Two posts concerning the
Olympic paganic origins
قال شيخ الإسلام أبو العباس ، أحمد ابن تيمية الحراني قدس الله روحه ،
واصفاً مدى تأثر جهلة المسلمين بهذه الأعياد الوثنية : ( وغرضنا لا يتوقف على معرفة
تفاصيل باطلهم ، ولكن يكفينا أن نعرف المنكر معرفة تميز بينه وبين المباح ،
والمعروف ، والمستحب ، والواجب حتى نتمكن بهذه المعرفة من اتقائه واجتنابه كما نعرف
سائر المحرمات إذ الفرض علينا تركها ، ومن لم يعرف المنكر لا جملة ولا تفصيلاً لم
يتمكن من قصد اجتنابه ، والمعرفة الجميلة كافية بخلاف الواجبات ، فإن الفرض لما كان
فعلها ، والفعل لا يتأتى إلا مفصلاً وجبت معرفتها على سبيل التفصيل ، وإنما عددت
أشياء من منكرات دينهم لما رأيت طوائف من المسلمين قد ابتلوا ببعضها ، وجهل كثير
منهم أنها من دين النصارى الملعون هو وأهله ) . " إقتضاء الصراط المستقيم " :
(1/211) .
Ibn Taymiyah mentioned describing the effect that these paganic
occasions had on the ignorant public (from amongst the Muslims): "and our
purpose does not stop at knowing details of their transgression (baatil), but to
know clearly the forbidden acts in order that we distinguish between them and
that which is permitted, accepted, or obligatory. This to avoid and protect
ourselves from these acts after receiving knowledge clearly as we would know
other forbidden acts (muharramaat) which we are ordered to abandon. And he who
does not know the forbidden acts (munkar) in general or in detail will not
intend to avoid. A reasonable amount of knowledge is sufficient unlike the
obligatory acts of worship which we should perform, and that we cannot do unless
we know the details, and so we should gain knowledge in detail. I have counted
the unaccepted/shocking acts (munkar) in their religion when I found groups of
Muslims have been afflicted by this (the majority of them were ignorant that it
was from the religion of the Christian)" (Iqtidaa As-siraat Al-mustaqeem
1/211)
Attachment on the second post
includes the article in English, copied below:
The
Olympic Games
The following research was conducted to relate the
ancient meanings interwoven in the modern day games of the Olympics. The
connection is evident as the Olympic Flame is lit every season from the sun's
rays at the fire altar at the Temple of Hera, part of the historic ruins of the
home of the ancient Olympic Games, and transported to the voted venue and kept
burning throughout the Olympic Games.
The Greek cult of the Twelve Olympians
can be traced to the 6th century BCE, but the ritual was abandoned in the first
century CE with the spread of prophet Isa's/Jesus -peace be upon him- call to
monotheism as the first Christians fought against these paganic rituals. The
city of Olypmia was destroyed in the 6th century CE with a series of earthquakes
and tsunamis, the year that prophet Muhammad-peace and blessings be upon him-was
sent to humanity. Accordingly, the Greek rituals were eliminated for over 17
centuries until they were revived again in 1821CE upon the fall of the Islamic
Uttomon rule and return of Western rule in Greece.
The
Revival of Greek Rituals
The Greek interest in reviving the culture of
the Olympic Games began directly after the Greek War of Independence from the
Islamic Ottoman Empire in 1821CE despite the elimination of these rituals for
the previous 17 centuries. The Greek War of Independence, also known as the
Greek Revolution, was waged by the Greek revolutionaries between 1821 and 1832
with later assistance from several European powers, Russia, United Kingdom and
France against the Ottoman Empire. The ruler in Greece during that perod was
King Otto of Greece and Bavaria (Germany today) who was a Roman Catholic as the
Kingdom of Greece was only a state within the German Empire.
The revival of
this paganic Greek tradition was proposed by Panagiotis Soutsos the poet and
newspaper editor a great admirer of Greek traditions and religious rituals whom
wrote and published in 1856CE an article about the re-establishment of the
Olympic Games in his own "Helios" newspaper (meaning, "Sun") promoting the cause
of Greek unity and culture. Soutsos suggested that March 25, the anniversary of
the outbreak of the Greek war of independence, should be declared a national
holiday and proposed that in this anniversary festivities should be held
including a revival of the ancient Olympics as a sign of the re-establishment of
western Greek culture. In conclusion, the revival of Greek religous traditions
was initiated to signify the fall of the Islamic empire and retreaval and
expansion of the western Greek world.
Mount Olympus, Abode of the
Gods
Mount Olympus is the highest mountain in Greece with the highest
peak Mytikas considered one of the highest peaks in Europe. In Greek mythology,
Olympus was regarded as the "home" of the Twelve Olympian gods of the ancient
Greek world, with Zues as the father and Hera as the mother of the gods. These
Olympian Gods replaced the previous 12 Titan gods as it was eventual that when
the people were beaten at war they would replace their gods and more often pray
to the gods of their successors. The concept of the "Twelve Gods" is likely to
be connected to the worship of the celestial bodies in the zodiac system. The
Greek cult of the Twelve Olympians can be traced to 6th-century BCE with the
altar to the Twelve Olympians at Athens. The Olympian gods were pictured as
being engaged in wrestling, jumping and running contests the exact activities
held in the Olympic Games today.
The games were first initiated in Olympia,
Greece, in a sanctuary site for the Greek deities near the towns of Elis and
Pisa. The sanctuary, known as the Altis, consists of an unordered arrangement of
various buildings. Enclosed within the temenos (sacred enclosure) are the Temple
of Hera (or eraion/Heraeum) and Temple of Zeus, the Pelopion and the area of the
altar, where the sacrifices were made. The games and sacrifices were held in
honor of Zues, father of the Olympian gods. The games were held to be one of the
two central rituals in Ancient Greece and were usually held every four years.
They were held in honor of the Greek god Zeus, and on the middle day of the
Games, 100 oxen would be sacrificed to him.
The first Games began as an
annual foot race of young women in competition for the position of the priestess
for the goddess, Hera, and a second race was instituted for a consort for the
priestess who would participate in the religious traditions at the temple. Later
on the festivals grew from one to five days, three of which were used for
competition, the other two days were dedicated to religious rituals. On the
final day, there was a banquet for all the participants, consisting of 100 oxen
that had been sacrificed to Zeus on the first day. Strict rules were enacted as
only free men who spoke Greek could compete in a nude condition. The Greek
tradition of athletic nudity was introduced in 720 BCE. The site of Olympia
remained until a series of earthquakes and tsunamis destroyed it in the 6th
century AD.
One myth attributed to the establishment of the Olympic games is
dated by the historian at 776 BCE wherein for some reason the Games of previous
millennia were discontinued and then revived by Lycurgus of Sparta, Iphitos of
Elis, and Cleoisthenes of Pisa at the behest of the Oracle of Delphi who claimed
that the people had strayed from the gods, which had caused a plague and
constant war. Restoration of the Games would end the plague, usher in a time of
peace, and signal a return to a more traditional lifestyle. The patterns that
emerge from these myths are that the Greeks believed the Games had their roots
in religion, that athletic competition was tied to worship of the gods, and the
revival of the ancient Games was intended to bring peace, harmony and a return
to the origins of Greek life.
During a celebration of the Games, an Olympic
Truce was enacted so that athletes could travel from their countries to the
Games in safety. The Games became a political tool used by city-states to assert
dominance over their rivals. Politicians would announce political alliances at
the Games, and in times of war, priests would offer sacrifices to the gods for
victory. The Games were also used to help spread Hellenistic culture throughout
the Mediterranean. Thus Hellenistic culture and the Games spread while the
primacy of Olympia persisted.
Symbols of the Olympic
Games
The
Olympic Flame
The Olympic Flame is a symbol of the Olympic Games
commemorating the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus. Its
origins lie in ancient Greece, where a fire was kept burning throughout the
celebration of the ancient Olympics. The Olympic Torch today is ignited several
months before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games at the site of the
ancient Olympics in Olympia, Greece. Eleven women, representing the Vestal
Virgins, perform a ceremony in which the torch is kindled by the light of the
Sun, its rays concentrated by a parabolic mirror.
In the time of the original
games within the boundaries of Olympia, the altar of the sanctuary dedicated to
the goddess Hestia maintained a continuous flame. For the ancient Greeks, fire
had divine connotations—it was thought to have been stolen from the gods by
Prometheus. Therefore, fire was also present at many of the sanctuaries in
Olympia, Greece. During the Olympic Games, which honored Zeus, additional fires
were lit at his temple and that of his wife, Hera. The modern Olympic flame is
ignited at the site where the temple of Hera used to stand .
The modern
convention of moving the Olympic Flame via a relay system from Greece to the
Olympic venue began in 1936 initiated by the Hilter Nazi Regime. Carl Diem
devised the idea of the torch relay for the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin that
was organized by the Nazis under the guidance of Joseph Goebbels. Krupp
armaments company produced the torches in wood and metal, inspired by an olive
leaf. The Olympic Flame was lit by a concave mirror in Olympia, Greece and
transported over 3,187 kilometres by 3,331 runners in twelve days and eleven
nights from Greece to Berlin. Leni Riefenstahl later staged the torch relay for
the 1938 film Olympia. The film was part of the Nazi propaganda machine’s
attempt to add myth and mystique to Adolf Hitler’s regime. Hitler saw the link
with the ancient Games as the perfect way to illustrate his belief that
classical Greece was an Aryan forerunner of the modern German
Reich.
The Olive Branch
The
prizes for the victors in the ancient as well as modern games were wreaths of
laurel leaves. A laurel wreath is a circular wreath made of interlocking
branches and leaves of the bay laurel made of wild olive-tree. In Greek
mythology, Apollo is represented wearing a laurel wreath on his head. Apollo has
been variously recognized as a god of light and the sun, truth and prophecy,
healing, plague, music, poetry, and more. Apollo is the son of Zeus and Leto. In
Rome they were symbols of martial victory, crowning a successful commander
during his triumph.
The winner of an Olympic event was also awarded an olive
branch. The olive tree represented plenty, but the ancient Greeks believed that
it also drove away evil spirits. The olive branch is usually a symbol of peace
or victory dating back to the the 5th century BCE. This symbol, deriving from
the customs of Ancient Greece, is strongest in Western culture, however, it has
been found in every culture and religion to thrive in the Mediterranean basin.
For example, the olive branch appears with a dove in early Christian art. The
dove derives from the simile of the Holy Spirit in the Gospels and the olive
branch from classical symbolism. The early Christians, according to Winckelmann,
often allegorised peace on their sepulchres by the figure of a dove bearing an
olive branch in its beak. Tertullian (c.160 - c.220) compared Noah's dove in the
Hebrew Bible, who "announced to the world the assuagement of divine wrath, when
she had been sent out of the ark and returned with the olive branch" with the
Holy Spirit in baptism "bringing us the peace of God, sent out from the
heavens". St Augustine wrote in On Christian Doctrine that, "perpetual peace is
indicated by the olive branch (oleae ramusculo) which the dove brought with it
when it returned to the ark." An olive branch held by a dove was used as a peace
symbol in 18th century Britain and America.
References
Swaddling,
Judith (2000). The Ancient Olympic Games (2 ed.). Austin: University of Texas
Press.
"Overview of Olympic Games". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 4 June
2008.
Spivey, Nigel (2005). The Ancient Olympics. Oxford, England: Oxford
University Press.
