West Coast Connection Forum
Lifestyle => Train of Thought => Topic started by: Don Rizzle on April 12, 2007, 01:01:05 PM
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The pagans of pre-Islamic Arabia taught that everyone should bow and pray towards Mecca (the religious and trade centre of Arabia with its Kabah) during certain set times of the day. Everyone should also make a pilgrimage to Mecca to worship at the Kabah at least once in their life. Once they arrived at Mecca. the pagans ran around the Kabah seven times, kissed the black stone, and then ran about a mile to the Wadi Mina to throw stones at the devil. They also believed in the giving of alms and condemned usury. They even had a certain month in which fasting was to be done according to the lunar calendar. That these pagan rites comprised the religion in which Muhammad was raised by his family is acknowledged by all.
The dominant religion that had grown very powerful just before Muhammad's time was that of the Sabeans. The Sabeans had an astral religion in which they worshipped the heavenly bodies. The moon was viewed as a male deity and the sun as the female deity. Together they produced other deities such as the stars, The Quran refers to this in sura 41.37 and elsewhere.
They used a lunar calendar to regulate their religious rites. For example, a month of fasting was regulated by the phases of the moon. The Sabean pagan rite of fasting began with the appearance of a crescent moon and did not cease until the crescent moon reappeared. This would be later adopted as one of the five pillars of wisdom of Islam.
Finally, the influence of foreign religions, such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism (from Persia), Hinduism, Buddhism, Greek and Egyptian mythologies, and Christianity, was also present in pre-Islamic Arabia. It is no surprise to find that the Quran contains remnants of religious stories that can ultimately be traced back to these religions.
So, the religious ideas and rites found in Islam and the Quran can clearly be traced back to the influences of pre-Islamic culture. custom and religious life. Archaeologists have unearthed many examples of pre-Islamic art which includes their idols and symbols of worship. Mecca contained one of the most important, the Kabah, in which was placed the black stone, long an object of worship.
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very interesting. i wonder what brian has to say about this.
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Muslims already know all this stuff, the Prophet Muhammed purposely incorporated the existing pagan elements into his new religion. Mecca was a place of free trade where fighting was forbidden, Mohammed liked this idea and others so adopted them, he was more against the Arab tribalism and social systems, rather than pagaism or animism.
As for all this anti-Bryanism I see lately, I'll say this:
don't judge Islam by the behaviour or actions of Muslims, they are a bad example, if you want to understand Islam look at Muhammad and his life story, same wit Jesus.
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i goty nothing against muslims but brian wants to bash christians so i braught this shit up to see what he got to say when the shit is turned on him and guess what he is silent!
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^^
I kno, sumhow easter's pagaism is big deal compared to mecca (that is essentially rock worship).
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Muslims already know all this stuff, the Prophet Muhammed purposely incorporated the existing pagan elements into his new religion. Mecca was a place of free trade where fighting was forbidden, Mohammed liked this idea and others so adopted them, he was more against the Arab tribalism and social systems, rather than pagaism or animism.
As for all this anti-Bryanism I see lately, I'll say this:
don't judge Islam by the behaviour or actions of SOME Muslims, they are a bad example, if you want to understand Islam look at Muhammad and his life story, same wit Jesus.
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very interesting. i wonder what brian has to say about this.
nothing, he is more than happy to post things (bashing christianity or any other religion. or to make islam look good), but will never reply to questions raised from it.
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well muslims believe that the prohphet abraham built the kabba,and started the haneef religion.with all the rites and traditions of modern islam,as time passed people started distorting his message and adding things to it,so the pagans took the traditions of the abrahimic religion anf haneefists rites and made them thier own,then the prohet phuh re-established the kabba to its original purpose