Islam Essay, Research Paper

Islam

Islam, which in Arabic means submission to God or Allah is the youngest

religion of the world. It is a monotheistic religion and one of the Abrahamic

religions. Islam arose from the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, who

received the Holy Scriptures of Islam, the Quran, from Allah by the angel

Gabriel between 610 and 632 BCE. Islam claims that Muhammad is the last holy

prophet, preceded by Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.

Muslims (those that believe in the Islamic religion) believe in the five

pillars of Islam. First is the statement ” There is no God but Allah, and

Muhammad is his messenger”. Second is, a person must pray five times a day

while facing Mecca. Third is the giving of alms. Fourth is fasting during the

Holy Month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Muslim year and fifth

is the making of the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a person’s

lifetime, if possible.

Islam respects women very highly. According to the Quran, men and women are

equal before God. Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an

individual in her own right. The roles of men and women are complementary and

collaborative. Rights and responsibilities of both sexes are equitable and

balanced in their totality.

Although Islam allows a man to marry up to four wives, there are restrictions

to that. Some examples are that, he must treat all of them equally with love,

fairness, and respect etc. If he can’t comply with any of these, then he

should only marry one. One reason why Islam allows marriage up to four wives

is because it does not favor divorce.