History of the Middle East and North Africa 600-1258Unlike India which has a clearly defined caste system to divide classes, other nations have classes that are implied by economic differences and social. The Middle East, after the rise of Islam, also had an implicit class system, called High Islam and Popular or Low Islam. There is no real high and popular Islam into which people are officially divided, but it is perceived through historical analysis. They are concepts derived from historical artifacts that provide a way to compare and contrast the people, religion, and government of Islam. (Frierson) We hope this essay sheds light on these concepts. "Allah is the protector of those who have faith: from the depths of darkness He will lead them to the light." (Cow 2:257) Jesus Christ never expected animated DVDs, that Santa Claus would not overshadow his “birthday,” or the endless sects of Christians who claimed to truly understand his message and scriptures. (Unless, of course, one is a Christian and believes that he is God and therefore knows everything) It is questionable whether Muhammad foresaw the possibility of the Muslim community heading towards such contempt of the sacred. However, the fact that the sin of idolatry was so feared by Muslims demonstrated substantial power in suppressing the very abandonment of the sacred to which Christianity modernized. Despite the lack of Muhammad dolls and Allah t-shirts, the religion of Islam evolved into a government, into an empire, and ultimately into a vague ideal of holiness interpreted in thousands of ways. Having a mysterious, faceless deity not only prevented the commercialization of a religion, but served to allow any culture to adopt its own unique view of God. When Muhammad first formed the little...... middle of paper ...... English translation of the Quran. London: Penguin Classics, 2006. Specific Sura The Cow (referred to as Cow) Frierson, Elizabeth. Classroom Lectures, PowerPoint, and Portfolio Guidelines University of Cincinnati Course Number 15-HIST-170-001, September 20-October 2010. (Hereafter referred to as Frierson)Haug, Dr. Classroom Lectures and PowerPoint Course University of Cincinnati Number 15-HIST-170-001, September 20-October 2010. (Referred to as Haug)Lewis, Bernard. Islam: From the Prophet Muhammad to the Capture of Constantinople, Volume 1. Oxford University Press, 1987. (listed as Lewis 1) Lewis, Bernard. Islam: From the Prophet Muhammad to the Capture of Constantinople, Volume 2. Oxford University Press, 1987. (listed as Lewis 2) Ochsenwald, William and Sidney Fisher. The Middle East: a history. McGraw-Hill, 2004. (Referred to as F&O)