Islam Essay, Research Paper
Islam
Islam, which in Arabic means submission to God or Allah is the youngest
religion of the world. It is a monotheistic religion and one of the Abrahamic
religions. Islam arose from the teachings of the prophet Muhammad, who
received the Holy Scriptures of Islam, the Quran, from Allah by the angel
Gabriel between 610 and 632 BCE. Islam claims that Muhammad is the last holy
prophet, preceded by Adam, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus.
Muslims (those that believe in the Islamic religion) believe in the five
pillars of Islam. First is the statement ” There is no God but Allah, and
Muhammad is his messenger”. Second is, a person must pray five times a day
while facing Mecca. Third is the giving of alms. Fourth is fasting during the
Holy Month of Ramadan, which is the ninth month of the Muslim year and fifth
is the making of the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a person’s
lifetime, if possible.
Islam respects women very highly. According to the Quran, men and women are
equal before God. Islam sees a woman, whether single or married, as an
individual in her own right. The roles of men and women are complementary and
collaborative. Rights and responsibilities of both sexes are equitable and
balanced in their totality.
Although Islam allows a man to marry up to four wives, there are restrictions
to that. Some examples are that, he must treat all of them equally with love,
fairness, and respect etc. If he can’t comply with any of these, then he
should only marry one. One reason why Islam allows marriage up to four wives
is because it does not favor divorce.