Details of the Life of Muhammad - Essay Example

The past scriptures are the most accurate sources of information about the history of the Muslim community.

The writings found in the books such as the Quran adequately inform about the history of early Islam and related practices. The Muslim holy book is comprehensive in tracing the events that Muslims went through, the practices they engaged in and their lifestyles (culture) capturing the changes experienced from Mecca to Medina (Deen 126). It is regarded by the Muslims as the true word of God. The fact that it addresses some of the difficulties the Muslim community of that time went through makes it a valuable tool for digging into the occurrences that the people experienced.

Consequently, Hadith is another essential source of information about the history of Islam. The abundant information about the history of Islam today has been sourced from hadiths. Muslim laws that are still practiced today are based on the writings inscribed in the hadiths. The fact that hadiths were written during ancient times makes them reliable. They provide factual information about the practices and lives lived by the Muslim community in the early times. For instance, Muhammad himself wrote a hadith about the interpretations he had about the religious life of Muslims.

Significantly, Muhammad’s biography written to unfold the life of Muhammad both found in the Quran and Ibn Ishaq’s work reveals more deeply the history of Islam. The struggles and challenges Muhammad went through and the works he carried out are well documented in various works. For instance, Ibn Ishaq lived in the ancient times when Muhammad was still alive and his reports are believed to be an accurate reflection of what exactly constituted Prophet Muhammad’s life. The Dome of the Rock has also explored the practices and movements of the Muslim community extensively (Lings 110).

There are also secondary sources that attempt to demonstrate the history of Islam. Films such as Life of Muhammad have also sought to bring to light what happened several years ago. However, the interpretations have always been challenged since the early Muslims were illiterate including Muhammad. Fred Donner’s writing as well as that of other secondary sources has been subjective in the way they explain their conception.

CONCLUSION

The accurate historical information of the past Muslim community, as demonstrated, can be found in primary sources such as the Quran, hadiths, and other inscriptions whose authors had a one-on-one encounter with experiences they reported. The life of Muhammad is detailed in the primary sources written in the early times. There are also secondary sources such as films and scriptures that seek to trace the history of Islam. However, they have been criticized for subjectivity in interpretation.