Muhammad

Islamic art of Muhammad's name in Arabic

Muhammad (pbuh) (in Arabic: محمد) (April 20, 571 - June 8, 632 AD) was an Arabian religious and political leader. Muslims believe he was the last prophet of Allah (God). He is believed to have been a descendant of Ishmael, a son of Abraham, and is considered the most important person in the religion of Islam.

History

Childhood

Part of a series of articles on Islam     History of Islam

Beliefs and practices

Oneness of God Profession of Faith Prayer • Fasting Pilgrimage • Charity

Important people

Muhammad Abu Bakr • Umar Uthman ibn Affan • Ali Household of Muhammad Companions of Muhammad Prophets of Islam

Texts & Laws

Qur'an • Sunnah • Hadith Jurisprudence • Theology Biographies of Muhammad Sharia

Types of Islam

Sunni • Shi'a • Kharijite

Muslim culture

Academics • History Philosophy • Science Art • Architecture • Cities Calendar • Holidays Women • … in the Qu'ran Leaders • Politics Islamism • Liberalism • Sufism

See also

Vocabulary of Islam • Islamophobia

Muhammad was born about April 20 571 AD in Mecca. His father, whose name was Abdullah, died a couple of months before Muhammad's birth. His mother, Aminah, died when he was six years old, and he was breastfed by a woman known as "Halima as-Sa^diyya". 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 walked to the cave of Hira near Makkah. According to Muslims, the Angel Jibrail ("Jibrail" in Arabic) spoke with him in the cave of the Hira.When Muhammad first saw the angel Jibrail, he fainted, because Jibrail was so large. Jibrail revealed to Muhammad ayahs (verses) of Surat-al-Alaq , the first five verses of the Qur'an that were revealed to Muhammad

File:Cave Hira.

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

Muhammad went back home to his wife, and told her what had happened. New revelations came to him that said he had to preach what was being sent down from God. When Muhammad first started teaching, many of the people of Makkah, 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 the Islam. Leaders of Makkah punished and tortured the followers of Islam. Some followers of Islam were executed. Muhammad resisted this and continued to teach Islam.

The Hijra

After Muhammad failed in Makkah, 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 Makkah to Medina is called the Hijrah. The Hijra was also the beginning of the Muslim calendar. Muhammad stayed behind until all of his people left Makkah safely.

As Muhammad stayed in Makkah, Abu Lahab trained seven men to kill Muhammad in his sleep. According to the story, they did not see him leave Makkah. 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 Prophet Muhammad to their homes. He used his camel to show everyone where he would build his house. Also, the first masjid 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 the teachings and rules set by Muhammad. This tribe told their allies in Makkah to sell of all the things and homes that Muslims of Makkah left behind. The Muslims and those from Makkah were advised to fight for their property. Prophet Muhammad told them not to do that.

Muslims were called all over Medina to gather at a masjid that Prophet Muhammad prayed in. They were told to fight against the people of Makkah who burned down their homes and robbed their properties. Having no income, the Muslims who originally came from Makkah then attacked caravans from Makkah. 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 of the army, the people of Mecca were afraid to fight back. Abu Sufyan, who was feeling 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 back home. While he was with Muhammad, he changed his religion to Islam by saying the Testimony (al-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 Kabah, 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. 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, 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 (RA) in Medina, where the Al-Masjid al-Nabiyy (Mosque of the Prophet) is. In Mecca, his friend Abu Bakr went to the Masjid Al Nabiyy 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 world's biggest and fastest growing religions.

Legacy

Calligraphic rendering of the phrase "peace be upon him", customarily added after Muhammad's name in writing. The phrase is also encoded as a ligature at Unicode codepoint U+FDFA. ﷺ.

When Muslims say or write the name of Muhammad or any other prophet in Islam, they usually follow it with Peace be upon him (Arabic: sallAllahu `alayhi wa sallam). For example, "Muhammad (Peace be upon him)". In printed matter, a calligraphic symbol is frequently used instead of printing the phrase.

No images of Muhammad

Muslims do not make or show images of Muhammad. The Qu'ran does not state that images of Muhammad must not ever be made, but it does contain passages that forbid the creation of idols. There are also passages against the creation of images of God in the Hadith. Many Muslims, especially Sunni Muslims, believe there should be no pictures of Muhammad. If non-Muslim people create images of Muhammad, this is often seen as disrespectful.

In 2005, a Danish newspaper published political cartoons of Muhammad. This led to violent protests in the Arabic World, and elsewhere. More than 100 people died as a result of the protests. Johan Galtung, a Norwegian mathematician and peace activist, tried to help both sides come together and talk about this. According to Galtung, the attacks against Danish institutions ended, after the government had invited talks.

Other pages

• Islam
• Mecca
• Middle East

Further reading

• Adil Salahi (2002). Muhammad: Man and Prophet. Islamic Foundation (UK). ISBN 1-86204-290-X. 
• Andrae, Tor (2000). Mohammed: The Man and His Faith. Dover. ISBN 0-486-41136-2. 
• Armstrong, Karen (1993). Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet. San Francisco: Harper. ISBN 0-06-250886-5. 
• Berg, Herbert, ed. (2003). Method and Theory in the Study of Islamic Origins. E. J. Brill. ISBN 90-04-12602-3. 
• Cook, Michael (1983). Muhammad. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-287605-8 (reissue 1996). 
• Dashti, Ali (1994). Twenty-Three Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad. Mazda. ISBN 1-56859-029-6. 
• Hamidullah, Muhammad (1998). The Life and Work of the Prophet of Islam. (s.n.)(Islamabad: Islamic Research Institute). ISBN 969-8413-00-6. 
• 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. 
• Rodinson, Maxime (1961). Muhammad. New Publishers. ISBN 1-56584-752-0. 
• Rodinson, Maxime (2002). Muhammad: Prophet of Islam. Tauris Parke Paperbacks. ISBN 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 0-87850-110-X. 
• 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. 
• Stillman, Norman (1975). The Jews of Arab Lands: a History and Source Book. Jewish Publication Society of America. ISBN 0-8276-0198-0. 
• Warraq, Ibn (2000). The Quest for the Historical Muhammad. Prometheus Books. ISBN 1-57392-787-2. 

Other websites

Find more information on Muhammad by searching one of Wikipedia's sister projects:

Dictionary definitions from Wiktionary
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Quotations from Wikiquote
Source texts from Wikisource
Images and media from Commons
News stories from Wikinews

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

• Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar)
• PDF version of Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum
• The Life of Muhammad by Muhammad Husayn Haykal
• About the Prophet Muhammad (University of Southern California)