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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 arabian merchants spread islam?
Answer 1
Islam was destined to become a world religion and to create a civilization which stretched from one end of the globe to the other. Already during the early Muslim caliphates, first the Arabs, then the Persians and later the Turks set about to create classical Islamic civilization. Later, in the 13th century, both Africa and India became great centers of Islamic civilization and soon thereafter Muslim kingdoms were established in the Malay-Indonesian world while Chinese Muslims flourished throughout China.
Clarification on Difference Between Arab and Muslim
The followers of Islam are called Muslims. Muslims are not to be confused with Arabs. Muslims may be Arabs, Turks, Persians, Indians, Pakistanis, Malaysians,
Indonesians, Europeans, Africans, Americans, Chinese, or other nationalities.
An Arab could be a Muslim, a Christian, a Jew or an atheist. Any person who adopts the Arabic language is called an Arab.
Refer to question below for relevant information.
Answer 2
Arabs were able to spread Islam 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 both in terms of territory and belief.
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.
8) Commerce: Islam, like most religions, spread also through peaceful means of commerce and education whereby non-Muslims learned of the faith and adopted as their own amidst business dealings with Muslims.
How did Islam spread through military conquest and treaties?
Answer 1
It spread because they conquered lands which able them to spread the word
Answer 2
Islam was not spread by war as some claim. War in Islam is waged just for defense and for lifting up oppression on some peoples to allow them to practice their own faiths at their own free choice. Islam was spread due to its logistics and simplicity and due to authenticity of Muslim Qur'an holy book, due to Islam good morals, and due to prophet Muhammad good characters and morals. Refer to questions below.
Answer 3
Islam was also a political force, i.e the Islamic Caliphates. The armies of these Caliphates were also fighting an expansionary war for territory just as every other empire did in those days. The call to "convert or die" was very rare, but when countries were annexed to the Caliphates, many citizens did convert either because they saw the Truth of the religion or to gain from the tax, work-related, and legal benefits that came from conversion. It was also easier for Imams and other parts of Islamic culture to reach individuals in Islamic States then outside of them due to simple proximity issues as well as religious intolerance in non-Muslim areas. Islam did not gain anything in particular from treaties.
What other regions did Islam spread to?
Islam spread mainly as a result of trade and travel in the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa (especially the East African coast and the West Africa), India, South East Asia, and Indonesia and Malaysia.
Why is Mecca such a holy place for Muslims?
They practice praying ritual worship in the Grand Mosque that is surrounding Kaba (called Al-Masjid Al-Haram. Also they do voluntary praying through turning around the Kaba in anticlockwise direction. for seven rounds for each voluntary praying.
Why were Fundamentalist Muslims in Iran opposed to the Shah?
The fundamentalists in Iran felt that the Shah epitomized a Western culture of greed and materialism, because he tried to establish a more secular government. As with many rulers, he accumulated vast personal wealth. He also employed various means to suppress political dissent. It was ultimately the exiled Ayatollah Khomeini who in 1979 succeeded the Shah and established an Islamic religious government.
What was the Islamic empire called?
The Islamic Empire was one of world's most largest and powerful empires in the World. It was expected to last at least half a millennium but it lasted longer. It began in 1299 all the way up to the end of World War I in 1918. It started in Saudi Arabia by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and spread across the Arabian Peninsula, Turkey, Persia, Pakistan, Northern India, Afghanistan, Iraq, Northern Africa even parts of Europe. It was the home to many fine leaders such as Suleiman the Magnificent and Sallahudin the Great. It was also the centre of the world for Architecture, Art, Mathematics, Astronomy etc.
Did Arabs accept Muhammed's Ideas?
Initially, Mohammed was rejected by most Arabs, some quite violently. However, as Mohammed developed more of a community in Yethrib and was able to conquer Mecca, the Arabs accepted Mohammed's ideas.
Answer 2 (with comments on Answer 1)Muhammad was never rejected by Arabs as a person. Muhammad didn't call people for some ideas of his own. He called people to Islam religion per Quran revelation to him by Allah (or God and same God in Christianity and Judaism) through the angel Gabriel (or Jibril). Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) before being assigned by God as the prophet was recognized by Arabs in Makkah (or Mecca) as the trustful and the honest. However, when he called the Makkahs to Islam they didn't accept it at the beginning except few people fearing of losing their leadership in the area. Arab Delegates from Yethrib (called later as Medina or AlMadinah) came to the prophet in Makkah and invited him to Yethrib as many Arabs there accept Islam religion that he called for. When commanded by God, he immigrated to Yethrib (or Medina) and Islam was spread there among Arabs. He was attacked militarily many time while in Medina but in the meantime many Arabs of Arab Peninsula accepted Islam until he moved to Mecca and he entered it peacefully without war, destroyed the idols around Kaaba, prayed there, and then moved back to Medina. After that, almost all Arab polytheists in the region converted to Islam.
What are the reasons why Muslims were so successful in building an empire?
The Islamic Empire grew pretty much the same way that the 'Christian' empire did. They took over by force, ordered the inhabitants to convert or face punishment, which more often than not was NOT the death sentence. It was often punitive taxes etc. Most of the 'heathens' (ie native religions) felt that conversion was often the better part of faithfulness. However, unlike Islam the Roman Catholic empire often allowed the previous Gods to be worshipped as saints, quite often under the same names and ceremonies.
Did islam spread fast or slow?
Answer 1
Islam spread in the middle east, Africa, some part of Europe and in some parts of Asia as well as in far unfurled countries like Indonesia, Malaysia etc. and it spread so quickly when companions of Prophet (PBUH), (Sahabas) conquered those lands and after conquering they did justice well with local people and preached them well and as a result most of the people of those regions reverted to Islam due to the just and kind behavior of Muslim rulers. Moreover, it was the power of Islamic faith which attracted non-muslims to gain shelter in Islam and still today Islam is the fastest spreading religion in the world today.
Answer 2
Islam spread so fast for many reasons. Most of important of them are:
- Islam is a true and logic God religion. It is the religion and mission of all God prophets to humanity since Adam, through Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Them All), that calls for worship Allah (God in English) as the one and only one God with no partner, no son, no companion, no associate, and no equivalence.
- Islam calls for justice among all people irrelevant to their beliefs, colors, or social classes
- Islam calls for practicing good morals
- Islam honors human free will of choice and thinking
- Islam is against racism and discrimination based on color, culture, gender, or anything else except piety.
- Quran, Muslims holy book, is authentic as true God words without single letter change
- Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is a true human model of good conduct. character, and leader in all aspects of human life.
- Quran scientific miracles had been validated only with current scientific discoveries and achievements.
- The Islamic principles control all aspects of human life in a way that lead to both individual benefits and society benefits in a wonderful balance
- Muslim traders who were traveling every where and demonstrating the good morals and principles of Islam
- The deviations of former religions from the main call of all God prophets to worship God (Allah) as one and only one God without a partner, son, father, partner, or companion.
Some claim that Islam was spread by war or by sword. This is a false argument for many reasons. One of these reasons is that the Muslim country of the biggest population is Indonesia while Muslims never invaded Indonesia. The claim that Islam spread by war or by sword is a false claim and is a lie propagated by enemies of Islam. For more information on this refer to related questions below.
Answer 3
Where did Islam spread: Islam spread across the Middle East, North Africa, Spain, and to the edge of the Indian Subcontinent during the Umayyad Period. It expanded beyond that to West Africa, East Africa, Indonesia, and Malaysia, as well as much of Southeastern Europe, and the Indian Subcontinent.
How did Islam spread so quickly: Islam spread quickly 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 both in terms of territory and belief. It is also important to note that just because the religion of Islam spread by peaceful means, does not mean that the territorial expansion of Islamic Empires also occurred by peaceful means. No Empire has ever acquired more territory by just asking for it (except perhaps the Nazis with Sudetenland).
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.
8) Commerce: Islam, like most religions, spread also through peaceful means of commerce and education whereby non-Muslims learned of the faith and adopted as their own amidst business dealings with Muslims.
A small hint:
The concept of "convert or die" is against Islam and Quran teachings and I don't believe that anyone practiced it. It could some claims of non Muslims who are attacking Islam without any justification. Quran says in many verses that no compulsion in religion. As an example Quran says:
"There shall be no compulsion in religion; the right way has become distinct from the wrong way. Whoever renounces evil and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handle; which does not break. God is Hearing and Knowing. " (2:256).
Refer to related questions.
The other point is that the Romanian empire was not following Christianity but when the emperor converted to Christianity (and he was considered as their God),
the people whoi are following him converted automatically to Christianity.
What are the names of the Muslim religious festivals?
We have two Aid festivals in the year, in which locals gather in public parks and local authorities bring fun activities for children. Janadria festival is another one, which is more about culture and heritage.
Why do the Hezbollah want to eliminate Israel?
Hezbollah sees Israel as a modern colony in the Middle East that became as powerful as it did through land-grabs and violence. As a result, its membership believes that the only way to deal with Israel is through violent means.
Is over 20 percent of the worlds population muslim?
Yes, the latest available statistics show that Muslims are 23% of total world population (~ 1600 million Muslims) per PEW Forum study as of October 2009.
Meaning of he that cannot obey cannot command?
"He that cannot obey cannot command" was said by Benjamin Franklin. It seems to mean that a commander must respect the discipline and organization of the group. For instance, if you want to be a general, you must be a good soldier first. Type your answer here...
When did the Muslims attack the Christians?
There have been many such incidents throughout history, as have there been incidents of Christians attacking Muslims
What is the importance of Mecca and Yathrib in the life of Muhammad?
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was born in Mecca (Makkah) where Quran started revelation by God to him through the angel Gabriel (Jibril) and Yathrib (called later Medina or AlMadinah) was the city where he immigrated to and where Quran continued revelation to him until his death in it.
What is different between byzantine and Islamic?
Byzantine is anything pertaining to the Byzantium Empire or its period of existence. Islamic are those things relative to the religion of Islam.
How did the Umayyads expand the Muslim world?
Islam as a religion began to expand to places not yet conquered by the Umayyad Caliphs and their armies, resulting in an expansion of the Islamic World that was greater than the size of the actual Empire. The Empire, though, remained the primary method of Islamic Expansion in this period and this was facilitated by armies and conquest.
What is the Persian religion called?
The religion of Persia at the time of King Cyrus the Great, and the Babylonian Exile of the Jews, was Zoroastrianism. A small number of adherents still follow Zoroastrianism in Iran, while others have fled to India and Pakistan. In recent times, some followers have joined a diaspora across the world.
However, the official religion and most popular religion of modern Iran is Shiite Islam. However, there are large minorities of Sunni Muslims, Baha'is, Christians, and Druzes.
There are around 300,000 Persian Jews of whom roughly 9,000 still live in Iran.
Makkah (Mecca); located in Saudi Arabia; is a very important place for Muslims worldwide for the following arguments:
- The most important reason is that because the oldest God religious House (Kaaba) is their; which is surrounded by the Grand Mosque (or AlMasjid AlHaram).
- It is the birth place of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
- It is the direction that all Muslims face during their praying ritual worship.
- One of the five pillars of Islam is Hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca that all Muslims must perform at least once in their lives, if possible.
- Place of first revelation of Quran by God to prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through the angel Jibril (or Gabriel)
Makkah was the birth place of Islam, where the first part of the Quran was revealed to the prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. It is also the home of Al Haram Masjid, the Mosque in the world and direction to which Muslims pray facing 5 times daily.
Explainhow the Quran influenced the government in islam?
There are several ways that the Caliph, and the Sunni Religious Order he led in the Ottoman Empire, as well as the Islamic Law helped the Ottoman Sultans and the other secular authorities maintain power.
Geographic Organization: One of the key ways that the mosques served the Ottoman Empire was by keeping parish records of the Ottoman subjects. This allowed the sultan to know how many births and deaths there were in every village in the empire as well as know how many able-bodied men could be summoned as footsoldiers should the need arise. Since the mosques were managed by the government's religious ministry, these records were directly accessible to the sultan. Additionally, since most Imams could read, even though the population in general could not, the mosque could become a place where imperial proclamations could be read out to the population after the khobta or sermon. This allowed for easy dissemination of information from the government to the general population.
Military Assistance: In many parts of the Ottoman military, there were Sufi Mystics who served as patriotic military chaplains. They would provide zeal and patriotism to rally the Ottoman soldiers to the defense of the Empire for religious motives and take care of the soldiers' spiritual concerns. In this way, they helped to motivate the armies.
Dispute Resolution: Al-Qanun (the Religious Law) and the Qadis (Religious Legal Scholars / Judges) served to provide legal and equitable remedies to the people. Al-Qanun was enforceable from religious courts to all secular domains, so the disputes resolved in the religious courts and overseen by the Caliph had actual effect and restored domestic tranquility. Additionally, by allowing the Qadis to oversee the allocation of justice, the sultan was freer to allocate funds to imperial construction products or military endeavors, allowing the Ottomans to more effectively police their territory and expand it.
Cultural Unity: The dominance of Sunni Islam in all parts of the Ottoman Empire helped solidify a unified culture, especially in places like the Arab World, where most of the population resented Turkish control over Non-Turks. The loyalty to the Caliph in all parts of the Sunni Islamic World gave implicit legitimacy to the Ottoman Empire even from those Sunni Muslims who otherwise would consider rebelling and restoring local Non-Turkish power.
Sultan's Impunity: With the Caliph established as the supreme moral authority, the sultan was not required to be as moral as he would otherwise be required. This allowed the sultan to be crueler to his prisoners and enemies and to violate standards of decency (such as drinking alcohol or having a harem of over four women) without being impeached for it. In many cases, the sultan used direct force to compel obedience and not needing to save face afterwards permitted this to continue. Conversely, the Caliph would have to live a life of piety.
When did muhammad travel to medina?
He traveled from Makkah to Medina in 622 CE. in what is commonly called "Hijra"; The migration.
Where did the night of power happen?
The Night of Power or the Night of Decree or the Night of fate (known as Laylat Alqadr in Arabic) is a blessed great night of the nights of the holy month of Ramadan (The month of fasting) & it's mentioned in the Holy Quran in a chapter titled with its name.
where? it happens everywhere.
when? in one of the last ten nights of Ramadan & is mostly considered to be the 27th night ( Allah knows best).
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
1. We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power:
2. And what will explain to thee what the night of power is?
3. The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.
4. Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by Allah's permission, on every errand:
5. Peace!...This until the rise of morn!
Holy Quran, chapter 97
