Early Life of Prophet Muhammad

Early Life of Prophet Muhammad

• Born in Mecca in 570 CE
• Part of a respected clan
• Orphaned at age 6
• Raised by his uncle, Abu Talib, with whom he was very close
• Became a caravan trader and earned a reputation for honesty
• Known as Al-Amin (the trustworthy) and As-Sadiq (the truthful)
• Saudi Arabia was known as "The crossroads"

Marriage to Khadija – Mother of Islam

• At age 25, Muhammad was proposed to by Khadija, a wealthy 40-year-old widow
• Khadija was impressed by Muhammad's honesty
• Khadija was 15 years older than Muhammad
• Muhammad did not take additional wives while married to Khadija, which was common at the time
• Muhammad later said that Allah never gave him a better wife than Khadija
• Khadija believed in him when others denied him and put all her wealth at his service
• Muhammad had children only through Khadija
• Kadija, Muhammad's daughter, the Virgin Mary, and the Pharoah's daughter were the 4 greatest women in the world

Becoming a Prophet

• Muhammad began meditating alone in a cave
• In 610, he had a vision of a light and claimed to be the angel Gabriel
• Gabriel approached Muhammad with the first message or prophecy from God or Allah
• Initially terrified, Muhammad ran home shivering to Khadija
• Khadija took him to her cousin, Waraqah ibn Nawfal, an Abrahamic Christian scholar
• Waraqah authenticated Muhammad's call to prophecy

Prophethood

• Muhammad continued to receive prophecy throughout his life
• He started preaching within his friends and family
• First conversion was Khadija, then his close friend Abu Bakr
• Goes to the public next
• The message was not well received by Meccan people
• The region was polytheistic at the time
• Mecca was a significant site in polytheism because of the Ka'aba
• The Ka'aba was a black stone cube where various idols were stored, which Muhammad believed were false gods
• Mecca was a pilgrimage site for polytheistic believers

Muhammad in Mecca

• Meccans tried to stop the spread of Muhammad's message through bribery and torture
• In 619 CE, both Khadija and Abu Talib died, this was known as, "Year of the sorrow"
• Muhammad felt alone in the world and further added to the persecution
• Muhammad continued to preach his prophecy

Medina

• The nearby city of Medina had converted to the teachings of Muhammad (Islam)
• In 622, people from Medina invited Muhammad and his followers to leave persecution in Mecca and come to Medina
• The people of Medina wanted Muhammad to lead the city
• Muhammad encouraged his followers to migrate to Medina in small batches
• Muhammad and his good friend Abu Bakr were the last to migrate

Meccan Conflict

• With their new location and support, Muhammad's followers wanted to strike back against the Meccans, who were still attacking
• Muhammad did not want to fight and prayed for guidance
• Allah revealed to him that they could fight back, but with rules
• Muhammad's followers started conducting regular raids known as Razzias on Meccan trade caravans
• The Meccans viewed this as an act of war, as it directly impacted their economy
• The Meccans decided to eliminate the Islamic faith once and for all
• The Battle of Badr occurred in 624 CE
• 313 Muslim troops defeated an army of around 1,000 Meccans
• Victory is attributed to Muhammad's military genius or divine intervention

Rise of Islam

• Muhammad continues his efforts
• Followers are no longer just followers of a new religion, but a strengthening military force
• Number of campaigns against smaller Arabian tribes, making the Muslim contingent victorious
• Mecca welcomes Islam in 630, surrendering to Muhammad
• Muhammad offered amnesty to all who convert

Death of Muhammad

• Islam continued to grow in influence through Muhammad's death in 632 CE
• At the time of his death in his home in Medina, Muhammad was the most powerful religious and political leader in Arabia
• Scholar JJ Saunders describes Muhammad as sincere and unaffected and honest in his beliefs

Creation of the Quran

• Muhammad's teachings are his revelations from Allah, coming through the angel Gabriel
• They have been memorized before his death
• Shortly after his death, they are written down for the first time, creating the Muslim holy text, the Quran
• Quran literally means “the teaching"

Pillars of Islam

• There are 5 “base level” beliefs in Islam
• These are the foundations of Islam
• Formal duties that you must acknowledge and adhere to if you choose to be Muslim
• The ground floor of Islam

Shahada

• The testimony
• Arabic term for the declaration of faith in the one true god of Islam, Allah
• The acknowledgement of the oneness of Allah
• Commonly expressed in the phrase "There is no one worthy of worship but Allah (God) and Muhammad is Allah's Prophet."
• Concept of Allah as beyond all imagination, beyond all power, everything is his, everything submits to his will
• Therefore humans must do the same

Salah

• The praying of specific prayers five times a day, facing Mecca
• Men are required to do so in a Masjid (mosque)
• Women can pray at home
• A recitation from the Quran, additions from the Sunnah
• Sunnah are the traditions of Muhammad that are not part of the Quran

Zakat

• Giving of “alms” or charity
• Must be done yearly by all that have the ability to do so
• Must go to underprivileged Muslims
• Charity to non-Muslims is encouraged, but not applicable for the Zakat
• Non-Muslims under Islamic rule were often forced to pay extra taxes, called jizya, once a year to participate
• Practice has been abolished since early 20th century

Sawm

• Required fasting during the month of Ramadan, Islamic calendar is different than Gregorian (Lunar calendar, years are about 11 days shorter)
• There are personal exceptions
• Abstaining from eating, drinking, and all worldly pleasures from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan (9th month of Islamic calendar)
• Encourages believers to grow closer to Allah and re-evaluate their priorities and values
• The fasting helps you better focus your energies on the divine

Hajj

• Pilgrimage to the Ka'aba in Mecca during a specific time
• The holiest site in Islam
• Only have to do it once in your lifetime
• Only if one can afford it and have the strength to go
• Express sincerest desire and contribute to someone else going if you cannot go
• Series of specific rites and rituals to do
• Going any time of year for an Umrah is considered a lesser pilgrimage, but does not count as the Hajj