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SOPHIA OF WISDOM III - MUHAMMAD / JFK,JR. 01
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THE LIBRARY OF SOPHIA OF WISDOM III
THE SOPHIA OF ALL SOPHIA OF WISDOMS
AKA
CAROLINE E. KENNEDY__________________________________
APRIL 2, 2007
Muhammad
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For other persons named Muhammad, see Muhammad (name). For other uses, see Muhammad (disambiguation).
"Muhammad" in a new genre of Islamic calligraphy started in the 17th century by Hafiz Osman.[1]
A 16th-century Ottoman illustration depicting Muhammad at the Kaaba. Muhammad's face is veiled, a practice followed in the Islamic art since the 16th century.[1]Part of a series on the
Islamic prophet Muhammad
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Life
Family tree
In Mecca
In Medina
Conquest to Mecca
The Farewell Sermon
Succession
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Roles
Diplomacy
Military leadership
Marriage
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Perspectives
Mawlid
In poetry
Western views
Historicity
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Muhammad (Arabic: محمد Muḥammad; also Mohammed, Muhammed, Mohamet, and other variants)[2][3] was the historical founder of the religion of Islam, considered by Muslims to be the last messenger and prophet of God (Arabic: ألله Allah).[4]
Sources on Muhammad’s life concur that he was born ca. 570 AD in the city of Mecca in Arabia,[5] was orphaned at a young age, was brought up by his uncle, worked mostly as a merchant, and was married by age 26. At some point, discontented with life in Mecca, he would retreat to a cave in the surrounding mountains for meditation and reflection. According to Islamic tradition, it was here at age 40, in the month of Ramadan, where he received his first revelation from God. Three years after this event, Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that "God is One", that complete "surrender" to Him (lit. islām)[6] is man's religion (dīn),[7] and that he was a prophet and messenger of God, in the same vein as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets.[8][9][10]
He gained few followers early on, and was largely met with hostility from the tribes of Mecca. To escape persecution, Muhammad and his followers migrated to Yathrib (Medina)[11] in the year 622. This historic event, the Hijra, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. In Medina, Muhammad managed to unite the conflicting tribes, and after eight years of fighting with the Meccan tribes, his followers, who by then had grown to ten thousand, conquered Mecca. In 632 AD, on returning to Medina from his 'Farewell pilgrimage', Muhammad fell ill and died. By the time of his death, most of Arabia had converted to Islam.
The revelations (or Ayats, lit. 'Signs of God'), which Muhammad had continued receiving till his death, form the verses of the Qur'an,[12] regarded by Muslims as the “word of God”, around which the religion is based. Besides the Qur'an, Muhammad’s life (sira) and traditions (hadith) are also upheld by Muslims, who consider him to be the “Perfect Man”, whose example (sunnah) is to be followed in all aspects of life.
[show]Table of contents
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Contents
1 Etymology
2 Overview
3 Sources for Muhammad's life
4 Life based on Islamic traditions
4.1 Before Medina
4.1.1 Genealogy
4.1.2 Childhood
4.1.3 Middle years
4.1.4 The Beginnings of the Qur'an
4.1.5 Rejection
4.1.6 Isra and Miraj
4.1.7 Hijra to Ethiopia
4.2 Muhammad in Medina
4.2.1 Hijra to Medina
4.2.2 Beginnings of conflict
4.2.3 The conflict with Mecca
4.2.4 Muhammad and the Jewish tribes of Medina
4.2.5 The truce of Hudaybiyya
4.2.6 Muhammad's letters to the Heads of State
4.3 Conquest of Mecca
4.3.1 Unification of Arabia
4.3.2 Death
4.4 Muhammad as a military leader
4.5 Family life
4.6 Companions
5 Muhammad the reformer
6 Miracles in the Muslim biographies
7 Traditional views of Muhammad
7.1 Seal of the prophets
7.2 Other traditions
7.3 Depictions of Muhammad
7.4 Muslim veneration of Muhammad
7.5 Christian and Western views of Muhammad
7.6 Other religious traditions in regard to Muhammad
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
10.1 Encyclopedias
11 Further reading
12 External links
Etymology
15th century illustration in a copy of a manuscript by Al-Bîrűnî, depicting Muhammad preaching the Qur'an in Mecca.[13]The name Muhammad etymologically means "the praised one" in Arabic.[14] Within Islam, Muhammad is known as Nabi (Prophet) and Rasul (Messenger). Although the Qur'an sometimes declines to make a distinction among prophets, in verse 33:40 it singles out Muhammad as the "Seal of the Prophets" (33:40).[15] The Qur'an also refers to Muhammad as "Ahmad" (61:6) (Arabic :أحمد), Arabic for "more praiseworthy".
Overview
Born to ‘Abdu’llah ibn ‘Abdu’l-Muttalib, Muhammad initially adopted the occupation of a shepherd, and later became a merchant. In his youth, he was called by the nickname "Al-Amin" (Arabic: الامين ), a common Arab name meaning "faithful, trustworthy" and was sought out as an impartial arbitrator.[9][5] During the month of Ramadan, Muhammad would retreat to a cave located at the summit of Mount Hira, just outside Mecca in the Arabian Hijaz, where he fasted and prayed. When he was about forty (610 CE), Muhammad had a religious experience in this cave; according to Islamic belief, he was visited by the Archangel Gabriel and commanded to recite verses sent by God. These revelations continued until his death twenty-three years later. The collection of these verses is known as the Qur'an.
He expanded his mission as a prophet, publicly preaching strict monotheism, condemning against the social evils of his day, and warning of a Day of Judgment when all humans shall be held responsible for their deeds.[5]
After ignoring Muhammad's preaching, the elites in Mecca, feeling threatened by his message, harassed Muhammad, and persecuted his followers. This continued, and intensified, over more than a decade. The hardships reached a new level for Muhammad after the deaths of his wife Khadija and his uncle Abu Talib, who although not becoming a Muslim had protected Muhammad throughout. Eventually, in 622, Muhammad left Mecca in a journey known to Muslims as the Hijra (the Migration).[5] He settled in the area of Yathrib (now known as Medina) with his followers, where he was the leader of the first Muslim community.
Eight years of war between Muhammad and Meccan forces followed, ending with the Muslim victory and conquest of Mecca. The Muslims subsequently removed everything they considered idolatrous from the Kaaba. Most of the townspeople accepted Islam. In March 632, Muhammad led the pilgrimage known as the Hajj. On returning to Medina he fell ill and died after a few days, on June 8.[citation needed]
Under the caliphs who assumed authority after his death, the Islamic empire expanded into Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Persia, Egypt, North Africa, southern Spain, and Anatolia. Later conquests, commercial contact between Muslims and non-Muslims, and missionary activity spread Islam over much of the Eastern Hemisphere, including China and Southeast Asia.[citation needed]
Sources for Muhammad's life
Main article: Historiography of early Islam
Main article: Historicity of Muhammad
11th century Persian Qur'an folio page in kufic scriptFrom a scholarly point of view, the most credible source providing information on events in Muhammad's life is the Qur'an.[16][17] The Qur'an has some, though very few, casual allusions to Muhammad's life. [17] The Qur'an, however, responds "constantly and often candidly to Muhammad's changing historical circumstances and contains a wealth of hidden data that are relevant to the task of the quest for the historical Muhammad." [18] All, or most, of the Qur'an was apparently written down by Muhammad's secretaries while he was alive, but it was, then as now, primarily an orally related document, and the written compilation of the whole Qur'an in its definite form as we have it now was completed early after the death of Muhammad.[19] What we have today as the Qur'an is generally considered by academic scholars to record the words spoken by Muhammad because the search for variants in the western academia has not yielded any differences of great significance.[20]
Next in importance are the traditional Muslim biographies of Muhammad and quotes attributed to him (the sira and hadith literature), which provide further information on Muhammad's life.[16] The earliest surviving written sira (Biographies of Muhammad and quotes attributed to him) is Ibn Ishaq's Sirah Rasul Allah ("Life of God's messenger"). Although the original work is lost, portions of it survive in the recensions of Ibn Hisham (Sirah al-Nabawiyyah, or "Life of the prophet") and Al-Tabari.[21] According to Ibn Hisham, Ibn Ishaq wrote his biography some 120 to 130 years after Muhammad's death. Many, but not all, scholars accept the accuracy of these biographies, though their accuracy is unascertainable.[17] The hadith collections, accounts of the verbal and physical traditions of Muhammad, date from several generations after the death of Muhammad. Western academics view the hadith collections with caution as accurate historical sources.[22]
There are few non-Muslim sources which, according to S. A. Nigosian, all confirm the existence of Muhammad. The earliest of these sources date back after 634 CE and the most interesting of them date to some decades later. These sources are valuable for corroboration of the Qur'anic and Muslim tradition statements.[17]
Life based on Islamic traditions
Islam
Beliefs
Allah – Oneness of God
Muhammad – Seal of Prophets
Prophets of Islam • Resurrection
Practices
Profession of Faith • Prayer
Fasting • Charity • Pilgrimage
History & Leaders
Muslim history
Ahl al-Bayt • Sahaba
Rashidun Caliphs • Shia Imams
Texts & Laws
Qur'an • Sunnah • Hadith
Fiqh • Sharia • Kalam • Tasawwuf
Major branches
Sunni • Shia
Culture & Society
Academics • Art • Philosophy
Science • Architecture • Mosques
Demographics • Women • Children
Calendar • Festivals • Politics
See also
Criticism of Islam • Islamophobia
Glossary of Islamic terms
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Before Medina
Main article: Muhammad before Medina
Genealogy
Main article: Family tree of Muhammad
Muhammad traced his genealogy as follows:
Muhammad was born into the Quraysh tribe. He is the son of Abd Allah, who is son of Abd al-Muttalib (Shaiba) son of Hashim (Amr) ibn Abd Manaf (al-Mughira) son of Qusai (Zaid) ibn Kilab ibn Murra son of Ka'b ibn Lu'ay son of Ghalib ibn Fahr (Quraish) son of Malik ibn an-Nadr (Qais) the son of Kinana son of Khuzaimah son of Mudrikah (Amir) son of Ilyas son of Mudar son of Nizar son of Ma'ad ibn Adnan, whom the northern Arabs believed to be their common ancestor. Adnan in turn is said to have been a descendant of Ishmael, son of Abraham. (ibn means "son of" in Arabic; alternate names of people with two names are given in parentheses.)[23]
He was also called Abu-Qaasim (meaning "father of Qaasim") by some, after his short-lived first son.
Childhood
Muhammad was born into an affluent family settled in the northern Arabian town of Mecca. Tradition places it in the Year of the Elephant, commonly identified with 570. Some[citation needed] calculate his birthday as 20 April of that year, while Shi'a Muslims believe it to have been 26 April 570. Other sources calculate the year of his birth to have been 571. Muhammad's father, Abdullah, had died almost six months before he was born and the young boy was brought up by his paternal grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, of the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe. At the age of six, Muhammad lost his mother Amina and became fully orphaned. "Many years later, when he was exiled by his Meccan opponents, on his first pilgrimage from Medina to Mecca, he stopped at his mother's grave and cried bitterly, bringing tears to the eyes of his companions."[24] When he was eight years of age, his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, who had become his guardian, also died. Muhammad now came under the care of his uncle Abu Talib, the new leader of the Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe, the most powerful in Mecca.
Mecca was a thriving commercial center, due in great part to a shrine (now called the Kaaba) that housed statues of many Arabian gods.[citation needed] Merchants from various tribes would visit Mecca during the pilgrimage season, when all inter-tribal warfare was forbidden and they could trade in safety. While still in his teens, Muhammad began accompanying his uncle on trading journeys to Syria. He thus became well-travelled and knowledgeable about foreign ways.[citation needed]
Middle years
The earliest surviving image of Muhammad made in 1315 and showing Muhammad re-dedicating the Black Stone at the Kaaba. From Tabriz, Persia and can be found in Rashid al-Dins Jami' al-Tawarikh ("The Universal History" or "Compendium of Chronicles"), held in the University of Edinburgh.[25]Muhammad became a merchant. He "was involved in trade between the Indian ocean and the Mediterranean Sea."[26] He gained a reputation for reliability and honesty that attracted a proposal from Khadijah, a forty-year-old widow in 595.[26] Muhammad consented to the marriage, which by all accounts was a happy one.
Ibn Ishaq records that Khadijah bore Muhammad six children: three sons named Al Qasem, Abdullah (who is also called Al Tayeb and Al Taher) and Ibrahim, and four daughters. He was also called Abul Qasim (father of Qasim) after his eldest son Qasim, according to Arab customs. All of Khadija's children were born before Muhammad reported receiving his first revelation. His son Qasim died at the age of two. The four daughters are said to be Zainab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum, and Fatima.
The Beginnings of the Qur'an
The mountain of Hira where, according to Muslim tradition, Muhammad received his first revelation.Muhammad often retreated to Mount Hira near Mecca. Islamic tradition holds that the angel Gabriel began communicating with him here in the year 610 and commanded Muhammad to recite the following verses:[27]
Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created- Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,- He Who taught (the use of) the pen,- Taught man that which he knew not.[28]
Upon receiving the first revelation, he was scared. When he returned home he related the event to his wife Khadij
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