A Text Message In 610 C.E., Muhammad started writing the Quran. By 630 C.E.

, Islam took control of Mecca and destroyed the idols worshipped there. Over the course of many years, one text has changed the way about a quarter of the worlds population thinks today. It is evident that time periods are products of the texts being produced and read during them. This is because texts are the only way to give analyzable information to large audiences. The way people respond to the texts they are given create definable moments in time. In the Quran, it states there is only one god, all men are equal, and that loyalty to Islam is above all else. Because these were bold statements for their time period, they caused many people to change the way they think and act. This change in thought and action in turn changed the time period itself. We can see one example of how times are a product of texts by examining how the Qurans message of there being only one God affected the people of Mecca. This statement brought about the end of all idol worship in Mecca. It was a significant change in the way people lived at the time and it was brought about by the texts Muhammad created and peoples responses to those texts. Muslims were driven out of Mecca in direct response to the oppression against the word of Muhammad. After leaving Mecca because their beliefs were challenged and they were persecuted, the followers of Islam spread its message across the Middle East. Eventually, Islam gained enough of a following to take back Mecca. The takeover of Mecca and the destruction of the idols worshiped there created a new period of time in the Middle East. Another example of how times are products of texts can be found by examining the effect the Qurans message of all men being equal had on the people of the Middle East. This statement was responsible for bringing about a change in equality in places like Mecca and Medina. Because Islam was willing to accept slaves as full and equal members of its religious community, people began to think differently about slavery. After hearing what Muhammad had said about the equality of all men, slaves

started to formulate their own ideas about how they were being mistreated by their masters. They responded to the new ideas found in the Quran by disobeying their masters. Much like the how Emancipation Proclamation changed the way the United States thought in 1863 C.E., the Quran changed the way much of the Middle East thought around 610 C.E. One of the most time defining segments of text found in the Quran is the statement that loyalty to Islam comes before all else. These words caused many people to turn their backs on their old customs and embrace the new beliefs of Islam full heartedly. Because of the strong devotion to Islam commanded in the Quran, Muslims have spread their religion all over the globe. This is a direct response to Muslims belief that Islam is more important than any other religion, organization, or social structure. The words written in the Quran created a time period, in which we still currently live, where much of the Middle East is Islamic. In conclusion, because texts are the only way to get analyzable information out to a large numbers of people, they hold a great deal of influence over people and evoke responses that change thought patterns and actions. These changes in thoughts and actions bring about a change in time periods. It is easy to see how influential texts can be by examining how many of the core fundamentals found in the Quran changed the course of history. Ideas spread by the Quran changed the Middle East around 610 C.E. and are still changing the world today. One book, one film, one song, or one live performance is all it takes to change the minds of people worldwide. If you can change the minds of the people, you can change the times.