Comparing Islam to Christianity: Belief, Practice, and Culture

Essay

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY ......................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................................................4
REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................6

INTRODUCTION
When it comes to analysing the major religions which have been dominating and influencing
the world in major way, one of the first ones that comes to mind is Islam and it refers to the faith
and religious teachings that are followed by Muslims around the world. The influence and global
significance of Islam is evident from the fact that there are around 1.5 billion Muslims on this planet
which accounts for 24% of the global population (How Many Christians Are In the World Today?,
2022). This essay will highlight the origins of Islam, compare its roots and culture with that of
Christianity and highlight some issues that women face in Islam.
MAIN BODY
Believed to be the last in the line of prophets which included many important religions and
societal figures such as Jesus and Moses, all the major global traces of Islam's origins and its
eventual rise in society links back to one man, Prophet Muhammad. Since the origin of Islamic
religion, all Muslims around the world have strived to walk in the light of their Prophet as he is the
chosen recipient and messenger of god's word through his divine revelations (Wheeler, 2022)The
origins of Islam also detail the three major holy texts which are widely accepted as the words of the
law when it comes to personal regulation and abiding with the religions practices, these include the
holy Quran, the words of Prophet Muhammad which is also called Hadith along with the detailed
description of his life which is also known in Islamic terms as Sunni. Although the historians
constantly bicker about the specifics when it comes to the exact origins of Islam, it is commonly
attributed to the 7th century which would result in the religion being the earliest in the world. The
origins and roots of Islam belong to Mecca, modern day Saudi Arabia where it started during the
Prophet's life and ended up spreading over the world during his old days and in the aftermath of his
passing. Muhammad was born in one of the most powerful tribes in Mecca, the Quraish and his
divine revelations started by the time he turned 40 and after initially attracting some followers, he
was ostracized from Mecca and travelled to Medina where he attracted a large number of followers.
After his death in 632, the origins of two broad communities in Islamic religion also originated in
the form of Sh'ia which believed that only direct descendents of the Prophet should guide the
Muslim world while Sunni's believed that the Prophet's companions should take that role instead.
Despite the popularity of the Islamic religion, it is not the only religion which has gained a
mass number of followers and influences billions around the world as Christianity is in the same
boat. There have been numerous observations and researches over the years which have been
documented to analyse the various differences between the religion but what many fail to realize is