Muslim Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Muslim Culture - Essay Example From this, Muslims believed that Abraham was the first Muslim. Mecca had grown into a huge city by the time prophet Muhammad was born in the 6th century. Although the exact date of birth of Prophet Muhammad is not known, it is believed that he was born in A.D 570. Muhammad worked as a caravan trader and later worked for a wealthy widow as her business agent. He managed to alleviate the divisions in Mecca that had been caused by large influx of foreigners. Muhammad set to subjugate Mecca. Under the leadership of Muhammad, Islamized Arabs conquered many parts of Arab. The fact that Muhammad was God’s prophet on earth made it hard for anyone to succeed him. Some Muslims proposed that Islamic leadership should be passed within Muhammad’s family. However, most Muslims were opposed to this opting for tribal traditions where inheritance was based on prestige and power of one’s family as well as its position in the tribal system. Abu Bakr, believed to be the first convert to Islam outside Muhammad’s family, became the first caliph. His successor as caliph was Umar bin Al-Khattab. Muslims regard Umar as the second founder of Islam. He was later succeeded by Uthman bin Affan. Islam: Empire of Faith is a documentary film produced by Robert Gardner for PBS. There are several similarities as well as differences between the information from the above discussed text and the film; While the film does not provide much information on the birthplace of Islam, it acknowledges that Islam could have originated from Mecca. According to the film, the city enjoyed great economic success as a centre for trade. This impacted heavily on the origin and growth of Islam. The film, however, does not indicate whether Abraham was the first Islam. The film differs from the information provided in the text by claiming that Prophet Muhammad was born in the 7th century (Islam: Empire of Faith). It, however, asserts that Muhammad conquered Mecca and its neighboring. The film shows