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Rise of Muhammad and Islam When Charles Martel defeated the Muslims in Spain and stopped their advance into greater Europe, he most likely did not know just how much of an effect his victory had on the history of not only Europe, but of the known world. The fact that Islam may have overtaken the rest of the world had it not been for that crucial battle attests to the strength of this relatively new religion. If the strength of the religion is dependent upon those who start it, then it is important to analyze the life of the one key character in history who began it all: Muhammad. Muhammad was born in 570 AD, and was soon an orphan without parents. He was raised by a family of modest means and was forced to work to support himself at an early age. He worked with a travelling caravan as a driver and at the age of twenty-five, married his employer, a woman by theme of Khadija, by which he had four daughters and no sons.
In Mecca, the Kaba had long been a pagan pilgrimage site. A black stone which has fallen to the earth was kept in the cube which also held 360 idols representing different gods and prophets, one for each degree of the earth. The environment in which Muhammad was raised was a polytheistic society which had a strong emphasis on religion but not religious purity. This upset Muhammad greatly, and he began to speak out against the idolatry. By this time Muhammad had gained a large following.
By the age of forty, Muhammad began to receive visits from the angel Gabriel, who recited Gods word to him at irregular intervals. These recitations, known the Quran, were compiled by Muhammad's followers around 650 or 651. The basic message Muhammad received was that of submission. Islam means submission, and Muhammad's followers became known as Muslims (submissive's or those who submit). So when Muhammad and his followers began to speak out against the pagan and immoral practices in Mecca, they threatened the trade brought in by the pilgrims, which enraged the local merchants.
Under serious persecution, Muhammad and his followers fled to the town of Medina, 240 miles north of Mecca, in 622. This event has become known as the Hegira and marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. While in Medina, Muhammad and his men trained not only in religious aspects, but also trained tobe mighty warriors. They attacked caravans going to and from Mecca for supplies and new recruits.
They gathered more support as the years went on and became a powerful force ready for battle. In 630, that battle came. Muhammad and his men attacked and seized Mecca in 630 and destroyed all of the 360 idols within the Kaba, with the exception of the sacred stone, which is still a revered Muslim artifact. It was during the Medina years that the basics of the Islamic beliefs came into focus.
Firstly, all followers were to be fair and just in all that they did, including business actions. They were also expected to be completely loyal to the Muslim community of which they were a part and to Muslimseverywhere. They were to abstain from pork and alcohol at all times. Men were allowed to have up tour wives (provided they loved and treated each one equally) and as many concubines as the wished. Women, on the other hand, were not allowed the right to polygamy, and could only show their faces to their husbands.
Whereas men could divorce on demand, women had to prove wrongdoing before an elder on the part of the husband. In addition, Muslims were expected to wash and pray toward Mecca five times daily. Muslims were to contribute to the poor and needy as they may one day be in need themselves. Also, during the month of Ramadan, followers of Islam were to fast during daylight hours. They could eat during nighttime hours, however, and the month was followed by a feast for all who stayed true to the fast ofthe previous month. Another interesting requirement, which rounds out the Pillars of Faith (as they were to become called), requires all followers to make a pilgrimage to Mecca once in their lifetime.
While in Mecca, Muslims reenact many scenes from the life of Muhammad, such as the long walk from the Kaba to a mountain, where they stand in the blistering sun before Allah for hours on end. They also walkaround the Kaba (which has been closed since Muhammad purged the idols) seven times, kissing the sacred stone at each pass (after about 20 billion kisses the stone has become black). The pilgrimage is known as the hajj, and all those who make the hajj add Haji to the end of their names to signify they have fulfilled this important Pillar. The conquering of Mecca by force shows an interesting precedent: whereas Christianity sought to convert individuals, Islam began to evangelize by violently taking over area governments and purging any opposition to Muslim conversion. They invaded Spain in 711 and could have possibly drastically altered the history of the Judeo-Christian ethic in Western Europe under the rule of the Catholic Church had they not been defeated in Gaul.
After Muhammad's death in 632, several caliphs took over control (because Muhammad had noon), such as Abu Bakr, Muhammad's second-in-command from the time of Medina, but after the assassination of Ali, leadership broke down into three groups: the Kharijites, who wanted to limit Islam only the most strict observers of the Pillars of Faith, the Sunnis, which followed tradition to determine the new caliph, and the Shiites, easily the most radical, who follow the descendants of Alias the caliph. The Shiites most recently have hijacked airplanes and destroyed buildings, as well as publicly torture themselves annually to mourn for the lost control of the Islamic religion. Muhammad changed the world with roughly twenty-two years of leadership and service. He is considered the last and greatest prophet of God by more than a few, and it has been predicted that bythe year 2000, one-fourth of the worlds (by then) six billion people will call themselves Muslims. 1. Gabriel, Francesco.
Muhammad and the Conquests of Islam. Officine Arnold Mondadori, Verona Italy, 1968. 2. Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck, John Obert Voll and John L. Esposito. The Contemporary Islamic Revival. Greenwood Press, Westport, CT, 1991. 3.
Kagan Donald, Stephen Ozment and Frank M. Turner. The Western Heritage Fifth Edition. Prentice-Hall, Inc. , Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1995.
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Research essay sample on Muhammad And His Followers Muhammad And His Men Mecca
