Unleashing the Beast

R EVELATIONS IN THE A RABIAN D ESERT / 69

called the Hajj . Through many wars and battles the Islamic religion began to sweep through Arabia. More Arabs began joining the new religion. At age 62, Mohammed began complaining of severe headaches and fever. Some Muslims believe he was poisoned by one of his wives who was Jewish. He never recovered and, after saying a few prayers, he passed away. During his lifetime, the followers of Mohammed acclaimed him as a prophet. He brought forth a series of what believers called "revelations." After the death of Mohammed, his revelations were collected by various individuals, and placed in a book caller the Koran . The Koran is considered the sacred revelation of Islam, just as the Bible is considered God's sacred revelation to religious Jews and Christians. The Koran contains 114 suras or chapters, starting with the longest sura and ending with the shortest. The suras consist of the revelations given to Mohammed over a 22-year period. Mohammed was believed to be illiterate; therefore, his followers wrote down the revelations as they heard him recite them. The words were written on leaves, pieces of parchment, and even dried bones. The Koran was compiled after Mohammed's death, and written in the Arabic language. Muslims believe that 104 sacred books were given by God to mankind. A hundred of these were given to Adam, Seth Enoch and Abraham, and have been lost. The four remaining books are the books of Moses (the Torah), the Psalms of David and the four Gospels of Christ.