey and Iraq. These were intense religious wars (Christian vs. Zoroastrian) and greatly weakened both empires at just the wrong time.
3) Tribal Command Structure: Arab Tribes and warriors owed their loyalty to their Sheikhs and leaders without fault because the Sheikh provided each person with all of the amenities and protection necessary to live a full life. Whenever the Arabs went to war, the Sheikhs could count on the ability to muster their tribesmen as soldiers without issue.
4) Support of the Locals: Since the Byzantine Empire and Sassanian Empire were engaged in religious zealotry, it stands to reason that they did not tolerate their religious minorities very well. The Muslims professed to (and did) treat minorities far better than either of these Empires. This led to religious minorities (especially Jews) from within the conquered territories helping Muslims to secure outposts and positions, freeing the Muslims to continue to spread the religion.
5) Citizenship by Conversion: The Islamic Empire was interesting in that being the leader or a person of import in the Empire was not contingent on ethnicity or place of birth as was the case of most prior empires. All a person had to do to gain power and prestige was to convert to Islam. This simple integration mechanism resulted in massive number of Persians, Berbers, and Turks converting to Islam. In fact, the furthest expansions of Islam (Spain, India, West China, South Russia, the Balkans) were all accomplished by non-Arabs (respectively Berbers, Persians/Mughals, Turkmen, Azeris, and Ottomans).
6) Warfare: The leaders charged with expanding the influence of Islam were thoughtful and diligent military leaders. Caliph 'Omar, who conquered much of the Levant, Egypt, Persia, and Iraq was well-known as a strategist and a fighter. It was this knowledge of warfare that allowed Muslim forces to expand the territory's influence.
7) Universality: Islam, as a religion, claims salvation for all people in all places, making the religion very attractive, especially to people born into low castes and bad economic positions.
Answer 3It is to be emphasized that the basic for spread of Islam was the good Islam morals, true belief in the one and only one God, tolerance, and justice. All people were treated in Islamic countries equally irrelevant to their colors, races, gender, or faiths. In Islam country it was never applied the saying "Convert or Die" as it is against Quran rules and instruction that never been violated by Muslims especially in the early ages of Islam per Quran revelation by God to prophet Muhammad in the seventh century. Some non Muslims claim this saying of "Convert or Die" to impose the feature of terrorism and/or cruelty to Islam. Quran states explicitly that no compulsion in religion. All citizens in Muslim majority countries are treated equally irrelevant to their faith and/or races and colors. So, no non Muslim need to convert to Islam just to gain prestige or more power. This was the reason that the Christians in Egypt requested The Caliph Omar to get control of Egypt for them to get rid of the tyranny of the Romans. You may notice that the current Middle East Muslim majority countries became as such in hundreds of years and not in one or two years. Also in Spain that was under Muslim control for hundreds of years, Spain still a Christian majority country after Muslims lifted control over it after some 800 years. Muslim leaders didn't invade a country for gaining more power or wealth but it was either to resist attacks on their territories or to free the will of oppressed people of the country.Was trade the only way Islam spread?
Yes, Islam started in Mecca which was a trade centre in Arabia. People comming to Mecca to trade heared about Islam and spread the word. In Islam trade is encouraged as a way to make profit as taking interest on money is not allowed. So many Muslims travelled to trade. Islam requires the merchant to be honest and not cheat customers no matter what their religion was, so people liked dealing with early Muslim traders and eventually liked and accepted the religion as they found it a great one because of its simplicity, adaptability, and equality.
What was the Islamic empire following Muhammad's death?
The Muslims, the Companions of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad SAW , elected Hazrat Abu Bakr RAU their Ruler, the First Rightful Caliph. He was succeeded by Hazrat Omar RAU who founded the Muslim Empire.
Why do Muslims live in Europe?
The same reason why do Christians live in Muslim Majority countries. Any European citizen or resident has the right to have his/her own faith or religion as citizens or residents in any other Muslim majority countries.
What happened in Islam in 595 AD?
The traditional beginning of the Islamic civilization is associated with the Prophet Muhammed [about AD 570-632]. Arabic became the almost universal language of arts, sciences, and letters between 750 and 1250. But do not assume that all the artists, scientists, and writers were Arabs. The builders of the civilization came from every ethnic group within the ummah. Although many were Arabized Berbers, Egyptians, Syrians, and Iraqis whose present-day descendants would call them Arabs, only a few were wholly descended from Arab tribesmen and "Islamic" is a more comprehensive term than "Arabic".
Who established the first school in Islam?
Madrasa is a place where religious education is imparted. The First Madrassa was founded by the Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad Mustafa (May peace be upon him) in Madina Munawara. It was called Suffa. The desciples are known as Ashaab-i-Suffa.
NO, nigeria consist of christains, Muslims, and traditional beliefs. In the east, which is the igbo tribe, 99% of people in that tribe are christain(catholic and protestants). In the west, which is the yoruba tribe, it's 60% christain and 30% Muslim. In the north is the hausa tribe and they are 90% Muslim and 10% christain. the south of nigeria is basically goes back to the yoruba or igbo(if the southern part is more to the west, then it's yoruba inhabitated, it it'f more to the east then it's igbo inhabited). Although there are people in nigeria that have traditional beliefs, significant amount but the percentages of them I don't know.
The areas with no Islamic influence during that period were the Americas, Australia, and Far East Asia. There was minimal influence, but some, in Northern Europe and Africa south of the Congo. There was strong Islamic influence in North Africa, the Middle East, parts of southern and southeastern Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, and Indonesia.
What was the role of Islamic fundamentalists in the overthrow of the Shah of Iran?
Their role in the actual overthrow was minimal. There were some protests by Islamic Fundamentalists in late 1978 and 1979, but the majority of protests were from Communists, Women's Rights Groups, Secularists, Social Democrats, and other left-wing groups. It was after the departure of the Shah in January 1979 that Ayatollah Khomeini returned to Iran from his exile and proceeded to tell these groups that he could create a unity government. In October 1979, he created the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran which effectively solidified clerical rule and ended with the repression of the Communists, Women's Rights Groups, Secularists, and the Social Democrats who had actually started the Iranian Revolution.
What is the date today in Islamic calendar on September 17 2012?
According to the English calendar the 11th month of the year is called November but according to the Islamic calendar the 11th month is called Zikad and today is 23rd of Zikad.
What land in Spain was conquered by the Muslims?
Answer 1
Muslims ruled almost the entire Spain for about 800 years. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out the Muslims.
Hispania was the Latin name given to the whole Iberian Peninsula (covering the territories of present day Spain and Portugal)
Answer 2
Muslims conquered most of the Iberian Peninsula from 711 CE to 750 CE, excepting the northern provinces which today are identified as A Coruña, Asturias, Santander, País Vasco, Pamplona, and Gerona. However, they held the northernmost territories (such as Barcelona) for around 70 years. By 1038, Alfonso VI had reconquered the northern half of Spain. By 1248, the only Muslim Kingdom remaining in Spain was the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada, which survived until it too was conquered in 1492. The Muslims only ruled the Grenada area for 800 years.
What was the first day of the Muslim calendar?
It corresponds with Sunday of the planetary week. Islamic days begin at sunset
What leader unified Arabia into a Muslim state though battle?
Mohammed's with Mecca led to the unification of Arabia under his banner in an Islamic State. However, after he died, several major tribes withdrew from the Islamic State believing that they were united only to Mohammed and not in perpetuity. Therefore, Mohammed's successor, Abu Bakr, was "forced" to re-unify all of Arabia into a Muslim state through battle.
Which empire was primarily Muslim?
The Arabian Empire was primarily Muslim, as was the Ottoman Empire.
Answer 1
Most Arabs are Muslims, but there are minorities of Jews, Christians, and other religions.
Answer 2
Today Arabs are mostly followers of Islam but unknown to most people, there were, until the creation of Israel, many Jewish Arabs as well as Christians. Jewish Arabs have for the most part become Israeli citizens but one needs to remember that the Himyarite Kingdom of Yemen converted to Judaism prior to its incorporation into the Sassanian Persian Empire and many Arabs and Arameans in Iraq had been converted to Judaism as well since the Talmudic era.
Answer 3
There are officially 22 Arabian countries: As with most peoples of large geographic areas, there is no single religion held. However, the religion most commonly held is Islam (also known as Muhammadanism), followed by Christianity, then Judaism.
What policies did European nations use to gain control of Muslim lands?
Answer 1
The ottoman empire collapse and they jumped on the land and resources knowing they were down on their knees after their defeat in World War I.
Answer 2
The Europeans used a number of policies and methods to gain control of Muslim Lands:
Superior Military Power: The Europeans had military technologies that were significantly more advanced than anything in the arsenals of all of the Islamic States (with the exception of the Ottoman Empire). As a result, they were able to massacre any army sent to impose their colonial expeditions.
Treaties with Local Rulers: Several colonizers, the British especially, preferred to leave the conquered Islamic Empires in charge of their domains since they already had a number of ministers and officials on the local levels in the various territories. The colonizers would then dictate what the Islamic Empire would need to do and the state would comply in order to remain in what little power and luxury they still had.
Protection of Minorities: Christians, Jews, and other religious minorities were in a terrible position in the Islamic World prior to colonial arrival, where they were forced to pay additional taxes and unable to actively take part in governmental affairs. In the colonial system, all indigenous inhabitants were equal. Christians and Jews took the opportunity to ascend to higher ranks in government, receive superior Western education, and become entrepreneurs under the colonial auspices. As a result, these minorities became staunchly protective of the colonizers since they had essentially liberated them.
White Man's Burden: Many Europeans were persuaded by the writings of Rudyard Kipling and John Stuart Mills (and others) that there was only one true trajectory for human civilization and that the Europeans were simply further along that trajectory than the citizens of the colonial empires. Therefore, it was incumbent on the European since he was so much further along, to push the non-European States into the Modern Era. This view was seen by most in the colonized territories to be insulting to their own culture and beliefs.
Divide and Conquer: Relatively straightforward, the Europeans would draw borders arbitrarily to prevent one ethnic group from being able to unite entirely against the colonizers and would include multiple ethnic groups with animosity towards each other to be in the same colonial borders to prevent them from working together for independence. A good example of the first would be the Baloch in British India and Persia. A good example of the second would be the Acehnese and Balinese in Indonesia.
What do Muslims think about Poverty and Wealth?
This question is 'directionless'. What a common man would think about poverty and wealth from the point of his concern is what a Muslim thinks about the same. The only difference lies is in the context of the message of the Qur'an which states that "indeed Allaah is the giver of the wealth and the things which you don't know".
Hence when a Muslim is impoverished, he makes an attempt to earn his livelihood through the means which have been deemed lawful in the Shari'at and prays to Allaah to bear fruits to his attempts.
A wealthy person, as per the Shari'at, gives away the Zakaat to his Ulil Amr who is Da'i ul-Mutlaq (aq) of his time, he gives Sadaqaah (charity) to the needy.
There are 5 pillars in Islam. One of them is "zakkat" this means that you have to donate money to the needy every year. 5% of your savings has to go to the needy. Muslims have peace, they are not greedy for wealth.
It's not... It is just pictured that way for political and financial reasons to most of the world. Islam is actually a very tolerant religion. It is just ruined by crazy Muslims who are not even Muslims and by the media. Prophet Muhammad used to pray for his enemies for them to enter the mercy of God and Heaven, not their distruction. Some Jews once came up to him and wanted to pray so he introduced them to his Mosque and invited them to pray there. I hope this vision of Islam changes because it is really sad what the people are doing to it.
What year was the first mosque built in the US?
The first mosque in the US was built after the first world world war in year and was completed in year 1934.
What was the status of women in early Islam era?
During the period of Prophet Muhammad women's influence and zeal could be found in all corners of life.
Many of them were as active in religion as in politics, as courageous in war as in the peaceful and persuasive propagation of the teaching of Islam. Some of these noble selfless women could be found in the battlefield among the foremost ranks of those taking part in jihad. They were to be found in the political arena, in field of education, in the courts of Islamic jurisprudence, in the interpretation of Shariah, in the trade and commerce, in medicine and nursing.
There was no sphere of life that was not affected by their wonderful intelligence, their kind and gentle character, and there strong nature.
Some of the Sahabiyyat would go out for jihad with Prophet Muhammad and after his time, they would take part in the battles on land and at sea. The Sahabiyyat not only took an active part in the combat but also assisted the wounded and would provide food and water for the thirsty. These great women would stand in the ranks of those taking part in Jihad in Allah's cause.
These courageous women also played a role in Daw'ah by their excellent example. Some of these women would turn their houses into places of prayer.
Many of these women were experts in the fields of Qira'at (the correct way of reading the Qur'an), Shari'ah, Fiqh, study of Hadith and the other significant branches of Islamic studies. Some women memorized the entire Qur'an well. In Islamic jurisprudence or Fiqh 'Aishah's verdicts could fill several volumes. The same could be said of Umm Salamah's recorded verdicts.
These women had much knowledge that benefited the ummah besides the enormous amount of Islamic knowledge. "Asma' bint Yazid bin Sakan was an expert in making speech; Asma' bint 'Umais was famous for her interpretation of dreams. Several women companions were noted for their skill in medicine and surgery.
These women affected all aspects of life during the time of Prophet Muhammad and their great contributions still affect our life today. They were educated in all things and benefited the ummah greatly. All Muslim women should follow the great example of these women and look to them as their role models and examples for life.
What caused the rise of militant Islam?
The rise of militant Islam is an International political games to get control of Islamic countries and of their resources. Otherwise could you give one reason why this claimed Islamic terrorism didn't occur before the USA presidency of Bush (the father and the son)!!!. In addition, the rise of national resistance in some countries against occupation is logic and legitimate, as happened sometime ago in France against occupation. However, these national resistance movements when arise by Muslims in an Islamic country against occupation it is considered arise of militant Islam or terrorist movements. Could you find reason for this attitude? Why no one calls the resistance to occupation in Palestine as national resistance or Palestinian resistance while called instead Islamic terrorism or Islamic Militants. Also, in Afghanistan, could you tell why is the resistance to occupation called terrorism or Islamic Militants and is not called Afghanistan resistance to occupation?.
Another example is from Iraq. It is well proven presently that all the nuclear issues against Iraq were fabricated just to justify occupation of Iraq by the Western allies. You may say that this occupation ruled out the dictatorship ruling in Iraq. It is true that Iraq was governed by a dictator. However, this was the same case with the former ruling systems in Spain and Iran why these two countries were not also occupied by Western Allies. Iraq was governed by a dictator but was achieving the highest social and economic development records in the area and there were no blood sheds and national wars in Iraq as the case now. Could you call Iraqi resistance to occupation Islamic militants or terrorism?.
What can Muslims eat for lunch?
Muslims eat a variety of foods from chicken to steak. They also eat fish, rice, grains, wheat and potatoes. They are not permitted to eat anything of pork.
A promise of something gone horribly wrong in that persons mind, could cause a lack of seeing a right and wrong. This could have been in early development from parental care or lack thereof, a sense of self worth missing, a shut down on values.
