My heart soared as I saw it for the first time. An emerald valley lovingly planted between a circle of volcanic hills, blackened by the sun and lava, the majestic palm trees swaying in the wind as if waving to greet us.
Mother of the Believers deftly places the start and development of Islam in a basic historical perspective. He presents The Messenger of God as a human being as well as a charismatic leader. Whether Muhammad’s inspiration came from the divine, epileptic seizures, hallucinations or other causes for people to see and hear angels, his goals of religious reformation and unification of the indigenous tribes of the area were not unique. How so few people from such a small patch of land came to be as widespread and numerous as Islam is today is a wonderment in itself.
An even greater mystery is how three great religious groups, all springing from the influence on one man, Abraham, can still be fighting over the same little patches of land. And all in need of reformation.
Article comments