Michael Varghese
Philosophy 205
11/8/06
Paper 2
Islam is one of the fastest rising monotheistic faiths and is currently the third major monotheistic religion in the world. Islam is defined as an eastern religion. Islam is further defined by the word submission, which in turn gives the definition of the word Muslim. It literally means "one who submits to the will of God". Muslims have many beliefs comparable to religions such as Christianity and Judaism in that they believe that there is a beginning and an end. They also share the belief of an afterlife. The Muslim god is referred to as Allah, and their place of worship is known as a Mosque. Muslims, not unlike Christians, believe that Adam was the first human followed by the creation of Eve. Islam is a unique religion that shares the roots of the most commonly practiced religions. In order for one to gain an understanding of the religion, we must look to its history. To further that understanding, it would be wise to witness something tangible such as a prayer at a Mosque, which I will go into detail after explaining some of the history involved with Islam.
Muhammad was believed to be the prophet that founded Islam. He was born in Mecca in the year 570 A.D. His maternal grandfather raised him, and he Muhammad grew up to be a merchant. In the year 610 A.D., when Muhammad was forty years old, he received a revelation from God through the angel Gabriel. He had memorized the words that he had received from God. Muhammad was an illiterate and thus this event was considered a miracle. The words of God that Muhammad received were made into ...