Islam. And Islamic Eschatology and Millennialism.
Islam is the religion that Prophet Muhammad
founded in the sixth century CE. Muhammad was an Arab born in
Mecca in 570 CE. He believed that he had been chosen to guide
the Arab people and to lead them to Allah. One of his primary
beliefs is that there is one God, and to become Muslim it is necessary
to renounce all other gods. God chose Muhammad to be his messenger.
Muslims (in Arabic: one who submits to God) are those who accept
Muhammad as a prophet.
Islam is one of the three Great Religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism) and the largest populations of Muslims live in the Middle East, Magreb, Asia, and some southern European nations.
Islam is divided into two different sects: Sunni Islam and Shi'a Islam. Sunnis comprise about 80% of the Muslim population, while Shi'ites only 20%. The difference in ideology between the two is simple. Shi'ites believe that the only true leader of Islam is a descendant of the prophet Muhammad. Iran is one of the only Islamic countries where the majority of its citizens are Shi'ites.
Islamic Eschatology and Millennialism.
The idea of the final judgment in Islam is based on an individual's earthly deeds as well as a measure of their faith in God. The two main ideas in Islamic Eschatology is that people will be resurrected fully, and that there will be a final judgment of their life followed by recompensation. Both of these ideas are clearly stated in the Koran.
Belief in millennial and eschatological phases exists, although the Koran is not helpful in pinpointing a date for the apocalypse, or the final judgment of the world. Only God knows the "date". The Koran leaves calculation of the "date" both difficult and ambiguous, but God will show certain signs that will precede the End. The most important are the catacylismic events; one of which is that there will be a disruption of the natural rhythms of the world. Other smaller signs include "the tendency of men to dress like women," this makes it impossible to distinguish between men and women or when women "expose parts [of the body] which should never be seen in public." (Smith and Haddad 129) The Hour is near when the traditional Islamic way of life is overturned, the sun rising from the west and setting in the east, the women being either immodest or manly.
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