Before Islam....?

[Jack Knave]

Something I'm reading at the moment raised an interesting point - well to me anyway - in my mind just as part of it dialogue. It mentioned a mythical figure/god as part of the Arab world's religion that preceded Islam. The name of this figure is Khidr and it is mentioned in the Koran (I believe) and the Sufi see it as some kind of god(?), and is mentioned in the 18th Sura - if that means anything to anyone, as it doesn't to me. I assume this religion was pagan in nature but perhaps someone here knows more about this? Often when changes like this occur the old ways don't really go away but linger unconsciously in the psyche - I wonder how much of the Islamic way of doing things is really from these older times....?

This in turn brought to mind the fact that one of the main reasons for the Islamic faith was to stop the internecine warring factions of the Arab tribes and unite them against the Christians and Jews. Funny how what goes around comes around; how nothing is solved if the "can" is kicked down the road.

Any thoughts anyone?

[trippymonkey]

From what I've read & been told about 'pre'- Islam, the figure Allah was Al-Lah just meaning The God & was a pagan deity that Mohammed hijacked to try to get the Meccans on 'his side' so to speak.

Don't forget why Mohd was doing all this & had little or nothing to do with any god but a rallying of the troops !!!

Nick

[Robbie]

Allah does mean God, you're right there. We Christians had 'God' or 'Gods' before Christianity was brought to this shore. Different words, same meaning.

[trippymonkey]

Be interesting to see what we mean when we say gods as Hinduism seems a polytheistic religion but that doesn't make much sense when you look into it.

N

[ekim]

Quite possibly derived from the Hebrew ...Elyown or Aramaic .... Illay or Alya meaning Supreme Being, Most High, omnipotence.

[Anchorman]

Not so much Hebrew as Semitic in origin. There are a lot of languages in that area which have Semitic roots; Hebrew, Aramaic and Arabic being the three principal survivors.

[ad_orientem]

In the Middle-Ages it was a common opinion that Islam was some sort offshoot of the Arian schism.

[Robbie]

I heard that one too. Don't quite believe it.

[ad_orientem]

I heard that one too. Don't quite believe it.

I think there might be something in it.

[Udayana]

Tom Holland, in "The shadow and the sword" explores some parallels between various Christian heresies and early Islam.

[Robbie]

He does indeed Like Tom Holland.

[Anchorman]

Mohammed seems to have had some access to Gnostic writings, and bits of the Torah as well ....so probably rich enough to adfford MSS, as well as a working knowledge of the varied polytheistic thoughts of the Arabs in the area.

[Sriram]

Mohammed seems to have had some access to Gnostic writings, and bits of the Torah as well ....so probably rich enough to adfford MSS, as well as a working knowledge of the varied polytheistic thoughts of the Arabs in the area.

Yes...and just as it is important to understand how Islam developed and what its initial doctrines were, it is equally important to understand Christianity also from a similar perspective....as also all other religions.

[Robbie]

I wondered what MSS was and thought, "Manuscripts?"

From what I've read Mohammed couldn't read or write.

[trippymonkey]

Heard this too so what were those around him feeding him then???

[Robbie]

Dunno, it was before my time  .

[trippymonkey]

Well THAT'S the point, isn't it.
Do any of us really know?

[Anchorman]

I wondered what MSS was and thought, "Manuscripts?"

From what I've read Mohammed couldn't read or write.

-
That may well have been spin, since some of his stuff about the NT are clearly plagerised versions of late fiourth and fifth century Gnostic stuff - which was already rejected by the overwhelming majority of Christian strands.

[Robbie]

Well THAT'S the point, isn't it.
Do any of us really know?

No.
What Anchorman said.