Analyzing Islam: Origins, Cultural Comparisons, and Women's Rights

This essay provides a detailed examination of Islam, tracing its origins back to Prophet Muhammad and exploring its global influence. It compares and contrasts Islam with Christianity, highlighting both similarities and differences in their theological foundations and practices. Furthermore, the essay delves into the complex issue of women's roles and rights within Islam, arguing that modern interpretations often misrepresent the Quran's message of unity and equality. The analysis suggests that patriarchal frameworks, rather than the religion itself, contribute to societal constraints on women's freedoms. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding the historical context and diverse interpretations of Islamic teachings to address contemporary challenges and promote a more equitable understanding of the religion.

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

that there is more similarity between these two religions than people realize. Both Christianity and
Islam are Abrahamic religions which are monotheistic in nature and the major figure which the
religion of Christianity follows, Jesus is the father of the 'holy trinity' which consists of the father,
the son and the holy spirit also holds major significance in the religion of Islam. Christianity treats
Jesus Christ as an incarnate of god who walked the Earth and many prophetize that he will return
when the end of days are near. This is however different as Islam treats Jesus Christ as one of the
many prophets but believe Muhammad to be the last prophet responsible for recording and
spreading the word of god. When it comes to broad and more detailed differences between the two
religions, the first contains the places of worship in the two religions as Islamic religion follows
Mosques and Masjid and any place which has been cleaned by Islamic idealogical practices while
in Christianity, there are churches, chapels and cathedrals instead. Another major different that sets
both religions apart is the way they worship and appease their religious figures as in Christianity,
the use of idols, pictures and sculptures are permitted and even used extensively in the old and
orthodox churches but in Islam, the drawing and idolatry of their Prophet or any religious figure is
strictly prohibited and considered a punishable offence which is why in Islam, religious art has
always been in the form of calligraphy and architecture.
When it comes to gender based discrimination that women have been facing in the name of
age old religious customers, Islam is not solely responsible as concepts and practices which are
designed to relegate women to household duties and child rearing exist in multiple societies (El-
Solh and Mabro, 2020). Even though the modern day interpretation of Islam does actively hold
back women from having free control over their thoughts, actions and body, if one analyses the
Quran then it becomes clear that such blatant misinterpretations have been the working of
Patriarchal frameworks spearheading the Islamic religion rather than the religion being inherently
bigoted towards women. This analysis gains further weight as Quran preaches the message of
universal unity regardless of gender and race and the word 'father' has been mentioned much more
than the word 'mother' but has been used extensively in negative portrayals such as associating
fathers with act of indecency and immorality. Men have also been associated as being conducted or
being in the way of Satan which is something a patriarchal text would never admit or demonstrate
(Islam and Patriarchy, 2022)
CONCLUSION
The above essay went into detail regarding the various intricacies of the Islamic religion
whose global influence and rise has resulted in various questions and studies regarding the role of
women, its origin and its practices are also often served as a basis of comparison with other

religions. This essay highlighted the origins of Islam which were connected to Prophet Muhammad,
detailed its difference and similarities with Christianity and also gave argumentative analysis in the
favour of Islam not being a religion which aims to subjugate and impose its will on the societal
freedom of will which are a result of modern interpretations of the Quran.

REFERENCES
Books and Journals
El-Solh, C.F. and Mabro, J., 2020. Introduction: Islam and Muslim Women. In Muslim women’s
Choices (pp. 1-32). Routledge.
Wheeler, B., 2022. Animal Sacrifice and the Origins of Islam. Cambridge University Press.
Online referencing
How Many Christians Are In the World Today?, 2022 [online] available through
<https://www.learnreligions.com/christianity-statistics-700533>
Islam and Patriarchy, 2022 [online] available through
<http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/print/opr/t355/e0066>