Did Jesus Redeem Mankind? — Page 6
xiii INTRODUCTION Islam and Christianity came in close contact in the early days of the Holy Prophet's life in Mecca when a party of Muslims sought refuge in Abyssinia, where the Negus refused their extradition back to their home town. The migration of the Muslims to Abyssinia had followed the revelation of the Chapter entitled Maryam in the Holy Quran. It was the first reference to Christianity, its teachings and tenets, and to the future conflict between the two faiths and their respective followers. Not long afterward, the Romans, alarmed at the sudden emergence of the conquering Prophet in neighbouring Arabia, decided to wipe out the rival faith and its new empire with the sword. The small kingdom of the friendly Negus is still much on very the map, but the vast and fearsome Roman Empire is no more. This book is not a chronicle of the clashes and conflicts that took place between the two great religions in the past. These are a continuing part and process of history. Far from that, the book tackles the problem at the higher spiritual plane, in the light of the prophetic background as embodied in the Bible and subsequently manifested through historical events, highlighting the fundamental similarities between the Mosaic and Muhammadan dispensations, as also the fundamental contradictions