Page 113 - LD215 History of the Church in Africa A4 final

Triumph and Trouble

observed was not the kind described in the book of Acts, for it was
neither Pentecostal nor missional and it may have been syncretistic.
Idolatry was rampant throughout Arabia, and this idolatry and the
religion of his pagan Arab community deeply disturbed Muhammad.
As a result, he began to proclaim a monotheistic God who opposed
idolatry. Although he won a few converts, most of the people mocked
him. Interestingly, when persecution became severe, Muhammad
advised some of his converts to flee to Abyssinia (Ethiopia) where they
were treated with respect. These circumstances could have played a role
in the manner in which Islam and Christianity related later in Ethiopia.

In A.D. 622, facing severe persecution from the people of Mecca,
Muhammad fled to the neighboring city of Medina. This flight, which is
called the hijra (also spelled hegira or hidzjra) marks the beginning of the
Islamic calendar. In Medina, Muhammad had more success and, in time,
became a powerful religious and political leader. In A.D. 630, he led an
army of converts to Mecca where they won a decisive victory, overthrew
the idols of Mecca, and persuaded many Meccans to accept Islam.

As he gained power, Muhammad preached the new faith in an
aggressive, authoritative way and claimed universal acceptance. His
religion became known as Islam, which means “surrender to Allah,” and
his followers were known as Muslims, or those who have “submitted to
Allah,” the one and only God.

By the time he died in A.D. 632, he had deeply influenced his followers.
They believed he was Allah’s special messenger and that they had to
follow his instructions in spreading the faith universally. “Allahu akbar”
(God is greater) was their motto. I cannot count how many times I have
been awakened early in the morning in East Africa to the cry “La ilaha
illa Allah, wa Muhammad rasul Allah!” (There is no God but Allah and
Muhammad is his messenger.) Within 100 years the religion spread to
all of North Africa and Spain, and it advanced through the Middle East
and as far as Persia and into the sub-continent of India. Its westward
progress was finally stopped by Charles Martel and the Franks at the
Battle of Tours in A.D. 732.

As a neighbor, Egypt was a target for expansion, and Islam conquered
this country without much opposition by A.D. 641, a few years after

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