Paraphrase

The origin of Islam is in the Arabian Peninsula as the new religion reflected faithfully the cultural as well as the social conditions of the homeland. The people of the area were known as Bedouin and were mostly pastoralists as the area is not good for agriculture due to desert conditions. They organized themselves into family and clan groups. The kinship system was important for the Bedouin’s and was depended for support as well as networks for the immediate family members. Long distance trade was predominant in the area, and Arabia was a key area of this trade as it linked China, India as well as Persia. Prophet Muhammad was born in this society in about 570 C.E into a reputable merchant family in Mecca and was named Muhammad Ibn Abdullah. He became an orphan at the age of six. His uncle and grandfather fended for him and provided him with education although his education life was difficult. In about 595 C.E he worked for a wealthy widow known as Khadija and subsequently married her hence becoming prominent. He became established by the age of thirty.

Many Arabs at that time were polytheists, and many Arabs had converted to Christianity. When he was about forty years, he underwent a spiritual transformation when he underwent an experience that convicted him that there is only one God, Allah, who ruled the universe and that idolatry was wickedness. At first, he only presented oral recitations of the revelations he received from his visions. His following grew, and the written version of his revelation was completed in 650 and named Quran, which is the holy book of Islam. Other than the Quran, traditions known as hadith also provided religious and moral guidance. His popularity brought him in conflict with the Mecca’s ruling elites. He fled to Medina, and the migration was known as hijra. He subsequently organized his follw0ers into Umma, which was a community of faithful. They returned to Mecca and during his death in 632 C.E he and brought most of the Arabia under Islamic control. The Islamic faith is based on five pillars. Jihad has been taken by some Muslims as an obligation, and it means to struggle. The Muslims are guided by Sharia laws that were advanced by the prophet concerning almost all aspects of life.

After the death of Prophet Muhammad, the Islamic faith expanded through conquests. There were dynasties that ruled after his death and sometimes brought disagreements as to who would lead them. These dynasties included Umayyad dynasty, Abbasid dynasty, the Reign of Harun al-Rashid. Then there was the establishment of the Seljuq control over the dynasty of Abbasid then the last two lives of al-Ghazali and IbnRushd. This led to the division of Muslim to groups lime the Shia and the Sunni as a result of succession disagreements. New crops emerged in the region through various experiments of agriculture that led to industrial crops, and this subsequently led to the growth and development of urban centers. Agriculture and abundance of food contributed to the trade in the region to a great extent and in the long run resulted in the formation of Hemispheric Trading Zone. The trades included the Overland Trade, Camels, and Caravans as well as Maritime Trade. Trade was organized efficiently and banks too developed. This made the Muslims prosper in trade, and this prosperity was referred to as al-Andalus.

Women in the previous times were not highly regarded and respected in the society as it was patriarchal in nature although this state of affairs slowly changed. Women were able to own property, divorce as well as take part in business ventures. For example, Khadija who was the first wife of the Prophet was a successful woman in business. The Quran encouraged men to treat women with respect and allowed men to marry up to four wives. The women were also supposed to wear veils. The Quran, therefore, served as the pillar stone of the Islamic faith. The culture of Islam was formed as a mixture and influence of various cultures which include the Persian culture, Indian culture, and the Greek culture. This is due to their interactions with the various cultures, and they learned various languages during their interaction with the other traditions and cultures.