False impressions
Aslan argues, with much historical backing, that Muhammad lived and laid out a religion that embraced Christianity and Judaism as the religions of the three sons of Abraham. He described himself as a messenger of God and the words that were recited through him as confirmation of the Gospels and the Torah.
“As far as Muhammad understood, the Torah, the Gospels and the Quran must be read as a single, cohesive narrative about humanity’s relationship to God. ...”
Muslims regularly read the Torah alongside the Quran two hundred years after Muhammad’s death. The author says Muhammad revered Jesus as “the greatest of God’s messengers.” Jesus’ story is in the Quran.
The descriptions I can give here do an injustice to the complexity and history of some of the most defining mischaracterizations of Muslims in many people’s minds: Hatred of Christians and Jews, the role of women, and whether Islam is a religion more violent than any other.
There was no antagonistic relationship, specifically because of religion, with Jews or Christians in Muhammad’s time. When he fought Jewish tribes it was for economic reasons not religious ones.
His early writings and laws were apparently memorized by a group that were called The Companions. Those memorized writings and laws were later collected together as the Quran. In them, Muhammad said women should be allowed to inherit property, should be allowed to divorce and that they were not property of others. Not to treat woman with the respect he described was to guarantee being “thrown in Hell.”
All of this was a departure from the times.
Muhammad was married to the same woman for 25 years, Khadija, in a society where monogamy was abnormal. She asked him to marry her at a time when he was looking for direction. Following her death he then took many wives, even against his own teachings — a practice he shares with many other prophets. Many of his wives, the author states, he married for political purposes. For example, among his later wives he married a Jew and a Christian.
The mention of veils and modesty in the Quran were meant for his own wives at a time when his house was also the first mosque and many dozens of people passed through his house and lived outside his house every day. Later women chose to wear it as a sign of elevated social class, a welcome link to the wives of the prophet. Like wearing Tommy Hilfiger, perhaps.
It was only later, Aslan says, when it was required by women that it became a symbol of their submission under men.
Article comments
1 - Bennett Dawson
Great review Temple. Although there are years of work, and thousands battles (big and small), I am allowing myself a small ray of hope that the messages in this book will be embraced by an increasing number of people, Muslim and non-Muslim alike.
2 - SFC SKI
Your book review is very well done, and a fitting companion to the interview with Reza Aslan published in the BC a few weeeks ago.
3 - alienboy
Indeed a good review Temple, but as a person who believes in people not imaginary creations I cn't help observing that a better Islam is only a less bad thing, not a good thing. Religion is a tool of repression not enlightenment.
4 - Georgio
Excellent review...I wish you would do an article on how all religions are corrupt and how people follow their religion with blinders on because they where taught their religion from childhood ...I am not an Atheist..
5 - Temple Stark
AB, You left out a word In my humble opinion
Religion is BOTH a tool of repression AND enlightenment.
But thanks. I have no idea what kind of pressure it was to write the history of Islam in a relatively slender volume (it helps I imagine to know the subject matter inside and out but sometimes that can be stifling due to too much information).
but I knew I wanted to do it justice in my review. I wanted to see if you all agreed that I had or ... ???? So far - thanks very much.
6 - Eric Berlin
Important subject, great review, Temple.
This book review has been selected for Advance.net. You’ll be able to find this and other Blog Critics reviews at such places at Cleveland.com’s Book Reviews column.
7 - Ray
Great review,
I read the book and I don't think I could have summed it up like you did.
8 - Andrian
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