No god But God

Then, one night in 610C.E., as he was meditating on Mt. Hira during one of his religious retreats, Muhammad had an encounter that would changed the world.

He sat alone in a cave, deep in meditation. Suddenly an invisible presence crushed him in its embrace. He struggled to break free but could not move. He was overwhelmed by darkness. The pressure in his chest increased until he could no longer breathe. He felt he was dying. As he surrendered his final breath, light and a terrifying voice washed over him, “like the break of dawn."

“Recite!” the voice commanded

“What shall I recite?” Muhammad gasped.

The invisible presence tightened its embrace. “Recite!”

“What shall I recite?” Muhammad asked again, his chest caving in.

Once more the presence tightened its grip and once more the voice repeated its command. Finally, at the moment when he thought he could bear no more, the pressure in chest stopped, and in the silence that engulfed the cave, Muhammad felt these words stamped upon his heart:

Recite in the name of your Lord who created,
Created humanity from a clot of blood.
Recite, for your Lord the Most Generous One
Who has taught by the pen;
Taught humanity that which it did not know (96:1-5)

This was Muhammad’s burning bush: the moment in which he ceased being a Meccan businessman concerned with society’s ill, and became what in the Abrahamaic tradition is called prophet. Yet, like his great prophetic predecessors – Abraham, Moses, David, and Jesus – Muhammad would be something more.

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This excerpt is taken from a book I am currently reading called "No god But God" by Reza Aslan. It’s a totally amazing book on the history of Islam, written in such a powerful way that you feel like you are right there. The words jump out of the pages and captivates you. When I read the above passage, I had shivers in my body. I could not imagine what the situation must have been liked. The passage continues to talk about how Muhammad was literally in shivers and shaking, and sought comfort from his wife Khadija. I wish I could somehow re-publish the whole chapter here because you get to read about Muhammad in a way never written before. He comes across as someone like you and me, someone human, yet God chose him to be a prophet. If anyone is interested in the history of Islam then this book is it. The younger Muslims of today will appreciate this book as will as anyone seeking to learn more about Islam.

Once I finish this book, I will post the proper review, because this one is highly recommended for your reading.

Mansur