This chapter was interesting as Strayer provides context on the "birth of new religions." The civilization of Islam drew on other civilizations of the Afro-Eurasian world as the Islamic civilization challenged Christendom. Islam also took root India, Central Asia, and Southeast Asia as it has reached 1.6 billion people in the Modern Era. Strayer states, "It was second only to Christianity as the world's most widely practiced religion, and it extended far beyond the Arab lands where it had originated" (364). The early history of Islam reflected its Arabian origins as Arabia's location ensured familiarity with the larger world and farming regions of the peninsula. The birth of the new religion was due to Muhammed Ibn Abdullah, born in Mecca. Muhammed had a powerful, "overwhelming religious experience that left him convinced that he was Allah's messenger to the Arabs to bring them a scripture in their own language" (367). The Quran was an Islamic sacred book that became the sacred scriptures of Islam. Muslims today regard it as the words of God and a core to their faith. The Quran presented Allah as the only God and it was delivered through Muhammed. Strayer describes it as "revolutionary." (367). The Pillars of Islam was a set of five requirements for believers and was the core message of the Quran - the remembrance of God. Strayer states, "Submission to Allah was the primary obligation of believers and the means of achieving a God-conscious life in this world and a place in Paradise after death" (368). Arabia was then transformed by the rise of Islam because membership in Medina was based on belief (not birth), which allowed the community to expand rapidly. The authority in Arabia was solely in the hands of Muhammed, who proceeded to introduce radical changes. Muhammed also separated Islam from Judaism and there was no distinction between religious and political law. In another part of the chapter, Strayer mentions women and men in early Islam. The rise of Islam changed the lives of women as women were given control over their own properties and were granted rights of inheritance. "Men were limited to four wives and required to treat each of them equally" (380-381). But as the Arab empire grew, women started to pray at home more (instead of the mosques). Strayer states, "Other signs of tightening patriarchy - such as "honor killing" of women by their male relatives for violating sexual taboos and, in some places, female genital cutting" (381). It was really hard to read this part of the chapter as the punishments were very harsh for women that violated sexual taboos. In the hadiths, traditions about the sayings or actions of Muhammed became an important source of Islamic law that gave rise to negative views of women, presenting them as weak and a sexually charged threat to men and social stability. It's always difficult reading about how women were mistreated but I appreciate how Strayer, in almost every chapter, does not fail to bring light to women's rights and the continous fight for equality.
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