“Recite thou in the name of the Lord, who made man from clots of blood.”
It is told that, in a cave among the sand-swept heights of Mount Hirah, this command, given by the angel Gabriel to Mohammed, birthed Islam.
Mohammed was raised by his uncle, Abu Talib, in Mecca. His father died before his birth (in 570 A.D.), and his mother, three years after.
There were no records written of Mohammed’s life until 150 years after his death and none of them are external (non-Muslim). There is, in consequence, very little certain about his early life. It can be known, however, that, by the age of twenty, he had become a successful merchant, traveling, and trading from the economically flourishing city of Mecca. This vocation would have brought him into contact with many Jews and Christians, fueling an interest in and giving knowledge of theology. It also explains many of the similarities in the Quar’anic narratives and teachings to those of the Bible.
One of his trading expeditions was completed under the employment of a wealthy widow named Khadijah, who was fifteen years his senior. The success of this mission prompted her to propose marriage. The twenty-five-year-old accepted, and she bore him seven children. Throughout his life, Mohammed would have a total of thirteen wives.
The next fifteen years were peaceful. The life of a successful merchant in Mecca’s thriving economy was not overly strenuous. Thus, Mohammed, being dissatisfied with the largely pantheistic worship of the city and the hypocritical lives of many Jews and Christians, spent much of his time in meditation on religion. For this purpose he developed the habit of retiring three miles distance from the city to the heights of Mount Hirah. It was in a cave on this mountain that he claimed to have received the command from the angel Gabriel to recite.
This experience was the beginning of his life as a prophet. He was now forty years old.
The people of Mecca were largely unreceptive and even hostile toward his preaching. Interestingly, the Arabs did worship the supreme god Allah, but to them he was only the most powerful of many gods. Mohammed’s declaration that Allah alone is God did not tickle the ears of the population. At first, only some relatives and a few friends believed the truth of his prophecies and his prophetic calling.
Due to the opposition in Mecca, Mohammed resolved to move the mission to a more favorable location. He settled on a city 250 miles North called Yathrib, now Medina (City of the Prophet). Here he was well received and gradually gained converts. Eventually, he became the most prominent civil and religious leader of the city, taking advantage of the decentralized nature of its government. Under his control, Medina would become an independent religious state.
At the outset, Mohammed was eager to cultivate a friendly relationship with the Jewish and Christian faiths. He and his followers adopted some of the Jewish practices; they even faced Jerusalem during prayer. But when it became clear that the Jews did not regard him or his teachings as valid, he began to stress the absolute claims of Islam as the true religion of Abraham. This was manifested most notably when, mid-prayer, he turned and faced Mecca rather than Jerusalem.
Two years after the migration to Medina (622 A.D.), the resources of the then small Muslim community were nearly exhausted. Mohammed remedied this problem with a revelation. “O prophet! Strive hared against the Unbelievers and the Hypocrites, and be firm against them” (9:73). He and his followers obeyed this command by raiding caravans from Mecca and dividing the spoil. The most significant of the raids happened at Badr, where 350 Muslims defeated a Meccan caravan 1,000 strong. A revelation concerning this battle best describes its importance. “It is not ye who slew them; it was Allah . . . in order that He might test the Believers by a gracious trial from Himself” (8:17). According to Mohammed, Allah was with them, and even commanded them to use violence.
Twelve years after his arrival in Medina, Mohammed completed is final pilgrimage to Mecca. By then, he had conquered that city and set it up as the center of his religion. One hundred thousand people are said to have accompanied him. He was overtaken by illness shortly after his return and, fearing that he would not recover, exhorted his followers to live at peace with one another and obey his successors. These Caliphs continued the militaristic religious conquest of the Arabic world that he had begun.
In 632 A.D., the self-proclaimed messenger of Allah, and final prophet of Islam, died.
