英语听力：Prophet Muhammad 先知穆罕默德 - 14

 By now, the empire was larger than Rome. It stretched from Morocco in the west to the Indus River in the east where the border of India is today. How had it happened that so small an army could conquer an area so large, so fast, so easily? 

 

Islam’s success in expanding into the central Middle East and in across North Africa was due in large part because people were fed up with previous regimes. So the idea that Muslims were going across the world saying, “convert or die” is really not accurate, not at all. But they didn’t have a heavy hand. They didn’t rule with a heavy hand. They allowed the conquered peoples to maintain their administrative¹ structures. They allowed the Christians³ and the Jews to maintain their religious law and to be governed by them. So in many cases, the conquered peoples did not feel the presence of the new regime very heavily. 

 

Certainly for individuals who felt themselves exploited or downtrodden by an oppressive, and even sometimes parasitic⁴ priesthood, the idea of Islam being a religion essentially⁵ free from clergy⁶ must have seemed very attractive.

 

It is the times that create the movement and sometimes the man. The Roman Empire had collapsed⁷. The Byzantine Empire wasn't strong enough. There was a need for a new vision, a new way of looking into life. And I think what happened at that time Muhammad's mission filled the void that the societies wanted. They really wanted some sort of solidarity⁸ in their lives.

 

The lessons of the Koran, so successful for the Muslims in Medina and Mecca were playing out on a global scale. As the conquest swept through Syria, the Muslims held their Friday prayers in the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Damascus, allowing its Christian² congregation to continue their services on Sunday. Side by side, the two faiths shared the same building in peace. As the Muslim community grew, they bought the old church from the Christian congregation and built a huge mosque⁹ on the site. 

1 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

2 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

3 Christians   

n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• His novel about Jesus caused a furore among Christians. 他关于耶稣的小说激起了基督教徒的公愤。

4 parasitic   

adj.寄生的

参考例句：

• Will global warming mean the spread of tropical parasitic diseases?全球变暖是否意味着热带寄生虫病会蔓延呢？
• By definition,this way of life is parasitic.从其含义来说，这是种寄生虫的生活方式。

5 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

6 clergy   

n.[总称]牧师，神职人员

参考例句：

• I could heartily wish that more of our country clergy would follow this example.我衷心希望，我国有更多的牧师效法这个榜样。
• All the local clergy attended the ceremony.当地所有的牧师出席了仪式。

7 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

8 solidarity   

n.团结；休戚相关

参考例句：

• They must preserve their solidarity.他们必须维护他们的团结。
• The solidarity among China's various nationalities is as firm as a rock.中国各族人民之间的团结坚如磐石。

9 mosque   

n.清真寺

参考例句：

• The mosque is a activity site and culture center of Muslim religion.清真寺为穆斯林宗教活动场所和文化中心。
• Some years ago the clock in the tower of the mosque got out of order.几年前，清真寺钟楼里的大钟失灵了。