Origin & Roots Islam is one of the fastest- growing religions in the world because of its reproduction of the people believing in Islam. Everyday, there are more and more people converting to be Muslims. The religion of Islam (its followers called Muslims) originated in the Arabian peninsula. Islam was founded on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. In 7th century Arabia (modern Saudi Arabia), the prophet Muhammad started the religion. He preached in Mecca that there was only one God, Allah. The name derives its roots from Arabic words meaning "submission to God." Muhammad was born in Mecca around A.D. 570.
History Muhammad was troubled by the moral ills of Meccan society, especially greed. When he was about 40 years old he heard angel Gabriel calling him to be the messenger of god. Muhammad devoted his life to the spreading Islam. He urged Arabs to give up their worship of pagan gods and submit to one true god, Allah. At first, only a few people listened to Muhammad's teachings. Later on, Muhammad and his followers left for a journey known as the "hijra" for Medina (Yathrib) which was a turning point for Islam. In Medina, the people who converted their religion to Islam greeted Muhammad and learned from his teachings. They became a community called umma. Muhammad created rules that brought all the Muslims together, and as Muhammad's teachings were more widely accepted, Meccan leaders became very hostile towards the Muslims since they were becoming very powerful day by day. However, in the war, Muhammad successfully won. Later on, Muhammad died in 632. However, his teachings continued to spread which has led to Islam's powerful state these days. The Islamic civilization currently stands completely against any racial or ethnic discrimination. After Muhammad's death in 632, there was a huge fight in deciding who to be his successor. After some discussion, Abu Bakr was nominated as the new leader of Islam. Then, in 634 after Abu Bakr's death, Umar became the next leader, then followed various other leaders such as Uthman ibn al-Affan, Ali ibn Talib then Hasan ibn Ali. Ever since, Islam has been thriving around the world.