Islam is one of the most popular religions in the world. Muslims are renowned for their staunch religious practices and are spread out in every continent of the world. The development of Islam is generally attributed to the prophet Muhammad, but to the devout follower, the religion began way before Muhammad existed.
Whilst Muhammad wrote the Quran; according to the book, its origin cannot be attributed to him. The Quran states that it was handed out by God through angel Gabriel who gave it Muhammad. The commonly held secular belief is that the roots of Islam can be traced to Saudi Arabia in the seventh century, which makes it one of the youngest religions in the world. The prophet dictated the religion’s holy book (The Quran), which Muslims believe to be the exact words of Allah before the existence of Muhammad (Bogle, 66). Nonetheless, regardless of the viewpoint, the underlying notion is the same, and there is one key influential figure aside from God.
Whereas the origin of Islam is usually accredited to prophet Muhammad, staunch believers of the religion assert that the religion existed way before the prophet donned the earth. Irrespective of the viewpoint, Muhammad is the key figure in the development of Islam since he dictated the Holy Quran. Since its early days of development, Islam has grown to be one of the most widespread faiths in the world with its followers spread across the earth.
Works Cited
Bogle, Emory C. Islam: origin and belief. University of Texas Press, 2010.