Middle east Islam - Research Paper Example

Middle East Islam s 12th October Introduction Islam as it is known is a very strict religion and Muslims are widely perceived to be very devoted to their religion since majority of them adhere to the strict religious Islamic teachings. Ridgeon (2003) on his part stated that Islamic teachings have been able to instill high level of discipline among Muslims, and as part of Islamic traditions, parents are forced to ensure that these teachings are transferred to their children right from a younger age when they attend regular classes that teach about the Islamic faith and practices that are acceptable.

Same as Jesus is for Christians, Prophet Mohammed is a key figure in the Islamic faith, and his life stories have been used to shape up Islamic beliefs and teachings. This present essay seeks to analyze the life of Prophet Mohammed and then discuss the five pillars of Islam. The life of Prophet Mohammed Brown (2003) wrote that Prophet Mohammed was born on 8th June 570 AD at Mecca in Saudi Arabia as Abu al-Qasim Mu?ammad ibn ?Abd Allah ibn ?Abd al-Mu??alib ibn Hashim, however, this was transliterated to Mohammad or Mohammed to refer to his status as the “highly praised.

” By the age of six, Prophet Mohammed became an orphan and his uncle Abu Talib adopted him. Whiles staying with his uncle he, started working as a Shepherd and it is reported that later at the age of nine, he joined his uncle on a caravan to Syria. It was during this caravan trip that Mohammed developed a deep passion in the travel business, and as a young man, he worked as a camel driver on the route that connects Arabia to Syria. After gaining a deep understanding about the business, he set forth a career in managing caravans for other merchants.

Goldschmidt and Lawrence (2005) argued that his engagement in this business enabled him to interact with people from different walks of life and religious beliefs. At the age of 25 years, Mohammed married his employer, Khadija who was a wealthy Meccan widow and 15 years older than he was. Goldschmidt and Lawrence (2005) in their writings stated that their marriage was happy and loving, and Mohammed did not even marry another wife despite Polygamy being a common practice during that particular time.

According to Ridgeon (2003), during his late 30s, Mohammed developed a habit of visiting a cave in Mount Hira, which is situated at the outskirts of Mecca in order to gain seclusion and conduct prayers. It was after one such visit while at the age of 40 years that he came back and shared with people about the first revelation that had been given to him by God. Three years after this first revelation, Mohammed started to preach publicly about these revelations from God, informing the people about the fact that “God is One” and that everyone should completely surrender to him since it is the only way accepted by God (Ridgeon, 2003).

At this point Mohammed started gaining followers in big numbers but he faced hostility from some Meccan tribes who were against his teachings. This forced Mohammed and some of his followers to migrate to Medina where they engaged in fights with other Meccan tribes but they later took full control of Mecca, which enabled him to unite the entire Arab region under a single Muslim religious polity. The analysis of Mohammed life has seen him referred to as military, political, and religious leader in the Islamic faith.

The revelations that he received have been used to create verses in the Quran, while his life, which is regarded as “Sira” as well as his traditions, are observed as key sources of the Sharia law (Brown, 2003). The five pillars of Islam In the writings by Ridgeon (2003), he stated that the five pillars of Islam are regarded as the five key obligations that Muslims must adhere to in order to live a life that is considered righteous in Islamic faith. According to Brown (2003), these pillars are spelt out under the ‘hadith of Gabriel’ and they are particularly important because they are a mark of putting faith into action as they form a basic framework for the life of Muslims, and they interline daily activities and beliefs to a single unit of religious devotion.

These five pillars comprise of the Shahadah, which require Muslims to recite sincerely their complete devotion to the Islamic faith. The second pillar is Salat, which require Muslims to conduct ritual prayers in the correct manner five times in a day. The third pillar is Zakat, which require Muslims to issue offertories to benefit the needy and the poor in the society. The fourth pillar is Sawm, which require Muslims to fast during the month of Ramadan. The last pillar is Hajj, which require Muslims to pilgrimage Mecca at least once during their lifetime.

Reference Brown, D. (2003). A New Introduction to Islam. Blackwell Publishing Professional. Goldschmidt, A. and Lawrence, D. (2005). A Concise History of the Middle East (8th ed.). Westview Press. Ridgeon, L. (2003). Major World Religions (1st ed.). RoutledgeCurzon