Was Islam influenced by Zoroastrianism?  In other words, what was the impact of Zoroastrianism on Islam?
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I believe it gave Islam the concepts of God, Satan, and Purgatory/Hell.
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no, Zoroastrians were the first monotheist people and did worship the creator. Fire was a holy symbolic element for them. you can get more info about it on search engines not here!
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Mercury's parents were deeply involved in Zoroastrianism, and words like "Bismillah" do have a meaning in that religion....but I can't answer the last part of your question.
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mohammad choosed fighting and deflowering to spread the  non-islamic civilizations . \nby the way ,im from iran ,in Iran  peaple have to choose islam BY FORCE ,,,, in islam a person who change his relegion ( from islam to anyother) must be executed .\ni think islam is not based on love , but Blood .\nyou may heard about " Jahad ".. jahad is the war for any islamic rights . ppl who fight in jahad will go to the heaven !( what the misserable place must be there !heaven of Mollahs )\nany how this rules belonges to about 1300 years ago. \nbut still alive in some countries , like iran , syria , arabia .... \ntrue muslims are not the same , this new terrorism are made by Hezbollah ,and based on its leader ayatollah khamene'ee .\nthe relegious leader of iran , that haves a political power just like an imperor
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I have learned a lot from my new friend about Islam. I am especially thankful for her tolerance of me as a Christian.\nI have a whole lot to learn and our relationship will grow through our teaching each other.
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THE RELIGION OF ISLAM\nThe first thing that one should know and clearly understand about Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means.\n\nThe religion of Islam is not named after a person as in the case of Christianity which was named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucius, and Marxism after Karl Marx. Nor was it named after a tribe like Judaism after the tribe of Judah and Hinduism after the Hindus. Islam is the true religion of "Allah" and as such, its name represents the central principle of Allah's "God's" religion; the total submission to the will of Allah "God". The Arabic word "Islam" means the submission or surrender of one's will to the only true god worthy of worship "Allah" and anyone who does so is termed a "Muslim", The word also implies "peace" which is the natural consequence of total submission to the will of Allah. Hence, it was not a new religion brought by Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Arabia in the seventh century, but only the true religion of Allah re-expressed in its final form.\n\nIslam is the religion which was given to Adam, the first man and the first prophet of Allah, and it was the religion of all the prophets sent by Allah to mankind. The name of God's religion Islam was not decided upon by later generations of man. It was chosen by Allah Himself and clearly mentioned in His final revelation to man. In the final book of divine revelation, the Qur'an, Allah states the following:\n"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion". (Surah Al-Ma'idah 5:3)\n\n"If anyone desires a religion other than Islam (submission to Allah (God) never will It be accepted of Him" (Surah Aal'imraan 3:85)\n\n"Abraham was not a Jew nor Christian; but an upright Muslim."\n(Surah Aal'imraan 3:67)\n\nNowhere in the Bible will you find Allah saying to Prophet Moses' people or their descendants that their religion is Judaism, nor to the followers of Christ that their religion is Christianity. In fact, Christ was not even his name, nor was it Jesus! The name "Christ" comes from the Greek word Christos which means the anointed. That is, Christ is a Greek translation of the Hebrew title "Messiah". The name "Jesus" on the other hand, is a latinized version of the Hebrew name Esau.\n\nFor simplicity's sake, I will however continue to refer to Prophet Esau (PBUH) as Jesus. As for his religion, it was what he called his followers to. Like the prophets before him, he called the people to surrender their will to the will of Allah; (which is Islam) and he warned them to stay away from the false gods of human imagination.\n\nAccording to the New Testament, he taught his followers to pray as follows: "Yours will be done on earth as it is in Heaven".\nTHE MESSAGE OF ISLAM\n\nSince the total submission of one's will to Allah represents the essence of worship, the basic message of Allah's divine religion, Islam is the worship of Allah alone and the avoidance of worship directed to any person, place or thing other than Allah. Since everything other than Allah, the Creator of all things, is Allah's creation; it may be said that Islam, in essence calls man away from the worship of creation and invites him to worship only its Creator. He is the only one deserving man's worship as it is only by His will that prayers are answered. If man prays to a tree and his prayers are answered, it was not the tree which answered his prayers but Allah who allowed the circumstances prayed for to take place. One might say, "That is obvious," however, to tree-worshippers it might not be. Similarly, prayers to Jesus, Buddha, or Krishna, to Saint Christopher, or Saint Jude or even to Muhammad, are not answered by them but are answered by Al
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FYI\n\n.   Opinion of historian De Lacy O’Leary.\n\n\nThe best reply to the misconception that Islam was spread by the sword is given by the noted historian De Lacy O’Leary in the book "Islam at the cross road" (Page 8):\n\n"History makes it clear however, that the legend of fanatical Muslims sweeping through the world and forcing Islam at the point of the sword upon conquered races is one of the most fantastically absurd myth that historians have ever repeated."\n\n\n.   Muslims ruled Spain for 800 years.\n\n\nMuslims ruled Spain for about 800 years. The Muslims in Spain never used the sword to force the people to convert. Later the Christian Crusaders came to Spain and wiped out the Muslims. There was not a single Muslim in Spain who could openly give the adhan, that is the call for prayers.\n\n\n.   14 million Arabs are Coptic Christians.\n\n\nMuslims were the lords of Arabia for 1400 years. For a few years the British ruled, and for a few years the French ruled. Overall, the Muslims ruled Arabia for 1400 years. Yet today, there are 14 million Arabs who are Coptic Christians i.e. Christians since generations. If the Muslims had used the sword there would not have been a single Arab who would have remained a Christian.\n\n\n.   More than 80% non-Muslims in India.\n\n\nThe Muslims ruled India for about a thousand years. If they wanted, they had the power of converting each and every non-Muslim of India to Islam. Today more than 80% of the population of India are non-Muslims. All these non-Muslim Indians are bearing witness today that Islam was not spread by the sword.\n\n\n.   Indonesia and Malaysia.\n\n\nIndonesia is a country that has the maximum number of Muslims in the world. The majority of people in Malaysia are Muslims. May one ask, "Which Muslim army went to Indonesia and Malaysia?"\n\n\n.   East Coast of Africa.\n\n\nSimilarly, Islam has spread rapidly on the East Coast of Africa. One may again ask, if Islam was spread by the sword, "Which Muslim army went to the East Coast of Africa?"\n\n \n.   Thomas Carlyle.\n\n\nThe famous historian, Thomas Carlyle, in his book "Heroes and Hero worship", refers to this misconception about the spread of Islam: "The sword indeed, but where will you get your sword? Every new opinion, at its starting is precisely in a minority of one. In one man’s head alone. There it dwells as yet. One man alone of the whole world believes it, there is one man against all men. That he takes a sword and try to propagate with that, will do little for him. You must get your sword! On the whole, a thing will propagate itself as it can."\n\n\n.   No compulsion in religion.\n\n\nWith which sword was Islam spread? Even if Muslims had it they could not use it to spread Islam because the Qur’an says in the following verse: \n\n"Let there be no compulsion in religion: \nTruth stands out clear from error"\n                                [Al-Qur’an 2:256]\n\n\n.   Sword of the Intellect.\n\n\nIt is the sword of intellect. The sword that conquers the hearts and minds of people. The Qur’an says in Surah Nahl, chapter 16 verse 125:\n\n"Invite (all) to the way of thy Lord\nwith wisdom and beautiful preaching;\nand argue with them in ways that are\nbest and most gracious."\n                              [Al-Qur’an 16:125]\n\n\n.   Increase in the world religions from 1934 to 1984.\n\n\nAn article in Reader’s Digest ‘Almanac’, year book 1986, gave the statistics of the increase of percentage of the major religions of the world in half a century from 1934 to 1984. This article also appeared in ‘The Plain Truth’ magazine. At the top was Islam, which increased by 235%, and Christianity had increased only by 47%. May one ask, which war took place in this century which converted millions of people to Islam?\n\n\n.   Islam is the fastest growing religion in America and Europe.\n\n\nToday the fastest growing religion in
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Good question.  Unfortunately, I don't know. \n\nMaybe you should ask an imam/scholar.
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Well, he wanted to abolish the predominant Anglo-Saxon law and introduce the Shariah. The Shariah is the Islamic system of law, which generally intrudes all aspects of life. According to Shariah, it is mainly the hadith, Quran (Koran), the elite jurists (Muslim scholars) that sort of determine the law. Zia also issued Islamic economic practices and chose Muslim politicians. he furthered his agenda when Iran underwent its own Islamic revolution. thus, I would disagree that Islamization was not his intent (as one of the answers states above).\n\nDetailed notes of the process would result in an overly extensive essay, and for this reason I simply recommend to make a quick search on Yahoo. For a general answer take a look at the encyclopedias (Britannica, Wikipedia) and for more detailed information its best to search for books.
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peace, love, Allah\nThese are the words that came into my mind. You have to remember so many people are influenced by the media. They never gave Islam much thought until 9/11 and then everything was negative. How many of them have actually talked with a Muslim and really listened to what they had to say without judgment? I am like you I also have Muslim friends. \nLove & Light\nSharon\nOne Planet = One People
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Islam - A Historical Perspective   \nby Syed Abul Ala Maududi\n\nIslam began when man's career on earth began---more precisely at the time of man's creation and his descent. Allah created Adam and Eve and enjoined them to worship Him and live a life of obedience to the Divine Will.\n \n Allah is the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe and of human beings. Man must turn to Him for sustenance and guidance. The very word Islam means obedience to God. In this respect, Islam is man's natural religion---the only natural course is for man to look towards Him for guidance.\n \n The day Adam and Eve were sent down to live on earth, Allah told them that they were His servants and He was their Master and Creator. He told them and mankind that the best course was for them to follow His guidance, to obey His orders and to refrain from what He had forbidden. God said to them that He would be pleased if they obeyed Him and in turn He would reward them. If, however, they did not heed His commands, He would be displeased and would punish them. This was the simple beginning of Islam.\n \n Adam and Eve invited their children to follow the Islamic way of life. They and their children and their later generations followed the teachings of Islam as propounded by Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) for quite a long period of time. It was only later on that certain people began disobeying Allah. Some of them began worshipping other gods of their own making, some of them regarded themselves as gods, while a few others even declared their freedom to do as they pleased--defying God's orders. This is how kufr (disbelief) came into being. Its essence lies in refusal to worship God--pursuing the path of defiance to the Creator.\n \n When kufr (disbelief) began to increase and multiply it affected the life of society in a number of ways. Exploitation, oppression, viciousness and immorality emerged in different forms. Life became intolerable. Allah then appointed some righteous people to preach the Message of Truth among the wrongdoers, invite them to the Right Path and convert them to God-fearing people--worshipping and obeying God Alone. In short, they were asked to perform a mission--to make people righteous and true Muslims. These noble people entrusted with this great mission were called Prophets or Messengers of Allah. Allah sent these Prophets to different nations and countries. All of them were honest, truthful, and people of noble character. All of them preached the same religion--Islam. To mention a few names--Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus. All of them were the Prophets of God and thousands of them were, over the centuries, sent into the world to guide mankind.\n \n In the history of the last few thousand years, one can see the recurrent arrival of Prophets whenever kufr(disbelief) increased and assumed menacing proportions. The prophets tried to stop the tide of disbelief and invited people towards Islam. Some people adopted the Islamic way of life, but others rejected it. The people who followed the Prophets became Muslims and, after learning higher ethical and moral disciplines from them, began to preach and spread nobility and goodness. Having forgotten the teachings of Islam, later generations of Muslims themselves gradually sank into disbelief. Whenever such a situation arose, God sent a Prophet or Messenger to revive Islam. This continual arrival of Messengers of God continued for thousands of years. In the course of those long years, Islam was revived by those Prophets, who restated the Message forgotten by their people. At long last God sent the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who revived Islam in such an outstanding fashion that it still exists today and will continue to exist (God willing), till eternity.\n \n The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was born in 571 C.E. in the now famous city of Arabia called Makkah. Islam had no following in Arabia at that time nor did it have any following anywhere else in the worl
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as far as i know zarathustra's religion, zoroastrianism, was the first monotheistic faith as we know it. judaism borrowed from it as well as christianity. it had the all good character and the all evil character.
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I was born and raised Christian. After studying the Bahai Faith while in high  school, I became a Bahai.  Because Baha' u'llah often quotes from the Quran, I studied Islam. My fascination with religion led me to take two college courses on world religions, so I have studied some forms of paganism, Hinduism, Sikhism,  Judaism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Jainism and Taoism.   My participation in forums such as this one -- and the violent attacks on Islam - have  led to more study of the Quran. And when the Jehovah's Witnesses dropped by, I studied  with them for awhile until they give up on me and stopped dropping by.  Since I have lived in Ohio, I became interested in the Amish religion and studied that for awhile. Online discussions and the behavior of some of its followers drove me to read up on Scientology. Basically, I find the variety of beliefs fascinating and love reading about them. I find that understanding religion makes it easier to understand people. More understanding, IMHO, would lead to fewer wars.
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no they have not\n\nhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/zoroastrian/customs/
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I know a muslim scholar who kept saying to me that the unitarian christians believe exactly as the muslim belief regarding the onennes of god & that unfortuantley they don`t know that the prophet whom they are waiting for has already appeared with the message of Islam\nhe said that he went to visit those unitarians in America in their churches & that some of them did convert to Islam
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For a precise answer please visit www.islamtomorrow.com
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Before the advent of Islam, there was a small group of people, who called themselves the followers of "Deen-e-Haneef", which was basically a monotheistic creed, ascribing to the belief of "one God" and adhering to the monotheistic practices of the Abrahamic tradition (these practices included: Sala'h (prayer), Sawm (fasting), Hajj (pilgrimage), Tawaaf (circumambulation of the Ka`bah), Ai`tikaaf (confinement to the mosque for concentrated worship) etc.). The Prophet (pbuh), it is generally believed, ascribed to this group. However, there is hardly any authentic information available on this topic in the books of history. Nevertheless, it should be remembered that the Qur'an has clearly stated that before the initiation of revelation, the Prophet (pbuh) was not fully aware of the details of faith and belief and neither of the divine laws (Al-Shooraa 42: 52).\n\n\nEDIT: At least i gave my source..! I didn't want to summarize all that, sorry.