Through much of my 7th-grade experience, in history class, our main learning was about the creation of Islam, and I especially had a research paper and presentation on the Kaaba. It is very intriguing to see how it affects people’s lives in such a positive way. The Kaaba contains many beliefs of divinity like “Hubal, the Syrian god of the moon; al-Uzza, the powerful goddess the Egyptians knew as Isis and the Greeks called Aphrodite; al-Kutba, the Nabataean god of writing and divination; Jesus, the incarnate God of the Christians, and his holy mother, Mary” (Aslan, 18). I had learned that there are nearly three hundred idols in the Kaaba creating one of the most sacred spaces for mankind.
Another Interesting piece I read was about the relationship between the Arabs and the Jewish community. It stated that “the relationship between the Jews and the pagan Arabs was symbiotic in that not only was he Jews heavily Arabized, but the Arabs were also significantly influenced by Jewish beliefs and practices” (Aslan, 21). This is fascinating to read because that is not how that is viewed today. Arabs and the Jewish community might have some of the largest disagreements and feuds in the world. It is seen, and I still believe today that much of the violence and war in the world stemmed and stems from religious beliefs. It is also interesting to see how the rise of so many religions came to be, especially with the rise of Christianity. It is known that many people went on missionary work to convert other people to Christianity and other religions like Judaism did not do as much missionary work. However, Christians were very divided over their theological issues about the nature of Jesus Christ, especially in Syria and Yemen.
Lastly, they discussed the early life of Mohammed about how his parents died when he was young and he was raised by his uncle. One of the passages that stood out most was when he was nine years old, a monk told everyone that he was “the Messenger of the Lord of the Worlds”. Soon after that, Mohammed was viewed as a prophet. Overall, it is fascinating how the Kaaba shares many tales and stories of many religious happenings as well as how symbolic it is, especially in the desert.