Influence of Ancient Islam on Developing Societies

Influence of Ancient Islam on Developing Societies

Introduction

Religion, due its function on advising and guiding on human morality, tends to sets the bounds for society and culture. One can think of nations which have two courts: Civil law and Sharia (Islamic) law. Man has inherent values of truth, right conduct, love, peace and non-violence. These may be elicited by proper education in human values, called Educare. Culture is a powerful influence and difficult to discard as it largely forms a world-view. Reality itself is always interpreted from within the window of culture. Perhaps the greatest gift Muslims gave to the nations of the world is Islam. It is Islam's philosophy of utilizing the knowledge of the Qur'an, purity in the heart and clarity in the mind that was responsible for influencing the nations of the world to better serve God, raise the standards of living, and promote justice and brotherhood for all. (Arnold, 2009)

It is the principles outlining the mission of Prophet Muhammad that made a global change in world's scientific realm and world's social and spiritual culture that formed the Golden Age of Islam, 7th to 15th century. It was the vehicle of Muslim achievements in combining reason and faith, accumulating useful knowledge and creating the experimental method that subjected Europeans to get out of their "Dark Ages" and into the renaissance.

During Dec. 2000 a crescent symbolizing Islam stood along with the Christmas tree and the Hanukkah candelabra on the Ellipse in Washington, DC. In 2001 the postal service issued a stamp for the Muslim feast of Eid-al-Fitr at the request of thousands of Muslim school children.

According to the Washington Times, the stamp is one indication that the more than six million American Muslims have arrived as a political and social force. Once confined to the nation's biggest cities, mosques, Islamic houses of worship, are rapidly becoming a familiar site on Main Streets across the country. There are some 3,000 mosques in the U.S. Fueled by immigration and conversions, Islam is the fastest growing religion in America. (It is also the fastest growing faith in the world.) It is on the verge of surpassing Judaism as the largest non-Christian faith in the country.

Many people mistakenly assume 'Muslim' and 'Arab' are interchangeable. Many Arabs are Christian. There are two million Christian Arabs—mainly Orthodox and Roman Catholic—living the U.S. (Kasem, 2009)

The majority of Muslims in the world are not Arab. In fact, Indonesia, in Southeast Asia, is the largest Islamic country in the world. Millions of Muslims live in such non-Arab areas as India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Central Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa.

Life of Muhammad (P.B.U.H)

Of humble origins, Muhammad founded and promulgated one of the world's great religions, and became an immensely effective political leader. Today, thirteen centuries after his death, his influence is still powerful and pervasive. The majority of the persons in this book had the advantage of being born and raised in centers of civilization, highly cultured or politically pivotal ...