History of Muslim Religion
|
The practice of Islam between 650 and 1500 AD had strong ties with Judaism and Christianity; people of all three faiths believed in the existence of one God. Muslims believed in the existence of both Moses and Jesus, and considered them both as holy men, just like Mohammed.
|
There similarities do not end with that. Very much like Christianity and medieval Judaism, Islam too did not advocate animal sacrifices but instead focused on prayers. This was a major difference between Islam and ancient Zoroastrianism. However, the Muslims did make an exception on one particular day, i.e., Eid al-Adha. This is a Muslim festival that was celebrated once ‘Haj’ or the holy journey to Mecca had been completed, and sheep were used as animal sacrifice.
Islam was divided into 2 sub-divisions by 650 AD -- namely the Sunnis and the Shiites. Though the majority of Muslims were Sunnis, many chose to follow the Shiites, who had faith that the religious leaders were their Messiahs and the followers of those leaders would eventually be saved by them.
There was another distinct element of Islam in the early stages, and that was Sufism. Sufism stemmed from the belief that God had a direct connection with all the people on earth, and this thought was something that most Sunnis and Shiites agreed with.
Muslims lived by the belief that Allah must be pleased at all times, by following the 5 pillars stipulated by Islam. These pillars are praying to no other God but Allah, offer prayers five times daily, give to the less privileged and poor, fast during Ramadan, and visit Mecca at least once in a lifetime.
|
