There are three religions that have spread globally to affect the lives of millions. Of these three monotheistic religions, the one of interest for this paper is Islam. The term Islam means “submission to God”, and followers of Islam are called Muslims.
Islam began when Muhammad, a man from Mecca, began meditating in a cave overlooking the plain of Arafat outside Mecca. During his meditation, Muhammad fell into a trance and reportedly had an encounter with the angel Gabriel. This encounter turned Muhammad from average merchant into prophet. Few were eager to follow Muhammad’s messages and some were even hostile. His initial messages consisted of two main points; 1) there is only one God and people must submit to his will and 2) there is a day of judgment in which people will be judged based on their obedience to God. As Muhammad’s gathering of followers increased, so did disapproval of their presence and influence in the idol-worshiping city in which they inhabited. The city began persecuting this group of Muslims (those who submit to God) leading to the eventual flight to neighboring Yathrib for refuge. This particular event is recognized in the Islamic calendar today as the point of independence for the Muslim community. By the time of Muhammad’s death, he had amassed enough support and followers to reclaim the city of Mecca and to claim it as the center for pilgrimage.
Because Muhammad had no surviving heir to succeed his place of leadership, the place of Caliph went to Muhammad’s father in-law. The selection of the father in law to Caliph was a source of great tension to Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali who felt that he should be the rightful heir. This division of supporters led to two different groups of Sunnites (the majority) and the Shi’ites (the minority). It was during the time of Uthman’s position as Caliph that he ordered the collection of all of Muhammad’s writings and revelations to be combined into what is called the Qur’an. Ali was bypassed...