Who was Muhammad?

Muhammad was the prophet and founder of Islam. Most of his early life was spent as a businessman. At the age of 40, he received revelations from Allah that became the basis of the Qur'an and the foundation of Islam. By 630 he had united most of Arabia under one religion. As of 2015, there are more than 1.8 billion Muslims in the world who claim that "there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his prophet."

Life of Muhammad

Muhammad was born around 570 AD in Mecca (now in Saudi Arabia). His father died before he was born, and he was raised first by his grandfather and then by his uncle. He belonged to a poor but respectable family of Quraish. This family was active in Mecca politics and trade.

Many of the tribes living in the Arabian Peninsula at the time were nomads, trading goods as they crossed the desert. Most tribes were polytheists, worshiping their own gods. The city of Mecca was an important commercial and religious center, home to many temples and synagogues where devotees prayed to the idols of these gods. The most famous place was the Kaaba (Arabic for cube). It is believed to have been built by Ibrahim (Abraham for Muslims) and his son Ishmael. Gradually, the people of Markka turned towards polytheism and idolatry. Of all the deities worshiped, Allah is believed to be the greatest and the only one without an idol.

In his early teens, Muhammad worked in camel caravans, following in the footsteps of many his age, who were born into modest wealth. Working for his uncle, he gained experience in the mercantile trade from Syria and eventually the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean. Over time, Muhammad gained a reputation as honest and sincere, earning the nickname "Alain" meaning faithful or trustworthy.

In his early 20s, Muhammad began working for Khadija, a wealthy merchant woman who was 15 years his senior. She soon became attracted to this young, capable man and proposed marriage. She accepted and over the years the happy union brought many

Children. Not all lived to adulthood, but one, Fatima, would marry Muhammad's cousin Ali in Abi Ta lib, whom Shia Muslims consider Muhammad's successor.

Prophet Muhammad

Muhammad was also very religious, occasionally making devotional trips to holy places near Mecca. On one of his pilgrimages in 610, he was meditating in a cave in Jamal album. The angel Gabriel appeared and recited the word of God: "Recite in the name of your Lord who created, created man from a lump. Recitation to your Lord is great..." These words are in the Qur'an's Surah (Chapter 96) became the opening verses of Most Islamic historians believe that Muhammad was initially troubled by the revelations and did not reveal them publicly for several years. However, Shia tradition states that he welcomed the angel Gabriel's message and was moved to share his experience with other potential believers.

Islamic tradition holds that the first converts were his wife Khadija and his close friend Abu Bakr (who is considered Muhammad's successor among Sunni Muslims). Soon, Muhammad began to gather a small following, initially facing no opposition. Most of the Meccas either ignored him or mocked him as just another prophet. However, when his message condemned idolatry and polytheism, many tribal leaders in Mecca began to see Muhammad and his message as a threat. In addition to going against long-held beliefs, the condemnation of idolatry had economic consequences for the merchants who served the thousands of pilgrims who visited Mecca each year. This was especially true for members of Muhammad's own tribe, the Quraish, who were the guardians of the Kaaba. Sensing the danger, the merchants and leaders of Mecca encouraged Muhammad to give up his preaching, but he refused.

Increasingly, resistance against Muhammad and his followers grew, and eventually they were forced to migrate from Mecca to Medina, 260 miles to the north, in 622. This event marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. There, Muhammad played an important role in ending the ongoing civil war between several tribes in the city. Muhammad settled in Medina, building his Muslim community and gradually gaining acceptance and more followers.

Between 624 and 628 Muslims were engaged in wars of survival. In the last major engagement, the Battle of the Trench and the Siege of Medina, Muhammad and his followers prevailed, and a treaty was signed. This treaty was broken by the Mecca allies a year later. By now, Muhammad had considerable forces and the balance of power had shifted away from the Mecca leaders. In 630, the Muslim army marched on Mecca, taking the city with minimal casualties. Muhammad pardoned many Mecca leaders who had opposed him, and forgave many others. Most of the population of Mecca accepted Islam. Muhammad and his followers then proceeded to destroy all the idols of pagan gods in and around the Kaaba.

Death of Muhammad

After the disputes with Mecca were finally settled, Muhammad made his first true Islamic pilgrimage to the city and in March 632, he delivered his last sermon on Mount Arafat. After returning to his wife's house in Medina, he remained ill for several days. He died on 8 June 632 at the age of 62 and was buried in Masjid Al-Farabi (Masjid Al-Farabi), one of the first mosques built by Muhammad in Medina.