Mecca, Muhammad & the Moon-God: A Candid Investigation into the Origins of Islam

By Brett Stortroen

A shocking, riveting, intriguing re-discovery of history, culture, philosophy and the emerging of a key individual that became the instrument to catapult the Islamic religion. The impact of ancient Arabian folklore with its stone and astral cults, shamanism, various Judaic traditions, heretical sects within Christianity, and prevalent moon-god veneration, all rolled together in the mind of Muhammad, who carved out a kind of salad religion, taking bits and pieces and countering with his own ‘amendable bible,’ the Qur’an. His unique approach to religious policy, women’s rights, sexuality and gaining adherents are all candidly revealed. His militant, religious movement to achieve global domination is traced from its beginnings, through the Crusades period, all the way to its impact on current world views. Islam’s positioning in the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy is shown to be a stark reality on the End Time clock.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brett Stortroen
• Release date: Feb 19, 2012
• ISBN: 9781465967817

Brett Stortroen

Brett Stortroen has authored the biographical novel, Night of the Dragon: The Saga of SaintGeorge and the non-fiction book, now sold in thirty countries, Mecca, Muhammad & theMoon God: A Candid Investigation into the Origins of Islam. With a BA and MA inTheological and Historical Studies, he also publishes articles on his web site,bigfaithministries.com. Traveling the world as a telecommunication engineer in the cruiseindustry, he has been able to incorporate his maritime experiences and historical researchinto the latest biographical novel series, The Magellan Chronicles

Book preview

This current 2012 ebook is based upon my original work: Mecca and Muhammad: A Judaic Christian Documentation of the Islamic Faith. This edition has been updated with new material and streamlined from the original printed versions of 2000 and 2002. Due to the continued relevance of Islam in world events and Christian missions, I have decided to release this revised manuscript in electronic format to reach an expanded world audience. The core material remains timeless in its ancient historical setting with few changes needed. In my first edition, copyrighted prior to the events of September 11, 2001, I had pointed out a significant pattern of increased Islamic Jihad around the world. In this current revision, new source material has been incorporated concerning historical Islamic Jihad imperialism, the Crusades, and comparisons between the Antichrist and the Islamic Mahdi.

The primary task set forth in this book centers on the veracity of Muhammad’s claim as, the divine messenger of God. This entire investigation has remained primarily focused on Muhammad and those who were witness to his life. In this thesis, I have employed the principles of the early church disciples to discern whether Muhammad was a true or false prophet according to the biblical scriptures.

The Apostle John wrote the following verse in response to the early heresy known as Gnosticism: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world (I Jn. 4:1). From this passage of scripture, as well as many others, the injunction to test the spirits is mandatory. One must discern between whether or not a prophet, teacher, or preacher has the spirit of Christ or the spirit of anti-Christ. From the beginning of the early Christian era, a strict standard for testing the spirits had been instituted. The Apostle John mentored the legendary Bishop Polycarp in these principles. In turn, Polycarp taught the great apologetics scholar, Bishop Irenaeus.

It was the famous St. Irenaeus who sifted through massive volumes of Gnostic texts in order to accurately refute the Gnostic false prophets of his day. Following his example, I have incorporated these same methods of apologetics to test the tenets of the Islamic faith. I have carefully maintained a focused study into the Qur’an and the Islamic Hadith. Many may not be aware that the Hadith (a nine volume collection of the words and deeds of the prophet Muhammad as recorded by his family, friends and other eyewitnesses) are considered as inspired and authoritative as the Qur’an. In addition, I have consulted the source material of early Muslim histories and biographies, secular histories, archaeological discoveries, epigraphic evidence, and numerous Christian sources.

Some facts presented may appear harsh in rhetoric, but they are grounded upon Islam’s own sources for their dogma. Yet, I am sincerely concerned for all Muslims who do not have a true understanding of the Christian faith regarding an assurance of salvation. The growing numbers of Muslims worldwide may be viewed as a challenge and opportunity to present to them the true living God. This book attempts to equip the believer with the proper tools of Christian theology to better witness the truth and penetrate into the heart of Islam.

In appreciation, I would like to give thanks to my outstanding professors at ORU for teaching me numerous concepts in church history, theology, hermeneutics, and several of the ancient Near East languages, namely: Coptic, Ugaritic, and ancient Hebrew. Other imminent scholars have also contributed significant insights; for instance, Dr. Robert Morey has been given consideration for his constructive comments regarding this book and his research material noted in this documentation concerning the Islamic faith. Excellent source material concerning the Antichrist and the Mahdi was gleaned from the keen insights of scholars Joel Richardson and former Muslim, Walid Shoebat. Also, a special recognition and thanks is given to Dr. Joseph Buitrago for his linguistic and archaeological contributions, his scholarly devotion to the editorial work involved in completion of the first edition of this book. In addition, his historical analysis in dealing with the generic name of Jesus and its origin was invaluable. Finally, I would like to recognize and thank Gene Beach for his excellent advice and editorial work in the completion of this third revised and updated edition.

LINGUISTIC NOTES

In any logical disputation between Islam and Judaic-Christian theology precise distinctions in the original languages must be employed. Thus, special elucidation regarding the name of God is employed in this section. In order to properly contrast the biblical God with all other gods, it is necessary to know the true name. In the Old Testament the sacred name was given as YHWH, otherwise known as the Tetragrammaton. The Ten Commandments are preceded by the proclamation: I, Yahweh, am thy Elohim… (Ex. 20:2). In the Third Commandment, the Lord stipulated that none shall take his name in vain. Furthermore, the New Testament states, Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is none other ‘name’ under heaven, given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Based on these clear injunctions to honor the holy name of God, one should attempt to ascertain what root name was intended. I have used the original correct Hebrew phonetic names for the Judaic God such as YHWH, which is pronounced as Yahveh according to archaeological data. In German, the w sounds like a v phonetically. Yahweh for YHWH with an English w sound is incorrect. Archaeological findings give credence to the true spelling and phonetics as Yahveh, and not Yahweh in English. The Jewish community accepts both spellings.

The correct name for Jesus has been given in the correct phonetic form. The spelling is accurate for the true Hebrew or Greek name of the Judaic Messiah. In Hebrew, the Massorites, who added points and vowel sounds to the consonants, gave the rendering Yeshua in Hebrew for salvation or saviour. However, many of the old rabbinical scholars disagree with this particular rendering and several variations have been postulated. For instance, the Lord’s personal name has often been translated as Yeshua, Yeshu, Yesu, Yahshua, Yahshu, Yahsu and various other similar constructs.

Regardless of which variance of these names is used the root remains intact. Some scholars may be more dogmatic in their assessment of one particular rendering or pronunciation but it may not be that crucial in regards to salvation. For example, if one takes the name of Peter and employs it within another language or culture slight nuances can be expected in the pronunciation; Peter, or Pete for short, in English, Petros in Greek, Pedro in Spanish, etc. The famed Jewish scholar, David Flusser conducted extensive research into first century Judaism and argued that the Galilean disciples of Jesus would have dropped the final ayin, (ah) sound, from the name of Yeshu(ah) when they addressed their Lord. As a result, this pronunciation would become either Yeshu or Yashu. Other scholars maintain that the New Testament writers used the Greek sigma (s) for the Hebrew shin (sh) for translating the Lord’s name due to the fact that Greek had no exact equivalent for the (sh) in Hebrew. A case may be made for Yashu based on this evidence. However, Yahsu still has equal or greater plausibility based upon the older rabbinic renderings and the original Greek writer’s intentions. I believe the true phonetic pronunciation is closest to Yahsu and have chosen to use this form for this book.

Since the root meaning, Yahsu, should be based on Greek that stems from the original pronunciation in the Chaldean Hebrew. This would have been the pronunciation that his disciples and followers would have used as his personal name. Prior to the Massoretic Text, it should be noted that in various early rabbinical writings the spelling may vary, but the phonetic sound remains the same, Yahsu.

Due to the differences in various languages, as long as the phonetic sound remains generally the same, there is no problem. The a has the sound of the a in Mary exactly as the phonetic sounds in Yahsu and Yahveh. The prefix Yah denotes the I AM in Hebrew, the holy name given to Moses to convey to Israel the Divine One. For this reason, I have chosen to use Yah as a reference to point to the deity of Yahsu as Yahveh, the Messiah. In Hebrew, the h is silent in Yahveh as it is in Yahsu, which is derived from the Hebrew and transliterated into Greek.

In Hebrew, the Yod, has a y sound; likewise, I believe the Greek sound of the iota when referring to a Hebrew word would be phonetically rendered as a Yod sound for the iota in Greek, as in the colloquial Hebrew language of Palestine. From the Judaic mind, the disciples would have paralleled Yahsu in the Hebrew Bible (Tanach) with the Yasu in Greek. In the first century C.E., they would have called the Lord according to his Hebrew name Yahsu. The indigenous population of Israel would have used Yahsu from the Jewish mind frame and not the Greek root Iesou (Iasou).

Consequently, at the beginning of a Greek word conforming to Hebraic pronunciation, the iota would have an apparent y sound. The basis to better understand biblical thinking must be to think in the mind frame of a Jew. When pronouncing their language in Greek, it is necessary to assimilate their dialectic phonetic sounds of consonants to that particular language and era.

In the sixteenth century, Petrus Ramus initiated the j that has been assimilated in the English language of the eighteenth century. It is a travesty of scholarly ignorance that has led to the perpetual error of using a j as in GESUS (Jesus). Even in Latin and German, the j has a y sound phonetically and not a g. It can be concluded that phonetically Yahsu or Yasu is the correct pronunciation and not GESUS.

In addition, the name God must not be taken as a personal name, only in the generic sense, since it has been derived from the German "Gott," a demonic deity or deities in ancient Germany. Hopefully, this book will help phase back into use the correct personal name of the Judaic Yahveh of the Tanach, who now is known as Yahsu, meaning Yahveh saves. The urgent need for the church must be to remember the context of early Judaic-Christianity.

When I say Judaic-Christianity, I am not referring to a legalistic Christianity based on the Talmud, Zohar, Kabala, or the Responsa. These Judaic books, much like the Qur’an and the Hadith, are not inspired as in the holy Tanach and the New Testament. True Judaic- Christianity must be built on the Old Testament (Tanach) and the New Testament. No other book is divinely inspired except the Holy Bible, for it alone stands as the oracles of Yahveh. This Yahveh has revealed himself as Yahsu, the Messiah. By his sacrificial blood atonement, remission of sin is granted to all those who have received him as their Lord Yahveh, the Saviour called Yahsu, the Messiah.

In conclusion, many of the oriental Bibles translated by missionaries used the phonetic name Yahsu when translating into the Japanese and Korean languages. Also, in many songs written by John and Charles Wesley the original pronunciation of the Saviour’s name phonetically was Yahsu. This same phonetic sound stems from the oldest rabbinic writings. The Bishop Bible, the Great Bible, and the original A.V. 1611 do not have the name Jesus transliterated with a J, nor in any of the earlier English language translations.

This treatise should suffice in correcting any linguistic and phonetic misunderstandings. For this edition, I have used the traditional name of Jesus for familiarity purposes with (Yahsu) cited as needed. The term Yahveh (Yahweh) or YHWH has still been utilized. When comparing the Islamic Allah with the Judaic-Christian deity it is necessary to refer to the original phonetic transliterations for correct distinction and clarity. Due to lack of knowledge many churches have been duped into equating Allah with YHWH and thereby compromise the faith.

This book utilizes the King James Version for biblical references unless otherwise noted.

INTRODUCTION

THE RISING TIDE OF ISLAM

Islam has been considered by many statisticians to be the fastest growing world religion.[1] However, Christianity has a much higher rate of new converts. The rapid expansion of Islam is primarily due to a high birth rate of approximately 1.8% per year as contrasted to a 1.12% growth factor in world population.[2] Now there are estimated to be 1.2 billion Muslim adherents; therefore, about one out of every five persons in the world is a Muslim. In 2011, several statistical studies have calculated that Muslims will comprise one quarter of the world population in the next decade. Muslims today are aggressively evangelistic in many parts of the world. They are experiencing staggering growth in nations of Western Europe and North America as they continue their plans for world domination. In Europe, Muslims see Britain as strategic to Europe and London as the key to conquer Britain. In 1988, an Islamic conference speaker proclaimed, Unless we win London over to Islam we will fail to win the whole of the Western world.[3] Statistically, their mission has been successful. In his book, The Islamic Invasion, Dr. Robert Morey cited several 1991-1992 facts:

In England the situation is amazing: There are now more Arab Muslims in England than there are evangelical Christians. Funded by the vast resources of Arab oil money, the Muslims are buying abandoned Anglican churches and turning them into mosques at such a rate that some Muslims claim that England will be the first Muslim European country.[4]

Also, Dr. Morey mentioned how the English parliament had been pressured to allow the Muslims to follow their own Islamic law, instead of English common law in matters of divorce. Likewise, in France and Germany the Muslims number were at that time in the millions.[5] Fulfilling their plans to dominate the Western world, the Muslim’s timeline for world conquest proceeds on schedule.

In ascertaining the veracity of Islam, one must consider the foundational rituals including the originating messenger; namely, Muhammad. In this investigation, a precise logical progressive summary of technical, archaeological, historical and theological comparisons has been used in building a case as to whether Muhammad was a true or false prophet. In essence, these Islamic roots may be demonstrated in their rite of the Hajj.

THE HAJJ

All converted Muslims are obligated to make a pilgrimage to the holy city Mecca at least once in their lifetime. This journey is called the Hajj (the greater pilgrimage), which constitutes one of the five pillars of Islam. Requiring several days to fulfill, the Hajj consists of an elaborate sequence of rites that are performed at the Grand Mosque of Mecca and in the immediate surroundings of the city. Because of the lunar calendar of Islam, the Hajj is only practiced during the holy month of Ramadan that advances some ten days each year.

In the Concise Encyclopedia of Islam (1989), the number of pilgrims during the Hajj was estimated to be as many as two million worshippers.[6] In 2010 these numbers grew to over 2.5 million. As a result of these massive crowds, the pilgrimage has become far more difficult because so many are attempting to perform the Islamic rites at the same time. For example, the circumambulation of the Kabah often overflows outside of the Grand Mosque; thereby preventing many pilgrims from performing this particular segment of the Hajj in the exact prescribed manner.[7]

Upon arriving in Mecca, the pilgrim is supposed to perform the circumambulation of arrival. This involves walking seven times around the Kabah. It has been called the holy house and the ancient house. It consists of a large cubic stone structure covered with an embroidered black cloth, and has been located at the center of the Great Mosque of Mecca. The southeast corner of the Kabah houses the Black Stone.[8] According to custom, each pilgrim is to make an effort to approach and kiss the Black Stone. However, due to the swarming crowds, many simply make a gesture towards the Stone while walking by.[9] Circumambulating the Kabah has been considered to be the most sacred rite of the entire Hajj.

OVERVIEW OF THESIS

This book has been divided into seven main parts. In order to build a solid foundational understanding of the Islamic roots a lengthy technical analysis in the first two parts were required. These findings have been used as support for the conclusions regarding Muhammad and his religion.

The Black Stone

Obviously, the curious may inquire, what or who does this Black Stone represent? Muslims, Christians, and archaeologists all have varying interpretations regarding this sacred stone. The task of this thesis delves into these views and states some plausible hypotheses.

The material specifically concerning the glossy Black Stone is covered in part one and divided into four chapters: Chapter one gives the descriptions of the Black Stone since Muhammad, the early Muslim traditional myths, Muhammad’s own pilgrimage, and various pilgrimages after Muhammad. Chapter two covers various stones throughout ancient Arabia which were believed to be incarnated by gods and goddesses. A thorough analysis on the origins of this stone cult was crucial in relation to understanding the beliefs surrounding the Islamic Black Stone. Chapter three has included two examples dealing with Muhammad’s personal retention of paganism; namely, his sacrifices to the goddess al-Uzza and the so-called Satanic Verses. Muhammad was confronted twice by his colleagues for mixing ancient pagan practices into his new religion. While several of these conflicts were highlighted by Muhammad’s contemporaries other pre-Islamic beliefs went un-opposed and became embedded within the new Islamic construct.

Chapter four includes several perspectives concerning the Black Stone in order to clarify who or what it actually represents. In respect to the fact that ancient Arabia practiced overt stone worship and believed the gods often reside within these structures, a detailed analysis of Islam’s central point of worship in the Hajj has been covered in the following sub-sections: (a) The Muslim interpretation which equates the Stone with the biblical stone (Cornerstone that the builders rejected in 1 Pet. 2:6-7; (b) the testimony of the Christian John of Damascus, who believed the White Stone that Muhammad venerated was possibly replaced by another stone by the Qarmatians, a Gnostic Muslim sect and was actually the head of the statue of Aphrodite who in turn was equated with the goddess al-Lat; (c) a lengthy analysis of the goddess al-Lat as a possible candidate for the representative deity (d) likewise, the goddess al-Uzza, who along with al-Lat was considered a daughter of Allah; and finally, (e) the supposition which poses Allah as the god who incarnates the Black Stone.

The Moon-God Allah and Cult of Ar-Rahman

In part two the various origins of the god Allah are researched in detail. The first step delves into comparing the linguistic roots of the god El to the word Allah, because they are both based on the same linguistic derivative il. Next, it is imperative to have a discussion whether Allah is a personal name or merely the generic term, the-god. If Allah is a personal name, then why does it differ from the biblical personal name for God: Yahveh? Lastly, a study has been done on the various moon-gods throughout Arabia which, based on the archaeological evidence, has shed new light on the associations to Allah.

Another detailed study within this section sheds new evidence that Muhammad incorporated the long standing pre-Islamic cult of ar-Rahman into his new Islamic matrix. Furthermore, historical evidence has demonstrated a synthesis of this deity, ar-Rahman (the Compassionate One or the Merciful One), into his new religion. Muhammad had virtually cloned himself after Musaylima, one of the contemporary prophets of Rahminism.

Muhammad

Part three deals with Muhammad’s role as a spirit guide and his occult-like initiation experiences into shamanism. Muhammad’s horrific and violent confrontation with the spirit in the cave, numerous subsequent spirit visitations, epileptic seizures, practice of magic and numerology, all add credence to the hypothesis that Muhammad was a practicing shaman. Other topics explored are superstitions and bizarre remarks uttered by the prophet.

The Qur’an

Part four concerns itself with the claims by Muslims regarding the authenticity of the modern Qur’an. Detailed analysis of the historical compilation of the early codices has left doubt on whether the Qur’an today is the same Qur’an of early Islam. Suspicion arose from the assessment on the doctrine of abrogation. This technique of conveniently substituting controversial Qur’an verses for replacement verses has been critically examined and analyzed in profundity.

The Islamic Concept of Salvation

Part five examines the crucial Islamic tenet on the doctrine of salvation. Important themes discussed involve sacrificial blood atonement, fatalistic predestination, and the Islamic version of purgatory.

The Islamic View of Women

Part six looks at the controversial views and practices concerning the degradation of women. Examples are given from Islam’s own holy writings. These quotations are often quite shocking to Western readers.

Jihad

Part seven completes a thorough survey on the concept of Jihad. Its position regarding unbelievers/infidels, apostates, historical Imperialistic Jihads, the Crusades, and the Islamic slave trade are covered. In addition, current trends of the Islamic Jihad movement have been included and analyzed including its relationship to biblical prophecy.

PART I: THE BLACK STONE

CHAPTER ONE

HISTORY OF THE BLACK STONE

DESCRIPTIONS OF THE BLACK STONE

An aura of mystery lingers around the Black Stone located in Mecca and concealed away mystically in the precincts of Kabah. Its mystic origin remains permeated and enmeshed with legends and fables. Lingering in a limbo of traditions and pagan taboos, the Black Stone becomes a myth in an age of science and reasoning; its influence stems back to ancient days of black magic and barbaric heathenism. The torrential blood of thousands rage as a turbulent river, a beaconing cenotaph to the call of Allah’s fury and wrath around the world. In the age of methodical enlightenment, the sounding cries still echo to the militant discourse of Jihad, elucidating that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger. Far from the martyr’s death plea for mercy, a mystic sword twirls like a whirlwind spinning its magic spell and force of destruction. Silently, the world observes the conquest of impending doom; the Black Stone of Kabah’s Islamic blight pirouettes as a black swarm of locusts sweeping across the horizon of civilization, devouring everything in its path. The Jihadic cry pulsates with the crimson blood of the martyrs who ardently oppose bowing the knee to the moon-god Allah and the prophet Muhammad.

The oldest detailed description of the Black Stone came from the Muslim historian Azraqi. During ibn az-Zubayr’s occupation, he gave an account in 683-84 C.E. of the siege of Mecca. The army of Yazid, the Umayyad, assaulted the holy city Mecca with flaming arrows. One of the arrows set fire to the Kabah and completely destroyed it. In the aftermath, the Black Stone had been cracked into three large pieces.[1] In addition, a splinter had chipped off and was kept by the Banu Shayba for many years. F.E. Peters, in his book The Hajj, quoted the historian Azraqi:

Ibn al-Zubayr held it together with silver nails, except for the splinter from off its top, whose position is clear at the top of the stone. The length of the stone (rukn) is two cubits and it occupies the thickness of the kabah wall. I heard some who described the color of its rear face inside the wall. Some said it was rosy, others it was white.[2]

While another account from the time of ibn al-Zubayr said that they had measured the stone to be three cubits, other witnesses also described it as intensely white, except for the external side.[3] The Christian writer John of Damascus, who had lived in a Muslim controlled region sometime during the early eighth century, gave the next historical testimony to the White Stone. John spoke fluent Arabic and was very familiar with the Qur’an and the Hadith. He believed the White Stone was the head of the statue Aphrodite, whom the Arabs worshipped and called Khabar (Great). John said, Even to the present day, traces of the carving are visible on it to careful observers.[4]

During 930 C.E., the Qarmatians stormed into Mecca, seized the Stone and brought it back to al-Hasa or Bahrayn, where they guarded it. A ransom was offered for it but was ignored. Then twenty-one years later, according to the historian Juwayni, the Black Stone was thrown into the Friday Mosque of Kufa with a written message: By command we took it and by command we have brought it back.[5] The White Stone was stolen, consisting of three distinct pieces, but it was returned in seven separate pieces. In the Encyclopedia of Islam, an interesting question was proposed: Did the Qarmatians deliberately break the White Stone in order to bring the number of pieces in line with the new age of the seven Imams?[6] This seems plausible since they were a Gnostic sect who had robed themselves in an Islamic guise. Furthermore, they believed in the doctrine of the seven Imams and were practitioners in the seven degrees of initiation.[7] These Gnostic Qarmatians appear to have merged their particular numerological beliefs with the Islamic eschatological doctrine of the seven heavens.[8] According to Grunebaum, in Muhammadan Festivals, another fragment was broken off in 1932 by an Afghan pilgrim. For this act of insolence King ibn Saud decreed immediate execution for the perpetrator and then he personally rejoined the piece of the fragment.[9]

In September of 1853 C.E., the famous explorer, Captain Richard Burton, while in disguise, was able to remain ten minutes with the Black Stone. From his own written account, Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to Al-Madinah & Mecca, Burton gives the following keen observation:

I narrowly observed it, and came away persuaded that it was an aerolite. It is curious that almost all travelers agree upon one point, namely, that the stone is volcanic. Ali Bey calls it mineralogically a block of volcanic basalt, whose circumference is sprinkled with little crystals, pointed and straw-like, with rhombs of the tile-red feldspath upon a dark background, like velvet or charcoal, except one of its protuberances, which is reddish. Burkhardt thought it was a lava containing several small extraneous particles of a whitish and of a yellowish substance.[10]

Burton continues to elaborate another detailed summary:

It appeared to me a common aerolite covered with a thick slaggy coating, glossy and pitch-like worn and polished. Dr. Wilson, of Bombay, showed me a specimen in his possession, which externally appeared to be a black slag, with the inside of a bright and sparkling grayish-white, the result of admixture of nickel [p.301] with the iron.[11]

Several modern descriptions of the Black Stone add further insight into its composition. Grunebaum relates a typical analysis from the year 1951:

The Black Stone, variously described as lava, basalt and an aerolite, and actually of a dark red-brown color, is built into the eastern corner, about five feet above ground. Split in a conflagration, it now consists of three large and several small pieces tied together by a silver band. Its diameter is estimated at twelve inches.[12]

The Encyclopedia of Islam elaborates further:

This is a stone set in the southeast corner of the kabah about 1.5 yards/meter from the ground. It is black with reddish tones and yellow particles, of ovoid shape about 11 inches/28cm wide and 15 inches/38cm high, set in silver chasing.[13]

This particular testimony may give credence to the testimony by John of Damascus, because of its ovoid shape and its similarity in size to a typical statue head of a pagan goddess, Astarte. Mircea Eliade, in The Encyclopedia of Religion, detailed another perspective:

The most important object at the Ka’bah is located on the exterior: This is the Black Stone (al-hajar al-aswad) embedded

Reviews for Mecca, Muhammad & the Moon-God

[Timothy Paschall · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Finally, a scholar who is unafraid to explore the truth about the history of Islam and its true nature. That Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca every LUNAR year to parade around the Kaaba (originally dedicated to the pagan god Hubal) speaks volumes. That the Black Stone in the Kaaba is said to have been given to Adam upon expulsion from Eden further cements the apostasy of the Muslim faith.

[Sam Dajani · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Instead of providing a real historical and critical study of the Quran, similar to what scholars provided for the Bible, the author is on a mission to demonstrate that Judaism and Christianity are better religions. Total waste of time.