Profesor Depew,
i'm glad you asked this question, because most christians just let the comments pass with scarcely a raised eyebrow!
in today's climate in which christians are goaded on by jews to villify islam, i find that a bit more understanding of rabbinics would lend a lot of needed sobriety to the overall situation.
it is patently dishonest to criticize Muhammad for ills or sins that the leading Tanach figures themselves indulged in or were guilty of, and about which neither jews nor christians have scarcely a condemning word to say!
mark gabriel's book comparing Jesus and Muhammad therefore is polemical and idealogical, rather than balanced. the fact is that Judaism always has viewed Islam more charitably than it has viewed Christianity. the great rabbis all regard Islam as a true Monotheistic Faith, while they view Christianity as a kind of hybrid between Monotheism and Idolatry. the Jewish legal codes forbid a Jew from even entering into a Catholic or Orthodox Church, due to the iconic art that venerates Jesus, to say nothing of worshipping there. However a Jew is permitted to worship inside a mosque.
the rabbis have never had a negative word to say about the violence of Islam, considering it instead to be God's means of driving idolatry out of the world. only the recent creation of the zionist israeli state has caused conflict with Islam for which there is no theological or historical precedent in Jewish-Moslem relations since the time of Muhammad.
in my view the spiritual root of Islam is the Jewish rejection of Christ as a suffering servant Messiah in favour of their dream of a conquering Davidic-King. Muhammad in every respect fits the bill of an Tanach warrior king. in fact it is clear to anyone who studies his life that Muhammad was much more ethical in his personal and religious behaviour than either of the most famous Israelite Kings: David or Solomon. Muhammad had far fewer wives and concubines than both of these famous OT personalities. He was more popular with his people. He did not impose burdensome taxation. He unified Arabia, rather than dividing it as Solomon did to his kingdom. And he successfully rooted out all idolatry from the region.
another curious thing about the so called Judeo-Christian-Zionist alliance is that it ignores the fact that Islam is much more reverential to Jesus than Judaism is. while Islam terms Jesus a prophet and Messiah, who was born of the Word of God to the Virgin Mary, Judaism calls Him a magician and sorceror, born illegitimately to His mother a whore. and while Islam denies that Christ was crucified and raised from the dead, claiming instead that He was raptured to heaven like the Prophet Elijah, Judaism fairly gloats in the shameful crucifixion He received and also denies the Resurrection. Muhammad based these ideas on the doctrines of Nestorians and other Christian sects that were prevalent in the Arabian Peninsula at that time. He also received instruction from Jewish rabbis, particularly after he moved to Medina in the hijjra.
so the current posture of "Judeo-Christianity" that castigates Islam as the anti Christ religion is simply polemical and idealogical, and it stems from a marriage of convenience based on mutual economic and political benefit. this can hardly be termed a marriage; it is much more a tryst or a fornication. and it is the shame of American Christianity, which has forsaken so many of its principles in order to curry pecuniary favour with Jewish Zionist organizations. American Christianity can no longer serve as an honest broker of human dispute or an honest propagater of the Truth of the Gospel. its determination to fornicate with Zionist idealogy has made contemptible the entire Christian religion. it has mocked Christ's sacrifice and spilled His blood afresh.
it also is clear that the Jewish denial that Jesus is the great seed from the line of Isaac, as Paul writes in Galatians, has led to Islam's denial that Isaac's seed was blessed in this unique way at all. as a reflection of Jewish contempt for Christ, Islam has shown contempt to Isaac, claiming rather that the true Prophetic Blessings went from Ishmael to Muhammad.
thus Islam seems to be a double product of Jewish opposition to Christ: it reflects Jewish desire for a conquering Davidic King and Jewish disdain of Isaac's seedline.
i believe that when the Jews come to accept the holiness of Jesus' birth and ministry, then Moslems will come to recognize the holiness of His death on the Cross and His resurrection.
this answer on an internet question forum summarizes what i believe to be the accurate and balanced view of Muhammad:
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060917050819AAd1Dxg Prophet Muhammad (May ALLAH ALMIGHTY Exalt His Mention) Married Life:
- up to age 25, celibate
- 25-54, married to one woman, who died when he was 50
- 54-60, multiple wives - after 60, no new wives
Note: he only married women, besides his first wife, for one of two reasons...
1) he married widows of slain warriors. (he once married 3 opposition widows)
2) to make alliances w/opposing tribes
There are difference of opinion of scholars regarding the age of Aisha (pbuh) at the time of her marriage with Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), some say 9 , Some say 12 and some say 15. The exact age is not confirmed.
Likewise, the Christian scholars have discrepancy of opinion regarding the age of Mary (pbuh) at the time of birth of Jesus (pbuh), some say 14 , and some say 16.
Aisha pbuh was reached at the age of puberty when she married prophet Muhammad (pbuh). Islam says that anyone can marry when he or she reaches his or her puberty. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) married with Aisha (pbuh) by her will. Aishah was most pleased with this marriage. Her parents were very pleased with this marriage.
The incident took place 1400 years ago in warm climate region. It should be noted that in the hot regions, it’s normal for a girl to attain maturity at a very early age, India, Saudi Arabia and, other equatorial countries. Even today in these countries, there are cases reported of early maturity. Thus the case is totally different from that which does exist in cold regions where a girl does not attain puberty before 21 [Physicians maintain that the age of puberty in hot regions normally ranges from 9 to 16].
Remember, Isaac (at 40) married Rebekah (the mother of Jacob and Esau), when she was three.
"According to the Midrash, Rebeccah was 3 years old when Abraham sent his loyal servant Eliezer to his family's homeland in Aram-Naharayim to find a wife for Isaac."
How old was Mary when Jesus was born?
How old was Marry when Jesus was born?
How Many wives did Solomon have?, Avraham, Jacob, David, Moses or AH-MOSES, joseph ...etc (May ALLAH Exalt Their Mention)?.