Origin of Islam: The Youngest of Major World Religions

Origin of Islam: The Youngest of Major World Religions

The origin of Islam can be traced to Muhammad in about 622 A.D. This relatively young religion claims to be the restoration of true monotheism started with Abraham, and thus, supersedes both Judaism and Christianity, which were allegedly corrupt and incompl 21321u2023v ete. Islam is based on absolute submission to the one "true" god, Allah . Muslims are called to conform to the "five pillars" (disciplines) of Islam in order to achieve eternal salvation.

Origin of Islam: Some Background
The origin of Islam is credited to Muhammad, who lived between 570 and 632 A.D. He is believed by Muslims to be the last and greatest prophet of God ("the seal of the prophets"). It was through him that the Qur'an was dictated. Muhammad was born in Mecca, but he was chased from that city in about 622 A.D., after speaking out against the polytheism and paganism of the culture. He then established himself as a religious and military leader in Medina, and later returned in triumph to Mecca in about 630 A.D. From Mecca, Muhammad was instrumental in establishing Islam as the formal religion of all Arabia.

For the Muslim, the Qur'an is the holy book of Islam and the true word of Allah. Muhammad claimed that the Qur'an comprised the preexistent and perfect words of Allah, dictated in Arabic by the angel Gabriel. Islam teaches that the Qur'an contains the complete and uncompromised revelation and will of Allah. The Qur'an is slightly shorter than the New Testament of the Bible and is divided into 114 "surahs" (chapters). Each surah represents an episodic vision received by Muhammad in the desert, which many Muslim historians have depicted as seizure-like events over many years. While Islam respects certain versions of the Jewish Torah (first five books of the Old Testament), the psalms of David, and the four gospels of the New Testament, the Qur'an is held alone as the religion's true authority. Islam teaches that the Qur'an is only truly understood in Arabic, and therefore, it has become a religious obligation to read and quote it in the original language. According to Islam, Allah cannot be known in a personal sense, but his will is perfectly revealed in the original Qur'an.

Origin of Islam: Its Impact Today
From the origin of Islam, it has been a fairly aggressive, missionary-oriented religion. During its first 100 years, and often using military force, Islam spread across the Middle East, most of North Africa, and as far as India. Today, Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world, with estimated membership as high as one billion people. Over half of the world's Muslims live in South and Southeast Asia, with nearly 30% in Africa, 10% in the Near and Middle East, and 5% elsewhere.

Since Muslims believe in one god, whom they call Allah, it is often asked whether their god is the same as the God of the Bible. A basic study will show that Allah and the God of the Bible cannot be one in the same. The Bible establishes that it was God's Son by whom "were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth" (Colossians 1:13,16). Since Islam denies that Allah has a son, and calls those who believe otherwise "infidels," the two "versions" of God are mutually exclusive. In addition, the Qur'an (the verbally inspired words of Allah) denies the concept of the Trinity, as well as the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, Islam, which follows a "works-based" doctrine of salvation, also denies that the Son of God provides the "free gift" of salvation for all who believe on Him. These are the primary differences that establish that Allah is not the God of the Bible.

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