11.24.07
Islam and Christianity
There are times when I am surprised that people don’t know more about the world and religions that surround them. But because I am biased as an historian and a very curious person, I try to understand that others aren’t as fascinated as I am.
Take, for instance, the fascinating intersection of Islam and Christianity. Margaret Smith in her book The Way of the Mystics devotes an entire chapter (VI) to the influence of Christianity on Islam in the early stages of Islam’s development.
This came up for discussion in class a few weeks ago and I was satisfied to read in our assignments something I have been saying for years, Christianity had a profound influence on Islam. In fact, Mohammad (pbuh) believed Islam to be the logical extension of Christianity building upon the teachings of Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
Mohammad was a trader which meant he traveled through the Middle and Near East, meeting people of all stripes along the way. Of course he talked to them, learned from them and exchanged ideas with them. How can you not when your business, indeed your livelihood, depends upon making contacts?
We cannot think that Islam just sprang into being, like Athena born full-grown out of Zeus’ head. Islam grew as time went on and was influenced by the cultures around it and Mohammad’s influences, one of which was Syriac-Christian. The Qur’an was not written in a vacuum, and this needs to be acknowledged.
I think if people knew a little more history, they might be more tolerant of the world around them. Every day I encounter people who believe that Islam is a hateful religion based simply on a minority of maniacs who slammed planes into buildings. These people have not bothered to look beyond those images to see what the truth of Islam is and what its influences are, and that’s just sad for the entire world.