Islam, Pastoral Peoples, and the 15 Century

Chapter 11  Islam

Muhammad was the man believed by many to be a messenger from God.  Believers called him a prophet.  Muslims believe that through Muhammad’s revelations from God, which lasted over twenty years, he revealed the religion of Islam.   His revelations were recorded in the Quran which are the scriptures that Muslims base their faith on.  Muhammad claimed he was the last of the prophets to reveal himself and that in fact there was only one God – Allah.  According to the text, Muhammad and his followers did not view his teachings as a new religion but as a return to the “pure religion of Abraham” which Christians, Jews, and Arabs had deviated from.  Unlike Christianity, Islam was not separated by religion and politics.  All aspects of life revolved around Islam, be it religious, political, or military based.  I can appreciate Muhammad’s teachings.  They addressed social injustices, inequality, and commercialism.  He recognized that the path to God was to fight against these injustices in life.  Unfortunately, after Muhammad’s death, the absence of his leadership led to the divide between Muslims.  It was sad to learn that in less than 25 years after his death, Muslims were divided by a civil war.  In today’s world, I find it unfortunate that extremists have taken Muhammeds teachings and used them as an excuse to harm innocent people (including themselves) in the name of God.  If I understand correctly, Muhammed would have never defended harming another human over a personal belief.