Muhammad: Description of the Roles He Occupied
Muhammad: Describe something about the person of Muhammad and the roles he occupied during his life. How is he compared to Moses and Jesus in Islamic traditions? Consider his contributions, the nature of the culture, and the needs of emerging Islam as you discuss the need for a successor after his death In Islam, Muhammad is regarded as a prophet, not as the Son of God, like Jesus is in Christianity. As Muhammad is regarded as a mouthpiece of the divine, he is like Moses, but unlike Moses, he is also regarded as responsible for founding the Islamic faith, thus he is revered even more, as a 'special' prophet. His function in Islam combines the roles of both Abraham and Moses in Jewish tradition, and as the last true prophet he also 'completes' the prophetic tradition or
Muhammad's knowledge shows how ideas traveled rapidly in the Middle East, a meeting place of many religious traditions. revealing God's word, as Jesus does in Christianity. Ali's supporters recognized Muhammad's son as his successor, and they became that branch of Islam known as Shiite Islam, while the followers of the Yathrib-approved caliph and leader are members of the majority faction of Sunni Muslims. And Muhammad's only surviving daughter believed that her husband, Ali (Muhammad's stepbrother as well as son-in-law) should be the successor" (Smitha, 2000). After Muhammad's death, however, there was a succession crisis: "A group of Muhammad's old companions at Yathrib felt that they should be the ones to select Muhammad's successor. He proclaimed that Jews and Christians were 'people of the book' and were to be tolerated, to be guaranteed the right to practice their religion and to have security in their goods and property" (Smitha, 2000). Muhammad lived a secular but spiritually contemplative life as a trader until he was 40, and visited by an angel from God. Muslims believe that they should live their life in emulation of Muhammad, in complete submission to the will of Allah, and this is reflected requirement of every able-bodied Muslim to make a pilgrimage to Mecca is in emulation of the prophet's triumphant conquest of Mecca after his enforced flight to Medina. Those from Mecca, who were members of the same tribe as Muhammad, the Quraysh, argued that Arabs would recognize the authority of Muhammad's successor only if he were a Quraysh. As a ruler and spiritual leader, "Muhammad demanded taxes from those who had not converted to Islam, and, in exchange, he offered them protection - as rulers had for millennia. "The founder of Islam, Muhammad, had been familiar with Christianity through his wife's cousin, who was a Christian. Within Islam, Muslims regard themselves as children of Ishmael, the cast-off son of Abraham, and they revere both Moses and Jesus, not as divine, but as lesser prophets. Muhammad was familiar with the New Testament of the Christians and the Old Testament of the Jews" (Smitha, 2000). Jews and Christians were among those to receive Muhammad's protection.
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Acceptance Essays
