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Religion, Practice and Science of Non-Violence
and a vast treasure of knowledge which contributed towards the birth of the European Renaissance. The founder of this religion was Mohammed.
Mohammed: He was born about Ad 570, in a highly-respected but poor branch of an otherwise rich Quraish clan in the city of Mecca. His father died before he was born, his mother when he was six years of age. Mohammed was brought up by his grandfather and by his uncle, and spent considerable time with bedouins in the desert. Later he accompanied caravans as far as Syria. He must have been highly esteemed as a young man among his fellow citizens because he received the by-name Al Amin, the trust-worthy. He married a rich widow, and was a devoted husband.
Mohammed was of a contemplative nature and went frequently to a lonely spot, outside Mecca, to fast and to meditate. One day in AD 611, at the age of forty, while in deep meditation he received a revelation. A voice called him and demanded “Speak thou in the name of thy Lord.” At first, he had grievous doubts whether this was a genuine call from God or not. But the stream of revelations flowed steadily with only minor interruptions.
The compilation of all the revelations of God through Mohammed is called the Koran. It says: Allahu akbar, la illaha illa allah na muhammadun rasulu allah (God is great, there is no God besides God, Mohammed is his messenger [apostle]. The God, Mohammad spoke of, was One, eternal, changeless and no attribute derived from the experience of His creatures can be attributed to Him. Yet it is proper to liken Him to that which is “loftiest in heaven and earth.” Mohammed claimed for himself no supernatural role; he performed no miracles. In relation to God, he was as completely humble as any other human being would have to be. The message of God to His people, through Mohammed was: When the Heaven shall cleave asunder,
And when the stars shall disperse And when the seas shall gush together,
And when the graves shall be turned upside down Each soul shall know what it has accomplished
or kept back.
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