Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is the last of the prophets, after him no other prophet will be born, he completes the messenger mission and is the seal of the prophets.
Muhammad was born in Mecca on Monday, April 20 (12 Rabi-ul-Awal) 571 according to the Gregorian calendar, in the Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe. His father was called 'Abdullah, his mother was Amina. The Prophet's father (peace and blessings be upon him) died at the age of 25, even before the birth of his son. The Prophet's mother (peace and blessings be upon him) died when her son was not yet six years old. For two years after her death, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) lived with his grandfather 'Abdul-Muttalib. When he was eight years old, his grandfather also died, after which his paternal uncle Abu Talib took him.
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) joined labor early, tending the sheep of the Meccans. Already in early childhood, he differed from his peers by his kindness and reliability. He was free from flaws, was a respectable, truthful, decisive, intelligent boy and inspired confidence.
At the age of 25, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) married the noble widow Khadija on her initiative. Many noble people wanted to marry Khadija, but she refused everyone.
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was known among his fellow tribesmen as an honest, reliable person who never deceives.
The first revelation to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) came in 610 according to the Gregorian calendar at the age of 40. During his next seclusion in the Hira cave, the angel Jibril suddenly appeared and ordered: "Caviar!" ("Read!"). Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) replied: "I cannot read" - he really could not read. The angel repeated the order, and he repeated the answer. The third time Jibril said: “Read in the name of thy Lord ...” - and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) repeated these words, and they were carved into his heart. Jibril told Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) that he is the Prophet and Messenger of Allah. From that time on, the sending of the Quran through Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) began, which lasted for 23 years.
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) began to preach Islam for a long time and patiently. Sensing a threat to their foundations and traditions, the Quraysh took up arms against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and the first Muslims began to oppress, persecute, and infringe mentally and physically.
They slandered him, calling him a poet, fortuneteller, magician, etc. The infidels directed all their forces to oppose the religion that he was spreading. They laughed at him, set children, insane and women to throw stones at him, and even tried to kill him. Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions endured all this for the sake of Allah and His religion.
In 620, in the tenth year of the prophecy, Allah Almighty took him to heaven. First, Allah transferred him at night from Mecca to Jerusalem, to the mosque of Bayt-ul-Mukaddas (Isra '), and then ascended to heaven (Miamianeraj). There he was shown many miracles, he saw people who are being punished for their deeds, met with the prophets, many secrets of Allah were revealed to him, in which He did not initiate anyone else, he was magnified in the way that no one else was magnified, and thus he was a special honor given.
In 622, in the thirteenth year of the prophecy, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), with the permission of Allah Almighty, together with the first Muslims, moved from Mecca to Yathrib, later called the city of the Prophet - Medina. The Muslim chronology (according to the Hijra) begins with this resettlement (in Arabic "hijra").
Many wars and battles took place between the first Muslims and the infidels. Islam gradually spread across the Arabian Peninsula. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught people of the Islamic religion, explained duties and prohibitions, showed them the right path useful for both worlds, showed people many miracles (mu'jizat). The intelligent followed the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Ten years after the Hegira, Islam became the dominant religion throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) died after completely bringing the religion of Islam to the people at the age of 63 (according to the lunar calendar), on the 12th of the month of Rabi'-ul-awval of the 11th year of the Hijri (632 year of the Gregorian calendar) in Medina, and was buried there, in the room of his wife 'Aisha y, next to the Prophet's Mosque. (At present, the Mosque of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) has been expanded, and his grave is inside this Mosque).
May Allah Almighty help us to follow the path indicated to us by the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
New words: Hira ', Mi'raj, Isra', Hijra, Rabi-ul-avval.
Questions for self-test:
- What year was the Prophet Muhammad born (peace and blessings be upon him)?
- Why is Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) called the seal of the prophets?
- At what age did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) received the first revelation?
- During what period was the Qur'an revealed?
- Why was the hijra from Mecca to Medina performed?
- When did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) died and where is he buried?
Muhammad was born in Mecca around 570. At that time, Mecca was a prosperous city, lying on the caravan route, along which there was trade between southern Arabia and the Mediterranean countries. Muhammad's father died before his birth, and when the boy was 6 years old, he lost his mother. Two years later, Muhammad's grandfather, who took care of him in a fatherly way, passed away. Young Muhammad was raised by his uncle Abu Talib.
At the age of 12, Muhammad first came into contact with another world, so different from the Arab world with its tribal foundations and pagan cults. Going to trade in Syria, Abu Talib took his nephew with him. There Muhammad plunged into the atmosphere of spiritual quest associated with Judaism, Christianity, and other religions.
Muhammad was a camel driver, then a merchant. He became famous for his honesty in the conduct of trade, for which he received the nickname "Al-Amin", which means "Trustworthy." When he was 21 years old, under the patronage of Abu Talib, he received a job as a clerk from a wealthy widow Khadija. While doing business for Khadija, he traveled to many places and everywhere showed interest in local customs and beliefs. At the age of twenty-five, Muhammad married his mistress, although he was fifteen years younger than her. The marriage was happy. They had a daughter, Fatima. Life seemed to be going well. But Muhammad was drawn to something unknown. Every year he went for a month to the desert gorges and there, alone, plunged into deep contemplation. He was worried about the customs of the pagans living in Mecca, who worshiped many different deities. At that time, only in one Kaaba, the central temple of the city, there were three hundred stone, clay and wooden idols. He saw that the moral and ethical foundations of society were collapsing: the rich oppressed the poor, husbands mistreated their wives and children, drunkenness and gambling became widespread. It was during one of the Divine revelations sent down in 610 to Muhammad in the cave of Mount Hira that Allah sent him a vision. Muhammad saw a luminous figure of God, who ordered him to memorize the text of the revelation and named him Rsul, which means "Messenger of Allah."
The revelations that he received in the moments of solitude on Mount Hira were the results of his attempts to understand and explain the universe. Muhammad's sermon contained in large part already known provisions. Following those who adopted Judaism and Christianity, he called his fellow tribesmen to monotheism, to a righteous life, observance of the commandments in preparation for the coming judgment of God, he spoke about the omnipotence of Allah, who created man, everything living and inanimate on earth. He perceived his mission as a commission from Allah, and called his predecessors the biblical characters: Musa (Moses), Yusuf (Joseph), Zakariya (Zachariah), Isa (Jesus). A special place in the sermons was given to Ibrahim (Abraham), who was recognized as the forefather of the Arabs and Jews, and the first to preach monotheism. Therefore, Muhammad declared that his mission was to restore the faith of Abraham.
People listened and even recorded his words. However, the aristocracy of Mecca, who became rich on trade and income from the pilgrimage to the ancient sanctuary of the Kaaba, saw in his preaching a threat to their power and organized a conspiracy against Muhammad. Upon learning of this, the prophet's companions persuaded him to leave the city in 622 and move to the city of Yathrib (modern Medina). Some of his companions have already settled there.
This move (in Arabic - hijra) marked a new period in the life of the prophet. It was in Medina that the first Muslim community (ummah) was formed. Not without difficulty, but he managed to unite the local tribes. Christians perceived Islam as a heresy within Christianity, and the Jews greeted Muhammad's preaching with hostility. At that time, the Muslim community was already strong enough to launch attacks on caravans leaving Mecca. These actions were perceived as punishment of the Meccans for the expulsion of Muhammad and his associates, and the funds received went to the needs of the community.
Muhammad's sermons in Mecca and Medina were of a different nature. If in the center of Meccan sermons were the idea of monotheism and stories about prophets, then Medina sermons were the instructions and instructions of the leader and were addressed to the Arab tribes. The ancient pagan sanctuary of the Kaaba in Mecca was declared a Muslim shrine, and from that time Muslims began to pray, turning their eyes to Mecca. The inhabitants of Mecca itself did not accept the new faith for a long time, but Muhammad managed to convince them that Mecca would retain its status as a major commercial and religious center. Shortly before his death, the prophet visited Mecca, where he broke all the pagan idols that stood around the Kaaba.
Muhammad's teachings gained authority, and the example of the prophet (or Caliph) becomes law. At the same time, the ruler himself was less and less able to serve as an example. The more his power spread, the harder it became. The more powerful Muhammad became, the more jealous he was of his authority. His personal authority was identified with the authority of the state, turned into an axis on which the entire system of Islam was supported. V632 Muhammad died and was buried in Medina.
, pronunciation(inf.), in Russian, the transfer is also used Mahomet (Mahomed)(gallicism, widespread in Russian literature), Mohamed April 20 (22), 571 (according to some sources 570), on the 12th of the month Rabi'ul Avval, on Monday, shortly before sunrise, Mecca - June 8, Medina) - Arab preacher of monotheism and prophet of Islam, central (after one God) the figure of this religion; according to Islamic teachings to Muhammad, God revealed his holy scripture - the Koran. Also, Muhammad was a politician, founder and head of the Muslim community (ummah), which, in the process of his direct rule, formed a strong and fairly large state on the Arabian Peninsula.
Name
The name of Muhammad in calligraphic and common spellings
In Islam, the name is given great sacred meaning. The name "Muhammad" means "Praised", "Praiseworthy". In the Quran, he is called by name only four times, but he is also called a prophet (an-Nabi), a messenger (Rasul), a servant of God (Abd), a messenger (Bashir), a warning (Nadhir), a reminder (Mudhakkir), a witness (Shahid) who called to God (Da'i), etc. According to Muslim tradition, after pronouncing or writing the name of the Prophet Muhammad, it is always said "Solla Llahu alayhi wa sallam"(Arab. صلى الله عليه وسلم ) - that is "Allah bless him and greet him".
The full name of Muhammad includes the names of all his known ancestors in the direct male line starting from Adam, and also contains kunya by the name of his son Kasim (this name means "Divider"; during the life of Muhammad, no one could call his son Kasim, since this kunya was assigned to Muhammad). The full name of the Prophet Muhammad looks like this: Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib (name Abd al-Muttaliba - Shayba) ibn Hashim (name of Hashim - Amr) ibn Abd Manaf (name Abd Manafa - al-Mugira) ibn Qusayyah ibn Qilab ibn Murra ibn Loob Ibn Fihr ibn Malik ibn An-Nadr ibn Kinana ibn Khuzaimah ibn Mudrik (Mudrik's name is Amir) ibn Ilyas ibn Mudar ibn Nizar ibn Madd ibn Adnan ibn Adad (also pronounced - Udad ibn Ybn Mukah ibn ibn Ismail ibn Ibrahim (Khalil ar-Rahman) ibn Tarikh (this is Azar) ibn Nahur ibn Sarug ibn Shalih ibn Irfhashad ibn Sam ibn Nuh ibn Lamk ibn Mattu Shalah ibn Ahnuh (this is Idan ibn ibn ibn the prophet) ibn Yanish ibn Shit ibn Adam.
Appearance
The great Islamic historian and theologian Abu Jafar Muhammad at-Tabari in his book "General History" gave the following description of the prophet's appearance.
“He was of medium height: neither tall nor short. His face was pinkish-white, his eyes were dark, his hair was thick, shiny, very beautiful. The face was framed by a beard. Long hair fell over the shoulders. They were black in color ... His gait was so lively that it seemed that with every step he took off from the ground, and at the same time his movements were so light, as if he did not touch it. However, in his walk there was no pride inherent in the powers that be. There was so much kindness in his face that it was impossible to look away. It was enough for the hungry to look at him, as they immediately forgot about food. The sufferers forgot about their troubles with him, fascinated by the softness of his features and his speech. All who saw him were unanimous that they had never, neither earlier nor later, met a person with whom a conversation would have been so pleasant. His nose was straight, his teeth were sparse. At times the hair fell freely from his head, sometimes he tied it in two or four buns. By the age of 62, he had practically no gray hair ... "
Fragment of a medieval Persian miniature depicting the Prophet Muhammad. author unknown
The Prophet Muhammad liked to wear white clothes, mainly long shirts (al-kamis) and striped Yemeni cloaks (al-khibara), as well as a turban and izar, which he wrapped around the thighs and reached the middle of the shin. On his hand he had a silver ring with the inscription "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah". He was clean, often put incense on his body and brushed his teeth with a miswak.The voice of the Prophet Muhammad was a little hoarse, he spoke eloquently, briefly and clearly, sometimes repeating a phrase three times so that people could remember his words accurately. He often smiled, and sometimes laughed so that his molars were visible.
Muhammad's place among the prophets of Islam
Seal of Prophecy
Muhammad belonged to the Quraish tribe. Oppressed by the pagan Meccans, in 622 he moved from Mecca to Yathrib, which after that began to be called Medina (this date - Hijra (relocation) - is the beginning of the Muslim calendar), and then, together with his followers, conquered Mecca. By the time of Muhammad's death in 632, the entire Arabian Peninsula had already been converted to Islam, and soon after the death of the prophet, his successors (“governors”, caliphs) conquered vast territories of the Asian and African possessions of the Byzantine Empire, partly Europe, spreading Islam, Arab culture and language , and subsequently also the accumulated (including ancient civilization) scientific knowledge, which had a direct impact on the development of science as a whole; this cultural, linguistic and religious space has been preserved, with the exception of Europe, to the present day. Muhammad is also called the Seal of the Prophets, the Lord of the Prophets and the Prophet of the Doomsday. The iman of a Muslim includes the conviction that Muhammad is the messenger of God along with other prophets (this is recorded in the Islamic creed - Shahad) and is the last prophet.
Religious teaching
According to the teachings of Islam, Muhammad is the last prophet and messenger of Allah. Islam, that is, obedience to the One God, was inherent in all the righteous, including those who followed the command of God, accepting the teachings of Isa, Musa and other famous biblical prophets. However, the teachings of Judaism and Christianity, according to Islam, were distorted by people, and then lost their relevance after the beginning of the sending of the Quran. At the same time, the distortion of the Scriptures was within the boundaries of the knowledge of Allah. The Qur'an is the word of Allah, the last Holy Scripture, the Scripture that cannot be changed. Since, by the will of Allah, the Last Scripture contains Arabic speech, this language is special for Muslims. Only the Qur'an in Arabic is the Scripture, translation into any language of the world (it is often indicated that this is a "translation of meanings") is not. The Qur'an was revealed in parts. Based on the verses of the Qur'an (25:32, 17: 106), this is associated with the fact that Allah wanted to root faith in the heart of Muhammad, and also sent down revelations according to the events and questions of the askers, which made a greater impression than if they were sent down in full. The revelation could calm Muhammad, instill in him peace and steadfastness. Some revelations canceled previous ones. It is generally accepted that the revelations that came to Muhammad before the resettlement of Muslims to Medina contained fewer legal provisions. The Qur'an often contains instructions for Muhammad. The word "kul" (say) appears 332 times
Prophecies about the coming of Muhammad in the Bible
Main article: Bible about Muhammad
The Islamic religion, recognizing the Bible as the Holy Scripture, often indicates that, among other things, the Bible speaks of the Prophet Muhammad as God's Messenger. The Qur'an says about it this way: “Those to whom We have given the Scripture know it as they know their sons. However, some of them deliberately hide the truth. " (2: 146)
In addition, Muslims talk about the distortion of the current version of the Bible, which, according to some hadiths, also affected the part that speaks of Muhammad. Even those Christians who agree that the Bible is distorted reject the Muslim position.
Muslims cite the following Bible verses as evidence:
I will raise up for them a Prophet from among their brothers, such as you [ these words are addressed to Moses] and I will put My words in His mouth, and He will tell them everything that I command Him. And whoever does not listen to My words, which the Prophet will speak in My name, from him I will demand; But a prophet who dares to speak in my name that which I have not commanded him to speak, and who will speak in the name of other gods, put such a prophet to death. And if you say in your heart: "How do we know the word that the Lord did not speak?" If the prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, but the word will not come true and will not be fulfilled, then the Lord did not speak this word, but the prophet spoke this out of his insolence - do not be afraid of him. (Bible. Deuteronomy ch. 18, v. 18-22)
Muslims point out that this could not be said about Isa (Jesus), because he is not like Musa (Moses), while it is said “such as you”. The famous Muslim preacher Ahmed Deedat pointed out the main differences between Isa (Jesus). This, recognized by Muslims, a miraculous birth, he did not marry and did not have children, unlike Moses and Muhammad, he was not recognized by his people as a prophet, unlike Moses and Muhammad, he was not a king, that is, he was not that , who, roughly speaking, controls the lives of his people. Also, Ahmed Deedat points out that Isa (Jesus) did not come with some new law, but only came to fulfill the old law. With regard to the words "of their brothers", Muslims remind of the common origin of Arabs and Jews. Muslims Point to Other Verses in the Bible
Arabia and Mecca before the preaching of Muhammad
The main religions in Arabia were paganism, Judaism, and various heretical Christian beliefs. Local Arab tribes professed polytheism, which was based on the monotheistic religion of the Prophet Ibrahim (Hanifism), from which they preserved the rite of Hajj and the tradition of worshiping the Kaaba. The pre-Islamic Arabs were widely revered for eloquence, hospitality, and loyalty to their treaty. Among the primitive qualities of pre-Islamic society, the following can be distinguished: there was a blood feud, there was a tradition to bury newborn girls alive, or to bury newborn children if the Arabs were afraid not to feed them. Mecca, where Muhammad lived, was one of the commercial and financial centers of Arabia. Mecca was located among barren rocks, agriculture in it was impossible. Agriculture was spread only in oases, one of which was Yathrib (Medina). Mecca was the scene of constant power struggles between Arab tribes. A special place in politics was played by the Quraish tribe, from which the Prophet Muhammad came.
A family
Saud bint Zama
Aisha bint Abu Bakr
Hafsa bint Umar
Zainab bandage Humayz
Zainab bint Jakhsh
Juwayriya bint al-Haris
Ramla bint Abu Sufyan
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Rayhana bint Zeid
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Maimuna bint Haris
Maria al-Kibtiyah
Main article: Prophet Muhammad's genealogy
Prophet Muhammad was from the Quraish tribe, which had a very high position in the Arab environment. He belonged to the Hashim clan (Hashemites). The clan received this name in honor of Muhammad's great-grandfather - Hashim. During his lifetime, Hashim had the right to collect cattle to feed the pilgrims and the right to own the Zamzam spring. He was a rich man. He got his nickname "Hashim" (his name was Amr) because he broke bread into pieces for pilgrims who came to Hajj in Mecca ("hashima" - to break bread for the turi). After his death, the right to feed and drink the pilgrims passed to his brother, al-Muttalib, whom the Quraysh called al-Fayda - "generosity itself." Hashim had a son, Abd al-Muttalib, who was named Shuaiba. He was highly revered among his people.
Muhammad's father Abd Allah died shortly before his birth (two months) or a few months after the birth of Muhammad. The name of Muhammad's mother is Amina bint Wahb ibn Abd Manaf ibn Zuhra ibn Kilab... Name Muhammad, which means "Praised", was given to him by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib.
The number of wives of the Prophet Muhammad differs from one historian to another. Masudi, in his book "Murujuz Zhab", notes that the Prophet Muhammad had 15 wives. Yagubi writes that the Prophet Muhammad had 21 or 23 wives, entered into physical relations with only 13 wives. Kardawi indicates only the number nine, but without Khadija, that is, ten; Watt Montgomery points out that many tribes claimed kinship with Muhammad, so the list of wives can be greatly exaggerated. He names only eleven wives (with Khadija), which is closer to traditional ideas (he also gives the names of two concubines). The Prophet Muhammad married everyone before the Quranic prohibition, where it was forbidden to have more than four wives. Below is a list of 13 wives of the Prophet Muhammad:
- Khadija bint Huwaylid
- Saud bint Zama
- Aisha bint Abu Bakr
- Hafsa bint Umar
- Zainab bandage Humayz
- Umm Salama bint Abu Umaya
- Zainab bint Jakhsh
- Juwayriya bint al-Haris
- Rayhana bint Zeid
- Ramla bint Abu Sufyan
- Maria al-Kibtiyah
- Maimuna bint al-Haris
Main article: Children of the Prophet Muhammad
All the children of Muhammad, except for Ibrahim, were from Khadija. The first child from Khadija was al-Qasim, then at-Tahir, at-Tayyib, Zainab, Rukaiya, Umm Kulthum, Fatima were born. The boys died in early childhood. The girls lived to see the beginning of the prophetic mission of Muhammad, everyone converted to Islam, everyone moved from Mecca to Medina. All died before Muhammad's death, except for Fatima. She died six months after his death.
Main article: Descendants of the Prophet Muhammad
The descendants of the Prophet Muhammad through his daughter Fatima and grandson Hussein are called seids. The descendants of Hasan's grandson are sheriffs. The descendants of the Prophet Muhammad created a ruling dynasty in Morocco (Saadites). King Abdullah II of Jordan from the Hashemite dynasty is a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad in the 43rd generation.
Brief chronology
| External video files | |
|---|---|
| Video about the Prophet Muhammad | |
| Feature film "Muhammad is the messenger of God." (1977) | |
| Feature film "Luna Banu Hashim - The Life of the Prophet" | |
| M / f "Muhammad - the last Prophet" | |
| Biography "Together with the beloved Prophet" | |
- - the birth of Muhammad in Mecca. Even before the birth of Muhammad, his father dies and Muhammad is given to the nurse Halima bint Abu Zuayb. For 4 years, Muhammad has been living with the nomadic Bedouin tribe Banu Sad.
- - the arrival of Halima's nurse in Mecca and the return of Muhammad to his mother Amina.
- - travel to Syria with Abu Talib.
- - participation in the "Blasphemous War", where the Prophet Muhammad "reflected arrows with a shield, protecting his uncles."
- - trip of the Prophet Muhammad with the Khadija trade caravan to the city of Busra; marriage to Khadija.
- - participation in the “Union of the Noble”, the essence of which was to protect the defenseless and ensure the safety of strangers in Mecca.
- - sending down the first revelations; the beginning of the prophetic mission of Muhammad.
- - the beginning of Muhammad's public sermon
- - the resettlement of a part of Muhammad's companions to Ethiopia from persecution (he himself remains under the auspices of Abu Talib's uncle).
- - boycott of the Banu Hashim clan against Muhammad.
- - death of Khadija and Abu Talib; attempted resettlement to the city of At-Taif; the end of the boycott of the Banu Hashim clan against Muhammad.
- - a secret agreement of Muhammad with a group of residents of Medina on the special role of an arbitrator.
- - Isra and Miraj; first oath at Aqaba.
- - Hijra, relocation to Medina.
Main article: Muhammad in Medina
Contemporaries
The first people to convert to Islam after Khadijah were: Ali ibn Abu Talib, Zayd ibn Haris, Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, Usman ibn Affan, Az-Zubair ibn Al-Awam, Abd ar-Rahman ibn Auf, Saad ibn Abu Wakkas, Talha ibn Ubaidullah and others.
Among those who hated the Prophet Muhammad were his own uncle Abu Lahab and his wife, Abu Jahl, Uqba ibn Abu Muayt and others. Some of those who were at enmity with the Prophet Muhammad subsequently converted to Islam, as did Abu Sufyan ibn Harb and others.
Role in history
The Prophet Muhammad is recognized by the American writer and scientist Michael Hart (en) in the book "100 Great Men (en)" as the most influential person in history.
Arab world after Muhammad
By the time of Muhammad's death in 632, the entire Arabian Peninsula had been converted to Islam, and soon after the death of the prophet, his successors (“deputies”, caliphs) conquered vast territories of the Asian and African possessions of the Byzantine Empire, spreading Islam, Arab culture and language. The Caliphate under the Abbasids was the largest empire of its time, stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to China.
Muhammad's last sermon
Some people [ who?] call this sermon the Manifesto of Human Rights in Islam.
The last sermon was given by Muhammad in the tenth year of the Hijri, when non-Muslims were forbidden from attending the Holy Kaaba. Muhammad headed with 14 thousand Muslims from Medina to Hajj in Mecca. On the 9th day of the month of Zul-Hijja, Muhammad invited all Muslims who arrived in Mecca to perform the Hajj to Mount Jabal al-Rahman on Arafat and spoke with them. Some quotes from this sermon (translated by Prof. Ashik-Said Konurbaev):
Muhammad in the Quran
The name "Muhammad" is used in the Qur'an only five times (for comparison, Isa (Jesus) is mentioned 25 times, the same number is mentioned for Adam, Musa (Moses) - 136 times, Ibrahim (Abraham) - 69, Nuh (Noah) - 43). It is mentioned in 3: 144, 145, 33:40, 47: 2, 48:29 as Muhammad and once in verse 61: 6 as Ahmad. Also the 47th surah of the Qur'an is called "Muhammad".
Miracles of Muhammad
Once on a journey, food ran out, and people went to poverty. They went to the messenger (may he be in peace) and asked permission to slaughter their camels, and he agreed. Umar met them along the way and they told him about it and he said, "How are you going to survive after you kill the camels?" Then he went to the messenger and said: “O Messenger of Allah! How will they survive after slaughtering their camels? " The Messenger of Allah ordered Umar: "Call the people and let them bring all the food that is still left." The skins were spread out, and all the food for the camp was piled on top of them. The Messenger of Allah got up and asked Allah to bless her, then he sent people to get the dishes, and they began to take from this heap until everyone took enough for themselves. Then the messenger of Allah said: "I testify that no one has the right to be worshiped except Allah, and I am his messenger."
- Getting water from your fingers.
Anas bin Malik said: “I saw the Messenger of Allah (may he be in peace) when the time for the prayer of Asr came, and people were looking for water in order to bathe, but could not find it. Later, water (a full pot) for ablution was brought to the Messenger of Allah. He put his hands in the pot and told the people to wash out of it. I saw the water pouring out from under his fingers until everyone took a bath (this was one of the miracles of the prophet). "
- A sighing palm trunk. While in Medina, Muhammad leaned on the trunk of the Hunnan palm during prayer. For convenience, a palm tree was cut down, and a pulpit, a mimbar, was erected in this place. Left alone, the tree began to sigh, longing for the touch of the prophet's hands. Upon learning of his grief, Muhammad ordered that the trunk be brought back.
Many miracles are described in the biographies and hadiths, for example, during the digging of a ditch around Medina, correct predictions (see, for example, the Day of Resurrection in Islam), miracles with various physical objects, etc. The conclusions of some researchers that Muhammad did not perform any miracles are considered by Muslims to be unfounded because the existence of such a Scripture as the Koran cannot be questioned.
Statements of famous people about the personality and activities of Muhammad
Positive
Negative
Prophet Muhammad's medicine
Prophet Muhammad was not only a purely religious and political figure. Muhammad owns the words that there is a cure for any disease. If it is precisely chosen, then the person will recover, according to the will of the Creator, and that Allah has brought down diseases and, together with them, remedies. Someone knows about them, and someone does not. Muhammad said that healing (bring) three (things): a sip of honey, leech incision (bloodletting) and moxibustion, but he forbade moxibustion. However, this prohibition, as Islamic scholars say, is not absolutely categorical and in case of special extreme need is permissible. For stomach ailments, Muhammad recommended honey. Muhammad said that black cumin oil is a remedy for any disease, except for death. Muhammad recommended using Indian incense, as it heals "from seven ailments" who suffers from pleurisy. He said that people should not torture their children, whose tonsils become inflamed by pressing on them, but rather use incense. He told his followers that bloodletting and sea frankincense (amber) were the best remedies for their treatment. Another statement: “If a fly falls into the drink of one of you, let him (first) immerse it (in this drink completely), and then pull it out (from there), for, indeed, on one of its wings there is a disease, and on another - healing ”has a modern scientific basis. ... Once, as a treatment, Muhammad ordered the drinking of urine and milk from dairy camels. The prominent Muslim scholar Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, who says that he has found a cure for AIDS and that Iman University, of which he is the rector, provides this medicine free of charge, says that thanks to his work as a pharmacist, he was able to correctly understand the hadith of the Prophet.
Some sayings
Quotes that received public attention
Character
An attempt to show the character of Muhammad was made in the 30-episode feature film "The Moon of the Hashim Clan" filmed in 2008 with the cooperation of film studios from 4 Muslim states - Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Sudan.
Followers
From an Islamic point of view, Muslims ("Muslim" - obedient to God) have always been, starting with Adam and Hava (Eve). The number of Muslims at the moment around the world is estimated at about 1.1 to 1.2 billion people.
Criticism
The first critics of Muhammad were his fellow tribesmen, the Quraysh. This criticism was characterized by general mistrust and conservatism. This criticism can only be judged from the Koran and from the biographies of Muhammad. The criticism of Muhammad was from Byzantine historians, but this criticism is notable for the distortion of the image of Muhammad. French encyclopedists of the late 18th century write the following: "Muhammad is a famous deceiver, false prophet and false teacher, the founder of heresy." The subject of criticism is Muhammad's personal life. According to some sources, the age of one of Muhammad's wives, Aisha, was 9 years old. This opinion is not denied by Muslims (although there are a number of alternative hadiths about the age of Aisha, which speak of the age of 13, 17 and even 27 years), but in the Muslim world this information is given a different meaning, which is expressed in open protection expressed in various kinds of literature. ...
In art
cinema:- Film "Muhammad - Messenger of God"
- Cartoon "Muhammad: The Last Prophet"
see also
Notes (edit)
- Tokarev A. (chief editor), Myths of the peoples of the world. Encyclopedia in 2 vols., Volume 2. - M .: 1998
- Ibn Hisham "Biography of the Prophet Muhammad", ed. Russian 2002, 2003
- Al-Bukhari (No. 5908), Muslim (No. 2340)
- On the merits of the Prophet Muhammad, Muslim morality and righteous behavior. Muhammad ibn Jamil Zina
- Messenger of Allah. F. A. Asadullin, R. I. Sultanov and others.
- Mukhtasar ash-shamail "(No. 97, 188)
- Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Musnad, 5, 266
- Al-Buti R. Fiqh al-sira an-nabawiyah [Understanding the Life of the Prophet]. Cairo: al-Salam, 1999, p. 34.
- http://www.umma.ru/namaz/prayer/purity/
- "Who is the Author of the Quran"
- Bible Numbers 15:35
- Bible about the Prophet
- "Murujuz-zhab" v.2, pp. 282-283
- M. Watt. Muhammad in Medina. with. 436
- Yusuf al-Qaradawi, head of the International Ulema Association. From the book "Modern fatwas"
- Chronology of the era of the Prophet / site of the RMSB of the Penza region.
- Chronology of the period of the Prophet Muhammad. / PosledniyProrok.Info
- Farewell Sermon of the Prophet Muhammad - Encyclopedia of Miracles of the Quran.
- Islamic Spiritual - Educational Charitable Society
- Post 2011 (Part 14. Laylatul-kadr)
- Bernard G. Weiss "The spirit of Islamic law", p. 69
- Bernard G. Weiss "The spirit of Islamic law" pp. 70-72
- Koran, Surah Yunus (10), ayat 38, translation by E. Kuliev
- Bernard G. Weiss "The spirit of Islamic law", p. 70
- F. F. Arbuthnot, The Construction of the Bible and the Koran (London: 1985), 5
- As-Sahih al-Bukhari, volume 3, p. 401
New biographies of the prophet reveal who the founder of Islam was
text: Christoph Reuter
Mid-eighth century. Baghdad. A man sits at the table and writes. Feverishly, for many years in a row. The content of his works will be rewritten and carefully preserved by many generations of pundits.
The very manuscript of Muhammad Ibn Ishaq has been lost. It may have burned down in 1258 during the Mongol invasion of Baghdad. But most of the stories that have come down to our time about the life of the Prophet Muhammad, including the interpretation of many incomprehensible passages in the Koran, are based precisely on the records of this Baghdad chronicler.
Ibn Ishaq uses a variety of sources. Their content goes beyond the events described in the Quran. Here are aphorisms, and amusing stories, and contracts, and even poetry. To give credibility to his records, the chronicler traces the entire chain of legends. For example: “Yakub ibn Utba told me, from the words of al-Zuhri, from the words of Urva, from the words of Aisha, the Prophet's wife. Aisha told ... "
By that time, the authorities in Baghdad justify any unpopular law, any new tax, with quotations from the prophet. Because of this, the number of quotes from Muhammad is growing and their value is decreasing. Ibn Ishaq considers all the sayings of the prophet and the facts of his biography in the context of history. By this, he deprives the arguments of preachers who arbitrarily use quotations from the prophet for their own purposes.
If the chronicler is not sure of something, then he honestly admits this, citing different versions of the life of Muhammad. He creates his chronicle quite early after the events described and therefore treats them with an open mind.
This will become impossible later. With the growth of the power of Islam, there will be more and more praise in stories about the events that marked the beginning of a new religion. And there will be very few unexplained places in the biographies of Muhammad.
So what actually happened then in Mecca, Medina and the Arabian Peninsula? How was it possible for an ordinary person to establish a religion that today is professed by more than one billion believers in the world?
Despite the richness of the literary heritage of the Islamic Middle Ages, little has survived from Arabia during the time of the Prophet Muhammad. Therefore, the history of the prophet can only be reconstructed from the legends recorded by Muslim scholars and rulers who admired him - or used him in the struggle for power. Everything we know about the life of Muhammad is based on the records of Muslim chroniclers. In the analysis of different versions of the chronicles and the corrections made to them, such a diverse biography of the prophet is revealed that it could hardly have been invented.
West of the Arabian Peninsula in the 7th century: sands full of heat. Few settle outside the oases. The local deserts cannot be conquered by any of the empires. Byzantium, a powerful neighbor to the north, was able to advance south only to the cities of Bosra (present-day Syria) and Jerash (present-day Jordan). The Bedouin tribes dominate the desert and oases of Western Arabia. Their trade is robbers whose forays. Only during the three holy months, when the Arabs perform the hajj to the places of worship of their gods, attacks are prohibited.
Most of the pilgrims go to Mecca. Chroniclers describe it as a small settlement with several bazaars, a bathhouse and a hospital. Do not compare with the medieval southern Arab megacities of the cities of Najran and Sana'a. But in Mecca there is already the Kaaba, a cubic building, in the eastern corner of which the shrine - "Black Stone" is embedded.
It is believed that the Kaaba housed a statue of the oracle god Hubal, revered by the Quraish tribe, from which Muhammad was descended. The Kaaba itself, according to legend, was the shrine of the prophet and forefather Ibrahim.
But above all, in Mecca, three goddesses are worshiped, ascended in prehistoric times, when the great mystery of motherhood could still make people worship female idols. This is al-Lat, the goddess of the sky and rain; al-Manat, goddess of fate; and, finally, al-Uzza, who is identified with Venus. In addition, long before the birth of Muhammad, people worship their father, the supreme god: in ancient inscriptions he is called Ilah. Later he is called Allah.
VII century - the time of a religious turn. Christianity and Judaism are spreading rapidly. Both religions recognize only one God who sent down the Book to them. Compared to them, the cult of the ancient goddesses of fertility is increasingly declining. But the Arabians are not ready to give up their beliefs. Later in the 53rd chapter of the Qur'an, Muhammad jokes about the fact that the Arabs, who prefer to have sons, worshiped a deity who had only daughters.
Against the background of this discord of gods and beliefs, Muhammad is born. There is no consensus on the date of his birth. Early annals claim that Muhammad was born in the "year of the Elephant," which is approximately 569 or 570 AD. Later biographers of Muhammad write that he was born in about 570.
Muhammad was born into the family of Abdallah from the Quraysh tribe who ruled in Mecca at that time. Muhammad's father died either shortly before the appearance of his son, or immediately after that. Soon after birth, the boy is taken away from his mother and given to the Bedouin wives, who are employed in the role of wet nurses, to be raised. At first, no one wants to get involved with a half-orphan until one poor woman takes pity on him. In that year, a drought reigned, says one of the legends, and the nurse's breasts withered. But as soon as she took Muhammad in her arms, both "her breasts and the udders of cattle were filled with milk." This miracle saved children, cattle, and the entire clan.
Muhammad lives for a long time with a wet nurse. Even then, he experiences a miracle, which the early texts refer to the time of his calling, and the later chronicles to the childhood of Muhammad, in order to confirm the purity of the prophet: removal from the body and cleansing of the heart by two angels. According to legend, the angels appeared suddenly, cut open the chest of Muhammad, removed his heart and washed it with ice water from a golden vessel. So Muhammad became pure.
When the boy turns six, his mother dies. Muhammad is taken under guardianship first by his grandfather Abd Muttalib, and after his death - by his paternal uncle Abu Talib, the leader of the clan.
Abu Talib will never become a Muslim, but in the days of trial he will always side with his nephew.
As a teenager, Muhammad begins to accompany his uncle Abu Talib's caravans. One day they arrive in Bosra. When the caravan men pass by the monastery of the hermit monk Bakhira, he unexpectedly for the first time calls them to him. They accept the invitation, leaving the boy on the street to look after the camels.
But Bahira wants to see exactly Muhammad. This is a future prophet, he says. The monk is sure: it is about Muhammad that his sacred books are talking about. He takes Uncle Muhammad aside and warns: “Take care of him from the Jews! For they will recognize in him the one whom I recognized, and they will harm him. " According to another version, Bahira warns Abu Talib against the Byzantines.
The caravans going from Mecca to the north remain a mystery. After all, the legendary "Way of Incense" did not pass through Mecca, but through the north of Medina. Yes, and nothing is known about the goods that Muhammad carried to the north, and about his trade deals. Only later did the chroniclers embellish the details. Or maybe these caravans were just a decoration for a miracle that had happened? Just imagine: a Christian monk from the distant and prosperous Bosra, who learns from the holy books that Muhammad is a prophet! It is difficult to imagine a more impartial opinion.
Traveling with caravans between oases, Muhammad meets a woman who will be the first to believe in his destiny. The rich merchant's name is Khadija. Having hired Muhammad as her henchman, she soon becomes convinced of his honesty and conscientiousness, and later decides to take him
in husbands. By that time she is already 40 years old, she is 15 years older than Muhammad. She was married twice.
Muhammad, having settled in the house of Khadija, will live there until her death. He does not have his own home. Later chroniclers readily refer to this story. In their opinion, this episode suggests that the prophet was a much more modern man than his own revelations suggest. At the same time, Islam abolished the model of marriage, in which a man was sometimes a guest and a companion in the night - far from being the only one for some women - but retaining the right for a man to have four wives.
Islam will change the role of women in society. In particular, women will receive the right to inheritance for the first time. But at the same time, according to the rules of Sharia, the testimony of two women in court is equated to the testimony of one man. At the end of his last pilgrimage, Muhammad will call upon the men: “Listen! Treat women kindly, for they are like captives with you. " The question of the nurse Ibrahim, the son of Muhammad, who died in early childhood, also reached us: "O Messenger of Allah, you proclaim grace only to men, but why not to women?" The Prophet answers her with a question to the question: "Are you dissatisfied with life?" And he promises that every sip of milk sucked by the baby from the breast of the nurse will be credited to her in the afterlife. Muhammad also opposes burying newborn girls in the sand, which was widespread at the time.
There is evidence of the existence of Khadija herself. The assertion that Muhammad married Khadija when she was already 40 years old is explained by the magic of this number. It is considered sacred not only among Muslims: Moses spent 40 days on the mountain, and Jesus in the desert. According to the Koran, Muhammad was 40 years old when the first revelation descended on him.
According to Ibn Ishaq, Muhammad joined the “Union of the Noble” in Mecca in his youth. Its members made sure that pilgrims who came to the Kaaba were in clean clothes. Purity will become the leitmotif of Muhammad's entire life, a symbol of getting rid of erroneous thoughts and false gods.
On the days of holy holidays, the prophet begins to retire on Mount Hira near Mecca to devote himself to asceticism and night prayers. In 610, on the "night of power" in the month of Ramadan, the first revelation will be sent down to Muhammad. "It descended on him as dawn comes," the legend says.
In the canonical biographies of the prophet, the Archangel Jabrail orders the frightened Muhammad: "Read!" (or "Say!") holding a scroll in front of his face. To which the agitated Muhammad replies: "Ma aqra´!" Since "ma" means "what", an incomprehensible phrase can be interpreted as the beginning of the question "What to say, read?" But if the stress is shifted to the second syllable, then this word can be translated as "not", and then Muhammad's answer will sound like this: "I do not read, I can not read."
This simple shift in stress indicates that God is the author of the revealed text. After all, the stress on the second syllable clearly indicates that the prophet cannot read and can only listen and repeat after Jabrail what he dictates to him on behalf of God. But if the stress fell on the first syllable, then there would be no reason to believe that Muhammad cannot read.
The Prophet repeatedly and unequivocally asks Jabrail: "Madha aqra?", That is, "What to read?" Despite this, dogmatists still interpret this episode in a favorable light for themselves: the prophet could not read, which means that any suspicion that he borrowed any fragments of the text from the sacred books of other religions is completely removed from him.
That night, the Archangel Jabrail appears to Muhammad with the first verses of the Koran.
“Jabrail does not leave Muhammad alone,” Ibn Ishaq describes the dialogue between the archangel and the prophet. - He says: “Read aloud, in the name of your Lord, who created you, created man from a clot! Say it out loud! Your Lord is the most merciful, who taught with kalam, taught a person what he did not know. " "And I said this ... At the same time it seemed to me that everything I heard was as if written in my heart."
In complete confusion, Muhammad descends from the mountain, but halfway he hears the voice of the sky: “Oh, Muhammad! You are the Messenger of God, and I am Dzhabrail! " According to legend, with an unsteady step and "with a trembling in his shoulders" Muhammad returns to Khadija. He will only tell his wife about his experience. Khadija will become the first person to convert to Islam.
The second person who will confirm the truth of the prophetic mission of Muhammad will be a Christian, a relative of Khadija. Later, Islam would consider Christians to be the most truthful witnesses of Muhammad's divine mission. Ibn Ishaq gives another important proof of the divine mission of Muhammad: it was not the devil who visited him, but an angel who disappeared every time Muhammad and Khadija shared a bed.
Such disappearances are typical of angels. The sudden appearances of a divine messenger were important, since in the first centuries of the existence of Islam, the debate was not about truth or fiction, but about who sent down the Qur'an - the Almighty or the devil.
Did divine inspirations really begin with the sudden appearance of Jabrail, who showed the frightened Muhammad the first signs and forced him to obedience?
Ali ibn Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet, had other information on this matter. As his grandson recalls, Muhammad had some visions before that. A scene with such visions was described by Ibn Ishaq. However, Ibn Hisham, rewriting the biography of the prophet, compiled by Ibn Ishaq, deleted it.
Another chronicler, who died in 814, Yunus ibn Bukar, gives the following detail: in his youth, Muhammad suffered from seizures, from which he shivered. “In Mecca, the future messenger of Allah was often exposed to the evil eye (every time) unexpectedly. And this happened even before divine inspirations descended on him. In such cases, he sent Khadija for an elderly woman who (by magic) removed the spoilage from him. One day after the Koran was revealed to him, he was again jinxed. Khadija asked him: “Messenger of Allah! Shouldn't I send for that old woman who removed the spoilage from you? " To which he replied: "Now, don't!"
In 613, Muhammad will first call the inhabitants of Mecca to Islam. He delivers a vivid sermon on the horrors of the Last Judgment and the torments in hell, to which all who refuse to obey God and his messenger are doomed. He encourages the Meccans to believe, pray and do good deeds - to feed the poor and even free slaves.
The new teaching is based on shaky ground. On the one hand, it must be new. On the other hand, you cannot be too radical, because Muhammad wants to attract skeptics too.
Former prophets - Isa, Ismail, Ibrahim - must maintain their high rank and witness the true calling of Muhammad. And recognize him as the last prophet. Thus, Muhammad reintroduces the custom of animal sacrifice, which was widespread among the pagan Arabs. Christians symbolically perform this ritual with bread and wine, and the Jews canceled it altogether.
But the people of Mecca hesitate. There are too many "kakhins" (soothsayers) everywhere; possessed, convulsing and muttering nonsense. So preachers don't have much of a chance to be heard. However, nothing of the kind has ever been heard in Muhammad's speech in Mecca. Melody, intonation, unexpected pauses and rhymes ...
The "magic power of the word" will soon be talked about throughout Mecca. Gradually, the circle of Muhammad's supporters is expanding. Men from noble families, and God-seekers, and the poor also join him. The Prophet cannot yet offer them anything but his message.
The new community is ready to accept everyone, regardless of status and gender. One of the first followers of the prophet becomes a slave, to whom he immediately gives freedom.
In Mecca, Muhammad's companions are mocked, but not persecuted. But when Muhammad begins to insist on demanding complete obedience to the one and only God, opposing the former gods, moods change dramatically.
For the inhabitants of Mecca, the Kaaba is not just a symbol of faith. How can they make a living if there are no pilgrims to whom they rent out houses, sell food and sacrificial animals? And what will Mecca become if the three-month taboo on all robbery, highway robbery and murder is lifted? After all, not the geographical position of the city, but the order prevailing here during the holiday months, makes it the center of trade. If it weren't for the Mecca of the Kaaba, no one would have come here.
Muhammad challenges the system both religiously and politically. From calls for the abolition of the tribal, clan, age hierarchy. They must be replaced exclusively by obedience to God and his messenger. It is no longer only and not so much about the salvation of souls, but about real power.
Muhammad's supporters are under attack, the community is increasingly isolated, and Muslims are threatened.
In the end, an official appeal is posted on the wall of the Kaaba: it is forbidden to conclude marriages and deals with representatives of the fourteen clans of the community of the first Muslims.
In the early biographies of Muhammad, the narrator seeks to keep the audience as energized as possible. And in the later biographies of the prophet, from where all the discrepancies and descriptions of human weaknesses have been removed, the drama will remain. Allah sends down a prophet, but no one listens to him. They are unfriendly to him, demand a miracle, prepare an attempt on him. The tension builds up. Will Allah leave him?
No. He performs a miracle - and what a miracle! One night, a white riding animal is brought to Muhammad, smaller than a mule, but larger than a donkey, with two wings on its legs, with the help of which it moved, barely touching the ground with its hooves.
Before Muhammad, this creature, which is called "Burak", carried on itself more than one prophet. It transports Muhammad across the sky to the “sacred house” (al-Aqsa mosque) in Jerusalem. There, Muhammad is already waiting for the whole host of his predecessors - the prophets Isa, Ibrahim, Musa. They pray together. Then a staircase descends from the sky, along which Jabrail and Muhammad ascend to the top. Angels at the gates of the seven heavens ask if Muhammad is the messenger. Jabrail says yes.
For some time after the death of Muhammad, his ascension to heaven will be considered a vision, an illumination that descended on him in a dream. It would later become the subject of legal wrangling.
Many Muslim authorities insist that Muhammad actually visited heaven. Doubt about this is considered an insult to the prophet and, as some of them argued at one time, should be punished by death.
And even in 2001, the respected spiritual academy of Al-Azhar in Cairo banned one of the books that cast doubt on the fact of the ascension.
Muhammad is faced with the problem of all prophets - what if you are already ahead of others? The title of "God's Son" was assigned to Isa by Christians. In addition, in this case, Muhammad will find himself in a very dubious society of three local goddesses, who are considered the daughters of God. And it is not for Allah to "have" a child. Therefore, to believe in this is “a grave sin,” says the Qur'an (Sura 19).
But this creates a new problem: how to set the lost souls on the right path? Muhammad was an ordinary person, the chroniclers remind. But in the 7th century there were no longer any prophets who could attract followers to their side. And what can a common man oppose to the former gods, their power and their own fears?
The situation in Mecca is aggravated: in 619, Khadija and Abu Talib, the support and support of Muhammad, die. He becomes not only more followers, but also more enemies. Without Abu Talib's patronage, his position becomes precarious. Anyone could kill Muhammad without fear of blood feud from his clan. In 621, at a fair in Mecca, Muhammad meets pilgrims from Yasrib (Medina), an oasis 350 kilometers north of Mecca. The interest in the prophet of the local Arabs is not of a religious nature. As Ibn Ishaq writes, already in his youth, Muhammad earned himself the fame of "hakam", an arbitrator. And such a person is just what is needed in Medina.
There is another story as well. According to Ibn Ishaq, many people reported that whenever conflicts broke out between the Arabs and the Jews of Medina, the Jews threatened the Arabs: "The time is near when a prophet will be sent down to us, with the help of which we will destroy you!" By these threats, without knowing it, the Jewish tribes prepared the way for the coming of the prophet. Only they did not suspect that the messenger would not side with them.
In 622, Muhammad and his companions moved to Medina. This is how a new era begins: in Medina, Muhammad is recognized as the messenger of Allah and as a secular leader. Thanks to his charisma, oratorical talent, ability to negotiate and, of course, references to Allah, Muhammad manages to resolve conflicts between warring clans. Soon he will grow out of the role of arbiter and become a master.
Medina will be a springboard to victory: from here, Islam will begin to conquer the world. The year of Hijra - the resettlement of Muhammad from Mecca to Medina - will be the first year of the Islamic calendar.
In an ingenious way, Islam will unite in itself the first principles that existed before. There are strict rituals and rules in Judaism, but the message of the Muslim prophet was addressed to everyone, not just the elect. Christianity, although it carries a mission, in itself is more abstract, it is a kingdom "not of this world." Everyday life of Christians is almost not regulated by ritual prescriptions, the observance of which opens the way to paradise. Islam, on the other hand, offers believers exactly such attitudes - moreover, it is open to absolutely everyone. This have not happened before.
But was this how Muhammad imagined Islam at the very beginning of his path? Or was his religion shaped by the desire to resist established trends?
Jewish tribes in Medina refuse to submit to the newly-minted prophet. Nevertheless, Muhammad tries to refer to the prophets, whom the Jews also recognize - Ibrahim (Abraham) and Musa (Moses), recalling that the latter even predicted the appearance of a prophet in the Torah. But the Jews are adamant.
Over time, Islam will become tolerant of the "book religions" of Judaism and Christianity. This is explained not so much by the convictions of the prophet as by the pragmatism of the later rulers - and the huge income from the poll tax, which is levied on the Gentiles.
Decades after the death of Muhammad, there will be many rumors about the unpredictability of the Jews, who entered into a secret conspiracy with the enemies of the prophet. Where the truth is, and where the fiction justifying the murder of the Jews is unknown. Nevertheless, the many curses against the Jews in the Qur'an testify to their deep rejection by the Muslims: “O you who believed! Do not be friends with Jews and Christians. " Many suras of the Qur'an speak of the treachery and deceit of the Jews. Eighteen months after arriving in Medina, Muhammad orders the believers from now on to pray, turning their faces not towards Jerusalem, the city of the former prophets, but towards ... Mecca!
But Muhammad understands: it will not be possible to win back the holy city, which drove away his son-prophet, by prayers alone. A little war is needed. But first you need to convince your companions in Medina that it is in their own interests to go to war against Mecca. Muhammad refers to the higher authorities: war, he explains, is commanded by Allah. In several suras of the Koran created during that period, Allah will call the war against the infidels the sacred duty of a follower of Islam.
Soon the Messenger of Allah also publishes detailed rules of jihad on the path of the Lord. So comes the time of robberies in the name of God.
“Fight in the way of Allah with those who fight against you, but do not overstep the boundaries of what is permitted. Indeed, Allah does not love transgressors, the Almighty announces to his messenger. But he also says, "Kill (the unbelievers) wherever you meet them, drive them out of the places from where they drove you out."
It all starts with small skirmishes, but in the spring of 624 it comes to the first battle: at the Badr spring, about 130 kilometers south of Medina, the first big battle takes place between the Muslims expelled from Mecca and the Quraysh. Genus-
businessmen and former friends kill each other. Muhammad's small detachment defeats the superior forces of the Meccans. The chroniclers will not be upset about this fratricide. On the contrary: victory over the enemy will become a sign from above, which clearly showed on whose side the Most High is. After the battle, the winners will share the trophies and execute some of the captives.
To the question of one of those sentenced to death: "Who will take care of my children now, Muhammad?" - the prophet allegedly answers: "Gehenna." However, most of the captives will be ransomed by their relatives. The Qur'an will celebrate success in battle as the will of the Most High: "You did not kill the infidels, but Allah slain them (...) in order to subject the believers to a good test from Himself."
The chroniclers compile a long list of all Muslim participants in the massacre, and their descendants are ranked among the noble class. Ambushes, the enslavement of women and children, seemed to be the norm at the time, as opposed to uprooting palm groves. In any case, there is a verse in the Qur'an that justifies this kind of action: "What you cut from the palms or left standing on your roots, then by the will of Allah and so that He would put the wicked to shame."
But when a year later the second battle at Mount Uhud ends in defeat, the prophet has problems interpreting the failure: if victory comes by the will of Allah, then what is defeat?
The answer is given to him in the form of revelation: defeat is a test. A test of the strength of faith in difficult times.
After Muhammad takes power in Medina, the divine message also changes. Allah no longer informs the prophet of the general commandments, as it was in Mecca. Now he resolves conflicts, makes laws, intervenes in the course of hostilities - and even in the scandals that shake Muhammad's harem.
At first, Muhammad is so fond of Zeynab, whom he himself married to his adopted son Zayd, that he is ready to marry her, especially since her life with Zayd did not get better. Then, at the insistence of several of his wives, he vows to cut off his love affair with his Coptic slave Maria. However, Muhammad is unable to part with Zeynab and Mary, and then Allah puts everything in proper order. The Almighty sends down a revelation to Muhammad (Koran, Sura 33, verses 37-40), allowing him to marry even the divorced wife of his adopted son, since Muhammad is in fact not anyone's father, but "the Messenger of Allah."
Muslim believers are allowed to have only four wives, but Allah grants Muhammad the privilege of being constantly married. The ranks of his adherents are also changing. There are no longer any trace of those peaceful God-seekers who were ridiculed and humiliated by the Meccans. They are replaced by a fighting detachment of representatives of different tribes, competing with each other in obedience and strength.
"None of you will believe," says Muhammad, "until you love me more than your father, son and all people together." The hair cut from the prophet's beard and the water with which he washes are collected and preserved. They are touched to gain the sacred power they contain, says an enemy tribe negotiator.
So who is this man who is increasingly acting in the role of the messenger of God? He almost never laughs, say his adherents, only a slight smile at times touches his lips. “Always a laughing assassin,” say his Jewish victims from the Banu Nadir tribe. "A man in a wide cape and with a sword on his shoulder, riding a camel and content with a poppy dewdrop ... and constantly uttering wisdom." But what did Muhammad look like, what were the features of his face? Nothing is known for certain about all this. There is only information that he loved sweets, lived very modestly, that he had a pair of sandals and a single cloak. At the beginning of 627, it comes to a decisive battle between the Meccan cavalry and the units of Muhammad. By that time, 3,000 Muslims had dug a moat around Medina, which became an insurmountable obstacle to
10,000 enemy horsemen. For two weeks the warring parties confront each other, but the assault fails, and the leader of the Meccans, Abu Sufyan, gives the signal to retreat. This is how Ibn Ishaq describes the battle, followed by later chroniclers. At the decisive moment, opponents of Muhammad are always hesitant. Even after the victory at Uhud, the enemies did not begin to finish off the defeated Muslim detachments. And at Medina, they simply surrendered. Muhammad himself seems to have no doubts. In the wake of Muhammad's successes, the number of his supporters is growing rapidly. Delighted with his decisiveness, military successes, the number of his supporters and belief in a miracle, the Meccans follow him to Medina. Opponents are cornered.
But before setting out on a campaign from Medina, Muhammad does not miss the opportunity to settle accounts with the last of the three hostile Jewish tribes. Allegedly, the archangel Jabrail sends him a message: Allah ordered to attack the Quraiz clan. The Prophet orders to lay siege to the tower houses of the Jews. After 25 days, the Quraisites surrender. Women and children are sold into slavery, men, who numbered between 600 and 900, are killed.
But although Ibn Ishaq and later chroniclers confirm the extermination of several Jewish clans, inconsistencies remain. The Quraizis, Ibn Ishaq writes, easily submitted to fate. The little girl, having talked with Muhammad's young wife Aisha, happily went to her execution. One of the leaders of the Qurais said before his death: "God sent down to the sons of Israel a book, fate and bloody massacre."
Is there a desire here to alleviate the nightmare? In any case, this is indicated by the discrepancies between the legends telling about the events of that time. On the other hand, in the historiography of Judaism, which records in minute detail all acts of violence against the people of Israel, there is no mention of the extermination of the Jews in Medina and the neighboring oases. Perhaps this massacre did not take place at all?
Terror on the one hand and generosity to all who are ready to submit to the will of God, on the other: this is how the community grows. Islam now means nothing more than submission to the authority of Allah and his messenger. Many swear allegiance to the prophet to please the new government. But Muhammad demands from his adherents only iman - an internally conscious faith. In the meantime, the Qur'an condemns those Bedouins whose hearts have not yet penetrated faith.
In 628, something unusual happens: Muhammad, with a handful of supporters, appears in his hometown. He did not come to fight, but to pray. Muhammad only asks to be allowed to visit the shrine of the Kaaba. If the Meccans let him, they would lose face. But they also do not want to attack Muhammad. Negotiators scurry between Muhammad's camp and Mecca. In the end, the parties conclude a truce: the prophet undertakes not to attack the caravans of the Meccans for ten years and to return the defectors to them. For this, he and his followers are allowed to visit holy places. The following year, Muslims make their first pilgrimage to Mecca.
A year later, Muhammad, using as a pretext for strife between the two clans, with one of which he has an alliance, is a campaign against Mecca. Overwhelmed by the thirst for profit, spurred on by religious zeal, confident of victory, the supporters of Muhammad are moving towards the shrine city. Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Meccans, who retreated in the battle of the moat, forcing his troops
to surrender.
Mecca will fall around January 11, 630. History is silent about any resistance of the Meccans. Muhammad triumphantly rides a camel into the square where the Kaaba stands, walks around the cube made of stone seven times, and then enters the sanctuary. The moment is great, but, as it turns out later, this is not enough for those who will praise Muhammad in later times.
Ibn Ishaq writes that inside the Kaaba, Muhammad finds only a small wooden dove, which he immediately breaks and throws away. After that, he goes out to the square and speaks to those Meccans who risked leaving their homes. Two centuries later, a wonderful metamorphosis will happen to this broken wooden dove. The chronicler al-Azraki writes that the prophet found in the Kaaba "no less than 360" images of idols, which the devil had filled with lead. But as soon as Muhammad pointed to the idols with his staff, they immediately turned to dust. At the same time, al-Azraki refers to eyewitnesses with an impeccable reputation, who testified the same to Ibn Ishaq. With only one exception: in the writings of Ibn Ishaq there is not a single word about 360 idols, the lead of the devil and the magic staff.
Muhammad does not intend to prohibit the old rituals. Allah is omnipresent and does not need any places of worship, unlike the former deities hated by Muhammad. But if the Kaaba is abolished, then Mecca will lose His support. Allah confirmed, says Muhammad, that Ibrahim himself, the forefather of all believers in God, made his first pilgrimage to Mecca. Thus, Muhammad merely returns the ritual to its true purpose.
The desire to combine the incompatible will make itself felt even after 1400 years. The symbol of the Muslim faith is the formula "La ilaha illa-allah", that is, "There is no God but Allah." But why then does Islam need a fragment of a meteorite, embedded in the corner of the Kaaba long before Muhammad, to whom millions of pilgrims flock, who consider it the height of bliss to touch the "Black Stone" and kiss it? It was the will of Allah, Muhammad says, and the listeners accept this good news with relief. Otherwise, they almost abandoned their former gods. Now they have been left with a place of divine presence and have been granted all the subtleties of performing the ritual: a seven-fold walk around the Kaaba - the points of attraction of all that is holy, the stoning of the shaitan, the great standing on Mount Arafat.
Muhammad will not live long. Having defeated Mecca, he returns to Medina. The penultimate year of his life is called the "Year of the Embassies". The Arabian tribes themselves now come to a new prophet and ruler to swear allegiance to the one who refers to Allah and whom Allah has led to great victories.
And yet this triumph, made possible by an incredibly strong fusion of religious and political power, united in the infallible image of Muhammad, will turn out to be a kind of “mortgage” for Islam. No one will ever replace Muhammad. The successors (caliphs) who will replace him and inherit his power will no longer be able to refer to the status of the prophet.
"Beware of the newly-invented, for everything that is newly-invented is an innovation, every innovation is a delusion, and every delusion leads to Fire!" The prophet delivered such a sermon to the believers during his farewell pilgrimage, which he made a year before his death, in order to once and for all legitimize everything that he had achieved.
After Muhammad, it is no longer possible to change anything in the rituals. Nevertheless, the rapid spread of faith after the death of Muhammad will demonstrate an amazing metamorphosis: while Islam dominated only in Western Arabia, the religious and political dominance of the Quraysh - the native tribe of Muhammad - expanded. However, the more peoples obeyed them, the more urgent the question became: who should be considered a true Muslim?
The period from the 9th to the 12th century will be the "golden age" of Islam. Scientists will translate the works of the ancient Greeks into Arabic, philosophers will raise the mind to the level of faith with absolutely impunity. But already in the middle of the 12th century, a sharp turn will take place. And even in the distant Maghreb, the orthodox champions of the "truth" of the prophet's ascension to heaven will prevail, demanding the death penalty for adherents of all other interpretations of the Koran. These zealots of the faith will call the years of the life of the Prophet Muhammad the best of times, himself - free from mistakes and saints, and any innovation - evil.
But just because of this, a problem will arise that has not been resolved to this day: if we consider the prophet outside the framework of his era, then many of his judgments and actions look cruel and even barbaric. But if we evaluate him as a hero of his time, then the same call for a Holy War in order to mobilize the people of Medina to fight Mecca appears in a slightly different light.
Shortly before the death of Muhammad, there was a premonition that a split would take place in his religious community. The presentiment did not deceive him: just a few decades later, Shiites became irreconcilable opponents of the Caliphs, who believe that only direct descendants of his cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib could lead the community (Muhammad himself did not leave a male offspring, Ali was married to his daughter Fatima) ... And they interpret the story of the prophet differently than the pragmatists-Sunnis, to whom the majority of Muslims still consider themselves.
June 632. Muhammad's mission is complete. He closes his eyes forever. Many refuse to believe in his demise. For them, he became immortal long ago. Abu Bakr, the closest associate of the Prophet, appears before the mourners: “Let those of you who worshiped Muhammad know that Muhammad died. And may those of you who worship Allah remember that Allah is alive and will never die. "
And so it was recorded.
This article presents the biography of the Prophet Muhammad - the most important figure in the Muslim world. It was to him that Allah gave the Koran - the Holy Scriptures.
The biography of the Prophet Muhammad begins around 570 AD. e., when he was born. This happened in Saudi Arabia (Mecca), in the Quraish tribe (Hashim clan). Abdullah, Muhammad's father, died before he was born. And the mother of the Prophet Muhammad, Amin, departed to another world when he was only 6 years old. She was the daughter of the leader of the Zurha clan from the local Quraish tribe. Once the mother of the Prophet Muhammad decided to go to Medina with her son in order to visit the grave of Abdullah and her relatives. After staying here for about a month, they drove back to Mecca. On the way, Amina fell seriously ill and died in the village of al-Abwa. This happened around 577. Thus, Muhammad was left an orphan.
Childhood of the future prophet
The future prophet was first raised by Abd al-Muttalib, his grandfather, a man of exceptional piety. Then the upbringing was continued by the merchant Abu Talib, the uncle of Muhammad. The Arabs at that time were inveterate pagans. However, some adherents of monotheism stood out among them (for example, Abd al-Muttalib). The bulk of the Arabs lived in the territories that originally belonged to them, a nomadic life. There were few cities. The main ones are Mecca, Taif and Yathrib.
Muhammad becomes famous
The Prophet from his youth was distinguished by exceptional piety and piety. He, like his grandfather, believed in one God. Muhammad first grazed the flocks, and then began to take part in the trade affairs of Abu Talib, his uncle. Muhammad gradually became famous. People loved him and gave him the nickname al-Amin (which means "trustworthy"). This is the name of the Prophet Muhammad as a sign of respect for piety, prudence, justice and honesty.
The marriage of Muhammad to Khadija, children of the prophet
Later, Muhammad did business for a wealthy widow named Khadija. She invited him after a while to marry her. The couple lived a happy life, despite the significant age difference. They had six children. All the children of the Prophet Muhammad were from Khadija, except for Ibrahim, who was born after her death. At that time, polygamy was widespread among the Arabs, but Muhammad remained faithful to his wife. Other wives of the Prophet Muhammad appeared with him only after the death of Khadija. This also says a lot about him as an honest person. The children of the Prophet Muhammad had the following names: his sons - Ibrahim, Abdullah, Kasim; daughters - Ummukulsum, Fatima, Rukiyya, Zainab.
Prayers in the mountains, Gabriel's first revelation
Muhammad, as usual, retired to the mountains surrounding Mecca and retired there for a long time. Sometimes his retreats lasted for several days. The cave of Mount Hira, towering majestically over Mecca, was especially fond of him. It was here that the prophet Muhammad received his first revelation. A photo of the cave is presented below.
On one of the visits, which took place in 610, when Muhammad was about 40 years old, an amazing event happened to him that completely changed his life. In a vision that came suddenly, the angel Gabriel (Jabrail) appeared before him. He pointed to the words that appeared from outside, and ordered them to pronounce them to Muhammad. He resisted, saying that he was illiterate, so he would not be able to read them. However, the angel insisted, and suddenly the meaning of the words was revealed to the prophet. The angel commanded him to learn them and pass them on exactly to the rest of the people.
This was the first revelation of the book known today as the Koran (from the Arabic word for "reading"). This night, full of events, fell on the 27th of Ramadan and became known as Laylat al-Qadr. It is the most important event for believers, which marked the history of the Prophet Muhammad. His life no longer belonged to him. She was placed in the care of God, in whose service he spent the rest of his days proclaiming his messages everywhere.
Further revelations
The Prophet, receiving revelations, did not always see the angel Jabrail, and when this happened, he appeared in different guises. Sometimes Dzhabrail appeared before the prophet in human form, which overshadowed the horizon. Sometimes Muhammad could only catch his gaze on himself. At times the Prophet heard only a voice speaking to him. Muhammad sometimes received revelation in a state of deep immersion in prayer. However, in other cases, words appeared completely "arbitrarily", when, for example, the prophet was engaged in daily affairs, went for a walk, or listened to a meaningful conversation. At first, Muhammad avoided public sermons. He preferred personal conversation with people.
Condemnation of Muhammad by the people
A special way of performing Muslim prayer was revealed to him, and Muhammad immediately began pious exercises. He did them daily. This caused a whole wave of criticism from those who saw him. Muhammad, having received the highest order to perform a public sermon, was scolded and ridiculed by the people, who mocked his actions and statements to their satisfaction. Many Quraysh, meanwhile, were seriously alarmed, realizing that the persistence with which Muhammad maintained faith in one God could undermine the prestige of polytheism, and also lead to the decline of idolatry when people begin to convert to the faith of Muhammad. Some relatives of the prophet became his main opponents. They ridiculed and humiliated Muhammad, and also did evil against converts. There are many examples of abuse and mockery of people who have adopted the new faith.
Resettlement of the first Muslims to Abyssinia
A brief biography of the Prophet Muhammad continued with a move to Abyssinia. In search of refuge, two large groups of early Muslims moved here. Here a Christian negus (king) agreed to patronize them, who was very impressed with their way of life and teaching. The Quraysh imposed a ban on all personal, military, business, and trade relations with the Hashim clan. Representatives of this clan were strictly forbidden to appear in Mecca. Very difficult times came, many Muslims were doomed to the most severe poverty.
Death of Khadija and Abu Talib, new marriage
The biography of the Prophet Muhammad was noted at this time and other sad events. Khadija, his wife, died in 619. She was his most devoted assistant and supporter. Abu Talib, Muhammad's uncle, passed away the same year. Namely, he defended him from the furious attacks of his fellow tribesmen. The Prophet, stricken with grief, left Mecca. He decided to go to Taif and find refuge here, but was rejected. Muhammad's friends married the pious widow Saud, who turned out to be a worthy woman and, moreover, a Muslim. Aisha, the young daughter of Abu Bakr, his friend, knew and loved the prophet all her life. And although she was still very young for marriage, according to the customs of that time, she nevertheless entered the family of Muhammad.
The essence of Muslim polygamy
The wives of the Prophet Muhammad are a separate topic. Some people are confused by this part of his biography. It is necessary to dispel the misconception that exists among people who do not understand the reasons for polygamy in the Muslim world. At that time, a Muslim who married several women at once did this out of a sense of compassion, providing them with shelter and his protection. Men were also encouraged to help the spouses of their friends who died in battle, to provide them with separate houses. They were to be treated like close relatives (of course, in the case of mutual love, things could be different).
Ascension Night
The biography of the Prophet Muhammad was marked by another major event. The prophet in 619 had to go through the second amazing night of his life. This is Laylat al-Miraj, the Night of the Ascension. It is known that Muhammad was awakened and then transferred to Jerusalem on a magical animal. On Mount Zion, over the location of an ancient Jewish temple, the heavens opened. Thus the path was opened that led to the throne of the Lord. However, neither he nor the angel Jabrail, who accompanied Muhammad, was allowed to enter the transcendental regions. This is how the ascension of the Prophet Muhammad took place. That night, the rules of prayer were revealed to him, which became the focus of faith, as well as the unshakable foundation of the life of the entire Muslim world. Muhammad also met with other prophets, including Moses, Jesus, and Abraham. This wonderful event greatly strengthened and consoled him, adding to the confidence that Allah did not leave him and did not leave him alone with his sorrows.
Preparing to move to Yathrib
Muhammad's fate now changed drastically. In Mecca, he was still ridiculed and persecuted, but his message was already heard by many people outside this city. Several elders of Yathrib urged the prophet to leave Mecca and move to their city, where he would be received with honor as a judge and leader. In Yathrib lived together Jews and Arabs, constantly at war with each other. They hoped that the peace of Muhammad would bring them. The Prophet immediately advised many of his followers to go to this city, while he himself remained in Mecca in order not to arouse suspicion. After all, after Abu Talib died, the Quraysh could well attack the prophet, even kill him, and Muhammad understood very well that sooner or later this had to happen.
Muhammad arrives at Yathrib
Some dramatic events accompany the life story of the Prophet Muhammad during his departure. Muhammad miraculously managed to escape captivity only thanks to his excellent knowledge of the local deserts. Quraysh almost captured him several times, but Muhammad managed to reach the outskirts of Yathrib. He was eagerly awaited in this city. When Muhammad arrived, people rushed to him with offers to settle with them. The Prophet, embarrassed by such hospitality, gave his camel the choice. The camel decided to stop at the place where the dates were dried. The prophet was instantly given this place to build a house. The city received a new name - Madinat an-Nabi (translated as "the city of the prophet"). It is known today as Medina.
The reign of Muhammad in Yathrib
Muhammad immediately began to prepare a decree according to which he was proclaimed in this city the supreme head of all clans and tribes that were at war with each other. Henceforth, they had to obey the orders of the prophet. Muhammad established that all citizens are free to practice their religion. They must coexist peacefully without fear of the highest disfavor or persecution. Muhammad asked for only one thing - to unite in order to repulse any enemy who dares to attack Medina. The tribal laws of Jews and Arabs were replaced by the principle of "justice for all", that is, not depending on religion, skin color and social status.
The life of the prophet Muhammad in Yathrib
The Prophet, having become the ruler of Medina and possessed great wealth and influence, never lived like a king. His dwelling consisted of simple clay houses that were built for his wives. The life of the Prophet Muhammad was simple - he never even had his own room. A courtyard with a well was located not far from the houses - a place that has now become a mosque, in which devout Muslims gather to this day. Almost the whole life of Muhammad passed in constant prayer, as well as in the instruction of believers. In addition to the five obligatory prayers performed in the mosque, he devoted much time to solitary prayer, sometimes devoting most of the night to pious reflections. His wives performed night prayer with him, after which they retired to their chambers. And Muhammad continued to pray for many hours, falling asleep for a short time towards the end of the night, in order to wake up soon for the predawn prayer.
The decision to return to Mecca
The prophet, who dreamed of returning to Mecca, in March 628 decided to make his dream come true. He gathered 1,400 of his followers and set out with them, completely unarmed, in robes that consisted of only 2 white veils. The followers of the prophet, despite this, were denied entry into the city. Even the fact that Islam was professed by many citizens of Mecca did not help. Pilgrims, in order to avoid possible clashes, brought their sacrifices near Mecca, in an area called Hudaibiya. Muhammad in 629 began plans to conquer Mecca peacefully. The ceasefire in Khudaibiyyah was short-lived. The Meccans again attacked in November 629 a tribe allied with the Muslims.
Mohammed's Entry into Mecca
At the head of 10 thousand people, the largest army of all who ever left Medina, the prophet moved to Mecca. She settled near the city, after which Mecca surrendered without a fight. The prophet Muhammad entered with triumph, went immediately to the Kaaba and made a ritual circumambulation around it 7 times. After that, the prophet entered the shrine and destroyed all the idols.
Hajat al-Weeda, death of Muhammad
Only in 632, in March, the only full-fledged pilgrimage to the Kaaba, known as the Last Pilgrimage (Hajat al-Vida), was made by the prophet Muhammad (a photo of the Kaaba in its present form is presented below).
During this pilgrimage, revelations about the rules of the Hajj were sent to him. To this day, all Muslims follow them. When, in order to appear before Allah, the prophet reached Mount Arafat, he proclaimed his last sermon. Muhammad was already seriously ill at that time. As much as he could, he continued to lead prayers in the mosque. There was no improvement in his illness, and the prophet finally took to his bed. He was 63 at the time. This concludes the biography of the Prophet Muhammad. His followers could hardly believe that he died as a common man. The story of the Prophet Muhammad teaches us spirituality, faith, devotion. It is of interest today not only to Muslims, but also to many representatives of other faiths from different parts of the world.