Peter's Rock in Mohammed's Flood, from St. Gregory the Great to St. Leo IIIAllies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Islamic
Peter's Rock in Mohammed's Flood, from St. Gregory the Great to St. Leo III
Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Christianity and other religions -- Islam; Church history -- Middle Ages, 600-1500; Papacy; Papacy -- History
Such was the people among whom Mohammed arose. The spirit which he wakened
speaks in the words of the poetess Chansa, with which she sent her four
sons to battle. “By God, the only one, ye are the sons of a man as ye are
the sons of a woman. I have not deceived your father; I have not brought
your uncle to shame, nor stained your race. Ye know what rich reward God
has promised to Moslim for war against the unbelieving. Bethink you that
the eternal dwelling is better than this place of sojourn.” All her four
sons fell in battle. Chansa cried: “Praise be to the Lord who has made me
a name through the martyr-death of my sons”. The words of this mother
breathe the whole spirit which made Islam a conquering power.
Mohammed had died without leaving any indication as to whom he wished for
his successor. His chief adherents, Abu Bekr, father of his wife Aischa,
in whose residence he had died, his sons-in-law Ali and Omar, with their
several parties, met together. Omar put aside his own claims, and had
influence sufficient to procure the election of Abu Bekr, and to frustrate
that of Ali. Severe as the struggle to obtain the chalifate was, at the
moment it brought with it greater burden than dignity.(104) Mohammed had
spread his belief more by bribery, deceit, and violence than by
conviction. Many provinces of Arabia after his death were shaking it off.
Aischa’s own words were, “when the apostle of God died, the Arabs were
deserting him; the Jews and Christians raised their head; the hypocrites
no longer concealed their hypocrisy, and the Moslim were like an abandoned
flock on a cold winter night”. Abu Bekr’s prudence and Omar’s energy put
an end to the rivalry of pretending prophets and Bedouin reluctance of
taxation. In March, 633, revolt in Arabia was overthrown, and the first
chalif could execute the injunction of Mohammed to spread Islam beyond the
Arabian peninsula.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account