Hammurabi's code of laws, and Egypt's Book of the Dead. At first, they seem very different, they're from

different times, regions, and religions, but they all offer a peek into what values ancient people considered

One of the values that all three civilizations is justice and fairness. I feel that this is best viewed

in Hammurabi's laws. All of the penalties for the crimes are very stiff, but fair. I feel that it is fair that "If

he has broken the limb of a patrician, his limb shall be broken" It's like in the Bible "An eye for an eye,

and a tooth for a tooth." In Egypt, in the Book of the Dead, a man couldn't proceed into the after life

unless he was found innocent of any wrong doing on Earth. In Confucius' writings, he never actually says

the word "justice", but he does say "Great Man cherishes excellence; Petty Man, his own comfort. Great

Man cherishes the rules and regulations; Petty Man special favors." To me, that mean "Great Man is fair,

The second of these three values is responsibility and respect to one's family and elders, and

responsibility and respect to others fami

After Muhammad's death in AD 632, it was feared that the content of the revelations might be lost, as those who had originally memorized it died. It was therefore decided to collect all the revelations, from whatever source, and make a compilation. Even at this early date, variations in the Koranic revelations were becoming common in different parts of the new Islamic empire. So that there would be a definitive version, the Caliph `Uthman (the caliphs were successors of Muhammad) commissioned one of the Prophet's followers, Zayd ibn Thabit, and others to sort through and pull together all the material and compare it with the remembrances of those who had learned it by heart. In this manner, an authorized version was created. The arrangement of putting the longer chapters first and the shorter ones last violates the chronological order of the revelations as they came to Muhammad. But a fairly accurate chronology can be worked out on the basis of knowledge about Muhammad's life: He began his work in Mecca, spent a long period in Medina, and returned again to Mecca. In addition, the chapters indicate in which place the many revelations came to him. The main emphasis of the book is on the oneness of Allah, in contrast to the multiplicity of gods worshipped by the Arabs. These gods are denounced as powerless idols who will be unable to help unbelievers on the day of judgment. Other doctrines, common to Israel's later history and early Christianity, were incorporated into the Koran, as well. There is a strong assertion of belief in the resurrection from the dead, in angels and devils, and in heaven and hell. All of humanity is regarded as subject to the will and power of Allah. It is He who has created and will one day judge mankind. The faithful are called upon to believe in Allah and to listen to His Prophet.

constantly stressing family values and responsibility. One quote that shows this is "Let the sole sorry of

The life of each Muslim is always within the community of the faithful: All are declared to be "brothers to each other," with the mission to "enjoin good and forbid evil." Within the community, Muslims are expected to establish social and economic justice. They are also expected to carry their message out to the rest of the world. In the early Islamic community, this meant the use of force in the form of jihad, or holy war. This also happened in the Christian faith, it was known as "Crusades", where missionaries would go out and spread the word of God. The intent was not to force conversion on anyone; this was forbidden by the Koran and the Bible. The object of jihad and the crusades was to gain political control over societies and run them in accordance with the principles of Islam and Christianity. Both took separate paths to accomplish their prospective goals, thus explaining the Islam influence in the Middle East and North Africa, and the Christian influence in Europe and North America.

Some topics in this essay:
Arabs Mecca, Earth Confucius', Similar Christianity, Islam God, Islam Christianity, Jesus Christians, Book Dead, BC Confucianism, Satan Christians, Ten Commandments, islam christianity, book dead, revelations muhammad, day judge, ten commandments, responsibility respect, heaven punished hell, resurrected rewarded heaven, day judgment, tell truth, hammurabi's laws, congregational prayer, day judge mankind, god sent prophets, rewarded heaven punished,