Religion and prophecy play a vital role when it comes to how Muslims and Christians perceive one another. In The Death of General Gordon at Khartoum, 1885, the narrator writes about how Mahdi, Mohammed Ahmed amassed an army of individuals who considered themselves true believers and convinced them to launch a holy war against the Christians. The belief that Mahdi was indeed the Messiah and that fighting Christians was a command from Allah himself led these individuals to sacrifice themselves to this war. In the end, a significant number of these believers died. However, Mahdi and his remaining troop of true believers were able to win the war against General Gordon, a Christian leader whom England had sent to Khartoum for the purpose of saving the plethora of Europeans who had taken refuge in Khartoum (Tappan, 1914). The Liberation of Constantinople is another narrative that sheds light on the role of religion among Muslims and Christians. Here, the author narrates how people’s devotion to Allah led them to finally liberate Constantinople, a city that had stubbornly remained erected in the presence of Muslims for eight hundred years (El-Halaby, 1996). In both narratives, the leaders present are men of faith, trusting in the intervention of a higher power amidst wars that are annihilating their people. This paper will explore how religion and prophecy contributed to how Muslims and Christians viewed one another.
Religion, as followed and upheld among Muslims and Christians, perceives God differently, surfacing the primary difference between Christians and Muslims. In both narratives, the wars between Muslims and Christians are initiated because of their differences in religious belief, with each religion believing that their God and their religion are the ones to be upheld. Due to this, the different leaders in these narratives fought to eradicate the “other” religion as they were the enemy since they did not conform to their religious beliefs. In The Liberation of Constantinople, the war between Muslims and Christians started due to the words of an Imam, Ahmad, who was believed to be conveying a message from Allah, “You will liberate Constantinople, blessed is the Amir who is its Amir, and blessed is the army, that army” (El-Halaby, 1996). This message, believed to have originated from Allah, led to several Muslim lieutenants attempting to liberate Constantinople from Christians (El-Halaby, 1996). Similarly, Mahdi’s followers thought that fighting and killing Christians was a command that directly stemmed from Allah (Tappan, 1914). Additionally, both King Constantine and General Gordon perceived Muslims as enemies as they did not worship the Christian God. Also, both these leaders refused to negotiate with the Sultan and Mahdi, respectively, even though this option would have prevented the deaths of many individuals and ceased further destruction. In fact, if the negotiations had succeeded, chances are, General Gordon would not have died (Tappan, 1914). It is evident from both narratives that religion was the fuel that kept the enemy flame between Muslims and Christians alive, disallowing both parties from seeing eye to eye, even when it came to striking a deal that could have potentially saved lives.
Religion and prophecy, as narrated in the two publications, act as a beacon of hope during despair, reinforcing one’s religion. It is apparent that both Muslims and Christians perceive their religions as the rightful religions. In The Liberation of Constantinople, the Sultan and his followers encountered several defeats against the Christians at Constantinople. However, when all looked exceptionally hopeless, the Sultan said, “My sons, here I am, ready for death in the path of Allah, so whoever desires martyrdom, let him follow me” ((El-Halaby, 1996). These individuals were literally walking into their deaths, having been defeated by the Christians several times before. However, their faith in Allah led to them attaining a feat, freeing Constantinople from Christians. In the same text, readers witness Bizantines spending time at the Church, praying to God so that He can save Constantinople from Muslims. Their faith in God allowed them to be comforted and to have faith in the midst of utter terror (El-Halaby, 1996). In The Death of General Gordon at Khartoum, 1885, Mahdi retires to the cave for three days, and once he resurfaces, he tells his followers that for sixty days they will be able to rest but that afterward, “blood would flow like water” (Tappan, 1914). This prophecy serves as a source of hope for Mahdi and his followers as they were facing defeat against General Gordon. The fact that Mahdi was able to prophesy this (and that it came to pass) was a sign to Mahdi and his followers that their religion was indeed the one that deserved to be upheld, not Christianity, despite Gordon’s successes (Tappan, 1914).
Earlier Europeans perceived religions such as Catholicism and Protestantism as the dominant and true religions across the world. The depictions in the aforementioned narratives show how Europeans were able to witness the dominance of the Islamic religion. They were refugees in Khartoum, and they were constantly afraid of Muslims invading their city. These depictions acknowledge the significance of Islam as a religion and how the Europeans had to shift their perspective on Islam as a religion, taking into account the dominant role the religion played globally.
The two narratives show the differences between Muslims and Christians and how these differences easily induced wars between these two religions. In both accounts, prayers and faith were essential to both Muslims and Christians, allowing them to retain and fight for their respective religions. Even when all looked hopeless, both Muslims and Christians were able to pursue their faith-oriented missions simply because they believed in their religions.
References
El-Halaby, M. (1996). The Liberation of Constantinople. Pages.uoregon.edu. https://pages.uoregon.edu/sshoemak/325/texts/cple1.htm
Tappan, E. M. (1914). Internet History Sourcebooks Project. Sourcebooks.fordham.edu. https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/islam/1885khartoum1.asp
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