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Islam
Vedic religion, Christianity, and Islam combined, comprise a significant number of followers in the world. Of these three, the Vedic Dharma is the oldest, followed by Christianity and then the Islamic tradition. The word 'Islam’ is derived from the Arabic word root s-l-m, meaning 'to submission or surrender', and specifically, to surrender to the will of God. Thus, in the Islamic tradition, the one who has surrendered to God (Allah) is called a Muslim, meaning ‘one who has surrendered. The prophet Muhammad, the messenger of God in this tradition, taught the importance of discipline and obedience. Humility is a principal virtue of Islam.
The Arab World at the Time of the Birth of
Muhammad
Prophet Muhammad was born in the sixth century C.E. (approximately 1440 years ago). At that time, the Arab world was in great turmoil. There was social and religious upheaval, and the community was divided into many factions. The nomadic tribes and aboriginal peoples of the Arab region had diverse objects of worship, including the heavens, ghosts, spirits and stones, as well as other inanimate idols. There were many
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