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December 2014 AD


Islam History

Refresher Course



In order to fully appreciate the events of today, where Muslims and Jews are at each other's throats in the Christian-free zone of the Middle East, and yet are allies marching arm-in-arm against Christianity in America, it is essential to understand the events surrounding the founding of Islam and the work of the Prophet. 

Although Islam was created with lofty spiritual aims, and has grown to be the inspiration of millions of worshipers worldwide, one must remember it was originally formed within the context of direct battle against "the West", in the form of the Christian Byzantine Empire which was making huge inroads into the region.

Around the 500-600 AD time period, Byzantine Christians, already in control of Jerusalem to the north of Arabia, now wanted to control the Red Sea trade routes to India, but those trade routes were controlled by Arab pagans in the coastal cities of Yemen which are to the South of Arabia.

In short, Islam was a creature of necessity, arising from the convergence in the Arabian Desert of two wholly disparate groups, squeezed together and becoming united in the common cause of Islam in order to to defeat the threat of Christianity;

  •  Jews from the North, first by Pagan Roman armies and later by devout Christians, were being pushed southward from Jerusalem and the coastal cities along the Eastern Mediterranean into the Saudi Arabian center;

  •  Pagan Arabs from the South, in order to escape Christianity, were being pushed northward into the Arabian central regions from Yemen and the coastal trading cities of the Rea Sea.

Arab View of Arabian History

The Arabian view of Arabian history centers on the South, centered around Yemen and the coastal trading cities of the Red Sea.

It is assumed that a fairly developed civilization grew in the south of the Arabian Peninsula. For several hundred years it grew rich by exporting gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Roman Empire; as well as controlling the overland routes to India and the East.

The first collapse of the Marib dam around 450 CE; the decline of the use of frankincense due to the Christianization of Rome; and Roman success bypassing the desert by using a sea route led to the collapse of southern Arabian society. This in turn led to waves of immigration from the South to North, from the city to the desert.

Jewish View of Arabian History

The Jewish View of Arabian History centers on the North, centered around Jerusalem and the nearby coastal cities of the Mediterranean.

Dr. Günter Lüling proposes a “more historical picture of Central Arabia, inundated throughout a millennium by heretical Israelites”[1].

He envisions waves of Israelite refugees headed, North to South, to Arabia bringing with them Judaism in various stages of development.

Linguistic and literary-historical research in the Qur’an tends to support the notion of a more northerly origin for linguistic development of Arabic.[2]

Here is a brief summary of three of these waves of Judaic immigration: Herodian, Sadducean and Zealot (explained in more detail elsewhere).[3]

KAABA BUILT BY JEWS

During the time of Ptolemy, the native population of Cush originally inhabited both sides of the Red Sea: on the east, southern and eastern Arabia; and on the west, Abyssinia (Ethiopia-Eritrea).

During the reign of Ptolemy VI Philometor (r 181–145 BC), the Jewish High Priest Onias IV built a Jewish Temple in Heliopolis, Egypt and also one in Mecca, Arabia.

He did this to fulfill his understanding of the prophecy of Isaiah 19:19, “In that day shall there be an altar to the Lord (Heliopolis) in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar at the border (Mecca) thereof to the Lord.”

The border of Ptolemy’s empire was in Arabia.

  •  Herodian: The first wave of Jewish immigrants came with the success of the Maccabean, later Herodian, Judeo-Arab kingdom, who had just thrown off the Hellenistic society established by Alexander the Great. Jews from the trans-Jordan began migrating southward. The Tobiads which briefly had controlled Jerusalem extended their power southward from Petra and established the “Tubba” dynasty of kings of Himyar. Yathrib was settled during this period.
  •  Sadducean: The second wave of Jewish immigrants came during the Roman Empire conquest of Palestine, before the destruction of the Temple by Rome, when refugees fleeing the war, as well as the Sadducean leadership, fled to Arabia. Khaibar was established as a city of Sadducean Cohen-Priests at this time.
  •  Zealot: The third wave of Jewish immigrants were mostly refugees and soldiers from Bar Kochba’s revolt against Rome – fighters trained in the art of war and zealously nationalistic – sought refugee in Arabia.
  •  Second wave of Zealot: The last wave of Jewish immigrants included people who are known in Islamic literature as the Aus and the Khazraj. Around 300 CE, they were forced out of Syria by the rising strength of Christian Rome, and the adoption of the Ghassan leader, Harith I, of Christianity. At first the Aus and Khazraj lived on the outskirts of Yathrib. According to Islamic sources, the Jewish Khazraj, headed by Malik ibn Ajlan, sought and obtained military assistance from the Bani Ghasaan; and having enticed the principal chiefs of Yathrib into an enclosed tent, massacred them.[4] Then the citizens of Yathrib, beguiled into security by a treacherous peace, attended a feast given by their unprincipled Jewish foes; and there a second butchery took place, in which they lost the whole of their leaders.[5]

REFERENCES:
1.”A new Paradigm for the Rise of Islam and its Consequences for a New Paradigm of the History of Israel” by Dr. Günter Lüling; Originally appeared in The Journal of Higher Criticism Nr. 7/1, Spring 2000, pp. 23-53.
2.Hagarism, Crone and Cook
3.See the authors essays “The Prophet Muhammed as a descendant of Onias III” and “From Bar Kochba to the Prophet Muhammed”
4.See Katib at Wackidi, p. 287.
5. “Life of Mohamet I”, by Sir Walter Muir, Chapter III, Section 6



Jewish Arab Kingdom of Himyarite


The Himyarite Kingdom had replaced the previous kingdom of Sabea or "Sheba" as mentioned in the Bible.  It had existed for hundreds of years and encompassed a great portion of what is today Saudi Arabia and Yemen.  It was made up of Jewish refugees from the Roman conquest of Israel during the 1st and 2nd centuries CE and descendants of converts and continued Jewish exile due to the sweeping spread of Christianity.

Several times, the leader of the Himyarites was a Jew.

Many other times, the leader of the Himyarites was a Gentile hand picked by Jews.

The context of the formation of Islam within the Arab kingdom of Himyarite is important to understand, because it is makes it possible for its adherents to interpret Islam today either as "a war against greed, immorality and idolatry"; "a battle between good and evil";  "a battle between East and West" - - or as we envision -- "a war on Christians" --  depending on which historical facts you choose to emphasize.  In any event, the concept of a literal, physical battle exists throughout.



Jewish Revolution begins to brew


The Jewish Kingdom of Arabia was caught in the middle between Rome and Persia during their frequent wars.

The leadership of Himyar traditionally sided with Persia, yet Rome also tried to court the Jewish Kingdom.  

In 438 CE, the Roman Empress Eudocia removed the ban on Jews' praying at the Temple site, and the heads of the Jewish Community in Galilee issued a call "to the great and mighty people of the Jews" which began:

"Know that the end of the exile of our people has come!"

The Roman Emperor Julian, as part of his apostasy and an attempt to sway the Jewish Kingdom of Arabia away from Persia, in 464 CE announced his intention of rebuilding the Temple. 

All this inflamed Jewish nationalism, but the courting was short lived, and was followed by religious backlash and persecution.

Rome began to get the upper hand against Persia, partly due to sense of unity engendered by Christianity being declared and enforced as the official religion. 

Persia followed Rome's example and the Mazdakites tried to create a universal faith for the Persian Empire. 

Jews were no longer safe in either the Roman or Persian empires. 

Denied the opportunity for self defense, the Jewish Exilarch Mar Zutra declared a Jewish State in Babylon (Iraq).  The Jewish Himyarite Kingdom in Arabia, under the Rabbinite King Dhu Nuwas, also tried to create a Jewish Kingdom from the Euphrates to the Red Sea.  These short lived revolts were crushed.  The persecutions increased and dreams of Jewish restoration began to take on a Messianic fervor.


Jewish Revolution is achieved!

For a short time!

614AD - 619AD


When usurper Phocas murdered Byzantine Emperor Maurice in 608 AD, Rome was in disarray. Egypt under Heraclius revolted against Rome.

With the Byzantines in civil war, and Heraclius's armies abandoning Egypt in order to pursue the usurper, Jews convinced Persia that this was an opportunity to conquer Egypt -- and slaughter the Christians in Jerusalem along the way of course! 

In 614 AD, thanks to the help of the Persian mercenary army siding with the revolting Jews, Jewish Exilarch Nehemiah ben Hushiel was made governor of Jerusalem. 

Within months he was killed by a mob and Christians revolted against Persian rule. 

Jews and Persians fought side by side and for nineteen days sacked the city.

Not intending for it to go this far, the Persian King Khosrau ordered the Jews to leave the city, and appointed a Christian governor to appease the Romans. 

The Persians succeeded to conquer Egypt, but the war began to turn against them.

Heraclius had by now defeated the usurper Phocas, consolidated control over the Byzantine Empire, and was now out for revenge.


Heraclius entered Persia itself and completely obliterated the Persian Empire, but he reserved his greatest vengeance on the instigators of Persian invasion of the Byzantine Empire -- the scheming Jews -- who had also slaughtered so many innocent Christians in Jerusalem in their rape and plunder of this Holy Land jewel.  In 619 AD, Heraclius defeated up to 20,000 Jewish troops outside the Golden Gate and entered Jerusalem triumphant.

Jerusalem was Christian once again.

The problem for both Persia and the Byzantines was that both, in their total war of annihilation, conceived by the Jews, had given each other knockout blows.

All of Persia would be completely dead to Islam and large parts of the Byzantine Empire would be devoured by beheading hordes of Muslims.

With a little more preening by Jews in Arabia, all Mohammad had to do to finish the job was a few beheadings of Christians and the Jews would have Jerusalem on their own terms.

Or that was the plan.

Islam would be a Jewish Frankenstein's monster, but Frankenstein's monsters are always too stupid to not know to turn on its creator.



Mohammad lets

no crisis go to waste


Mohammad born in Mecca around 570 AD was a contemporary of the Jewish Revolt against Christian Rome and witnessed Persia and Rome exhaust themselves in battle.

Mohammad's father, a prominent pagan named Abdallah, died before he was born, and Mohammad was put under the care of his grandfather Abu Talib, head of the prestigious Hashim clan, of the priestly tribe of Koreish, whom were the chiefs and keepers of the national sanctuary of the Kaaba, and whom pretended to trace their origin to Ismael, the son of Abraham and Hagar.

Mohammad's mother, a Jewess named Amina, died when he was six. With Mohammad's formative years under the influence of a Jewish mother, Jews came to look upon Mohammad as the new Jewish savior, more powerful even than Moses -- and as the case with Moses, raised in ultimate power among the Gentiles, but really a secret Jew.

When he was 25, Mohammad married a wealthy Jewish widow 15 years his senior named Khadija bint Khuwaylid. He lived the next 15 years as a merchant, and came into contact with many Jewish merchants and landowners. The Prophet and his Jewish wife gave birth to six children: two sons, who died in childhood, and four daughters.

Around 610 AD, Mohammad told of a vision in which he heard the voice of a majestic being, later identified as the angel Gabriel say to him, "You are the Messenger of God."

Thus began a lifetime of religious revelations, which he and others collected as the Qur'an, or Koran.

Mohammad regarded himself as the last prophet of the Judaic-Christian tradition.  He adopted aspects of these older religions' theologies while introducing new doctrines, although the Judaism and Christianity he knew differed from the religions we know today.

Shortly after this the Prophet traveled to Taif to call on the people there to hear his message.  After being rejected he received a vision of Jewish Jinn (spirits), perhaps referring to the souls of the slaughtered Jewish troops, who eagerly accepted his message. 

In 622 CE, the Prophet was invited to Yathrib by Jews.  The Prophet's arrival was announced from the rooftops by a Jew.

With the death of Nehemiah ben Hushiel, the Judaic nation tried to grapple with the meaning of these events in terms of their literary heritage.  According to Jewish tradition, the Messiah of Joseph would die.  So Nehemiah must have been the Messiah of Joseph.  This meant that the King Messiah was sure to follow.  However, before the King Messiah would appear, he would be preceded by Elijah the Prophet. Their leaders said

"A Prophet is about to arise; his time draws near."

"We shall follow him; and then we shall slay [our enemies] with [divine] slaughter…"   

As the common people became aware of the Prophet,

"They spoke one to another"

"Surely know that is the same Prophet whom the Jews warn us about." 

Modern research has indicated that Muhammad initially took on himself many aspects of Rabbinic Judaism, like Dhu Nuwas before him. 

It is known that Muhammad required that his followers keep kosher and the fast of Yom Kippur, circumcise and pray facing Jerusalem. 

In January 630 AD, Muhammad returned to his birthplace of Mecca with 10,000 men, and the Meccans were forced to swear allegiance to its Muslim conquerors and accept the new religion.

Mohammad was now the strongest man in Arabia.

During the next few years, most of the peninsula's disparate Arab tribes were conquered, and came to him to ask for alliance and to convert to his religion. By his death, on June 8, 632 AD, Muhammad was the effectively ruler of most of Arabia, and his rapidly growing empire was poised for expansion into Christian Syria and Persia (Iraq & Iran).


Within 20 years, the exhausted Christian Roman (Byzantine) and Zorasterian Persian empires had fallen to the prophet's successors, and during the next two centuries vast Arab conquests and forced conversions continued. The Islamic empire grew into one of the largest the world has ever seen, stretching from India, across the Middle East and Africa, and up through Western Europe's Iberian Peninsula in what is now Spain.

Spain was the location of the Sephartic Jews placed there after the Jewish revolts against Rome -- placed as far away from Israel as the Roman Emperor could transport them.

Now, Judaism entered into the Jewish Golden Era; having united the Sephartic Jews of Spain, the Persian Empire Jews of Esther's time, and the escaped free Jews of Arabia pushed out of Christian Palestine.





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