146 THE REY. W. ST. CLAIR TISDALL, M.A., ON ISLAM: 
and even ventured to speak of the movement in Arabia 
which gave rise to the religion as “the Southern Reform- 
ation,’* and to regard it as parallel to “the Northern 
Reformation” under Luther and the Swiss and English 
Reformers of the sixteenth century! Such a view needs for 
its refutation only the very slightest acquaintance with the 
tenets of Muhammad. Another opinion rather widely held 
is that Islam is a Christianf heresy, and that it may be com- 
pared with the Arianism of early times. A very cursory 
study of the subject will show how far this idea also is from 
the truth. In reality we can hardly describe Muhammad- 
anism more correctly in few words than by saying that it is 
a corrupt form of late Judaism,{ with which ideas and 
practices derived from Arabian and Persian heathenism, and 
in one or two instances from heretical books, have been 
mingled. This will be apparent if we inyestigate the origin 
of the religion—not a very difficult task, since, as has been 
remarked by a recent writer on the subject, Islam is almost§ 
the only great religion whose origin and growth we can 
historically trace. 
1. At the outset we must. admit that the religion of Islam 
owes very much to the personality of Muhammad|| himself, 
without whom, had it arisen, it would undoubtedly have been 
very different from what it is. In fact, it is not too much 
to say that, in the religion of the Muslim, Muhammad 
practically holds very nearly the same place as our Lord 
Jesus Christ does in that of the Christian. Divine honours 
are not, it 1s true, accorded to him, but he is entitled the 
Sealf] of the Prophets, the last, greatest, and most perfect of 
* Eg., Dr. Draper, in his most unfair though cleverly written book, 
“The Conflict between Religion and Science,” 
t+ Carlyle for instance, “ Heroes and Hero-Worship,” says: “Islam is 
definable as a confused form of Christianity.” 
t Vide Rabbi Geiger: “Was hat Mohammed aus dem Jyudenthume 
aufgenommen ?” I cordially agree with Hauri’s remarks on the subject 
(Der Isldm, pp. 48, 44): “‘Abgesehen von einer Reihe christlicher und 
persischer Vorstellungen, finden wir im Koran wesentlich jéidische 
Gedanken.” 
§ Of course Christianity, too, is an exception to the rule here implied. 
|| Bosworth Smith, “ Mohammed and Mohammedanism,” p. 12. 
4 Of Muhammad’s very numerous titles perhaps the most usual are :— 
= \ \ bs 
6M 
- 
Oo PF Pe wad bw 
Je) , “the Apostle (or Messenger) of Gop ;” oy \ cae a Gop’s 
