An Outline of Early Islamic History — Page 1
1 C hapter 1 Fourteen hundred years ago the world lay in utter moral darkness. Christians ruled in Europe and they ruled indifferently. They believed in Jesus, called him the son of God and worshipped him as they do now. Their kings and cardinals fought one another. Th ey were often very cruel. The priests were held in great honour. They were often very ignorant and dirty. The entire continent was in the depth of darkness. The muses of Greece reposed in sleep and the splendour of mighty Rome shone only through a life of lustrous depravity. Africans were in a pitiable plight. The Northern regions of Africa groaned under a harsh Roman rule. The Church was a house divided because of the ill - treatment of native Africans by the ruling Christian minority. The southern regions o f the continent were in the grip of naked barbarism. The Jews had become neglectful of religious duties and callous to one another. They were bitter enemies of the Christians who paid them back in the same coin. The Indians were no better. They had millions of gods. They were cut up into four castes. The Brahmans, the highest cast, were the priests, the Rajputs, the second highest, were the rulers. The Shudars who came last were sweepers and scavengers and could n ot share food or drink with the other castes. The Chinese worshipped their dead, adored the Budha and many many minor deities.