Muhammad
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Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah (Arabic: محمد بن عبدالله, Muḥammad; also Mohammed, Muhammed, Mahomet, and other variants) (c. 570 Mecca- June 8, 632 AD Medina), was the founder of Islam and is regarded by Muslims as the last and only true messenger and prophet of God (Arabic: الله Allah).
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The Sunnah
Muhammad himself is considered an ideal man, al-insan al-kamil in Arabic, he is not considered divine nor is he to be worshipped. He is rather a model in how a Muslim should live his life.
Through Muhammads example, his life and teachings Muslims can discern the sunnah or "way" of the prophet. Through Muhammad's non-Quranic utterances to his personal habits, all ways should be mirrored. One can attain these insights into his life primarily by way of Hadiths or reports of his life passed down orally until finally written down in the eighth century AD. The hadiths are considered written by contemporaries and eyewitnesses to Muhammad. There are thousands of hadiths with some very lengthy while others are only a few sentences. Many were considered fakes, not owning up to what they claimed in the end but through Islamic scholars during the time those that should not be considered were found out.
Muhammad's life as a prophet can be separated into two epochs. One is when he was in Mecca, where he first received revelation for 12 years and painstakingly tried to convert for fourteen years. The other epoch after Mecca has to do with the city of Medina or The City of the Apostle of God.
Life based on Islamic traditions
Muhammad was born in Mecca. He belonged to the clan of Hashim, a poor but respected branch of the prestigious and influential tribe of Quraysh. His father, ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Abdu’l-Muttalib, died before he was born. After his mother's death when he was six, he was brought up by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, and after his grandfather's death, by his uncle Abu Talib. Pensive and withdrawn in temperament, he displayed an acute moral sensitivity at an early age, and he was known as al-Amin (“the trusted one”). Like his fellow tribesmen, he became a trader and made several journeys to Syria, where he may have met and conversed with Christians. He then began to manage the business of a rich widow, Khadija; she was greatly impressed by both his honesty and ability, and she shortly offered him marriage, which he accepted. Muhammad was 25 years old and Khadija may have been as old as 40 at the time.
During the month of Ramadan, Muhammad would retreat to a cave located at the summit of Mount Hira, just outside Mecca in the Arabian Hijaz, where he fasted and prayed. According to Islamic belief, when he was about forty years old (610) he was visited by Angel Gabriel and commanded to recite verses sent by God. These revelations continued until his death twenty-three years later. The collection of these verses is known as the Qur'an.
He expanded his mission as a prophet, publicly preaching strict monotheism, condemning the social evils of his day, and warning of a Day of Judgment when all humans shall be held responsible for their deeds.
After ignoring Muhammad's preaching, the elites in Mecca, feeling threatened by his message, harassed Muhammad and persecuted his followers. This continued and intensified over more than a decade. The hardships reached a new level for Muhammad after the deaths of his wife Khadija and his uncle Abu Talib, who, although not becoming a Muslim, had protected Muhammad throughout. Eventually, in 622, Muhammad left Mecca in a journey known to Muslims as the Hijra (the Migration). He settled in the area of Yathrib (now known as Medina) with his followers, where he was the leader of the first Muslim community.
Six years of continuous war between Muslim and Meccan forces followed, culminating later in the bloodless Muslim victory and conquest of Mecca. The Muslims subsequently removed everything they considered idolatrous from the Kaaba. Most of the townspeople accepted Islam. In March 632, Muhammad led the pilgrimage known as the Hajj. On returning to Medina he fell ill and died after a few days, on June 8.
Under the caliphs who assumed authority after his death, the Islamic empire expanded into Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, North Africa, southern Spain, and Anatolia. Later conquests, commercial contact between Muslims and non-Muslims, and missionary activity spread Islam over much of the Eastern Hemisphere, including China and Southeast Asia.
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Categories: Biography | Religion | Islam | Muhammad | Middle East
