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We can only speculate what the course of history might have been if all of the Christian world had accepted Islam and truly followed the teachings of the Qur'an. Europe and much of Byzantium resisted Islam and sunk into the 'dark ages', while a large portion of Christendom - Syria, all of North Africa and most of what is commonly referred to as the Holy Land - accepted Islam and went on to build a civilization more advanced than any civilization Europe had ever experienced. (85:1) But 'Abdu'l-Baha does not put the responsibility for this transgression chiefly on the shoulders of the Christian world. Rather, He specifically points out that it was the actions of those who followed Islam that caused the most harm. In particular, He focuses attention on a whole despotic dynasty which usurped the leadership of Islam and corrupted its teachings. He equated this dynasty, the Umayyids, with the 'beast' mentioned in the eleventh chapter of Revelation. These individuals, who opposed Muhammad from the very beginning and later converted, were responsible for much internal strife and bloodshed within the Faith of Islam, the effects of which have continued to this day. These historical facts correlate to Revelation 11:7, which states that the beast 'made war against' the two witnesses, 'and killed them'. 'Abdu'l-Baha explains:
(85:2)
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