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THE INFLUENCE OF MOHAMMED THE PROPHET The success of the Arabian civilization is due to the contributions and efforts of one single man by the name of Pbuh Mohammed. Mohammed was a prophet who was responsible for the creation and development of the Islam religion which would later become the foundation of the Arabian society. Other than the fact that he developed a religion that is accepted world wide, he granted the people of Arabia with a new culture and way of life. There is no way to measure the importance of this one mans life, or the impact that he had on both Arabia and the rest of the world. Arab civilization truly began in AD 570 with the birth of a man that would grow up to develop the foundation for every aspect of the Arabian life. The Islam religion is the first and oldest of its kind.
The development of this Muslim belief caused a great turning point in the development of the Arabian civilization. It would eventually grow and develop, forming the foundation of the entire Arabian Empire. The word Islam itself means submission to the will of the Gods. While the word Muslims, the name given to followers of the Islam religion, simple translates into those who submit. The religion began with one follower named Mohammed, and expanded to the present day estimate of about 750, 000, 000 (, ). The Muslims believe in one God and one God only, Allah.
They believe that he stands alone and has absolute control over the actions of all people on earth. Muslims also believe that all men are equal to Allah. For this reason, the importance of acts of charity, and easing the suffering of those in need were greatly stressed by Mohammed. At the time this was directed towards the poor, the women and the children of Arabia. Islam religion is said to be a cross between Christianity and Judaism. There are many similarities between the Christian and Jewish God, and Allah.
Muslims believe that there was a man by the name of Jesus, but that he was one of the six prophets that Allah chose to help Him communicate His word to the people here on earth. They accept the virgin birth of Jesus, but deny His divinity and resurrection. They considered Mohammed, who was born in AD 571, (, ) to be the final and the greatest of all the prophets. Not only was he an outstanding preacher of Gods word, but he took on both political and military roles while living in Yathrib (modern day Medina).
It is said that while meditating in a cave on Mount Hira, the angel Gabriel spoke to Mohammed and told him to "read the name of the Lord, who created man from a lot of blood" (, ). The voice of this heavenly angel was sent down by Allah to communicate his words of wisdom to Mohammed. In about AD 613, after three years of living the life intended by Allah in private, the angel Gabriel was said to appear to him once again and tell him to "Arise and warn" (, ). That is when Mohammed began to preach the word of Allah in public. Over the next twenty three years Mohammed attempted to improve the society's morality.
His speeches were often written down by more than one of his many followers. They greatly inspired the Arabian people to live a life following the words of Allah, and made them want to learn more about the wishes of their God. Directly following the death of Mohammed, his followers began to compile the notes from his speeches into a Holy book, which eventually was called the Koran. People believed that the words of Allah were delivered to Mohammed piece by piece from Gabriel and therefore believed this Holy book to be the exact words of God delivered to them through Mohammed. This Holy Book holds one hundred and fourteen chapters that are memorized by many people throughout the world. It describes what one must do to be loved and accepted in the eyes of Allah.
This religion was a gradual development that took twenty three years to complete, but when it was finished, it outlined the beliefs and lifestyle of the Muslim Arabs. As Mohammed the prophet spread the word of God, new tradition and development of the Arabian culture began to take place. The roles among the society became clearly defined. Especially between the two genders and those of various social status. The society developed into a very male dominated one that focused of male honor. Women were believed to be weak, and more subjected to temptation.
While mens lives were focused on success and pride, womens were focused on trying to keep others, especially their husbands, happy. In a way, they were treated almost like slaves, in the sense that their life was dedicated obeying the wishes of other people in an attempt to make others happy, or satisfied with them. To do any less would be a great disgrace to both your husband, and family, one which could never be erased. The most distinctive tradition that developed is the clothing and role of Arabian women.
By the age of twelve, a young ladys body must be completely covered from head to toe. The only skin allowed to be shown is a small part of the skin around your eyes, that was revealed by the veil. The veil is very well recognized by foreigners. Veils have been worn by women of the middle east since at least 1500 BC. There are both traditional and practical reason why this garment is worn. First of all it protects womens faces from the hot desert sun and dry windblown sand.
The religious purpose is that goes along with the whole conservative womens role that was laid out by Mohammed. Another traditional outfit worn by Muslim woman is the avaya. The avaya is a long black outer cloak which drapes over a woman, covering her body from head to toe. The Practical use of the avaya is that in the winter, it keeps one warm, and in the summer, it prevents the evaporation of the moisture on womens body. Although both these garments have practical purposes, the main reason that they were worn by woman was for extra precautions. They were used to safeguard ones modesty and insure that one would not receive a bad name.
A conservative women "reveals nothing with her looks, words or actions which she displays" (, ). It was the mens job to keep the woman in line; always obeying the laws created for conservative woman. If a woman was caught out of the traditional attire, or if she earned herself a bad reputation in any other way, shape, or form, than she would be punished in the town square in front of everyone. This was the officials way of preventing any other woman from rebelling. Punishments included horrendous tortures such as the cutting off of ones hand. You could earn a poor reputation very easily, for example, if you are caught talking to a male who is not directly related to you.
You were really frowned upon if you made any sort of contact with a man outside of your family, even if it was just a simple hello. For this reason, marriages were arranged by the parents of the couple. However, it was more of a suggestion by the family, it was never forced on them. The Prophet Mohammed believed in polygamy, therefore, men were allowed to have as many a four wives.
The one condition was that they all had to be treated equally. If the man could not do so, than he must choose one of the women to keep as his wife and let the rest go. Women however, were only allowed to have one husband. Women really did not have many options. They were not religiously, or riotously protected from harm unless they were proved to be a conservative woman with a good name. The cleaner your background, the more protection you would receive.
Woman were very much babied in this society. They were not free to make their own decisions. They were not allowed to enroll in school, to have important jobs, or to be seen in the company of a man that was not related to them. While men were off working hard, women had the option of being homemakers, which was much more socially preferred, or of working in the medical, social, or educational field. The only exception being that all of your CO-workers and customers had to all be female.
Women really had no choice but to obey the very unfair rules because they were not free to leave the country and to protest would mean severe punishments. However, growing up in that environment, made the woman accept their roles without a lot of fuss. The Islam religion defined and changed the roles of various people throughout the Arabian society. Finally, the impact that Mohammed made on Saudi Arabia and the rest of the world was very dramatic. The Arabs worship of jinn spirits was quickly replaced by the Islam religion.
This new found religion along with the inspiring words of Mohammed, encouraged the Muslims to preach the word of Allah and convert as many people as possible. The Muslims began to set out and conquer many cities and countries. The Muslims would continue to conquer large lands which belonged to the "civilized" world, hundreds of years later. The Beginning of the Muslim calendar is marked at the beginning of Mohammed and his followers migration to the city of Yathrib, which is known today as Medina.
The Koran was not only the book of the Islam faith and rituals, but of the government and law. It laid out common sins and laid out punishments for them. They holy book defined the social status of women and men. It provided Arabia with a good sense of how to govern family life and it offered clear guidelines on personal behavior and legal matters. There was no real distinction between the church and religious activities, and the government and the state. The holy book was a guideline of which the Muslims looked to, for answers to their everyday lives.
Mohammed created a religion that would eventually spread world wide personally effect and change the lives of over seven hundred million people. Mohammed placed the grounds for the development of the Arabian lifestyle, which would spread like wildfire, shaping the lives and cultures of civilizations around the world. To Muslims, Pbuh Mohammed's life was of greater importance the life of Christ, and all others who were sent to earth by God. His life changed the faces of many cultures and civilizations world wide. His words and actions were greatly influential and are still studied and recited by scholars and many others today. He was a man who made history, from the day he was born until the day he died.
Those who were followers of this great man realized that after his life had finished, the world, and Arabia would never be the same. Bibliography:
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