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The Five Pillars of Islam (article) | Islam | Khan Academy

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7. How did the spread of Islam affect the World?

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Southland Muslim Association Of New Zealand

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how is the spread of Islam affect the world - Google Search

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world over the last ... Before analysing how these affect India's strategic interests, it would be ... the universal spread of the Wahabi brand of Islam, in return for minimal ...

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Mohammed's Successors

After the death of Mohammed, the new religion of Islam was at a crossroads. Having unified the tribes of Arabia and solidified Mecca as the capital of their faith, the followers of Islam were faced with their first leadership crisis. Who would take up the mantle of Mohammed and lead?

The successor to Mohammed, given the title of caliph, was destined to be one of two men. The first man, named Ali, was believed by some to be Mohammed's personal choice. He was a cousin and a son-in-law to the prophet. Yet others believed Abu Bakr had a stronger claim. Abu Bakr, a longtime friend, confidant and father-in-law to Mohammed, had been the first male convert to Islam. Ultimately, it was Abu Bakr who got the nod from the majority of the elders to become the first caliph of Islam.

He would serve in this position for two years until his death in 634 CE. But during those two years, Abu Bakr proved himself an able leader, subduing the entire Arabian Peninsula and converting the population to Islam. What is more, those around Abu Bakr were well-schooled in the arts of war and conflict and understood the importance of strengthening their borders against encroachment from foreign armies and foreign faiths. They also understood the importance of preventing internal dissent. Soon, the armies of Islam would set their sights on expansion beyond Arabia, and two unsuspecting empires would be their choice targets.

Targeting the Infidels

The first was the Sassanid Empire, a wealthy and prosperous kingdom built upon trade and commerce that controlled Persia (modern-day Iran) and Iraq. The Sassanids were inheritors of the great tradition - the tradition of the , who were master craftsmen, warriors, artists and followers of the Zoroastrian religion.

The second empire was Byzantium, an empire based in Constantinople. They were equally wealthy, prosperous and as culturally rich as the Sassanids, but they were Christians. Byzantium controlled much of the former lands of Romans, including what is now modern-day Palestine, Israel and Syria, as well as extending their power into Egypt.

Believing that both empires posed a threat to Islam, Abu Bakr declared a religious jihad against them. He felt that the expansion of Islam would be key to its survival. These wars were welcomed by true believers as a sign of God's will, a desire to root out the paganism of the Persians and the corrupted Christianity of the Byzantines. Even after Abu Bakr's death, the wars would continue.

The Second Caliphate 634-644 CE

The second caliphate (from 634 - 644 CE) was led by Umar, another father-in-law to Mohammed, and was marked by several successful military campaigns against the Byzantine Empire, including the capture of Damascus in the year 635 and the capture of Jerusalem in the year of 637 CE. Once he had conquered these lands, he instituted a modern form of Islamic government, allowing for both Jews and Christians (as well as others) to practice their faith if they paid the jizya (religious tax).

To the east, Umar's forces moved against the Sassanid and captured the capital city of Ctesiphon in 637 CE. Historical records of this time tell us that while the inhabitants of the city were not harmed, their palaces and libraries were burned. As a result, ancient knowledge and countless artifacts were lost forever. Sadly, this marked a disturbing trend in warfare for centuries to come, where priceless works of human culture were burned in the name of religion from Persia to as far east as India.

Muslim armies continued to have success in their war with the Sassanid and Byzantines, eventually capturing Babylon in 641 and the city of Alexandria, Egypt in 642 CE. Much of the Muslim armies' success was due to their internal unity. They were buoyed by their faith, and also, the internal divisions found in both the Sassanid and the Byzantine empires weakened both from the inside. By the time of Umar's death, Islam controlled a swath of territory second only to the Tang Dynasty of China.

The Third Caliphate 644-656 CE

Uthman, a member of the influential Umayyad family, was chosen as Umar's successor and served as the third caliph from 644 - 656 CE. In 645, he defeated the Byzantine attempt to recover Alexandria, and in 647, he began to expand the Muslim Empire west of Egypt. He conquered Cyprus in 649, and his forces reached the easternmost boundary of Persia in 653 CE. His accomplishments on the battlefield were mirrored by his promotion of Islam and Arabic culture and, most importantly of all, a unified and definitive version of the Quran, which significantly reduced doctrinal differences among the faithful.

But not all Muslims were happy with this leadership. Many felt Uthman had become too powerful, manipulating religion for his benefit. When Uthman was ultimately assassinated, a civil war erupted, and Ali, Mohammed's cousin and son-in-law, was declared the fourth caliph. Ali would also face immediate opposition, but he managed to maintain control from 656 - 661 CE, when he was assassinated in violence that threatened to tear the Islamic world apart.

From this chaos, the clan of the Umayyad ultimately emerged victorious. They would establish a new caliphate that would last until 750 CE, when another challenger would prove too strong even for them to resist.

The Abbasid Dynasty 750-1258 CE

The excesses of the Umayyad did not go unnoticed by many in the Islamic world, and challengers were abundant. Yet few had the power to make a real go at ruling. One group that did was the Abbasid clan, so named as they claimed descent from Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttabib, one of the younger nephews of the Prophet Mohammed.

They detested what they perceived to be secularism of the Umayyad and considered them immoral by Islamic standards. The Abbasid also appealed to non-Arab Muslims, who felt they were treated as second-class citizens within the Umayyad Empire.

The Abbasids began launching raids against the Umayyad ruling class - and finally outright war. With the support of the Persians, they were able to defeat and overthrow the Umayyad caliphate, establishing what would become the Abbasid Dynasty.

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the spread of islam and the progress of the caliphates - video & lesson transcript | study.com

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The Spread of Islam and the Progress of the Caliphates - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com

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After the death of Mohammed, the new religion of Islam was at a crossroads. Having unified the tribes of Arabia and solidified Mecca as the capital of their faith, the followers of Islam were faced with their first leadership crisis. Who would take up the mantle of Mohammed and lead?

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It affected the world by bringing the old knowledge and mixed it with the new knowledge.  This movement great advances in medicine, mathematics, physics, astronomy, geography, architecture, art, literature, and history. That is how Islam affected the world

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How did the spread of Islam affect the world?

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How did the spread of Islam affect the world?

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http://facebook.com/ScienceReason ... "Prophets of Islam" by http://www.youtube.com/discussislam The forum of the Council of ex-Muslims of Britain: http://www.councilofexmuslims.com --- Please SUBSCRIBE to Science & Reason: * http://www.youtube.com/FFreeThinker * http://www.youtube.com/ScienceTV * http://www.youtube.com/Best0fScience * http://www.youtube.com/RationalHumanism --- Muslims regard as prophets of Islam those non-divine humans chosen by Allah as prophets.

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Why do Muslims pray toward the direction of Mecca. 

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Why do Muslims pray toward the direction of Mecca. 

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Details

Category: Islamic Beliefs

Published on Monday, 03 February 2014 03:23

Written by MDI

Muslims pray their 5 daily prayers towards the east, towards the city of Makkah, and more specifically, towards the Kaaba. The Kaaba is a small cubical structure, which is called the sacred house (bayt al-haram) and also refered to as the sacred mosque (masjid al-haram). The prayer direction towards the kaaba, is known as the Qibla, which basically means the prayer direction of the Muslims.

So why do Muslims pray east and towards the kaaba? There are some notable misconceptions from non-Muslims concerning the prayer direction. For example some believe that Muslims are in fact directly praying to the kaaba, the cubical structure. This is not the case, while Muslims pray towards the kaaba, they are not praying to the kaaba. Another misconception is that Muslims believe that Allah literally dwells-lives inside the kaaba, and this again is not the case, Muslims do not believe that Allah lives inside the structure.

In regards to the kaaba, as Muslims we believe it was the first house of worship, built by the Prophet Adam (pbuh), after then we believe the worship site was restored by the prophets Abraham and his son Ishmael (peace be upon them both). In Islam the sanctuary of the kaaba in the city if Makkah, is considered to be the holiest site in Islam, and it's because of these reasons that it is considered to be holy, not because we believe that Allah lives in the kaaba or because we pray to the kaaba.

So why does God command the Muslims to all face towards the kaaba when praying? The reason behind this is down to unity, in sharing the same focal point of prayer, it is meant to show a major unity amongst the Muslims. Indeed, when one thinks of it, it is a very impressive feature that you have more than 1 billion Muslims, no matter where they are, all praying in the same direction.

Something that should also be clarified, is that it is only in the Muslim prayers that Muslims are to face towards the east, for example if a Muslim simply wants to supplicate to God, known as 'dua' in Islam, he/she doesn't have to be facing towards the east for that.

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Why do Muslims face east in their prayers?

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Details Category: Islamic Beliefs Published on Monday, 03 February 2014 03:23 Written by MDI Muslims pray their 5 daily prayers towards the east, towards the city of Makkah, and more specifically, towards the Kaaba. The Kaaba is a small cubical structure, which is called the sacred house (bayt al-haram) and also refered to as the sacred mosque (masjid al-haram).

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Islam Made Easy - The Five Pillars of Islam

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The 5 Pillars of Islam are the foundation on which Muslims base their lives on. I have made this video in a simple way so you can understand it easily Inshallah! If you have ANY questions regarding Islam please do not hesitate to ask, don't forget to Comment, Subscribe, Like and Add!

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The history of Islam concerns the political, economic, social, and cultural developments of the Islamic civilization. Despite concerns about the reliability of early sources, most historians (non-Muslims) believe that Islam originated in Mecca and Medina at the start of the 7th century.

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This is the cube that the Muslims Pray toward

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This is the cube that the Muslims Pray toward

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There are more than 1.5 billion Muslims in the world, and each time they pray, they turn their faces in one direction, towards Mecca.  The Islamic term for this direction is qibla.  When a Muslim prepares to pray, no matter where he is, he turns towards the qibla, the direction of the Kaba.  The Kaba is a small cube shaped building in the courtyard of the mosque known as Masjid Al Haram, in the city of Mecca, in the country of Saudi Arabia.

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Why do Muslims pray the direction of Mecca?

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Why do Muslims pray the direction of Mecca?

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There are 5 pillars of Islam
They are also known as the pillars of the religion.
1.Shahada   Faith
2.Salat            Prayer
3.Zakat             Charity
4.Sawm            Fasting
5.Hajj              Pilgrimage to Mecca

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They pray 5 times a day because of a  dream, Muhammad mounted "a white animal which was smaller than a mule and bigger than a donkey" called "the Buraq." He flew from Mecca to Jerusalem and from there ascended to heaven. He was escorted by Moses through seven heavens into the presence of God. There, at Moses instigation, Muhammad plead with God to reduce the number of daily number of prayers from fifty to five

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Salah Prayer, worship of Allah. Muslims must perform salah 5 times a day. Before Salah, Muslims prepare themselves by performing Wudu (Ablution) which involves cleaning the hands, face, arms, head and feet.