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

Islamic Jihadhad sent away some of his disciples to Christian Abyssinia in 615, the new verses started affirming Biblicalstories. This trend continued until some early period of Muhammad’s mission in Medina.It is likely that, after seeing no prospect in getting the Meccan Polytheists flock to his faith,Muhammad directed his attention to the Christians and Jews who might join his mission, if he affirmed theirfaiths in his new creed. It also became a tactical necessity to keep the Christians of Abyssinia—who hadaccorded great hospitality to the Muslim refugees—on a friendly term. The Quraysh, who had trade-relationswith Abyssinia, had sent a deputation to the Christian king to have the Muslim settlers expelled or deported toMecca. They complained to the king that Muslims were setting up a heretical sect. The king wanted a proof oftheir heresy before taking any action. When the king summoned the Muslim settlers to his court andquestioned about their allegedly heretical doctrines, Jafar, their spokesman, cleverly read out from suraMaryam that talks about Virgin Mary, John the Baptist and the miraculous birth of Jesus, affirming theChristian faith. This pleased the king; he refused to expel the Muslim refugees. 116Despite affirming the Christian faith in the Quran for years and exhorting them to join Muhammad’screed, Christians (Jews too) did not flock to his faith in significant numbers. The exhortation to Christians andJews continued for over a year after his relocation to Medina, but all efforts went in vain. Instead, they startedharassing Muhammad on the basis of many inaccuracies about their faiths in his verses. They turned to be hismajor critics and irritants. His attitude toward them started hardening. Despite borrowing so heavily fromChristian (also Jewish) doctrines to formulate his creed, he now would not hesitate to condemn the Christians(and Jews) for their reluctance to embrace Islam. He accused the Christians of misunderstanding or forgettingtheir scriptures [Quran 5:14]. Out of his own misconception of the Trinity, whereby he thought Christianbelieved in three Gods, he attacked them: ‘They surely are infidels who say that God is the third of the three’[Quran 5:73] and urged them to ‘believe therefore in Allah and His messengers, and say not, Three (Gods)’[Quran 4:171].In line with the Jewish thoughts, Muhammad now denied the divinity of Jesus and his incarnation.Jesus was not a son of God, for ‘God begetteth not’ [Quran 112:3]. ‘It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allahthat He should beget a son,’ says the Quran [19:36]. Allah revealed that it would be far from the glory of Godto have a son [Quran 4:171]. Ibn Ishaq relates a story of Muhammad rebuking two Christian divines abouttheir belief that God has a son. Then they asked back: ‘‘Who was his father, Muhammad?’’ An affirmer of thevirgin birth of Jesus himself, he had no ready answer and kept silent. 117 He needed time to find an answer andlater received a verse, which says, ‘God can create what He will. When He decrees a thing, Allah createthwhat He willeth: When He hath decreed a plan, He but saith to it, ‘Be’ and it is!’ [Quran 3:47].The Quran now invoked Allah’s curse on Christians who said Christ was the son of God [Quran9:30]. Muhammad also denied that Jesus died on the Cross as the Quran says, ‘they slew him not nor crucifiedhim;’ instead, ‘Allah raised him up unto Himself’ during his apparent crucifixion [Quran 4:157–58]. This ideawas copied from Manichaeism as already mentioned. It should be understood that if the death of Jesus on theCross for the sin of mankind is denied, the Christian faith loses much of its claimed greatness.Muhammad’s hostility toward ChristiansExasperated with the Christians, critical of his faith, Muhammad no longer remained content with onlycondemning many doctrines of Christianity. The Christian priests, who were preventing their faithful fromjoining Muhammad’s mission, were now condemned by Muhammad as greedy and devourer of people’swealth, which they do not spend in Allah’s mission, as the Quran says: ‘...the (Christian) monks devour thewealth of mankind wantonly and debar (men) from the way of Allah. They who hoard up gold and silver andspend it not in the way of Allah, unto them give tidings (O Muhammad) of a painful doom...’ [Quran 9:34].116. Walker, p. 109117. Ibid, p. 19945