Islamic History
To understand Islam, it is important to understand the Meccan and Medinan parts of Muhammad’s life. These are two cities where Muhammad and his followers lived. And these two periods explain a number of contradictions in the Qur’an. Parts of the Qur’an that come from the Meccan period tend to be more tolerant, while the parts from the Medinan period tend to be more politically incorrect and focus on Islam as an exclusive religion.
Muslim theologians explain this by saying that there is progressive revelation in the Qur’an. Some theologians would say that the commands to kill Jews and Christians abrogate the more tolerant passages from earlier in the Qur’an. Or, others would claim that the Qur’an describes different types of Christianity, some of which are viewed more positively than others. It is interesting to note that different Christian heretical groups were apparently influential in the formation of early Islamic theology.
- What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- What are the Meccan and Medinan periods in Muhammad’s life, and did they each affect the Qur’an?
- How is the Islamic view of progressive revelation similar or different to the Christian view of the progressive revelation of the Bible?
- What is your reaction to the idea that heretical forms of Christianity may have been influential in the formation of Islam?
- Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
