Word for Word, page 58
Because
Houghton Mifflin insists the quotes I gave from their textbook are out of context, and
that they have sufficiently included "Muslims believe...", I am
writing word for word what is in two pages from the textbook. There is
so much more stating Islam's
religious beliefs as fact, than at these two pages.
Because of copyright laws, I really must insert
a comment every couple of paragraphs. Please forgive these rude
interruptions in blue.
Across the Centuries
Unit 2, The Growth of Islam
Chapter 3
begins on page 58 with these words:
Lesson 2
Muhammad and Islam
Each year, a Meccan trader named Muhammad would spend a month in quiet
thought while inside a desert cave on Mount Hira. In the year A.D.
610, something extraordinary occurred. The first verses of the
Quran, believed by Muslims to be the written record of God's
words, were revealed to him at that time.
(Notice what is "believed by Muslims."
That the words are of God, but "something extraordinary occurred" and
"being revealed to him at that time" are stated as fact).
The story of how Muhammad received these
messages was later told my his wife, Aisha (AY ee shah). Aisha was the
daughter of Abu Bakr, a wealthy trader who was the first person
outside Muhammad's family to become a Muslim.
Aisha tells that even before Muhammad's
experience in the cave at Hira, he had had "good dreams which came
true like bright daylight." Then, in the cave, something more
far-reaching happened.
(If this is alright for the Islam section,
can students read the Apostle John's account of Jesus as fact? And
where are the statements of "Muslims believe???")
A being he later identified as the angel
Gabriel, or Jibril (juhBREEL) in Arabic, came to him telling
him to read, or recite. Trembling, Muhammad responded that he didn't
know how to read or what to read. "Thereupon [the angel] caught me and
pressed me so hard that I could not bear it any more." Three times the
angel pressed Muhammad, finally commanding him to
Read!
In the name of your
Lord who created.
Created man from a clot
congealed blood.
Read! And your Lord is the Most
Bountiful.
He who has taught by the pen.
Taught man that which he
knew not.
Qur'an 96:1-5
(Fancy italics,
centering, etc., are all the same as the textbook)
End of first page. On
the far left column it says:
......
..T H I N K I N G....
..
...
....F O C U S..
....
Find details to support the
statement, "Islam, like other religions, is not only a system of
beliefs but also a way of life."
Key Terms
