Muhammad ibn Abdallah, a Quraysh from the Hashim clan, was born into one of the noble Meccan families. The traditional year of birth attributed to Muhammad, 570, cannot be confirmed. Of course, the exact month and date of this event are not known.
Muhammad's father, Abdallah, died before his son was born. Thus, the widow Amina and her newborn found themselves in the care of the family.
The baby was named Kotan at birth. However, after thanking the gods of the Kaaba for their blessing, the head of the family, Hashim Abd al-Mutallib, named his grandson Muhammad, which means: “The Praised One.” The guests were surprised by this name, which was quite rare, but well known among the Arabs. To the question of one of the guests as to why the tradition of using family name, Abd al-Mutallib replied: “May the Almighty praise in heaven the one He created on earth.”
Little can be said definitely about the period of his adolescence and youth, except that he was orphaned early: at the age of two he lost his mother, until he was eight years old he remained in the care of his grandfather, Abd al-Mutallib, and then his uncle, Abu Talib. The subsequent Muslim tradition gave rise to many mythical tales about the childhood of the “prophet” and embellished them with a wide variety of details. It is known, however, that Muhammad was a shepherd in his youth and also went with caravans; once he visited Syria, where, according to legend, a Christian hermit recognized him as a future prophet.
At the age of 25, Muhammad went to work for his distant relative, the widow of a wealthy merchant Khadija, whom he married a little later, despite the fact that she was 15 years older than Muhammad. The marriage, which took place on the initiative of Khadija, gave Muhammad freedom of action and provided him with the leisure necessary for mental development. Every year he spent some time alone on Mount Hira, near Mecca (this was a common form of asceticism in pre-Islamic Arabia).
During one of these retreats in 610, when he was about forty years old, Muhammad, according to tradition, heard a call addressed to him. A certain nameless ghost appeared to him, who later began to be considered the Archangel Gabriel. He forced Muhammad to recite poetry. These verses became the first lines of the “revelation.” This is how this key 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 answered: “I don’t know how to read.” Then he began to strangle me with this blanket, so that I thought that death had come. Then he let me go and said: “Read!” I answered: “I don’t know how to read.” He started choking me with it again, and I thought I was dying. Then he let me go and said: “Read!” I answered: “I don’t know how to read.” He began to choke me again, so I decided that the end had come, then he let me go and said: “Read!” I answered: “What to read?”, wanting only to get rid of him, so that he would not again do the same thing to me as before. Then he said: -Read! In the name of your lord, who created...” (Quran 96, 1-5).”
The calling of Muhammad, as described in Muslim sources, is very similar to the way the shaman is called by spirits. It is known that no one becomes a shaman of their own free will, and no one strives to become one. Shamans themselves are chosen by otherworldly forces to serve them, after which the spirits force, including through torture (the so-called “shamanic disease”), the candidate for shaman to accept the mission determined by him. The main parallel is visible both in the calling of Muhammad and in the calling of shamans - this is violence against the individual, the desire to force a person to accept his will by force and torture. This parallel was also noted by secular researchers, for example, M. Eliade, who also drew parallels between the miraculous ascension of Muhammad to heaven - the “miraj” and visions of shamanic trance.
In fear, Muhammad runs home and tells his wife Khadija about the vision. She goes to her Christian cousin Waraqa, and it is in a conversation with him that the concept of Islam appears - Waraqa interprets the vision in the sense that it was the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel, who appeared to all the prophets, and that Muhammad is also, therefore, a prophet of the one God . Khadija believed in this and tried to convince the frightened Muhammad himself, to whom the same spiritual being continued to appear at night. For quite a long time he remained in suspicion that this was the devil.
However, in a rather original way, Khadija managed to convince him that it was an angel, and not a shaitan, who appeared to him. When Muhammad once again saw a spirit appearing to him in the form of a man, he told Khadija about this. It was night. She asked, “Can you see him now?” He said, "Yes." After that, she opened up and asked: “Can you see him now?” He replied: “No, he disappeared.” She said: “Be strong and rejoice, because now we know for sure that this is an angel, not a devil.” According to her, if he were a shaitan, he would have stayed to look at the naked woman, and the angel, with appropriate modesty, would definitely have left (see. Ibn Hisham. Biography of the Prophet Muhammad. M., 2003. - P. 94).
It is noteworthy that during this formation of the initial concept of Islam, the role of Muhammad himself was passive. Having accepted the mission assigned to him, Muhammad began to receive new revelations, but for another three whole years he talked about what was revealed to him only in an intimate circle. 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. The first Muslims were, first of all, relatives (wife Khadija, nephew Ali, etc.) and close acquaintances.
The first Muslim was Khadija, the second was his nephew Ali, who was then 12 years old and whom Muhammad took in to raise him. The next Muslim was Muhammad's slave, Zeid. Then others appeared, but, with the exception of Abu Bakr, they were, as a rule, unnobles who did not play any role in political life Mecca people who, nevertheless, believed that Muhammad was the prophet of one god, whom he preached under the name of Allah. They gathered together, prayed, Muhammad retold them his revelations, taught them to believe in one God and himself as a prophet.
Several hadiths should be quoted that describe how revelations came to Muhammad. Visions like the original were very rare. Revelations mostly came in a different form.
Ibn Saad reports the following hadith:
“Al-Xapuc ibn Hisham said: “O Messenger of Allah! How do revelations come to you? The Messenger of Allah answered him: “Sometimes they come to me in the form of a ringing bell, and it’s 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 whole forehead was covered in perspiration.”
"Ubayd b. Samit says that when the revelation came to the Messenger of Allah, he felt heaviness, and his complexion underwent a change” (Hadith from the collection of Muslim).
“The prophet’s face was red, and he was breathing heavily for a while, and then he got rid of it” (Hadith from the collection of al-Bukhari).
A few words must be said about the versions that existed in the Christian world and about the understanding of these revelations. There are three main ones.
First version: Muhammad imitated it and fooled his followers. He specifically took advantage of this to make a greater impression around his teaching. This version was developed, in particular, by Theodore Abu Kurra.
Another: Muhammad suffered from epilepsy, and these conditions were epileptic seizures. The first to express this idea was St. Theophanes the Confessor. It enjoys attention in the scientific world to this day. The fact is that in the biography of Muhammad, written by ibn Hisham, there are moments from which we can conclude that Muhammad had similar seizures in childhood. A case is described when Muhammad, still in infancy, while in the family of the nurse Halima, fainted. Then Halima and her husband were very scared for him, and, as Halima herself says: “The father told me: I’m afraid that this child has had a stroke, so give him to his family before the result affects.” So we took the child and took him to his mother.”
Another version is that Muhammad actually saw all these visions that were generated by negative spiritual forces, that is, during these states he was under the influence of demons, and this non-communication explains his condition. This was expressed by George Amartol, a Christian historian of the 9th century. His chronography was translated into Slavic and Georgian languages and had a tremendous influence on Russian historical science.
Each of these interpretations has its supporters in our time, including among researchers. It is characteristic that each has a strong argument in its favor and each finds foundations in the Muslim historical tradition. It is possible that in reality all these factors were combined and intertwined.
Public preaching
Three years after the first revelation, Muhammad is instructed to begin public preaching, which he does. The core of the first sermon was the proclamation of monotheism, the call to abandon the worship of false gods and the affirmation of the inevitability of the Last Judgment.
The main meaning of his sermon was the proclamation of monotheism, that there is only one god - Allah. According to this, there are attacks on the pagan religion of the Arabs, on their revered gods and goddesses, on their shrines. He claimed to be a prophet of Allah, sent for the Arabs, in order to lead them away from false worship, as well as to proclaim the Last Judgment, the Resurrection, the reward for the faithful and the torment of those who did not believe. These were the main themes of Muhammad's early preaching. Although a few more converts appeared, the sermon was generally received with indifference. Significant people were offended by his attacks on their cult.
Among other things, this was explained by the fact that Muhammad was not original against the backdrop of a pagan environment. At the same time as Muhammad, and earlier, the Arabs had similar prophets. They taught that God is one, about His mercy, and proclaimed themselves prophets. They had similar trance experiences to Muhammad. His early predecessor and rival was the "prophet" Maslama from the city of Yemama in eastern Arabia. So Muhammad's failure as a preacher is also explained by the fact that he was unoriginal. It is known that the pagans reproached him that he was simply retelling the man from Yemama, who said the same thing, and even behaved the same. In addition, there were other prophets: Aswad, Talha and many others who said that they were prophets of one God.
The conflict between the small followers of Muhammad and the pagans escalated when the “prophet” opposed the revered Meccan deities. Over time, the conflict began to result in fights and persecution.
There is a known episode when, during a debate on religious topics between one of the followers of Muhammad and a pagan, a Muslim, having no arguments, grabbed a camel bone lying nearby and hit his opponent with its sharp end, seriously injuring him. This trick and much more forced the elite of Mecca to decide to destroy Muhammad, as well as his supporters. Some Muslims who were enslaved by pagans were killed or tortured, but Muhammad himself was not in danger, since he was under the protection of his family. The heads of other clans repeatedly came to the head of the clan Abu Talib and asked him to remove the protection of the clan from Muhammad, they offered him different options, however, he did not agree. Then the Meccans declared a boycott of the Hashim family, but Abu Talib remained adamant.
As relations worsened during two years of open preaching, Muhammad found it necessary to send those believers who caused the most irritation to Christian Abyssinia. This first Hijra took place in 615. At the same time, some of Muhammad’s companions who moved to Abyssinia, having learned Christianity, were baptized (for example, Ubaidallah ibn Jahiz).
Muhammad himself was still not in danger of persecution. When the rest of the Quraish declared a boycott of the Hashim clan, this did not force Abu Talib to change his position. During this time, Khadija died. The situation worsened in 619, when Abu Talib, despite the entreaties of his nephew, who remained a pagan, and the head of the Khadija clan died. Abu Talib's successor is another uncle of Muhammad, Abu-Sufian, who later became his most sworn enemy; he removes the patronage of the clan from Muhammad. This was partly because Muhammad said that because his uncle Abu Talib had not converted to Islam, he would go to hell when he died.
Muhammad tries to preach outside of Mecca - in the neighboring city of Taif, but the first attempt was unsuccessful, and the herald of the new religion was stoned.
In general, in general, we can admit that Muhammad as a preacher was completely untenable. In addition to the defeat in Taif, in Mecca itself for ten years he was unable to acquire a sufficiently noticeable number of supporters, and of the handful of converts, many were converted not by him, but by his supporter, the respected merchant Abu Bakr in Mecca. By comparison, Muhammad's elder contemporary and rival prophet Maslama was able to easily convert all the inhabitants of his hometown of Yemama. Then Muhammad decides to move to the city of Yathrib or Medina, as an arbitrator, where he was invited by representatives of the tribes inhabiting the city. Yathrib was mired in internecine wars and strife between the clans of the Banu Qayla tribe, as well as three Jewish tribes. Their representatives invited Muhammad and his community to settle in Medina in the hope that the Muslim presence would have a stabilizing effect. This was probably due to the fact that Muhammad's mother, Amina, came from Yathrib. After two years of negotiations with the people of Medina, some of whom also converted to Islam, Muhammad decided to make the second Hijra. In the summer of 622, about 70 members of his community flocked to Yathrib. So, when Muhammad, along with his friend Abu Bakr, also arrived in Yathrib on September 4, he found there a personal guard of muhajirs (migrants). The Medina Muslims were called Ansars (helpers). Upon the arrival of Muhammad, the first mosque was built.
The inhabitants of Medina heeded the requests of Muhammad and accepted Muslims from Mecca as their dependents. However, this could not continue for long, the Ansars themselves were not rich, and the community could not exist in miserable conditions. The need was to quickly ensure the economic independence of immigrants who had lost all their property.
Then Muhammad makes a decision that can be considered a turning point in Muslim history. Seeing that it is impossible to feed the community with honest labor, he decides to engage in robbery and makes his first treacherous raid. The Arabs revered four sacred months of the year, during which it was forbidden to carry out any military actions. During these months, Muhammad, who was well aware of the movements of the caravans, having been a participant in them in the past, ordered a small detachment of his followers to attack the caravan, knowing that it would be unprotected.
It is from this point that the history of the successes of Islam begins, built not on preaching, the results of which were insignificant, but on robberies, murders and military clashes.
The first such raid was carried out on his orders during the sacred truce.
“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).
It is definitely said that Muhammad himself was the initiator of the seizure of the caravan with money and goods. Muhammad understood that the property in the caravan did not belong to him, not to Muslims, but to other people. However, he calls on Muslims to seize these values, and this is the only motive given by the biographer.
The caravan was practically unguarded, and the treacherous attack was crowned with success: the sent detachment of Muslims returned with booty. However, many of Muhammad's followers were embarrassed by the violation of the holy months of truce, which prohibited military action. Their perplexity was answered by revelation: “They ask you [whether it is permissible] to fight [with the Meccan polytheists] in the forbidden month. Answer: -Fighting in the forbidden month is a great sin. However, to stray from the path of Allah, not to allow one into the Forbidden Mosque, disbelief in Him and expulsion of those praying from it is an even greater sin before Allah, for polytheism is a greater sin than murder” (Quran 2.217).
A year later, the Meccans sent a detachment to Yathrib to punish Muhammad for robbery. Around March 15, 624, they attacked the Muslims. About six hundred people took part in the battle on the pagan side, and a little more than three hundred on the Muslim side. Thanks to the discipline and zeal of the Muslims, victory was on their side. This had a significant strengthening of Muhammad's position in Medina; many pagans began to actively accept Islam. The Muslims were convinced that this victory was confirmation that they were right. “You did not kill them, but Allah killed them” (Koran 8.17), the revelation said about this.
At the Battle of Badr, many pagans were captured. The “prophet” ordered some of them to be sold to relatives for a ransom, those who were beggars were released under an oath that they would never resist him, and some he ordered to be killed:
“The Prophet moved on, returning to Medina. Along with him were captive pagans, and among them were Uqba ibn Abu Muayt, an-Nadr ibn al-Harith... When the Prophet was in al-Safra, an-Nadr ibn al-Harith was killed. Then he moved on, and... Uqba ibn Abu Muayt was killed. When the Prophet ordered the death of Uqba, Uqba asked: “What will happen to the boys, O Muhammad?” The Prophet replied: “Fire.” He was killed by Asim ibn Sabit al-Ansari..." (Ibn Hisham. Biography... p. 300).
These people are especially noted because they at one time annoyed Muhammad with ridicule of him and his poems. Muhammad did not forgive such things and organized show executions. And the boys that the poet Ukba asks Muhammad about are his, Ukba’s, children...
In the next battle that happened a year later - at Uhud, 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.
For the Muslim community, difficult times have come better times, although it did not fall apart despite the defeat. 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 listened to him, they would have won. At the same time, Muhammad strengthened his position inside Medina. Repression begins against those who opposed Muhammad. 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. They made fun of them in their poems, and he could not tolerate this. By order of Muhammad, in addition to the captured Meccan poets, two poets living in Medina were killed. Moreover, to kill the old poet, who was very careful, Muhammad allowed the killers to resort to lies. They told the poet that they were not Muslims and, having gained his trust, killed the old man and brought his heart to Muhammad. Women were also subjected to these repressions. Muhammad personally ordered his freedman and adopted son Zeid to kill the poetess Umm Qirfa, who ridiculed the “prophet” in her poems. Zayd killed her by tying a rope to her legs, at the other end tied to two camels, leading the camels in opposite directions until the woman was torn in two (Al "saba - Ibn Hagar - vol. 4, page 231)
Most of the pagans of Medina became Muslims, while a minority were forced to move out. The other opposition in the city was the Jewish tribes, of which there were four. Some of the Jews also converted to Islam, but their number was insignificant. Most Jews ridiculed Muhammad's prophetic claims and efforts to retell biblical stories. This irritated him, and he began a systematic war against the Jewish tribes. At the same time, he acted like a cunning politician, took advantage of quarrels between tribes and sought to destroy each tribe separately, while being at peace with everyone else. He destroyed three tribes completely. This is the first example of genocide under Islam. He forced one tribe to move out.
“At noon, Gabriel appeared to the Prophet... [and said]: “Almighty and all-glorious Allah orders you, O Muhammad, to go to Banu Quraiza. 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 Banu an-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).
Some of the influential pagans - the Medinians, for example, Khalid ibn Sufyan and Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, were killed by Muhammad through sent assassins, and others were forced to move out. Thus, Muhammad had at his disposal an entire city with a strong and trained community, completely obedient to him. Therefore, when the Meccans undertook their next campaign, the situation was different.
The Meccans gathered a large force and moved against Medina with the intention of destroying Islam. However, Muhammad, who understood that his strength was still not enough, resorted to the advice of a Persian specialist who was in the community and suggested an innovation with which the Arabs were unfamiliar. Salman the Persian advised to dig a ditch around Medina. When the Meccans came to this ditch, they did not dare to overcome it and retreated, content with destroying the date palms that grew around. Most of the subsequent battles were won by the Muslims, despite the fact that some tribes united against them, as the opponents made mistakes and were not united. Due to this, Islam grew stronger.
As he grew in power, Muhammad imposed his religion on the surrounding small tribes. The Bedouins accepted this passively in most cases; a few horsemen were enough to destroy the tribal idols; this met practically no resistance.
In 630, Muhammad, at the head of an army of thousands, marched on Mecca. The city capitulated. Muhammad defiantly forgave his most bitter enemies. Those, just as demonstratively, were among the first to rush to convert to Islam. In the year of his death (632), Muhammad performed the ritual of hajj to the Kaaba, cleansed of idols, and performed the ritual of worship of the black stone. Representatives of Arab tribes flocked to Mecca from all sides, hastening to enter into an alliance with a formidable force. In the year of Muhammad's death, there were approximately 100,000 adherents of Islam. 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 Musailima. It was these alternative prophets, together with their followers, who became the most solid obstacles to the path of Islam in Arabia.
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.
Personal life
According to Islamic teaching: “The Messenger of Allah is an exemplary example for you, for those who place their hope in Allah” (Quran 33.21). Therefore, the actions and moral character of Muhammad are of great importance to every Muslim.
In Medina, Muhammad acquired a harem; he had up to nine wives at a time, and in total he had 13 wives throughout his life. For Muslims, Muhammad set a restriction not to take more than four wives, but then received a “revelation” that he himself, as an exception, could take an unlimited number of wives. There were some interesting examples among these wives. For example, Aisha bint Abu Bakr, whom Muhammad married when she was nine years old. Since Muhammad is a model for a Muslim, this is a legal precedent in Islamic law. In Iran and Morocco, to this day girls can be married off at age nine. Another of his wives was the wife of his adopted son Zeid, Muhammad liked her very much, and he forced his son to divorce her and took her as his wife. When some of the Muslims dared to be indignant at this, since, according to the Arabs, such a marriage was incest, Muhammad immediately received a “revelation” allowing him to marry the wives of his adopted sons.
There was also a Jewish woman captured by the "prophet" on the battlefield, who refused the "honor" of being the "prophet's wife", and, moreover, tried to poison Muhammad.
The justification and calls for military aggression against non-Muslims played a major role. The Prophet said: “I am ordered to fight the people until they testify that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, they will not turn in the direction of our qibla (direction for prayer), they will not eat what we kill, and they will not pray like us. When they do this, we will not have the right to take away their lives and property, except what is due from them" (Abu Dawud, 2635 - here and further in the footnotes the name of the author of the collection of hadiths that make up the Sunnah appears first, and the second is the number hadith in the collection).
“Let those who buy the hereafter at the cost of life in this world fight in the name of Allah. Whoever fights in the name of Allah and is killed or wins, We will give a great reward" (Quran 4, 74), whoever dies in jihad "will be exalted for his deeds until the Day of Resurrection, and will be free from the afterlife Judgment" (Muslim, 2494 ).
Muhammad himself was ordered: “O Prophet! Encourage the believers to fight the infidels!” (Quran 8, 65). And he was encouraging. “The Messenger of Allah encouraged people to jihad and told them about the Gardens of Eden. One of the Ansars was eating dates that he was holding in his hands and said: “I so want to get into this world, should I sit until I finish eating?” He threw away what he had in his hands and took his sword and fought until he was cut down.” (Malik, 21,18,42).
At the same time, participation in jihad is a Muslim duty, not dependent on the desire to fulfill it: “You are ordered to fight the enemies of Islam, and this is hateful to you. But it is also possible that you hate what is good for you; what you desire is what is evil for you. Allah knows about it, but you do not know” (Quran 2.216).
Muhammad's relationship with Christians
Representatives of Christian Arab tribes regularly met with Muhammad, and he enjoyed talking with them about faith. Throughout his life, the founder of Islam had to fight with four Jewish tribes - Kanuk, Nadir, Quraiz and Khaybar, and he directed one campaign against the Orthodox Byzantines.
The Christians of Najran entered into an agreement with Muhammad. They also had religious disputes that ended unsuccessfully for the false prophet. Apparently, these failures were the reason why he last years throughout his life he experienced an ever-increasing hostility towards Christians and Christianity. In the Koran you can find both verses praising Christians and direct curses. He bequeathed the expulsion of all Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and died while preparing a large campaign against the Orthodox Byzantines.
Islam is one of the most widespread religious movements in the world. Today, he has a total of over a billion followers worldwide. The founder and great prophet of this religion is a native of Arab tribes named Muhammad. His life - wars and revelations - will be discussed in this article.
Birth and childhood of the founder of Islam
The birth of the Prophet Muhammad is a very important event for Muslims. It was in 570 (or so) in the city of Mecca, which is located on the territory of modern Saudi Arabia. The future preacher came from an influential tribe of Quraish - the guardians of Arab religious relics, the main of which was the Kaaba, which will be discussed below.
Muhammad lost his parents very early. He did not know his father at all, since he died before the birth of his son, and his mother died when the future prophet was barely six years old. Therefore, the boy was raised by his grandfather and uncle. Under the influence of his grandfather, young Muhammad was deeply imbued with the idea of monotheism, although most of his fellow tribesmen professed paganism, worshiping many deities of the ancient Arab pantheon. That's how it started religious history Prophet Muhammad.
The youth of the future prophet and first marriage
When the young man grew up, his uncle introduced him to his trading business. It must be said that Muhammad was quite successful in them, gaining respect and trust among his people. Things went so well under his leadership that over time he even became a manager commercial affairs one wealthy woman named Khadija. The latter fell in love with the young, enterprising Muhammad, and the business relationship gradually grew into a personal one. Nothing stopped them, since Khadija was a widow, and in the end Muhammad married her. This union was happy, the couple lived in love and harmony. From this marriage the prophet had six children.
Religious life of the prophet in his youth
Muhammad was always distinguished by his piety. He thought a lot about divine things and often retired to prayer. He also had the custom of annually retiring to the mountains for a long time, so that, hiding in a cave, he would spend time there in fasting and prayer. The further history of the Prophet Muhammad is closely connected with one of these solitudes, which occurred in 610. He was then about forty years old. Despite his already mature age, Muhammad was open to new experiences. And this year became a turning point for him. One can even say that then the second birth of the Prophet Muhammad took place, the birth precisely as a prophet, as a religious leader and preacher.
Revelation of Gabriel (Jabreel)
In short, Muhammad experienced a meeting with Gabriel (Jabreel in Arabic transcription) - an archangel known from Jewish and Christian books. The latter, Muslims believe, was sent by God to reveal to the new prophet a few words, which the latter was ordered to learn. These, according to Islamic beliefs, became the first lines of the Koran - scripture for Muslims.
Subsequently, Gabriel, appearing in various guises or simply expressing himself in his voice, conveyed to Muhammad instructions and commands from above, that is, from God, who in Arabic is called Allah. The latter revealed himself to Muhammad as the Lord who had previously spoken in the prophets of Israel and in Jesus Christ. Thus the third arose - Islam. The Prophet Muhammad became its actual founder and ardent preacher.
Muhammad's life after the beginning of his sermon
The further history of the Prophet Muhammad is marked by tragedy. Because of his persistent preaching, he acquired many enemies. He and his converts were boycotted by his countrymen. Many Muslims were subsequently forced to seek refuge in Abyssinia, where they were mercifully sheltered by the Christian king.
In 619, Khadija, the faithful wife of the prophet, died. Following her, the uncle of the prophet died, who defended his nephew from his indignant fellow tribesmen. To avoid reprisals and persecution from enemies, Muhammad had to leave his native Mecca. He tried to find shelter in the nearby Arab city of Taif, but he was not accepted there either. Therefore, at his own peril and risk, he was forced to return.
When the Prophet Muhammad died, he was sixty-three years old. It is believed that his last words were the phrase: “I am destined to live in heaven among the most worthy.”
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 his 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, last words Muhammad said: “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 politic system staggered 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”
100 great politicians Sokolov Boris Vadimovich
Muhammad, prophet, founder of Islam (570–632)
Muhammad, prophet, founder of Islam
(570–632)
The founder of Islam, recognized by Muslims as a prophet, Muhammad was born into the family of Abdallah, who belonged to the poor Hashemite family of the Arab tribe of Quraish, who lived in the Mecca region. He was left an orphan early and was forced to earn his living as a shepherd and caravan driver. Because he meekly fulfilled all the demands of his masters, he was nicknamed Al-Amin - the Devotee. Since childhood, he had visions in which he was visited by people in white robes - angels. Only a successful marriage to a wealthy merchant widow, Khadija, significantly improved the financial situation of Muhammad, who engaged in large-scale caravan trade. In 610, when Muhammad turned 40 years old, in the month of Ramadan in Arabic lunar calendar An event occurred that laid the foundation for Islam. At night on Mount Hira near Mecca, as Muhammad claimed, the angel Jebrail (Christian Gabriel) appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to preach in the name of the One God - Allah. Allah, through Jebrail, inspired Muhammad with the text of the holy book - the Koran (from the Arabic “al-quran” - “reading out loud by heart”). Muhammad considered himself the last of the great prophets. The previous ones, according to his teachings, were: the first man Adam, who escaped from the flood Nuh (biblical Noah), the biblical prophets Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail, Isaac (Isaac), Yaqub (Jacob), the Israeli kings Daud (David) and Suleiman (Solomon) , as well as Isa al-Masih (Jesus Christ). Muhammad condemned the paganism of his fellow tribesmen, for whom Allah was only the supreme deity of the pagan pantheon. Muhammad rejected not only paganism, but also Judaism, since the Jews recognized only the Old Testament prophets, and Christianity, since Christians, according to Muhammad, deviated into polytheism, deifying Jesus Christ and the Divine Trinity. He proclaimed a new religion, Islam, which in Arabic means “submission” (meaning submission to the will of Allah). He called for the destruction of idols and a return to ancient monotheism - the faith preached by the prophet Abraham. These calls did not meet with a response among the Quraish, and in 622 on September 20, Muhammad was forced to flee from Mecca to Yathrib, which was later renamed Medinat al-Nabi (City of the Prophet), but is better known today by its abbreviated name Medina. This escape (“hijra” - migration) became the starting point of Muslim chronology. First, Muhammad managed to convince the inhabitants of Medina, who had long been at enmity with the Meccans, that he was right. The first inhabitants of Medina, who began to help Muhammad, began to be called Ansars (helpers). Their descendants retained this word in their surnames as an honorary title. Having been elected head of the Medina tribes, Muhammad began holy war, ghazavat (jihad), for the establishment of Islam in Mecca, the traditional religious center of the Arabs. Members of the Muslim community, led by Muhammad, attacked caravans heading to Mecca. Long before he managed to take possession of Mecca, he sent messages demanding recognition of Allah and his prophet to the main sovereigns of the then world, including the Persian king, the Byzantine and Chinese emperors. The world rulers were surprised by the audacity of the unknown insolent. But twenty years later, when the state founded by Muhammad had become a powerful force in world politics, such letters no longer aroused surprise, and few would risk answering them impolitely. Muhammad undoubtedly had enormous charisma and was able to inspire his followers in the most unfavorable circumstances. Otherwise, he would never have united the Arabs and created a world religion, but would have remained a small preacher of one of the Arab tribes, whose name would have been known only to historians who studied the history of the Arabs in the early Middle Ages. The new faith was provided with a mass of adherents by the ideals of equality and brotherhood inherent in Islam for all who believe in Allah and his prophet. This was precisely not the case in neighboring Zoroastrian Iran and Christian Byzantium, and soon after the death of the prophet, Islam conquered Iran and the Byzantine possessions in Asia - with sword and word. And the Arabs, among whom there was already a significant stratification of property, turned out to be very receptive to the ideas of equality and justice preached by Muhammad.
At first, Muhammad suffered a number of serious setbacks in his struggle to unite the Arab tribes. In 625, in a battle near Mount Okhod, his detachment of 750 people was defeated by four times superior forces of the Meccans. In 629, the Byzantines supporting Mecca at the Battle of Muta destroyed an army of 3,000 under the command of Muhammad's nephew Zeid. It seems that Muhammad did not have particularly outstanding leadership qualities, and the forces of the enemies significantly exceeded the forces of the prophet. However, Muhammad had a tremendous gift of persuasion and managed to attract a number of Arab tribes to his side. In 628, Muhammad's army inflicted the first serious defeat on the Meccans, and two years later Mecca voluntarily opened its gates to Muhammad's followers. The Prophet finally managed to convince the Meccans to accept Islam - the true faith. Main temple Mecca Kaaba, where since ancient times a black stone was installed - a meteorite that fell from the sky, which was worshiped by the Arabs - was the main shrine of the surrounding Arab tribes. Muhammad's agreement with the Meccans was a kind of compromise. The leaders of the Meccan community, in exchange for the adoption of Islam, negotiated the recognition of Mecca as the main center of the new religion and the Kaaba as its main shrine. Muhammad won over to his side his worst opponents - the Meccan merchants - not only with the spiritual power of his preaching, but also with completely rational circumstances. It became obvious that Islam was popular among the Arabs primarily due to its message of equality and would help unite them into one state, which, of course, improved the terms of trade. Mecca was cleared of pagan idols and turned into the main holy city of the new religion. IN last month During the year of Dhul-Hijjah, Muslims had to make a pilgrimage to this shrine. The prophet's power extended to Arabia, Hijaz and Najd. The state created by Muhammad was an absolute theocracy. Every word spoken by the prophet was perceived as a law, both in spiritual and secular matters. Muhammad's supporters also began to raid Byzantine and Iranian lands. Muhammad died on June 8, 632 while preparing for a campaign against Yemen. His successor Abu Bekr became the first caliph - “deputy prophet” and head of the Arab Muslim state, which very soon extended its power far beyond the Arabian Peninsula.
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The modern world believes that the Prophet Muhammad is the founder of Islam. His full name reads as Muhammad, and the biography of the prophet begins in 570, from which the facts of his existence are given in order.
He was born into a famous family of Saudi Arabia, in the year 570, according to the Christian calendar.
Muhammad's father was a blood relative of the founder of Mecca, which gave him membership in such a noble family as Quraish.
Life of the Prophet Muhammad
His father died before his son was born, and he lost his mother at the age of 6. Muhammad was raised by his grandfather, whose name is Abdalmuttalib, and then, after his death, his blood uncle, Abu Talib, received the rights to the boy.
Birth and childhood of the founder of Islam
His childhood was spent in simple and constant work: he herded sheep, looked after and fed animals, helped with housework, equipped caravans. Upon reaching the age of 25, the young man entered the service of the wealthy Khadija.
His duties included escorting trade caravans to Syria, as well as keeping animals in proper order.
Marriage
Much time passed when Muhammad grew up and turned into a stately man.
He offered Khadija his heart, and she agreed, after which a magnificent wedding ceremony was held.
His wife was his only love - one for the rest of his life. In total, he had 13 wives and many children, but he always loved only the first - Khadija.
Beginning of preaching and religious activities
The Prophet was engaged in trade for some time, but after practicing meditation, he had a vision in which an Angel came to him and conveyed a message from God himself.
Thus, after a while, Muhammad began new life and immediately introduced his wife and nephew to the faith. Then his friend Abu Bakr and the former slave Zayd believed him.
At first, Muhammad did not openly talk about God - he was afraid of persecution and threats from the government. But after an Angel visited him and ordered him to speak to all people about God, he went to Mecca and there the period of his preaching began. By 610, the inhabitants of Mecca, who had not previously heard the teachings about God, greeted Muhammad with ridicule.
But he continued his sermons no matter what. Of course, his lack of education affected him, and he could not read the Holy Books, so he memorized everything he heard and translated it into a short poetic form.
Muhammad urged residents to love each other and respect their neighbors. Even the children listened to everything he said. He supported his words with miracles, such as healing from illnesses.
Mohammed's migration from Mecca to Medina
Since Muslims were constantly under surveillance and persecution, Muhammad decided to move to Medina along with his pilgrims. There he was greeted warmly and cordially.
The local Jewish community sided with Muhammad and accepted the new faith. From this historical point, the era of Islam began - the Hijra.
Teachings of Muhammad
The prophet's teachings were based on two religions: Christianity and Judaism. Over time, his influence spread so much that the Islamic communities in Mecca admitted defeat and allowed Muhammad to return to Mecca in 630. Now the capital of Islam has become the city of Mecca.
After much prayer and meditation, the Koran was revealed to Muhammad at the end of his life, which he wrote down as a book that personified Islam.
A few years before his death, he told his preachers to raise money and build a mosque, which is now located in Mecca. There he held the last service, where he strictly ordered women to wear a scarf in order to hide their hair.
How the prophet Muhammad died
Having received universal love and recognition, the prophet returned to Medina, where he died in 632, after his pilgrimage to the Holy Homeland of Islam.
As it is written in the Holy Book, the prophet was ill for a long time and despite the fact that he looked bad, he still visited the mosque. He was buried not far from his house, and today his grave is a place of fellowship for parishioners.
Prophecies of Muhammad
The most famous prophecies concern Islam and the East. For example, he predicted the conquest of Jerusalem after his death and the conquest of Persia, as well as the fall of Rome and Yemen.
Many prophecies speak of the Apocalypse: they tell us that in last days believers will be driven out of their homes, and cities will be ruled by deceitful people.
Descendants of the Prophet Muhammad
He had 6 children: 4 daughters and 2 sons. Unfortunately, history is silent about why the boys died in infancy, and the girls died at an early age; however, only one of the daughters, Fatima, managed to outlive their father.
Conclusion
Nowadays there are many biographical films on the Internet containing historical facts about the life of the Prophet Muhammad and his death, as well as many photos of the places where he preached.
