Katie Axelrod
9.20.15
A Block
History
Ms. Shields
Islam in the Arabian Peninsula
610 C.E. marks the beginning of Islam. The founder, Muhammad, was thought to be the final prophet from God. Muhammad went all throughout the Peninsula preaching Islam. Islam thrived in the Arabian Peninsula because of the lifestyle it provided, because the geography (mountains, desert, and seas) did not interfere with how it was practiced, and because it was tolerant of other pre existing religions.
Islam was able to thrive the Arabian Peninsula because the lifestyle that the Qur’an outlines and the lifestyle that the inhabitants lived were very closely related; the Islamic people had to pray, journey to the holy land, and give charity to the poor. The Qur’an outlines…show more content… This pillar was also attractive because, unlike Christianity or Judaism, in Islam a follower can pray anywhere as long as they pray “at the two ends of the day and at the approach of the night”(The Qur’an, 2:238) and because the majority of followers were nomads or traders this made it easier for them both make a living and be good Muslims. Another pillar is journeying to Mecca. This is attractive because most people live on the coast of the Peninsula and Mecca is in a central location. Many people had already been journeying to Mecca, or more specifically the Ka’ba, for other polytheistic faiths, so when Allah, or god, was put into the Ka’ba the people kept visiting Mecca to…show more content… The 2 remaining pillars of Islam are fasting for an entire month and the profession of faith. Fasting was attractive to the Bettowins of the Arabian Peninsula because it meant that it conserved resources. In the Qur’an it is said any man “on a journey, (let him fast a) number of...days”(Qur’an, 2:185). Since the majority of the peninsula is desert, and most of the Muslim people are always on a journey or on the move, this meant that resources were scarce, so when the religion said to fast it was both a way to conserve and to serve their god. Profession of faith is attractive to the people of Islam because it can be done from anywhere. If someone wanted to become Muslim in the middle of the desert they could. All that they would have to do is say, “that… there is no God but Him (Allah), the Almighty, the Wise.”(the Qur’an 3:18). By saying this the converts were committing to Allah and Allah only. Being able to say this anywhere meant that the entire religion could be done on the move. Another geographical advantage was the fact that the majority of the religion was right along the coast. This meant that as traders came in and out the Muslims could share their ideas and they would spread from country to