When Muhammad Rose from the Dead April 21, 2018
Author: Beach Combing | in : Modern , trackback
This is one of these stories that snaked across Europe from newspaper of record to newspaper of record. We picked it up considerably downstream in the, erm, Framlingham Weekly News, 12 Sep 1903 (deep England, scones for tea, talk of Cathay and ‘the Turks’). Who knows if there was a genuine rumour behind this in the Muslim world or whether this was created among gossiping Christians in Constantinople: I take for granted that nothing happened in Medina; that way madness lies.
A dispatch to the Neue Freie Presse states that a strange story is at present very generally current amongst the Mussulman populace of Constantinople, to the effect that the Sheikh of the Holy City of Medina has declared that the prophet Mahomed [Muhammad] rose from his tomb the other day, and, in solemn tones, said ‘Allah, save thy people!’ Six eunuchs who were near the tomb at this thrilling moment fell dead from fright. This story has caused a profound impression at Yildiz Kiosk [i.e. the Yildiz Palace]. It is feared that it has been circulated with a view to force the Sultan into an anti-Christian policy.
In Islam, both Sunni and Shia, there is the tradition of the Mahdi, the chosen one who will come to rule the faithful in the end times. However, no tradition, to the best of our knowledge, has Muhammad coming back from the dead: the Muslim end times are ushered in by Jesus arriving from the heavens. Perhaps Muhammad rose just to say his thing, and then retreated into the dust? In other words, this isn’t a messiah, rather it is a wonder: note that the Sheikh reported his comments, not his new rule. There must be other accounts east of Framlingham…
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