What is Islam?

Question

When did Islam begin, and who founded it?

Answer 1

Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) traveled widely. In his forties he began to retire to meditate in a cave on Mount Hira outside of Mecca, where the first of the great events of Islam took place. One day, as he sat in the cave, he heard a voice, later identified as that of the Angel Gabriel, which ordered him to:

Recite: In the name of thy Lord who created, Created man from a clot of blood.

Three times Muhammad pleaded his inability to do so, but each time the command was repeated. Finally, Muhammad recited the words of what are now the first five verses of the 96th surah or chapter of the Quran - words which proclaim God the Creator of man and the Source of all knowledge.

At first Muhammad divulged his experience only to his wife and his immediate circle. But as more revelations enjoined him to proclaim the oneness of God universally, his following grew, at first among the poor and the slaves, but later also among the most prominent men of Mecca. The revelations he received at this time and those he did so later are all incorporated in the Quran, the Scripture of Islam.
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Islam means submission to Allah. It is a peaceful religion. The five pillars of Islam are:

1) To fast. Because in Islam, fasting deals with more than not eating food. It's supposed to cleanse our heart, and allow us to focus on God. We are supposed to abstain from many other things than just food (i.e...derogatory music/movies, cussing..things of that nature). It also give us a truer sense of how impoverished people feel. You don't really get a true sense of their hunger by cutting down on food, but by abstaining from food from dawn to dusk. Also, fasting in Islam is to teach us self-control. After we break our fast, we should not gorge down on food, but remember why we fast in the first place. Fasting also allows us to feed our hungry fellow Muslims. At the Mosque, someone usually prepares Iftar, which is food for breaking the fast and we believe that person receives many blessings because they are feeding the hungry. See, there are many reasons we fast in Ramadhan.

2)To Make Hajj

3)To give Zakat. Zakat is charity to the poor. Islam prescribes a system of Zakaat (obligatory annual charity). If every rich person in the world gave Zakaat sincerely, poverty will be eradicated from this world. Not a single human being would die of hunger. Furthermore, Quran encourages rich people in several places. to spend their wealth on poor peoples other than the compulsory 2.5 % amount.
“And establish the Prayer and pay the Due-alms and bow with those who bow“
(Quran 2:43)
" The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower, Wise."
(The Holy Qur'an 9:60).

4) To Pray 5 Times a Day.

5) To say Shahada which is "There is no God but Allah and Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessing be upon him) is his Messenger."

Also Muslim women should wear the Hijab. The Hijab is not a sign of oppression for women. It also does not symbolize weakness. The Hijab represents our faith. It represents our strength. We don't conform to what society wants us to do. Imagine the number of stares Muslim women get and they still wear it. Muslim women are aware of the negative connotation surrounding the Hijab but they understand the meaning behind it and still wear it. It takes a strong women to do that. Also, the Hijab puts Muslim women on a pedastal. The Quran tells Men to lower their gaze. It allows Men to focus on our faith, our personality, and who we are rather than our beauty or lack thereof. It prevents us from sexual desires with people we do not know. It is like women are precius gems that should not be touched. I am a Muslim woman and I thank Allah that I am.

And here are some verses from the Quran that forbids anger and preaches patience:
125. Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.
126. And if ye do catch them out, catch them out no worse than they catch you out: But if ye show patience, that is indeed the best (course) for those who are patient.
127. And do thou be patient, for thy patience is but from Allah. nor grieve over them: and distress not thyself because of their plots.
128. For Allah is with those who restrain themselves, and those who do good.

Answer 2

Islam is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of Muhammad as recorded in the Qur'an. It is the second-largest religion in the world, with a total of about 1.2–1.3 billion adherents. Followers of Islam are known as Muslims. Like Judaism, Christianity and the Bahá'í Faith, Islam is an Abrahamic religion.

Muslims believe Muhammad to have been God's final prophet.

From what is today Saudi Arabia, Islam rapidly expanded through conquest under the leadership of Muhammad and his successors in the 7th and 8th centuries.Muslims may be found all over the world today, concentrated especially in West Asia, North Africa, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

Islamic history begins in Arabia in the 7th century with the emergence of Muhammad. Within a century of his death, an Islamic state stretched from the Atlantic ocean in the west to central Asia in the east, which, however, was soon torn by civil wars (fitnas). After this, there would always be rival dynasties claiming the caliphate, or leadership of the Muslim world, and many Islamic states or empires offering only token obedience to an increasingly powerless caliph.

Answer 3

Hey! I'm Islamic so i should know!
Islam began when the Prophet Mohammed was given a message in a cave. He heard the voice to Read and Recite, and found it was God. God told him to spread Islam to everybody. Unfortunately, non-Islamic people made fun of the religion and most people did not want to follow. Followers of Mohammed converted to Islam. The second person to convert to Islam was Mohammed's wife, Kathija.

Answer 4

Islam began in the VII Century and it was founded by mohamed. Islam is a belief that, according to what we see on the media, tells you that you must blow yourself in the middle of innocent people, believing that that action will grant you access to a place where you will have a bunch of women

Answer 5

Christian perspective:

Islam, I believe, was founded by Mouhammad (sorry if I spelled it wrong). Mouhammad was direct relation (I believe) to Ishmael, who was son of Abraham and brother to Issac (different mothers) God promised Abraham and his wife Sarah, a son to inherit what God promised Abraham

Genesis 15 (Biblegateway.com)
"18 On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram and said, "To your descendants I give this land, from the river [d] of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates- 19 the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, 20 Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, 21 Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites."

it took to long so Sarah told Abraham to have a child with her Handmaid Hagar, who bore Ishmael. Although Ismael was born first, he was not the son God spoke of. Anyway, Ishmael and Hagar got sent away, but God promised Ismael to also have a Great Nation of people, I believe to be Islam.

Anyway, the arguement is which son was God speaking of, Ishmael or Issac? Christianity believes the Bible that it is Issac and I believe Islam believes it to be Ishmael. Someone who is Islamic would have to verify that though, I am not Islamic but have read about it and seen the Quaran (Which the book Mouhammad wrote, if I am not wrong)

Answer 6

Islam began in the 7th century when Prophet Muhammad(peace be upon him) received revelations to read from the angel Gabriel, who is a messenger of Allah. Prophet Muhammad then spread the religion to the bedouin tribes(nomadic tribes) in the Middle East.

Answer 7

Islam is the last religion of heaven and earth
Muhammad the last prophet of God, his son Mahdi
1,400 years elapsed
But people do not realize that Mahdi
Waiting to hear
All human beings lead again
Back Mahdi to eliminate oppression and injustice
Mahdi harbinger of good
And hated the war.
Who hate the good?
In the Qur'an:
Why do not you think
Unless you do not mind

Answer 8

It is the final religion which all people are asked to follow.Prophet Mohammad was asked by God to call all people to follow it since 1426 years ago.It believes that there is one God in this universe and this God does not have Son or a wife.And God sent all the prophets like(Noah.Abraham,Moses,Jesus and other prophets to guide people to the right path.Its Holy book is Quran which contains the words of God.Islam believes that the bible is a Holy book but it was changed and some of the facts in it were altered.

Answer 9

Islam started from Mecca and Allah choose Muhammad as messenger. The holly book of Islam is Koran. Islam begin on 6 August 610 AD when Muhammad at Hira cave. Allah sent Jibrail to Muhammad and Jibrail gave a surah ( al-Alaq ) to Muhammad. Jibrail said, "Read it". Muhammad scare and said he cannot read anything. That time Muhammad is 40 y o

To Space Cowboy, 623AD is the year of 'hijrah' ( Muhammad and followers moved from Mecca to Medina ) and starting of the Islam calender.

To dmd Muhammad didnot write Koran. He cannot read, write when Allah sent al-Alaq to him by Jibrail

Answer 10

Islam is the final religion

Answer 11

Islam began around 623 A.D. , in Medina, and Mecca on the Arabian penninsula. It was founded by Mohammed.