The Muslim religion has been much on my mind lately. The Heavenly Doctrines refer to the “Muhammadans” in several places. The following is an excerpt from Married Love:

342. (9) The Muslim heaven exists outside the Christian heaven and is divided into two heavens, a lower and a higher; and only those Muslims are raised up into their higher heaven who renounce concubines, live with one wife, and acknowledge our Lord as equal to God the Father, who has given Him dominion over heaven and earth. Before we say anything about this specifically, it is important that we premise something about the Lord’s Divine providence respecting the rise of the Muslim religion.

The Muslim religion has been adopted by many more countries than the Christian religion, and this may pose a problem for people who think about Divine providence and at the same time believe that no one else can be saved but one who has been born a Christian. But the Muslim religion is not a problem to those who believe that all things are of Divine providence. Such people inquire into where it lies, and moreover discover it.

The Divine providence in the present instance lies in this, that the Muslim religion acknowledges our Lord as the Son of God, the wisest of men, and as a very great prophet, who came into the world to teach mankind. However, because they made the Koran their only book of religion, and because Muhammad who wrote the book therefore settled in their thoughts, whom they follow with some degree of worship, therefore they think little about our Lord.

To have it fully known that this religion was raised up of the Lord’s Divine providence, to put an end to the idolatries of many nations, we need consider it in some order. First, then, regarding the origin of idolatrous worship:

[2] Before the Muslim religion arose, worship of idols existed throughout the world. The reason for this was that the churches before the Lord’s Advent were all representational churches. The Israelite Church was even such a church. The Tabernacle in it, the vestments of Aaron, the sacrifices, all the appointments of the Temple at Jerusalem, and moreover the statutes, were representative. Furthermore, among the ancients there was a knowledge of correspondences, which includes a knowledge of representations. It was the principal study of the wise, cultivated especially by the Egyptians, from which came their hieroglyphics . . .

In the course of time, when a knowledge of correspondences became extinguished, their posterity began to worship the carved figures themselves as sacred in themselves, not knowing that their ancient forebears did not see any intrinsic sacredness in them, but only that they represented and so symbolized sacred things by virtue of their correspondences. In consequence of this idolatries arose, which filled the whole world, both the Asiatic world with its surrounding islands and the African and European worlds.

[4] In order to eradicate all these idolatries, of the Lord’s Divine providence it came to pass that a new religion was introduced, suited to the native characters of eastern peoples, in which there would be something from each of the two Testaments of the Word; a religion which would teach that the Lord came into the world, and that He was a very great prophet, the wisest of all men, and the Son of God. This was accomplished through Muhammad, from whom this religion received the name Muhammadanism.

It is apparent from this that this religion was raised up of the Lord’s Divine providence and suited, as said, to the native characters of orientals, in order to put an end to the idolatries of so many nations, and to provide them with some awareness of the Lord before they came into the spiritual world, as happens with everyone after death. This religion would not have been adopted by so many countries, and would not have been able to eradicate their idolatries, unless it was conformable to their ideas. Especially not, had not polygamy been permitted; and this for the additional reason that, without that permission, eastern peoples would have blazed up more than Europeans into foul adulteries and perished.

343. There is a heaven for Muslims, too, because all people in the entire world are saved who acknowledge God and from religion refrain from evils as being sins against Him. As for that heaven’s being divided into two, a lower and a higher, this they themselves have told me; also that they live in the lower heaven with several women, both wives and concubines, as in the world, but that those who renounce concubines and live with one wife are raised up into the higher heaven. They have told me as well that it is impossible for them to think of our Lord as being one with God the Father, but that it is possible for them to think of Him as being equal, to whom God has given dominion over heaven and earth because He is His Son. Consequently that is the belief found in those who are granted by the Lord to ascend into their higher heaven.