Contents
• Exploration: Muhammad and the Birth of Islam
Pre-Islamic Mecca
Muhammad's Born
Muhammad Weds
The Revelations
The Next Few Years
Assent into Heaven
The Hegira
The Battle of Badr
Assualt on Mednia
The Conquest of Mecca
Muhammad Dies
Muhammad's Legacy
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Around 628 AD, Muhammad made his first pilgrimage to Mecca to worship at the holy Kaa'ba. This audacious move was blocked by Meccans, but Muhammad was not discouraged. A treaty was signed stipulating that every year (starting in the next year) for the next ten Muhammad would be allowed his annual migration.
However, by 630, the contract was null and void as armed conflict broke out again. To settle the issue, Muhammad, who was rapidly growing in strength, ordered the conquest of Mecca. He gathered an army of 10,000 and dealt the Meccans, who were already weaken from past fighting, a seris of hard blows, defeating them entirely.
After the victory, Muhammad ordered the Kaa'ba, the holiest of shrines, to be rid of pagan idols and to become the center of Islamic religion. The conquered Meccans quickly converted to Islam and Muhammad was soon able to convince much of the rest of the Arabian peninsula to join his new religion.
| When he reached the age of 63, the Prophet Muhammad tragically died. He left behind a bereaved empire, bereft of leadership. After the death of his wife, Khadija, he took nine wives. One of these was A'isha, the daughter of his dear friend Abu Bakr. It was in her arms that he died.
As word of Muhammad's death spread, shock and panic ensued. However, Abu Bakr, serving as a source of calmness, reassured the communtiy: "Whichever of you worships Muhammad, know that Muhammad is dead. But whichever of you worships God, know that God is alive and does not die." Even at this early time, Abu Bakr was showing the signs of leadership that would prompt the Muslim community to select him to be the next leader.
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The Prophet Muhammad had lived a very influential life. Below is a list of his major accomplishes:
- He created a new, monothesitic religion
- He dictated the Qu'ran, a holy (and beautifully written) work
- He revived a latent Arabian sense of nationalism
- He began what would one day become the mightly Islamic Empire
- He made slavery considerably more humane a practice
- He outlawed gambling and wine drinking
- He became the ideal Muslim man
Thus, it can be confidently stated that the prophet Muhammad was perhaps the most influential person in the history of the world.
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