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Muhammadlivedinthe6th centuryC.E.inMecca,anoasispointinNArabia,onthe
tradingroutethatcarriedthegoodsoftheIndiestotheMediterraneanworld.At
thattimetheregionwasincompletedisorder.TheAbyssiniankingdominSArabia,
ChristianizedbyEgyptianmissionaries,hadsentarmiesacrosstheRedSeato
conquerSArabia.Thisattempthadfailedbutithadleftareaevenmorechaotic
andfragmented.InthenorththeByzantineandthePersianSassanidEmpireshad
spentcenturiesengagedinfutileanddestructivewarsthathaddonelittleother
thanweakenthemboth.TradehadalsodiminishedcuttingthetribesofNArabia
fromtheirmainsourceofwealth.Whattraderemained,ontheincenseroute,was
controlledbywhoevercontrolledMecca.ThiswastheQurayshtribe.Bycontrolling
Meccatheycontrolledthetradeandthemajorpilgrimagesiteintheregionthe
Ka`ba(atthetimeapagantemple).TheKabawillassumegreatimportancein
MuslimtraditionandtodayisthesiteofHajorpilgrimage.It isamongIslam'sholiest
sites.Itaccording toMuslims thelocationwhereAdambuiltthefirsttemple,whichwas
thenrebuiltbyAbrahamandhissonIsmail.

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ItwasinthemonthofRamadan,duringonehisperiodsofprayerandseclusion
contemplationandprayeronmountHirathatMuhammadwasvisitedbytheAngel
Gabrielandreceivedhismissiontoconverthispeople.Doubtfulofhisvisionhe
confidedinhiswifeKahdija,whoimmediatelybelievedinhisvision.Muhammad
wouldcontinuetoreceivepropheticrevelationsfortherestofhislife(helivedfor
another22yrs)andthoseformwhatwenowknowastheQuran(literallymeaning
Recitation).

GivethepresenceofChristiansandJewsinthearea,whatdoyouthinkisthe
significanceofMuhammadsrevelationsbeingdeliveredtohimbytheangel
Gabriel?

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TheQuranisthedirectwordofGod,Muhammadwasonlythevesselthrough
whichitwasdelivered,anditadmitsnoerror.Everywordwithinitisjudgeddivine
andhenceunalterable.ThatiswhyformanyMuslimitisimpermissibletotranslate
theQuran,butyoucanonlyattempttotranslatethemeaningoftheQuran,forno
translationofGodsdirectwordscaneverbeperfect

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Islamentailsatitsheartthecompleteand uttersurrenderandsubmissiontoGodswill.

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Theprophetof IslamMuhammadpreachedastrict brandofmonotheismandaprohibition
wasplacedagainstthecreationofhumanimages,especiallytheprophets,asitwasfeared
thateventuallypeoplewouldshifttheiradorationfromGodtotheimageoftheprophet
(portrait,statureorwhathaveyou!)

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