ISLAM FOR BEGINNERS BRS 107.pdf - CUEA

Christian doctrine. He will disregard the great themes of the Qur’an like the justice,oneness, mercy and power of God, Prophethood, the last judgment, and the limits ofhuman beings…2. Others represent a too wide viewThe concept “wide”, here, does not refer to a view that is open to other views or acceptsother images of a reality (that would be very interesting) but to lack of personal opinionabout the existing reality, lack of realism. Thus a person having a too wide view issomebody who, after going through the history of religions and reading some Muslim andChristian writings, will not only make any distinction between Islam and Christianity but willneglect all their differences. He will quickly say that both are religions and we can belongto wherever we find ourselves. He wouldn’t talk about two different religions.As a matter of fact, this attitude is neither novel nor original as some of us may assume,for this was exactly the approach of the Negus, King of Abyssinia during the time ofMuhammad. Let us recall to mind the context and Negus’ approach of the two great livingfaiths in his encounter with Muhammad’s companions. When Muhammad saw theaffliction of his first converts, he sent many of them to Abyssinia so that they will escapepersecutions from the Quraysh and avoid apostasy. They were around eighty-three menapart from women and the children they took and those who were born there. Despitetheir belonging to different religions –the king wasn’t aware of- the encounter was withoutfear and suspicion because the King gave them a very warm welcome in his palace andthe emigrants really found protection and justice in the kingdom. Nevertheless, theQuraysh who decided to wipe out all the Muslims followed the emigrants to Abyssinia butfailed to get them from the King. Then later on the king sent for the emigrants, for hewanted to learn from their religion. Ibn Ishaq reports: “Then he summoned the apostle’scompanions, and when his messenger came they gathered together, saying one toanother, ‘what will you say to the man when you come to him?’ They said, ‘we shall saywhat we know and what our prophet commanded us, …He asked them what was thereligion for which they had forsaken their people, without entering into his religion or theother. Jafar b. Abu Talib answered, O king, we were an uncivilized people, worshipingidols…Thus we were until God sent us an apostle whose lineage, truth, trustworthiness,and clemency we know. He summoned us to acknowledge God’s unity and worshiphim…The Negus asked if they had with them anything, which had come from God. WhenFrederic N. Mvumbi,OP Page 7 of 85