Dum pater familiasrex universorumdonaret provinciasjus apostolorumJacobus Yspaniaslux illustrat morum.
When God the Father,King of the world,apportioned his provincesamong the apostles,He assigned Jamesto show the light to Spain.
Dum pater familiasrex universorumdonaret provinciasjus apostolorumJacobus Yspaniaslux illustrat morum.
When God the Father,King of the world,apportioned his provincesamong the apostles,He assigned Jamesto show the light to Spain.
Response to The Life of Muhammad:
ReplyDeleteOne thing which struck me when reading The Life of Muhammad was the parallels between Jesus and Muhammad. I’m NOT saying they are the same or anything like that. Ibn Ishaq told a story about how Muhammad had stopped a young girl, asked her for her dates (which were about a handful), and then miraculously used them to feed all the Muslims who were digging the ditch (if I remember correctly, the ditch was being used to siege the Jews). This story immediately made me think about the passage in Matthew 14 and John 6 when Jesus fed the five thousand using only using five loaves of bread and two fish also from a child. The similarity between these two stories cannot be denied--the little child, the feeding of many people, etc.
However, one thing that I noticed is that Jesus prayed and asked God for provision, while Muhammad just made it happen.
I wonder if Ishaq was aware of Jesus’ miracles? I bet he was--a lot of time had past that would have allowed the gospels--if not just stories--to spread. The dangerous thing which Muhammad’s miracle does is downplay Jesus’ miracle. Throughout The Life of Muhammad, Ishaq records a lot of parallels to Jesus (more miracles/healings as well as similarities in childhood events) as well as times when Christians and Jews converted to Islam. This definitely presented Islam and its Prophet as the superior religion.
One of the main things which stuck out to me in The Life of Muhammad were Ishaq’s cunning parallels to Christ and subtle downplaying of Christianity.
In this week’s reading about Muhammad’s Life a lot of what was talked about was battles and punishments. Similar to what Liana said, I also noticed many parallels to various Bible stories. A particular story from Muhammad’s Life that was very similar to the Bible was the story from the trench (pg. 80). The Quarsysh were going to fight against the apostle of Allah. When Muhammad heard this he decided to make a ditch around Medina. Several events occurred that were to show the truth of Allah’s apostle and confirm Muhammad’s prophetic dignity. One of these events was when a little girl brought dates for her father and uncle. Muhammad took these dates and placed them on a cloth. Then he called everyone working to come for breakfast. The dates increased so much that even after all the men were done eating the dates were overflowing from the cloth. This event reminded me of when Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish from the little boy and was able to feed 5,000 people. In Muhammad’s story even after all the men were done eating the dates on the cloth continued to overflow. It was the same as with Jesus’ miracle, basket’s full of food remained after all the people had eating.
ReplyDelete“We are with thee, and we shall not say to thee what the children of Israel said to Moses, "Thou and thy Lord may go and fight; we shall remain here!" Instead we say "Go thou and thy Lord and fight; we shall fight with you!" As I was reading this (can I say long) passage, I found it interesting that the Bible was mentioned and somewhat quoted. At this point in the story, the Muslims are heading out on their first caravan. Although I realized that Christianity was a thriving religion at the time of the rise of Islam, I never would have imagined that the Bible would be nearly quoted. Unfortunately, the words of Moses are put in a negative light and ultimately taken out of context. Furthermore, I believe that the words of Moses show a stronger belief in God than the Muslims belief in Allah. The Israelites had no need to gather more troops. God was on their sight, He was their greatest weapon and warrior. The Muslims fear the thought of loosing, they feel the need for more human force because they can’t rely on their God.
ReplyDeleteWhile reading about the life of Muhammad, I was struck by the similarities between the lives of Mohammed and Jesus. Not only are there similarities between these two people, but there were also many recurring themes throughout the reading that seemed strikingly christian. An example of this is the appearance of the angel Gabriel to Mohammed. It is interesting how such a famous angel in the bible is used to communicate the Islamic religion to Mohammed. Then it struck me. One of Satan's greatest strategies is to make a lie seem as close to the truth as possible. Satan has used this lie to build a religion that is massacring Christians daily. This was accomplished by creating a religion that closely resembled the Christian faith in many ways but in reality wanted to destroy it. I believe it is important when reading on the life of Mohammed to recognize the lies that Satan has used to create the nation of Islam.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to Liana’s and Lissy’s posts, I was also struck by the similarities between Jesus and Muhammad. However, to me, these similarities made differences between the two even more striking. While they perform many similar miracles and seem at first to operate on similar principles, great differences are also evident. While Jesus came to preach forgiveness to those who would repent, Muhammad said “After a prophet has put on his armour, he must not lay it aside until he has fought.” (70) Muhammad used this reasoning to justify his attack on offenders who had repented and asked his forgiveness. Jesus came to be a friend to his people, and to bear their burdens and lead them into the light, but Muhammad was commanded to strike fear into the hearts of unbelievers and systematically destroy those who resisted him. Many today believe that Jesus and Muhammad are similar, just different hero-myths from different parts of the earth. However, the two are similar in only the more superficial characteristics of their stories. The beliefs behind their lives’ works are diametrically opposed.
ReplyDeletewhen reading I came upon this passage "Allah had not then given His apostle permission to fight. He had
ReplyDeletegiven permission neither to wage war nor to shed blood, but only to call men
to Allah, to endure insults patiently, and to pardon the ignorant. Some of the
followers of the apostle had therefore been forced to flee from persecution into
the countryside, some to Abyssinia, others to Medina and elsewhere" and i thought it was interesting the similarities between that and this: "persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them." 2 Timothy 3:11. so ya i just thought it was interesting that no madder what religion you are you ancestors had to deal with persecution. and the different ways different religions go about dealing with it.
One quote that particularly stood out to me was as follows: “Do not think that those slain in the path of Allah are dead; I have raised them up again and they are with Me, rejoicing in the pleasures and the cool breezes of paradise, happy in the reward Allah has bestowed upon them because they waged holy war for Him,” (page 74). I feel like this passage clearly demonstrates the relationship between Allah and the Muslims. It seems that they have a give-and-take relationship. Islam is founded on the five pillars, which are the declaration of faith (shahada), obligatory prayer (salat), compulsory giving (zakat), fasting in the month of Ramadan (sawm), and pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).A Muslim’s life then, according to these pillars, must consist of a constant dedication to the faith and a continuous effort to aim for a relatively virtuous life. Their reward depends on their success in this life. I would just like to compare and contrast this mindset with a Christian view. Our God puts tasks/laws/rules/traditions in place to prove to us that we will never fulfill them. On the earth, we venture to reach sanctification, yet we know it is inevitably unachievable in this life. Instead, our lives as Christians are based on our faith in Jesus Christ, that He died for our sins and took away our burdens. Our faith in Christ and the testimonies of His life and works should inspire us to follow in His footsteps, yet God knows that our sinful nature can warp good intentions. There is no grace in an Islamic faith. According to their beliefs, your efforts on earth will be judged at your death, and based on that you will be cast into hell or brought to paradise. As Christians, however, we have our lives secured in the belief that Jesus took on the wrath of God and showed us grace, so that we could live in heaven with Him eternally. He took a vested interest in us, and saved us. In conclusion, God does not ask us to wage wars for Him or to hope for martyrdom (even though there are those who have been specifically called by God to do so). Instead, all He asks is that we trust in Jesus Christ. “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life,” (John 3:16, KJV).
ReplyDeleteThroughout this reading on the life of Muhammad, I was struck by the innate brutality that Muhammad created in Islam. Many religions (such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity) advocate peace and mercy, but Muhammad seemed to have an “anything goes” mentality when it came to those who opposed Islam. First and foremost, Muhammad would resort to violence and war against his enemies. Once, he went so far as to have two girls executed because they “sang songs insulting the apostle of Allah” (99). When you compare this with the actions of Jesus, whose ministry was characterized by non-violence and was “led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isaiah 53:7), the contrast is striking. I find this especially interesting because for most people, it would be so much easier to kill your enemies as Muhammad then to ask God to forgive them, as Jesus did on the cross. While the teachings of Jesus required people to go against their natural inclination to violence, the teachings of Muhammad encouraged them to embrace it in the name of their religion. Though Muhammad claimed to be a prophet of the God of the Bible, his very actions opposed the Bible’s exhortation to “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:44-45)
ReplyDeleteThis reading shocked me in that it is so much fighting! The second half is all about the conquest of those who opposed Islam. It almost reminded me of many Islamic states today who try to force people to convert to Islam. It makes me wonder how people can follow a man who was obviously forcing others to obey him and worship in his way. Then I realized that the reason is probably the knowledge of our problems. This is one of the ways Satan tries to turn us away from Jesus' gift of grace. It seems so impossible because of our sin. I guess Islam is the only way those people can figure out to get to heaven--be perfect, or as perfect as they can, and hope for the best.
ReplyDeleteOk, I don't mean to be snarky, but I think I found a contradiction! Muhammad said, "Only one of two things can happen - both good - either victory or martyrdom.' The people exclaimed, 'By Allah! The son of Rawaha has spoken the truth!' and they set out again on their march until they came to the region of Balqa and saw the armies of Heraclius. Then a battle took place at a village called Muta."
ReplyDeleteOk, this makes sense right? So, Muhammad makes it clear, there's only 2 options here. Well, guess what happens?
When the returning army approached Medina the apostle of Allah and the Muslims went out to meet them. The children ran ahead, and the apostle followed on a mule. The people began throwing earth at the army, shouting, 'Runaways! You have fled from the path of Allah!' but the apostle said, 'They are not runaways, and if Allah pleaseth they will attack again.'
Ummm...so, am I right in assuming that Muhammad was wrong!?!? He said that his army, in that one confrontation with their enemy, was either going to die or win, but Allah apparently decided something different. So, I guess this is a good arguing point with Dr. Parker next time he decides to convert to Islam: MUHAMMAD WAS WRONG!
Boom Shaka Lacka!
You're welcome
“Make profession of Islam before Allah punishes you as He has punished the Qurayshl” (Ishaq 67)
ReplyDeleteThis quote of Muhammad to the Jew really stuck out to me while reading this section of “The Life of Muhammad.” It stuck out to me because Muhammad is spreading the religion of Islam by threatening and putting fear in the minds of those he is talking to. “Allah said, ‘You have sought ransoms and worldly goods, but Allah wants the next world’, meaning that they should kill to spend His religion, which is the path to the next world.” (Ishaq 69) This makes ones emotions filled with sorrow. Why would the muslim god want all the blood shed of non believers to be used in the spread of Islam? The answer to this question is the Islamic religion needed a way to gain more and more converts quickly in order that their religion would last, and war provides a simple and quick solution that proves their religion is worth fighting for. The more I thought about this, I began to compare it to how Christians spread our faith. We as Christians proclaim the gospel not through fear and threats but through our friendship, prayer and living our lives examples by following Christ. Because of the truly life changing message the gospel proclaims, Christianity can be proclaimed without war and threats.
This week we read all about the wars Muhammad had fought with his armies. The accounts of the fighting were pretty detailed (to the point that I wondered how much of it was made up). One thing I found interesting about it was that the Muslims saw things in two ways. One, they would have victory, or two, they'd be martyred for their faith. Either one was ok with them. I also found it interesting that Allah, this perfect god, changed his mind a couple of times (which contradicts perfection). He first of all changed his mind about letting unbelievers live ("...they should kill to spread his religion") and he also changed his mind in the victories he would give his people (changing the 20 against 200 into 100 against 200).
ReplyDeleteTwo significant and closely related themes which I noticed while reading “The Life of Muhammad” is that of death and violence, and I find that sad as well as interesting due to the fact that Islam is supposed to be considered the Religion of Peace. To cite one example of many, take the battle against the Quraysh in this week’s readings. Before the battle, Muhammad prayed to Allah, saying, “Grant me Thy promised aid and annihilate them this day!” (Pg. 65) The battle was graphic. “Hamza advanced to do battle with him and when they met Hamza struck him violently and severed his leg between the knee and the foot.” (Pg. 65) And again, “Ubayda and Utba wounded one another, but Hamza and Ali killed their opponents at once and then turned and slew the wounded Utba.” (Pg. 66) There are many, many more examples in that one battle alone!
ReplyDeleteAnother section says that, after the gory battle against the Quraysh, while the Muslims were taking captives, Muhammad commented on the gloomy look on the face of one of his men, Sad. In response, Sad says, “Yes, by Allah. This is the first defeat which Allah has visited on the infidels, and I would rather have seen wholesale slaughter than this preservation of life.” In other words, Sad says, “I wish we could slaughter all these infidels instead of taking them captive.” This merciless attitude is constant throughout “The Life of Muhammad” and seems to be consistent with Islam. In conclusion, it seems like every other page in the entire biography speaks about killing, death, blood, and mutilation. It’s horrible! Even in a heavily biased biography like “The Life of Muhammad,” which seeks to promote Islam and praise Muhammad, violence is not watered down or left out. This says a lot about Muhammad and the religion he created.
I’m reminded of 2 Peter 2:1, which says, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.”
With this reading something that really struck me was all the parallels there were to Jesus. I know people have already mentioned some of them but I really liked the similarities between the star that guided the Magi and the light that came out of the womb of the wife of Abdullah b. Abdul-Muttalib, Muhammad's mother, which "illuminated even the castles of Busra in Syria". That's one heck of a light! Another similarity from that instance was from Luke 1:41, when John the Baptist leaps in Elizabeth's womb when Elizabeth hears Mary's voice. In both instances a pregnancy of someone great (from an Islamic perspective) results in supernatural occurrences in the womb
ReplyDeleteDuring this reading, one thing that I noticed was when Muhammad came home from war, he gave his sword to his daughter, telling her to clean it. I don't know what the custom was back then, but that seems extraordinarily lazy. Cleaning a sword of blood is not a hard task, and him having his daughter do it seems wrong. Also, later on in the reading (Aisha Sufwan), I feel like Muhammad contradicted himself. When Aisha got left behind and was being slandered but did not notice it, it says "I became very ill when we arrived in Medina and so I still did not hear the slanders, but they were communicated to the apostle as well as to my parents. They did not speak of it to me, but I observed the absence of that kindliness which the apostle of Allah used always to show me when I was ill." Here it is portrayed that Muhammad was not showing her the kindness that he usually did, most likely because of the slanders. However, later in the passage when she is weeping of the slanders, it says "Meanwhile, unknown to me, the apostle of Allah addressed the people, glorified and praised Allah, and said, “How do you dare to insult me by insulting my family, and by saying things about them which are not true? By Allah, I know nothing but good of them.” I get the picture that Muhammad wants to be portrayed as the holy "good guy" so he is pretending he knew nothing about the slanders until then.
ReplyDelete