Download Week 2 – Muhammad and the Birth of Islam

Week 2 – Muhammad and the Birth of Islam
Dr. James N. Anderson @ Matthews OPC – Summer 2016
1. Background: Pre-Islamic Arabia
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6th-century Arabia surrounded by two great empires:
- To the west, the Byzantine (Christian) Empire.
- To the east, the Sassanid (Persian Zoroastrian) Empire.
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No common religion among the Arabs—a diversity of pagan polytheism and animism.
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Mecca: an important center of trade and pagan idol worship (especially the Kaaba).
2. Muhammad’s Early Life (570–610)
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Born in Mecca into the dominant Quraysh tribe in the year 570 (traditional date).
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Raised by his uncle Abu Talib, whom he accompanied on many trading journeys.
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As a young man, Muhammad gained a reputation for piety, honest, and wisdom.
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Hired by a wealthy businesswoman (Khadija) whom he later married (around 595).
- Khadija bore him two sons (died in infancy) and four daughters (including Fatimah).
3. Revelations and Recitations (610–613)
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By his 30s, Muhammad was regularly spending prolonged periods in solitary meditation.
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In 610, in the month of Ramadan, the angel Gabriel (Jibril) appeared to Muhammad.
- Gabriel commanded him to ‘recite’ until a divine revelation erupted from his mouth.
- These ‘recitations’ became the first verses of the Quran (literally ‘recitation’).
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Continued to receive divine revelations over the next 22 years (i.e. until his death).
4. The Meccan Period (613–622)
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Began to preach a message of religious reform: forsake idolatry because of Judgment Day!
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Converts to Islam were small in number at this time and faced considerable persecution.
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Abu Talib (uncle) and Khadija (wife) both died in the year 619 (“the year of sorrow”).
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Around 621, experienced his miraculous “night journey” (Mecca  Jerusalem  Heaven).
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Hijra: flight to Yathrib with followers to take up invitation of leadership in September 622.
5. The Medinan Period (622–632)
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Yathrib renamed Madinat al-Nabi (“City of the Prophet”)—thereafter known as Medina.
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Meccans and Medinans became united in a single Muslim community (umma).
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‘Revelations’ markedly change in style and content in keeping with the new circumstances.
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Twelve (?) wives taken over this period, including Aisha (daughter of companion Abu Bakr).
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Three significant battles:
- Battle of Badr (624): Muslims victorious against the odds (see Q3:123-127).
- Battle of Uhud (625): Muslims shamefully defeated (see Q3:149-152).
- Battle of the Ditch/Trench (627): Muslims successfully resisted a three-week siege.
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Verses revealed to change direction of prayer from Jerusalem to the Kaaba in Mecca.
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In 628, Muhammad traveled to Mecca and arranged a ten-year treaty with the Quraysh.
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In 630, marched with an army of 10,000 to conquer Mecca and claim the city for Islam.
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After a brief illness, Muhammad died on June 8, 632—buried in Aisha’s house in Medina.