A Critique of Professor Arnold G. Toynbee’s Understanding — Page 3
3 book. It seems that Toynbee followed the footsteps of other prejudiced and hostile Christian historians. Apparently, he did not do any independent research on his own part. Mr. Toynbee has thus made the Holy and blessed personage of the Holy Prophet of Islam, the target of his criticism and fault finding. In Appendix II of the third volume of his famous book, under the title The Political Life of Muhammad, he writes: “Down to the thirteenth year of the mission, when Muhammad finally withdrew from Makkah to Madinah and abandoned the purely prophetic for the politico - re ligious career, … ( A Study of History, Vol. III, Page 469 ) “Instead of sealing his prophetic message with his blood by becoming Caesar’s victim, it was Muhammad’s ironic destiny to compromise and debase his prophetic message by becoming an Arabian Caesar himself. ” ( bid, p. 470 ) “Muhammad … embraced the opportunity, when it came his way, of arming himself in the panoply of political power and using this power as an instrument for imposing Islam upon Makkah by force. ” ( Ibid. p. 471 ) “The truth, then, seems to be that, in the invitation to Madinah , Muhammad was confronted with a challenge to which his spirit failed to rise. In accepting the invitation, he was renouncing the sublime role of the nobly honoured prophet and contenting himself with the commonplace role of the magnificently successful st atesman. ” ( Ibtd 471 - 472 )