Brief history of Islam: Mohammed was born 570 AD in the town of Mecca in Arabia. His father Abd-Allah, from the tribe of Hashim in Mecca, died before he was born. His mother Amina, from the tribe of Naggar in Medina, died five years later. Mohammed lived in Mecca with his pagan fathers parents and was cared for by an Ethiopian Christian woman named Baraka, whom he gratefully called his Mom. This shows that since his early life, Mohammed was familiar with the Bible through Baraka who told him Biblical stories.At that time Mecca, where the Kabah shrine is located, was the center of the worship of the pagan Arab moon god Allah. The Kabah is a cubic shaped room that housed 360 idols and a volcanic black stone that was considered a good luck charm. His fathers tribe, Hashim, worshiped Allah. Every year, Mohammed witnessed pilgrims coming to Mecca to perform pagan rituals at the Kabah -- kissing the black stone, which he later adopted into the Islamic pilgrimage. The ritual was part of his pagan upbringing, not a new revelation from Allah as Muslims claim.From childhood, Mohammed suffered epileptic seizures where he would have convulsions and become semi-conscious. Mohammed would often fall on the ground, his body jerking and his eyes rolling backward in his head and perspiring profusely. They would often cover him with a blanket during such episodes.Muslims claim the Koran was revealed to Mohammed by Allah while he was in such a semi-conscious state. Muslims forget that Islamic sources indicate that Mohammed had such episodes from childhood. (B 1:2)From the description of the bodily movements that were often connected with his trances, many scholars have stated that these were epileptic seizures. The Hadith (Islamic tradition) describes the half-abnormal ecstatic condition with which Mohammed was overcome. (The Shorter Encyclopdia of Islam by Cornell University)At age ten Mohammed began working on a caravan for his uncle, Abu-Talib. He traveled in Israel and Syria on trading missions. On his journeys, Mohammed enjoyed talking to Christian Monks in the monasteries that were located in Arabia along the route of the caravans. The monasteries served as Rest Areas on the route of caravans. (The Detailed Encyclopedia in the History of Arabs Prior to Islam by Dr. Jawad Ali, published by The Iraqi Scientific Association)The Christian InfluenceAt age 25, Mohammed worked on a caravan owned by Khadija, a forty year old Christian widow. Mohammed was attracted to Khadija because she was wealthy, and she was attracted to him because he was young. They married and Mohammed went to live with her. Khadijas cousin, Waraka Bin Nofel, was the priest of a Christian sect called the Ebionites -- founded in Arabia in the 7th century. The Ebionites believed that the Messiah was just a prophet, not God manifested in human flesh. Islamic sources indicate that Bin Nofel was working on an Arabic translation of the Hebrew Gospel (B 1:3). Christian scholars believe it was either the Hebrew version of the Old Testament or the New Testament book of Matthew because Matthew was originally written in Hebrew.After marrying Khadija, Mohammed practiced the doctrines of Ebionism. Mohammed accompanied Waraka Bin Nofel to meditate in the caves around Mecca, fasted during the lunar month of Ramadan and gave alms to the poor. He prayed five times a day, read the Bible and sang the psalms of David and Christian songs. These biblical stories represent a large part of the Koran that Mohammed quoted from the Bible. (K 73:2-8) (K2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 36, 37, 38, 40, 43, 50, 51, 54, 57, 61, 66, 71, 73, 79)Mohammeds Deceit to Gain FollowersFifteen years after Mohammed converted to Ebionism, Waraka bin Nofel encouraged him to share Ebionism with others. For 13 years (610 to 623 AD) Mohammed tried to gain followers in Mecca but his message was not well received. He was so frustrated that he resorted to deception to try to convince people to follow him. He claimed that the genies and fairies, who Arabs believed inhabited the trees, rocks and water of Arabia, believed in him. (K 46:29; 72:1,2)Satanic VersesIn order to appeal to the pagans, Mohammed praised their idols, Al-Lat, Al-Uzza and Manat, saying they were the daughters of Allah who made intercession to Allah on the peoples behalf (K 53:19,20). In this way, Mohammed tried to trick them into following him. When the Jews and Christians rebuked him for supporting polytheism, he admitted he was under the influence of Satan when he praised and accepted the pagan worship of idols. Thus some of the verses in the Koran are called the satanic verses. Later Mohammed claimed that the angel Gabriel came down from heaven and rebuked him for allowing Satan to influence him to accept the worship of idols. He then reverted back to monotheism and stated that Allah abrogated (canceled) this past revelation (K 22:52).A major problem with the concept of deceptive satanic inspiration is that the prophet who claims it loses his credibility. There may be some other satanically inspired verses that were never corrected. Satanic and demonic inspirations are related to occult and witchcraft practitioners, not the inspired prophets of the living God.A Self-claimed ProphetMohammed was challenged to perform miracles to prove he was from Allah and that his belief was the truth. Mohammed, in a desperate attempt to convince people that he had performed a miracle, invented an outrageous story, saying he had been caught away to Jerusalem during the night while they were sleeping. Because they were not eye witnesses to the event, they doubted him even more. Finally, Mohammed admitted that he was unable to perform miracles because he was just a man.They say, We will not believe in you unless you cause a spring to gush forth from the ground, or should have a river goes through a garden of palms and grapes, or make the sky fall as you claimed, or show us Allah and the angels; or should have a house of gold, or should ascend to heaven and return in front of us with a book for us to read. Say, To God be the glory. Am I other than a mortal messenger? (K 17:90-93)Failure in MeccaWhen his heretical teachings were not accepted in Mecca, Mohammed decided to move to Medina, the home of his mothers tribe. He realized the people in Mecca, including his fathers tribe, would not accept his beliefs unless they were forced by physical violence to do so.Medina is a city in Arabia where Mohammed moved after his mothers tribe offered him armed support. In Medina (623-633 AD), he and his mothers tribe waged wars to force people to follow them or be killed. In the Koran, one can clearly see the difference in Mohammeds tolerant teachings in Mecca and his harsh teachings in Medina. Today Muslims, instructed by the Koran, continue waging wars wherever they have political power, to force people into Islam.The Nakhla RaidMohammed sent six members of his mothers tribe to raid a trade caravan coming from Israel and Syria. They killed the men, took the women as concubines and looted the caravan. This attack is known in the history of Islam as the Nakhla Raid. The raid took place during the lunar months that Arabs traditionally observed a truce so they could make a pilgrimage to Mecca safely. Mohammed was criticized for violating this tradition.The Badr RaidMotivated by the wealth and women taken in the first raid, Mohammed led the second raid himself. At Badr, Mohammed and his mothers tribe attacked another caravan where they again killed the men, took the women as concubines and looted the goods. Thereafter, caravans were subjected to horrible attacks by Mohammed and his mothers tribe. Subsequently, to avoid being attacked, his followers increased. In essence, Mohammed and his mothers tribe began raiding caravans as a way of life. Mohammed received one fifth of the spoils from each raid. (K 8:41)Mohammed himself engaged in 78 battles, of which just one (the Battle of the Ditch) was defensive. Within a century after Mohammeds death in 632, Muslim armies had reached as far as India in the east and Spain in the west. Today Jihad is still using force to convert people to Islam on the threat of death.
Posted on: Tue, 14 Oct 2014 23:30:08 +0000
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