SEC Registration:
CN200829984
SEC Date Registered:
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
History:
Islam, began in Mecca, claimed to be the revelation of God (Allah) through the angel Gabriel to a man named Muhammad. Muhammad was born in approximately AD 570-571. He was born to the powerful tribe of the Quraish in Mekkah (Mecca). His Father's name was Abdulla. His Mother's name was Aminah. Apparently Abdulla was a merchant who made caravan trips. He died on trrading trip soon after his marriage to Aminah, leaving Muhammad fatherless at birth. Aminah, his mother, died when he was only six years old. Muhammad was taken in by his grandfather, only to have him die when Muhammad was eight years old. At this time, his uncle, Abu Talib, one of the leaders of the Quraish tribe took him in and raised him. Muhammad was taught the family business and apparently quite successful. A wealthy widow named Khadijah arranged for Muhammad to oversee her trading business, and was so impressed with his skill and appearance that she proposed marriage to him. Muhammad was twenty-five and Khadijah was forty when they married. They had six children, two boys and four girls. Both of the sons died early in life. The Daughters lived to see Muhammad become the founder of Islam. At first, Muhammad shared his new revelations with only his family and close friends. During the next three years the message of Muhammad quietly spread among the people of Mekkah, especially among the youth. Then Muhammad is believed to have received instructions from Allah to go public with the message and openly condemn the paganism and idolatry of Mekkah. This open condemnation of idolatry became an economic threat to the prosperity of Mekkah, and as a consequence, organized opposition to Muhammad and Islam began. At this point, Islam was politically weak, and many Muslims died for their faith. Muhammad continued to proclaim his massage, and his following slowly grew. At one point, in 621, a group of delegates from Madinah (Medina) responded to his call and made a covenant with Muhammad and declared themselves to be Muslims. A year later, in 622, some seventy people from Medinah made similar declaration and pledged to fight to protect Muhammad against any and all odds. This pledge or covenant from some who were leaders of Madinah was a turning point for Islam. It provided Muslims with a secure base of operations and allowed them to expand from it. Muhammad commanded the Muslims in Mekkah to migrate to Madinah. After some struggle, Medina was declared to be wholly a Muslim community. For thirteen years, Muhammad had preached in Mekkah with minimal success. He had followed a quiet, non-political approach and merely preached. Now, however, his tactics changed. He established himself as religious, political, and military leader. Under his guidance, the community of believers became more important than family or tribe. Islam began to be spread through intimidation and force. Entire cities were “converted†under threat of war or by conquest. Success led to greater success. In the year 630, eight years after he had been force to leave Mekkah, Muhammad return with such overwhelming force that the Mekkans made no resistance. Muhammad’s forces destroyed all the idols of Mekkah, and declared the Kabah to be the place of worship for Allah. With Muhammad’s death, Islam continue to flourish under the leadership of Muhammad’s companions. The first Caliph (successor to the prophet- Kalifah) was his father in law and long time friend, Abu Bakr. In his two years of leadership, Abu Bakr consolidated Islamic influence over the entire Arabian peninsula. Today Islam is one of the world’s dominant religions, and claims as much as one fifth of the world’s population. With the end of colonial system, Islamic states were given their autonomy again. With the wealth from petro-dollars, Islam as a religion is being successfully spread over the worl and is one of the fastest growing religions in the world.