Though it is the fastest growing religion in the world, Islam remains shrouded by ignorance and fear. They also had to pay the jizyah, which was a tax paid to Muslim leaders only by those who did not practice Islam.A fascinating, accessible introduction to Islam from the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Zealot Jews and Christians played important rules in the community, but they were looked down upon by Muslims. Muslims tolerated other religions, but that does not mean that the followers of Judaism or Christianity were treated fairly by Muslim leaders.
Chapter four discussed jihad, which can be defined as a struggle and a justification for war against the enemies of Islam. During his time in Yathrib, the name of the city changed to Medina, which stands for “The City of the Prophet”, which refers to Muhammad and signifies how important he was to the people. The people who were already located in Yathrib and accepted Muhammad and Islam were the Ansar, which means “helpers”. The people that traveled to Yathrib with Muhammad were known as Mujahirun, which means “those who have made the Hijra”. In Reza Aslan’s work titled No God But God, chapter three starts with what is known as the Hijra, which refers to the migration of Muhammad and his followers from the city of Mecca to Yathrib. Just as the Bible does, the Qur’an states that Mary is the virgin mother of Jesus. Sura nineteen also talks about the story of Mary and the birth of Jesus. Sura seven discusses the beginning of mankind with the creation of Adam and Eve, just as Adam and Eve were the start of mankind in Genesis of the Bible.
I also see parallels between Islam and Christianity in suras seven and nineteen. The sixty-second sura reads, “Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in Allah and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve.” I believe that this verse is important because Islam has often been seen as a “violent” religion (as have others), but here Muhammad and his Islamic followers put aside their different beliefs to come together to say that if one believes in God, even if it isn’t the Islamic God, they will still find peace and be rewarded in the end. For example, the second sura refers to other religions by saying that those that believe in God and follow the righteous path will be rewarded in the end. As we continue to read suras from the Qur’an, I notice more similarities to other religions and even the mentioning of other religions.
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