Islam and Introduction
Arabia
Arabia was made up of fiercely independent tribes that had a pastoral and nomadic existence.
Arabs evolved an ideology called muruwah which fulfilled many of the functions of a religion. It meant absolute dedication to the tribe and its survival and its honour.
The religion of the tribes consisted of many gods and goddesses that protected the tribes, whose spirits were associated with natural and sacred objects.
Judaism and Christianity
In addition to tribal deities there was a shared belief in Allah, a supreme god who was creator of life.
Alongside the polytheism, forms of monotheism existed in religions of Judaism and Christianity.
Muhammad accepted the holy status of Abraham, Noah, Moses, most of the Jewish prophets, and Jesus, and he conveyed the same message.
The eternal message of Muhammad is Islam which means peace and submission to God.
Those who believe in the message of Muhammad and that he is the last Messenger of God, are called Muslims. It was Muhammad who delivered the definitive expression of Allah’s word.
Abraham’s eldest son was Ishmael, from his concubine Hagar. When Sarah had borne Isaac she became jealous of Hagar and Ishmael and ordered Abraham to leave them in the Valley of Mecca. God took care of them. Ishmael had become the father of the Arabs so, s with the Jews, they were also the sons of Abraham.
The Life of Muhammad
The Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca in the Arabian Peninsula in 570CE.
Muhammad often helped the inhabitants of Mecca to settle their disputes, and because of his piety, honesty and wisdom, he was called the ’trustworthy one’.
At 25 Muhammad married Khadijah (his employer and 15 years his senior). They had 6 children and although polygamy was the norm in Arab society at the time, he never considered any other marriages while she was alive.
At about 40 years of age Muhammad was thinking about the questions of creation, the purpose of life and death, and the struggle between good and evil, in a cave in Mecca. Muhammad had visions of the angel Gabriel who told him to go into the world and preach a new revelation from Allah.
On the seventeenth night of Ramandan, Muhammad was awoken and the angel commanded him to recite. He refused. After three embraces from the angel Muhammad found the first words of the new scripture.
Muhammad was apprehensive about the visitation and its associated extreme physical and psychological stress. Muhammad decided that he no longer wanted to live. He then had another vision from angel Gabriel. He became convinced that he had been a divine envoy to the Arabs and he began preaching.
Over the next 23 years Muhammad had revelations, bit by bit, line by line, verse by verse. He was composing the Qur’an or Koran. He could not read or write, so each piece was recited to others to write down. 20 years after Muhammad’s death the first compilation of the revelations was made.
Muhammad condemned polytheism and was persecuted by the Meccans for 13 years. It cost him his beloved wife and uncle in 619 CE- the Year of Sorrow.
It was during this year that he experienced the Night of Ascent. The angel Gabriel woke Muhammad and led him to a steed called the Buraq, which the Prophet mounted. The buraq carried Muhammad to the site of the old Jewish Temple on Mount Zion, from where he ascended to heaven. It was from this that the rulers of Muslim prayer were revealed to him.
In 622CE Muhammad left Mecca and went to Yathrib, later called Medina to avoid persecution. He became leader and outlined the governing structure. This forms the start of the Islamic era.
Muhammad lived a simple life after Khadijah’s death; he married 12 times, most of them widows, 2 being Jewish and 1 being Christian.
Although Muhammad wanted peace, attacks from the Quraysh tribes meant he had to engaged in warfare. From this the rules of Jihad were established. Jihad means ‘directed struggle’ meaning fighting for defensive reasons and for justice only. Islam condemns terrorism.
630 CE Muhammad organised an army to return to Mecca because the Meccans reneged on a treaty that allowed Muhammad’s followers to enter Mecca to visit holy sites. He conquered the city, those that had waged war against him were pardoned. He entered the Ka’ba shrine and destroyed the idols.
Muhammad returned to Medina, but in 632CE he made the Final Pilgrimage to the Ka’ba shrine. It was during this pilgrimage that the rules of the hajj were given to him.
He became ill and died in 632 when he was 63 years old.
The life of Muhammad is known as the Sira, and everything he did or said was recorded by 45 scribes. The daily discourses of Muhammad from the first Revelation until his death are known as the hadith meaning statement. Together the Sira and the hadith constitute the Sunna which means ‘method, example or path’. The Sunna is the fundamental source of Islamic law while the Qur’an and the Sunna together are considered to be the theoretical and practical sides of Islam.
Word match
Match the words below to their meaning in the table
Pastoral, nomadic, muruwah, Allah, polytheism, monotheism, Islam, polygamy, Ramandan, envoy, Qur’an, persecution, jihad, pilgrimage, Ka’ba, Sira, hadith, Sunna
Word / MeaningDirected struggle
The sayings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions
Belief that there is only one God
Peace and submission to God
Life or biography of the Prophet Muhammad
The ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar in which Muslims are required to fast
Belief in more than one god
A messenger
Absolute dedication to the tribe and its survival and honor
The path or example set by the Prophet Muhammad
The practice of having two or more wives and husbands
Shrine located in Mecca
Of rural life
To injure or distress for religious or political reasons
A journey to a shrine or holy place
The name of God in Islam
Wandering lifestyle
The sacred revelation or word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Holy Book of Islam
Questions
1. What do Jewish, Christians and Muslims have in common?
2. Why did the Quraysh tribes in Mecca persecute Muhammad and his followers?
3. Which angel revealed the word to Muhammad?
4. In what way has the West misunderstood jihad?
5. Who do Muslim believe Muhammad was?
Answers to word match
Word / Meaningpastoral / Of rural life
nomadic / Wandering lifestyle
muruwah / Absolute dedication to the tribe and its survival and honor
Allah / The name of God in Islam
polytheism / Belief in more than one god
monotheism / Belief that there is only one God
Islam / Peace and submission to God
polygamy / The practice of having two or more wives and husbands
Ramandan / The ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar in which Muslims are required to fast
envoy / A messenger
Qur’an / The sacred revelation or word of God revealed to the Prophet Muhammad. Holy Book of Islam
persecution / To injure or distress for religious or political reasons
jihad / Directed struggle
pilgrimage / A journey to a shrine or holy place
Ka’ba / Shrine located in Mecca
Sira / Life or biography of the Prophet Muhammad
hadith / The sayings and traditions of the Prophet Muhammad and his companions
Sunna / The path or example set by the Prophet Muhammad