First Monotheistic Religion...?

[aisha16]

Assalamu Allaykum ALL

I'm taking a World History 100 class this semester. My professor is a good teacher and all but he's kind of one of those know it all people...but anyways. He mentions that he believes in HIS OPINION how Judaism and Zoroastrianism are the oldest monotheistic religions...Well he says Judaism is oldest AND the first and Zoroastrianism is just the oldest. And he always goes on about how historians have discovered or historians say...but I can't help but be confused...

Adam (as) was a Muslim. He was the first man to ever walk this planet. Soo how does that make Judaism the world's first monotheistic religion? Wouldn't Islam be the world's oldest religion. But he says that Islam is the world's youngest religion because I guess he believes that it was created by Prophet Muhammad (saw)....which a lot of people seem to believe apparently... :O

BUT Judhaism is a really old religion and all with the whole Torah business but is it really the first monotheistic religion ever in history? This does not add up. I always thought Muslims in the old days even before Prophet Muhammad (saw) were still under the title of Muslims....

Was Islam always known as Islam? And the same for Muslims way back when....

.....Any super smart historian majors here...or just super smart people period....

 

[sachin4islam]

Assalamu Alaikum:

Monotheism is definitely the basis for divinity of a religion but another aspect which complements and hence ascertains divinity of a religion is its universality. In no context any religion with its scriptures can prove its universality except Islam.

Advent of Muhammad (SAW) in this material world was for revival of lost Tawheed and hence to re-establish the true purpose of life in mankind.

The irony is that a major segment of Muslims has never realized that Islam didn't come on the planet with Muhammad (SAW) but with Adam (PBUH).

Regards.

 

[islamirama]

Secular people do get a bit arrogant when they get their Ph.Ds and they think they know it all.

Every prophet that Allah sent came with the same message of Monotheism. They call came to preach to worship One God, enjoin good and forbid evil. Common sense alone tells you Adam has to be first man to preach Monotheism since he met God himself and knows there is only One God. Then same goes for all other prophets that followed. Abraham alone is well known among the western world as the father of Monotheism because that's what he preached. They say he was jew so it was judaism. judaism came from his son Isaac's lineage while Islam came from Ishmael's lineage. So Abraham couldn't have been a jew.

And Allah tells us the same thing:

"Abraham was not a Jew nor Christian; but an upright Muslim." (Soorah Aal'imraan 3:67)


As for Islam and Muslim. You have to look at it two ways. By definition Islam is the oldest religion as it is a religion of Monotheism and every Prophet and his followers were Muslims because a Muslim by definition is one who submits to the will of Allah. But by timeline wise and labels, Muslim and Islam did not come until Allah gave it that name in the Quran.

"This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion". (Soorah Al-Maa'idah 5:3)

 

[aisha16]

Thanks for sharing your answers. Much appreciated.

 

[Just a Guy]

:salam2:

IMHO, Judaism and Islam were once the same religion, but then Judaism became corrupted and diverged from Islam.

Christianity is the same. Early Christianity and Islam were identical, but then Christianity became corrupted by the early Church.

So you can argue that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all cousins of each other since they all come from the same root religion (Islam).

 

[sachin4islam]

:salam2:

IMHO, Judaism and Islam were once the same religion, but then Judaism became corrupted and diverged from Islam.

Christianity is the same. Early Christianity and Islam were identical, but then Christianity became corrupted by the early Church.

So you can argue that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all cousins of each other since they all come from the same root religion (Islam).

Assalamu Alaikum:

In fact each and every religion is a deviated divergence from the basic Deen of Allah that is Islam. Even Hinduism is a deviation from Islam for basic Hindu scriptures (Vedas) speak of Tawheed and confirm belief in the Unseen.

Regards.