Islam
is
the
religion
of
"Submission."
It
was
founded by
the
Prophet
Muhammad
who was
born
approximately
570 C.E.
in Mecca,
Arabia.
The
Prophet's
first
revelation
came to
him in
610. By
622 C.E.
Muhammad
with his
followers
fled from
Mecca to
Medina,
and this
event
marks the
Year One
in the
history of
Islam. By
the time
the
Prophet
died, in
632, he
left to
his
followers
a
collection
of
divinely
revealed
verses, in
Arabic,
poetically
rich and
suitable
for ritual
recitation.
These were
collected
into a
book known
as the
Holy
Qur'an.
His
followers
were
effectively
organized
as
warriors,
first for
defense;
and
afterward
their
military
prowess
became a
tool for
spreading
the faith.
A
participant
in the
religion
of Islam
is a
Muslim,
that is,
someone
who
submits
to the
will of
Allah
(God).
While
historical
circumstances
always
influence
the
spreading
of a
religion,
or of a
type of
culture,
Islam,
with its
Arabic
experience
in the
background,
seems to
have had a
special
appeal to
peoples
with
pastoral-nomadic
adaptations―though,
the
activity
of Arab
sea-faring
traders
has also
spread
their
religion
into
tropical
Indonesia.
A quick
glance at
the world
map will
show this.
To begin
with, a
Muslim:
testifies
that there
is no god
but God
and that
Muhammad
is the
Prophet of
God, prays
to God
five times
daily
facing
Mecca,
fasts
during the
lunar
month of
Ramadan,
seeks to
make a
pilgrimage
to Mecca
at least
once, and
gives alms
to the
poor.
Depending
on the
region and
social
conditions,
donations
for the
upkeep of
a prayer
hall
(mosque)
may also
be counted
as proper
giving of zakat.
Today the
religion
of Islam
numbers
approximately
800
million
adherents
worldwide.