AstroTalk

Islam : Origin | History | Important Facts

Islam is the second most widespread religion in the world with 2 billion followers all over the world.

Experts believe that the religion of Islam began in Mecca (Nowdays, Saudi Arabia) around the 7th century. The beginning of the religion of Islam was centered around the life of Hazrat Muhammad Sahab.

Important facts related to Islam :

Muslim worship one God and know him by the name of “Allah”.
Followers of Islam are called “Muslims”.
According to Islam, nothing can happen without the permission of Allah.
Muslims believe that Allah sends his prophet from time to time, such as Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Noah. Hazrat Muhammad was the last prophet of these.
Islam teaches that the word of Allah was revealed to Mohammed through “Gabriel”.
“Masjid” is the place where Muslims worship their Allah. Some of the Muslim holy sites include the Kaaba in Mecca, the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem and the Muhammad Sahab’s Mosque in Madina.
“Quran” is the book of followers of Islam.
In Islam there is a word “Jihad“, which means conflict. Muslims believe that Jihad means all internal and external efforts to protect their religion.

Hazrat Muhammad Sahab :

Hazrat Muhammad Sahab was born in Mecca in 570 AD. The family was dominated by a large religious site in Mecca. Muhammad Sahab started working for a widowed businessman named Hazrat Khardija and then married him. According to Islamic texts, an angel named “Gabriel” came to visit Muhammad in 610 CE while he was meditating in a cave.

Gabriel conveyed the message of Allah to Muhammad, and ordered the promotion of those words. Around 613 AD Muhammad Sahab began to preach his wisdom. He said that he has received a message from God that God is only one. God tells everyone to follow the path of truth and honesty. Muhammad Sahab also opposed worship of statue.

Hijra :

In 622 AD, Muhammed Sahab set out on a journey from Mecca to Medina. This journey is called Hijra. The Islamic calendar also started with this.

After about 7 years, Muhammad Sahab came back to Mecca and he fought with his enemies and conquered Mecca. Muhammad Sahab continued to propagate Islam until his death in 632 AD.

Shia and Sunni :

After the death of Muhammad, there was a debate as to who would replace Muhammad as the leader. This led to some controversies and two sects emerged – Shia and Sunni.

Shia sect believed that the 4 heirs who came after Muhammad Sahab were sent by Muhammad. 90% of the world’s Muslims belong to the Shia community.

Sunni sect believed that only Ali was the rightful heir and refused to obey the first 3 admonitions. The Sunni Muslim population in Iran, Iraq and Syria is considerable.

Many different communities also exist within the Shia and Sunni sects: Wahabi, Alawi, Khawarij.

Quran :

The Quran has the status of the most sacred book in the religion of Islam. The words written in the Quran are believed to be words of Allah.

Some Muslims believe that Muhammad Sahab’s authors wrote his words. Because Muhammed himself never came to write and read. Other people believe that Abu Bakr compiled the Quran soon after the death of Muhammad.