Muhammad

Muhammad (570 – 8 June 632) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader, best known as the founder of Islam. Islamic teachings say Muhammad was a prophet who God inspired to preach and confirm the monotheistic teachings of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. He is believed to be the Seal of the Prophets within Islam. Islamic religious beliefs are based on Muhammad's teachings, his practices, and the Qur'an.

Muhammad مُحَمَّدٌ
"Muhammad the Messenger of God" inscribed on the gates of the Prophet's Mosque in Medina
Born	Muḥammad ibn ʿAbdullāh (Arabic: مُحَمَّد بِن عَبد الله) c. 570 Mecca, Hejaz, Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia)
Died	8 June 632 (aged c. 61–62) Medina, Hejaz, Arabia (present-day Saudi Arabia)
Resting place	Green Dome at al-Masjid an-Nabawi, Medina (present-day Saudi Arabia)
Other names	Abu al-Qasim (nickname) Rasūl Allāh (Messenger of God) (see Names and titles of Muhammad)
Years active	583–609 as merchant 609–632 as religious leader
Notable work	Constitution of Medina
Successor	Succession to Muhammad
Spouse	Muhammad's wives Married Khadija bint Khuwaylid 595–619 Sawda bint Zamʿa 619–632 Aisha bint Abi Bakr 619–632 Hafsa bint Umar 624–632 Zaynab bint Khuzayma 625–627 Hind bint Abi Umayya 625–632 Zaynab bint Jahsh 627–632 Juwayriyya bint al-Harith 628–632 Ramla bint Abi Sufyan 628–632 Rayhana bint Zayd 629–631 Safiyya bint Huyayy 629–632 Maymunah bint al-Harith 630–632 Maria al-Qibtiyya 630–632
Children	Children
Parent(s)	Abdullah ibn Abdul-Muttalib (father) Aminah bint Wahb (mother)
Relatives	Family tree of Muhammad, Ahl al-Bayt  ("Family of the House")
Arabic name
Personal (Ism)	Muhammad
Patronymic (Nasab)	Muḥammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn 'Abd Manaf ibn Qusai ibn Kilab
Teknonymic (Kunya)	Abu al-Qasim
Epithet (Laqab)	Khātim an-Nâbîyīn (Seal of the prophets)
Signature

Muhammad was born in Mecca, Hejaz. In 610 AD, at the age of forty, while Muhammad was praying, he reportedly met Gabriel and received the first revelation of the Qur'an.

At first, Muhammad preached these revelations to his close friends and family. Then he started preaching monotheism publicly, and received opposition from Meccan polytheists. He was eventually forced to leave his hometown of Mecca. After reaching Medina with Abu Bakr, the Medinan Muslims helped Muhammad and built a mosque there.

Life

Childhood

Muhammad was born about 570 AD in Mecca. His father, whose name was Abdullah, died six months before Muhammad's birth. His mother, Amina, died when he was six years old. After that, his grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib, took care of him, but he too died two years later when Muhammad was nine. After his grandfather's death, his uncle Abu Talib took care of him. When he was young, Muhammad accompanied his uncle on trade trips. Abu Talib remained a good support to him for many years of his adult life.

Beginning of the prophethood

In 610 AD, when Muhammad was forty years old, he went for a walk to the mountain of Hira near Mecca. According to Muslims, the angel Gabriel (called Jibril in the Arabic language) spoke with him in a cave on the mountain. The story says that when Muhammad first saw the angel Gabriel, he fainted because Gabriel was so large. This is what Gabriel said to Muhammad:

According to Muslim tradition, the mountain of Hira was the place where Gabriel first spoke to Muhammad

"Read... in the name of Allah Who made man from a drop of blood... Allah is Most Rewarding... He Who taught man to write with pen... and taught man what he knew not."

Muhammad went back home to his wife Khadijah and told her what had happened. 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 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. Leaders of Mecca punished and tortured the followers of Islam. Some followers of Islam were executed. Muhammad resisted this and continued to teach Islam.

The Hijrah

See the main article: Hijra (Islam)

After Muhammad finished his work in Mecca, he took his message to Medina, where some people learned about him and his followers. They welcomed him into their city, and Muhammad wanted them to convert to Islam. They agreed, and many of his followers went to Medina. This movement from Mecca to Medina is called the Hijrah. The Hijra was also the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Muhammad stayed behind until all of his people left Mecca safely.

As Muhammad stayed in Mecca, his uncle Abu Lahab trained seven men to kill Muhammad in his sleep. According to history, they did not see him leave Mecca. The men went into his house and found his cousin, Ali. 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. Some people welcomed Muhammad to their homes. He used his camel to show everyone where he would build his house. The first mosque of Medina, a small place for prayer, was built in the back of this house.

The people in a strong Jewish tribe in Medina disagreed with Muhammad's teachings and rules. This tribe told their allies in Mecca to sell all the things and homes that Muslims of Mecca left behind. The Muslims and those from Mecca were advised to fight for their property. Muhammad told them not to do that.

Muslims were called all over Medina to gather at a mosque that Muhammad prayed in. They were told to fight against the people of Mecca who burned down their homes and stole their property.

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.

However, the Muslims lost the second battle 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 where they promised not to 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.

However, this truce did not last for long. After three years of the truce, 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, the 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. After Mecca was captured, they went on to capture the Torkan.

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. The people of Mecca were afraid to fight back because the army was so big. Abu Sufyan, who was unhappy over the broken truce, went to Muhammad's camp outside Mecca to ask for forgiveness. Muhammad did not say that he would forgive him, so he returned home. While he was with Muhammad, he changed his religion to Islam by saying the Testimony (ash-Ashaada):

"I testify that there is no other god but Allah, and I testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

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 Ka'aba, 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 learns that Muhammad forgave him. At that time, Muhammad and his followers removed and broke all idols from the Kaaba. The idols were statues that were worshiped as gods. Muhammad forgave all citizens of Mecca. In 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

Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina. Muhammad is believed to be buried at the building with the green dome. It used to be his home when he was alive.

In 632 AD, on June 8, Muhammad became very sick. Before he died, he told his followers about his death. He is buried in the chamber of his wife Aisha in Medina, where the Masjid al-Nabawi (Mosque of the Prophet) is. In Medina, his friend Abu Bakr went to the Masjid al-Nabawi and shouted to the people:

"If any of you worship Muhammad, you should know that Muhammad is dead. But those of you who worship Allah(SWT) (God), let it be known that Allah(SWT) (God) is alive and cannot die."

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 biggest and fastest-growing religions in the world.

Relations

When Muslims say or write the name of Muhammad, they usually follow it with "Peace and Blessings be upon him" (Arabic: sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam). For example, "Muhammad (Peace and Blessings be upon him)". In printed matter, a calligraphic symbol is frequently used instead of printing the phrase.

Sunni Muslims believe that Abu Bakr succeeded Muhammad. Shias believe that Ali should have succeeded.

Images of Muhammad

Muslims usually do not make or show images (like paintings or drawings) of Muhammad. For this reason, mosques do not contain paintings or sculptures of Muhammad. Instead, they use abstract art, architecture, and calligraphy for decoration.

The Qur'an does not say that Muslims must never make images of Muhammad. However, it does contain passages that forbid the creation of idols. The Hadith also includes passages that forbid Muslims from creating images of God. As a consequence, Muslims (especially Sunni Muslims) believe there should be no pictures of Muhammad. When people create images of Muhammad, some Muslims may view this as disrespectful, offensive, and emotionally injurious.

Much of knowledge about the Life of Muhammad is based on narrations. Lawrence Conrad examines the biography books written after the 100-150-year oral period, and sees an 85-year time interval related to the date of birth of Muhammad that in these works. Conrad describes it as "the fluidity (evolutionary process) in the story".

Danish newspaper cartoons

In 2005, a Danish newspaper published political cartoons of Muhammad. In the demonstrations that followed, more than 100 people died. Johan Galtung, a Norwegian mathematician and peace activist, tried to help both sides come together and talk. According to Galtung, the attacks against Danish institutions ended after the government invited talks.

Charlie Hebdo attacks

Main article: Charlie Hebdo shooting

In January 2015, several terrorists committed a series of coordinated attacks in Paris, France called the Charlie Hebdo attacks.

On 7 January 2015, Said and Chérif Kouachi burst into the editorial meeting of the magazine Charlie Hebdo with Kalashnikovs and began shooting. They killed five cartoonists, who called themselves Cabu, Charb, Honoré, Tignous and Wolinski; psychoanalyst Elsa Cayat; economist Bernard Maris; proof-reader Mustapha Ourrad; police officer Frank Brinsolaro, who was protecting Charb; caretaker Frédéric Boisseau; and Michel Renaud, founder of the Rendez-vous du Carnet de voyage festival; who was there as a guest. The Kouachi brothers also seriously wounded Riss, another cartoonist; journalists Philippe Lançon and Fabrice Nicolino; and webmaster Simon Fieschi.

As they left the building, the terrorists shouted: “We’ve avenged the prophet, Muhammad”. Shortly after, they killed policeman Ahmed Merabet while he lay on the pavement wounded and begging for mercy.

Two days later, 32-year-old Amedy Coulibaly took a number of hostages in a supermarket in Paris. Four were killed: Yohan Cohen, 20, who worked at the supermarket; Philippe Braham, 45, a business manager for an IT firm; Yoav Hattab, 21, a student and the youngest supermarket victim; Francois-Michel Saada, 64, a former pension fund manager. Prosecutors in Paris also linked Coulibaly to the 7 January shooting of a 32-year-old jogger in a park in south-west Paris. The jogger survived.

The killing of 27-year-old policewoman Clarissa Jean-Philippe has also been officially linked to the Charlie Hebdo attacks. The killing took place in in the suburb of Montrouge outside Paris.

Wives

A list of his wives' names in chronological order

• Khadijah bint Khuwaylid - Abdullah ibn Jafar reported that he heard Sayyiduna Ali saying in Kufa that Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said, "The best of the women of her time was Maryam, daughter of Imran, and the best of women of her time was Khadijah, daughter of Khuwaylid." She was 40 years old when they got married.
• Sawda bint Zamʿa - Sawda bint Zam'a was the first woman to immigrate to Abyssinia in the way of Allah.
• Aisha was a young girl. She is described as very intelligent with a very good memory. Aisha spent the next nine years of her life with Muhammad, clearly remembered all that she saw and heard, and reported a lot of Muhammad's narrations. She married Muhammad when she was nine years old.
• Hafsa bint Umar - By marrying Hafsa, Muhammad strengthened the ties between two of his closest companions, the two who would become the first two rightly guided khalifs after his death. He was now married to the daughter of Abu Bakr, A'isha, and to the daughter of Umar, Hafsa.
• Zaynab bint Khuzayma - She offered herself in marriage to Muhammad who accepted her proposal and married her. Zaynab bint Khuzayma was seen by the community as very generous to orphans and the poor, later becoming known as the 'Mother of the Poor'. She died only eight months after.
• Umm Salama - She was not the only wife to have been widowed as a result of the battle of Uhud, and because of this marriage, many of the companions followed Muhammad's example, marrying widows and bringing them and their children into the circle of their families, instead of leaving them to struggle on their own.
• Zaynab bint Jahsh - As with all the marriages of Muhammad, there was much for all the Muslims to learn from it. This one was to show that Zayed ibn Haretha was not Muhammad's son and to demonstrate that the social level matters when it comes to marriage. She bragged about the fact that her marriage had been arranged by Allah. At this point Muhammad changed her name from Barra to Zaynab.
• Juwayriyya bint al-Harith - Muhammad was thinking of how to save her and all her tribe from danger. By marrying Juwayriyya, the Banu Mustaliq would be able to enter Islam with honor, and with the humiliation of their recent defeat removed, so that it would no longer be felt necessary by them to embark on a war of vengeance that would have continued until one of the two parties had been annihilated.
• Ramla bint Abi Sufyan - She said that once Muhammad said to her, "A house will be built in Heaven for anyone who, in the space of a day and a night, prays twelve voluntary prayers;" and she added, "I have never stopped doing this since"
• Safiyya bint Huyayy - The only person who could save her from becoming a slave after having enjoyed such a high position was Muhammad. Although her father had planned to assassinate Muhammad after the battle of Uhud and had conspired with the Banu Qurayza to exterminate all the Muslims during the battle of al-Khandaq. Muslims believe that this was characteristic of Muhammad, as he is believed to not have any grudges.
• Maymunah bint al-Harith - Muhammad gave her the name, Maymuna, meaning "blessed", and Maymuna lived with Muhammad for just over three years, until his death. She was said to be very good-natured and is said to have got on well with everyone and no quarrel or disagreement with any of Muhammad's other wives has been related to her. Aisha said, "Among us, she had the most fear of Allah and did the most to maintain ties of kinship."
• Maria al-Qibtiyya - Maria is said to have been honored and respected by Muhammad and his family and Companions. She spent three years of her life with Muhammad, until his death, and died five years later. For the last five years of her life, she remained a recluse and almost never went out except to visit the grave of Muhammad or her son's grave. After her death, Umar ibn al Khattab led the prayer over her and she was buried in al Baqi.

More reading

• Adil Salahi (2002). Muhammad: Man and Prophet. Islamic Foundation (UK). ISBN 978-1-86204-290-2.
• Andrae, Tor (2000). Mohammed: The Man and His Faith. Dover. ISBN 978-0-486-41136-1.
• Armstrong, Karen (1993). Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet. San Francisco: Harper. ISBN 978-0-06-250886-7.
• Berg, Herbert, ed. (2003). Method and Theory in the Study of Islamic Origins. E. J. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-12602-2.
• Cook, Michael (1983). Muhammad (reissue 1996 ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-287605-8.
• Dashti, Ali (1994). Twenty-Three Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad. Mazda. ISBN 978-1-56859-029-5.
• Hamidullah, Muhammad (1998). The Life and Work of the Prophet of Islam. (s.n.)(Islamabad: Islamic Research Institute). ISBN 978-969-8413-00-2.
• Motzki, Harald, ed. (2000). The Biography of Muhammad: The Issue of the Sources (Islamic History and Civilization: Studies and Texts, Vol. 32). Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-11513-2.
• Rodinson, Maxime (1961). Muhammad. New Publishers. ISBN 978-1-56584-752-1.
• Rodinson, Maxime (2002). Muhammad: Prophet of Islam. Tauris Parke Paperbacks. ISBN 978-1-86064-827-4.
• Rubin, Uri (1995). The Eye of the Beholder: The Life of Muhammad as Viewed by the Early Muslims (A Textual Analysis). Darwin Press. ISBN 978-0-87850-110-6.
• Schimmel, Annemarie (1985). And Muhammad is His Messenger: The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety. The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 978-0-8078-4128-0.
• Stillman, Norman (1975). The Jews of Arab Lands: a History and Source Book. Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 978-0-8276-0198-7.
• Warraq, Ibn (2000). The Quest for the Historical Muhammad. Prometheus Books. ISBN 978-1-57392-787-1.

Other websites

• Muhammad, article on Enyclopaedia Britannica Online
• Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet - PBS Site
• Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet - UPF (Producer's Site) Archived 2009-02-05 at the Wayback Machine