Muhammad Research Task
Muhammad Research Task: Report
Early Years:
History, legend and Muslim belief portray Muhammad as a remarkable man and a prophet. He was called to be God’s messenger around the age of 40 in 610 CE. Muhammad was born into the Quraysh Tribe around 570 CE in Mecca. Little of Muhammad’s early years are recorded but we do know that he was orphaned at a young age and then raised primarily by his uncle, for whom he worked as a shepherd. At the age of 9 (where as some sources say 12) he joined his uncle on a caravan to Syria. As a young man, Muhammad worked as a camel driver between Syria and Arabia. Soon he established a career managing caravans on behalf of merchants. Through his travel first with his uncle and later in his career, Muhammad …show more content…
came into contact with people of many nationalities and faiths including Jews, Christians and Pagans. At the age of 25, Muhammad was employed by Khadija, a wealthy Meccan widow who was 15 years older than he was and then they got married where they had two sons who died in infancy, and four daughters, the most famous of whom is Fatima.
Messenger of God:
Around the age of 40, Muhammad became the messenger of God, it all started when Muhammad retreated regularly to a cave on Mount Hira, a short distance north of Mecca where he meditated and worshipped one God and contemplated his life and the troubles of his society, seeking greater meaning and insight. It was on Mount Hira, in 610 CE, during what is now the month of Ramadan that Muhammad became Muhammad the Messenger of God. On the night the Qur’an refers to as “The Night of Destiny”, he received the first of many revelations from God. A heavenly intermediary, later identified by tradition as the Archangel Gabriel, commanded, “Recite”. Muhammad responded that he had nothing to recite. Twice the angel repeated the command, and each time a frightened and bewildered Muhammad pleaded that he did not know what to say. Finally the words came to him:
“Proclaim in the name of thy lord, who created-
Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood:
Proclaim! And they Lord is Most Bountiful-
He Who taught (the use of) the pen-
Taught man that which he knew not.”
With this revelation Muhammad then saw himself as a divinely inspired messenger or prophet of God. Muhammad continued to receive divine revelations over the next twenty three years until he died, after each revelation Muhammad memorized them and scribes in Mecca wrote them down, over time the messages were collected and arranged between two covers about a year after his death as the Qur’an; Islam’s sacred scripture.
Muhammad’s Mission:
Muhammad’s mission involves preaching monotheism, which means ‘One God’; the Qur’an demands Muhammad to proclaim and praise the name of his Lord and instructs him not to worship idols apart from Allah. One of Muhammad’s many roles were to warn the unbelievers that they were wrong in idolising many different gods. Muhammad was to spread Islam all over the world and demonstrate and preach the laws or moral, ethical, legal and social conduct and matters of significance for humanity instead of worshiping materialism, and people should follow him and his rules.
Proclaiming his message in Mecca:
The first thirteen years of Muhammad’s preaching were difficult, hampered my Meccan resistance, rejection and violence. His message was not altogether welcome for at least two reasons, which were:
1- His rejection of the polytheism threatened the livelihood and prestige of the Meccans
2- The values he expressed did not agree with the money making policy of the rich merchants of the city.
The people of Mecca were afraid to follow Muhammad’s footsteps because he was basically asking them to change everything they believe in. They worshiped idols which Muhammad referred to as false gods and turned around and asked them to believe in One God; Allah instead and many Meccan’s felt their way of life was threatened because they had always depended on their idols for everything. Some Meccas agreed with Muhammad and converted although he and his followers were heavily persecuted. To keep the Muslims safe, Muhammad sent them to a respected Christian King in Abyssinia, Negus Al-Asham. Negus, after hearing both sides declared all Muslims in Abyssinia to be safe. Eventually, God sent Muhammad the message to leave Mecca and go to Medina.
‘Night Journey’ or ‘Night Of Ascent’:
When Muhammad struggled in Mecca preaching God’s message, he gathered a small band of faithful followers.
In 621 CE Muhammad was invited by a delegation from Yathribe which was later called Medina, city of the Prophet to serve as a chief arbitrator in a feud between two Arab tribes and he accepted this invitation about the same time as an event referred to “The Night Journey”. The night Journey was the miraculous journey when the angel Gabriel took the Prophet through the air from Mecca to Jerusalem and then, from the site that is now the Dome of the Rock mosque, he mad the Ascension to heaven past the great prophets who had preceded him, to the presence of God. This flight determined the Islamic rituals of praying five times a day, preforming ablution (washing before a prayer). In other words Muhammad’s night journey impacts the lives of 1.5 billion Muslims all over the …show more content…
world.
Medina:
Medina signaled a turning point and in many ways marked the real beginning of the religion we call Islam.
The prophet was able to establish a community centered on two things:
1- Belief in Allah as one true God
2- Commitment to Muhammad as Allah’s messenger
This was an important part in the Prophets career that in the year 622 AD marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. The journey is known as Al-Hijra; which marked a turning point in Muhammad’s fortune and new stage in the history of the Islamic movement. Islam also covered the social and political dimension of human life with the establishment of an Islamic community state at Medina. By leaving Mecca Muhammad broke with the old tribal organization to create a community of faith, and establish a religion with its on institutions. The community in medina who accepted this religion were called Muslims.
Battle of Badr:
The Battle of Badr was the first major fight between the Muslims and the Meccans. It began after Muhammad had intended to attack a caravan led by Abu Sufyan, which inside had all the property the Muslims could not take with them to Medina. The Muslim force only contributed of 305 men where as the Meccans were made up of about 1000 but according to the legend, Muhammad and his men got aid from angels led by Gabriel. This victory was important in Islamic history because it gave the Muslim’s a boost in morale. They saw this victory as a sign from
God.
Ka’ba:
The Ka’ba is a box like building that housed 360 idol gods of Arabia. It is significant because the gods were such a big part of Muslim life and they worshiped them. Turning around Ka’ba is kind of praying and God worship. Ka’ba is a central part of Hajj, a pilgrimage preformed by millions of Muslims year after year. The Ka’ba is the site where Muslims direct their prayer towards as it was revealed by God in the Quran. It’s for the unity of Muslims so people don’t pray everywhere and there is one unity among Muslim when they pray.
Death of Muhammad:
Muhammad’s died on June 8th 632 AD. At the age of 62 Muhammad made his final pilgrimage to Mecca where he delivered a farewell sermon to his Meccan followers. In this address he urged them to remain faithful to Allah and loyal to one another as brothers and sisters in the worldwide Islamic community. When Muhammad died the leadership of Islam fell to Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s most trusted advisor and one his fathers-in-law. In the decades following Muhammad’s death a growing tension arose over how to determine the rightful leader of Islam. The question of who is the appropriate ruler of the Islamic community eventually split Islam in two.
Muhammad Research Task: Mini Essay
The Prophet Muhammad, the final messenger of God is the model for Muslim life due to being the Prophet of God, a military commander, a ruler, chief judge and a law giver all these aspects contribute to Muslims attempting to follow the words of Muhammad and to model their actions after his customary practice.
Muhammad’s remarkable character and personality inspired extraordinary confidence and commitment, both during his lifetime and throughout the following centuries. Muhammad has provided the ideal model for Muslim character and life such as how to treat friends as well as enemies; what to eat and drink; how to love and conduct war, which provides the pattern that, all believers are to emulate. Muslims look to Muhammad’s example for guidance in all aspects of life and his influence on Muslim life cannot be underestimated since he served as both religious and political leader of Medina- prophet of God, ruler, military commander, chief, judge, lawgiver. The Sunna, which is the practice of Muhammad the prophet, became the standard for community life. He is, as some Muslims say, the ‘living Qur’an’- the witness whose behavior and words reveal God’s will. These practices of the Prophet became the guiding source of Islamic law alongside the Qur’an. Traditions of the Prophet give guidance for personal worship, morals, dress, eating, marriage, and treatment of wives, diplomacy and ethics of warfare.
Through Muhammad’s traditions and the way he lived his life it shows how Muslim’s today live their life from the example of Muhammad and him being the model for Muslim life.
Early Years:
History, legend and Muslim belief portray Muhammad as a remarkable man and a prophet. He was called to be God’s messenger around the age of 40 in 610 CE. Muhammad was born into the Quraysh Tribe around 570 CE in Mecca. Little of Muhammad’s early years are recorded but we do know that he was orphaned at a young age and then raised primarily by his uncle, for whom he worked as a shepherd. At the age of 9 (where as some sources say 12) he joined his uncle on a caravan to Syria. As a young man, Muhammad worked as a camel driver between Syria and Arabia. Soon he established a career managing caravans on behalf of merchants. Through his travel first with his uncle and later in his career, Muhammad …show more content…
came into contact with people of many nationalities and faiths including Jews, Christians and Pagans. At the age of 25, Muhammad was employed by Khadija, a wealthy Meccan widow who was 15 years older than he was and then they got married where they had two sons who died in infancy, and four daughters, the most famous of whom is Fatima.
Messenger of God:
Around the age of 40, Muhammad became the messenger of God, it all started when Muhammad retreated regularly to a cave on Mount Hira, a short distance north of Mecca where he meditated and worshipped one God and contemplated his life and the troubles of his society, seeking greater meaning and insight. It was on Mount Hira, in 610 CE, during what is now the month of Ramadan that Muhammad became Muhammad the Messenger of God. On the night the Qur’an refers to as “The Night of Destiny”, he received the first of many revelations from God. A heavenly intermediary, later identified by tradition as the Archangel Gabriel, commanded, “Recite”. Muhammad responded that he had nothing to recite. Twice the angel repeated the command, and each time a frightened and bewildered Muhammad pleaded that he did not know what to say. Finally the words came to him:
“Proclaim in the name of thy lord, who created-
Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood:
Proclaim! And they Lord is Most Bountiful-
He Who taught (the use of) the pen-
Taught man that which he knew not.”
With this revelation Muhammad then saw himself as a divinely inspired messenger or prophet of God. Muhammad continued to receive divine revelations over the next twenty three years until he died, after each revelation Muhammad memorized them and scribes in Mecca wrote them down, over time the messages were collected and arranged between two covers about a year after his death as the Qur’an; Islam’s sacred scripture.
Muhammad’s Mission:
Muhammad’s mission involves preaching monotheism, which means ‘One God’; the Qur’an demands Muhammad to proclaim and praise the name of his Lord and instructs him not to worship idols apart from Allah. One of Muhammad’s many roles were to warn the unbelievers that they were wrong in idolising many different gods. Muhammad was to spread Islam all over the world and demonstrate and preach the laws or moral, ethical, legal and social conduct and matters of significance for humanity instead of worshiping materialism, and people should follow him and his rules.
Proclaiming his message in Mecca:
The first thirteen years of Muhammad’s preaching were difficult, hampered my Meccan resistance, rejection and violence. His message was not altogether welcome for at least two reasons, which were:
1- His rejection of the polytheism threatened the livelihood and prestige of the Meccans
2- The values he expressed did not agree with the money making policy of the rich merchants of the city.
The people of Mecca were afraid to follow Muhammad’s footsteps because he was basically asking them to change everything they believe in. They worshiped idols which Muhammad referred to as false gods and turned around and asked them to believe in One God; Allah instead and many Meccan’s felt their way of life was threatened because they had always depended on their idols for everything. Some Meccas agreed with Muhammad and converted although he and his followers were heavily persecuted. To keep the Muslims safe, Muhammad sent them to a respected Christian King in Abyssinia, Negus Al-Asham. Negus, after hearing both sides declared all Muslims in Abyssinia to be safe. Eventually, God sent Muhammad the message to leave Mecca and go to Medina.
‘Night Journey’ or ‘Night Of Ascent’:
When Muhammad struggled in Mecca preaching God’s message, he gathered a small band of faithful followers.
In 621 CE Muhammad was invited by a delegation from Yathribe which was later called Medina, city of the Prophet to serve as a chief arbitrator in a feud between two Arab tribes and he accepted this invitation about the same time as an event referred to “The Night Journey”. The night Journey was the miraculous journey when the angel Gabriel took the Prophet through the air from Mecca to Jerusalem and then, from the site that is now the Dome of the Rock mosque, he mad the Ascension to heaven past the great prophets who had preceded him, to the presence of God. This flight determined the Islamic rituals of praying five times a day, preforming ablution (washing before a prayer). In other words Muhammad’s night journey impacts the lives of 1.5 billion Muslims all over the …show more content…
world.
Medina:
Medina signaled a turning point and in many ways marked the real beginning of the religion we call Islam.
The prophet was able to establish a community centered on two things:
1- Belief in Allah as one true God
2- Commitment to Muhammad as Allah’s messenger
This was an important part in the Prophets career that in the year 622 AD marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. The journey is known as Al-Hijra; which marked a turning point in Muhammad’s fortune and new stage in the history of the Islamic movement. Islam also covered the social and political dimension of human life with the establishment of an Islamic community state at Medina. By leaving Mecca Muhammad broke with the old tribal organization to create a community of faith, and establish a religion with its on institutions. The community in medina who accepted this religion were called Muslims.
Battle of Badr:
The Battle of Badr was the first major fight between the Muslims and the Meccans. It began after Muhammad had intended to attack a caravan led by Abu Sufyan, which inside had all the property the Muslims could not take with them to Medina. The Muslim force only contributed of 305 men where as the Meccans were made up of about 1000 but according to the legend, Muhammad and his men got aid from angels led by Gabriel. This victory was important in Islamic history because it gave the Muslim’s a boost in morale. They saw this victory as a sign from
God.
Ka’ba:
The Ka’ba is a box like building that housed 360 idol gods of Arabia. It is significant because the gods were such a big part of Muslim life and they worshiped them. Turning around Ka’ba is kind of praying and God worship. Ka’ba is a central part of Hajj, a pilgrimage preformed by millions of Muslims year after year. The Ka’ba is the site where Muslims direct their prayer towards as it was revealed by God in the Quran. It’s for the unity of Muslims so people don’t pray everywhere and there is one unity among Muslim when they pray.
Death of Muhammad:
Muhammad’s died on June 8th 632 AD. At the age of 62 Muhammad made his final pilgrimage to Mecca where he delivered a farewell sermon to his Meccan followers. In this address he urged them to remain faithful to Allah and loyal to one another as brothers and sisters in the worldwide Islamic community. When Muhammad died the leadership of Islam fell to Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s most trusted advisor and one his fathers-in-law. In the decades following Muhammad’s death a growing tension arose over how to determine the rightful leader of Islam. The question of who is the appropriate ruler of the Islamic community eventually split Islam in two.
Muhammad Research Task: Mini Essay
The Prophet Muhammad, the final messenger of God is the model for Muslim life due to being the Prophet of God, a military commander, a ruler, chief judge and a law giver all these aspects contribute to Muslims attempting to follow the words of Muhammad and to model their actions after his customary practice.
Muhammad’s remarkable character and personality inspired extraordinary confidence and commitment, both during his lifetime and throughout the following centuries. Muhammad has provided the ideal model for Muslim character and life such as how to treat friends as well as enemies; what to eat and drink; how to love and conduct war, which provides the pattern that, all believers are to emulate. Muslims look to Muhammad’s example for guidance in all aspects of life and his influence on Muslim life cannot be underestimated since he served as both religious and political leader of Medina- prophet of God, ruler, military commander, chief, judge, lawgiver. The Sunna, which is the practice of Muhammad the prophet, became the standard for community life. He is, as some Muslims say, the ‘living Qur’an’- the witness whose behavior and words reveal God’s will. These practices of the Prophet became the guiding source of Islamic law alongside the Qur’an. Traditions of the Prophet give guidance for personal worship, morals, dress, eating, marriage, and treatment of wives, diplomacy and ethics of warfare.
Through Muhammad’s traditions and the way he lived his life it shows how Muslim’s today live their life from the example of Muhammad and him being the model for Muslim life.