To the question in which century Islam appeared, many answer that it is one of the youngest religions that originated in the sixth century AD.
There are three religions with common roots in the world. We are talking about Judaism, Christianity and Islam - it was in this order that they appeared to the world.
Judaism originated in Palestine among the Jews before the era of the birth of Christ, its very beginning was laid in the 3rd millennium. Islam as a religion appeared much later, several centuries later, having formed in the west of the Arabian Peninsula. The doctrine of Christ arose between them as a kind of offshoot of Judaism, within the framework of which temples, priests and icons were not needed to communicate with God. Everyone could directly turn to the Lord with a request, which actually meant the equality of people before the Almighty, regardless of their nationality, occupation or class. It was convenient for many captive Jews and slaves and, like a ray of hope, illuminated their hearts, tormented by slavery.
How Islam appeared: a summary of the history of religion
The word "Islam" in Arabic means obedience and submission to the laws of Allah. The word "Muslims", which is called the adherents of this religion, translated from Arabic means "followers of Islam." Mecca is a pilgrimage center for all Muslims in the world.
In what year did the religion of Islam appear? When the angel Jabrail, sent by God in 610, appeared to the prophet Muhammad, who lived in Mecca from 571 to 632, then this religion began, which incredibly strongly influenced the whole world history of mankind. The Prophet - a man of forty years old - was sent down the most important mission on earth by Allah himself - the spread of Islam, the first postulates of the Holy Scripture - the Koran - were dictated.
Muhammad secretly began to spread among people the highest truth spoken by the Lord. In 613, he first publicly addressed the inhabitants of Mecca. All that is new is censure, many did not just dislike Muhammad, but planned to kill him.
Let us turn to historical events that describe where and how Islam appeared. A short story should begin with a description of the Arabs who inhabited these lands, as well as the history of their origin.
Arabs - who are they
In ancient times, the Arabian Peninsula was inhabited by different tribes. According to legend, they owe their origin to Ishmael, the son of Hagar, the concubine of Abraham. In the XVIII century BC. e. Abraham, listening to his wife Sarah, who was plotting against the girl, drove the unfortunate Hagar and his son directly into the desert. Ishmael found the water, the mother and son survived, and it was Abraham who was the ancestor of all the Arabs.
The Arabs, remembering the wiles of Sarah and the fact that her children took advantage of the rich inheritance of Abraham, quietly hated the Jews for a long time, not forgetting that Hagar and Ishmael were left in the desert for certain destruction. But at the same time, wanting revenge, they lived quietly even where Islam appeared, without annoying anyone, and so it continued until the seventh century AD.
Geography
Arabia by geography can be divided into three parts.
The first is the coastline along the Red Sea - a rocky area with a huge number of underground sources, near each of which an oasis is broken and, accordingly, the prerequisites for the emergence of the city are created. There were date palms and grass, which could feed cattle, people lived quite poorly, but they came up with ways to earn extra money. The caravan routes from Byzantium to India always lay through rocky Arabia, and locals were hired by caravan lovers, and they also created caravanserais where they sold dates and fresh water at high prices. Merchants had nowhere to go, and they purchased goods.
The second, largest part of Arabia is a desert with growing shrubs separated from each other by dry land. In fact, this land is a steppe surrounded on three sides by seas. It rains here and the air is humid.
The third, southern part of the peninsula, was called Happy Arabia in ancient times. Today it is the territory of Yemen, rich in tropical vegetation. The local population once grew mocha here - coffee, considered the best in the world, then it was brought to Brazil. There, unfortunately, it became worse in quality. The people who inhabited this territory were happy, but the neighbors — Ethiopian Abyssinians and Persians — spoiled the whole picture. They constantly fought among themselves, while the Arabs tried to remain neutral and live peacefully, watching how they destroy each other.
Among the Christians who inhabited Arabia were Orthodox and Nestorians, Jacobites and Monophysites, as well as Savellians. At the same time, everyone lived peacefully, there were no disagreements on the basis of religion. People lived and earned a living, they had no time to be distracted by something else.
The Origin and Life of Muhammad (Mohammed)
The Prophet Muhammad was born in 571 in Mecca, he was from the powerful Meccan tribe Kuraish, the grandson of Abu al-Muttalib, the head of the Hashim clan, the son of Abdullah.
At the age of six, Muhammad, unfortunately, lost his mother. Uncle Abu Talib was appointed guardian of the one who became the founder of Islam. When he appeared - Mohammed - a real "guardian" - the Almighty himself, Mohammed was already over forty.
According to numerous reports, Muhammad was sick with epilepsy, was not educated, could not read and write. But the inquiring mind and the extraordinary abilities of the young man distinguished him from others. Muhammad drove a caravan, and at the age of 25 he was loved by a rich 40-year-old widow named Khadija. He married in 595.
Preacher
Muhammad became the prophet fifteen years later. He proclaimed this in Mecca, said that his calling is to correct all the vices and sins of this world. At the same time, he reminded people that other prophets appeared before him, beginning with Adam and Noah, Solomon and David, and ending with Jesus Christ. According to Muhammad, people forgot all the right words spoken by them. The only God - Allah - sent his people, Muhammad, to enlighten all the people of the world who have gone astray.
The new religion preached by a man was first accepted by only six. Other residents of Mecca dismissed the newly minted teacher. Thanks to his gift of persuasion and ability, Muhammad gradually rallied dozens of like-minded people of different classes and material wealth with great willpower and brave characters. Among them were the brave Ali, the good-natured Usman and the just Umar, as well as the adamant and even cruel Abu Bakr.
Sincerely believing in the new teaching, they supported their prophet, who preached tirelessly. This caused great discontent among the people of Mecca, and they simply decided to destroy it. Muhammad fled to the city of Medina. Here everyone lived on a national basis in the formed communities: in the Abyssinian and Jewish, in Negro and Persian. Muhammad with his students formed a new community - Muslim, which began to preach Islam.
I must say that the community has become very popular in the city, since, according to the assurances of its participants, the Muslim who joined its ranks ceased to be a slave and could not be a slave at all. Anyone pronouncing "La ilaha ilyaLah, Muhammadun rasulAllah" ("There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger") immediately became free. It was a wise move.
Bedouins and blacks - those who were previously oppressed - reached the community. They believed in the truth of Islam, began to agitate others to enter the community and adopt a new faith. They, again joined, were called ansaras.
After some time, the community of Muhammad acquired the status of the most powerful and numerous, began to restore order, cracking down on the Gentiles, killing them. The Christians did not stand aside, they were either either killed or converted to Islam by force. They destroyed the Jews. Who could - fled to Syria.
An inspired Muslim army went to Mecca, but was defeated. The followers of Islam forced the Bedouins to accept their faith, the forces of Allah's supporters increased, the army captured the Arabian region of Gadramaut - the fertile lands of the southern coast - establishing Islam there. Then they again moved to Mecca.
The inhabitants of Mecca suggested that the Commander-in-Chief not to conflict, but to solve everything peacefully, recognizing along with Allah the gods Zuhra and Latu, and conclude peace. But the proposal was not accepted, since Allah is one, there are no other gods. The townspeople agreed with this surah (prophecy).
Arabs agreed
When Islam appeared in the world, its preachers did not try to extract any self-interest or personal gain from it. They carried to the masses principles invented by themselves. From the point of view of theology, religion did not contain anything that would be different from other religious movements in the Middle East.
Arabs were right, aggressive Muslims were not worth arguing with them. The Arabs abandoned the usual cults, pronounced the formula of Islam and ... healed, as they used to, as before.
But the prophet corrected the behavior of converts to Islam, for example, by the fact that the Muslim is sinful to have more than four wives, the Arabs did not argue with this, although earlier 4 wives - this was a minimum. They silently contained concubines, which could be any number.
When Islam appeared as a religion, the prophet Muhammad, suffering from epilepsy, banned wine, saying that the first drop of this drink destroys a person. Sly Arabs, who loved to drink, sat in a quiet enclosed courtyard, set a vat of wine in front of them. Each dropped a finger, shook the first drop on the ground. Since she was destroying a person, they didn’t use her, the prophet did not punish anything about the rest, so they calmly drank everything that was not the first drop.
The history of black stone
A mysterious black stone is located in the Kaaba - mosques of the city of Mecca, they say once "fell" from the sky, it is not specified in what century. Islam appeared, the new community was thinking what to do with it, and that's why. The stone was considered divine, sent down by Allah, and faith does not provide for any material benefit from what is granted by the Almighty. The stone brought profit to the city: hundreds of pilgrims visited it, keeping their way through the bazaar, where they bought goods from the city residents: God's gift enriched the inhabitants. The Prophet Muhammad agreed not to remove this sacred stone for the good of the city, despite the fact that the delicate question of benefiting from the faith arose quite clearly.
Teaching
After death, the Prophet Muhammad left the word of God to people - the doctrine set forth in the Qur'an. He himself was an example of how to behave and who to imitate, his actions and behavior, which were observed and remembered by his associates, were the standard of life of a real Muslim. "Traditions about words and actions" (the so-called hadiths) form the Sunnah - a kind of collection on which, like the Koran, the law of Islam, the Sharia, is based. The religion of Islam is very simple, there are no sacraments, no monasticism is provided. Following the dogmas, a Muslim understands what he needs to believe in, and Sharia defines the norms of behavior: what is possible, what is impossible.
The end of Muhammad's life
In the last years of the life of the prophet, Islam was adopted by all the western and southwestern regions of the Arabian Peninsula, as well as the state of Oman in the eastern part. Shortly before his death, Muhammad dictated letters to the Byzantine emperor and the Persian Shah with demands to recognize and accept Islam. The first left the letter unanswered, the second refused.
The Prophet decided to conduct a holy war, but died, and then most of Arabia abandoned Islam and ceased to obey the governor - Caliph Abu Bekr. For two years, a bloody war was fought throughout Arabian territory. Those who managed to survive finally recognized Islam. An Arab caliphate formed on these lands. Caliphs began to realize what the prophet did not have time to - to plant religion around the world, including through wars.
The Five Pillars of Faith
When Islam appeared in the world, every Muslim had five basic responsibilities, the so-called "lasso". The first pillar (creed) is "shahada". The second - "salat" - worship, which should be done five times a day. The third duty is connected with the holy month of Ramadan - the period when a believer strictly observes fasting and abstinence from sunrise to sunset (he does not eat, does not drink, does not allow himself any entertainment). The fourth “pillar” is the payment of tax (“zakat”), which the rich are obliged to help the poor. Fifth - a mandatory hajj, a pilgrimage to Mecca, which every respectable Muslim must perform at least once in his life.
Dogmas
From the moment that the faith of Islam appeared, rules arose within which every Muslim should keep himself. They are easy to implement and very few in number. The main one is the belief that God is one, and his name is Allah ("tawhid" - the dogma of monotheism). The next is faith in angels, in particular in Jabrail (in Christianity the archangel Gabriel), the messenger of God and his commandments, as well as in the angels of Michael and Israfil. Each person has two guardian angels. A Muslim is obliged to believe in a final judgment, according to which God-fearing and pious Muslims will go to Paradise, and unbelievers and sinners - to Hell.
As for social relations, first of all, a Muslim must fulfill his main duty - to marry, to create a family.
In those lands where Islam came from, a man can have up to four wives, but subject to material prosperity and fair treatment of all wives (that is, if he can provide everything necessary and keep up to the mark). Otherwise, marrying more than one woman is highly undesirable.
Thieves are punished very harshly. According to the Qur'an, the money-grubber should cut off the wrist. Nevertheless, this punishment is applied very rarely. A respectable Muslim does not have the right to eat pork and drink wine, while the last dogma was also not always observed.
Sharia - are the laws the same?
When Islam appeared as a religion, every believing Muslim should have agreed to a lifestyle dictated by Sharia law. The word "Sharia" came from the Arabic "Sharia", which translated means "the right path" and was a list of rules of conduct determined by the authorities of Islam. The written form of Sharia - books, as well as the oral form in the form of sermons, are mandatory. These laws apply to all aspects of life - legal, domestic and moral.
Islam appeared in a century when people needed freedom and a clear understanding of who God is. Since this religion proclaimed each of its Muslim followers as a free person and implemented the principle of monotheism, many people joined its ranks. Different peoples, different languages, different mentality ... The Qur'an and Sunnah, on which Islam is based, should have been interpreted, and these interpretations were different. Muslims at all times, having one Quran and one Sunna, could follow many Sharia, in which there was something in common, but there were differences. Thus, when Islam appeared, in different countries the Shariah proclaimed not the same rules of conduct. In addition, at different times in the same country through the Sharia various norms could be proclaimed. That's right - time is different, and the laws of life may change over time.
An example is Afghanistan. Under the Sharia of the 80s of the 20th century, women could not hide their faces with veil, and for men it was not necessary to grow beards. Ten years later, in the 90s, the Shariah of the same country categorically prohibited women from appearing in public with open faces, and men began to be ordered to wear a beard without fail. The presence of different requirements in the Shariah of various countries leads to disputes, and it is not so important for people how and where Islam came from, the question is sharply who is professing the true religion. Hence the war.
Food
Under Sharia, certain prohibitions are imposed on food. There were no compromises on this issue. No matter in what century the religion of Islam appeared, the issue regarding the adoption of food and drink was identified immediately and nothing changed. In no Muslim country can residents eat pork, shark, crayfish and crabs, as well as carnivores. Drinking alcohol is not allowed. Of course, modernity brings certain changes to life, and many Muslims today do not comply with these regulations.
Penalties
Finding out when Islam appeared as a religion and where it was adopted, is it interesting to know how those who dared to disobey the laws prescribed by Allah were punished? As a punishment for violations of Sharia law, in a number of countries there were both public flogging and imprisonment, as well as cutting off of the hand (to thieves), and even the death penalty. Some countries are more loyal and do not execute the disobedient, but somewhere it is present - there is more order.
Prayers
Muslims all over the world say three kinds of prayers. Shahada is a daily testimony of faith, prayer is a daily fivefold obligatory prayer. There is also an additional prayer recited by a follower of Islam. Prayers are delivered after ablution.
Jihad
A true Muslim has another important commitment - the struggle for faith - "jihad" (in translation - "effort", "diligence"). There are four varieties of it.
- Islam appeared in the sixth century. And preachers of religion have always promoted the jihad of the sword. In other words, an armed struggle against infidels. This is such a process when the country in which Muslims live takes part in any military action against the infidels, declaring them jihad. For example, since 1980, Iran and Iraq have been at war. Both Muslim countries dominated by Shiites (in Iran there were more) believed that the Muslims of the neighboring country were “infidels,” mutual jihad led to an eight-year war.
- Jihad hands. These are disciplinary measures against perpetrators and violators of moral standards. He also acts in the family: its older members can punish the younger ones.
- Jihad language. The believer is obliged to express encouragement to others when they do things pleasing to Allah, and vice versa, to blame for violation of Shariah dogma.
- Jihad of the heart is everyone’s struggle with his own vices.
Today
More and more people in the world are becoming adherents of this religion, people are learning the Arabic language, studying the Qur'an, reading prayers - the fashion has appeared on Islam! Whatever century we live in, it is necessary to know the characteristics of people living nearby. Muslims are spread in 120 countries, about one and a half billion people are Muslims, and this number is growing. And with it, the number of people wishing to find out in which century Islam appeared, is growing. The youngest religion has become one of the most popular in the world.