Islam and Byzantine Laws, Rules, and Customs

Islam and Byzantine were important contributors in the foundation of the ancient world. They both made great accomplishments in their time and made groundbreaking discoveries and achievements that are still applied to daily life today. The laws, rules, and customs established by these communities are important to understand so that we can recognize how the use of them can be applied today. Islam, in this frame of time, and Byzantine existed between 330 and 1453 AD. They were both greatly known and valued in this time, and despite the differences between them, they were more alike than they probably knew.

Byzantine and Islam had many commonalities between the two of them. One of them, was in their values. Both of the societies were prompted and encouraged to live a fulfilled, ethical, and responsible life. (Campo) Also, both societies mutually made an effort to bring their people together as a whole. One way this was done in Islam was through the Hajj, which is when many muslims travel to a town called Mecca together. This helps them to grow in their faith and to come together with others who share their same beliefs. (Five Pillars of Islam) In the Byzantine empire, people came together in church on the day of the sabbath. (The Ten Commandments) This united them and reminded them that they all stood together under the same god. Another thing, for Islam being the five pillars, and for Byzantine being the Justinian Code and Ten Commandments, that these factors of their communities framed their lives. Every day, perhaps without them realizing, their lives were centered around the rules, regulations, and customs listed in these works. Another commonality, prestated, is that these two societies have highly influenced life today. These communities have a lot in common, which makes it clearer when comparing the two as a whole.

Although these two have a lot in common, there are also many differences between them. In Islam, they base their lives on the Five Pillars. The Five Pillars are the rituals and customs that shape Islamic life. They consist of the Shahadah, Salat, Zakat, Sawm, and the Hajj. The Shahadah is the pure devotion to Allah and Muhammad. It is also a promise that they will follow the Five Pillars every day. The Salat states that all muslims are to pray five times a day. This helps them grow closer to their god and have stronger faith. The Zakat is giving a portion of one's wealth to those less fortunate. The Sawm is a period of fasting, this only occurs during daylight hours. The Hajj is a pilgrimage to Mecca. It promotes equality among the masses, and is made in hopes that people will realize the value of life. The purpose of the Five Pillars is so that muslims can live a fulfilled life, grow closer to God, and appreciating the gifts that have been given to them. (Five Pillars of Islam) Much of Islam is dedicated to and promoting equality. They truly wish for everyone to feel equivalent to each other. This is because they view that everyone is viewed as equal under the eyes of their God, Allah. (Mitchell Young) Understanding the Five Pillars helps to understand Islam as a whole because they are a major part of Islamic faith.

In regards of Byzantine, their lives mostly revolved around the Justinian Code and the Ten Commandments. The Justinian Code consists of many different laws for the Byzantine empire. It was created by Justinian and was a compilation of past Byzantine laws. The Justinian Code consisted of many different parts and sections. Some of them were the digests, code, institutes, and novella. The digest was a summarization of all Byzantine laws. The code went into more detail about laws and went over the legislation. The institutes was a textbook for students studying law, it summarized the digest and gave useful information that could benefit their future careers. The novella was a later installment, not made by Justinian, was an updated version of all the laws, and summarized Justinian’s constitution as a whole. (Roman Legal Tradition…) The Ten Commandments related more to the official faith of Byzantine, Christianity, rather than laws created by Byzantine itself. The Ten Commandments were ten official rules and regulations that were made for all Christians to follow. (The Ten Commandments) They lead to a healthy, pure, devoted life. Together these created a civilized Byzantine life.

Islam and Byzantine were very successful empires in their time. One of the main reasons for that is because they had a good foundation, which laid within their laws. The laws created by these two societies created the framework for their time, and without them, they probably would not have prospered as much as they did. The laws kept people centered, in order, and made sure that everyone was safe. They were truly made in order to better the people in these communities and the communities as a whole. That is why these Islam and Byzantine were truly great societies and are still remembered today.

Works Cited

Campo, Juan E. “Islam.” Encyclopedia of Islam, Facts On File, 2009, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/218510?q= 5 pillars of islam.

"Five Pillars of Islam." BBC, 2014, www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/practices/fivepillars.shtml. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.

"Roman Legal Tradition and the Compilation of Justinian." Berkely, 2007, www.law.berkeley.edu/library/robbins/RomanLegalTradition.html. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.

"The Ten Commandments." The Ten Commandments, 2007, www.the-ten-commandments.org/the-ten-commandments.html. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.

Young, Mitchell. Islam. Farmington Hills, Greenhaven Press, 2006.