There were several themes prevalent in chapters 12 and 21 of the Qur'an including the basic ideas of monotheism, individual moral responsibility, social justice, and the idea that Mohammad was not a unique prophet, simply an extension of the previous ones that Allah had sent before him.

The first theme of monotheism is the fundamental building block of the Islamic tradition. The greatest sin of Islam is to join another being to Allah. Allah is the central unified being that "prevails in His purpose" for humankind (The Koran, 265).

Mohammad acknowledges that this is the same idea as in the traditions of Judaism and Christianity and is not something new. Mohammad was not trying to distinguish Islam from Judaism or Christianity, but rather remind people of the central values of good and evil, right and wrong, etc. from those traditions. Mohammad taught that Islam was an extension of the previous traditions as he was the next and last prophet in the line of many sent by Allah. He showed his true motives as he would pray in the direction of Jerusalem and not to Medina in an attempt to create a community that was inclusive of other monotheistic religions since he taught that both Judaism and Christianity believed in the same one god as he did.

A second theme of individual moral responsibility was a change in thinking from the ways of the old Arabian Peninsula traditions. An individual saw their identity through the eyes of institutions. Whether they were local structures such as family, a particular tribe or township, or broader institutions such as living in the Hijaz, or being a part of larger empires including the Sassanian or Byzantine, individuals did not claim personal responsibility for their actions but rather blanketed their actions under an institution previously mentioned. Mohammad brought a dramatically different philosophy to the culture. He stated that all people are equal before the eyes of god and each individual was responsible directly to god for their actions. There were no priests or "middlemen" between one and god as other traditions had previously instituted. This made each and every Muslim personally accountable for their actions towards other people and Allah.

Along with individual moral responsibility Mohammad also preached the difference of error and sin related not only to moral responsibility, but also to how all Muslims should interact with the world around them. When it came to matters of personal judgment for every human being before Allah, error was only expected and considered a human trait. However, sin was the persistence in that error and had much deeper ramifications than the occasional error. Mohammad taught that while sporadic error was understandable, Allah would not accept recurring sins towards His people and the world they resided in.

Mohammad also taught that under individual moral responsibility came the responsibility of social justice. This idea was to make more people conscientious of the less fortunate around them. One should be kind to the poor and sick and help those in need. Mohammad's demonstration of social justice made clear that all humans created by Allah were equal and deserved the same treatment as the most fortunate.

These ideas are not brand new to the world as they were a part of Jewish and Christian traditions already; however, Mohammad was reiterating the fact that these ideas were central to a religious life and needed to proliferate through the Arabian Peninsula even more than they had. Mohammad felt that he was not bringing a unique point of view into the world; it was his belief that Allah was the same one unified god that had sent all of the prophets before him, including Jesus, Moses, and Abraham.

The stories of the various prophets prior to Mohammad had specific meaning to Mohammad's earliest followers. Since there were also many Jewish and Christian believers in the Arabian Peninsula, the stories of their prophets were a part of the moral consciousness of the people. Even if one was a pagan or polytheist, the stories would still become widely known through oral traditions. This is especially apparent as most Arabs in pre-Islamic times thought of themselves as descendents of Abraham through Ishmael; two distinctly Judaic and Christian characters found in the Hebrew and Christian bibles. This shows that even though much of the population was polytheistic, they still believed in biblical characters to give themselves a place within the world that they knew. This underscored Mohammad's teachings that he was not bringing a new faith to the world, simply an extension of the ones that they were already familiar.





Patrick Flaherty

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