if Magomed does not go to the mountain, then the mountain goes to Magomed - what does this sight mean and who said it? and got the best answer
Answer from Julia[master]
IF THE MOUNTAIN DOES NOT GO TO MAHOMET, THEN MAHOMET WILL GO TO THE MOUNTAIN
There are many explanations for the origin of this expression. It is believed, for example, that it is connected with one of the old jokes about the beloved folk hero of the East, Khoja Nasreddin.
Once Khoja, posing as a saint, boasted of the power of his faith and the ability to perform a miracle. “I only have to call a stone or a tree,” Khoja assured, “and they will come to me.” He was asked to call the oak tree growing nearby. Khoja called out to the stubborn tree three times, but it did not even move. The angry Khoja himself went to the oak tree. "Where are you going?" - those around asked, not without gloating. Khoja replied: “The saints are not proud. If the tree does not come to me, I go to it.”
Others believe that this expression goes back to the legend of an unfulfilled prophecy contained in the Koran, the “holy” book of Muslims.
Mohammed (570-632 AD) is considered the founder of the religion of Islam, the messenger of the Almighty on earth. Believers even have a formula: “There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet.” So, according to legend, Mohammed once set out to prove his power to the faithful. The Prophet ordered the mountain to approach him. The mountain remained unruly. Then Mohammed himself went to her with the words: “Well, if the mountain does not want to go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to the mountain.”
The meaning of this comic expression: due to circumstances, you have to obey the one from whom you yourself expected obedience.
I could write a clearer instruction manual
Reply from P_V_V@ P_V_V[guru]
Vice versa. If the mountain does not come to Magamed, then Magamed goes to the mountain.
Reply from Remedy[newbie]
if Magomed does not go to the mountain, then the mountain goes to Magomed - it sounds more interesting.
Reply from 8F NIS FMN[active]
Mohammed will not go uphill. Mohammed will go around the mountain
Reply from OR@Z![active]
There is no such expression in the east, it was invented by Russian people, I do not recommend saying it in the Muslim community, they will react sharply to you! In general, this expression makes no sense!
Reply from 78223
[newbie]
I won’t say who said it, and I’ll immediately apologize for the spelling. I can only agree, and not without a grin, about the above saying, but they do not answer what it means. although the saying that if you don’t obey, you obey logically and seems to make sense. but only an anecdote, if it was so then why was it told as a saying or a saying. when they, in turn, have a much more practical and meaningful meaning than in a joke. namely, what I, in my humble opinion, think about the meaning of the above words, is that “don’t be stubborn, don’t wait for the command and favor of higher powers, you just have to do it, it doesn’t work out and I’ll do it so it will work out” but simply doesn’t matter conditions or events, I will achieve the goal even if I have to go to it myself, but I will achieve it!! and this proverb is about unbending character and fortitude, when everything is wrong and what is planned does not grow together. when everything is against you, but despite all this you and only you yourself go and take and it’s not about not submitting and submitting, you, as a person of strong will and character, subdue, that’s what this saying is about, and if not so then I I lived 30 years in vain
Valery Lebedev
At the very beginning of the year, in Lebed No. 50, I published my article “Why is it difficult for a Russian to become a Muslim.” It was rather cultural in nature and told about the origins of such cult norms as the ban on drinking wine, eating pork, and circumcision. But now, after the phenomenal victory of the Taliban in Afghanistan, it seems to me that we need to return to the roots of Islam. Otherwise, it will not be clear how, just two years ago, a small group of theological students (the Taliban - they were then based in Pakistan) announced that Afghanistan had departed from the principles of the true faith, that the requirements of the Koran were not being scrupulously fulfilled, that the people had succumbed to the temptations of the shaitan, and that therefore, only by strictly punishing the apostates and bringing the rest to unconditional obedience will it be possible to restore the desecrated faith of the fathers in all the radiance of glory.
Guided by this ideology, the Taliban rebelled and began to capture one city after another. There were periods when it seemed that they would be crushed by the overwhelming superiority of the anti-Taliban forces. Let me remind you that they were opposed by Hekmatyar (who became the prime minister of Afghanistan after the departure of Soviet troops), field commanders Ahmed Shah Massoud (at one time the Minister of Defense), and General Rashid Dostum. These are the same commanders who beat the elite units of General Gromov's Soviet 40th Army, forcing Gorbachev to withdraw his troops in early 1989, which foreshadowed the imminent decline of the empire. In other words, the students beat renowned military leaders who had ten years of fighting experience! Here is an amazing example of the power of ideology that takes hold of the masses! Hekmatyar, Massoud and Dostum - these former enemies of the Soviet army, over the past two years have become Russia's best friends, because they realized what would happen if the Taliban came instead of them. And they helped the former “dushmans” in every possible way with weapons and advice.
The last Soviet protege, Najibullah, knelt on the mat and performed namaz. But it’s too late and not enough. He was hanged by Hekmatyar's rebels who burst into Kabul, and his mouth was stuffed with Soviet money.
Former Prime Minister Hekmatyar also proved to be insufficiently committed to Islam, as was President Rabbani, who was overthrown by the Taliban in 1996. On August 11, Hekmatyar was overtaken by three Taliban and shot dead in the northern province of Dakhar (US today report).
And today all of Afghanistan is in the hands of the Taliban. It is unknown where Dostum fled (they say he fled to Uzbekistan, because he is an Uzbek), Masud (probably to Tajikistan, because he is a Tajik). In countries Central Asia panic. What will happen if the Taliban, under the green banner of Islam, attack them (although they are also under the green banner, but the shade is not the same)? They will fall like rotten wood. And now Tajikistan is held together only by detachments of Russian border guards. This is against small groups of smugglers. And against the Taliban... Moreover, Iran is in panic, because it supported the anti-Taliban forces. Yes, that same fanatical fundamentalist Iran will not be able to oppose anything to the amazing pressure of the Taliban. Khamenei (leader of Iran after Khomeini) sounds similar to Khomeini, but not the same. And the name of the current President of Iran, Muhammad Khatami, sounds completely different. Here are his words spoken on May 23 of this year at the University of Tehran:
"When we talk about freedom, we mean freedom for the opposition. It is not freedom if it is only for those who agree with the government and its policies."
So Iran has its own Iranian Gorbachev, talking about reforms and glasnost. From the Taliban's point of view, Iran is already decaying. It’s time to burn it out with the fire of true faith. Moreover, he is Shiite, and the Taliban are Sunni.
Maskhadov is also in panic, because he is increasingly supported by the “Chechen Taliban” - the militant branch of Islam - the Wahhabis (which originated in Saudi Arabia, on behalf of the local prophet Wahhab). The recent attempt on Maskhadov's life is their doing. It became so hot in Chechnya that Maskhadov began to flirt with Moscow, saying (the other day in Washington) that Chechnya and Russia will be in peace-friendship, they say, fraternal peoples, in a single battle formation...
The Taliban are already openly declaring that they are ready to reach Samarkand and Bukhara “in one shot.”
From the Svoboda message:
“In a telephone conversation on August 13, Yeltsin and Rakhmonov (the President of Tajikistan) recognized the need to create an alliance of Russia, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan to counter Islamic extremism.”
Afghanistan is home to the most famous adept of terror, the ideological Taliban 41-year-old millionaire (personal fortune of $250 million) Osama bin Ladin. He is waging war against both the United States and “unworthy Islamic regimes,” without the slightest doubt subsidizing terrorists with unlimited money. There are strong suspicions that it was he who organized the bombings at the American embassies in Dar Es Salaam and Nairobi. The official mouthpiece of the Taliban, Norallah Zadran, put it aphoristically:
"Complete surrender of the enemy, or let them be ready for retribution."
There is some kind of incredible reconquista going on, as it were, of the early forms of militant Islam.
What's the matter? Why does this particular form beat out other forms of more moderate Islam? Part of the answer is that this form is most responsive to the needs of the poorest. Yes, this is a form of Islam for beggars. In general, Islam is the religion of a poor people. But extremist forms of Islam sharpen this feature to the utmost. Complete equality is what both the Taliban and Wahhabis are talking about. If you are rich, give your fortune to a common cause and come to us yourself. If you don’t give it back, we’ll take it ourselves, but without you. If you are beautiful, don’t stand out, always wear a burqa. One of them put on lipstick, and we Taliban cut them off for her. But we will always feed and protect the hungry. And we will persecute the rich people who sold their souls to Satan, especially Americans, all over the world.
By the way, the American intelligence services at one time trained terrorists from just such fanatics (the Taliban) to fight the Soviet army in Afghanistan. And now many of them have turned their skills against teachers. It would not be surprising if it turns out that the explosions at the American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya were carried out by American-made terrorists.
“The reason behind such rapid actions of the Taliban by analysts is already visible. And they pay attention to the serene behavior of Ashgabat. Turkmenistan, with its ostentatious calm against the backdrop of developing events in the north of Afghanistan, proves only one thing: the Taliban are a desirable power for the economic interests of Ashgabat. American firms also interested in laying pipelines with energy resources from Turkmenistan through the territory of Afghanistan, according to some information, had a hand in establishing the monolithic power of the Taliban. Most likely, massive efforts. fighting in northern Afghanistan are driven by the desire to once and for all put an end to the uncertainty that has prevented oil and gas companies from expanding to their full potential. They need order." (Izvestia, August 13)
That’s right, but why did the Taliban manage to establish order, and not the good Muslims - Hekmatyar, Rabbani, Dostum, Masud?
Yes, there is every reason to study the history of Islam. Moreover, after Buddhism and Christianity (See Swan 79-80 and Swan 63-64) this will be the logical conclusion of the review of the three world religions. And even more so because Islam can become the main danger of the established Western civilization. They have been talking about this for a long time, the same Huntington in his “Conflict of Civilizations”. But now the fears have begun to take on “practical contours.”
So, Islam.
Everyone knows something about Islam. But what exactly? For example, this proverb: “If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain.” But the proverb has nothing to do with Islam: it is not in the Koran, nor in the Sunnah, built on hadith - legends about the actions and sayings of the prophet. Moreover, there is no name Mohammed either. Quite a long time ago, the spelling Muhammad was established in literature. But in scientific literature, the even closer-to-Arabic sound Muhammad is more common. This is what we will use. Let Mohammed remain on his way to the mountain. Although books are still being published where these outdated forms of the prophet’s name are used. For example, recently (at the end of 1995) a translation of the famous biography of Muhammad by the American writer of the last century Washington Irving entitled “The Life of Mohammed” was published in Minsk, and a little earlier (in 1991) a book by the writer (now deceased) Vera Panova and her son Yuri Vakhtin under the slightly more recent name "Life of Muhammad". Mahomet is borrowed into Russian not from Arabic, but from French, where it sounds similar to the Russian “Mahomet”.
And here is how the creed of Islam sounds in Arabic: “La ilaha illallah wa Muhammadun rasulullah” - “there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the prophet of Allah.” It is no coincidence that I cited the Arabic sound of the creed. Pay attention to the Arabic sound - continuous alliteration of the sound "l", rhythm and rhyme. The fact is that the entire Koran (more precisely, the so-called “Meccan suras”) is written in approximately this style. These are like poems, many of which, according to experts, have significant poetic merit. This is why translations of the Koran were so difficult. In general, the translation of the Koran is a whole scientific and linguistic problem. But even the best available translation into Russian by Professor of the Faculty of Oriental Languages I.Yu. Krachkovsky, which he began to do in 1921 in connection with the reading of his course of lectures on the Koran, leaves a feeling of mysterious bewilderment: this collection of unsystematic stories, teachings, praises of Allah and threats to those of little faith, incomprehensible hints and almost meaningless phrases is the holy book of Muslims? Exactly. Why unsystematic? Yes, because, firstly, Muhammad received revelations from Allah depending on the external situation and his internal state. And, secondly, the records of his revelations (made during his lifetime), after the death of the prophet, were collected not thematically and not chronologically (at least according to the time of receipt of the revelations to Muhammad), but depending on the length of the revelation. Long revelations (suras) are placed at the beginning of the Koran (except for the very first), and then shorter and shorter ones follow.
And within the suras themselves, there is also no connection between the paragraphs. Let's say from the fragmentary history of Adam there is a transition immediately to the equally fragmentary history of Musa (Moses), without any explanation of who he is. And this story is equally incomprehensible and incoherent. Next I will just give examples. And in order to appreciate the poetic beginning of the Koran and its historical value, you need to be a Muslim. An Arab at that. And not simple ones, but those who understand ancient Arabic and know the history of the formation of Islam and the Arab caliphates. Modern Arabs, devout Muslims (not to mention non-Arab Muslims) recite many verses of the Koran as magic spells, usually without understanding their meaning. Well, it seems like in the Russian language there are sayings that have long lost their meaning, such as “akhalai-mahalai”, “shirley-myrli”, “dance-shmantsy”, “fir-trees-sticks”, “humpty-dumpty”, “hocus-pocus”, "Carla-Marla." We have no choice but to try to find out this story and here and there listen to the Arabic sound of the suras of the Koran. Qur'an in Arabic means "Reading". An obvious paraphrase of the name "Bible" - Book. And suras are chapters of the Koran.
Now things have improved with translation. Something incredible happened: the poetic meaning of the Koran was translated most accurately into Russian by a woman. Moreover, a Russian noblewoman, a teacher at MEPhI Valeria Porokhova (her mother was born in Tsarskoe Selo, and she herself was in a camp in Ukhta, where her mother, the wife of an enemy of the people, was imprisoned). Valeria Porokhova married a Syrian man, who now bears the name Muhamed, so dear to her, went with him to Syria, learned Arabic and spent twelve years translating the Koran. Its translation was recognized as the best by the ulema and muftis of Islam, the most authoritative scientific center in the world of Islam - the Al-Azhar Academy - after several years of painstaking study, for the first time, canonized the Russian translation. Cairo University awarded Valeria Porokhova the title of honorary academician, qualifying her translation of the meanings of the Koran into Russian as exemplary. Mufti of Syria Ahmed Keftaru declared her his daughter.
Finally, last year (1997) she defended her doctoral dissertation on the translation of the Koran.
All this sounds fantastic, but this is the fact.
Once upon a time, when I taught philosophy at the Belarusian Polytechnic Institute, I gave some lectures in a building remote from the main buildings, located near the Minsk Automobile Plant (MAZ), and in teaching vernacular, going there was called “doing at MAZ.” That's when I became acquainted with the basics of Islam. I learned that a true believer must perform namaz five times a day - that is, perform prayer. The same one with which everyone is familiar by external signs: a rug is laid out, the believer kneels on it, turning towards Mecca and, periodically touching his head to the ground, pronounces prayer formulas. However, namaz is a Persian word, and in Arabic prayer is called salat.
However, this knowledge was not enough. Maybe because it was never necessary to “do it on MAZ” five times. Two, in exceptional cases three per day.
In general, it’s an amazing thing: even atheists knew something about Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity. They knew that Buddha taught: “life is suffering,” that Moses led the Jews out of Egyptian captivity, and Christ called to love your neighbor as yourself. We were familiar with the rituals. They knew, for example, that on Easter there is a religious procession, they eat Easter cakes and paint eggs. The song they sang was “Easter Communist”:
The enemy paints the eggs yellow and green,
I only paint eggs red,
I carry them like red banners,
As a symbol of our joyful victories.
And then there is something about “I will send red eggs to Mao Zedong, let him send me yellow ones in return.” They even knew that the Jewish Passover marks the exodus of the Jews from Egypt, and the Christian Passover marks the resurrection of Jesus. Everyone knew who Judas was and what he became famous for. But about Islam, which is now professed by about a billion people, they knew virtually nothing. Neither who Muhammad is, nor how he became a prophet, nor when and from what he died. The essence of Islam is nothing, the Koran is not about anything.
Moreover, they did not know who Shiites and Sunnis were. Some of the most advanced intellectuals, who heard that Islam somehow grew out of Judaism and Christianity, nevertheless could not formulate how exactly Islam differs from them. Although I read a lot on the history of religions, I also did not delve too deeply into the essence of Islam. So I had to start anew to understand what Islam is. Why, for example, did such a concept as “Islamic fundamentalism” or “Islamic jihad” appear (the phrase, by the way, is ridiculous, because there cannot be a non-Islamic jihad).
First, a few explanations of the basic terms. Islam means "submissive". Submissive to the will of Allah. But since Allah was represented on earth by his messenger Muhammad, then, therefore, it was his, Muhammad’s will. In the Koran, in Sura 3, (verses 16 and 17) it is said: “Allah bears witness that there is no god but He, and the angels and those with knowledge who are steadfast in justice: there is no god but He, the great, the wise! religion before Allah is Islam... And if anyone does not believe in the signs of Allah... then Allah is quick in calculations.” It is from this surah that the name arose - Islam, submission. Submission to Allah and Muhammad. And after his death - submission to the will of the caliphs and imams. That is, spiritual (and secular too) rulers. Muslim (Muslim) is translated as “a man of Islam” who professes Islam.
The biography of Muhammad, unlike Allah who sent him, is known to science relatively well. Much better, for example, than the biographies of Buddha and Christ. There are several reasons for this. First, it happened much later and closer to our time. Muhammad was born more than a thousand years after Buddha and almost 600 years after Christ (in 570). And secondly, and this is the main thing, since he was not only a prophet and creator of a new religion, but also a secular ruler and even an army commander, his actions were recorded in the texts of that time, and his words and orders were reflected in documents. In addition, his companions and wives left many stories about the life and words of their spiritual master.
These stories were quickly written down and formed the basis of hadiths included in a book called “Sunnah”, that is, path, model, example (Muslims who recognize the Sunna along with the Koran are called Sunnis). The revelations of Allah received by Muhammad also began to be written down during the life of the prophet, and these revelations (the Koran) acquired their final canonical form through the works of his associates and followers in the coming decades after his death. Of course, the level of detail in Muhammad’s life is far from the hour-by-hour breakdown of Lenin’s life (but not all of his deeds, but only those that fit into Soviet hagiography), but it also looks good.
So, Muhammad was born on August 29 in 570 (what accuracy!) in Mecca, a kind of capital of the Arabian Peninsula, located 70 kilometers from the Red Sea on the border of the mountainous Hijaz. He appeared in a family whose recent ancestor (great-grandfather) was Hashim, the head of Mecca, a rich trading city. Muhammad's grandfather Abd al-Muttalib also occupied a worthy place - he was the elder of a large tribe of Quraysh (on behalf of the founder of Quraysh), the main inhabitants of Mecca. According to legend, obeying the voice of a certain spirit, Abd al-Muttalib found and cleared the once famous water source Zam-Zam (written as Zemzem) near the ancient Arab temple of the Kaaba, which Muhammad later made the main shrine of Islam. This source, according to an even more ancient legend, was discovered by Ishmael, the son of Ibrahim (Abraham). It was enough to name only two names - Ibrahim and Ishmael, so that we could immediately see how closely Islam in its origins is connected with Judaism, Christianity and the Bible. For the story of Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) completely fell into Islam.
Let me remind you that Abraham did not have children for many years and finally decided to have a child with a slave named Hagar (Hajar in Arabic). She gave birth to Ishmael, who later became the founder of the Arabs. But then the Lord showed Abraham another mercy: he entered into an alliance with him ( Old Testament), added one more syllable to his name (Abram became Abraham), and allowed his wife Sarah (Sarah) to also give birth. And Sarah, at 90 years old (Abraham himself turned 100 at this time), gave birth to a son, Isaac. Her joy was so great that over time she demanded that Hajar and her little son Ishmael be expelled. The expelled Hajar and Ishmael ended up in Arabia, where they almost died of thirst. And at the last moment the boy Ishmael stamped his foot, and suddenly a fountain began to flow from under his foot. This is how the sacred spring Zam-Zam appeared, which was rediscovered and cleared by Muhammad’s grandfather. As you can see, the prophet’s pedigree is significant.
Muhammad's grandfather Abd al-Muttalib and his wife Fatima had no sons for a long time, which for the Arab made life meaningless (just like Abraham), and he promised God to sacrifice his son if he appeared. And they began to appear - and in very large quantities, reaching twelve (as can be seen, according to the number of tribes of Israel). Either he decided to reduce their number, or the time had come to fulfill the oath, but Abd al-Muttalib ordered all his sons to make fortune-telling arrows with their names and invited the soothsayer Hubal to pull any one from the bunch. The choice fell on Abdullah, the youngest and favorite son of Muttalib. The same Abdallah who was destined to become the father of Muhammad. But further we see a paraphrase on the topic of testing Abraham’s faith. God ordered him to sacrifice his only (legitimate) son Isaac, and only when he raised the knife over him, God, making sure that Abraham’s faith was strong and his obedience limitless, replaced Isaac with a lamb. And in the Arabic version, Muttalib led his beloved son Abdallah (translated as servant of God) to the place of slaughter. And also at the last moment, a certain al-Mugir stepped forward (according to some sources, a relative of Fatima and Abdallah acted out of pity, but one can also understand that his action was controlled by God) and begged Muttalib to replace the teenager with a sacrifice of camels. The “blood price” of the Arabs was 10 camels (that is, for the murder of a clan member, in order to avoid blood feud, 10 camels had to be paid). They brought 10 camels. Muttalib decided to check whether God accepted such a replacement. But the fortune-telling arrow fell on his son again. The number of camels began to increase, but each time the arrow pointed to Abdallah. And only on the tenth time, when there were 100 camels standing in the pen, the arrow finally pointed at them. Abdallah was saved at the cost of the lives of an entire herd. This legend, by the way, speaks of the very significant fortune of Abd al-Muttalib.
Many biographies of Muhammad have a rather strong hagiographical flavor. That is, a certain touching pity is mixed into real events with the addition of supernatural phenomena that accompany the life of the future prophet.
It is said, for example, that Muhammad's father, miraculously saved at the cost of the lives of camels, still died early, when his son Muhammad was only two months old. Perhaps because there were not enough camels. His mother Amina, according to biographers, was left with only five camels, a dozen sheep and an Abyssinian slave Barakat. And so, at the age of six months, I had to give my son into the wrong hands, to the family of nomads al-Harith and his wife Halima, who became the wet nurse of little Muhammad. But even in the same sources one can read a completely different motive for this dedication “to the people.” In Mecca, it was a custom for wealthy families to entrust raising their children (for a fee) to people from the nomadic Bedouin tribes. Mecca is a hot, dusty city. And the nomads lived in oases with clean air, water and fresh milk, so to speak, in nature. That is, this “link” was somewhat similar to a children’s summer camp. But since it's summer in Arabia all year round, then the free life stretched for several years.
The second hagiographical moment from Muhammad’s early childhood is this: one day two people in white robes (they were angels) approached Muhammad as he was playing. They laid Muhammad on his back, and one angel opened him chest, removed the heart and pulled out a black drop from it, and with the second snow-white snow brought in a golden basin, he cleaned all the insides and wiped the heart. Having completed the cleansing operation, they silently disappeared. The boy and his friends told the teachers everything. They were afraid of the responsibility for the fate of the child and urgently gave him to his mother. So at the age of 4, Muhammad again found himself in Mecca.
Two years later, Muhammad's mother Amina also died. The orphan was taken in by his grandfather, the caretaker of the Kaaba, the source of ZamZam and the head of the Quraish community of Mecca, Abd al-Muttalib. The boy was his grandfather's most beloved grandson and never refused anything. But the grandfather was already old, and in general the boy had no luck with his relatives - some kind of fate hung over them. Two years later, Muttalib also died. Camels were even less fortunate. At his burial, a huge number of camels were again slaughtered for the funeral feast (sources do not report the exact number). In general, when you read this kind of biographies, you become afraid for the camel population of Arabia. It seems like they were being slaughtered there all the time. Of course, it is possible to slaughter, but sacrificial animals were eaten. It is difficult to imagine that the relatively small population of Mecca could eat, for example, a hundred camels in one day. Moreover, besides the death of Muttalib, there were other reasons for slaughtering animals: then, by coincidence, someone else died, then a holiday, then a wedding, then a religious ceremony, so that several hundred would already have to be eaten. It’s hot, there are no refrigerators, and therefore tons of camel meat would have to be thrown away. Knowing the common sense of the people, it is difficult to allow hecatombs of camel lives to be brought so easily. Probably, countless herds of slaughtered camels should be attributed to pious legends, the desire of the first biographers to give due honor and respect that the characters they described enjoyed. Especially considering the fact that they were the closest relatives of the prophet himself. But they didn’t know how to do this besides camels.
The second common hagiographical move is the poor orphanhood of the prophet. With being an orphan, everything turned out to be okay - an orphan, indeed. But with poverty - no. After the death of his grandfather, the eldest son of Muttalib and the uncle of the future prophet Abu Talib, who also became the head of the Hashemite clan, was in charge of the distribution of taxes in favor of pilgrims, was successfully engaged in trade and was generally a wealthy and respected person in Mecca, took custody of Muhammad. So there can be no talk of poverty. Nevertheless, as a consequence of this non-existent poverty, it is everywhere stated that Muhammad was not taught to read and write, as a result of which he grew up unable to read or write. Here we can clearly see a paraphrase on the theme of Jesus Christ: who left no written sources of his activities. Apparently, the idea has developed that it is not the prophet’s job to write. Let him proclaim the truths, and there will be someone to write them down. Secretaries record instructions from the boss.
If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain
Usually the origin of this expression is associated with one of the stories about Khoja Nasreddin, a hero of eastern folklore, a famous inventor and wit.
Thus, one of the Arabic collections (circa 1631) talks about how Khoja Nasreddin Jokha el-Rumi (Nasreddin’s full name in Arabic) once decided to impersonate a saint. When asked how he would prove this, he replied that he could command the palm tree to come to him and it would obey. When the miracle did not happen, Khoja himself approached the tree with the words: “True prophets and saints are devoid of arrogance. If the palm tree doesn’t come to me, then I go to it.”
Sometimes another version of the same phrase is found: “If the palm tree does not go to Joha, then Joha will go to the palm tree.”
IN modern version this expression entered European languages thanks to the famous English scientist and philosopher Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626), who in his book “Moral and Political Essays” (1597) cited own version story about Khoja, replacing the latter with the prophet Mohammed himself. In the essay “On Courage” contained in this book, Mohammed promises the people to move the mountain, but when this fails, he says: “Well, since the mountain does not want to go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to it.”
Allegorically: about the desire to take the first step towards solving a problem that has arisen in relations with a partner, opponent, etc. (self-ironically).
Encyclopedic dictionary of popular words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”. Vadim Serov. 2003.
If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain
There are various explanations for this origin. It is believed, for example, that it goes back to one of the anecdotal stories associated with Khoja Nasreddin, a beloved hero of Middle Eastern folklore. Once, when he was posing as a saint, he was asked by what miracle he could prove this. Nasrudin replied that he told the palm tree to approach him and it would obey. When the miracle failed, Nasreddin went to the tree with the words: “Prophets and saints are devoid of arrogance. If the palm tree does not come to me, I go to it.” This story is found in an Arabic collection supposedly dating back to 1631.
Another story is found in the notes of the famous traveler Marco Polo (1254-1324), the first edition of which in Latin was published without indicating the place and year; presumably: Venice or Rome, 1484. Marco Polo says that a certain Baghdad shoemaker undertook to prove the advantages of Caliph Al-Muetasim Christian faith and allegedly performed a miracle: the mountain, at his call, moved in his direction. One of the researchers believes that the European version of this Eastern legend replaced the palm tree with a mountain due to the Christian tradition, which claims that faith moves mountains (First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, 13:2). Finally, already in 1597, the English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) in his “Moral and Political Essays”, in the essay “On Courage,” says that Mohammed promised the people to move the mountain by force and, when he failed, said: "Well! since the mountain does not want to go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to it."
Dictionary of catch words. Plutex. 2004.
See what “If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain” means in other dictionaries:
If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain- wing. sl. There are various explanations for this origin. It is believed, for example, that it goes back to one of the anecdotal stories associated with Khoja Nasreddin, a beloved hero of Middle Eastern folklore, Once, when he pretended to be... Universal additional practical explanatory dictionary by I. Mostitsky
If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain. Wed. Now there is only about thirty hours of driving left to meet... I... like to believe that if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain. Remains... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary (original spelling)
Wed. Now there is only about thirty hours of driving left to see each other... I... like to believe that if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed must go to the mountain. All that remains is to ask: which of the two of us is in the unpleasant position of the mountain,... ... Michelson's Large Explanatory and Phraseological Dictionary
Usually the origin of this expression is associated with one of the stories about Khoja Nasreddin, a hero of eastern folklore, a famous inventor and wit.
Thus, one of the Arabic collections (circa 1631) talks about how Khoja Nasreddin Jokha el-Rumi (Nasreddin’s full name in Arabic) once decided to impersonate a saint. When asked how he would prove this, he replied that he could command the palm tree to come to him and it would obey. When the miracle did not happen, Khoja himself approached the tree with the words: “True prophets and saints are devoid of arrogance. If the palm tree doesn’t come to me, then I go to it.”
Sometimes another version of the same phrase is found: “If the palm tree does not go to Joha, then Joha will go to the palm tree.”
In its modern version, this expression entered European languages thanks to the famous English scientist and philosopher Francis Bacon (1561 - 1626), who in his book “Moral and Political Essays” (1597) gave his own version of the story about Khoja, replacing the latter with the Prophet Mohammed himself. In the essay “On Courage” contained in this book, Mohammed promises the people to move the mountain, but when this fails, he says: “Well, since the mountain does not want to go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to it.”
Allegorically: about the desire to take the first step towards solving a problem that has arisen in relations with a partner, opponent, etc. (self-ironically).Encyclopedic dictionary of popular words and expressions. - M.: “Locked-Press”.Vadim Serov .2003.
If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain
There are various explanations for this origin. It is believed, for example, that it goes back to one of the anecdotal stories associated with Khoja Nasreddin, a beloved hero of Middle Eastern folklore. Once, when he was posing as a saint, he was asked by what miracle he could prove this. Nasrudin replied that he told the palm tree to approach him and it would obey. When the miracle failed, Nasreddin went to the tree with the words: “Prophets and saints are devoid of arrogance. If the palm tree does not come to me, I go to it.” This story is found in an Arabic collection supposedly dating back to 1631.
Another story is found in the notes of the famous traveler Marco Polo (1254-1324), the first edition of which in Latin was published without indicating the place and year; presumably: Venice or Rome, 1484. Marco Polo says that a certain Baghdad shoemaker undertook to prove to Caliph Al-Muetasim the advantages of the Christian faith and allegedly performed a miracle: the mountain moved in his direction at his call. One of the researchers believes that the European version of this Eastern legend replaced the palm tree with a mountain due to the Christian tradition, which claims that faith moves mountains (First Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, 13:2). Finally, already in 1597, the English philosopher Francis Bacon (1561-1626) in his “Moral and Political Essays”, in the essay “On Courage,” says that Mohammed promised the people to move the mountain by force and, when he failed, said: "Well! since the mountain does not want to go to Mohammed, Mohammed will go to it."
Dictionary of catch words.Plutex .2004 .
Mohammed on Mt.
Most likely, the meaning of this expression is clear to every person, but not every person knows about the origin of the famous expression. Therefore, it is worth understanding how such an interesting expression was born and who is its author?
Origin of the expression “if the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed goes to the mountain”
There are several versions origin this expression. The first of them is associated with the famous hero of oriental fairy tales, Khoja Nasreddin. Records of this history are dated beginning of XVII century. Once Nasreddin declared that he was a saint and could perform any miracle. As a sign of confirmation of this, he agreed to give the order to the palm tree to approach him and it had to exactly carry out the instructions of the “saint”. Of course, the tree didn’t even think about moving and stood calmly in its place. Then Khoja Nasreddin himself stood up and went to him. In response to all the ridicule, he replied that saints are not arrogant and if the palm tree cannot come to him, then he himself will come to the palm tree.
The second version is associated with the name of the famous navigator and traveler Marco Polo. He described it in his notes, the first version of which was published at the end of the 15th century. They tell how one Baghdad shoemaker decided to prove to the caliph the greatness of the Christian faith and its superiority over all others. The shoemaker ordered the mountain to immediately come to him and a miracle happened: it obeyed. Both versions do not provide an exact reproduction of the expression and are, rather, the progenitors of the later metamorphosed proverbs.
The third version is closest to the original. It was described in his work by the English scientist Francis Bacon. The saying arose as a result of an unfulfilled prophecy. The author of the statement, according to him, is the Prophet Mohammed himself, the founder of the Islamic faith. The Messenger of Allah on Earth decided to prove the power of his faith by ordering the mountain to approach him. When this, of course, could not be done, he himself went to the rebellious mountain with the words: “If the mountain does not come to Mohammed, then Mohammed will go to the mountain.”