Muhammad
Muhammad (in Arabic: محمد) (c. 571 - June 8, 632 AD) was an Arabian religious and political leader who Muslims believe to be the last prophet of God. Believed to be a descendent of Ishmael, a son of Abraham, he is considered the most important person in the religion of Islam.
History
Childhood
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Muhammad was born about 571 AD in Mecca. His father, whose name was Abdullah, died more than six months before Muhammad's birth. His mother, Amina, died when he was three years old. So, his grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, took care of him for two years. After his grandfather's death, his uncle Abu Talib took care of him, and was a support to him for many years of his adult life.
Beginning of the Prophecy
In 610 CE, when Muhammad was forty years old, he went for a walk to the mountain of Hira near Mecca. According to Muslims, the archangel Gabriel spoke with him in the cave of the mountain. This is what Gabriel said to Muhammad:
| “ | Read... in the name of God Who made man from a drop of blood... God is Most Rewarding... He Who taught man to write with pen... and taught man what he knew not.[1] | ” |
Muhammad ran back home scared at first. However new revelations came to him commanding him to preach what was being sent down from God. When Muhammad first started teaching, many of the people of Mecca, who were pagans and worshipped idols, did not like the things that Muhammad said. But there were also people who listened to his preaching and obeyed his messages. These people were the first of the followers of Islam. Muhammad's uncle Abu Lahab, who was a leader of Mecca, started to punish and torture all followers of Islam. Some followers of Islam were put to death. Muhammad was often insulted, but was not physically harmed.
No matter how hard they tried, more people were willing to enter Islam. But then, the people of Mecca were told to throw all Muslims into the desert without their belongings. They stayed there for three years without enough food or water. Then, Muhammad's wife, Khadijah, and his uncle, Abu Talib, died in the same year. Muhammad was left without protection against the people of Mecca.
The Hijra
When Muhammad thought he had failed, people from Medina learnt about him and his followers. They welcomed him into their city, but Muhammad wanted them to convert to Islam in exchange. They agreed, and most of his followers went to Medina. This movement from Mecca to Medina is called the Hijra. The Hijra was also the beginning of the Muslim calendar. Muhammad stayed behind until all of his people left Mecca safely.
As Muhammad stayed in Mecca, Abu Lahab was training seven men to kill him in his sleep. But, no one saw him leaving Mecca. The men went into his house and found his cousin, Ali. So, Abu Lahab and his horsemen went to the desert to look for him and his friend, Abu Bakr.
His stay in Medina
Muhammad and Abu Bakr arrived in Medina safely. The people of Medina welcomed Muhammad with a song:"Tala al badru alaina..." Today, this song is famous in Muslim populations. Muhammad had many people welcoming him to their homes, but he used his camel to show everyone where he would build his house. Also, the first mosque of Medina, a small place for prayer, was built at the back of the house.
But then, many things began to happen. Not everyone was happy about the new changes in Medina. A strong Jewish tribe in Medina felt that Muhammad's new rules would change their lifestyle for the worse. So, they told their allies in Mecca to sell of all the things and homes the Muslims of Mecca left behind. Then the Muslims, and those from Mecca, were being advised to fight to get their belongings back. But, Muhammad did not advise them to do so.
Then one day, Muslims were called all over Medina to gather at the mosque that Muhammad prayed in. They were told to fight against the pagans of Mecca, who threw Muslims out of Mecca long ago. Having no income, the Muslims who originally came from Mecca then attacked caravans from Mecca. Then in A.D. 624, Muhammad himself led a large group of some three hundred warriors to attack a caravan.
The wars
The Quraysh pagans of Mecca heard about this, and they sent a larger army numbering 1000 warriors to fight the Muslims. They met in Badr, but the pagans were defeated and Abu Jahl, one of the pagan leaders, was also killed.
But, the Muslims lost the second war at Uhud. One year after the fight at Badr, the army of Mecca had outside help. Muslim archers failed to listen to Muhammad's instructions and Khalid ibn al-Walid cleverly took advantage of that. Hamza, Muhammad's last uncle, was killed when a slave from Mecca threw a spear into his chest. Muhammad himself was injured.
Then in 627, Abu Sufyan led the Quraysh and its allies to attack Medina itself. However, they could not pass the trench that the Muslims had dug around Medina. After several weeks, the coalition broke up and went home. The Medinians were considered victors.
The truce with Mecca
After the pagans of Mecca failed to gain control of Medina, the Muslims became stronger. The pagans then decided to sign a truce with the Muslims. This means that they would not fight each other for ten years. The Muslims used this as a chance to talk to other people all over Arabia. In three years, many people changed their religions to Islam.
But, this truce did not last for long. After three years of it, a small group of horsemen from Mecca attacked a Muslim camp and killed a few of them. The Muslims in Medina heard of this, and the truce was cancelled. Abu Sufyan, third leader of Mecca in Muhammad's lifetime, tried to resume the truce, but Muhammad politely refused the offer. Muhammad told his followers to be ready to capture Mecca.
The capture of Mecca
In 630, most people in Arabia had become Muslims, and they became part of Muhammad's large army to capture Mecca. Because of the big size, the people of Mecca were afraid to fight back. Abu Sufyan, still feeling bad over the broken truce, went to Muhammad's camp outside Mecca to ask for forgiveness. He did not receive a direct response so he returned back home. Before he did, in Muhammad's presence, he changed his religion to Islam by saying the Testimony (al-Ashaada):
| “ | I testify that there is no other god but God, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. | ” |
The next day, the Muslim army walked towards Mecca. Everyone ran to their homes and closed all doors and windows. They were afraid that the Muslims were going to kill them, because of the bad things they did to the Muslims many years ago. But, the Muslims went towards the Kaaba, believed to be built by Abraham and his elder son, Ishmael. Bilal ibn Ribah, a former Ethiopian slave, shouted out loud to the people of Mecca that they were all safe:
| “ | All those who lay down arms are safe. All those in the house of Abu Sufyan are safe. All those behind closed doors are safe. | ” |
Abu Sufyan heard this in his home. From this, he learnt that Muhammad forgave him. At that time, Muhammad and his followers removed and broke all idols from the Kaaba. The idols were statues that the pagans worshipped as gods. At the end, Bilal climbed to the top of the Kaaba and called for prayer. This was Muhammad's victory in spreading Islam all over Arabia. But, because he was old, he would not live for long.
His death
In 632, Muhammad became very sick. Before he died, he told his followers about it. Many cried because of this, and some still did after he died. He is buried in his place in Medina, where the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) is. In Mecca, his friend Abu Bakr went to the Kaaba and shouted to the people:
| “ | If any of you worship Muhammad, you should know that Muhammad is dead. But those of you who worship God, let it be known that God is alive and cannot die.[2] | ” |
Although Muhammad died, Islam soon spread all over the Middle East. Then, centuries later, it continued till it reached Africa, Asia and Europe. Islam has become one of the world's biggest religions.
See also
Other websites
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- Non-sectarian biographies
- Muhammad, article on Enyclopaedia Britannica Online
- Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet - PBS Site
- Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet - UPF (Producer's Site)
- Encarta Encyclopedia
- 1911 Encyclopedia article on Mahomet
- William Muir: The Life of Mahomet
- The Hero as Prophet A passionate championship of Prophet Muhammad as a Hegelian agent of reform. by Carlyle, Thomas (1795-1881) On Heroes and the Heroic in History. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1966.
- Muslim biographies
Further reading
- Adil Salahi (2002). Muhammad: Man and Prophet. Islamic Foundation (UK). ISBN 186204290X.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Andrae, Tor (2000). Mohammed: The Man and His Faith. Dover. ISBN 0-486-41136-2.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Armstrong, Karen (1993). Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet. San Francisco: Harper. ISBN 0-06-250886-5.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Berg, Herbert, ed. (2003). Method and Theory in the Study of Islamic Origins. E. J. Brill. ISBN 90-04-12602-3.
{{cite book}}:|author=has generic name (help); Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: year (link) - Cook, Michael (1983). Muhammad. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-287605-8 (reissue 1996).
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Dashti, Ali (1994). Twenty-Three Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad. Mazda. ISBN 1-56859-029-6.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Hamidullah, Muhammad (1998). The Life and Work of the Prophet of Islam. (s.n.)(Islamabad: Islamic Research Institute). ISBN 969-8413-00-6.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Motzki, Harald, ed. (2000). The Biography of Muhammad: The Issue of the Sources (Islamic History and Civilization: Studies and Texts, Vol. 32). Brill. ISBN 90-04-11513-7.
{{cite book}}:|author=has generic name (help); Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: year (link) - Rodinson, Maxime (1961). Muhammad. New Publishers. ISBN 1-56584-752-0.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Rodinson, Maxime (2002). Muhammad: Prophet of Islam. Tauris Parke Paperbacks. ISBN 1-86064-827-4.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Rubin, Uri (1995). The Eye of the Beholder: The Life of Muhammad as Viewed by the Early Muslims (A Textual Analysis). Darwin Press. ISBN 0-87850-110-X.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Schimmel, Annemarie (1985). And Muhammad is His Messenger: The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety. The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-4128-5.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Stillman, Norman (1975). The Jews of Arab Lands: a History and Source Book. Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 0-8276-0198-0.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link) - Warraq, Ibn (2000). The Quest for the Historical Muhammad. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-787-2.
{{cite book}}: Check date values in:|year=(help)CS1 maint: year (link)
See also
References
- ↑ This saying can be found in the Quran (Chapter 96:1 - 5)
- ↑ Muhammad’s Biography, The Religion of Islam. Found January 23, 2007