The birth of the Prophet Muhammad is a special event for all humanity. Islamic Encyclopedia
Prophet Muhammad (Mohammed), the founder of Islam, was born in Mecca around 570 (according to some versions - April 20 or 22, 571). Muhammad's father died shortly before his birth, and when the boy was 6 years old, he lost his mother. Two years later, Muhammad's grandfather, who cared for him like a father, died. Young Muhammad was raised by his uncle Abu Talib.
At the age of 12, Muhammad and his uncle went to Syria on trade business, and plunged into the atmosphere of spiritual quest associated with Judaism, Christianity, and other religions.
Prophet Muhammad" >
Muhammad was a camel driver and then a merchant. When he turned 21, he received a position as a clerk for the wealthy widow Khadija. While engaged in Khadija's trading affairs, he visited many places and everywhere showed interest in local customs and beliefs. At the age of 25 he married his mistress. The marriage was happy.
But Muhammad was drawn to spiritual quests. He went into deserted gorges and, alone, plunged into deep contemplation. In 610, in a cave on Mount Hira, Muhammad saw the luminous figure of God, who ordered him to remember the text of the revelation and called him “Messenger of Allah.”
Having begun to preach among his loved ones, Muhammad gradually expanded his circle of adherents. He called on his fellow tribesmen to monotheism, to a righteous life, to observance of the commandments in preparation for the coming divine judgment, and spoke about the omnipotence of Allah, who created man and all living and nonliving things on earth.
He perceived his mission as an order from Allah, and called biblical characters his predecessors: Musa (Moses), Yusuf (Joseph), Zakaria (Zechariah), Isa (Jesus). A special place in the sermons was given to Ibrahim (Abraham), who was recognized as the forefather of Arabs and Jews, and the first to preach monotheism. Muhammad stated that his mission was to restore the faith of Abraham.
The Mecca aristocracy saw his preaching as a threat to their power and organized a conspiracy against Muhammad. Having learned about this, the prophet's companions persuaded him to leave Mecca and move to the city of Yathrib (Medina) in 632. Some of his associates had already settled there. It was in Medina that the first Muslim community formed, strong enough to attack caravans coming from Mecca. These actions were perceived as punishment for the Meccans for the expulsion of Muhammad and his companions, and the funds received went to the needs of the community.
Subsequently, the ancient pagan sanctuary of the Kaaba in Mecca was declared a Muslim shrine, and from that time on, Muslims began to pray, turning their gaze to Mecca. The inhabitants of Mecca itself did not accept the new faith for a long time, but Muhammad managed to convince them that Mecca would retain its status as a major commercial and religious center.
Shortly before his death, the prophet visited Mecca, where he broke all the pagan idols that stood around the Kaaba.
Introduction
Islam is the third and last of the developed monotheistic religions. It originated in the Middle East, had its roots in the same soil, was nourished by the same ideas, and was based on the same cultural traditions as Christianity and Judaism.
This religious system, with its most strict and complete monotheism taken to the limit, developed on the basis of its two predecessors, so borrowings in terms of not only general cultural, but also purely theological, religious-cultural, are noticeable here at every step.
So, Islam arose in Western Arabia (Hejaz region) at the beginning of the 7th century. The founder of this religion is considered to be a resident of Mecca, Muhammad (570-632). At the age of 40 (about 610), Muhammad declared himself the messenger of the one God and Allah, who revealed his will to him through revelations, which, together with the sayings of Muhammad himself, were later written down in the Koran, the main holy book of Muslims. The basis of Islam is the restoration of the faith of Abraham, which Muhammad believed had been corrupted by the Jews. Many questions concerning the life and work of the Prophet Muhammad still remain controversial, and the authors did not consider themselves obliged to strictly follow any of the schools of Islamic studies when covering them. At the same time, in the traditions of Russian culture (V.S. Solovyov, V.V. Bartold), the authors considered Islam as an independent monotheistic religion, no less developed than, say, Christianity.
The purpose of the work is to characterize the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad.
1. Life and work of the Prophet Muhammad
Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) around 570 AD. e., in the Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe. Muhamed's father, Abdallah, died before the birth of his Son, and Muhamed's mother, Amina, died when He was only six years old, leaving the Son an orphan. Muhammad was raised first by His grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, a man of exceptional piety, and then by His uncle, the merchant Abu Talib.
At that time, the Arabs were inveterate pagans, among whom, however, a few adherents of Monotheism stood out, such as, for example, Abd al-Muttalib. Most Arabs lived a nomadic life in their ancestral territories. There were few cities. The main ones among them are Mecca, Yathrib and Taif.
From his youth, the Prophet was distinguished by exceptional piety and piety, believing, like His grandfather, in One God. First He tended the flocks, and then He began to participate in the trading affairs of His uncle Abu Talib. He became famous, people loved Him and, as a sign of respect for his piety, honesty, justice and prudence, they bestowed the honorary nickname al-Amin (Trustworthy).
Later, He conducted the trading affairs of a wealthy widow named Khadija, who, some time later, proposed to Muhammad to marry her. Despite the age difference, they lived a happy married life with six children. And although in those days polygamy among Arabs was common. The Prophet did not take other wives while Khadija was alive.
This newfound position freed up much more time for prayer and reflection. As was his custom, Muhammad retired to the mountains surrounding Mecca and secluded himself there for a long time. Sometimes His seclusion lasted several days. He especially fell in love with the cave of Mount Hira (Jabal Nyr - Mountains of Light), majestically rising above Mecca. On one of these visits, which occurred in the year 610, something happened to Muhammad, who was about forty years old at that time, that completely changed His entire life.
In a sudden vision, the angel Gabriel (Gabriel) appeared before Him and, pointing to the words that appeared from outside, ordered Him to pronounce them. Muhammad objected, declaring that he was illiterate and therefore would not be able to read them, but the angel continued to insist, and the meaning of these words was suddenly revealed to the Prophet. He was ordered to learn them and accurately pass them on to the rest of the people. This is how the first revelation of the sayings of the Book, now known as the Koran (from Arabic “reading”), was marked.
This eventful night fell on the 27th of the month of Ramadan, and was called Laylat al-Qadr. From now on, the life of the Prophet no longer belonged to him, but was given to the care of the One who called him to the prophetic mission, and he spent the rest of his days in the service of God, proclaiming His messages everywhere.
When receiving revelations, the Prophet did not always see the angel Gabriel, and when he did, the angel did not always appear in the same guise. Sometimes the angel appeared before Him in human form, eclipsing the horizon, and sometimes the Prophet only managed to catch his gaze on Himself. At times He heard only a voice speaking to Him. Sometimes He received revelations while deeply immersed in prayer, but at other times they appeared completely “at random”, when Muhammad, for example, was busy worrying about the affairs of everyday life, or went for a walk, or simply enthusiastically listened to a meaningful conversation.
At first, the Prophet avoided public sermons, preferring personal conversations with interested people and with those who noticed extraordinary changes in Him. A special path of Muslim prayer was revealed to him, and He immediately began daily pious exercises, which invariably caused a wave of criticism from those who saw him. Having received the highest order to begin a public sermon, Muhammad was ridiculed and cursed by the people, who thoroughly mocked His statements and actions. Meanwhile, many Quraysh became seriously alarmed, realizing that Muhammad's insistence on establishing faith in the One True God could not only undermine the prestige of polytheism, but also lead to the complete decline of idolatry if people suddenly began to convert to the faith of the Prophet. Some relatives of Muhammad turned into His main opponents: humiliating and ridiculing the Prophet himself, they did not forget to do evil against converts.
The Quraysh decided to ban all trade, business, military and personal connections with the Hashim clan. Representatives of this clan were strictly forbidden to appear in Mecca. Very difficult times came, and many Muslims were doomed to severe poverty.
In 619, the Prophet's wife Khadija died. She was His most devoted supporter and helper. In the same year, Muhammad’s uncle, Abu Talib, who defended Him from the most violent attacks from his fellow tribesmen, also died. Stricken with grief, the Prophet left Mecca and went to Taif, where he tried to find refuge, but was rejected there too.
The Prophet's friends betrothed a pious widow named Sauda as his wife, who turned out to be a very worthy woman, and also a Muslim.
In 619, Muhammad had the opportunity to experience the second most important night of his life - the Night of Ascension (Laylat al-Miraj). It is known that the Prophet was awakened and carried on a magical animal to Jerusalem. Over the location of the ancient Jewish Temple on Mount Zion, the heavens opened and a path opened that led Muhammad to the throne of God, but neither he nor the angel Gabriel accompanying him was allowed to enter the beyond. That night the rules of Muslim prayer were revealed to the Prophet. They became the focus of faith and the unshakable basis of Muslim life. Muhammad also met and talked with other prophets, including Jesus (Isa), Moses (Musa) and Abraham (Ibrahim). This miraculous event greatly consoled and strengthened the Prophet, adding confidence that Allah did not abandon Him and did not leave Him alone with his sorrows.
From now on, the fate of the Prophet changed in the most decisive way. He was still persecuted and ridiculed in Mecca, but the Prophet's message had already been heard by people far beyond the city's borders. Some of the elders of Yathrib persuaded Him to leave Mecca and move to their city, where He would be received with honor as a leader and judge. Arabs and Jews lived together in this city, constantly at war with each other. They hoped that Muhammad would bring them peace. The Prophet immediately advised many of His Muslim followers to migrate to Yathrib while He remained in Mecca, so as not to arouse unnecessary suspicion. After the death of Abu Talib, the emboldened Quraish could calmly attack Muhammad, even kill him, and he understood perfectly well that this would sooner or later happen.
The Prophet's departure was accompanied by some dramatic events. Muhammad himself miraculously escaped captivity thanks to his exceptional knowledge of the local deserts. Several times the Quraysh almost captured Him, but the Prophet still managed to reach the outskirts of Yathrib. The city was eagerly awaiting him, and when Muhammad arrived in Yasrib, people rushed to meet him with offers of shelter. Confused by their hospitality, Muhammad gave the choice to his camel. The camel stopped at a place where dates were drying, and it was instantly presented to the Prophet for building a house. The city received a new name - Madinat an-Nabi (City of the Prophet), now abbreviated as Medina.
The Prophet immediately began preparing a decree according to which He was proclaimed the supreme head of all the warring tribes and clans of Medina, who were henceforth forced to obey His orders. It established that all citizens were free to practice their religion in peaceful coexistence without fear of persecution or disgrace. He asked them only for one thing - to unite and repel any enemy who dared to attack the city. The former tribal laws of the Arabs and Jews were replaced by the basic principle of "justice for all", regardless of social status, color and religion.
Becoming the ruler of a city-state and gaining untold wealth and influence. The prophet, however, never lived like a king. His dwelling consisted of simple mud houses built for His wives; He never even had his own room. Not far from the houses there was a courtyard with a well - a place that from now on became a mosque where devout Muslims gather.
This article presents the biography of the Prophet Muhammad, the most important figure in the Muslim world. It was to him that Allah handed over the Koran - the Holy Scriptures.
The biography of the Prophet Muhammad begins around 570 AD. e., when he was born. This happened in Saudi Arabia (Mecca), in the Quraish tribe (Hashim clan). Abdullah, Muhammad's father, died before he was born. And the mother of the Prophet Muhammad, Amina, passed away when he was only 6 years old. She was the daughter of the leader of the Zurkha clan from the local Quraish tribe. One day, the mother of the Prophet Muhammad decided to go to Medina with her son in order to visit the grave of Abdullah and her relatives. After staying here for about a month, they went back to Mecca. Amina became seriously ill along the way and died in the village of al-Abwa. This happened around 577. Thus, Muhammad remained an orphan.
The childhood of the future prophet
The future prophet was first raised by Abd al-Muttalib, his grandfather, a man of exceptional piety. Then the upbringing was continued by the merchant Abu Talib, Muhammad's uncle. The Arabs at that time were inveterate pagans. However, some adherents of monotheism stood out among them (for example, Abd al-Muttalib). The bulk of the Arabs lived in the territories that originally belonged to them, living a nomadic life. There were few cities. The main ones include Mecca, Taif and Yathrib.
Muhammad becomes famous
From his youth, the Prophet was distinguished by exceptional piety and piety. He, like his grandfather, believed in one God. Muhammad first tended his flocks and then began to take part in the trading affairs of Abu Talib, his uncle. Gradually Muhammad became famous. People loved him and gave him the nickname al-Amin (meaning "trustworthy"). This is what the Prophet Muhammad was called as a sign of respect for his piety, prudence, justice and honesty.
Muhammad's marriage to Khadija, children of the prophet
Later, Muhammad conducted the trading business of a wealthy widow named Khadija. She invited him after some time to marry her. The couple lived a happy life, despite the significant age difference. They had six children. All the children of the Prophet Muhammad were from Khadija, except Ibrahim, who was born after her death. In those days, polygamy was common among the Arabs, but Muhammad remained faithful to his wife. Other wives of the Prophet Muhammad appeared to him only after the death of Khadija. This also says a lot about him as an honest person. The children of the Prophet Muhammad had the following names: his sons - Ibrahim, Abdullah, Kasim; daughters - Ummukulsum, Fatima, Ruqiya, Zainab.
Prayers in the mountains, Gabriel's first revelation
Muhammad, as usual, retired to the mountains surrounding Mecca and retired there for a long time. His seclusion sometimes lasted several days. He especially liked the cave of Mount Hira, towering majestically above Mecca. It was here that the Prophet Muhammad received his first revelation. A photo of the cave is presented below.
On one of his visits, which took place in 610, when Muhammad was about 40 years old, an amazing event happened to him that completely changed his life. In a vision that came suddenly, the angel Gabriel (Jabrail) appeared before him. He pointed to the words that appeared from outside and ordered Muhammad to pronounce them. He objected, saying that he was illiterate, so he could not read them. However, the angel insisted, and suddenly the meaning of the words was revealed to the prophet. The angel ordered him to learn them and pass them on exactly to the rest of the people.
This was the first revelation of the book known today as the Qur'an (from the Arabic word for "reading"). This night, full of events, fell on the 27th of Ramadan and became known as Laylat al-Qadr. It is the most important event for believers, which marks the history of the Prophet Muhammad. From now on, his life no longer belonged to him. She was given over to the care of God, in whose service he spent the rest of his days, proclaiming his messages everywhere.
Further revelations
The Prophet, receiving revelations, did not always see the angel Gabriel, and when this happened, he appeared in different guises. Sometimes Gabriel appeared before the prophet in human form, which darkened the horizon. Sometimes Muhammad could only catch his gaze on him. The Prophet heard at times only a voice speaking to him. Muhammad sometimes received revelations while deep in prayer. However, in other cases, words appeared completely “randomly” when, for example, the prophet was engaged in daily activities, went for a walk, or listened to a meaningful conversation. At first, Muhammad avoided public sermons. He preferred personal conversation with people.
Condemnation of Muhammad by the people
A special way of performing Muslim prayer was revealed to him, and Muhammad immediately began pious exercises. He did them daily. This caused a whole wave of criticism from those who saw it. Muhammad, having received the highest order to carry out a public sermon, was cursed and ridiculed by the people, who mocked his actions and statements. Many Quraysh, meanwhile, became seriously alarmed, realizing that the persistence with which Muhammad asserted faith in one God could undermine the prestige of polytheism, as well as lead to the decline of idolatry when people began to convert to the faith of Muhammad. Some of the prophet's relatives became his main opponents. They ridiculed and humiliated Muhammad, and also committed evil against converts. There are many examples of abuse and mockery of people who have accepted a new faith.
Migration of the first Muslims to Abyssinia
The short biography of the Prophet Muhammad continued with a move to Abyssinia. Two large groups of early Muslims moved here in search of refuge. Here the Christian negus (king), who was very impressed with their way of life and teaching, agreed to patronize them. The Quraish imposed a ban on all personal, military, business, and trade relations with the Hashim clan. It was strictly forbidden for representatives of this clan to appear in Mecca. Very difficult times came; many Muslims were doomed to severe poverty.
Death of Khadija and Abu Talib, new marriage
The biography of the Prophet Muhammad was marked at this time by other sad events. Khadija, his wife, died in 619. She was his most devoted assistant and supporter. Abu Talib, Muhammad's uncle, died that same year. Namely, he protected him from the fierce attacks of his fellow tribesmen. The Prophet, stricken with grief, left Mecca. He decided to go to Taif and find refuge here, but was rejected. Muhammad's friends betrothed the pious widow Sauda as his wife, who turned out to be a worthy woman and, moreover, a Muslim. Aisha, the young daughter of Abu Bakr, his friend, knew and loved the prophet all her life. And although she was still very young for marriage, according to the customs of that time, she nevertheless entered the family of Muhammad.
The essence of Muslim polygamy
The wives of the Prophet Muhammad are a separate topic. Some people are confused by this part of his biography. The misconception that exists among people who do not understand the reasons for polygamy in the Muslim world should be dispelled. At that time, a Muslim who took several women as wives at once did this out of a sense of compassion, providing them with shelter and his protection. Men were also encouraged to help the spouses of their friends killed in battle and to provide them with separate houses. They should have been treated as close relatives (of course, in the case of mutual love, everything could have been different).
Ascension Night
The biography of the Prophet Muhammad was marked by another important event. In 619, the Prophet had to experience the second amazing night of his life. This is Laylat al-Miraj, the Night of Ascension. It is known that Muhammad was awakened and then transported to Jerusalem on a magical animal. On Mount Zion, over the site of an ancient Jewish temple, the heavens opened. Thus the path opened that led to the throne of the Lord. However, neither he nor the angel Gabriel, who accompanied Muhammad, was allowed to enter the beyond. This is how the ascension of the Prophet Muhammad took place. That night, the rules of prayer were revealed to him, which became the focus of faith, as well as the unshakable basis of life of the entire Muslim world. Muhammad also met other prophets, including Moses, Jesus and Abraham. This wonderful event greatly strengthened and consoled him, adding confidence that Allah had not abandoned him and left him alone with his sorrows.
Preparing to move to Yathrib
The fate of Muhammad from now on changed decisively. He was still ridiculed and persecuted in Mecca, but his message had already been heard by many people outside the city. Several elders of Yathrib persuaded the prophet to leave Mecca and move to their city, where he would be received with honor as a judge and leader. Jews and Arabs lived together in Yasrib, constantly at odds with each other. They hoped that Muhammad would bring them peace. The Prophet immediately advised many of his followers to go to this city while he himself remained in Mecca in order not to arouse suspicion. After all, after Abu Talib died, the Quraish could easily attack the prophet, even kill him, and Muhammad understood perfectly well that sooner or later this was bound to happen.
Muhammad arrives in Yathrib
Some dramatic events accompany the biography of the Prophet Muhammad during his departure. Muhammad managed to miraculously avoid captivity only thanks to his excellent knowledge of the local deserts. The Quraysh almost captured it several times, but Muhammad still managed to reach the outskirts of Yathrib. He was eagerly awaited in this city. When Muhammad arrived, people flocked to him with offers to settle with them. The Prophet, embarrassed by such hospitality, gave his camel the right to choose. The camel decided to stop at a place where dates were drying. The Prophet was instantly given this place to build a house. The city received a new name - Madinat an-Nabi (translated as “city of the prophet”). It is known today in short form as Medina.
Muhammad's reign in Yathrib
Muhammad immediately began preparing a decree, according to which he was proclaimed in this city the supreme head of all clans and tribes that were at war with each other. From now on they had to obey the orders of the prophet. Muhammad established that all citizens were free to practice their religion. They must coexist peacefully without fear of the highest disfavor or persecution. Muhammad asked only for one thing - to unite in order to repel any enemy who dared to attack Medina. The tribal laws of the Jews and Arabs were replaced by the principle of “justice for all,” that is, regardless of religion, skin color and social status.
Life of the Prophet Muhammad in Yathrib
The Prophet, having become the ruler of Medina and having acquired great wealth and influence, never lived like a king. His home consisted of simple clay houses that were built for his wives. The life of the Prophet Muhammad was simple - he never even had his own room. A courtyard with a well was located not far from the houses - a place that has now become a mosque, where devout Muslims gather to this day. Almost the entire life of Muhammad was spent in constant prayer, as well as in the instruction of believers. In addition to the five obligatory prayers performed in the mosque, he devoted a lot of time to solitary prayer, sometimes devoting most of the night to pious reflections. His wives performed night prayer with him, after which they retired to their chambers. And Muhammad continued to pray for many hours, falling asleep briefly towards the end of the night, only to wake up soon for the pre-dawn prayer.
Deciding to return to Mecca
The Prophet, who dreamed of returning to Mecca, decided in March 628 to make his dream come true. He gathered 1,400 of his followers and set off with them, completely unarmed, in robes consisting of only 2 white veils. The followers of the prophet, despite this, were denied entry into the city. Even the fact that Islam was practiced by many citizens of Mecca did not help. The pilgrims, in order to avoid possible clashes, made their sacrifices near Mecca, in an area called Hudaibiya. Muhammad in 629 began plans to conquer Mecca peacefully. The truce concluded at Hudaibiya turned out to be short-lived. The Meccans again attacked a tribe allied with the Muslims in November 629.
Entry of Muhammad into Mecca
At the head of 10 thousand people, the largest army ever to leave Medina, the prophet marched towards Mecca. She settled down near the city, after which Mecca surrendered without a fight. The Prophet Muhammad entered in triumph, went straight to the Kaaba and performed a ritual circuit around it 7 times. After this, the prophet entered the shrine and destroyed all the idols.
Hajat al-Wida, death of Muhammad
Only in 632, in March, the only full-fledged pilgrimage to the Kaaba, known as the Last Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wida), was made by the Prophet Muhammad (a photo of the Kaaba in its current form is presented below).
During this pilgrimage, revelations about the rules of the Hajj were sent to him. To this day all Muslims follow them. When, in order to appear before Allah, the prophet reached Mount Arafat, he proclaimed his last sermon. Muhammad was already seriously ill at that time. To the best of his ability, he continued to lead prayers in the mosque. There was no improvement in the illness, and the prophet finally fell ill. He was 63 years old at the time. This ends the biography of the Prophet Muhammad. His followers could hardly believe that he died as a simple man. The story of the Prophet Muhammad teaches us spirituality, faith, and devotion. Today it interests not only Muslims, but also many representatives of other faiths from different parts of the world.
The founder is the prophet Muhammad. He was born in 570 AD. In Arabic chronology this year is called Year of the Elephant. The year received its name because at that time the ruler of Yemen, Abraha, launched an offensive against Mecca with the goal of capturing it and subordinating all Arab lands to his influence. His army traveled on elephants, which caused horror among local residents, who had not seen these animals until that time. However, halfway to Mecca, Abrakh’s army turned back, and Abrakh himself died on the way home. Researchers believe that this happened due to a plague epidemic that destroyed a significant part of the army.
Muhammad came from an impoverished clan of an influential family kureish. Members of this clan had to monitor the safety of spiritual sanctuaries. Muhammad was orphaned early. His father died before he was born. His mother gave him, according to the custom of that time, to a Bedouin nurse, with whom he grew up until he was five years old. His mother died when he was six years old. Muhammad was first raised by his grandfather Abdalmuttalib, served as a caretaker at the Kaaba temple, then after his death - uncle Abu Talib. Muhammad got involved in work early, tending sheep and participating in equipping trade caravans. When he turned 25, he took a job with Khadija, a rich widow. The work consisted of organizing and escorting trade caravans to Syria. Soon Muhammad and Khadija got married. Khadija was 15 years older than Muhammad. They had six children - two sons and four daughters. The sons died in infancy.
Only the beloved daughter of the prophet Fatima outlived her father and left offspring. Khadija was not only the prophet’s beloved wife, but also a friend; in all the difficult circumstances of his life, she supported him financially and morally. While Khadija was alive, she remained Muhammad's only wife. After his marriage, Muhammad continued to engage in trade, but without great success. The change in the historical situation had an effect.
Muhammad spent a lot of time in prayer and meditation. When Muhammad was meditating in one of the caves in the vicinity of Mecca, he had a vision during which he received the first message from God, transmitted through an archangel Jabrayil(biblical - Gabriel). The first people to believe Muhammad's preaching and accept Islam were his wife Khadija, his nephew Ali, his freedman Zaid and his friend Abu Bakr. At first, the call for a new change was carried out secretly. The beginning of open preaching dates back to 610. The Meccaites greeted it with ridicule. The sermon contained elements of Judaism and Christianity. Muhammad, according to historical information, was illiterate. He took oral stories from the Holy Scriptures from Jews and Christians and adapted them to the Arab national tradition. Biblical stories organically became part of the holy book of the new religion, linking together the stories of many peoples. The popularity of Muhammad's sermons was facilitated by the fact that he read them in recitative, in the form of rhymed prose. Gradually, a group of companions from different strata of Meccan society formed around Muhammad. However, during the entire initial stage of preaching, right up to the resettlement to Medina, Muslims were subjected to persecution and persecution by the Meccan majority. As a result of this oppression, a large group of Muslims emigrated to Ethiopia, where they were received with understanding.
The number of Muhammad's supporters in Mecca was constantly growing, but resistance to the new religion on the part of influential residents of the city was also growing. After the death of Khadija and uncle Abutalib, Muhammad lost his inner support in Mecca and in 622 was forced to leave for his mother’s city Yathrib, which after that became known as Medina - city of the prophet. A large group of Jews lived in Medina, and the people of Medina were more prepared to accept the new religion. Soon after Muhammad's migration, the majority of the population of this city became Muslim. It was a huge success, so the year of migration began to be considered the first year of the Muslim era - Hijras(relocation).
During the Medina period, Muhammad developed and deepened his teaching in the direction of isolation from related religions - and. Soon all of southern and western Arabia submitted to the influence of the Islamic community in Medina, and in 630 Muhammad solemnly entered Mecca. Now the Meccans bowed before him. Mecca was declared the holy capital of Islam. However, Muhammad returned to Medina, from where he made a pilgrimage in 632 (hajj) to Mecca. In the same year he died and was buried in Medina.
Muhammad ibn Abd Allah, a Quraysh from the Hashim clan, was born in the Arabian city of Mecca around 570 AD. He was orphaned early, tended sheep, accompanied caravans, and took part in inter-tribal battles. At the age of 25, Muhammad went to work for his distant relative, the wealthy widow Khadija, whom he later married. After marriage, he took up the leather trade, but was not very successful at it. In marriage he gave birth to four daughters; his sons died in infancy.
Until the age of forty, he led the life of an ordinary Meccan merchant, until in 610 he had his first experience of encountering the spiritual world. One night, which he spent in a cave on Mount Hira, a ghost appeared to him and forced Muhammad to read the verses that became the first lines of the “revelation” (Koran 96 1-15). This is how this event is described in the biography of the founder of Islam, Ibn Hisham:
“When this month came... the Messenger of Allah went to Mount Hira... When night fell... Jibril brought him the command of Allah. The Messenger of Allah said: “Jibril appeared to me while I was sleeping, with a brocade blanket in which some kind of book was wrapped and said: “Read!” I replied, “I can’t read.” Then he began to choke me with this blanket, so that I thought that death had come. Then he let me go and said: “Read!” I replied, “I can’t read.” He started choking me with it again, and I thought I was dying. Then he let me go and said: “Read!” I answered: “What should I read?”, wanting only to get rid of him so that he would not again do to me the same thing as before. Then he said: “Read! In the name of your Lord, who created man from a clot. Read! Indeed, your Lord is the most generous, who taught a man with a writing reed what he did not know (Quran 96.1-5)".
After this, the strangler disappeared, and Muhammad was overcome with such despair that he decided to commit suicide. But when he was about to jump off the mountain, he saw the same spirit again, got scared and ran home in fear, where he told his wife Khadija about the vision, saying:
“O Khadija! In the name of Allah, I have never hated anything so much as idols and soothsayers, and I am afraid that I myself must become a soothsayer... O Khadija! I heard a sound and saw a light and I'm afraid I've gone crazy."(Ibn Saad, Tabaqat, vol. 1, p. 225).
She went to her Christian cousin Waraqa, and he interpreted the vision to mean that it was the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel, who supposedly appeared to all the prophets, and that Muhammad was also, therefore, a prophet of the one God. Khadija tried to convince the frightened Muhammad of this, to whom the same spiritual being continued to appear at night. For quite a long time he was suspicious that it was the devil, but later Khadija managed to convince her husband that it was an angel who appeared to him.
Having accepted the mission imposed on him, Muhammad began to receive new revelations, but for another three whole years he told about them only to his family and close friends. The first few followers appeared - Muslims (“submissive”). The very name of the religion “Islam” is translated by Muslims as “submission”, in the sense of submission to Allah.
Muhammad continued to receive what he called “revelations from Allah.” Visions like the original were very rare. Revelations mostly came in a different form. Hadiths describe it this way:
“Verily, al-Harith ibn Hisham said:
“O Messenger of Allah! How do revelations come to you?” The Messenger of Allah told him: “Sometimes they come to me in the form of a ringing bell, and it is very difficult for me; (eventually) it stops ringing and I remember everything I was told. Sometimes an angel appears in front of me and speaks, and I remember everything he said.” Aisha said: “I witnessed when the revelation came to him on a very cold day; when it stopped, his entire forehead was covered in sweat". (Ibn Saad, Tabaqat, vol. 1, p. 228).
“Ubayd b. Samit says that when the revelation came to the Messenger of Allah, he felt heaviness, and his complexion underwent a change.”(Muslim, 17.4192).
Another hadith talks about the following signs: “ The messenger's face was red and he was breathing heavily for a while, and then he freed himself from it” (Bukhari, 6.61.508). And other legends report that when Muhammad received “revelations,” he fell into painful states: he thrashed around convulsively, felt a blow that shook his entire being, it seemed as if his soul was leaving his body, foam came out of his mouth, his face turned pale or purple, he even sweated on a cold day.
Over the course of several years, Muhammad converted just over two dozen people to his faith. Three years after the first revelation, he begins public preaching at the bazaar. Already known to the Arabs, the god Allah, who was part of the pre-Islamic pagan pantheon, Muhammad declared the only one, and himself a prophet, proclaimed the resurrection, the Last Judgment and retribution. The sermon was generally met with indifference and was not widely successful.
This was explained by the fact that Muhammad was not original in his ideas - at the same time in Arabia there were people who taught that God is one and proclaimed themselves his prophets. An early predecessor and competitor of Muhammad was the “prophet” Maslama from the city of Yemama. It is known that the Meccans reproached their “prophet” for simply copying the “man from Yemama,” i.e. Maslamu. Early sources indicate that Muhammad studied with a certain Nestorian monk...
Over time, when attacks against the goddesses revered by the Meccans began to appear in his sermons, and clashes began between Muslims and pagans, this led to a strong deterioration in relations towards Muhammad on the part of most of the townspeople. His Hashim clan was boycotted by other clans.
As relations grew tense, Muhammad decided to send those Muslims who caused the most irritation to Christian Abyssinia. This first hijra (migration) took place in 615. At the same time, some of the companions of Muhammad who moved to Abyssinia, having learned Christianity, were baptized (for example, UbaydAllah ibn Jahiz). Later, one of Muhammad’s scribes also converted to Orthodoxy.
The position of the “prophet” worsened in 620, when Abu Talib and Khadija died. Desperate to convert the Meccans, Muhammad tries to preach outside of Mecca - in the neighboring city of Taif, but this attempt was unsuccessful, and the herald of the new religion was stoned and expelled in disgrace. The next month, Muhammad began to preach among pilgrims from other tribes who came to worship the gods of the Kaaba, but again failed.
But a year later he was finally lucky - his speeches attracted the attention of pilgrims from Yathrib (which was also called Medina), where Muhammad’s maternal relatives lived. He sent his supporter Musaba there, who managed to convert many Yathribs to Islam.
Having learned about this, Muhammad decides to move the community to Medina. In the summer of 622, the second, or great Hijra, took place - about 70 Muslims rushed to Yathrib. The first mosque was built here.
Most of the settlers' property remained in Mecca. The Muslims of Yathrib helped them, but they themselves were not rich. The community found itself in miserable conditions. Then Muhammad, not seeing a way to feed the community with honest labor, decides to engage in robbery.
He tried to rob the caravans, but the first six attempts were unsuccessful, since in normal months the caravans were well guarded. Then Muhammad decided to make a treacherous raid. The Arabs revered four sacred months of the year, during which it was forbidden to carry out any military actions. In one of these months, the month of Rajab, at the beginning of 624, Muhammad ordered a small detachment of Muslims to attack a caravan carrying a load of raisins from Taif to Mecca.
The caravan was practically unguarded, and the attack was crowned with success: the sent detachment of Muslims returned with booty, one of the drivers was killed, the other managed to escape, two more were captured, one of whom was later sold.
The first successful raid brought the first loot. A few months later, the “Battle of Badr” took place:
“The Prophet heard that Abu Sufyan ibn Harb was returning from Syria with a large caravan of Quraysh, carrying money and goods... Hearing about this... The Prophet called on the Muslims to attack them, saying: “Here is the caravan of Quraysh. It contains their wealth. Attack them, and maybe with the help of Allah you will get them!”(Ibn Hisham. Biography... pp. 278–279).
So, intending to capture a rich Meccan caravan returning from Palestine under the supervision of his uncle Abu Sufian, Muhammad encountered superior forces of pagans who were rushing to help the caravan's escorts. But the Muslims managed to win. This had a significant strengthening of Muhammad's position in Medina; many pagans began to actively accept Islam. Muslims were convinced that the victory was a confirmation of the truth of Islam.
If previously the “prophet” was content with a share of one fifteenth of the loot, then during the division of trophies after Badr, Muhammad received a revelation that he now needed to separate a fifth of all the booty (Koran 8:41).
Captured Meccans formed the most important part of the booty. The ransom for the captive was the price of several camels, and representatives of all the rich families of Mecca were captured here. And Muhammad raised the price of their ransom, and ordered the death of some prisoners of war, namely an-Nadr ibn al-Harith and Uqba ibn Abu Muayt. The fault of the first was that he considered his poems to be of better quality than the Quranic revelations of Muhammad, and the second composed mocking poems about the “prophet”.
All of Muhammad's sermons, which later became the Koran, were in poetic form, and although Muhammad himself claimed that no one would ever be able to write such wonderful poetry, nevertheless, Arab poets were skeptical about his poetry and the level of his poetry. And he could not tolerate this.
After Badr, Muhammad began to crack down on the Medina poets. One of the first to die was Ka'b ibn Ashraf, who annoyed Muhammad by writing satirical poems about him. Here's how Muslim sources describe it:
“The Messenger of Allah said: “Who is ready to kill Ka’b ibn Ashraf?” Muhammad ibn Maslama replied: “Do you want me to kill him?” The Messenger replied in the affirmative.”(Bukhari, 4037).
The Messenger said: “Whatever is entrusted to you, you must do.” He asked: “O Messenger of Allah, we will have to lie.” He replied: “Say whatever you want, since you are free in your business” (Ibn Ishaq, Sirat rasul Allah, p. 367).
Muhammad ibn Maslama came to Ka'b and spoke to him, recalling the old friendship between them, and persuaded Ka'b to leave the house, convincing him that a group of Muslims had become disillusioned with the “prophet.” Kaab believed him, especially since Kaab’s foster brother, Abu Naila, was with him, who said: “I am Abu Naila, and I came to tell you that the coming of this man (“messenger”) is a great misfortune for us. We want to get away from him” (Ibn Saad, Tabaqat, vol. 2, p. 36).
When Ka'b was drawn into conversation and began to talk to them freely and was "pleased with them and became close to them" (ibid., p. 37), they moved closer to him under the pretext of examining the aroma of his perfume. They then drew their swords and stabbed him to death. Having killed the Kaaba, they immediately returned to Muhammad, saying takbir (Allahu akbar - “Allah is great”). And when they approached the Messenger of Allah, he said: “ (Your) faces are happy.” They said: “Yours too, O Messenger of Allah!” They bowed their heads before him. The Messenger thanked Allah that the Ka'b was dead."(Ibn Saad, Tabaqat, vol. 2, p. 37).
In the same way, through assassins sent, the poetess Asma bint Marwan was killed in her home, and a little later, the poet Abu Afak, one of the elders of the Amr b. Auf, then it was the turn of Al-Harith ibn Suwayd. On another occasion, Muhammad personally ordered his adopted son Zeid to kill the poetess Umm Qirfa, who ridiculed the “prophet,” and Zeid killed her by tying a rope to her legs, at the other end tied to two camels, and leading them in opposite directions until the woman was not torn into two halves (Al 'saba – Ibn Hagar – vol. 4, page 231).
The repressions also took on a group character - at least fifty families of pagans from the Aus tribe who did not convert to Islam had to move to Mecca. Thus Muhammad strengthened his position inside Medina. Most of the pagans became Muslims. The other opposition in the city was the Jewish tribes, of which there were three. Some of the Jews also converted to Islam, but their number was insignificant. Most Jews ridiculed his prophetic claims. And Muhammad began a systematic war against the Jewish tribes. First, he initiated hostility with the Jewish tribe Banu Qaynuqa, forcing them to move out of the city to the oasis of Khaybar.
It is worth noting that in Medina, Muhammad's family increased significantly. After the death of Khadija, he married Sauda in Mecca, and in Medina acquired a harem: he married Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr, Hafsa, the daughter of Omar, Zainab bint Khuzaim, Umm Habibu, the daughter of Abu Sufian, Hind Umm Salama, Zainab bint Jahsh, Safiya and Maimun. For Muslims, Muhammad set a restriction not to take more than four wives at a time (Koran 4.3), but when he himself exhausted this “quota,” the “prophet” immediately received a “revelation” that he himself, as an exception, could take an unlimited number of wives. In addition to his wives, he had a number of concubines.
A year after Badr, the next battle between the Muslims and the Quraish took place, called the “Battle of Uhud.” This time the Muslims suffered a significant defeat, although Muhammad had predicted victory the day before; nevertheless, his camel was killed under him, and two of his teeth were knocked out. It was not the best of times for the Muslim community, but it did not collapse. A “revelation” came down to Muhammad, explaining that the Muslims themselves were to blame for everything, but not the “prophet.” If, they say, they had obeyed him, they would have won (Koran 3.152). In addition, he constantly tried to strengthen his supporters by intensifying the image of the enemy who surrounded them everywhere. Muhammad continued the systematic extermination of non-Muslims in Medina and expanded beyond its borders, attacking the surrounding, weaker tribes.
The Bani Mustaliq tribe was attacked, and then Muhammad began a siege of the second Jewish tribe of Medina, the Bani Nadir. As a result, the Jews were forced to leave their homes and lands and also move to Khaybar.
After the expulsion of the Banu Nadir, the Muslims for the first time got rich, well-irrigated lands with palm groves as booty. They hoped to divide them according to the accepted rules, but then Muhammad received a revelation, which explained that since this booty was not obtained in battle, but by agreement, it should all go to the complete disposal of the “messenger of Allah” and be distributed at his discretion (Koran 59.7 ).
Now Muhammad began to send his killers even beyond Medina. For example, he “ordered” the murder of one of the leaders of the Banu Nadir, Abu Rafi, who, after being expelled from Medina, went north to Khaybar. On the way, Muslims killed him (Bukhari, 4039).
After this, Muhammad turned his arms against the last Jewish tribe in Medina, the Bani Qurayza, who remained neutral during the siege. In Muslim traditions this is presented as a consequence of a divine command:
“At noon Jibril appeared to the Prophet... [and said]: “Almighty and all-glorious Allah orders you, O Muhammad, to go to Bani Qurayza. I will go to them and shake them.” The Messenger of Allah besieged them for twenty-five days until the siege became unbearable for them... Then they surrendered, and the Prophet locked them in Medina in the house of Bint al-Harith, a woman from the Banu al-Najjar. Then the Prophet went to the market of Medina and dug several ditches there. Then he ordered them to be brought, and cut off their heads in these ditches. They say there were between eight and nine hundred of them.” (Ibn Hisham. Biography... p. 400).
As a result of such activities, Muhammad had an entire city at his disposal with a strong and obedient community. The confiscation of the property of the expelled and exterminated Jewish tribes, as well as predatory raids on surrounding tribes and caravans brought rich booty to the Muslims. The Meccans once again tried to attack the Muslims, but they surrounded the city with a siege ditch, which the pagans did not dare to storm and the battle never took place.
Muhammad then organized an attack on the Jewish fortress of Khaybar.
The superior Muslim forces managed to capture it. After the victory, the “prophet” not only sold and killed prisoners, as before, but also tortured some. One of the local leaders named Kinana did not have as much money as Muhammad expected to see. He ordered al-Zubair to torture Kinana in order to find out where the rest was hidden. The torture with two hot charred pieces of wood pressed to Kinana's chest was so severe that he lost consciousness. However, the torture did not produce results, and the location of the money was still unknown. Then the “prophet” handed Kinana over to his supporters for execution, and took his wife into his harem.
In 629, Muhammad gathered and sent against the Ghassanid Arabs, who were in the service of the Byzantine emperor, a large army of three thousand people. Here the Muslims first encountered Byzantine forces and were defeated, three of the four military leaders died in the battle, including their adopted one Muhammad's son Zeid.
The following year, Muhammad marched against Mecca with an army of thousands. The Quraysh did not dare to resist; the vast majority of them sat in their houses. The city capitulated. Muhammad defiantly forgave the Quraish - with the exception of some sworn enemies, some of whom the Muslims managed to capture and execute. However, he did not forgive for nothing - but on the condition that the Quraish convert to Islam. Which they hastened to do.
Approaching the Kaaba (pagan sanctuary), Muhammad ordered to remove all the idols from it, except for the black stone, and also ordered to erase all the paintings, except for the iconographic image of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus (Azraki, p. 111).
After the Hajj in Mecca, Muhammad, through Ali, as usual, citing revelation (Koran 9.5), declared war on paganism after the end of the holy months. Until now, he considered Islam a matter of conscience for everyone, he persuaded people to accept Islam, bribed them, but did not force them. Now Muhammad felt able to force him to accept Islam under threat of death. In 630, campaigns continued against the surrounding tribes in order to force them to convert to Islam. Often weak tribes submitted to these demands, but not always.
In the year of his death, Muhammad performed the ritual of hajj to the Kaaba and performed the ritual of worship of the black stone. Everything that the “prophet” did during his hajj became the basis of rituals observed to this day by Muslim pilgrims.
Representatives of Arab tribes flocked to Mecca from all sides, hurrying to enter into an alliance with a formidable force. However, not everything was smooth sailing. A number of regions of Arabia (East and South) drove out his emissaries in disgrace, rallying around their own prophets - Aswad and Maslama.
A serious illness found Muhammad preparing a great campaign against Byzantium. Death prevented the plan from being realized. Before his death, he was seriously ill, the ghosts of the dead bothered him. He died in Medina in 632. According to legend, Muhammad’s last words were: “May Allah curse the Jews and Christians who turned the graves of their prophets into places for prayer!” (Bukhari, 436) .
During his life he made nineteen military campaigns. He left nine widows and three daughters, he had eight swords, four spears, four chain mail, four bows, a shield and a fringed banner.
With the death of Muhammad, the political system he created was shaken everywhere. Many of the most important tribes considered themselves free from treaty obligations, expelled the tax collectors and returned to their former lives. There was a riddah - a mass apostasy from Islam. It was Abu Bakr, his successor, the first caliph, who had to make enormous efforts to save Islam from defeat and schism. As before, the main means to achieve this was seen as continuous Muslim expansion. Having dealt with their opponents on the Arabian Peninsula, they poured further into the territories of Persia and Byzantium, devastated and weakened by twenty-five years of war, plague and internal turmoil.
from the book of priest Georgy Maximov “Orthodoxy and Islam”
