SIMILAR YET DIFFERENT

Worlds apart, Rome and the Arabian Peninsula share both similarities and differences. Some differences and similarities include the way they worshiped, their tolerance levels, how they used different tactics to expand their empires, and the climate conditions of both regions.

The religions of both worlds were similar in certain areas but different at the same time. For instance, Islamic people believed in only one God, (monotheistic) Allah. Muhammad, in the Arabian Peninsula, was believed to be the Prophet of Allah. It was said that at the age of forty, he was praying and a voice told him “You are the messenger of God.” (pg. 93) From then on, he began preaching that there is only one God, named Allah. “Some of the requirements of being a Muslim included: bowing to the Ka’aba five times a day at certain times, praying in Arabic to Allah, giving to the poor and needy, fasting, and believing that there is only one God, Allah.” (pg. 95) This shows that Muslims were very loyal to Allah. Even though praying to Allah five times a day might be exhausting, they did it steadfastly. Islam had a holy book called the Qur’an similar to the Bible in Christianity. Muhammad wrote the Sunnah that contained “Muhammad’s words and deeds that were guides for proper living.” (pg.94) Muhammad focused not only on religion but on politics and military matters. Muhammad was a wide minded leader. He focused not only on religion, but military and politics as well. “He made treaties and used his military skills to fight off attacks." This was a main factor of the spread of Islam.(pg. 94) Other leaders might just focus on one particular thing, such as the military. Rome had changed their religion to Christianity where they worshiped God, similar to the Islamic religion, though they had once believed in Roman gods. They believed that Jesus was the Son of God, and that he taught people to love God, their neighbors, and their enemies. (pg. 50) He was crucified on the cross where, in three days had rose up from the dead. Christians were persecuted for their belief in Jesus. Even though Christians were hunted down, tortured, and killed by the Roman officials, Christianity flourished in the Roman lands. The officials could no longer stop the spread of Christianity. Christianity became too strong for them to control. However, shortly after Constantine came into power, he declared that Christians were free to worship God. Constantine cared also about religion. He didn’t feel that Christianity would be a threat to his authority; “unlike many other Roman leaders that had Jesus put to death because they felt their authority might be in jeopardy.” (pg. 50) Islam and Christianity have many beliefs in common even though their holy books and the way they worship God may be different.

Both Rome and the Arabian Peninsula used war to expand their empires. Rome was very successful at expanding their empires. However, the people living in the land they conquered, “were either put to death or they were treated very harshly. They had a chance to live, but they had to believe in the Romans religion.” (The gory video about Rome) Rome was very strict about their religion. By forcing people to believe, many people resented them. However, Islam didn’t force the people they captured to believe in Islamic religion. They let them live freely in the land such as Jews and Christians. Yet they were not allowed to convert people to their religion. “Jews and Christians were thought of “people of the book” by the Muslims. The Muslims believed that the Jews and Christians worshipped the same God, they received special treatment. They played an important role as officials and scholars in the Muslim state.” (pg. 101) The Muslims were not hated as were the Romans because their tolerance levels were much higher. Rome and Islam were both split into two: Catholicism and Christianity, (Rome) Sunni and Shi’a (Islam). Both splits led to the weakening of the two sides. Even though they still remain, they are not as strong as they were when they were united.

The weather conditions of the two lands differ greatly, one being a desert and the other a complete opposite. In Rome, they were protected from harsh weather by the Apennines mountain range. “They had cool, rainy winters that created acres of productive farmland.” (pg. 47) They were very successful at agriculture. This led to trade with other lands which helped with their wealth. This is probably one of the main reasons Rome grew to it's immense size . They had enough food to eat and surpluses that they were able to trade with neighboring lands. Unlike Rome, the Arabian Peninsula was very dry and arid. Most of the lands were deserts and it received very little rain. Because of the lack of rain, “they used only a small amount of land for agriculture.” (pg. 85) Despite the lack of water, they used oases to help with agriculture and water for people. A large oasis was able to support a whole city if big enough. “Nomads often traded with people that settled at oases.” (pg. 86) Also, the peninsula was the “crossroad of three continents so it was well situated for trade.” (pg. 87) Even though the Arabian Peninsula was extremely dry, they adapted well to the climate and grew very prosperous, similar to Rome. Also, in the desert, they found many herbs that were useful in health. Some were even used as spices in cooking. Both lands grew very wealthy and were well positioned for trade.

Despite how far they may be away from each other, they share similarities in religion, war tactics, and wealth. At the same time, they share difference in tolerance levels and climate. Though they may not realize that they are common in many ways, both the similarities and differences of both regions have shaped them into what they are today.

God in Arabic writing