MUHAMMAD
Although Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, is revered as the seal of the prophets, Muslims regard him as only a human messenger and not one to be worshiped. Muhammad was born about 570 in Mecca as a member of the Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe. His tribesman were the keepers of the Ka’ba, a place of pilgrimage which housed the idols of many deities. Muhammad lost both of his parents early (his father died before his birth) and he was raised by his uncle, Abu Talib, from whom he learned to manage a trade caravan. At the age of twenty-five, he became employed by Khadija, a wealthy widow merchant fifteen years older than he. After several successful journeys to Syria, Muhammad married Khadija in a Christian ceremony with the vows administered by Khadija’s cousin, Waraqa bin Nawfal.A devoutly religious man, Muhammad often retreated to a cave in Mount Hira, in the outskirts of Mecca. It was on one of these occasions in 610, at the age of forty, that he received a vision from an angel in which he was told to recite. That same word that he was to recite, Muhammad later proclaimed to be the word of Allah and was later codified into the Qur’an. Muhammad’s initial reaction to his encounter on Mount Hira was confusion and fear. Yet, his wife Khadija, convinced Muhammad that he was a prophet of God, and that his encounters were real. Soon he began preaching against the idol worship in Mecca and proclaimed Allah the only true God.
Only a few accepted the message of Muhammad, while many rose up against him, for his message was a direct attack on the commercial interest of those who profited from the annual pilgrims who came to pay tribute to the many deities worshiped in and around Mecca. One of Muhammad’s more formidable adversaries was his uncle, Abu Lahab, who became the only individual cursed by name in the Qur’an. Among those who followed Muhammad were Khadija, his cousin Ali, his friend Abu Bakr, and Umar, an influential member of the Quraish tribe. Initially Muhammad and his followers were ostracized by his tribe, being denied the ability to trade or associate with them. But the Quraish soon turned to methods of torture, and in 615 Muhammad allowed some of the followers to flee to Abyssinia.
In 619, both his wife and his uncle died, and the persecution he and his followers faced intensified. But while those in Mecca opposed Muhammad, leaders from various tribes in Medina, about two hundred miles to the north, sought his counsel. On July 16, 622, when a plot to assassinate Muhammad was discovered, Muhammad and his followers escaped during the night and fled to Medina, an event known as the Hijra. This date marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
Medina was a city inhabited by both Arab and Jewish tribes. Muhammad often mediated in conflicts involving these and the Muslims who came from Mecca. Thus, the Meccan years allowed Muhammad to further develop his religion as he worked to bring unity among many groups of people. In one of his first acts as governor, Muhammad established two principles that are still basic to Islam today. The first was that Islam was the source of temporal and spiritual authority, and the other was that faith, rather than tribe, was to be the source of loyalty among men.
Muhammad continued to receive revelations while in Medina, the last of which occurred in 622. As the number of followers increased, their ambitions to expand to other regions and peoples became more feasible. Soon Muhammad proved himself an able military leader as the Muslims engaged in several battles with those they considered infidels – those who rejected the Prophet’s message. On January 1, 630, Muhammad led an army of ten thousand against the inhabitants of Mecca. When they surrounded the Ka’ba and demanded the loyalty of every one, the citizens complied. He ordered the removal of every idol from the ka’ba and proclaimed that there is no god but Allah. He then declared that every Muslim was obligated to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. While all forms of polytheism were forbidden, Jews and Christians, referred to in the Qur’an as “People of the Book,” were permitted to continue worshiping in their traditions.
With Mecca finally conquered, Muhammad returned to Medina to live out the remainder of his life with his family. While it is not known how many wives Muhammad married, the total was at least thirteen, and included at least one Jewish wife, a Coptic Christian wife, and his favorite wife, Aisha, whom he married when she was nine years old.
Muhammad returned to Mecca for his final pilgrimage in 632. When he returned to Medina, he became ill. Some traditions record that a Jewish wife poisoned him. Muhammad had no sons, and the closest male heir was his son-in-law and cousin, Ali, whom he had adopted. Because he did not appointed a successor, there was a dispute within the community over whether the leadership should go to Ali or to one chosen by a majority of the community. The majority prevailed and chose Abu Bakr as the first caliph. A division over leadership later developed that resulted in the two major sects of Islam that exist today, the Sunnis and the Shi’ites.
