THE APOLOGY OF AL KINDY

WRITTEN AT THE COURT OF AL MĀMŪN
(Circa A.H. 215; A.D. 830)

IN DEFENCE OF CHRISTIANITY AGAINST ISLAM.

edited and commented by

Sir William Muir

[Society for the Promotion of Christian Knowledge (SPCK), Second Edition, London, 1887]

{This online edition of the text preserves the page breaks and footnote numbers of Muir’s second edition published in 1887. The marginal headings found through the book refer to the page numbers in the Romanized Arabic edition used by Sir William Muir: Risalat `Abd Allah ibn Isma`il al-Hashimi. Edited by Anton Tien. Published by the Turkish Mission Aid Society, 1885, pp. 272.}

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page 1 Preface to the Present Edition 3 Preface to the First Edition 5 Essay on its Age and Authorship 13 Speech of Al Māmūn 29 Letter of Al Hāshimy the Moslem Advocate 39 REPLY OF AL KINDY 41 The Trinity 41 Life of Mahomet 44 Assassinations 46 Warlike Expeditions 48 Wives of Mahomet 51 Evidence of Prophecy 53 Conquest of Persia 55 Miracles 57 Apostacy of the Arabs 62 The Three Dispensations 66 The Coran: Materials and Mode of Collection    69 Solecisms in Coran, Matter and Style 79 Worldly Inducements 84

Name of Mahomet on the Great Throne    88 Preėminence of the Seed of Abraham 88 Ordinances of Islam 90 Prohibition of Swine's Flesh 91 Pilgrimage 92 Saracenic Crusade 95 Contradictory Passages 96 War as a Divine Remedy 101 Martyrs, Moslem and Christian 103 Temporal Inducements 107 Intercession of Mahomet 109 The Trinity defended 110 Adoration of the Cross 111 The Fāteha 112 CHRISTIANITY described 114 Old Testament Prophecies 114 Jewish Scriptures uncorrupted 114 Life of Christ 116 Ministry of the Apostles 119 Miracles no longer needed 120 Conclusion 122