Mohammed, Prophet of Islam, "the desired of all nations," was born in Mecca, 570(?) AD and died in Medina, 632 AD, or in the eleventh year after the Hegira. Washington Irving describes the signs and wonders accompanying the birth of the Prophet:

"His mother suffered none of the pangs of travail. At the moment of his coming into the world a celestial light illumined the surrounding country, and the new born child, raising his eyes to heaven, exclaimed: 'God is great! There is no God bur God, and I am his prophet!' Heaven and earth, we are assured, were agitated at his advent. The Lake Sawa shrank back to its secret springs, leaving its borders dry; while the Tigris, bursting its bounds, overflowed the neighboring lands. The palace of Khosru the king of Persia shook on its foundations, and several of its towers were toppled to the earth. In the same eventful night the sacred fire of Zoroaster, which, guarded by the Magi, had burned without interruption for upward of a thousand years, was suddenly extinguished, and all the idols in the world fell down." (See Mahomet and His Successors)

While the Prophet was still but a toddling babe, the Angel Gabriel with seventy wings came to him, and
cutting open the child, withdrew the heart, which Gabriel cleansed of the black drop of original sin which is in every human heart because of the perfidy of Adam and then returned the organ to its proper place in the Prophet's body. (See footnote in E. H. Palmer's translation of the Qur'an.)

In his youth Mohammed traveled with the Meccan caravans, on one occasion acted as armor-bearer for
his uncle, and spent a considerable time among the Bedouins, from whom he learned many of the religious and philosophic traditions of ancient Arabia. While traveling with his uncle, Abu Taleb, Mohammed contacted the Nestorian Christians, having encamped on a certain night near one of their monasteries. Here the young Prophet-to-be secured much of his information concerning the origin and doctrines of the Christian faith.

With the passing years Mohammed attained marked success in business and when about twenty-six
years old married one of his employers, a wealthy widow nearly fifteen years his senior. The widow,
Khadijah by name, was apparently somewhat mercenary, for, finding her young business manager most
efficient, she resolved to retain him in that capacity for life! Khadijah was a woman of exceptional
mentality and to her integrity and devotion must be ascribed the early success of the Islamic cause. By
his marriage Mohammed was elevated from a position of comparative poverty to one of great wealth
and power, and so exemplary was his conduct that he became known throughout Mecca as "the faithful
and true."

One night in his fortieth year as he lay upon the floor of the cavern, enveloped in his cloak, a great light burst upon him. Overcome with a sense of perfect peace and understanding in the blessedness of the celestial presence, he lost consciousness.

When he came to himself again the Angel Gabriel stood before him, exhibiting a silken shawl with mysterious characters traced upon it. From these characters Mohammed gained the basic doctrines later embodied in the Koran. Then Gabriel spoke in a clear and wonderful voice, declaring Mohammed to be the Prophet of the living God. In awe and trembling, Mohammed hastened to Khadijah, fearing the vision to have been inspired by the same evil spirits who served the pagan magicians so greatly despised by him, Khadijah assured him that his own virtuous life would be his protection and that he need fear no evil. Thus reassured, the Prophet awaited further visitations from Gabriel. When these did not come, however, such a despair filled his soul that he attempted self-destruction, only to be stopped in the very act of casting himself over a cliff by the sudden reappearance of Gabriel, who again assured the Prophet that the revelations needed by his people would be given to him as necessity arose. Possibly as a result of his lonely periods of meditation, Mohammed seemingly was subject to ecstatic swoons. On the occasions when the various suras of the Koran were dictated he is said to have fallen unconscious, and, regardless of the chill of the surrounding air, to have been covered with beads of perspiration. Often these attacks came without warning; at other times he would sit wrapped in a blanket to prevent a chill from the copious perspiration, and while apparently unconscious would dictate the various passages which a small circle of trusted friends would either commit to memory or reduce to writing. On one occasion in later life when Abu Bekr referred to the gray hairs in his beard, Mohammed, lifting the end of his beard and looking at it, declared its whiteness to be due to the physical agony attendant upon his periods of inspiration.

Mohammed's first convert was his own wife, Khadijah, who was followed by other members of his immediate family, a circumstance which moved Sir William Muir to note: "It is strongly corroborative of Mohammed's sincerity that the earliest converts to Islam were not only of upright character, but his own bosom friends and people of his household; who, intimately acquainted with his private life, could not fail otherwise to have detected those discrepancies which ever more or less exist between the professions of the hypocritical deceiver abroad and his actions at: home." (See The Life of Mohammad.)

Among the first to accept the faith of Islam was Abu Bekr, who became Mohammed's closest and most
faithful friend, in fact his alter ego. Abu Bekr, a man of brilliant attainments, contributed materially to
the success of the Prophet's enterprise, and in accord with the express wish of the Prophet became the
leader of the faithful after Mohammed's death. A’isha, the daughter of Abu Bekr, later became the wife
of Mohammed, thus still further cementing the bond of fraternity between the two men. Quietly, but
industriously, Mohammed promulgated his doctrines among a small circle of powerful friends. When
the enthusiasm of his followers finally forced his hand and he publicly announced his mission, he was
already the leader of a strong and well-organized faction. Fearing Mohammed's growing prestige, the
people of Mecca, waiving the time-honored tradition that blood could not be spilt within the holy city,
decided to exterminate Islam by assassinating the Prophet. All the different groups combined in this
undertaking so that the guilt for the crime might thereby be more evenly distributed. Discovering the
danger in time, Mohammed left his friend Ali in his bed and fled with Abu Bekr from the city, and after
adroitly eluding the Meccans, joined the main body of his followers that had preceded him to Yathrib
(afterwards called Medina). Upon this incident-called the Hegira or "flight"--is based the Islamic
chronological system.
Dating from the Hegira the power of the Prophet steadily grew until in the eighth year Mohammed
entered Mecca after practically a bloodless victory and established it as the spiritual center of his faith.
Planting his standard to the north of Mecca, he rode into the city, and after circling seven times the
sacred Caaba, ordered the 360 images within its precincts to be hewn down. He then entered the Caaba
itself, cleansed it of its idolatrous associations, and rededicated the structure to Allah, the monotheistic
God of Islam. Mohammed next granted amnesty to all his enemies for their attempts to destroy him.
Under his protection Mecca increased in power and glory, becoming the focal point of a great annual
pilgrimage, which even to this day winds across the desert in the months of pilgrimage and numbers
over threescore thousand in its train.
In the tenth year after the Hegira, Mohammed led the valedictory pilgrimage and for the last time rode at
the head of the faithful along the sacred way leading to Mecca and the Black Stone. As the premonition
of death was strong upon him, he desired this pilgrimage to be the perfect model for all the thousands
that would follow.
"Conscious that life was waning away within him," writes Washington Irving, "Mahomet, during this
last sojourn in the sacred city of his faith, sought to engrave his doctrines deeply in the minds and hearts
of his followers. For this purpose he preached frequently in the Caaba from the pulpit, or in the open air
from the back of his camel. 'Listen to my words,' would he say, 'for I know not whether, after this year,
we shall ever meet here again. Oh, my hearers, I am but a man like yourselves; the angel of death may at
any time appear, and I must obey his summons."' While thus preaching, the very heavens are said to
have opened and the voice of God spoke, saying: "This day I have perfected your religion, and
accomplished in you my grace." When these words were uttered the multitude fell down in adoration
and even Mohammed's camel knelt. (See Mahomet and His Successors.) Having completed the
valedictory pilgrimage, Mohammed returned to Medina.
In the seventh year after the Hegira (A.H. 7) an attempt was made at Kheibar to poison the Prophet. As
Mohammed took the first mouthful of the poisoned food, the evil design was revealed to him either by
the taste of the meat or, as the faithful believe, by divine intercession. He had already swallowed a small
portion of the food, however, and for the remainder of his life he suffered almost constantly from the
effects of the poison. In A.H. 11, when his final illness came upon him, Mohammed insisted that the
subtle effects of the poison were the indirect cause of his approaching end. It is related that during his
last sickness he rose one night and visited a burial ground on the outskirts of Medina, evidently
believing that he, too, would soon be numbered with the dead. At this time he told an attendant that the
choice had been offered him of continuing his physical life or going to his Lord, and that he had chosen
to meet his Maker.
Mohammed suffered greatly with his head and side and also from fever, but on June 8th seemed
convalescent. He joined his followers in prayer and, seating himself in the courtyard, delivered a lecture
to the faithful in a clear and powerful voice. Apparently he overtaxed his strength, for it was necessary
to assist him into the house of A’isha, which opened into the court of the mosque. Here upon a tough
pallet laid on the bare floor the prophet of Islam spent his last two hours on earth. When she saw that her
aged husband was suffering intense pain, A’isha--then but a girl of twenty--lifting the gray head of the
man she had known from infancy and who must have seemed more like a father than a husband,
supported him in her arms until the end. Feeling that death was upon him, Mohammed prayed: "O Lord,
I beseech Thee, assist me in the agonies of death." Then almost in a whisper he repeated three times:
"Gabriel, come close unto me." (For details consult The Life of Mohammad by Sir William Muir.) In The
Hero as Prophet, Thomas Carlyle writes thus of the death of Mohammed: "His last words were a prayer,
broken ejaculations of a heart struggling-up in trembling hope towards its Maker."
Mohammed was buried under the floor of the apartment in which he died. The present condition of the
grave is thus described:
"Above the Hujrah is a green dome, surmounted by a large gilt crescent, springing from a series of
globes. Within the building are the tombs of Muhammad, Ab• Bakr, and ’Umar, with a space reserved
for the grave of our Lord Jesus Christ, who Muslims say will again visit the earth, and die and be buried
at al-Mad•nah. The grave of F•timah, the Prophet's daughter, is supposed to be in a separate part of the
building, although some say she was buried in Baq•’. The Prophet's body is said to be stretched full
length on the right side, with the right palm supporting the right check, the face fronting Makkah. Close
behind him is placed Ab• Bakr, whose face fronts Muhammad's shoulder, and then ’Umar, who occupies
the same position with respect to his predecessor. Amongst Christian historians there is a popular story
to the effect that Muhammadans believed the coffin of their Prophet to be suspended in the air, which
has no foundation whatever in Muslim literature, and Niebuhr thinks the story must have arisen from the
rude pictures sold to strangers. (See A Dictionary of Islam.)
Concerning the character of Mohammed there have been the grossest misconceptions. No evidence
exists to support the charges of extreme cruelty and licentiousness laid at his door. On the other hand,
the more closely the life of Mohammed is scrutinized by dispassionate investigators, the more apparent
become the finer qualities of his nature. In the words of Carlyle:
"Mahomet himself, after all that can be said about him, was nor, a sensual man. We so err widely if we
consider this man as a common voluptuary, intent mainly on base enjoyments--nay, on enjoyments of
any kind. His household was of the frugalest, his common diet barley bread and water. Sometimes for
months there was not a fire once lighted on his hearth. * * * A poor, hard-working, ill-provided man;
careless of what vulgar man toiled for. * * * They called him a Prophet, you say? Why, he stood there
face to face with them; there, not enshrined in any mystery, visibly clouting his own cloak, cobbling his
own shoes, fighting, counselling, ordering in the midst of them, they must have seen what kind of a man
he was, let him be called what you like! No emperor with his tiaras was obeyed as this man in a cloak of
his own clouting."
Confused by the apparently hopeless task of reconciling the life of the Prophet with the absurd
statements long accepted as authentic, Washington Irving weighs him in the scales of fairness.
p. 191
"His military triumphs awakened no pride nor vainglory, as they would have done had they been
effected for selfish purposes. In the time of his greatest power, he maintained the same simplicity of
manners and appearances as in the days of his adversity. * * * It is this perfect abnegation of self,
connected with this apparent heartfelt piety, running throughout the various phases of his fortune, which
perplex one in forming a just estimate of Mahomet's character. * * * When he hung over the death-bed
of his infant son Ibrahim, resignation to the will of God was exhibited in his conduct under this keenest
of afflictions; and the hope of soon rejoining his child in Paradise was his consolation." (See Mahomet
and His Successors.)
A'isha, questioned after the death of the Prophet concerning his habits, replied that he mended his own
clothes, cobbled his own shoes, and helped her in the household duties. How far removed from Western
concepts of Mohammed's sanguinary character is A’isha's simple admission that he loved most of all to
sew! He also accepted the invitations of slaves and sat at meals with servants, declaring himself to be a
servant. Of all vices he hated lying the most. Before his death he freed all his slaves. He never permitted
his family to use for personal ends any of the alms or tithe money given by his people. He was fond of
sweetmeats and used rain water for drinking purposes. His time he divided into three parts, namely: the
first he gave to God, the second to his family, and the third to himself. The latter portion, however, he
later sacrificed to the service of his people. He dressed chiefly in white but also wore red, yellow, and
green. Mohammed entered Mecca wearing a black turban and
bearing a black standard. He wore only the plainest of garments, declaring that rich and conspicuous
raiment did not become the pious, and did not remove his shoes at prayer. He was particularly concerned
with the cleanliness of his teeth and at the time of his death, when too weak to speak, indicated his desire
for a toothpick. When fearful of forgetting something, the Prophet tied a thread to his ring. He once had
a very fine gold ring but, noting that his followers had taken to wearing similar rings in emulation of
him, he removed his own and threw it away lest his followers form an evil habit. (See The Life of
Mohammad.)
The most frequent, and apparently the most damaging, accusation brought against Mohammed is that of
polygamy. Those who sincerely believe the harem to be irreconcilable with spirituality should with
consistency move for the expurgation of the Psalms of David and the Proverbs of Solomon from the list
of inspired writings, for the harem of Islam's Prophet was insignificant compared with that maintained
by Israel's wisest king and the reputed favorite of the Most High! The popular conception that
Mohammed taught that woman had no soul and could attain heaven only through marriage is not
substantiated by the words and attitude of the Prophet during his lifetime. In a paper entitled The
Influence of Islam on Social Conditions, read at the World's Parliament of Religions held in Chicago, in
1893, Mohammed Webb states the charge and answers it thus:
"it has been said that Mohammed and the Koran denied a soul to woman and ranked her with the
animals. The Koran places her

on a perfect and complete equality with man, and the Prophet's teachings often place her in a position
superior to the male in some respects." Mr. Webb justifies his stand by quoting from the thirty-fifth
verse of the thirty-third sura of the Koran:
"Verily the Moslems of either sex, and the true believers of either sex, and the devout men, and the
devout women, and the men of veracity, and the women of veracity, and the patient men, and the patient
women, and the humble men, and the humble women, and the alms-givers of either sex, and the men
who fast, and the women who fast, and the chaste men, and the chaste women, and those of either sex
who remember Allah frequently: for them hath Allah prepared forgiveness and a great reward." Here the
attainment of heaven is clearly set forth as a problem whose only solution is that of individual merit.
On the day of his death Mohammed told Fatima, his beloved daughter, and Safiya, his aunt: "Work ye
out that which shall gain acceptance for you with the Lord: for I verily have no power with Him to save
you in any wise." The Prophet did not advise either woman to rely upon the virtues of her husband nor
in any manner did he indicate woman's salvation to be dependent upon the human frailty of her spouse.
Everything to the contrary notwithstanding, Mohammed is not responsible for the contradictions and
inconsistencies in the Koran, for the volume was not compiled and did not assume its present form until
over twenty years after his death. In its present state the Koran is, for the major part, a jumble of hearsay
through which occasionally shines forth an example of true inspiration. From what is known of the man
Mohammed, it is reasonable to suppose that these nobler and finer portions represent the actual doctrines
of the Prophet; the remainder are obvious interpolations, some arising from misunderstanding and others
direct forgeries calculated to satisfy the temporal ambitions of conquering Islam. On this subject,
Godfrey Higgins speaks with his usual perspicacity:
"Here we have the Koran of Mohammed and the first four sincere and zealous patriarchs, and the Koran
of the conquering and magnificent Saracens--puffed up with pride and vanity. The Koran of the eclectic
philosopher was not likely to suit the conquerors of Asia. A new one must be grafted on the old, to find a
justification for their enormities." (See Anacalypsis.)
To the discerning few it is evident that Mohammed had a knowledge of that secret doctrine which must
needs constitute the core of every great philosophical, religious, or ethical institution. Through one of
four possible avenues Mohammed may have contacted the ancient Mystery teachings: (1) through direct
contact with the Great School in the invisible world; (2) through the Nestorian Christian monks; (3)
through the mysterious holy man who appeared and disappeared at frequent intervals during the period
in which the suras of the Koran were revealed; (4) through a decadent school already existing in Arabia,
which school in spite of its lapse into idolatry still retained the secrets of the Ancient Wisdom cult. The
arcana of Islam may yet be demonstrated to have been directly founded upon the ancient pagan
Mysteries performed at the Caaba centuries before the birth of the Prophet; in fact it is generally
admitted that many of the ceremonials now embodied in the Islamic Mysteries are survivals of pagan
Arabia.
The feminine principle is repeatedly emphasized in Islamic symbolism. For example, Friday, which is
sacred to the planer Venus, is the Moslem's holy day; green is the color of the Prophet and, being
symbolic of verdure, is inevitably associated with the World Mother; and both the Islamic crescent and
the scimitar may be interpreted to signify the crescent shape of either the moon or Venus.
"The famous 'Stone of Cabar,' Kaaba, Cabir, or Kebir, at Mecca," says Jennings, "which is so devoutly
kissed by the Faithful, is a Talisman. It is said that the figure of Venus is seen to this day engraved upon
it with a crescent. This very Caaba itself was at first an idolatrous temple, where the Arabians
worshipped Al-Uzza (God and Issa), that is Venus." (See Kenealy's Enoch, The Second Messenger of
God.)
"The Mussulmans," writes Sir William Jones, "are already a sort of heterodox Christians: they are
Christians, if Locke reasons justly, because they firmly believe the immaculate conception, divine
character, and miracles of the MESSIAH; but they are heterodox, in denying vehemently his character of
Son, and his equality, as God, with the Father, of whose unity and attributes they entertain and express
the most awful ideas; while they consider our doctrine as perfect blasphemy, and insist that our copies of
the Scriptures have been corrupted both by Jews and Christians."
The following lines are declared by the followers of the Prophet to have been deleted from the Christian
Gospels: "And when Jesus, the Son of Mary, said, O children of Israel, verily I am the apostle of God
sent unto you, confirming the law which was delivered before me, and bringing good tidings of an
apostle who shall come after me, and whose name shall be AHMED." In the present text containing the
prophecy of Jesus concerning a comforter to come after Him, it is further claimed that the word
comforter should be translated illustrious and that it had a direct reference to Mohammed; also that the
tongues of flame that descended upon the apostles on the day of Pentecost in no way could be
interpreted as signifying the promised comforter. When asked, however, for definite proof that the
original Gospels contained these so-called expurgated references to Mohammed, the Moslems make a
counter-demand for production of the original documents upon which Christianity is founded. Until such
writings are discovered, the point under dispute must remain a source of controversy.
To ignore the heritage of culture received from Islam would be an unpardonable oversight, for when the
crescent triumphed over the cross in Southern Europe it was the harbinger of a civilization which had no
equal in its day. In Studies in a Mosque, Stanley Lane-Poole writes:
"For nearly eight centuries under her Mohammedan rulers Spain set to all Europe a shining example of a
civilized and enlightened state. * * * Art, literature and science prospered as they then prospered
nowhere else in Europe. Students flocked from France and Germany and England to drink from the
fountains of learning which flowed only in the cities of the Moors. The surgeons and doctors of
Andalusia were in the van of science; women were encouraged to devote themselves to serious study,
and a lady doctor was not unknown among the people of Cordova. Mathematics, astronomy and botany,
history, philosophy and jurisprudence, were to he mastered in Spain and in Spain alone."
The Library of Original Sources thus sums up the effects of Islam:
"The results of Mohammedism have been greatly underestimated. In the century after Mohammed's
death it wrested Asia Minor, Africa, and Spain from Christianity, more than half of the civilized world,
and established a civilization, the highest in the world during the Dark Ages. It brought the Arabian race
to their highest development, raised the position of women in the East, though it retained polygamy, was
intensively monotheistic, and until the Turks gained control for the most part encouraged progress."
In the same work, among the great Islamic scientists and philosophers who have made substantial
contributions to human knowledge are listed Gerber, or Djafer, who in the ninth century laid the
foundations for modern chemistry; Ben Musa, who in the tenth century introduced the theory of algebra;
Alhaze, who in the eleventh century made a profound study of optics and discovered the magnifying
power of convex lenses; and in the eleventh century also, both Avicenna, or Ibn Sina, whose medical
encyclopedia was the standard of his age, and the great Qabbalist Avicebron, or Ibn Gebirol.
"Looking back upon the science of the Mohammedans," resumes the authority just quoted, "it will be
seen that they laid the first foundations of chemistry, and made important advances in mathematics and
optics. Their discoveries never had the influence they should have had upon the course of European
civilization, but this was because Europe itself was not enlightened enough to grasp and make use of
them. Gerber's observation that oxidized iron weighs heavier than before oxidation had to be made over
again. So had some of their work in optics, and many of their geographical discoveries. They had
rounded Africa long before Vasco da Gama. The composition of gunpowder came into Northern Europe
from them. We must never forget that the dark ages in Christian Europe were the bright ones of the
Mohammedan world. In the field of philosophy the Arabs started by adopting the neo-Platonism they
found in Europe, and gradually working back to Aristotle."
What means the subtle mystery of the phoenix reborn every six hundred years? Faintly from within the
sanctuary of the World Mysteries is whispered the answer. Six hundred years before Christ the phoenix
of wisdom (Pythagoras?) spread its wings and died upon the altar of humanity, consumed by the
sacrificial fire. In Nazareth the bird was again reborn from its own ashes, only to die upon the tree which
had its roots in Adam's skull. In A.D. 600 appeared Ahmed (Mohammed). Again the phoenix suffered,
this time from the poison of Kheibar, and from its charred ashes rose to spread its wings across the face
of Mongolia, where in the twelfth century Genghis Khan established the rule of wisdom. Circling the
mighty desert of Gobi, the phoenix again gave up its form, which now lies buried in a glass sarcophagus
under a pyramid bearing upon it the ineffable figures of the Mysteries. After the lapse of six hundred
years from the death of Genghis Khan, did Napoleon Bonaparte--who believed himself to be the man of
destiny--contact in his wanderings this strange legend of the continual periodic rebirth of wisdom? Did
he feel the spreading wings of the phoenix within himself and did he believe the hope of the world had
taken flesh in him? The eagle on his standard may well have been the phoenix. This would explain why
he was moved to believe himself predestined to establish the kingdom of Christ on earth and is, perhaps,
the clue to his little-understood friendliness toward the Moslem.

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The Caaba, or cube-shaped building in the midst of the great court of the mosque at Mecca, is the most holy spot in the Islamic world. Toward it the followers of the Prophet must face five times a day at the appointed hours of prayer. Like the devotees of nearly all other faiths, the Mussulman originally faced the East while in prayer, but by a later decree he was ordered to turn his face toward Mecca.

Little is known of the history of the Caaba prior to its rededication as a Mohammedan mosque, other than that the building was a pagan temple. At the time the Prophet captured Mecca, the Caaba and surrounding court contained 360 idols, which were destroyed by Mohammed before he actually gained access to the shrine itself. The "Ancient House," as the Caaba is called, is an irregular cube measuring about 38 feet in length, 35 feet in height, and 30 feet in width. The length of each side wall varies slightly and that of the end walls over a foot. In the southeast corner of the wall at a convenient distance above the ground (about five feet) is embedded the sacred and mysterious black stone or aerolite of Abraham. When first given to that patriarch by the Angel Gabriel this stone was of such strong whiteness as to be visible from every part of the earth, but late, it became black because of the sins of man. This black stone, oval in shape and about seven inches in diameter, was broken in the seventh century and is now held together by a silver mounting.

According to tradition, 2,000 years before the creation of the world the Caaba was first constructed in heaven, where a model of it still remains. Adam erected the Caaba on earth exactly below the spot in heaven occupied by the original, and selected the stones from the five sacred mountains Sinai, al-Judī, Hirā, Olivet, and Lebanon. Ten thousand angels were appointed to guard the structure. At the time of the Deluge the sacred house was destroyed, but afterward was rebuilt by Abraham and his son Ishmael. (For details see A Dictionary of Islam). It is probable that the site of the Caaba was originally occupied by a prehistoric stone altar or ring of uncut monoliths similar to those of Stonehenge. Like the temple at Jerusalem, the Caaba has undergone many vicissitudes, and the present structure does not antedate the 17th century of the Christian Era. When Mecca was sacked in 930 AD, the famous black stone was captured by the Carmathians, in whose possession it remained over twenty years and it is a moot question whether the stone finally returned by them in exchange for a ransom was actually the original block or a substitute.

To the side of the Caaba are the supposed graves of Hagar and Ishmael, and near the door (which is about seven feet above the ground) is the stone upon which Abraham stood while rebuilding the Caaba. Various coverings have always been thrown over the cube-shaped structure; the present drape, which is replaced annually, is a black brocade embroidered in a gold. Small pieces of the old drape are cherished by pilgrims as holy relics.

Entrance to the Caaba is effected by a movable flight of steps. The interior is lined with varicolored marble, silver, and gilt. Although the building is generally conceived to be windowless, this point is disputed. Access to the roof is had through a silver-plated door. In addition to the sacred books the Caaba contains thirteen lamps. The great courtyard around the building contains a number of holy objects, and is bounded by a colonnade which originally consisted of 360 pillars. Opening into the courtyard are nineteen gates, the sacred and significant number of the Metonic Cycle and also the number of stones in the inner ring of Stonehenge. Seven great minarets tower above the Caaba, and one of the sacred ceremonials in connection with the building includes seven circumambulations about the central Caaba in an apparent effort to portray the motion of the celestial bodies.

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Mark Twain [also] said, "The truth is the most valuable thing we have." Ironically, it is Twain to whom a few have referred as the archetypal "Gonzo Journalist"; his "reportage" was often a skillful blend of truth, embellishment, and outright fabrication. Indeed, the above quote is only partial. Twain actually said, "The truth is the most valuable thing we have. Let us economize it."

Twain was of course joking, but like all "Twainisms," the observation was intended to cast a light of humor on the darkest aspects of the human condition. Twain was a skilled fabricator because he understood -- and perhaps empathized with -- the enormous portion of Homosapiens for whom truth is an aversion. Publicly, everyone claims to be a proponent of truth, and almost no one thinks of himself as a liar. But as history demonstrates, a vast majority of humankind lives in active denial of and resistance to truth...

Most people would rather opine a lie and "fit in" than profess the truth and be excluded. Just as the majority would rather be lied to and made comfortable than be told the truth and made uncomfortable. Liars have held humanity in the throes of illusion for countless centuries. Governmental, religious, and academic officialdom can and do transform basically decent human beings into unconscious automatons bereft of free will. They do this successfully because a majority of humans are terrified to assume personal responsibility. To accept and speak the truth unconditionally is to make oneself the master of his own destiny, and this is a burden few people are willing to carry. It is always easier to allow oneself to be manipulated like a marionette on a string.

The mass of humanity has always lacked the insight, discernment, and internal gumption to tell truth from untruth. If this weren't so, liars could find no profession other than used car salesmen; instead they are running the world, heading corporations, educating our children, controlling the government, leading nations into war and bringing our species to the brink of annihilation. Little or no awareness of this exists in the common man, who actually takes comfort in the belief that the world's elite know better than him.

The forecast is abysmal for any species that prefers lies to truth. Without truth there is no meaning, and without meaning life is a pathetic, joyless facsimile of its great potential. Intelligent beings cannot live peacefully or sustain life without meaning. The only possible road to redemption for humanity is the unconditional acceptance of truth.

Imagine a gorgeous young woman who has spent most of her life gazing into a mirror admiring her own beauty. The impeccable picture reflected back provides her entire sense of self, but this is fine, as she is quite beautiful. Then one day, a bearer of truth walks into her room and says, "Um, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, miss, but that mirror is broken. This is what you really look like." And before her eyes the truth-bearer holds a mirror reflecting her true image: the visage is unspeakably grotesque -- her angelic countenance made of supple skin, luminous eyes and golden locks has been replaced by the mask of a hag -- toothless, wart-riddled, misshapen and scabrous. Of course she goes completely mad, but she retains enough presence of mind to shatter the mirror and slit the truth-bearer's throat with the broken shards.

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The purpose of this website is to spread the truth. Sometimes the truth is not an easy thing to hear. Sometimes the truth hurts, there's no doubt about that. At times the truth can even be frightening - I've wondered about the will of a peaceful man whose home is invaded and pillaged by murderers, a man who is faced with the bitter truth that his life is about to end. What must go through that man's mind as he contemplates the fearsome truth of his fate? It has now become a well-accepted idea that truth is all relative, that there is no absolute truth; what is true to you may not necessarily be true to me. This philosophy of relativism generally applies to spiritual and moral issues. For example, the idea that each religion honors the same God (which is to say God is schizophrenic) has become an increasingly prevalent argument today; this perception of relative truth easily justifies the world's need for ecumenism - the uniting of all religions into one, universal church.

The truth is there is a God who created the heavens, the earth and everything in it; it is also true God set us apart from every living creature in this world. Why would God make human beings special.....why are we capable of so much more than any other beast in the animal kingdom? Why did God create us at all, are we merely God's fish tank hobby, or is there a more meaningful purpose in all of this? What we do know for certain about God and His creation is He did not create any one of us to be an obedient robot - every one of us has the ability to choose. Therefore, a man can choose to be whatever kind of man he desires - whether that be kind and peaceful, malicious and violent, or somewhere in between; either way he is capable of justifying his actions according to what his will perceives to be true. Thus our choices have consequences; if this were not true, then justice is meaningless.

Since we all have free will and we are all set apart from the rest of God's creation, we can even take measures to challenge the existence of God. Now, if we were merely God's fish tank hobby, then we would certainly be a long lost creation by now, for there would be no standard for truth anywhere - truth would be entirely relative! Imagine living in a world that was entirely ruled by such a philosophy; this would imply either justice is relative/meaningless, God does not care about the fate of His creation, or there simply is no God. The fact is, God does love us and God has provided us with that necessary standard of truth.

We know the holy scriptures are the words of God because of the abundance of prophecy He has revealed to us. If God's word is truth, there is no room for error in any prophecy; If God is not omnipotent, being able to see the end from the beginning, then prophecy is meaningless. But God is omnipotent, which means He knew the fate of His creation before He ever spoke any of it into existence; let's think about everything this implies...

God knew from the beginning how men and women would choose to defy Him. He knew the world today would be plagued with war, disease and disaster; He knew mankind would adopt perverted values to justify acts of genocide, abortion, sexual perversion, shameless deception, insatiable greed and so on... Nevertheless, God created us all with the ability to choose, knowing all of the corruption that would occur as a result; but for what purpose? So good men would have to live in a world ruled by wicked men? Could a loving God allow wicked and rebellious men to torment those who truly love Him - without justice?

The purpose in all of this is simply love; God loves His creation and desires that every man and woman love Him in return - it is this fellowship God has intended from the beginning. We should all recognize the love that is demonstrated in the fact that God did not abandon this plan because of the tremendous rebellion He knew would occur. Instead He gave us a standard for truth and practice which we may choose to obey if we wish to be found pleasing in His sight. In these scriptures God provided countless prophecies, many concerning the impending consequence of rebellion while others promised the advent of Immanuel: God with us.

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God's promise of Immanuel. Jesus Christ is God in the flesh of man, who died a man's death and then resurrected. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not a myth - such a notion would have certainly been debunked from the beginning of Christianity if Jesus Christ hadn't spent over a month ministering to His disciples and a multitude of witnesses after His death.

It should come as no surprise that much more prophecy has been revealed to us through Jesus Christ. While God provided for us the fulfillment of Immanuel as the only true means of redemption, He also revealed to us many signs of the end of the age. According to these prophecies, a time is coming when God will put an end to all the evil and rebellion in the world; He will make all things new, and all those who truly love Him and have obeyed His word of truth will live with Him forever - there will be no more pain, no more death. While many people consider this an attractive fantasy and nothing more, it is still God's word of absolute truth. Indeed, the prophecies God has revealed to us have so far been fulfilled without error, while the end of the age is still to come.

The truth is we are living in those last days. Today very few of these ancient prophecies remain unfulfilled and they are rapidly unfolding all around the world. Of course, generation after generation of Christians have been making these claims, so what makes my words here any different? The answer is study the scriptures, and take a very close look at the world we're living in, and the truth about the history that has led us here. The Bible contains hundreds of prophecies relating to the first coming of Jesus Christ, all of which were properly fulfilled while the religious leaders of those days remained blind to the truth. In comparison, nearly ¼ of the entire Bible refers to this end of the age, while many religious leaders today are utterly deceived.

Please explore this website in its entirety, I've linked many good resources here to make researching the truth easier for you. Please read as much as you possibly can - I'll certainly be updating this site as often as I can. There is a great deal of information to read through here, and on the many websites I've linked here; you'll undoubtedly encounter various opinions and ideas, but please simply concentrate on the facts. I hope and pray each one who reads this persists in the pursuit of truth, and once you understand the truth, reveal it to others.

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" -Luke 9

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood and looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair, and having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay in leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

-Robert Frost

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. -Matthew 7

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent...I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. -John 17

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. -John 14:6

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