Mohammad in the
Dispensation for Restoration |
God chose to bless the Ishmaelites directly and set up a 2nd providence to complement and counterbalance Christianity if needed by sending the prophet Mohammed. Historically, Islam is the only major prophetic religion to appear since Jesus gave birth to Christianity. This makes Mohammed the last of the Abrahamic prophets. |
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Following the restoration time periods, establishing the Foundation of Faith and then the Foundation of Substance, Mohammed laid a foundation for true parents with Ishmael's descendants, bringing them directly into the orbit of the central providence of restoration.Just as Jacob, Moses, and Jesus - Mohammad had 3 Courses to his Providential Foundation |
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Mohammad's 1st Course (Tribal Level) |
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Foundation of Faith |
Throughout his youth Mohammad was distinguished by his refined manners, extreme rightousness and absolute chastity, so much so, that his companions nicknamed him "al-Amin" (the true and reliable). At age 25 he married his employer, the rich and much older Khadijah (40) who restored the historic mother position. His wife had been a prosperous merchant and Mohammad was so capable as a trader that the couple lived in very comfortable circumstances. His love for Khadijah was deep and lasting. Until her death a quarter century after their marriage, he took no other wife. Because of her being 15 years older than Mohammad, Khadijah was able to help Mohammad restore three kinds of lost love: brother/sister love before their marriage, mother/son love through her guiding and supporting Mohammad, and husband/wife love through believing Mohammad's relationship with God and his mission was more important than their personal relationship. This was typlified by Khadijah insisting to Mohammad to believe in and accept his mission, although it meant great difficulity and sacrifice for her. |
By temperament, Mohammad was restrained and talked little. Where his own personal rights and prerogatives were concerned, the Prophet was always yielding and indulgent. Even when he had subsequently won high position and great power, his life remained simple and frugal. Pomp and luxury were avoided at all times by the Prophet and his family. It was in this way that Mohammad established a -foundation of faith- to become the central figure. |
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Even though he lived surrounded by wealth and the possiblity of living aneasy life, Mohammad never let this change his readiness to endure hardship and suffering to discover deeper truths and serve God. Consequently, when God called Mohammad to Prophethood at age 40, he without hesitation sacrificed the pleasures of a worldly life (physical wealth) to accept his mission. |
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Foundation of Substance (Family/Tribal
Level) |
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When Mohammad discovered that his dreams turned out to be accurate predictions of the future, he became interested in spending as much time as possible in mediation.While fasting and praying in solitude at Mt. Hira, north of Mecca, he saw a vision of the archangel Gabriel. The angel then told Mohammad to read. |
Naturally, Mohammad was completely overcome, even a little fearful of his sanity. When he told his wife what had occurred, she reassured him. So did her coujsin (Warqa-bin-Naufal) who predicted that he would be the prophet announced by Jesus 600 years earlier. As Mohammad received further revelations he began to gather his family of disciples (3 then 12) - Khadijah, Abu Bakr, Ali - then Saad, Zohair, Talha, Othman, Abdur Rahman son of Auf, Abu Obeida, Othman son of Mazun, Abu Salma, Obeida son of Al-Harith. After 3 years his following numbered 40, which brought to a close his secret preaching and saw him make his first public announcement of his Prophethood. During the 4 years Mohammad proceeded to restore a tribe of believers by teaching and strengthening at least 70 believers, and he also procceded to restore a clan of believers by insisting to the Quraish tribes publicly that there is only one God and that they must leave their worship of idols. Through this demanding the people to leve their evil ways and because of the power he was gaining by an increase of supporters, Mohammad aroused intense opposition. Men called him a fool, a bigot, a mad poet, and a man possessed by demons. |
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Mohammad's 3nd Course of Restoration (Continuation of National Level) |
Foundation of Substance (National
Level) The surprise success of the Muslims in the Battle of Badr had a startling effect on the many neighboring tribes. It started them thinking that the Muslims were helped by somekind of a Supreme Being and resulted in many of them embracing Islam. Over the 6 years, thousands of believers entered the Islamic faith because of the many victories gained against formidable attackers and through the patience teaching of Mohammad's disciples. This growth continued until finally the Islamic Clan was ready to return to Mecca and subjugate the Satan controlled idol worshipers. In December 629 A.D. 10,000 Moslems marched to Mecca to put an end to Satan's constant attacks on Islam and to establish a God-centered-nation. They did not encamp until they reached Marr-uz-Zahran, a place only a few hours journey from Mecca. The Prophet then ordered huge fires to be lit in every camp. This gave the Quraish the impression that the strength of the Muslim army was considerably greater than it really was and they consequently surrendered without any attempt at resistance. It was a peaceful conquest without the shedding of blood. |
After entering the city and assuring the people of no revenge, Mohammad promptly proceeded to the Kaba and cleaned it of it's idols. This Mohammad did by touching each idol of stone with his stick (which represented the stick that Moses struck evil with) and by reciting the Quranic verse: |
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, the Prophet gave a sermon about the beautiful unity of God and about the underlying principle of unity between amn and man (about universal brotherhood). He then forgave everyone of their sins against Islam, irregardless of the graveness; for example Hinda (who ate the liver of Hamza - the Prophet's dear uncle). This unparalleled forgiving love was something behond the Quraish people's wildest dreams or expectations. This resulted in most of the Mecca Clan embracing Islam and humblihng themselves to Mohammad and the Medinan Clan's leadership - thus establishing the foundation of substance on the National Level. |
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In the year following the Medinan Clan's successful entrance into Mecca, Mohammad firmly secured the foundation of substance for the National Level Restoration. This he did by receiving representatives from surrounding clans and absorbing them into the newly rorming Islamic nation. A few larger tribes were subjugated with force when they tried to block the forming of this nation centered on God. |
Also during this period many governing principles were revealed to integrate and unify these many different clans into one strong, God-serving nation.Thus, after three 7-year courses (21 years), Prophet Mohammad succeeded in restoring a nation to God. Kingdom Level Restoration Lessons Learnt From Mohammad's Course 1. All of humkind is invited to the Kingdom of Heaven and it is up to each person to choose to follow the Prophet or not. 2. One must be prepared to sacrifice all to go God's way of life. 3. Victory will come to the righteous man when he has entrusted his life in humble service and complete faith to God 4. Humankind must not just wait for Satan to attack first and then defend himself, but each person must wage an active war (Holy Jehad) within himself to remove all evil bases Satan can use to pull him away from God. 5. God's will (the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth) is absolute and the work to accomplish such is passed from one Prophet to another until such is accomplished. 6. We must be prepared to leave our family and loved ones if they prevent us from living a truely God-centered way of life, just as Mohammad had to flee Mecca to Medina to have the freedom to follow God's way of life. 7. The more you love God the more you must be prepared to suffer, endure persecution and serve your accusing brother. 8. God will forgive the greatest sinner if he humbles himself in repentance before God. |
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Historic Parallels of
Restoration |
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400 Years Under the Judges |
Following the Jewish 400 years of slavery in Egypt and the death of Prophet Moses, came the Period of Judges, which lasted for 400 years. Restitution for the Period of Judges was made by the period of Church Patriarchs and by the Period of Holy Caliphs. Comparable to the military efforts of Joshua and the activity of the Hebrew leaders known as judges, was the rule of the first four Muslim caliphs: Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali. From the Biblical book of Judges we learn the Jewish leaders took 400 years to solidify Israel's precarious hold on Canaan. Like Joshua, Gideon and Samson, the first four Moslem caliphs were men of righteousness living in an age of war. Life was hard and often harsh. Through their military victories they extended the Kingdom of Islamic rule, nearly from the borders of India to the borders of Spain. Likewise, after their triumph over the Roman Empire, the Christians moved rapidly across the European continent and, facilitated by the Germanic tribes who were taking refue within the confines of the Roman Empire, they quickly spread the teachings of Jesus throughout the Roman Empire and other parts of the world. The characteristic duties of the judges, the church patriarchs, and the caliphs were very similar - to lead the faithful believers of the word. Most of the judges were prophets - they acted as both chief religious leaders and kings. The Christian patriarchs (bishops) performed similar roles - they acted as both chief religious leaders and kings in the main cities of the Roman Empire. Each of the Holy Caliphs assumed the responsibility of a prophet - they acted as both the chief religious leader and king of the newly formed Islamic Empire. During this time the political and economic system |
120
Year Period of the United Kingdom |
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Jewish Separation of Religious and Political Leadership |
Christian Separation of
Religious and Political Leadership |
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While the Islamic Kingdom prospered and expanded under the Umayyad monarchs, so also the Christian Kingdom prospered and expanded under the leadership of Charemagne. Through uniting the existing Christian nations and through expanding Christianity across most of Europe, Charlemagne was able to establish a vast empire. During his reign education, the arts, architecture and new idealistic concepts became significant for the first time in Christian culture. |
Islamic Separation of Religious and Political Leadership |
Since in both, Christianity and Islam the responsibilities of leadership (religious/spiritual and economic/political) were divided between two positons it was essential that these two positions co-operate and unite around the common goal of establishing a new world centered on God and His principles revealed by both Jesus and Prophet Mohammad. Through such unity within both the vast empires of both would have developed pure and been ready to receive and follow the True Parents in the Last Days. Upon such a foundation of unity the True Parents would have come to the world, would have guided the Islamic and Christian Kingdoms to unite as one vast empire centered on God and thus established the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. However, because this unity did not take place and because the fallen nature of selfish greed caused the successful political and economical expansion to become centered on selfish gains, rather than God's purpose a foundation to receive the True Parents wasn't established and God consequently divided both Kingdoms. |
400 Years of Divided Jewish
Kingdom - North & South |
Division of Jewish
Kingdom Division of Christian
Kingdom With the papcy holding such power, it was an opportune time for Christianity to spread it's ideals and ethics. If the papcy had remained righteous and acted according to the Will of God during it's zenith of power, Christendom would have been very close to a tangible realization of God's ideal kingdom at that time. However often the papcy abused it's power for personal, political and economic gain. This caused Christianity and the papcy to wander far from being the true channels of God's Will and thus as fast as the papcy had ascended, it now began to descend. As when the Jewish people became corrupted during the United Jewish Kingdom and God sent prophets into their midst as means of awakening them from their sinful ways, God also tried to persuade the papcy to leave their corrupted ways through warning s from holy men (monks) like Saint Francis of Assisi. However, the papcy turned a deaf ear to the cries of these holy reformers and continued their evil ways. God thereafter used military defeats by Moslem armies to punish the papcy and reveal to the common people that God was no longer working through the papcy and the corrupted church leadership. Division of the United
Islamic Kingdom The Umayyad rulers had been widely criticized for their luxurious life-style, their Epicurean Morality (gross sensualism) and their merely nominal piety. Gollowing the pattern of Jerobeam (the disaffected court official) and Abijah (the prophet that led the opposition to Solomon's son), ambitious Arab generals and critical Moslem religious spokesmen mounted opposition to the Umayyads. The Abbasid rebels were resourceful, cunning and often ruthless in getting what they wanted. Civil war broke out in many places and blood was shed profusely. The Abbasids won the throne with a sword and remained in power because of the beheadings carried out by their executioners. For 500 years (747-1258) the Abbasid Caliphs ruled the Middle East. During the time the Abbasids were attacking the Umayyads, a member of the Umayyad royal family escaped to Spain and established a new caliphate there which lasted until 1492 A.D. During this time both the Abbasid dynasty and the Umayyad dynasty flourished economically, ikntellectually and politically, but the both declined spiritually. God thereupon sent many holy Islamic Men (sufis) to urge them to repent and leave their materialistic, selfish ways for face divine retribution. Unfortunately they didn't listen and God eventually punished and destroyed the caliphs and the Islamic Kingdom through attacking armies. |
Captivity
of the Jewish People and Their Return
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Jewish Captivity and Return At the end of 70 years of exile in Babylon, Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylonia and permitted the Jewish people to return to Palestine. This return was accomplished in 3 states over a period of 140 years. Thus, from the beginning of their exile to the end or their return, 210 years elapsed. Once tehy actually returned to their land, they actively began to set up a nation centered on one God (under the fuidance of Prophet Malachi) and prepare to receive the True Parents. |
Christian Captivity and
Return After 70 years of papal captivity in Avignon, another pope in Rome was elected so for a time there were two popes in authority. The years were ones of confusion with the papacy being transferred back and forth from Avignon to Rome. At one time there were even 3 popes, until at last the papacy was permanently settled in Rome. Once reinstated in Rome, the papacy gradually revived, but by that time the prestige of the papacy, the spiritual strength of the church and the unity of the Christian people had severely deteriorated. According to the patten of God's restoration history, the time was now drawing near to the final stage of preparation for the coming of the Messiah as True Parents. However, the foundation for their coming still had yet to be accomplished so God carried out an intensive preparation plan to lay the necessary foundation within the 400 years. This plan was the Reformation of the Christian Church (1517 A.D.) which was ignited by Martin Luther, a figure comparable to Prophet Malachi. Moslem Captivity and Return After the destruction of the Abbasid Kingdom, the Moslems experienced a period of political weakness, moral disorganization and religious division. In place of one empire, "Dar al-Islam", there were in fact more than a half dozen separate Moslem sultanates in Spain, Morocco, Egypt, Iraq, Persia, India and the nominal Moslem empire of the Mongol khans. Thus from a period of reduced, captive Islamic power and from the ashes of a Moslem world mauled by Frankish crusaders and devastated by Mongol cavalry, Islam again rose to power thorugh the expansion of the Ottoman Empire of the Turks. This return to political power was completed with the entering of Constantinople by Mehmed II in 1453 A.D. and through the golden age of the Turks (1453-1566 A.D.). As mentiond in the previous section the time was now drawing near to the final stage of preparation for the coming of the Mesianic True Parents and yet the Moslem world still did not have a foundation to understand or receive the Messiah. Consequently, Bod began an intensive program to reform (purify) the Moslem people. This was accomplished by Suleyman (the 10th Ottoman sultan, (1520-1566 A.D.), a figure comparable to Prophet Malachi and Martin Luther.
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400
Year Period of Jewish Preparation for the Messiah |
Jewish Final Preparation |
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Renaissance - Final 400 Years Preparation
The Renaissance and the 400
Year Preparation |
First Religious Reformation-------Second Religious Reformation------Third Religious Reformation
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The 400 years after Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses in 1517 or after the beginning of Sultan Suleyman's glorious reign in 1520, marked the beginning of the final period of preparation for the coming of the True Parents. Dulring this time God worked intensely to prepare the world environment to support the coming of the True Parents and the establishment of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. This preparation took place in three main areas" religious or ideological, political and economical. Christianity and the Wester Hemisphere were the focal point of this development. Since Prophet Mohammad, God's restoration work has been developing through two main religious movements, Islam and Christianity. Shortly after their beginning both of these religions were invaded by Satanic forces and thus blocked from establish a pure foundation for God's Kingdom to be established. Because of this they both have been undergoing a history of God's purification work although the method of this work and consequent historic development have been different. The reason for this comes from the basic difference between Islam and Christianity. In Islam through the Holy Quran and Hadiths, God revealed precise instructive details on how to live the ideal spiritual life in all aspects o human individual and collective daily life, including religious, political and economical. This means it was not necessary for God to provide further instructions or additions to the Quran and ...., but it was only necessary for God to purify and deepen the thinking of the Moslem people. Because of this the Moslems had to endure 400 years of suffering by oppression. Christianity however, did not receive such details on how to setup and maintain the ideal form of religious, political or economical instutions. Because the Jewish people rejected Jesus and did not listen, Jesus only had the opportunity to speak about the beauty of the ideal world and the qualifications one must have to live in such, but he did not have the chance to reveal and establish the actual governing systems. Consequently, it was necessary for God to prepare the Christian Culture not only through God's purification methods, but also to pregressively reveal and establish the ideal form of each system that the True Parents would speak about and actually establish. Through this preparation the Christians and Moslems would both have the capacity to recognise and gollow the 2nd coming of Adam and Eve whose identity would become clear as they spoke and actually established God ideal systems of life across the world. Thus we find the development of religion, politics and economics in the Christian world has been towards that which is called for in the Islamic Holy Books. Let us then begin this section by tracing from the time of the Renaissance up to today God's preparation of the Christian Culture to understand and accept a completely God-centered form of Religious, Political and Economic Life or Culture.
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Philosophy & Religion - The Development of the Perfection Stage Ideology |
When the medievil feudal society failed to carry out the work of establishing a foundation to receive the True Parents, God used the Renaissance to give history a new direction. As a result of the Christian Crusades, Westerners became esposed to the Eastern Cultures. Trading of material and different ways of life between these two cultures began when the Crusaders returned to Europe with many ancient literary masterpieces and Oriental customs. The rise of commercial towns after the collapse of the feudal system brought in a completely new pattern of life. With the fall of Constantinople (15th century) many scholars fled to Italy and brought with them art and literature in the original Latin or Greek. This influx inspired a revival of classical learning which gave birth to the movement known as the Renaissance. |
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