A Mercy to the Worlds
Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) was an illiterate but wise and well-respected
man, a member of the ruling Quraysh tribe, who was born in Makkah in the year
570 C.E., at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in
As
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) grew up, he became known for his
truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his
ability to arbitrate in disputes. His reputation and personal qualities also led
to his marriage at the age of 25 to Khadijah, a widow whom he had assisted in
business. From then on, he became an important and trusted citizen of Makkah.
Historians describe him as calm and meditative.
Muhammad
(peace and blessings be upon him) never felt content to be part of his society
whose values were devoid of true religious significance. He never worshiped
idols and never drank alcohol, although drinking was widespread in Arabian
society at that time. It became his habit to retreat from time to time to
meditate in the
At the
age of 40, while engaged in one such meditative retreat, Muhammad (peace and
blessings be upon him) received his first revelation from Allah (God) through
the Angel Gabriel (Jibril). This revelation, which continued for twenty-three
years, is known as the Qur’an.
Muhammad and his group of followers suffered bitter persecution
The Early Message
His
first convert was his wife Khadijah, whose support and companionship provided
necessary reassurance and strength. He also won the support of some of his
relatives and friends. The basic themes of the early message were the majesty of
the One, Unique God; the futility of idol worship; the threat of judgment; and
the necessity of faith, compassion and morality in human affairs.
All
these themes represented an attack on the crass materialism and idolatry
prevalent in Makkah at the time. So when he began to proclaim the message to
others, the Makkans rejected him. He and his small group of followers suffered
bitter persecution. Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his followers
drew comfort from the knowledge revealed to him about other Prophets, such as
Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, each of whom had also been persecuted and tested.
Emigration
The
persecution by the Makkans grew so fierce that in the year 622 c.e., thirteen
years after the beginning of the revelation, Allah (God) commanded the Muslims
to emigrate. This event, the Hijrah (migration), in which they left Makkah for
the city of
In
Madinah the Muslims were able to live, worship, and spread their message in
peace. During this period, the revelations of the Qur'an mainly dealt with the
Muslims' relationships with family members, the community of believers, and the
non-Muslims.
Within a century of his death, Islam had spread as far west as Spain and as far east as China
The
Quraysh in Makkah continued their efforts to stop the growth of Islam and forced
the Muslims to fight several battles. Finally a truce was called and the Treaty
of Hudaybiyah was signed to bring an end to hostilities.
When the
Makkans broke the truce two years later, the Muslims set off to fight them.
However, on seeing the size of the Muslim army, the Makkans surrendered. Prophet
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his followers entered the city
peacefully, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively.
By the
time the Prophet died at the age of 63, ten years after the Hijrah, the greater
part of
Although Muhammad is deeply loved, revered and emulated by Muslims as Allah’s final Messenger, he is not an object of worship.
*
C.E. stands for Common
Era, which is the period coinciding with the Christian era