Qur'an

between the Dome of the Rock, the Ka’ba, and a mihrab, a semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the direction of the Ka’ba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying. There are many mihrabs mentioned in the Qur’an, the Islamic sacred book, and they are presented as emphasizing “their height, their inaccessibility, and in the case of Solomon’s mihrabs, their grandeur and opulence” (Khoury 59). These features of the mihrab can be seen in Mary’s mihrab…

your little ones and slay the elder” (Doc 1). Muhammad’s method may seem callous, but resulted in an increase of successful conversions, in which Islamic leaders continued it after Muhammad. War against their “heathen enemies” was required by the Qur’an and had no exception but to confirm obedience (Doc 5). Although, the Jews and Christians were considered as the “People of the Book,” they were treated equal and were not forced to convert; they could pay tribute, yet remain true to their…

Many of the revelations in the Holy Quran came down to provide guidance to Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) and his fellow Muslims based on what they were confronting at that time, including verse 8:12. This verse - along with several ahead of it - were revealed in reference to the Battle of Badr, the first major battle between the muslims and the Meccan pagans around 625 C.E. The pagans of Makkah traveled to Madinah with an army of about 1000, following the prophet (pbuh) once he had fled to…

There are about 2.2 billion Muslims in the world. How does Islam affect their lives? How does Islam affect a non-muslim’s life on a daily basis? The impact is huge and causes controversy because stereotypes and ideology are growing bigger and tolerance is getting smaller. I’m going to explain and understand how Islam influences the lives of many people because it shows how a religion can influence people. I chose this topic because it is a global problem that the stereotype Islam causes…

610, a merchant named Mohammed began a movement that would have lasting repercussions even to the modern era. Mohammed claimed that an angel came down to him commanding him to write, and as the angel narrated he wrote what it said, and this was the Qur’an. Within a century, this seemingly harmless or irrelevant moment would cause this new religion of Islam to violently conquer with the sword, all of Northern Africa, Spain, the Holy Land, Persia, and even acquisitioning much of the Byzantine…

Midterm Exam 1. What were the major cultural, political and theological decisions Caliph Umar (634-644) made? Umar ibn al-Khattab or known merely as Umar was the second caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate of Islam. Umar was one of the most influential Islamic figures at the time and a close companion of Prophet Muhammad himself. During his reign, Umar upheld many of the values that the community had held dearly, and the regulation of the Islamic Calendar would enforce this ideology. The…

The message of this verse is simple and clear – love of the Beloved Lord is indeed the real wealth. Those who have love for the piyā (Beloved Lord), the verse maintains, are indeed wealthy, whereas those devoid of love for the Lord are destitute. The term nirdhanā is a compound word, derived from nir, normally used as a prefix, implying negation when used with a noun and certainty when used with a verb, and dhan, which means ‘money’, ‘riches’, ‘wealth’, ‘treasure’. Nirdhanā, therefore means…

Fred Donner’s Muhammad and the Believers: at the Origins of Islam presents itself as an interpretation of early Islamic history geared towards “nonspecialists” that attempts to take on a new paradigm of thought not conventionally held among his fellow historians. He prefaces his primary thesis with the context of paradigms of thought that were once held or were presently held at the time of the writing of his book. From the start, Donner asserts his belief in Islam’s beginnings taking root in a…

The music played more importantly “resounds from a chorus of Muslim voices speaking in both scared poetry and prose” (Metcalf). The book of choice, like their bible, is the Qur’an, their scared book. In this book Muslims acknowledge Muhammad many times, citing him as the last prophet. Their understanding because Muhammad is the prophet, and has always been there he is scared. Sacred could also be a person or figure, for example…

Spread? Of all the world's major five religions, Islam is a fascinating religion, I have ever learned about. According to the holy texts of Muslims, in 610 CE a local merchant named Muhammad retreated to a cave on the outskirts of the city of Mecca in Arabia to meditate. In that cave, he meditated where the archangel Gabriel appeared and gave Muhammad words to recite. Breathtaking words from Gabriel told him to create a religion called Islam. In about 140 years, Muhammad created an empire…