"THE RELIGION OF ISLAM"
The Origins Of Islam
INTRODUCTION
1. Recent events in the Middle East and the U.S. has brought the
religion of Islam to the public eye and generated much interest...
a. The hostage crisis in Iran in the late 1970s
b. The war with Iraq in the early 1990s
c. The attack on the World Twin Towers and the Pentagon in 2001
d. The U.S. war against international terrorism in response
e. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the past fifty years
2. The increasing popularity of Islam has also caught the attention of
many...
a. It is estimated there were 1.6 billion (one-fourth of the world
population) Muslims in 1998
b. Many live in the Arab world (120 million)
c. Many more live in countries such as Iran, India, Pakistan,
Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, China, remnants
of the USSR, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, and Sudan
d. It is the world's fastest growing religion...
1) It has grown 235% from 1935 to 1983 ("Christianity" - 47%)
2) An estimated 10 million Muslims reside in the United States
(1996)
3) 34,000 Americans have converted to Islam following the events
of September 11 (the highest rate of conversion since Islam
arrived in America)
-- Islamic Web (http://islamicweb.com/begin/statistics.htm)
3. Such growth can be attributed to a number of different factors...
a. High birth rates
b. Militant and evangelistic fervor
c. Independence of Islamic countries
d. Wealth (oil)
e. Education in other countries
4. Christians need to become more familiar with Islam...
a. To better understand world events, our neighbors, and in some
cases, our enemies
b. To be able to share the gospel of Christ with those who in many
cases know the Bible better than many professing "Christians"
[In view of the need to understand the religion of Islam, let's take a
brief look at the origins of Islam...]
I. THE BEGINNING OF ISLAM
A. MUSLIMS POINT TO ABRAHAM, MOSES, DAVID, JESUS...
1. They believe Abraham (together with his son Ishmael) rebuilt,
in what is now Mecca, the first temple in the world for the
worship of a single God (whose name in Arabic is Allah)
2. That Moses, David, Jesus, and others were prophets sent from
Allah
a. That God delivered the Torah to Moses, but it was corrupted
by the Jews
b. That God delivered the Gospel to Jesus, but it was distorted
by the apostles
3. "Muslims believe in all Messengers of Allah without any
discrimination among them, as every known nation has a Warner
or messenger from Allah. They were chosen by God to teach
humanity and deliver His Divine message. The Qur'an mentions
the name of some of them including Jews including Adam, Noah,
Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Job, Moses, Aaron,
David, Solomon, Elias, Jonah, John the Baptist, and Jesus
(peace be upon them)." - IslamicWeb.com
4. "Muslims believe in all original scriptures and revelations of
Allah, accepting them as the guiding light that the messengers
received to show their respective people the right path to Him.
However, some of these books and revelations had been lost or
corrupted before the revelation of the Qur'an. The only
authentic and complete book of Allah in existence today is the
Qur'an, which has been preserved as it was revealed to prophet
Muhammad through Angel Gabriel in its pristine, pure form."
- ibid.
B. THE ROLE OF MUHAMMAD...
1. "In Islam there can be no confusion or doubt that Muhammad was
a man, and only a man, chosen by the Creator to fulfill a
divine mission as a prophet. Muhammad's mission was literally
to 'read' what Allah had ordered and ordained, nothing more.
The Prophet received his revelations from God, sometimes in
solitude, sometimes in the presence of others. Words flowed
from his mouth in a way that others described as inspired. This
was Muhammad's wahy (divine inspiration or revelation). Muslims
believe that the Qur'an is the Word of Allah expressed through
the revelations to the Prophet." - Introduction To Islam,
M. Cherif Bassiouni
2. "The history of the Prophet, his deeds and sayings, were at
first memorized by his companions and passed on as oral record.
They were first comprehensively recorded by the historian Ishaq
ibn Yasar (ca. 768). Later the deeds and sayings of the Prophet
(the hadith), the circumstances surrounding their occurrence,
and the evidence of those who first witnessed and reported them
to others were recorded by a number of scholars." - ibid.
[Muslims thus believe that Islam goes back even to Adam, Noah, and
Abraham. They base this on the proclamations of Muhammad. Because of
the significance of Muhammad and his successors to Islam, it is
beneficial to have at least a basic understanding of...]
II. THE EARLY HISTORY OF ISLAM
A. THE LIFE OF MUHAMMAD...
1. 570 - Born into the leading tribe Quraysh of the town of Mecca
a. Father dies before his birth, his mother dies when he was
six years old
b. Raised by his grandfather, then his uncle Abu Talib
c. Name means "highly praised," and many have taken name since
2. As a youth, he travels with trading caravans and is exposed to
many teachings, including Judaism and Christianity
3. 595 - At age 25, he marries a widow named Khadija fifteen years
his senior, who becomes a devoted companion
4. 610 - Claims to receive the first revelations of the Qur'an from
the angel Gabriel...
a. In a cave on the summit of Mt. Hira, where he often went to
pray and fast
b. Commissioned to be the Messenger of God, to reveal the word
of Allah
c. A process involving a series of revelations lasting the rest
of his life (23 yrs)
d. Illiterate, he recited while others wrote words
5. 612 - Begins teaching in a religiously volatile atmosphere
a. Pagans influenced by idolatry did not like his monotheism
b. Jews and Christians balked at his claim of revelations
c. He converts his wife, his cousin Ali, and friend Abu Bakr
(successor)
d. In three years, forty people accept Islam
e. Relations with his tribe (the Quraysh) become tense;
persecution of Muslims begins
f. In 615 he encourages 80 Muslims to emigrate to Abyssinia
(Ethiopia) for safety
6. 616 - Persecution of Muslims in Mecca intensifies
a. A ban against marrying or trading with the Muslims lasts two
years, causing food shortages
b. Shortly after the ban is lifted, his beloved wife Khadija
dies
c. In 619 his uncle and protector Abu Talib dies, exposing
Muhammad to great risk
7. 620 - Arabs from Yathrib (Medina) make contact
a. The envoys convert to Islam; pledge not to fight the Muslims
b. Invite Muhammad to come to Yathrib and lead their ummah
(community)
8. 621 - The events of al-Israa and al-Miraaj supposedly take
place
a. al-Israa - Gabriel takes Muhammad to Jerusalem and back in
one night
1) From the Kabah in Mecca to what is now known as The Dome
Of The Rock
2) Muhammad meets Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and others
b. al-Miraaj - Muhammad taken to the heavens to see the signs
of God
8. 622 - Muhammad and seventy families flee to Yathrib (Medina)
(250 miles N)
a. Leaders of the tribe of Quraysh plot to kill him; Gabriel
warns Muhammad to flee
b. Called hijrah ("the Night of Migration"); this marks the
beginning of the Muslim era
c. Residents of Mecca view the hijrah as a defection; vow
revenge
9. 624 - Two major developments occur
a. The change of qiblah (direction of prayer); toward Mecca
instead of Jerusalem
1) Muhammad tells the congregation to turn around and pray
toward Mecca
2) This began to distinguish them from Judaism and
Christianity
b. The adoption of ghazu (raid), raiding caravans for booty to
support families
1) Muhammad leads a band to intercept the largest Meccan
caravan for that year
2) This leads to the Battle of Badr, in which Muslims defeat
a large Meccan army
10. 625 - The Battle of Uhud, outside Medina
a. Army of Mecca defeats the Muslims
b. Jewish tribes of Qaynuqah and Nadir expelled from Medina for
collaborating with Mecca
c. In 626 he began to take several wives; favorite is Aisha
(daughter of Abu Bakr)
11. 627 - The Battle of the Trench
a. Muslims (3000) defeat a much larger Meccan army (10,000)
b. Followed by the massacre of 700 men of the Jewish tribe of
Qurayzah, their women and children sold as slaves
1) For their support of the Meccans against the Muslims,
perceived as betrayal
2) It did not lead to hostility toward Jews in general
12. 628 - Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
a. Peace is made between Medina and Mecca
b. Muhammad now the most powerful man in Arabia
13. 630 - Meccans violate the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah
a. Muhammad marches on Mecca with a large army of Muslims and
their allies
b. Mecca concedes defeat without a fight
c. Muhammad takes the city without bloodshed; no one forced to
convert to Islam
d. He destroys the idols around the Kabah (believed to have
been built by Adam, rebuilt by Abraham and Ishmael),
rededicating it to Allah, and gives the old pagan rites of
the hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) an Islamic significance
14. 632 - Muhammad dies; Abu Bakr elected as his khalifah
(representative)
a. Virtually all the tribes of Arabia had joined the ummah
(Muslim community) either as converted Muslims or
Confederates
b. Single-handedly, Muhammad had brought peace to war-torn
Arabia
-- Adapted from the chronology in Islam - A Short History, by
Karen Armstrong, also helpful was The Biography Of Prophet
Muhammad, by Dr. A. Zahoor and Dr. Z. Haq
B. AFTER THE DEATH OF MUHAMMAD...
1. 632-34 - The caliphate of Abu Bakr, Muhammad's close friend and
early follower, whose rule was chiefly preoccupied by the wars
of riddah (apostasy)
a. Usamah leads expedition to Syria. Battles of Zu Qissa and
Abraq. Battles of Buzakha, Zafar and Naqra. Campaigns
against Bani Tamim and Musailima, the Liar.
b. Campaigns in Bahrain, Oman, Mahrah Yemen, and Hadramaut.
Raids in Iraq. Battles of Kazima, Mazar, Walaja, Ulleis,
Hirah, Anbar, Ein at tamr, Daumatul Jandal and Firaz.
c. Battles of Basra, Damascus and Ajnadin. Death of Abu Bakr.
2. 634-44 - The caliphate of Umar ibn al-Katthab, another
associate of Muhammad who preserved the unity of the ummah by
extending the ghazu (raids) to neighboring countries
a. Battles of Namaraq and Saqatia
b. Battle of Bridge. Battle of Buwaib. Conquest of Damascus.
Battle of Fahl.
c. Battle of Yermuk. Battle of Qadsiyia. Conquest of Madain.
d. Conquest of Syria. Fall of Jerusalem (638). Battle of
Jalula.
e. Conquest of Jazirah. Conquest of Khuizistan. Advance into
Egypt.
f. Capture of the post of Caesaria in Syria. Conquest of
Shustar and Jande Sabur in Persia. Battle of Babylon in
Egypt. Battle of Nihawand. Conquest Of Alexandria in Egypt.
g. Battle of Rayy in Persia. Conquest of Egypt. Conquest of
Azarbaijan and Tabaristan (Russia).
h. Conquest of Fars, Kerman, Sistan, Mekran and Kharan.
i. Martyrdom of Umar (assassinated by a Persian prisoner of war
in a mosque of Medina)
3. 644-56 - The caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan, another associate
of Muhammad who continued the ghazu
a. Campaigns in Khurasan, Armeain and Asia Minor.
b. Campaigns in North Africa. Conquest of the island of
Cypress.
c. Campaigns against the Byzantines.
d. Naval battle of the Masts against the Byzantines.
e. Discontentment and disaffection against the rule of Uthman.
f. Martyrdom of Uthman (assassinated by discontented Muslim
soldiers who proclaim Ali ibn Abi Talib as the new caliph)
4. 656-660 - The caliphate of Ali ibn Abi Talib, cousin of
Muhammad. A five year civil war ensues, known as the first
fitnah (time of temptation)
a. Battle of the Camel. Aisha, Muhammad's wife and others lead
a rebellion against Ali for not avenging Uthman's murder.
They are defeated.
b. In Syria the opposition is led by Uthman's kinsman Muawiyyah
ibn Abi Sufyan
c. An attempt to arbitrate leads to Muawwiyyah deposing Ali and
proclaiming himself caliph in Jerusalem
d. Ali is murdered by a Kharajite extremist. Ali's supporters
acclaim his son Hasan as the next caliph, but he abdicates
and Muawiyyah becomes caliph who starts what becomes known
as the Umayyad dynasty (moving the capital from Medina
to Damascus)
-- Adapted from the chronology in Islam - A Short History, by
Karen Armstrong; also from the chronology at Islamic Web
CONCLUSION
1. This has been a brief look at the first generation of Muslims in the
period of Muhammad and the first thirty years after his death
2. The first four successors to Muhammad are known as the Rashidun
("rightly guided" caliphs)...
a. They were companions of the prophet Muhammad
b. "...their period of rule would be just as formative as that of the
Prophet himself. Muslims would define themselves and their
theology according to the way they assess the turbulent, glorious
and tragic events of these years." - Karen Armstrong, ibid.
-- The importance of knowing the history of Muhammad's life, and that
of his immediate successors, will become apparent in a later study
3. In view of such a turbulent and violent history, can Islam truly be a
religion of peace...?
a. Its adherents say "Yes!", and most Muslims today are very peaceful
b. "The word 'Islam' is derived from the same root as the words
salaam (peace) and silm (the condition of peace). Islam means to
abandon oneself in peace. A Muslim, consequently, is one who in
peace gives or surrenders himself or herself to God. Islam means
accepting the faith freely - heart, mind, and soul. Surrendering
to Islam, as a result, means giving oneself to belief without
reservation, accepting the tenets of faith, and following both the
letter and the spirit of the Qur'an's prescriptions."
- Introduction To Islam, M. Cherif Bassiouni
c. Yet there are elements of Islam as proclaimed by Muhammad that
cause many non-Muslims to wonder
In our next study, we will take a look the holy book of Islam, the
Qur'an...
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