Stockholm Syndrome Christianity / Muḥammad's Bio 3 / Financial Needs

Author

Douglas Jacoby
February 26, 2025

Good morning from Atlanta!

No more travel till the flight back to the UK, then short visits to Edinburgh and Durham. Sometimes it’s nice to stay in one place! This time I’m back from four nights in Texas. Abilene (the Teleios Conference) was excellent. I also really appreciated my time with ACU faculty—plus the bonus of staying with esteemed friends in the Dallas area.

Here are the fascinating fellow believers / professors I was privileged to spend time with–apart from the 100 in the Teleios Conference, who had converged on Abilene from Europe, Africa, and North America (esp. Texas).

Kent Smith, ACU Graduate School of Theology (spiritual formation, house churches, the Lk10 Community)

Jeff Childers, Director, ACU Center for the Study of Ancient Religious Texts (Greek, Syriac, Aramaic, Hebrew, Georgian, and more)

Mark Hamilton, ACU Professor of Biblical Studies (Old Testament)

David McAnulty, Professor of Psychology

Teleios plenary speakers—all excellent— were Douglas Foster, Lauren White, Stanley Talbert, Randy Harris, Tera Harmon, and Jerry Taylor.

I also enjoyed a night of fellowship with the Fergusons of Dallas (best known for their many books).

In a few minutes I’ll speak again for the Atlanta Braves senior staff—this time on the Trustworthiness of Scripture. This short series will continue in March.

I appreciate these men for coming in early. We meet at 7:00 am on a Wednesday, and usually run till 8:30 am.

And tomorrow: more surgery. (More about in the newsletter close.)

In this newsletter:

  • The third installment of Muḥammad’s biography

  • “Stockholm Syndrome Christianity”

  • Financial update

In the following newsletter:

  • The fourth installment of Muḥammad’s biography

  • Women of Worth (podcast with Vicki Jacoby)

And coming soon:

  • Interview with Malcolm Cox

MUḤAMMAD’S BIOGRAPHY, III
Assorted teachings & practices

We continue our exploration of the 8th century Sīrat Rasul Allāh (literally, the Life of the Messenger of Allāh). Note: Muḥammad lived AD 570-632—in the Islamic calendar, 53 BH-11 AH (before / after Hijrah, or the migration from Mecca to Medina)

A. Monotheism
The Arabian Peninsula of the 7th century was filled with polytheists (the majority), but there were also sizable numbers of Jews and Christians, along with handfuls of more or less monotheistic Zoroastrians and Sabians (Mandaeans).

Several pagan gods are explicitly named, like al-Lāt and Wudd. (See 52, 64, 116, etc.) Very popular in the Arabian Peninsula were the daughters of Allāh: al-‘Uzzā, al-Lāt, and Manāt. We also find that Allāh Akbar is the common exclamation in the Sīrat (90, and many other passages), not Allāhu Akbar. The meaning is “God is greater / the greatest.”

B. Worship, prayer, almsgiving, and elements of the pilgrimage, or hajj
The original duty of 50 prayers a day is lowered to five (271). (The prophet negotiates with God during his Night Vision, to the relief of Muslims worldwide!) The call to prayer by trumpet (as in Torah) is rejected in favor of using a clapper. “Allāh Akbar [3x—later changed to 4x]. “I bear witness that there is no God but Allāh. I bear witness that Muḥammad is the apostle of God. Come to prayer. Come to prayer. Come to divine service. Come to divine service. Allāh Akbar. Allāh Akbar. There is no God but Allāh” (347).

However, one should not think that anything goes. The prayer of a sitter has only half the value of the prayer of a stander (415). Moreover, it matters which direction one faces. There was a change of the direction of prayer, or qibla (381, 427). Initially Muḥammad prayed facing Syria [Jerusalem], lining it up with the Kaaba in Mecca (228). The Kaaba is the temple and mosque of Abraham the friend [of God] (55). Muḥammad’s practice was to kiss the black stone there (183, 789). There were pictures in the Kaaba, including some of Jesus and Mary. Muḥammad ordered all to be removed except those of Jesus and Mary (Azr. i.107).

“… The apostle entered Mecca on the day of the conquest and it contained 360 idols which Iblīs had strengthened with lead. The apostle was standing by them with a stick in his hand, saying, “The truth has come and falsehood has passed away; verily falsehood is sure to pass away” (821 [Azr. i.70] = Q sūrah 17.82).

Then he pointed at them with his stick and they collapsed on their backs one after the other.

“Whenever [Muḥammad] performed his ablutions they ran to get the water he had used; if he spat they ran to it; if a hair of his head fell they ran to pick it up” (744-745). Similar passages of hero worship / veneration may be found in the Hadith of Bukhari.

There is also a comprehensive taxation system (956).

C. Relationships with outsiders
I noticed several interesting things about relationships between Muslims and outsiders. Believers are friends one to another to the exclusion of outsiders (342). Telling lies is sometimes permissible, to get the upper hand over unbelievers (550). God does not love unbelievers (406).

D. Women
Women did not always wear the veil. Muḥammad’s wife ‘Ā’isha said, “This was before the veil had been imposed on us” (678).

On the one hand, Muḥammad protects women. The apostle never used to take the women’s hands; he did not touch a woman nor did one touch him except one whom God had made lawful to him or was one of his harīm (Ț.1642).

When his favorite wife ‘Ā’isha was slandered, God “sent down” a word vindicating her. Muḥammad then commanded that the three persons most explicit in their slander be flogged with the prescribed number of stripes [eighty] (736). He even authorized the execution of a man who was insulting Muslim women (550). And the prophet exhibits restraint when one woman tried to poison him—in the shoulder of lamb, his favorite part. He takes a morsel but does not swallow, realizing it is bad. The woman confesses and is let off (764-765).

Not to say that women were always treated gently: women were beheaded at Allāh’s command for laughing immoderately while the apostle was killing their men in the market (690). Further, Muḥammad inquired, “Who will rid me of Marwān’s daughter? ‘Umayr b. ‘Adly al-Khatmi who was with him heard him, and that very night he went to her house and killed her.” And yet women are frequently objectified in Islam.

E. Laws
Islamic law was to be just. Even Fātima’s hand would be cut off if she stole—no favoritism (xlv). (Fātima was one of Muḥammad’s daughters, wife of ‘Āli.) Muḥammad forbade the killing of infant daughters (144)—a common pre-Islamic Arabian custom. And wine was forbidden, as revealed to Muḥammad on his Night Journey, or Mi‘raj (246). This prohibition is widely ignored, esp. by westernized or wealthier Muslims.

F. Antichrist
We see throughout the biography that many elements have been borrowed from Jewish and Christian scripture and tradition. We even run into Jesus and the Antichrist (xliii)! “I heard the apostle say, ‘The hour will not come until 30 antichrists come forth, each of them claiming to be a prophet’” (964).

G. Paradise
Muḥammad taught that there are servants in paradise. See also the Qur’an [e.g. surah 4] (234). Of believing victors in battle, in contrast to their vanquished enemies: “Paradise eternal he lives in now…  / While your dead are in hell, their best food / Thorns and boiling water to fill their bellies” (630).

Next up: the Miraculous in Islam. Although there are no miracles in the Qur‘an itself, the Hadith (technically, aḥādīth) and the Sīrat feature quite a few. (The Qur’an actually explicitly states that apart from the “miracle” of the Qur’an, Muḥammad worked no miracles!)

STOCKHOLM SYNDROME CHRISTIANITY
by John G. West

Stockholm Syndrome: “the psychological tendency of a hostage to bond with, identify with, or sympathize with his or her captor” — Merriam-Webster Dictionary

Those of us who are Christians often regard atheists, agnostics, and secularists as the prime movers of America’s cultural collapse. Without question, they have helped spur our country’s descent into chaos, anger, loneliness, and despair. But we need to face an uncomfortable truth: Christians who aid, abet, and even encourage the rejection of historic Christian teachings are also playing a key role in our disintegration. KEEP READING this interesting guest article.

MINISTRY FINANCIAL NEEDS

In 2025 so far we are:

  • 8% of the way to complete funding for training and teaching

  • 37% of the way to meeting the needs of the HOPE school in Nepal

  • 73% of the way to our African target (teaching materials for Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, and Nigeria)

  • 87% of the way to our Asian target (teaching materials for Bangladesh, Jordan, and Sri Lanka)

For more complete details, or to give to the ministry, please visit the Donation Page. All gifts are deductible for U.S. citizens. Your support is integral to our work and much appreciated!

TAKING A KNEE?

Tomorrow I get another new knee! If the first one doesn’t set off the metal detector at the airport, the second is bound to! Thanks for your prayers for physiotherapy, recovery, and better mobility in this decade of life. Prayerfully physical mobility will enhance spiritual energy and impact.

I realize, the bulletin was a little thinner than usual. Thanks for understanding. (If you need more, perhaps take a look at the recently posted Q&A 1687, or other items under Fresh Material.)
— DJ

For years of previous newsletters, click here. For the audiovisual version of the newsletter (YouTube, about 3 minutes, read by Chase Mackintosh), click here. This is usually available the day after the newsletter is posted. To reach our website, click here.