islamic-jihad-legacy-of-forced-conversion-imperialism-slavery

Life of Prophet Muhammad and the Birth of Jihad‘Christians long viewed Islam as a heretical movement stemming from their own faith,’ notes Pipes. 92 IgnazGoldziher claims that ‘Muhammad did not proclaim new ideas… (His) message was an eclective composite ofreligious ideas and regulations’ from Jewish, Christian and other sources. 93 While the Quran itself agrees toJewish and Christian influence on Islam; the Pagan, Zoroastrian, Sabian and other pre-Islamic beliefs andrituals were also incorporated into the Islamic creed. Samuel Zwemer concludes that Islam "is not aninvention but a concoction" of old ideas. 94 Amidst these claims that Islam was founded by mixing existingreligious ideas, particularly from Christianity and Judaism, the issue of Prophet Muhammad’s dealing withthe Christians will be addressed here in a comprehensive way in order for the readers to grasp all these claimsabout Islam’s foundation and its relationship with Christianity. It will help the reader understand howChristianity in particular had dominantly influenced Muhammad’s mission and the conception of his theologyand how his attitude and tone of his creed toward Christians and their faith gradually changed as Islambecame increasingly firm-footed.Christian Influence on Muhammad’s mission and creedAccording to the eighth-century Christian theologian John of Damascus (d. 749), Muhammad’s religion wasan errant form of Christianity. Muhammad, he wrote, ‘having happened upon the Old and the NewTestaments, in all likelihood through an Arian monk, organized his new sect.’ German Philosopher Nicholasof Cusa (d. 1464) found in the Quran a strand of Nestorianism, a sect of Christianity, widely diffused in theMiddle East during early the Christian centuries. 95Islamic literatures affirm that Muhammad had his first contact with Christianity through a learnedNestorian monk, named Bahira, whom he had met at the age of twelve (some say nine) while on a trade-trip toSyria with his uncle Abu Talib. On this journey, Muhammad had received the first dose of familiarity with theChristian religion, customs and rituals while passing through the predominantly Christian regions of Syria. Itis said that Bahira was highly impressed by Muhammad’s interest in religious discussions and had allegedlyseen in him a coming prophet as go Muslim legends. 96 Bahira is said to have had communicated certainChristian doctrines and laws, and had recited inspired Biblical passages, to him. On Muhammad’s gainingBiblical knowledge from Bahira, notes Ibn Ishaq: ‘There he gained knowledge from a book… handed on fromgeneration to generation.’ 97 Muhammad was to embody those knowledge and teachings later in the Quran sothat the Arabs get acquainted with the concept of one true god.As already discussed, Muhammad was very likely trained in the scriptures of the Jewish andChristian faiths prior to receiving his revelation from God. There are a good deal of references in Islamicliteratures, which suggest that Muhammad, prior to embarking on his own prophetic mission, had familiarizedhimself with the Christian and Jewish scriptures and was inspired by the central concept of the "oneness ofgod" of these creeds. His first intimate contact with Christianity came from his marriage of twenty-four yearswith Khadijah, who had strong connection with Christian theology through her Christian cousin Waraqa ibnNaufal. Waraqa had even translated a portion of the gospels into Arabic. ‘Waraqa attached himself toChristianity and studied its scriptures until he had thoroughly mastered them,’ records Ibn Ishaq. 98 He was, asnoted, the first person to affirm Muhammad’s divine communication with Gabriel and was instrumental inpersuading Muhammad to launch his prophetic mission. Zayd ibn Haritha, a slave of Khadijah, whomMuhammad had adopted as his son, was also a Christian.92. Pipes D (1983) In the Path of God, Basic Books, New York, p. 7793. Goldziher I (1981) Introduction to Islamic Theology and Law, Trs. Andras & Ruth Hamori, Princeton, p. 4–594. Zwemer S (1908) Islam: A Challenge to Faith, New York, p. 2495. Walker, p. 18896. Al-Tabari, Vol. 6, p. 4597. Ibn Ishaq, p. 79–8198. Ibid, p. 9938