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Muhammad
Muhammad,
<<moo HAM uhd>> (A.D. 570?-632), was a prophet whose life and teachings form the basis
of the Islamic religion. The name Muhammad means Praised One. There are several
common spellings of the name, including Mohammad, Mohammed, and Mahomet.
Muslims believe Muhammad was the last messenger of God. They believe he completed the
sacred teachings of such earlier prophets as Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Muslims respect
Muhammad but do not worship him.
Muhammad was one of the most influential men of all time. He felt himself called to be God's
prophet. This belief gave him the strength to bring about many changes in Arabia. When
Muhammad began to preach in the 600's, Arabia was a wild, lawless land. The fierce tribes
of the deserts fought continual bloody wars.
In Mecca, a city in southwestern Arabia, there was much suffering among the poor. Most of
the people worshiped many gods, and prayed to idols and spirits.
Muhammad brought a new message to his people from God. He taught that there is only one
God, and that this God requires people to make Islam (submission) to Him. Muhammad
replaced the old loyalty to tribes with a new tie of equality and allegiance among all Muslims.
He also preached against the injustice of the wealthy classes in Mecca, and tried to help the
poor.
During his lifetime, Muhammad led his people to unite in a great religious movement. Within
a hundred years after his death, Muslims carried the teachings of Muhammad into other
parts of the Middle East, into northern Africa, Europe, and Asia.
Early life. Muhammad was born in Mecca. His father died before his birth, and his mother
died when he was a child. His grandfather, and later his uncle, Ab# T#lib Abd Man#f ibn Abd
al-Muttalib, became his guardians. For a time, Muhammad lived with a desert tribe. He
learned to tend sheep and camels. According to tradition, he joined his uncle on caravan
journeys through Arabia to Syria. He probably attended assemblies and fairs in Mecca,
where he may have heard people of different faiths express their ideas.
At the age of 25, Muhammad entered the service of Khad#jah, a wealthy widow of about 40.
He later married her. They had two sons and four daughters. The sons died young. One
daughter, F#timah, married Al#, also called Al# ibn Ab# T#lib because he was the son of Ab#
T#lib. Many Muslims trace their descent from Muhammad through this couple (see F#timid
dynasty).
His religious life. The most sacred shrine in Mecca was the Kaaba. It had a black stone,
believed to be especially sacred, in one corner. When Muhammad was 35, a flood damaged
the Kaaba. Because of his moral excellence, Muhammad was chosen to set the sacred
stone back into place (see Kaaba). Later, when Muhammad was meditating alone in a cave
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on Mount Hira, a vision appeared to him. Muslims believe the vision was of the angel
Gabriel, who called Muhammad to serve as a prophet and proclaim God's message to his
people.
At first, Muhammad doubted that his vision had come from God. But his wife Khad#jah
reassured him. She became his first disciple. For a time, no more revelations came, and
Muhammad grew discouraged. Then Gabriel came again, and told him, "Arise and warn,
magnify thy Lord ... wait patiently for Him." At first, Muhammad may have told only relatives
and friends of the revelations. But soon he began to preach publicly. Most people who heard
him ridiculed him, but some believed. Ab# Bakr, a rich merchant, became a disciple. Umar
ibn al-Khatt#b, a Meccan leader, persecuted Muhammad at first, but later accepted him as a
prophet.
The Hijrah. Muhammad continued to preach in Mecca until several calamities took place.
First, both Khadijah and Ab# T#lib died. Also the people of Mecca began to hate Muhammad
for his claims and his attacks on their way of life. Finally, in A.D. 622, Muhammad fled north
to the nearby city of Medina, then called Yathrib. His emigration to Medina is called the
Hijrah, also spelled Hijra and Hegira. It is considered so important that the Muslim calendar
begins with the year of the Hijrah. The people of Medina welcomed Muhammad. His
preaching and statesmanship soon won most of them as followers.
His teachings. Muhammad was now the head of both a religion and a community, and he
made his message law. He abolished idol worship and the killing of unwanted baby girls. He
limited polygyny (marriage to more than one wife at a time) and restricted divorce. He
reformed inheritance laws, regulated slavery, and helped the poor. He also banned war and
violence except for self-defense and for the cause of Islam.
Muhammad seems to have expected Jews and Christians to accept him as a prophet. At first
he was friendly toward them. He chose Jerusalem as the direction to be faced in prayer,
similar to the Jewish practice. He also set aside Friday as a Muslim day of congregational
prayer, perhaps because the Jews began their Sabbath preparations then. But the Jews
were hostile to him and his followers. Muhammad drove the Jews from the city of Mecca and
organized a purely Muslim society. To symbolize the independence of the new religion, he
redirected his followers to face Mecca, instead of Jerusalem, when praying.
The Meccans went to war against Muhammad and his followers. They attacked Medina
several times but were always driven back. In 630, Muhammad entered Mecca in triumph.
He offered pardon to the people there, most of whom accepted him as the Prophet of God.
He destroyed the pagan idols in the Kaaba, prayed there, and made it a mosque (house of
worship). Muhammad died two years later, on June 8, 632, in Medina. His tomb is in the
Prophet's Mosque in Medina (see Medina).
Critically reviewed by Ali Hassan Abdel-Kader
Contributor:
Charles J. Adams, Ph.D., former Professor of Islamic Studies, McGill University.
How to cite this article:
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WORLD BOOK and the GLOBE DEVICE are registered trademarks of World Book, Inc.
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To cite this article, World Book recommends the following format:
MLA:
Adams, Charles J. "Muhammad." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2015. Web. 31 Aug.
2015.
APA:
Adams, C. J. (2015). Muhammad. In World Book Advanced. Retrieved from
http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar376810
Harvard:
Adams, CJ 2015, 'Muhammad' , World Book Advanced, World Book, Chicago, viewed 31
August 2015,
<http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar376810>.
© 2015 World Book, Inc. All rights reserved.
WORLD BOOK and the GLOBE DEVICE are registered trademarks of World Book, Inc.
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