Islam 's Influence On Western Civilization

Over the 100 years that Islam expanded, the Arabs collected a wealth of science, philosophy and arts from lands they had conquered as they grew. By the tenth century, nearly all Greek texts were translated into Arabic as a result of the Translation Movement. They preserved a lot of Greek works that would have been lost otherwise. At the time they were thought of as the greatest scholars because of all of the knowledge they combined from different countries. For example, the Greeks liked geometry, and the Hindus liked algebra and arithmetic, so the Arabians developed a combination of both called trigonometry, used for astronomical purposes with the ratios called trigonometric functions. The Islamic people contributed to transmission of knowledge in Europe by all of the writing they had sought after to make their own. It gave them so much more information than other countries. As more expansion occurred, the Greek scientific writings moved westward through the Islamic world and reached Spain by the 9th century.

From its beginnings in Mecca to its extensive empire across the Middle East, Asia, North Africa and parts of Europe, the spread of Islam in the late 600’s and 700’s A.C.E has drawn much attention. The spread of Islam began when Prophet Muhammad (579-632) (pbuh) started preaching the revelation he claimed to have received from God. Muslim dynasties were soon established and eventually the Abbasid Dynasty ruled over the vast Islamic empire, and through wealth in money and knowledge, the Muslim world experience it's Golden Age. The people of the Islamic world created numerous sophisticated centers of culture and science with far-reaching trade networks. The Islamic world achieved its Golden Age through its advancements in medicine, math and

Islam’s spread throughout 630-1600 CE was extremely rapid and sudden; however, it led to many favorable aspects. Over the span of 630-1600 CE, Islam managed to spread throughout Arabia, Mesopotamia, Persia, North Africa, Spain, and parts of Central Asia. Women and education were on a rise, socially. Also, flourishing trade contributed to Islam’s economic wealth. Furthermore, political and legal reforms were also established during its spread. Overall, the spread of Islam brought forth many positive social, political, and economic impacts.

The prophet Muhammad sparked the rise of Islam on the Arabian Peninsula by preaching the word of Allah, and inspired the caliphs that came after him to expand the religion and lead it to a period of prosperity. Without the benefits that Islam brought and the power of the Muslim army Islamic Civilization might have secluded itself to one region like Judaism did and not spread so quickly across the region like it did. The appeals that Islamic culture and the teachings of Muhammad offered, as well as practical benefits of converting to Islam, brought many People of the Book and other non-Muslims into the religion. Muslims used military force and threats in the name of Allah to strike fear into all non believers and expand Muslim territory through

There were hundreds of religions in the sixth century. However, only one became the fastest growing religion in the world today. Islam was started by a man named Muhammad. Muhammad was an ordinary man with and extraordinary purpose. In 610 C.E., Muhammad went into a cave in Mecca to pray.

Islam is one of the major world religions that quickly proliferated across the world. The spread of Islam started when Prophet Muhammad began to address the public a new revelation that he received from God in 632 CE. It was later written in the Quran, which is the Islamic sacred text. The religion united everyone under one rule and appealed to all because there was no hierarchy. It particularly diffused during the Middle Ages, when Islam had a great desire in exploring new information, developing extensive trade and creating a powerful military system in the Middle East and North Africa, which helped the Islamic World dominate politically and religiously.

The spread of Islam throughout the world was among the most significant worldwide movements in history. Beginning as the faith of a small community of believers in Arabia in the seventh century, Islam rapidly became one of the major world religions. The core beliefs and culture of this faith is the belief that Muhammad (570-632), a respected businessman in Mecca, a commercial and religious center in western Arabia, received revelations from God that have been preserved in the Qur'an. The core of Islam remains the same today after 1396 years. Islam still translates to “submission” and Muslims still live by the Qur’an and follow the 5 Pillars of Islam. However, throughout the Pre-Islamic, Umayyad, and Abbasid

The prominent effect Islam had on Muslims everyday thoughts and actions, portrays how essential the impact of God was in social and governmental relations. Muslim religion was influenced by both the Christians and Jews. Under the guidance of Muhammad the Prophet, Islam became both a meaningful faith and way of life. Unlike just simply “adding” a church like the Christian religion, Islam society was expected to be governed. Their political and religious views and decisions had to be intertwined as one, proving the effect Islam had on everyday lives. For example, the history book The Making of The West, had written, “Arabs had long been used to

Reasons for the Spread of Islam Throughout time, Islam has come to be known as a great empire that rules from the Middle East and stretches across North Africa into Europe. The religion of Islam started off in 610 CE, when a merchant trader from Mecca, made a visit to a nearby cave called Mount Hira. The merchant trader was named, Muhammad Ibn Abdullah, according to him “it was on this visit to Mt.Hira that the archangel Gabriel squeezd him hard and cause the word to flow out, the words said that Allah wa the one god,” [Background Essay]. As years when on Muhammad preached the word of Allah and about the importance of charity. He first started preaching in a town called Medina and worked his way back to Mecca.

In the 7th century A.D., Islamic faith was charging through the Middle East. Many reasons are to credit for the rise of Islamic faith. However the muslims attacks on other nations, Islamic beliefs and trade were the key contributors into the rise of the Islamic religion. There army would lay waste to other nations.Also the Islamic beliefs were intriguing and the city of Mecca was in the middle of a bunch of trade routes which helped spread the religion.

The rise and expansion of Islam has had a significant impact on the role and rights of women throughout history. Since its origin in the seventh century until modern times, the Muslim faith has somewhat broadened, but has mostly restricted women’s rights in numerous Islamic communities. The history of Muslim women is complex, as it involves many advances and declines in numerous locations, such as Egypt, Afghanistan, and Iran, concerning several subjects, including both civil and social rights. Thus, in general, the rights of Islamic women did not improve significantly over time, instead, conditions remained the same or became worse for women as Islam evolved and spread as a world religion.

The first part of Silverstein's answer on why Islam matters to westerners is to first know the story of Islam, its peoples and cultures, and the different institutions in it. He breaks the history of Islam into 4 main time eras in the book’s first chapter; 600-800 CE, 800-1100 CE, 1100-1500 CE, and 1500 to present. The first time frame shows how The existence of Islam "is all due to the events in the 600-800 period" (page 19). It is when the Prophet Muhammad, with his monotheistic message, established a new community (umma) made up of fellow of the "new" religion,(page 10) . It is also the period where different sects in Islam emerged that was due to the death of Muhammad, their political and religious leader. After the prophet's death the

The region of the Middle East and its inhabitants have always been a wonder to the Europeans, dating back to the years before the advent of Islam and the years following the Arab conquest. Today, the Islamic world spreads from the corners of the Philippines to the far edges of Spain and Central Africa. Various cultures have adopted the Islamic faith, and this blending of many different cultures has strengthened the universal Islamic culture. The religion of Islam has provided a new meaning to the lives of many people around the world. In the Islamic world, the religion defines and enriches culture and as a result the culture gives meaning to the individual. Islam is not only a religion, it is in its own way a culture. It may be this very

Saudi Arabians consider homosexuality to be a Western culture and many authors have failed to agree on the argument that it found its way from the western countries into the Middle East after and during the offensive in Iraq (Ilkkaracan 58). Considering the strict cultural values of the Muslim lifestyle, homosexuality has no place in the region. Islam is the predominant religion of the region and the way of life is firmly rooted on the teachings of the Quran. The practice goes against the decree as postulated in the Quran and many Muslims condemn it in the strongest terms possible. In many states in the Middle East, the victims receive severe punishment, which in most cases is death by stoning, flogging in the streets, and excommunication

When it comes to Islam and the religion as a whole, many see all of the “negatives” that come out of it. Little do they know that it was the Muslims who came up with one of the first hospitals, surgical innovations, philosophy, astronomy, geography and many more. One particular thing that they were most famous for was their architecture. From their vibrant colored tiles in Morocco, to the grand mosque in Cordoba for its columns, to the hypostyles in ancient Persia, to the Taj Mahal of Agra in India, and finally to all of their Great Mosques around Europe, Africa and Asia, Islam has a history behind every single monument.