We’ve just read the next chapter on the Rise of Islam from Story of the World and as i’ve heard some remarks from Linzi and Hannah about it not being very accurate, i just want to check a detail before i go on further with the girls.
Did Muhammed send his men out on to the road to attack and steal food and supplies from caravans heading for Mecca so that there would be food for the people of Medina?
If so, how was this a justifiable act; i’m getting the impression this chapter is just a bit too simplistic because the way it is written it doesn’t seem to be much more accpetable a way of going on than some might think Danny and his dad going pheasant poaching would be.
Insight and information would be greatly appreciated 🙂
Well, no – well, yes but no. I read that, thought “but hang on, that diesn’t seem all that holy” and then thought “well, actually, its a bit like DATCOTW” and then thought that probably something was slightly awry in the translation because of how you had reacted to the Danny story.
Which made me ask, which means i’ve now got an answer, which means i can correct any views my children might have gleaned from todays reading that the Medina residents were a bunch of thieving raiders.
So yes, but in a good way 😉
Oh you know me. Good.
Mind you, you’re gonna hate me later. I’ve been pondering your blog and al lthe things it makes me consider for ages and at some point i;’m going to blog them. Stand by to sigh wearily at my unholiness 😉
Having read ahead in sotw, I think anytime that there is a reference to Islam or Muslims you can pretty much expect it to be inaccurate – very much so during the crusades. Which is a shame really. Makes me wonder about the rest of the book’s accuracy when refering to any other religions or cultures. I know she (author) has her own agenda, religion wise, but I would have hoped that she would adhere to the undisputed historical facts.
Completely unrelated but isn’t the time on these comments an hour fast??
Debbie, no. I’ve just been clarifying my own thoughts, which have been prompted by reading your thoughts.
Purely from a fascinated but different POV.
I’m warning you becasue i’m concerned it might SEEM to be a sortof direct retaliation, because you’ve prompted so many of my own thoguhts, but in fact, it is far from it; just a Debbie prompted meander. 😉
Hannah, it is a shame. I feel the same. I can understand simplifying but “he decided they could go out a steal” seems a bit TOO much of a simplification. I’d like to think i was smart enough to spot something a bit odd, but not everyone would be.
Actually what happened was that the people who had migrated to Madinah had had all their belongings stolen by the Quraiysh (makkans) who then sold them to make themselves rich at the expense of the people. As the Makkans were returning from an trade expedition to Syria people complained that it was their belongings that had been stolen, so Muhammad (Saw) gave permission to retrieve their own belongings and the right to their money. You can’t steal your own property.
But raids on caravans was actually forbidden by Muhammad (Saw).
Was the Danny reference aimed at me?
*Confused* OK. Yes I see. Good then. 😀
oh dear. i really dont like the sound of that at all *sigh* is this going to get nasty??
i think, in the main, it is very good. My feeling is that Islam, in this climate and with the future ahead of our children that is being laid, is not something that i want to risk my children having major pre-conceived and ill-founded views on. I’d rather they got an accurate and full picture so they can be part of a more tolerant and connected generation.
Thank-you! I’ve just ordered SOTW and will read ahead carefully and check stuff out a bit so I can at least attempt to answer the questions that I’m sure will arise from it. Which I would have done anyway, but perhaps not been so alert to possible significant glossing over.
Is that in volume 2 Merry? I ask because Charlie reads SOTW by himself and we’re still on vol 1 and when you say
“My feeling is that Islam, in this climate and with the future ahead of our children that is being laid, is not something that i want to risk my children having major pre-conceived and ill-founded views on. I’d rather they got an accurate and full picture so they can be part of a more tolerant and connected generation.”
I totally agree and wouldn’t want that for him either because he (being a total non-fiction-a-holic) takes every word written in non-fiction books as being the absolute truth.
Well, Stringbean’s view of Islam (and we have read various bits about it in various books) seems to be basically that it involves wearing a scarf 🙂 She was running around today with an old net curtain putting it on her her head and going ‘I’m a Muslim’ , then taking it off and going ‘now I’m not’ 🙄
we are on book one still. however, i do sometimes paraphrase – not been needed for a bit, but there was a bit of old testament at the beginning, so changed that a bit. had forgotten that.
Yes, volume 2. it was a bit… well, odd.
Chris, lol!