BACKGROUND
OF THE PEOPLE AND REGION
The Middle East is often confused by
many to include North African countries. It is actually an area
technically called West Asia in a geographical location where Africa,
Asia, and Europe meet. The Red Sea and Suez Canal (Egypt and Africa)
is the border to the west and Russia, China and India are the borders
in the east. While traditionally, Armenia and Azerbaijan has been
considered a part of the Middle East, several sources have aligned
these two countries as part of Europe. The countries that make up
this area are: Turkey (this country considers itself eastern
European), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Palestine,
Jordan, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab
Emirates, Oman, Turkmenistan, Yemen, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, and Pakistan. Istanbul, originally Constantinople, in
Turkey has been considered to be the gateway between the East and
West during its long history of existence.
North African area consists of those
nations in the upper most part of the African continent: Mauritania,
Western Sahara, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, and Sudan.
The Arabian Peninsula is primarily
Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Yemen.
The historical geographical name,
Arabia includes nations that
are part of North Africa, Arabian Peninsula, and the Middle East,
that makes it more confusing. Those historical states of Arabia are:
Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq.
Baghdad, Iraq was once the capital of all of Arabia and Iraq was once
the center of the Persian Empire.
Historical
events have changed these areas over time, empires rising and
falling; however, the arid states that make up North Africa and the
Middle East has its roots in tribal, nomadic cultures who have
adapted to the conditions of an arid and semi-arid climate. The main
reason why Egypt grew to be a successful and powerful empire was
because of the life-giving Nile River that afforded the Egyptians
fertile land to grow food and a major water source for supplying its
great ancient cities that lined its banks. The Roman Empire spread in
this region and when Christianity became accepted as the religion of
Rome, Christianity also spread in this area. By that time, Israel had
become lost as a separate nation and melded into the Arabian
conglomerate. However, in the 7th
century another empire was created, a theocracy, whose power spread
through conquest and soon also geographical enlarged the area of
Arabia. Turmoil has been an historical given in the history of the
region. Most stability in the Arabia nations has been caused by two
factors: tribal factions and religion; just as the Crusade
conflicts continued off and on
over a period of 100 years.
The
nations that have historically been called Arabia
(word means arid), and
was populated by Semitic peoples that go as far back as Noah. Indeed,
the term “Semitic” has its origins, as a people, with Shem,
son of Noah.
i
The primary tribesmen were named Bedouin, who were nomadic herdsmen
who loved horses, but the primary means of transportation was by
camel – long caravans traveling established routes that traded with
civilized nations featuring coveted rare spices like frankincense
and myrrh.
The camel traveled at a slow speed of eight miles per hour, but could
go without water for 5 days in the summer and 25 days in the winter;
it provided milk, its urine was used as hair tonic, its dung burned
for fuel; when it died it provided meat, and its hair and hide were
used for clothing and tents. The tribesmen left nothing for waste.
The Bedouin was
passionate, often entering feuds and combat against other tribesmen
due to an insult; not just for himself but for the honor of his clan.
They loved the freedom of the desert and felt it was there land, and
would kill anyone who used their water wells in their tribal area
without permission of a member of the clan. They could be kind or
murderous, dishonest and yet faithful; living by a code of honor and
often fierce fighters in battle. They loved their women as they did
their horses and would kill to protect their honor; yet the society
called for them to be chattel that was part of a father's or
husband's estate. Her duty was to produce warriors, and in many cases
had to share her husband with other wives – as many as a man's
wealth could maintain.
MOHAMMED
THE PROPHET
(also
spelled Mohammad,
Muhammad,
Mohammed, Mahomet)
The
story of Islam, or as the Catholics
traditionally described as Mohammedanism,
began with a prophet-teacher, Mohammed
(570-632) just as Christianity began with Jesus
Christ
of Nazareth-Galilee. He is
considered to be a messenger, prophet of God (Allah),
and the last law-bearer prophet
by Muslims
(followers of Islam)
and Bahá'is.
He is considered to be the restorer of an original monotheistic faith
of Adam,
Noah,
Abraham,
Moses,
Jesus
and other prophets – a reformation religion because Mohammed
believed that God's reverence and laws were corrupted over time after
Moses and Jesus.
Five
years after Emperor Justinian
of the eastern Christian nations called Byzantine died, Mohammed was
born into a poor family in Mecca. The Arabian region was economically
poor, great civilizations like ancient Egypt and Persia had fallen
into disarray and ruin – weakening just as the Roman Empire in the
west.
Mohammed
was orphaned when he was young and was raised by his uncle, Abu
Talib.
He worked for his uncle as a shepherd and a merchant and was
educated, which was an opportunity for him coming from a poor family.
He married around the age of 25 and found himself discontented after
observing culture and society around him in Mecca. ii
When
Mohammed neared 40 years old, he decided to go into the mountains to
a cave for meditation and reflection. According to legend and
Arabian history, it was there, during the month of Ramadan,
that he received his first revelation from God, which Arabs call
Allah.
Three years later he began to preach among the populace, revealing
his revelations in public, proclaiming that “God
is One” and that the only way (dîn).
Although
Mohammed is the author of the Holy
Qur'an,
he never learned to read and write. According to tradition, it was
Gabriel,
the archangel
that
visited him a cave in the desert that inspired the words; but
apparently Mohammed was a talented manager of men. While fables relay
stories of his youth, historically, we know practically nothing.
BIOGRAPHY
OF THE MESSENGER OF GOD
At
the age of 12 (tradition) it is said he was taken by Abu
Talib
on a caravan to Bostra in Syria on mercantile business for a rich
widow. Then the story jumps to the age of 25, married to the widow
(40 years old) who bore several children. All of Mohammed's sons died
at childbirth, but he had a daughter, Fatima (who became famous) who
he cherished. Grieved over losing two sons, Mohammed adopted Ali, the
orphan son of Abu Talib. The adopted son married Fatima, and through
the son's writing, we have a description of Mohammed:
...of middle stature, neither tall nor short. His complexion was rosy white; his eyes black; his hair, thick, brilliant, and beautiful, fell to his shoulders. Hi profuse beard fell to his breast … There was such sweetness in his visage that no one, once in his presence, could leave him. If I hungered, a single look at the Prophet's face dispelled the hunger. Before him all forgot their griefs and pains. iii
It
was during visits to Medina (Christians lived there) and Mecca (Jews
lived there) that Mohammed became familiar with Christian and Hebrew
scriptures. iv
The Qur'an, in many instances, relays his admiration
of the morals of Christians, the monotheism of the Jews, and the
Scriptures believed to be revelations from God.
However, he felt the need of a new religion believed so the factions
could be united into a nation.
As
briefly mentioned, at age 40 he became more absorbed in religion and
went to a cave during the holy month of Ramadan at the foot of Mount
Hera near Mecca where he would spend days and nights fasting and in
meditation. As the tale goes, one night in the year 610, alone in the
cave v.
His
faith was provided a name – Islam
– which translates “to surrender” or “make peace”. When he
moved to Medina away from the tension from the merchants in Mecca,
this appeared to be so. As his authoritative power grew, living in an
age when secular and religious laws and conduct were combined, he
drew up a concord with the Jews of Medina:
The Jews who attach themselves to our commonwealth shall be protected from insults and vexations; they shall have equal right with our own people to our assistance and good offices; they … shall form with the Moslems one composite nation; they shall practice their religion freely as the Moslems .. They shall join the Moslems in defending Yahrib against all enemies … All future disputes between those who accept this charter shall be referred, under God, to the Prophet.
Two hundred families had
immigrated to Medina from Mecca to live in the City of the Prophet,
and starvation resulted. To answer the call to provide for his
followers, Mohammed conducted a series of raids, where four fifths of
the plunder went to the raiders and one fifth to the Prophet. The
raids were conducted against the trade caravans of merchants, who
sought revenge.
In
623, Mohammed organized a raiding party of 300 warriors to raid a
caravan traveling from Syria to Mecca. The leader of the caravan
received news of the impending raid and changed his route and sent a
messenger to Mecca to provide reinforcements. The Quraysh sent 900
warriors and the two armies met at a Wadi.
vi
If Mohammed had been defeated, his career, along with the newly
formed religion would have most likely ended. But victory was on the
side of Mohammed that day.
Victory inflated morale as
well as the boldness of the prophet. People that spoke insulting
against the Prophet or wrote poems and other text against his goals
and religion – some being Jews – were murdered as they slept by
the prophet's devoted assassins. To the Moslem this was retribution
against those who committed treason, for by that time the Prophet not
only led the people at the religious level, but the secular level as
well.
In
625, Abu
Sufyan,
who had waited one year to hope there would be reconciliation between
Moslems and Jews, led an army of 3,000 to the hill of Ohod, three
miles north of Medina. Fifteen women, including Sufyan's wives
accompanied the army. The Moslems were forced to retreat and Mohammed
who had received several wounds was carried from the battlefield
unconscious. Abu Sufyan thought that Mohammed had died, returned to
Mecca triumphant. Six months later when the Prophet recovered from
his wounds attacked the Banu-Nadhir Jews he had made accords with,
claiming they aided the Quraysh and plotted to kill him. After a
three-week siege, the inhabitants were allowed to emigrate form the
city and the Prophet appropriated most of the orchards to support his
household. viii
Mohammed now considered the situation as war against Mecca. He led an
army against the Jews of Bangui-Kuraiz and won. They were given the
ultimatum of choose Islam or death. They chose death. Six hundred men
were slain and buried in the market place of Medina and the women and
children sold into slavery.
MOHAMMED:
REFORM AND CONQUEST
The
Prophet was now a seasoned general and during the ten years in Medina
he planned 56 raids and campaigns, personally leading 27. Yet, he
also knew how to be diplomatic. The populace had grown to view him as
their apostle and Messiah, like the Christians viewed Jesus the
Christ – a reformer of Judaism. Of course, the big difference being
that Mohammed was a warrior prophet like Elijah
had been. He retained the legends and the stories of the prophets of
old, especially Moses,
and viewed Abraham
as the patriarch of the religion that now worshiped Yahweh
in the Arabic word of Allah.
Muhammad recognized the heritage of the Semitic peoples who became
known as Arabs – all genealogically related from the same origins.
However, the gist of his message was that others had fallen by the
way when worshiping the one true God, and others having reverted to
paganism.
He was and is considered to be
the messenger of Allah, and it is written:
... to pay the zakat, to fast in Ramadan, and to make the pilgrimage to the House if you are able to do so. And in number 2 of the Hadith, Jabreel (Gabriel) stated so that this is what shall be. Islam is to testify that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah, to perform prayers.
The
Hadith
is the tool that teaches the understanding of the Qur'an,
evaluated and gathered after Muhammad's death into large collections,
much ascribed to the Prophet, during the 8th
and 9th
centuries. In Arabic it refers to reports of statements or actions of
Muhammad, and the literal meaning of the word refers to the speech of
a person. The Hadith
Qudsi (Sacred
Hadith) is a sub-category of the Hadith
of Muhammed.
They are regarded as words of Allah. Here is an excerpt from the
Hadith Qudsi:
When God decreed the Creation, He pledged Himself by writing in His book which is laid down with Him: My mercy prevails over My wrath. ix
A
truce was made for ten years with Mecca and Medina prospered and grew
in the meantime. However, the truce was broken when allegedly the
Quraysh attacked a Moslem tribe in 630. Muhammad led an army of
10,000 to Mecca and there he took it. Idols were destroyed that had
been placed around the holy Kaaba and all that remained was the Black
Stone, which was covered to be protected from the elements. Muhammed
proclaimed that Mecca was the Holy City of Islam and decreed that no
unbeliever would be allowed to set foot on its sacred soil. He had
conquered the tribe, Quraysh, that he himself had been
born into.
After Muhammad's first wife
died, he took on one wife every year for fifteen years – most of
whom were gained by his conquests, and one an arranged marriage to a
six-year-old girl, who was “admitted to his house at the age of
nine, which means he “consummated the marriage to a 9-year-old
girl. Muhammad made an exception to what was written in Surat 33:50:
O Prophet! Lo! We have made lawful unto thee thy wives unto whom thou hast paid their dowries, and those whom thy right hand possesseth of those whom Allah hath given thee as spoils of war, and a believing woman if she give herself unto the Prophet and the Prophet desire to ask her in marriage - a privilege for thee only, not for the rest of believers.
In
Maududi
vol. 4, p111:
O Prophet, We have made lawful to you those of your wives, whose dowers you have paid, and those women who come into your possession out of the slave-girls granted by Allah, and the daughters of your paternal uncles and aunts, and of your maternal uncles and aunts, who have migrated with you, and the believing woman who gives herself to the Prophet, if the Prophet may desire her. This privilege is for you only, not for the other believers. …
Mohammed's
personality was also recorded as being a simple man with simple
needs, but indulged in women and power. Will
Durant wrote: xi
The apartments in which he successively dwelt were cottages of unburnt brick, twelve or fourteen feet square, eight feet high, and thatched with palm branches; the door was a screen of goat or camel hair; the the furniture was a mattress and pillows spread upon the floor. xii He was often seen mending clothes or shoes, kindling the fire, sweeping the floor, milking the family goat in his yard, or shopping for provisions in the market.xiii He ate with his fingers, and licked them thriftily after each meal. xiv His staple foods were dates and barley bread; milk and honey were occasional luxuries; and he obeyed his own interdiction of wine. Courteous to the great, affable to the humble, dignified to the presumptuous, indulgent to his aides, kindly to all but his foes – so his friends and followers describe him. He visited the sick, and joined any funeral procession he met. He put on no pomp of power, rejected any special mark of reverence, accepted the invitation of a slave to dinner, and asked no service of a slave that he had time and strength to do for himself. … But like all men he was vain. He gave considerable time to his personal appearance … wore a ring inscribed “Mohammed the Messenger of Allah” … he could not bear evil odors, jangling bells, or loud talk. … He was nervous and restless, subject to occasional melancholy, then suddenly talkative and gay. He had a sly humor.
In the eleventh
year of the Hijra,
Muhammad fell ill with pneumonia, allegedly
caused by an attempt to poison him by Zainab,
his adopted son's ex-wife who lost her husband, father, and brother
in the Holy War in the Battle with the Qurayza
Jews. She tried to poison Muhammed out of revenge, but he spit out
the food before it had effects upon him.
Muhammad was 64
years of age when he died.
Emphasis in his
life, as well as his death was the fact that Muhammad, unlike the
followers of Christ proclaim, was a Messenger
of God, a true prophet – but mortal. He was commissioned by
God through archangel Gabriel
to deliver a message to humanity; and in that his purpose is
equal to Christian traditional history. However, dedicated Christians
will die for their faith and attempts to convert; while a Moslem is
obligated to kill unbelievers or commit them to slavery if they do
not convert.
HOLY QUR'AN
(Koran)
The word qur'ân
means reading or discourse and applies and is the sacred scriptures
of all Moslems. It is an accumulation of text of Mohammed's
revelations and divine revelations that is divided into Sura
(chapters), much like the Jewish scriptures of the Old Testament and
the Christian Gospels of the New Testament. Everything written in the
Qur'ân is an inspiration by
God through the archangel, Gabriel, passed on to Mohammed, the
Messenger of Allah, the One, true God. In the last twenty
years of the Prophet's life, he dictated his revelations; each
written on parchment, leather, palm leaves, or bones – anything
available at the time. His followers, many who were not literate,
took to memory its passages. It was recited to an assembly of people
who were followers of Islam and who called themselves Moslems.
The Qur'ân was not written
nor put together in any logical or chronological order and no
collection of fragmented text written on various materials were
collected in Mohammed's lifetime.
Each chapter of the Qur'ân
fulfills a purpose, covering a myriad of subjects: emphasizes
doctrine, dictates a prayer, dictates law, identifies enemies,
explains procedure, tells a story, concerns of warfare, tells of a
victory, formulates a treaty, appeals for funds, regulates rituals,
dictates conduct, morality, industry, trade, and finance. The Qur'ân
is a notebook or diary that was not written like one book. There are
114 Suras and the history within the Qur'ân is in reverse as well as
not in order. The book and its poetic entries is best understood and
appreciated for its beauty in the original Arabic language, and the
Qur'ân represents the first complete book of literature of its
caliber among the Arabian tribes of the time.
Islam is not just a religion,
but a code of moral government that supersedes any civil law that is
not contained within its scriptures – and to be followed explicitly
by believers.
The three major religions:
Judaism, Christianity; and Islam are monotheistic, and helped to
develop the medieval mind with the help of Hellenistic philosophy.
The three religions agree that the sole cosmic intelligence, the
Creator, is one entity called Yahweh, God or Allah.
Despite different descriptive names, the entity is one and the same;
however the major differences is within the doctrine of each.
Christianity adds an additional aspect in its concept of the Trinity,
where God is actually three distinct entities. The other two
religions, Judaism and Islam, consider that doctrine to be a disguise
for polygamy. Indeed, the Christian Church experienced a schism in
its early history because of the concept of adopting pagan symbolism
and plurality between the Church of the East and the Church of the
West; where the Roman Catholic Church of Rome established a tradition
of statuary that Christians would pray before, like the statue of
Mary and the sculpture of Christ on the Cross – symbols of worship
and therefore a transition from the paganism the Christians
persecuted and wiped out in the eternal city of Rome, once the
greatest empire in human history.
One particular sura (cxii) in
the Qur'ân is devoted to the unity and singularity of Allah, God,
and chanted daily from every mosque minaret in the Islamic
communities around the globe. Allah is first before everything, and
the source of life and all the blessings that can be experienced in
the heavens and Earth.
Allah, through Gabriel, according to Mohammed:
Thou seest the earth barren, but when we send down water theron … it doth thrill and swell and put forth every lovely kind. (Sura 22, 5).
Look upon the fruit therof, and upon its ripening; lo, herein, verily, are portents for a people who believe. (Sura 6, 100).
Allah! There is no God save Him, the living, the eternal! … His throne includeth the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them … (Sura 2, 255).
Along with the power and justice of Allah there is everlasting
mercy.
Every chapter of the Qur'ân, except the ninth, begins with:
In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.
The
angels are like Allah's secretaries and messengers, recording good
and wicked deeds and relaying and enforcing the law and will of Allah
through his archangels.
The
jinn is an group of genii,
made from fire
and unlike angels, they
eat, drink, copulate, and die;
some are good, but most are bad; and spend time getting humans into
trouble with Allah. The leader of the jinn is
Iblis,
(Satan) who was once an archangel, but was condemned for refusing to
respect Adam
and Eve as Allah's creation, as well as their descendents. Iblis
is mentioned within Judaism and Christianity as Lucifer,
the fallen archangel whose Hebrew name means Morning
Star,
once favored by God. The story
of Lucifer is much the same as Iblis
and both are often referred to as the devil
or
Satan.
The
theme or central ethics of the Qur'ân, much like other religious
scriptures, was based upon fear of punishment; yet with hope of
reward when mortal life ends.
Resurrection
is believed by Moslems to arrive in an unsuspected time, and that day
is referred to as Judgment
Day,
just as in Judaism and Christianity (Last
Judgment).
The main difference here with Christianity is that Judgment
Day is when Jesus the Christ returns to make a final stand
against evil and those alive at the time. Contrary to the other two
religions, Christianity is unique in that those who die before
Judgment Day do not have to wait, but will enjoy a spiritual world
according to their actions while alive. Resurrection concept is not
the same as reincarnation.
Unlike
Dante,
Mohammed's description of heaven is as vivid as his description of
hell. Good believers – those who die for the cause of Allah and the
poor, who will enter
heaven 500 years before the rich.
Like
the Talmud,
the Qur'ân dictates law and moral conduct incorporated into one
philosophical concept. There is no division between theological and
civic law, and if there is, theological law is supreme. There are
social rules for manners and hygiene, marriage and divorce; and
treatment of children, slaves, and animals. There are rules for
commerce and politics, interest and debts, contracts and wills,
industry and finance, crime and punishment, war and peace. All those
rules of the law are based upon pleasing Allah. Mohammed was a
merchant in his youth, so understood the schematics of business and
trade.
Mohammed
put an end to the Arab practice of infanticide Sura 17, 31). He
abolished the Arab custom of buying and selling women as property
from father to son – without abolishing slavery. Women were to
inherit half as much as male heirs.
Mohammed
developed social customs from the suras in the Qur'ân that regulated
the way women dressed in public. This, he surmised, was for their own
protection to prevent the transgression against their honor and
obedience to the laws of Moses and Allah.
Divorce
was permitted to the male in the Qur'ân, as in the Talmud,
for any reason the husband determined to be justified; and the wife
proclaims divorce by returning her dowry to him (Sura II, 229).
However, Mohammed discouraged divorce saying that such an action
displeases Allah, so efforts to reconcile must be made (Sura VI, 35).
Three successive declarations of divorce, at monthly intervals, were
required to make divorce legal; and the husband cannot remarry the
divorced wife until she remarries and divorces another man. This,
Mohammed surmised, would make men think deeply before deciding to
divorce. The wife must obey her husband in all matters and forms, and
if she disobeys he should banish
her to a bed apart, and scourge her
(Sura IV, 34) - “scourge” meaning beating or whipping. The wife
must always recognize her husband's superior
intellect and authority of
the husband (Sura 4, 34).
The
Qur'ân for thirteen centuries has remained the holy guidance and
wisdom of Allah that provides a set of rules that believers must obey
as well as converts. The Qur'ân defines religion in terms any
Christian or Hebrew (Jew) might accept:
Righteousness is not that ye turn your faces to the East or West, but righteousness is this: whosoever believeth in Allah, and the Last Day, and the angels, and the Book, and the Prophets; and whosoever, for the love of Allah, giveth his wealth unto his kindred, unto orphans, and the poor, and the wayfarer, and to the beggar, and for the release of captives; and whoso observeth prayer … and, when they have covenanted, fulfill their covenant; and who are patient in adversity and hardship and in the times of violence: these are the righteous, these are they who believe in the Lord! (Sura II, 177)
The
Qur'ân is based on Hebrew concepts from the Creation to the Last
Judgment; yet Mohammed believed that the old, original and true ways,
were being lost; for Allah is Yahveh
and Allah
is God. (See:To
God belongs 99 names)
Sura
112:
In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Say (O Muhammad) He is God the One God, the Everlasting Refuge, who has not begotten, nor has been begotten, and equal to Him is not anyone.
Mohammed
accepted the fact that God (Allah) provided sacred scriptures that
comprise the Hebrew and Christian scriptures and as divinely
revealed. (Sura III, 48). Four revelations have been preserved:
Pentateuch
to
Moses,
Psalms
to David,
Gospels
to
Jesus,
and Qur'ân to Mohammed; and whoever rejects the revelations are
infidels.
However, according to Mohammed the first three revelations have
undergone changes, corrupted from the original, which the Qur'ân
replaces them. xv
The
Qur'ân
recognizes the prophets: Adam,
Noah,
Abraham,
Moses,
Enoch,
Christ, and
Mohammed – all
Semitic people. Mohammed accepted the narratives of the Holy Bible,
but with occasional amendments. The Prophet (Mohammed) alleged that
agreement of the Qur'ân and the Bible verifies its divine mission.
Many
elements of the doctrines correspond with the Talmud. The Moslem
fasts as the Jew does and other doctrines and rituals have been
recognized and established as compliant.
The
greeting of the Hebrew sholom
aleichem is
part of the prayer in Sura 1.
Mohammed
acknowledged Jesus as a teacher, prophet, and messenger of God and
publicly accepted this. However, the veneration of historical figures
like Mother Mary that is viewed as much of a pagan idea as the
concept of Trinity where God is three personages (Sura V, 116).
Mohammed accepted the Virgin birth story (Sura III, 47; Sura 21, 91).
He acknowledged the miracles performed by Jesus; but denied the idea
that Jesus was the “Son of God”. Mohammed looked upon unification
to discourage complications that may have occurred, and didn't view
himself as divine – and discouraged any attempts. Despite certain
disagreements, Mohammed stated:
Consort in the world kindly with Christians (Sura 21, 15).
Despite
those quarrels and armed conflicts with certain bands of Jews, he
still taught tolerance toward Christians and Jews, referring to them
as the people
of the Book.
It is interesting to note that during my research I discovered that
Mohammed had considered at a later date from which the “people of
the Book was recorded, that he had found that Persians had a sacred
text (book) called the Avesta;
which he extended the term and policy to the Zoroastrians
as well. Mohammed told the Jews that they should obey the Talmud, Old
Testament; and that the Christians should obey the Gospels and the
laws of the Old (Sura V, 72) Testament; but he also added that they
should accept the Qur'ân as God's latest revelation – for earlier
revelations had been corrupted and abused; now the new covenant in
the form of the Qur'ân would unite and cleanse them, and offer
humanity an integrated faith.
Mohammed
succeeded to take the Holy
City of Mecca from the pagans, just as the Christians did in
Rome; and it was apparent that he only intended to rule Arabia and
unite the tribes of the region into one people who worship only the
One true God.
Sadly,
his goal would be extended and corrupted by future successors,
leadership of the Moslems that acted under the banner of Islam, whose
depiction changed through the course of its history. A great
religious war would ensue between the “people of the Book” -
primarily Moslems and Christians.
The
next chapter deals with those changes in doctrine and purpose, as
well as provide a history of the Crusades through the eyes of each
side with what truth we know about those events in history.
ENDNOTES:
vi
Wadi: A river bed or valley
that is usually dry in the summer months.
vii
It might be noted here that it was his wife who convinced Muhammad
that the visions were divinely inspired and that he was destined to
become a true prophet. She saw the advantage of her husband being
viewed as the Messenger of God. [Boer, T.J.,
History of Philosophy of
Islam,
London, 1933.
x Holy
Qur'an, .
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