Origin and Early Expansion of Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Origin and Early Expansion of Islam - Essay Example This change was mainly brought about by the new religion of Islam. "Islam exploded upon the world with the sudden force of a desert whirlwind."1(Hyslop 1991,18) Islam unified the tribal groups of Arabia and its sphere of influence increased with more and more people being drawn to the new religion. By the beginning of the eighth century, Islam had spread from India in the east to Spain in the west, making the other ancient empires look puny by contrast. This spectacular expansion of Islam was made possible by the social, political and economic conditions of the people prevailing during the time and the simplicity of the religion.. It is indubitable that Islam brought many different peoples together because of its emphasis on charity. Arabia was peopled by the nomadic Bedouin tribes as well as the traders and merchants who lived a settled life. The Bedouins were poor and had a hard life, while the traders and merchants lived a settled life of comfort. Trade routes from many countries crossed in South Arabia. Luxury goods like silk, spices and precious stones were brought from India and China by the arab dhows, which then were transported by land, in caravans to the empires of the Mediterranean and Europe. The Arab traders who controlled the trade from India and China to the Mediterranean and European countries became very rich. Greed of the rich was increasing while the poor people suffered untold hardships. In 613 A.D, when Mohammad first started preaching his new religion, with its emphasis on charity to the poor, it appealed to the rich and poor alike. Many people converted to the new religion. Another reason for the rapid rise of Islam was that religion was not separate from politics in Islam. According to Goldschmidt, "Religion was a corporate experience, a community of believers bound together by adherence to a common set of laws and beliefs, rather than a private and personal relationship between each person and his maker. Religion and politics were inextricably intertwined."2 (Goldschmidt 2005, 106) At the time, the Byzantine Empire with its capital at Constantinople , and the Sassanian Empire ,had both become impoverished by constant wars. The weakened conditions of the formidable empires made it easy for the Islamic warriors to conquer new lands. "The fierce efficiency of the desert warriors and their fervor under Islam contributed to the explosive campaign of conquest."3 (Hyslop 1991, 40) The appeal of the new religion was very great- it attracted people from all walks of life. The basic rules required to be followed by the followers of Islam, who were called Muslims, were only five, and they were very simple. The first rule was, acknowledging that there is only one god who is called Allah, and that Mohammad was his prophet. The second rule was to pray five times a day facing Mecca. The third rule was to fast during the month of Ramzan. The fourth rule was to pay zakat , a kind of charity , and the fifth rule was to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a Muslim's lifetime. The rewards for observing these simple rules were quite attractive for the Arabs. They would share the loot, as well as receive attractive rewards in the

Question answering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Question answering - Essay Example In other words, the car dealer cannot get away with this contract even though John is not capable of entering into binding contracts. However, John’s incapacity to enter into a binding contract is subject to four exceptions, which the car dealer can cite if they have enough prove. These include the following: i. Beneficial contracts such as employment ii. Contracts involving necessaries iii. Contracts involving company shares, land, marriage, and partnerships except if they are voidable iv. Contracts that are approved by a child after attaining the age of the majority. Among these exceptions, the dealer can only try to argue in line with the second one, though it will still be very hard to convince the court that the contract involved necessary goods. It is clear that John believed that a car is a necessity, which perhaps was due to the influence he got from Facebook and his friends. This fact can hardly make the contract binding on the child, because the law considers them in capable of making valid decisions on their own. Therefore, the court will argue that John could not be relied to decide, by himself, what is a necessity. On this ground, therefore, the car dealer is not likely to get any reprieve from the exceptions. Another provision of the law is that a contract involving a minor is voidable. This means that, prior to reaching the age of the majority; a child has the freedom to withdraw any contract. Even though John does not have any justifiable reasons to cancel the contract, the car dealer will still lose the case because the law allows minors to do so on a whim if it is advantageous for them to do so (Hugh 256). The reason why the car dealer was cautious on entering into a contract with a child was because he feared the consequences if the child breached the contract. His instinct was correct, however, he did a mistake when he at last accepted to sign the contract even after the child’s parent declined to co-sign the loan. All in all, i f the parent had agreed to co-sign the loan; this could not have given him a complete reprieve. The best strategy was to ask the minor to let his parent sign the full loan on his behalf, since parents are not legally responsible on contracts entered by their children unless when they are acting as their agent.1 Therefore, John will win in his bid to get the contract invalidated by the court and recover the $500, down payment. Question two: a contract with an illegal purpose Smuggling is an illegal activity and it is against the interest of the public, therefore, any suit regarding this case will face many hurdles as the court does not condone participation in illegal activities. Smuggling is under a class of illegal contracts, which are unenforceable as they imposes no obligations and creates no rights on the parties who are involved. In an illegal contract, losses and gains remain where they have fallen because money and assets changing hands are not recoverable. The court’s idea is that illegal contracts are undesirable in the eyes of the public and hence, they do not disserve assistance considering they do not contribute towards well-being of individuals in the society.2 Therefore, the court will refuse to help the mechanic enforce their contract with Jack and will also not give any