Islam: Empire of Faith

Motrenco Denis
Grupa H113
Islam is a monotheistic religion and its considered to be the second religion in the world in
terms of number of followers after Christianity. Islam has had a global impact since it was founded
in the seventh century. Mathematics, language, astronomy and medicine were especially influenced
by this culture and its effects can still be observed until our days. In this essay I will try to write
about the origin of this religion, about prophet Muhammad and the expansion of the Islamic Empire
and the global impact of Islam.
Islam was founded in the seventh century in the Arabian Peninsula. In present time this
territory is part of Saudi Arabia. The founder of this religion is Muhammad. He was born around
570 AD in Arabian Peninsula in Mecca. One of the greatest treasures of Mecca was the rich mixture
of cultures. There were Christians, Jews and there were also the Arabs of the desert who followed
animist type of religion. This circumstance made him able to communicate with a variety of people
from different cultures. Mecca was a center of trade, connecting Mediterranean Sea to the Indian
Ocean. When Muhammad was 6, both of his parents died and later he was taken under protection
by his uncle, chief of his clan. Being orphan from the early age, he was, as Esin Atil said the child
of everybody. This fact made him see life through different perspectives. After his childhood
Muhammad worked as merchant and he became very successful. At the age of 25 while leading one
of his caravan he met and, after a short period of time married a woman named Khadijah. She was
Muhammad's only wife as long as she lived.
Occasionally he would retreat to a cave above Mecca to pray. One day, he had an experience
that defined his life. An angel appeared in front of him in the form of a man. This was the day when
he received his first revelation from God. As Michael Sells from Haverford College said, from that
moment on Muhammad has started the prophetic career. After a short period of time Muhammad
started to preach his revelations, proclaiming that there is One God, that complete surrender to him
is the only way to God and that he was the only messenger of God. One God meant one people, no
more tribal divisions. As John Renard from St. Louis University said, Muhammad has delivered a
strong social justice message. Islam was a new order, a new type of life were everybody is equal:
black, white, men, women or children. Esin Atil, historian of the Islamic art thinks that this matter
was one of the reasons why Islam spread so quickly.

Muhammads following started to grow. They called themselves Muslims, those who
surrendered to God. They decided to preserve the message that Muhammad has brought. This was
the beginning of the Quran. As Muhammads community grew, so did the opposition. Muhammads
followers and the messages spread by Quran created a threat to the social and economic order of the
Mecca. Merchants became worried about their safety so a lot of them left the city. Because of that,
the tribal leaders decided Muhammad and his message must be removed, permanently.
When Muhammad left the city and he has begun a new community, a new tribe. They were
moving toward Medina and, for the first time, they were bound together not by blood but by faith.
This event is known as Hijra and marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. While being in
Medina, Muhammad received a revelation instructing Muslims to face in the direction of the
Mecca. For years Muhammad has tried to bring Islam to the people of Mecca peacefully but now it
was time to fight. This war was the defining moment for the Islam Empire because a lot of tribes
from Arabian Peninsula have joined Muhammads army. They were impressed by the power that
Allah has given to Muhammads followers during the three years of fighting. After one mouth
Mecca fell to Muhammad. He destructed all the idols and this fact marked a new beginning. From
this point, the only limit of spreading Islam was the sea. Michael Sells from Haverford College says
that within 200 year it extended from Spain to China. The Muslims have absorbed the Sasanian
Empire of Iran and two thirds of Byzantine Empire. Muhammad died only two years after taking
Mecca, in 632.
The Arabs transformed the conquered lands by improving or expanding the infrastructure of
the city. In Tunisia they created system of water purification. The impact of the Islamic Empire on
science is huge. Unlike de Christians, they didnt see a contradiction between science and religion.
They started to travel and gather a lot of information from all the previous cultures. They embraced
Aristotles and Platos writings. Algebra and trigonometry, engineering and astronomy, countless
disciplines trace their origins from Islamic sciences. The Muslims scientists were the first who
developed the theory that diseases was transmitted by the tiny airborne germs. They found out that
sick patients should be isolated from the rest of people. They founded the basis of hospitals of our
days.