It has been said that one man can change the course of history. His life on earth can revolutionize the way people think and how they act. A striking example would be Muhammad and his fight for the spread of Islam. Ten years after his death, the Islamic empire had spread through most of Persia, Iraq, Syria, and Egypt. Muhammad used military means to spread his empire throughout the land. In the Quran, he is seen as the "unlettered Prophet...(who) commands (to) them what is just and forbids them (from) what is evil"#. He had miraculously received messages from God to tell his people how to live a just and holy life. He is also seen as a bringer of glad tidings, warner, judge, a witness, Seal of the Prophet, and a universal messenger. After his death, the success of the religion passed to several caliphs, who led the ideal Islamic age, according to some historians. Islam split into many different branches, usually in the two hundred years after Muhammad's death. The founding of the Islam religion, by one man, which has lasted for over 1400 years, shows that it is a religion that has played an important role in the history and civilization of the West. The founding of Islam is an important subject in the overall significance of historical religions, because of its leader, his successors, and the different sects that have evolved over time.
             Muhammad, the Islamic prophet, was born around the year 570 A.D. He was fatherless at birth and his mother died soon after. He was raised by his Uncle Talib who was a religiously prominent man in the Quraysh tribe of Mecca but was neither wealthy nor poor. At the age of 25, Muhammad married a 40 year-old woman named Khadija, who was very prominent in her wealth. In his fortieth year, Muhammad, on a retreat outside of the town of Mecca, Muhammad received a vision. Gabriel, an angel from God, told Muhammad that he was God's chosen messenger. Gabriel also gave Muha...