Question for Muslims

[Khairan]

Joshua -

there's a story from the early days:

The Muslims, like the Christians, were a very unpopular group in their society because they upset the established political order of Mecca. Like Jesus, the Prophet preached that people should look only to God because the religious leaders of the time were exploiting pilgrims and worshippers and making religion into a commercial industry. Eventually, the persecution became so terrible and the life there so dangerous that the Prophet encouraged many of his followers to flee. He suggested they go to Ethiopia, because the king of the land was Christian, and it was thought he would sympathize with the Muslims' plight.

Well, the merchant kings of Mecca were not happy at the prospect of the Muslims finding a safe haven outside of their realm of influence, and since they had some trading relationship with the Ethiopians, they sent an envoy to the King to convince him that the Muslims were dangerous rebels who should be turned away. The King asked the Muslims to explain their faith to him, and they read passages from the Qur'an that praise Jesus and Mary. Impressed, the King agreed to grant them refuge.

Flabbergasted, the Meccan ambassador complained: "You cannot take these people seriously! Their 'prophet' is nothing more than a goatherd!"

Smiling, the King responded: "And our Lord was but a simple carpenter." And with that, he turned the Meccans away. From a historical perspective, it is arguable that without that first support from the Christians, the Muslims would not have survived.

I really like that story.