ite! The frightened man could not respond and felt himself being strangled. He mustered the strength to ask what it was that he should recite. The commanding voice, that of the angel Gabriel, answered, Recite! three times, and then said, Recite in the name of your Lord who created all things, who created man from clots of blood.. It was night in the month of Ramadan in the year 610 of our era. That night was later named the Night of power. (Chaim Potok, p.251)The modern Islamic era, however, dates from 622 A.D., the date of the beginning of Mohammeds hejira or pilgrimage from Mecca. The teachings of Islam are primarily the teachings of the Holy Koran, which is the record of Mohammeds oral teachings during the latter part of his life. The Koran is based on the acceptance of certain scriptural authority from the patriarchs, but it is by and large the original work of Mohammed:On the question of originality there can hardly be two opinions now that the Koran has been thoroughly compared with the Christian and Jewish traditions of the time; and it is, besides some original Arabian legends, to those only that the book stands in any close relationship. The matter is for the most part borrowed, but the manner is all the prophets own. (The Koran, viii)There are direct references to the patriarchs in The Koran, as when Mohammed says of the infidel,Hath he not been told of what is in the pages of Moses? And of Abraham faithful to his pledge? That no burdened soul shall bear the burdens of another, and that nothing shall be reckoned to a man but that for which he hath made efforts (The Koran, p.71)Thus Islam accepts as truthful the basic origin of man as described by Jews, but holds Mohammeds teachings to be later and authoritative.The monotheism of Islam is absolute, as expressed in the teaching, There is but one God, Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet. The ethical teachings of Islam have remained strongly intact, and resemble in ma...
