Islamic history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Islamic history - Essay Example However, the study will be guided by such questions as where did Islam start and who were the first people to adhere to it? What are the main ideologies that define Islam and how has they evolved over time? When did Islam start and what historical significance has the ideology had over the course of its evolution to the modern day Islam? Islam started in the seventh century (C.E) as instituted by Prophet Mohammed and it took over the Arabic region, which was characteristically defined by polytheism. It is adherent to monotheism and as such the ideology stipulates that there is no other God to be worshiped but Allah. It therefore transformed greatly the religious systems of the traditional nomadic life that was characteristic of the Arabs from the extremes of worshiping many Gods as well as paganism to the faith in Allah. Prophet Mohammed was born in late sixth century and in the early seventh century; he is believed to have had an encounter with an angle of God where he became the pr ophet (apostle) of God (Nawwab, Speers and Hoye, para 1-5). Through divine revelations, Mohamed is said to have written the Quran as it is adhered to in Islam. Therefore, among other great ideologies that define Islam, Quran as it was written by the last prophet of Allah (Mohammed) is complete, infallible, perfect and eternal and thus holds eminently against any influence or modification. In religious matters, the tenets presented in Quran held and continuously holds to define Islam. Islam ascribes to various ideologies which include that God is transcendent and omnipotent, that there are angles, that Quran are words of God’s revelation through his prophets as well as there is the last day that awaits all and in which God’s judgment to mankind will be pronounced. Moreover, the Islam believes that God is all knowing and as such, he is omniscient (â€Å"The History of Islam† 1-3). Despite the great transformation that characterized the inception of Islam, as a rel igion in the Arabian countries in matters of polytheism believes, Islam held to the supremacy of Allah as god who was more impressive than the rest. Besides being the creator, Allah was and is believed to be the provider as well as the determiner to human destiny in eternity (â€Å"History of Islam† para 3). Besides, the Muslims have dispersed everywhere to occupy all the parts of the globe where Islam has been introduced. Little is seen to have changed in terms of believe systems and ideologies as they were instituted and depicted in Quran. The modern day Islam upholds five basic rules, which are prayer, fasting, faith, almsgiving as well as pilgrimage at Ka’bah (â€Å"History of Islam† 5). The evolution in Islam has been more in matters of spread and global acceptance as unlike in matters of systems of believes. Besides much of what is practiced in the modern day in Islamic circles is purely as it was practiced traditionally as instructed by Prophet Mohammed i n Quran (Nasr, vii-xix). In spite of the little evolutionally changes that has been shown in ideological aspects of Islam, misinterpretation and misrepresentation of the ideologies has led to wrong perception of the culture. It is increasingly being associated with acts of terror due to few of its teachings on Jihad and such political activism which has in the past led to political as well as religious conflicts in different parts of the globe