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The Religion Of Islam Through The Ages

The Religion of Islam Through the Ages

11/21/07

The Religion of Islam Through the Ages
The Islamic religion is by far one of the most misinterpreted today within the United States. Beginning as a branch off from Judaism, Islam preaches the same beginnings as that of Christianity. The religion itself respects other prophets as Jesus and Moses are considered within the Quran. The Quran differs in that its teachings followers believe to have been written by ‘Allah’, the one God, however, some argue it was by Mohammad the prophet. The following will give a brief overview of the origins, the increase in America today, statistics of the growth, and the Architecture of the Islamic movement.
Origins
Islam originated in the Middle East. While Islam did not originate in the United States, Muslims have been present in the United States of America since the time of Columbus. Muslims immigrated into the United States from Spain and Africa. “In addition, between 14 and 20 percent of the African slaves brought to America from the 16th to the 19th century were Muslims, although they were forced to convert to Christianity. Other Muslims, particularly Indians and Arabs, also immigrated as free persons during this period and were able to maintain their spiritual, cultural and social identity” (Esposito, 2007, p. 1)
Most often Islam is attributed to Mohammed, as he is a holy figure in the world of Islam. Many believe prior to Mohammad’s birth in c.570, the writings of the Quran existed in some context, however, the written explanations are attributed to Mohammad revealing the sacred word of Allah during his lifetime as it was shown to him as a prophet of ‘Allah’. The Quran has the first five books of Moses and than similar stories of the Christian bible. However, ‘Allah’ and Mohammand put the Quran together during various stages of Mohammad’s life. “The text is divided into chapters known as suras, and verses known as ayat, which means signs” (Bowker, 2002). In a...