Muhammad originates from the Arabian Peninsula, which at his time was a barren wasteland. Scorching heat and frigid cold left the area with little vegetation and scarce inhabitation. This description is to help paint the picture for the, “harsh circumstances into which the religion was born” (Explore Islam, 2014).
Muhammad was just six years old when he lost his widowed mother. He was raised as a camel herder, by his uncle, and would continue this social position until age 25. This is when he married an wealthy woman, 15 years his senior. He then moved into a salesman position for his wife’s trading business. Muhammad would later use his experiences from his travels to add to his “revelations” from Allah.
Qur’an is the Arabic word for “recitation” or “reading”. The revelations given to Muhammad, were collected and placed in book format, named the Koran. The Koran is a recitation of Muhammad’s revelations. “The revelations that continued to come over the next 20 years were sometimes terse and short, at other times elaborate and poetic” (Islam, 2014). According to biographers of that time frame, there was record of only one death related to the Muslims. This was the death of an elderly woman, due to stress. The stories of persecution and violence towards the Muslims, are just that, stories. Muslims were, in fact, the first to become violent and militant. However, Muslims were constantly being mocked and ridiculed in regards to their beliefs.
Muhammad’s flight to Medina in 622, marks the beginning of the Muslim Calendar. Muhammad made a political alliance in Medina so that he could dominate the Meccans and their religious beliefs. This finally pushed the Meccans over the edge, they decided on the capture and assignation of Muhammad. The Meccans, however, were not interested in persecuting all of Muhammad’s followers, just Muhammad himself.
Muhammad’s return to Mecca, six years later, was a ploy to take control of Mecca and its