~ AMEN
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15. the ProPhet MuhaMMad
(Approximately 600–650 AD)
The founding of Islam can be credited to the prophet Muhammad, who is said to have conquered and ruled what was known as Persia and spread the word of Islam across all his lands and to the world. Much like Jesus, Muhammad began as a poor tent maker and eventually rose to being a priest, warrior, politician, and spiritual teacher to the Arab people. Many times the prophet Muhammad was the sole commander of his army of believers and stood against armies many times the size of his. His faith, perseverance, and guidance by God/Allah were the claimed reasons for his success. He not only achieved feats militarily, but also now has the second largest religious following in the world, which is second only to Christianity.
The prophet Muhammad began as a poor boy or common boy growing up on the trade routes of the Arab lands. Not much is known about his infancy other than the fact he was a tent maker; some say he was raised by uncle. It is believed that Muhammad’s parents were attacked and killed, which is the reason for his upbringing by his uncle.
As he grew up, he began to have revelations of things to come and who he was going to be. As he become more literate and schooled he preached to people along his path, expressing the true faith in one God.
At this time the Arab world was not united under one religion, and consisted of a seigniorial type of system divided among the aristocrats and warlords of the time. The Roman Empire had dominion over the holy lands and was waging crusades in the name of God.
Since many of the founding principles of Islam agree in accordance with the New and Old Testament, we must assume that Muhammad 155
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was taught or studied the teachings of Judaism and Christianity. Since he grew up among merchants it could be assumed that he met others from varying faiths along the way. He had vast knowledge of many things at a young age and was also blessed athletically and gifted with intelligence.
He preached along his path and became known across the lands; over time there was opposition that grew toward him as people grew envious of his power and influence. Like in the time of Jesus, many people did not like what the prophet was preaching and had spitefulness and evil in their hearts. This opposition was a large reason for the military campaigns the prophet Muhammad carried out across the lands.
As Muhammad became a young man, he gained influence and power; he assembled an army of followers called believers and began to instil a belief among the people. He gave refuge to the poor, weak, and oppressed. This just cause led many to join his following and his influence over the Arab world began to grow. In essence Muhammad was a sort of freedom fighter, fighting for one God and one united people in the Arab world.
This unification later led to the world dominance of Persia up until the year 1200 AD. Great turmoil among the emerging British empires (barbarians) and the fall of the Holy Roman Empire into modern Europe allowed for Persia to emerge with little resistance from those that were unbelievers.
Although Muhammad waged war, he was also a man of peace, and love. He did not advocate war, but deemed it necessary to preserve a way of life and freedom for the people of the Arab world. Many times war was necessary for defence against the “unbelievers,” a group of people who at the time opposed and were aggressive toward the beliefs of Muhammad. These people also included a group of people called the Jinns, who are the people that are believed to be led by an evil entity called Iblis, a Satanic individual who engages in self-worship, raising himself to the status of God, therefore creating a false idol, false prophet, and false god out of himself. The chapter will later discuss the people that are believed to be the Jinns during the time of Muhammad.
As Muhammad moved into his later years he had more time to focus on writing and spiritual works, as his lands were peacefully se-156
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cured by the armies of the believers. Over the years he began to compile works and had a close following of believers who kept his word orally as well. Although parts of the Qur’an have been written by the elders after the death of the prophet, much of the Qur’an remains as true as possible to the original text and teachings of Muhammad. There are varying denominations which acknowledge variants of the text, much like the Bible in Christianity; however, a monotheistic message of one God Allah who is oft forgiving and most merciful is the theme of the Qur’an. Fundamentally the core teachings, values, and principles of the translations remain the same, much like the Bible. One example of a difference among Islam is the adherence of shariah law, laws which were written after the death of the prophet.
The prophet Muhammad was one of the most fortunate of God’s messengers (angels) as he was said to have lived a long life, similar to that of Moses in the Old Testament. After his conquest and the spreading of Islam across the Arab lands, he settled down and maintained his lands as he continued to preach the word of God to the people. At the beginning of the prophet’s life, much of the land was paganistic, acknowledging many gods, similar to that of ancient Greece and Rome.
During his life, the Holy Roman Empire was spreading the beginnings of Christianity into the holy lands, and the empire was aggressive in attempting to secure the Arab lands. Many times great atrocities, such as genocide and rape, were committed by the invading armies of the unbelievers, or Jinns. The unification of Islam helped unify the Arab world, which was a key reason the previously divided lands did not fall to the Roman Empire.
Like many religions, Muhammad’s version of Islam preached a monotheistic view of God in which adherence to one God or Supreme Energy is key to salvation. Many Christians fail to acknowledge the prophet because of the fear of denying Christ; accepting Muhammad as a prophet does not mean that Jesus is downplayed or any less holy.
Contrary to popular belief there are many similarities about Jesus and Muhammad, each having a similar struggle and quest. Jesus, like Muhammad, was attempting to gather an army of followers and establish a unified Israel and Palestine free of Roman oppression. There have been many prophets with similar tasks in history; although the mission of these men were not simply to conquer, but to let the people have greater influence, equality, and freedom--in particular, women and children, as both Jesus and Muhammad did not like the mistreatment of women 157
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and children in past times. Even in Western societies, women have not been acknowledged as equals until the 1900s. In ancient times women and children were raped many times by those who were unbelievers and had malice in their hearts.
Many believe the Qur’an was written in Arabic because it was the most evolved and expressive language at the time. Much like English is the most descriptive language in the world in the twenty-first century, Arabic was the most descriptive language in 580 AD and its societies were making huge breakthroughs in the areas of mathematics, particularly algebra.
Messengers tend to come down to the most culturally advanced and spiritually misguided societies in order to restore the concept of unity among all people. Generally speaking, the most influential society can bring the greatest change to the world as a whole. It is often the most influential societies that take what they have for granted, which is cause for great corruption and immorality among the people.
Arabic was founded in the 500s BC and is an evolution of Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. Before European English came into being; Arabic was deemed to be one of the most poetic languages in the world. It was the newest language formed and during the Mason/Templar Era (600–1200 AD); the Middle Eastern empire was the most flourishing of all nations (Persia). The Persian empire later grew to be one of the strongest and most powerful empires in the world; this dominance last-ed up until the 1800s. At this time hard-line regimes began to pervert the words of the prophet, and began to suppress the people’s ideas and freedoms, the opposite goal of the prophet during his lifetime. The empire slowly began to lose its edge in the world and fell behind in the forefront of cultural evolution. The Qur’an is meant to be a guide not a punishment to the people; we are encouraged to learn and grow from it, not be suppressed by it.
Once Muhammad established his religion and had written much of the Qur’an, he carried a pilgrimage to the city of Medina; this later became known as Hijrah in the year 622 AD. Although this date is sometimes disputed, the significance of Hijrah is the emergence, acknowledgment, and founding of Islam. The significance of the pilgrimage is the importance of the bond between the prophet and the believers; this is a unification that the prophet adored as he had helped his people get closer to God. The significance of the pilgrimage is to unite all Muslims 158
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and followers of the faith of Islam, sharing in the belief of one true God that will lead humanity to salvation and peace.
The purpose of Islam is to acknowledge the prophets, messengers, people, and the world; that our very existence originated from a power we serve and acknowledge as God. To deny that we originated from a greater power is to deny Islam, and every religion for that matter.
In fact when you consider Islam without bias, you will find that it coincides with many beliefs, including Christianity, Judaism, and other monotheistic religions. Islam acknowledges that there is a supreme greater power/energy deemed to be Allah (God), and this greater power/energy is the most powerful entity in the universe. Islam deems that Muhammad the prophet is the last prophet sent to the people and, like Christianity, claims the Qur’an and following of Islam to be the path to salvation. All religions are a path to salvation when practiced in their purity.
Although Christianity and Islam follow much of the same doctrine, the main differences setting Christianity and Islam apart are the resurrection of Jesus and the acknowledgment of Muhammad as a prophet. For many hundreds of years there have been wars fought over this issue, especially for the battle of the holy land between the Persians and the Christians. Many of these raids later became known as the holy crusades. When careful study of both religions is done, you will find that the Jesus and Muhammad had amazingly similar and remarkable lives. There is even word that Muhammad was like the son of God also, as he was a divine messenger of God or angel of the Lord. A key difference between Muhammad and Jesus was the fact that the people of Muhammad embraced him as a prophet, whereas with Jesus Christ they betrayed and crucified him.
The similarities between all religions will be pointed out further in the text; however, it is logical to assume that if Jesus Christ were not betrayed, he would have built up a revolt and established an empire similar to that of the prophet Muhammad. Remember the intent of Jesus was to restore a united Israel free from Roman oppression. Although there are many other debated differences between the two religions, the similarities are great. In essence, Jesus was preaching the unity of one God (Father) and acted as a messenger sent forth to deliver the word of God. Islam also acknowledges John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and the Virgin Mary as some of the holiest messengers in the world.
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Behold! The angels said “o mary! allah giveTh Thee glad Tidings of a word from him: his name will Be chrisT (maseeh) jesus The son of mary held in honor in This world and The hereafTer and of (The company of) Those nearesT To allah. “he shall speak To The people in childhood and in maTuriTy and he shall Be (of The company) of The righTeous.”
she said: “o my lord! how shall i have a son when no man haTh Touched me?” he said: “even so: allah creaTeTh whaT he willeTh; when he haTh decreed a plan he BuT saiTh To iT ‘Be’ and iT is!”and allah will Teach him The Book and wisdom The law and The gospel. “and (appoinT him) an aposTle To The children of israel (wiTh This message): i have come To you wiTh a sign from your lord in ThaT i make for you ouT of clay as iT were The figure of a Bird and BreaThe inTo iT and iT Becomes a Bird By allah’s leave; and i heal Those Born Blind and The lepers and i quicken The dead By allah’s leave; and i declare To you whaT ye eaT and whaT ye sTore in your houses. surely Therein is a sign for you if ye did Believe.
“(i have come To you) To aTTesT The law which was Before me and To make lawful To you parT of whaT was (Before) forBidden To you; i have come To you wiTh a sign from your lord. so fear allah and oBey me.
“iT is allah who is my lord and your lord; Then worship him. This is a way ThaT is sTraighT.”
Surah 3:45–51 ale-’imran1
One founding reason for the creation of Islam was to diminish the praying or worship of men or worship of a man. Acknowledging Muhammad as prophet, or Jesus as the Son of God, is correct. Acknowledging them as God is not; verily they may be gods created in the image of God, but no man can be God.
For how can a man be a rock, the air, and a man at the same time? A man can think like everything at once, but cannot be everything at the same time.
By establishing and reinforcing the view of one God, there was opening to allow the expansion of their culture and scientific evolution.
Allowing the fact that everything originates from one source or point of origin (Allah), this concept gave the Islamic people the insight to 1
Abdullah Yusuf Ali, The Meaning of The Holy Qur’an, Amana Publications, 1408 AH/1989.
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explore and delve further into the reasons why we are one. This allowed the further advancement of technologies in mathematics, culture, and sociopolitical status. The restoration of the view of one God coincided with the belief of the Jewish God that was worshipped by Jesus Christ, and coincided with the Aryan belief of one God (Aryan being Indo-Iranian). Muhammad held onto this cause through his life, but this message later became lost through the creation of strict obedience to laws created after the prophet’s death.
Once hard-line regimes began to gain influence and power over Persia, we can see an eventual decline of the Persian empire. The collapsed empire began to embrace different forms of Islam; these differences caused great division among the people and were the cause of many civil wars. These wars resulted in the eventual destruction of the Persian empire and resulted in the loss of the sociopolitical gains and influence they once had in the world. Although adherence to God is commanded, all that is required is that you believe in God, and the love God stands for.
The Qur’an largely coincides with Abrahamic law; although the Tanak and Torah differ from shariah law. This is the primary difference between Judaism and Islam, although dates such as Hanukah, and Hijrah are different, they share core principles of an originating one God. Common themes through both religions are having messengers or angels sent; the prophets are testament to this fact. Remember that the law of man must evolve with the people, for the greater we become as a people the more liberties will be given. Much of the old law is not current and does not deal with modern mechanics such as the Internet or computers. To understand the Qur’an is to appreciate why the law was created for the people of the time; an example of this is the hijab, nadd’iq, and the burka.
The garments many of the women used to wear, and still wear, had a very real purpose in the time of Muhammad. Many cultures used to travel in the cities and among the trade routes, including many Roman soldiers; attacks and rapes were common on these routes. When women appeared garbed in the burka, not only did it reduce temptation by way of not exposing vanity, but would-be assailants would not be able to tell if there were men or women underneath the garments.
Many times women were assaulted and sexually abused; one guard 161
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walking amongst the women covered could have a surprise attack on any number of assailants. No man had the excuse that he was tempted by the woman purposefully, and this gave the women security to walk in the public amongst their guards.
Such examples of logic are many times misread and abused by preachers, scholars, and especially hard-line religious extremists. The prophets mission is guided by LOVE; this love is sometimes cause for great anger. Unfortunately this sometimes results in war. Muslims are encouraged to embrace and love everything, rising only to destroy those that are oppressive and shun those that do not believe the message, after attempting to teach them.
Forcing religion and compliance on someone is a form of oppression; we simply “cast away” those that do not believe in God, not wage war with them. Although the greatest trespass that one can do is to vio-late and oppress a people, and not believe in God at the same time, this is the way of the unbelievers. These people are sometimes referred to as infidels, although most Muslims call them nonbelievers. Since religion is a form of morality, to deny God in essence is to deny a conscious. If you have no conscious, you are capable of any crime without guilt, re-morse, or fear. It is no question we must separate ourselves from these people who are unbelievers.
The Qur’an is compromised of many poetic and metaphoric writings called a Surah—a compilation of various thoughts in connection with each other, generally within the same time period and theme line.
This series of poetic writings instructs and gives us understanding of how to follow and please Allah/God by way of virtue. These are sacred writings which helped shaped the people of their time with law, guidance, and revelation. Although the meanings of the Surah’s teachings are universal, the law was given to the people of their time as a means for living peacefully. The supreme acknowledgment of Allah/God is to show how the influence of karma and judgment has applied to the believers’ victory over the unbelievers in every case of the Bible and Old Testament.
Many prophets suffer similar trials and tribulations as the prophet Muhammad, and the Qur’an is an illustrative example of such trials and tribulations. The battles with the Thamud and Ad’ people are extremely similar to that of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. Like Abraham, Muhammad tried to reason and make peace with these peo-162
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ple, but they did not turn and repent from their ways. These tribes were later defeated by Muhammad and the believers in his quest to eliminate the nonbelievers from the earth.
These people were forewarned by the prophet to turn back from their ways; however; they did not and were wiped off the face of the earth. These were ancient people, with the capital of Ad being Iram. The capital Iram may also be a reference to their hero of the time; it is said that the Ad people were very tall. They were an ignorant people who worshipped idols; they were destroyed as a result of their unbelief.
Another similarity that Muhammad and the prophets went through is the rejection of the word by their own people. In every other land Muhammad was recognized as a prophet, general, and religious leader, except in his homeland Makkah. Makkah was the original city where the prophet was born. The people of his city (like Moses, Jonah, and Jesus) refused to believe his word. As a result he was exiled to Madin’ah where the Muslim faith began to spread across the Arabian lands. When making reference to the Makkahn period in time, it refers to the point in time when the prophet was preaching in Makkah.
After his exile from Makkah, the teachings of Muhammad and the unity of one God grew in widespread masses. He returned to Makkah to overthrow the ruling aristocracy and proceeded to restore wealth to the entirety of its citizens. He was later hailed as hero and welcomed in his hometown. Once the ruling high councils were overthrown, Muhammad and the church gained control of the lands and peace held for a time.
Dhu al Hijjah is the sacred season of pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah. Muslims from around the world pay homage to Makkah in recognition of the struggle of the prophet. Muslims unite and gather here to signify the birth of Islam. It is meant to be a celebration of the people and time for prayer and festivity. The original liberation of the people and the overthrow of the high council allowed the people the freedom to do such. The people were treated as slaves and looked down on in society before the rise of Muhammad. Wealth was unevenly distributed and the views and beliefs of the people were somewhat pagan and suppressing.
Muhammad is one of the greatest prophets or messengers sent from God. To many Muslims, Muhammad is to Islam what Jesus is to Christianity. Although keep in mind that many people from both faiths believe in each other’s prophets existing and preaching the true mes-163
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sage of God. Each messenger has been the son or daughter of God, as we all are. We are children of God and all are children that are made in the likeness and image of our Creator. Some men and women are more spiritually evolved than others. It is this attainment which the messengers and prophets possess. Not only are they more schooled in scripture, but true believers possess a morality and faith that cannot be taken away no matter what persecution is endured.
We all harness a piece of Allah in ourselves, as well as every living and nonliving thing. The messengers are able to reach into the energy and spirit of all living things and are able to understand the necessity and need for death, which in the natural animal kingdom is mercy.
Once the understanding of death is comprehended, then and only then is the true value of life understood. The most fragile and priceless thing or entity on earth is life, yet in this world life is often regarded as the cheapest thing by those that do not believe.
Living things are the most advanced and blessed representations of Allah (God/Source), and look how many things must exist in this world for the representation of the entirety of God to be shown.
we should be thaNKful to siMply exist; if we are thaNKful for this, theN the Gift of re-birth shall be GraNted There are many Surahs in the Qur’an that describe this concept. To understand death is to come to grips with the will of the Creator, for all returns to Allah. Then you will realize that no matter what tribulation you face, Allah will help you persevere and guide you through it.
God, ALLAH: the creator of the uNiVerse (source); the eNerGy iN which we are all created froM. allah is preseNt iN eVerybody aNd eVerythiNG; there is No escapiNG the JudGMeNt of the supreMe power.
Before the arrival of the prophet Muhammad, the pagans used oaths and affirmations without any regard. They did not fear the consequences of breaking that oath, thus resulting in a society built on lies.
We see this even today as the divorce rate among the Western nations is fifty percent and rising. Why make a promise to Allah/God if you are not going to keep it? Then they suffer bad karma and wonder why.
They ask, “For what actions do I deserve such consequences?” 164
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In their hearts they know, for they are the ones who lied to Allah/
God. There are some divorces which are legit, such as those where there was physical, sexual, and emotional torment. Most divorces, however, are not because of these conditions and are based on people not working together or helping each other grow.
There are many great writings in the Qur’an; however, to include them all would take days to write and weeks to read. That being said the following verses will be included in this text to help illustrate the divine message of the Qur’an and its divine concepts.