Dbq Christianity And Islam Essay

About 2000 years ago Christianity began, followed by Islam in 610 C.E. From the beginning of Christianity and Islam to about 1500, merchants and trade were viewed as dishonest and unmanly in the eyes of the Muslims, contrasting from the positive view of merchants by the Christians. From the beginning of Islam they believed trade was only okay if you provided a fair supply of product to amount for the item you were attempting to trade for (Doc 2). According to the Muslim Qur’an, merchants were untruthful and unholy (Doc 2). It was even discussed in court during the 17th century that when buying things for trade, you must distribute evenly among all, not just one person gets everything (Doc 7). When merchants used their skill in flattery and evasiveness to make a profit, it made them loose the respect of men (Doc 5). The unholy way they made a living makes them less of a man than the poorest peasant (Doc 5). These ideas were expressed by a Muslim scholar, who was well educated and had the authority to make such judgments (Doc 5).
Christians have had a different viewpoint from the start though, as it says in the Bible that a rich man will have trouble getting through the gates of Heaven, whereas a man who has worked hard for what he has will be praised (Doc 1).
It was told by a Christian monk about St. Godric that he was a whole hearted person who worked his way up to the top (Doc 3). Even though he used trade to make a profit, St. Godric gave what he was left with in the end to the poor, showing his good heart and kind soul (Doc 3). It is the belief of Christian merchants and recipients of trade that as long as you use trade for good reasons and not mal intended reasons, then it is okay for you to do so (Doc 6). However, not all Christians agreed, as one Christian theologian believed it was a sin to be a merchant, because they were untruthful and overpriced everything, therefore harming people as a whole (Doc
4). There were many different views among the documents. However, not every opinion is stated. If there was a document from an Islamic merchant then it would provide a better understanding of the differing opinions of the religions. An Islamic merchant could give interpretation of how they felt about the negative thoughts, actions and demeaning nature towards them from the other members of their religion. Since the start of Christianity and Islam there have been many differing opinions towards the actions of merchants and the concept of trade between people. Christians believed that it was okay to be a merchant if you were doing it to make an honest living, whereas according to the Muslims it was unmanly to have such a foul and dishonest occupation.