Okay, this post is going to sum up what
I've learned about Islam's prophet from two books (see below). I read
After the Prophet some time
ago, but decided to bring it back out since I'm currently reading
Destiny Disrupted,
which gives Mohammed only about a single chapter. I figure the two of
them together should give me a good enough picture.
Mohammed
was born sometime around 570 CE. He was born a member of the Quraysh
tribe, which was basically the leading group in Mecca. Sadly, both of his parents
died while he was young, and he was basically a nobody for quite some
time.
At 25,
Mohammed was hired by a well-to-do businesswoman, Khadija. In a
relationship that would totally work nowadays, boss and employee fell
in love and married. This turned out to be pretty handy. After
Mohammed was first visited by the angel Gabriel, Khadija was the
first person to believe him. Until Khadija's death he never married another woman.
After
a while, Mohammed received more revelations. Things along the lines
of: there is only one God, give up immoral vices, help the poor, &c.
He started to take this message public and gathered some followers.
Several of these followers will be important later: Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman, and Ali.
Mecca's
leadership did not like this one bit. They had built up a big
religious tourism industry around various idols and gods. They
decided this loudmouth had to be eliminated. The assassination was
set for an evening in September, 622 CE. Mohammed found out about the
plot and evacuated to Yathrib (later named Medina).
This
flee from Mecca, called the Hijra, was kind of a big deal. It marks
year 0 on the Muslim calendar. It's so big because it's considered
the start of the Umma, or the Muslim community. Members would abandon
their tribes and clans and become one with the Umma. They would live
together in peace and all would be cared for.
Mecca
wasn't done with Mohammed yet, though. After the Hijra, there were
several battles that tried to eliminate Mohammed. They didn't succeed
and, after a while, they basically gave up. A few
years later, after a dream, Mohammed decided it was time to return to
Mecca. So he did. Eventually, the elders of Mecca gave up the city
and it rolled into the Umma.
One of
the first things Mohammed did in Mecca was rededicate the Kaaba.
Originally, this big black box was a tourist attraction that housed
various local idols. Not anymore. The idols were destroyed and
Mohammed declared it the most sacred place (supposedly, it was built
by Abraham himself). The tourism industry in Mecca is still doing
fine to this day.
Twenty-five
years after their marriage, Khadija died. Mohammed married nine times
after this for political reasons, but his favourite wife was the
young firebrand Aisha. That's another name to remember, since it will be important later and on the test.
It was in Aisha's company that Mohammed would die of
illness at the age of 63.
Sources:
“Destiny Disrupted: A History of theWorld Through Islamic Eyes” - Tamim Ansary
“After the Prophet: The Epic Story ofthe Shia-Sunni Split” - Lesley Hazleton
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