ISLAM IN WESTERN LITERATURE

ISLAM IN WESTERN LITERATURE history, and anecdotes from the lives of various Islamic scholars. A total of 29 excerpts are included in this section. The following is a selection from the fourth chapter titled “Islam in Western Literature,” quoted from Hitti’s book: “The preceding chapters have presented a distinctive portrayal of Muhammad, the characterisation of the Koran, and the depiction of Islam, which sharply contrasts with their counterparts in medieval Western literature. In that literature, the Prophet is typically depicted as an imposter, a false prophet, while the Koran is portrayed as his ambitious fabrication and Islam as an indulgent way of life, both in this world and the next. Religion held significant importance in both Christendom and the Muslim world during those times. Each side claimed exclusivity and perfection for its religion, asserting it as the sole repository of absolute truth. However, the clash of ideologies was overshadowed by the more impactful clash of politico-military forces. For a period of 150 years following Muhammad’s time, as we have previously learned, his Arabian and Arab followers, initially from Medina, Damascus, and later Baghdad, expanded their dominion by conquering Byzantine territories and occasionally threatening the very gates of the Eastern capital of Christendom. Over a span of four centuries, until the fall of Constantinople in 1453, Muslim Seljuq and Ottoman Turks posed a significant threat to the powerful neighbouring Christian empire.