Islam

Islam means surrender to Allah’s supreme will, which determines Man’s fate.  At the Last judgement, men are either rewarded in  paradise or punished in hell for their good and evil deeds.

Mohammed founded Islam in Arabia between 610 and 632 A.D. Born in 570 A.D., he became critical of the practice of Idolatry in Mecca, his birthplace.  He thus decided to lead a contemplative life in the desert.  He was convinced, with some encouragement from his wife Khadiji, that  he was appointed by Allah (God) to fulfill the task of reforming religion and society.

In 622, Mohammed migrated from Mecca, where he was well accepted.  This year now marks the Muslim era.  Later, in the year 630, Mohammed conquered Mecca.  Followers of Mohammed who are called Moslems, revered him as the prophet of Allah.

In the Philippines, a tombstone on Mt. Datu near Jolo commemorates Tuhan Mugbalu, a foreign Muslim.  The tombstone, which has the date 710 A.H. (1310 A.D.), proves the existence of a Muslim community in Sulu at the beginning of the fourteenth century.


► Introduction of Islam in the Philippines