Considering the fact that the majority of the Middle East is Islamic, I first set about trying to find as clear and concise a history of Islam up to 1400 A.D. that I could. This timetable was the best that I could find in terms of covering the holistic aspects of Islamic influence, while still remaining succinct. I actually found it in a handout from a conference I attended back in 2005, so sadly there isn’t a website to link to.
"Important dates in the Development of Islam"
c. 1900 B.C. Abraham is willing to sacrifice Isaac; Muslims say Ishmael was the almost-sacrifice.
c. 30 Christ, crucified, dies, and is resurrected; Muslims say He was a Muslim and did not die.
610 Muhammad rejects both Christianity and Judaism and begins to develop his own monotheistic religion.
622 Muhammad flees Mecca-this becomes year one in the Muslim calendar-and over the next 10 years succeeds as both teacher and general.
632 Muhammad dies without a clear political heir; Muslim infighting begins.
637 Muslims capture Jerusalem and soon possess Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Persia.
661 Muhammad’s nephew Ali is murdered and the Sunni-Shiite division begins.
700 Muslims, sweeping across North Africa and virtually wiping out Christianity there, conquer Algiers.
711 Muslims conquer most of Spain.
732 Muslims are defeated at Tours/Poitiers in what is now southern France; they conquer little more of western Europe.
786 Harun al-Rashid, Caliph in Bagdad, leads the way toward a golden age of Muslim learning.
846 Muslims sack Rome and the Vatican; meanwhile, mathematician and geographer al-Khwarazmi (algorithm is derived from his name) advances knowledge.
900 The writing of the 1001 Arabian Nights begins, and the Arab physician Rhases becomes the first to describe smallpox, plague, and other infectious diseases.
963 Al Sufi’s Book of Fixed Stars, which mentions nebula, is one indication of Muslim superiority in astronomy.
1006 Muslims settle in northwest India.
1037 Ibn Sina (Avicenna), the most influential Islamic philosopher/physician, dies.
1094 El Cid defeats Muslims in Spain.
1095 Pope Urban II calls for a Crusade.
1099 Crusaders capture and sack Jerusalem.
1187 Muslims under Saladin retake Jerusalem.
1250 First Muslim states in southeast Asia are developing.
1380 Ottoman empire emerges.
Excerpt taken from Summit Ministeries 2005 Islam and Terrorism Supplement, pg.9.
Sources include Gerhard Endress, An Introduction to Islam; Malise Ruthven, Islam; and Bernard Grun, The Timetables of History By Marvin Olasky, editor in chief of World magazine. "Reprinted with permission from WORLD Magazine (www.worldmag.com), Copyright 2001. For subscription information call 1-800-951-NEWS."
Here is a link to an article in Wikipedia on the Islamic Golden Age. I hadn’t realized quite how much this period of time had contributed to the European Renaissance. I knew the Chinese had developed paper, but I hadn’t before realized how it was integrated into Europe. Even though I love learning about how philosophies and religions are created, I think the Golden Age is the most interesting part of Islamic history. In some respects, even more interesting than what is happening now. After all, isn’t everything else just fighting? It’s probably just me, but I never could enjoy sitting through my dad’s war movies.
The Lawyer's Tale
Although I should probably be putting some resounding insight onto this section, the truth is that the Emperor of Syria just ticked me off. Now, I'm sure there are some girls who would find it very romantic for a guy to give up his deepest beliefs for love. I'm not one of them. More than anything else, I believe in absolute truth. If something is true, than it doesn't matter whether we love it or not. It doesn't matter if we like it or not. It doesn't even matter if we know about it or not. It's still true.
The idea that this guy was willing to renounce what he held as true merely to attain some idea of a perfect woman is frankly disgusting. I have no idea how he would have managed to hold on to his throne for as long as he did, because I can't see how anyone can respect another person who has such a Charlie Brown mentality toward their convictions of right and wrong. His mom might have been a lying, progeny-murdering deciever, but she stuck with her beliefs.
That said, those who will not even consider that they might be wrong are almost as bad. Even if they are right about that particular thing, people should be constantly reassessing what they believe. If you don't, you run the risk of never maturing past a certain point. And let's face it, we're ALL wrong about something.
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2 comments:
I agree that it was probably not a politically wise idea to renounce one's faith on order to adopt a faith known to be your former religions nemesis; however, I don't think he fully gave up everything he held morally right and wrong. There is much crossover in ideas between all the religions and especially between Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There are stark differences to be sure but most religions have a similar moral code. From a hopeful point of view his marriage and conversion could have helped bridge the gap between Islam and Christianity, from a practical point of view he committed political suicide. Romance and politics don't usually mix.
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