Joe's Jewish Views on Islam's Origins (Part 1)

Joe, a good friend from 'Red Judaism' (see the URL below) has come to help us understand the external influences concerning the origins of Islam, from a Jewish perspective. In this episode, he begins by proposing that Islam's stories and artefacts don't belong to Islam, but in fact mostly come from types of Judaism. Starting in the WEST: But to understand that, you need to begin with the early part of the 7th century, and look towards the Western area of what is the Middle East today, where two great empires, the Byzantine and Persian empires were in conflict. In that early period, the Byzantine emperor, Phocus forced the Jews under his control to convert to Christianity. Many including the Messianic Hebrews of Beit Alpha didn't want to so they fled to Persia. Khosrow II, the king of Persia at that time executed the Jewish Exilarch (leader in Exile) and replaces him with Nehemiah ben Hushiel (an exelark) who belonged to a Jewish sect like the Sadducees, known for their literalistic reading of the Bible, and rejecting the more edifying Mishnah interpretation (i.e. the more radical form of Judaism). According to the Stellarium Astronomy Software, on the 3rd of March 610 AD, at around 7:30 p.m. the planet Mars came out from behind the New Moon, which was considered a good omen to go to war (as Mars was considered the god of war). So, Khosrow II orders Nehemiah to attack the holy lands, which they willingly do, as they would then have their holy land back. They are victorious and they go into Jerusalem and slaughter tens of thousands of Christians, and immediately go to the temple mount to begin rebuilding the temple there. Khosrow II, however, declares himself the "greatest god" which angers Nehemiah and his Sadducee-Jewish followers, whereupon Khasrow II, in 618AD has them all exiled, and sent up to Edessa (situated in southern Turkey today). Meanwhile in the EAST: According to 7thC. evidence we know that some time between the years 618 - 622 AD is the "Year of the Arab", when an independence movement by the Arabs against the Persians occurred. Chinese sources in 651 AD (known as the 'Jiu Tang Shu') support this 'Year of the Arab', saying that this year was when a "lion man" provided armour to the "camel herders" (i.e. the Arabs) in Persia. Al-Tabari (who died in 923AD), speaks of this story where Nu'man, the last Lakhmid King of Hira (in what is today called Iraq) gives his armoury to Hani ibn Qabisa, and refers to the battle which ensued as the "battle of Dhi Qar" and that it happened in 620 AD. The Arab person was known as Hani ibn Qabisa, who inherits the armour and goes to war against Khosrow II's representative Iyas ibn Qabisa, the new King of Hira, and defeats him. So, one Ibn Qabisa defeats the other Ibn Qabisa. As the leader of the Bakr tribes, Hani ibn Qabisa can be called an "Abu Bakr" meaning "Father/Leader of Bakr". Al Tabari says that some of his warriors were shouting "Yah Muhammad" during the battle. Could it be a reference to Jesus Christ? An angel from Judaism? Or it could have just been added by Al Tabari in the 10th century as a later embellishment? A poet called Hanzalah b. Tha'labah b. Sayyar al-'Ijli takes over from Hani ibn Qabisa as the next 'Abu Bakr' (Father/Leader of the Bakr tribe), so there were many Abu Bakr's, and he rules the first Independent Arab state called 'Tachkastan', which is in Mesopotamia (what would be northern Iraq today). Meanwhile, the Byzantine emperor Heraclius destroys the Persians in 628AD. During the ensuing Persian Civil War, Hormizd VI is established by the House of Mihran in Nisibis from 630 - 632 AD ruling the Bakr territories in Tachkastan. That would make him into another "Abu Bakr". He was followed by another Abu Bakr referred to by the Abbasids as "as Sadiq", a Sadducee? We'll have to wait for the next episode to see... Red Judaism site: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwHmaIx7u2VvZRHNXViafQQ Joe’s Red Judaism Patreon Account: @ism © Pfander Centre for Apologetics - US, 2021 (54,670) Music: 'Reaching the Sky', by Alexander Nakarada, from filmmusic-io