Today, Islam is the second most popular religion on earth, which is practiced by every fifth resident. Born in the depths of the Arabian Peninsula, over many centuries of its existence , this religion has gained ardent supporters on all continents.
Islam is a supranational religion - anyone can accept it without any restrictions on gender, nationality or origin. Nevertheless, with all its openness, it is a very tough and conservative religion, which does not tolerate open disregard for the customs and established rules of behavior.
What were the reasons for the emergence of Islam and its growing popularity?
The emergence of Islam - historical background
The time of the rise of Islam is the 7th century A.D. It happened on the territory of modern Saudi Arabia. These places were inhabited by nomadic Arabs engaged in cattle breeding or farming in oases. Until these places, which were not very fertile and comfortable for living, were settled enough, the local population was content with the modest fruits of their labor. Among them there was no particular division by property, all together they worshiped pagan gods and led a fairly moderate way of life.
Over time, convenient caravan routes began to pass through the territory inhabited by the Arabs and densely populated villages and towns began to form. Among the people began to stand out military leaders and wealthy representatives of the tribes. This led to the emergence of a new type of relationship within the tribes, whose leaders were interested in maintaining their power. It was here, in Western Arabia, that the Prophet Muhammad appeared with his teaching, which came in handy. It is from the time of its appearance that it is customary to count the emergence of Islam. The personality of the prophet Muhammad is quite contradictory, his life is fanned with legends. Only one thing is undeniable - it was this man who became the founder of the new religion, which radically influenced the course of world history.
The emergence of Islam and the reasons for its popularity
Why did his religion so attract Arabs? First, in his sermons, Muhammad preached faith in one God - Allah, the true infallible lord of the universe. The word of Allah, transmitted through his intermediary prophet, is sacred and undeniable and is recorded in the main Muslim book - the Koran. The Qur'an and other holy books of Islam contain all the necessary thoughts and rules that a Muslim should follow in his life. For strict observance of all these requirements, he is guaranteed after death a place in the Muslim paradise (which is an abundant garden of paradise, where believers are in endless bliss and pleasures), and for disobedience and unbelief - death and eternal torment of hell. I must say that the Quran has been given a sufficient place to describe heaven and hell - these are real fantastic sketches that subtly affect basic human needs, designed to attract as many supporters as possible. The Koran requires Muslim believers to observe monotheism, it strictly regulates property, family and social relations, the rules of worship. Muhammad took into account the experience of previous prophets and already established monotheistic religions (Judaism and Christianity), he took everything necessary from there and removed the outsiders. The popularity of Islam was greatly facilitated by the fact that this religion did not require from the ordinary believer deep work on himself, ingenious rituals, but represented a simple and clear code of laws, the observance of which guaranteed a reward in this and future life. The teaching of the new religion also preached the selectivity of believers in relation to others and positively related to the conquering wars, designed to spread the influence of Islam in as large a territory as possible.
At first, supporters of the new religion were forced to fight with more powerful and organized opponents, who received considerable benefits from the established pagan way of life and order. However, just 8 years after the emergence of Islam and the founding of the first Muslim community in the city of Medina, Muslims were able to fully unite the local Arab tribes and triumphantly entered Mecca - the largest city of Arabia at that time. Under the banner of Islam, the final unification of all tribes was completed and a new, strong Arab state appeared. The successors of Muhammad, who received the title of caliphs, led by hordes of Muslim converts, began invading neighboring territories, subjugating the local population and forcing him to convert to Islam. They conquered the Near and Far East, North Africa and even part of European territory. The Arab caliphate has become a strong player in the international arena, which is now reckoned with by other states. In many respects similar to Christianity, with a clear and simple teaching, Islam did not encounter much resistance among the converts in the first years, which allowed it to naturally spread even beyond the conquests of the caliphate.
Over time, the Arab caliphate broke up into a large number of small states, however, Islam was not just not outlived, but also passed on to the future rulers of these lands, which allowed them to maintain their power. The emergence of Islam opened a new era in the history of many Asian peoples and significantly affected their lives and cultures.
The number of modern believers since the rise of Islam is constantly growing. This is due to the traditional Muslim cult of large families, providing rapid reproduction, and with the growth of popularity, these are religions in the territory of third world countries. Today, Islamic countries are in close cooperation with the leading countries of the world, they actively borrow new technologies from them, and also use their own finances in order to have a greater impact on global politics.