Islam is one of the youngest and at the same time most popular religions in the world. Founded by the prophet Muhammad Ali, the Islamic faith believes in a universal God. They follow the teachings of the Quran, believed to be God's final word to humanity (Hop, Woo, Hen 244). Those who follow Islam consider it less of a religion and more of a way of life (Novak 282). They use God and their religion as a method to navigate this life. Islam originated around the 6th century AD The Islamic prophet Muhammad Ali was an Arab from Mecca who spent much of his early life transporting goods by caravan throughout the Middle East. This type of work provided Muhammad with exposure to other religions around the world, such as Christianity and Judaism. These faiths emphasized the principles of worshiping a supreme God, reading the Holy Scriptures, and an afterlife in Heaven or Hell. At the time, people living in the Middle East worshiped multiple gods, most of which were related to nature. They made sacrifices to these gods, but this type of religion cannot be compared equally to Christianity and Judaism as to Islam. It is possible that Muhammad's exposure to these religions influenced much of the tenets of Islam today. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Legend says that Muhammad began wandering in the nearby hills of Mecca, thinking of his people and his religious destiny. There he meditated on what would happen on Judgment Day, when the world would end and God would decide who would go to Heaven and who would go to Hell. This idea is expressed explicitly in the Christian and Jewish faiths. One day, an angel, Gabriel, appeared in the hills and delivered Muhammad a message from God. Throughout his life, Muhammad received numerous divine revelations like this. Muhammad would learn them by heart and eventually write them down. It should be noted that before receiving the messages, Muhammad was illiterate. Muslims celebrate the moment Muhammad first received these messages during the holy month of Ramadan. Muhammad's revelations revealed that there was only one God. When he began to preach this concept to the people of Mecca, many rejected him because they worshiped multiple gods. To escape persecution, several Muslims fled Mecca. Muhammad did not leave Mecca until later, but his first journey had profound significance within Islam. While Muhammad was still in Mecca preaching Islam, a group of men traveled there from a nearby city, believing that he might judge their war-torn land incapable of making its own decisions. Then Muhammad went to the city, Yathrib, to be their judge. This event is known as Hijra or Migration. From this event, the Islamic calendar was labeled AH, marking the first year of the Islamic calendar (metmuseum.org). The Islamic faith is quite simple in nature. To be considered a "good" Muslim you must follow the five pillars. The first pillar is to recite the Islamic creed, which from Arabic means “There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his messenger.” This statement alone represents the essential belief of Islam. Muslims usually recite it several times a day. Stating this with conviction and conviction, in principle, makes the person a Muslim (Hop, Woo, Hen 248). The second pillar is daily prayer. Muslims usually pray five times a day: at dawn, afternoon, noon, sunset and night. The prayers are typically recitations from the Quran..