God Arises
The Challenge of The Qur’an
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peninsula on the other coast of the Persian Gulf,
while the Roman empire, known as the Byzantine
empire, was situated on the western side, stretching
from the shores of the Red Sea to the Black Sea. The
frontiers of both the empires met on the banks of
the Tigris and the Euphrates in the north of Arabia.
These empires were the super powers of their times
and Edward Gibbon, the noted historian, holds that
the Roman empire, whose history dates back to the
early part of the second century B.C., was the most
civilized empire of its time.
More than any other civilzation, the Roman Empire
has attracted the attention of historians, one of the
most famous historical works being Edward
Gibbon’s
Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.
The
second chapter of the fifth volume is of particular
concern to us. Constantine, a former Roman
emperor, having embraced Christianity in the year
325 A.D. made this new faith the state religion.
Thus the majority of the Romans became Christians,
following in the footsteps of their king. The
Persians, on the contrary, were worshippers of a
sun-god. Eight years before Muhammad, may peace
be upon him, attained prophethood, Maurice, who
