Islam was a religion created by Mohammad (c. 571-632). Before preaching Islam in the Middle East, Mohammad was a camel driver and part-owner of a caravan in modern Saudi Arabia. By his 40s, he stayed in a cave outside Mecca, where the angel Gabriel allegedly appeared to him. Gabriel commanded Mohammad to preach the truth of Allah. As Allah’s prophet, Mohammad led a political and religious campaign to purge the Middle East of polytheistic religions. Because of the doctrine of the Trinity, Christianity was considered a polytheistic religion and similarly targeted. As much as Mohammad’s neighbors in Mecca may have believed in Islam, they rejected the religion for economic purposes. Monotheism threatened the industrial enterprises that depended on their polytheistic shrines. This unpopularity is why Mohammad relocated to Medina. This departure is commonly called the hegira. In retaliation, Mohammad launched a war on Mecca, subduing them in AD 630. All of Arabia was united by his death. His Muslim expansion would have continued beyond the Middle East if Charles Martel had not successfully defended Francia at the Battle of Tours. The Middle East is Muslim to this day, and Mohammad’s writings and visions from Allah are transcribed in the Koran.
The Koran is the central religious text in Islam. Unlike the Bible, which is the word of God written through human writers, the Koran is supposed to be the word of Allah spoken directly to Muhammad. Whereas Moses, the prophets, and the apostles wrote portions of the Bible as the Holy Spirit moved them, Mohammad wrote Allah’s exact words.
Surah 1 in the Koran states quite plainly that Allah is the only god and creator of the universe. Surah 1:2-5 “All praise is due to Allah alone, lord of the worlds. The gracious, the merciful. Master of the day of judgment. Thee alone do we worship, and thee alone do we implore for help.” Islam is a monotheistic religion. There is no way around that. The first claim in the Koran is that Allah is the only god deserving of worship. All the others are redundant.
The Koran also describes Allah as blessing the believers and cursing the unbelievers. Surah 1:7: “The path of those on whom thou hast bestowed thy favors, those who have not incurred thy displeasure, and those who have not gone astray.” Muhammad continues his point in Surah 47:2-3: “Those who disbelieve and hinder men from the way of Allah—he renders their works in vain. But as for those who believe…he removes from them their sins and sets right their affairs.” The Koran describes a stark contrast between believers and unbelievers. Both of them receive positive and negative sanctions, respectively.
The Koran promised an afterlife garden for faithful Muslims. This “garden” is likely a metaphor for heaven. Gardens symbolize peace and tranquility. In a life of anxiety and stress, that promise of final peace with Allah resonates with Muslims. The similarities between the Muslim “garden” and the Christian heaven are almost indistinguishable. Surah 47:13: “Verily, Allah will cause those who believe and do good works to enter the gardens underneath which streams flow. While those who disbelieve enjoy themselves and eat even as the cattle eat, and fire will be their last resort.”
The negative sanctions for unbelievers are obvious. As previously stated, they are promised fire after death (i.e., hell). However, the promised physical repercussions are more notable. In Surah 47, Allah commanded: “And when you meet in regular battle those who disbelieve, smite their necks; and, when you have overcome them, by causing great slaughter song them, bind fast the fetters….”1 He continues, “So, be not slack and sue for peace, for you will, certainly, have the upper hand.”2 Mohammad preached violence. Instead of using reason, logic, and emotion to evangelize, he opted for murder. This was the reason for the Islamic expansion during the Middle Ages. There was slaughter upon slaughter.
In conclusion, Mohammad was Allah’s prophet. The Koran is the most sacred Muslim religious text. In it, Mohammad calls for everyone to believe in Allah, the one and only true and all-powerful god. Disbelievers are called to the sword, and violence is at the root of the Koran.
Asher Sisneros 