Mohammad and Islam
The name Mohammad, also spelled Muhammad
and Mohammed, means “the much praised one”.(1) Islam means “submission”
and Moslem means “submissive one”. Islam is not just a religion but a
way of life. It is the newest version of the message sent from god
through his prophets Moses and Jesus among others. It gives it’s
followers a purpose for life on earth and promotes harmony for all
mankind. It teaches that there is only one god and that through faith
and good deeds it’s followers will go to a heaven or paradise in the
afterlife. I think the most important part of this religion is the fact
that it is monotheistic. That is that it stresses that there is only one
god. This promotes a sense of equality for all mankind in that god is
the only one above us and the only one to be praised and that we are all
the same or equal in his eyes. To examine the origin of Islam we must
get to know the prophet of Islam, Mohammad ibn-Abdullah.
Mohammad was born in Mecca in about 570
A.D.(2) at a time when the Near East had become a battle field of
struggles between the Roman and the Persian Empires, between Western
civilization and Eastern Civilization and between the Church of the East
(Nestorian) and Christian Churches.(3) He was born a member of the
Quraish tribe. His father died just a few months before he was born
leaving he and his mother a small house, five camels and a few goats.
His mother, Amina, was often sick and could not properly care for her
son sent him to live with foster parents in the highlands at the age of
two.
When Mohammad was five he had the first
of many visions that he was to experience over his lifetime. He was
walking in a field and suddenly fell down and started to shout and
convulse on the ground. He had a vision or delusion that two men wearing
white were cutting open his stomach and stirring up the insides. A boy
that had been walking with him ran for help. When help arrived they
found him standing up and pale. When they asked him what had happened he
said that two angel had come down from the heavens and cut open his
belly looking for something. He didn’t know what it was that they were
looking for. Mohammad’s foster parents, fearing that he was possessed by
the devil, took him back to Mecca to see his mother and tell her about
the vision but his mother told them not to worry and that she had been
expecting such things to take place. She told them not to pay attention
to future attacks or visions. I guess that this was not reassuring
enough to Mohammad’s foster parents because Mohammad stayed in Mecca
with his mother for the next year until she died on the way back from a
visit to her relatives. Mohammad was now six years old and an orphan.
So now Mohammad is six years old. He
never new his late father, his mother had just passed away and his
foster parents didn’t want him. What was he going to do?.. He went to
live with his grandfather Abdul Muttalib. Abdul was a merchant and a
warrior. His grandfather taught Mohammad the rituals and ceremonies
involved in worshiping the moon god. Mohammad lived with his Grandfather
for two years. When Mohammad was nine his grandfather died and he went
to live with his uncle.
Mohammuds uncle was Abu Talib. Abu was a
merchant who traveled all over the desert in caravans trading his wares.
When Mohammad was about ten years old he began traveling with Abu in
the caravans. His uncle would hire him out as a guard and a camel
driver. Legend says that when Mohammad was about twelve he met a monk in
Syria who praised Mohammad as “Gods messenger”(4) and told his uncle
that Mohammad would grow to be a great man. From a young age he enjoyed
having chalenging conversations with priests and monks and other holy
men. For the next 13 years or so Mohammad traveled all over the desert
from Yemen to Damascus and Bostra. Over these years Mohammad earned the
reputation of being a fair and honest trader and a skilled camel driver.
When Mohammad was twenty five years old
he married a women who had been widowed twice before. She had a small
fortune from her previous marriages. Her name was Khadija and she also
happened to be fifteen years older than Mohammad. Mohammad’s decision to
marry the widow Khadija was an instrumental turning point in his life.
If he had not married Khadija who knows how long he would have continued
to work as a trader and camel driver but with her riches he was able to
stop his daily work and concentrate on meditation, prayer and the
development of his new faith.(5)
Bye the age of thirty five his wife had
given him six children, four girls and two boys. The two boys died as
children and he would always regret that he had no male children to
carry his name. During Mohammad’s life up to this point he had always
been troubled by the corruption and injustice that he had seen and
experienced in his home town of Mecca and throughout his journeys around
the dessert. He saw the property of widow and orphans taken away. He
saw traders that cheated their customers with scales and weights that
were “fixed”. He saw men burry new born female children and fathers that
would kill their children during famines. He saw drunkenness and
gambling and saw what it did to the pagan people of his country or was
it what being a pagan did to them? It was from these experiences that he
later condemned all malpractices and prohibited drinking and
gambling.(6) He was troubled by the pagan practice of idol worship, many
gods and nature spirits were worshiped in his country. Mecca was a
commercial and religious center. Pilgrims would come from all over to
worship the Meccan Kaaba (“cube”) which was a shrine that contained a
black rock that was most probably a piece of a meteorite which was
thought to come from the home of the gods.(7) Mohammad refused to
worship these gods and idols. One reason was because he liked the god
that was worshiped by the Jewish and Christian merchants that he had met
on his long caravans and who often passed through Mecca. Secondly,
because he was convinced that this very god had spoken to him.
Mohammad spent much of his time alone in
the dessert in meditation. On this one night his life would change
forever. This night would come to be known as the “Night of Power”.
Mohammad was now forty years old and he had been meditating in a cave on
Mount Hira for six months. Tired, he went to sleep for the night. That
night a storm came into the dessert over the cave where Mohammad was
sleeping. This was going to be Mohammad’s first great revelation. He was
sleeping or in a trance when he heard a voice that said “Read!”.
Mohammad answered that he could not read. He had never learned to read
as a boy or up to this point in his life. Twice more for a total of
three times the voice commanded Mohammad to read. Mohammad again
answered that he could not read and finally asked, “What can I read?”
The Voice boomed:
“read in the name of your Lord, the
Creator, Who created man from a clot of blood! Read! Your Lord is most
merciful, For he has taught men by the pen And revealed the mysteries to
them!”(8)
Then he was given a scroll that he opened
and read. When he awoke in the morning he remembered the words that
were written on the scroll even though he had never been able to read
before. The words said “as though written upon his heart”. Mohammad was
terrified. He ran out of the cave into the morning desert. He thought
that he might be possessed. He remembered the vision that he had as a
child and still didn’t know what that meant. He even thought about
killing himself. Then he heard a voice that seemed to come from all
directions at once. It said “O Mohammad! You are Allah’s messenger, and I
am Gabriel!” He looked up and saw an angel in the sky. He tried to turn
away but he saw the angel wherever he looked. Finally the angel
disappeared and he ran back to Mecca to tell his wife what had happened.
He was now the prophet of Islam.
After telling the whole story to his wife
Khadija she assured him that he was not going mad and that all was
well. They later came to rejoice in the message from the angel and she
became one of his first followers. Mohammad would return to the dessert
time and time again for meetings with the angel Gabriel. He began
preaching and started to attract a few supporters. Mecca was not happy
with Mohammad message or his growing number of followers. Many people
came to Mecca for pagan religious reasons and if Mohammad’s message took
hold these pilgrimages would end meaning a loss of money coming into
the city. Mohammad’s wife died in 619. The persecution that he and his
followers had to endure in Mecca was becoming unbearable. So, in 622
Mohammad and his band of followers moved north to the city of Medina.
They were met in Medina by 200 deciples. This journey came to be known
as the Hijrah which means “the breaking of bonds”. Hijrah is used to
mark the first year of the Muslim calander. 1997 A.D. (the year of our
Lord) is the Islamic year 1417 A.H. (year of Hijrah). Mohammad became
Medina’s Religious and Civil Leader. He led the Moslem people into war
raiding trading caravans and eventually taking over his home City of
Mecca in 630, the very city that had persecuted him so much in the past.
Mohammad’s show of power impressed Arabs everywhere and soon North and
South Arabia sent representatives to Mecca. They all Supported Mohammad
and his new religion of Islam. Arabia was united under Mohammad and
Islam.
Mohammad’s Islamic teachings developed
over the years through trips to the dessert where he would meditate,
have visions and go into trances and communicate with the angel Gabriel.
Mohammad would tell his followers what he had seen and heard and they
would memorize or write down his messages on such things as animal
bones, leather and parchment paper. In about the year 632 Mohammad
announced to his people that he had perfected the new religion, “…I have
completed by blessing upon you, and I have approved Islam for your
religion,”(9) This was a message that he said he had received from god.
He died the same year about three months after this announcement. About
15 years after his death all of these memorized and written teachings
were compiled and re-written into the Islamic holy book called the Quran
or Koran. By 100 years after the death of Mohammad Islam had spread
west to Spain and east to India. From India Islam spread south to
Malaya, Indonesia and the southern Philippines and even made it up north
to South Western China by way of central Asia. Of course Today Islam
has spread throughout the world.
One of the reasons that Islam caught on
in Arabia and elsewhere is that it offered the promise of an afterlife
unlike many of the pagan religions that it replaced. Also, Islam was
simple and didn’t require allot of the elaborate rituals or priests as
did the Christian and the Jewish faith.
The Creed of Islam is constituted of five
basic beliefs. They are 1. The belief in god- This is Islams
fundamental belief. One god with no equal who created the earth. 2. The
belief in angels- Angels are considered the messengers of god, Gabriel
being the greatest and the one who spoke to Mohammad himself. Every
person is believed to be assigned two angels. One for recording good
deeds and one for recording bad deeds. 3. The belief in the prophets-
Mohammad is considered to be the greatest of the prophets. Other
prophets include but are not limited to Moses, Noah, Adam and Jesus. 4.
The belief in the holy books- The Quran or Koran is considered to be the
holiest of the books. It is supposed to be the final revelation to man.
Islam believes that it was written in heaven in Arabic and then passed
down to Mohammad orally via the angel Gabriel. 5. Belief in the day of
judgment- The day when the lists that each persons angels have been
keeping are tabulated and god makes the decision of weather each person
will spend eternity in heaven or hell.
The Five Pillars of Islam are the five
basic practices and they are 1. Creed- The five basic beliefs and
practices. 2. Prayer- Muslims must pray to Allah (god) five times a day.
Congregations should be held on Fridays lead by a local chief. 3. Alms
Giving- Muslims should give one fortieth or 2 1/2% of their annual
income to their faith. 4. Fasting- The ninth month of the Islamic lunar
year is called Ramadan. Every day during Ramadan Muslims must fast from
morning until dusk. Certain people are excused from fasting such as
pregnant women and children. 5. Pilgrimage As long as it is within their
means financially, Muslims must make a trip to Mecca once in their
lives.(10)
Today it is estimated that over 800
million people practice Islam. It is dominant in the Middle East, North
and east Africa, Central Asia and Indonesia. What made Islam so popular
and catch on so well? Perhaps it was the fact that it shared so much
with Christianity and Judaism. The belief in Adam as being the first
man, the same one god, the same prophets such as Jesus and Moses,
angels, heaven and hell. It doesn’t share the same message of love as in
Christianity however it does lay down a set of rules and
responsibilities creating a high moral standard. Before writing this
paper the only thing I knew about Islam was that there was a religion
called Islam and that it’s followers were called Muslims. Now I know
that these words in themselves have very important meanings. By no means
is this a complete works on Islam and it wasn’t meant to be. But I hope
that you may have learned a thing or two and possibly have a better
understanding of this religion.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lamsa, George. The Short Koran. New York, Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, 1949
Payne, Robert. The History of Islam. New York, Dorset Press, 1987
Murphey, Rhoads. A History of Asia. New York, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1992
Gabriele, Francesco. The Arabs. New York, Hawthorn Books Inc., 1963
Bullock, Alan. World History. New York, Doubleday & Company Inc., 1962
The Internet, http://www.sim.org/islam
Payne, Robert. The History of Islam. New York, Dorset Press, 1987
Murphey, Rhoads. A History of Asia. New York, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., 1992
Gabriele, Francesco. The Arabs. New York, Hawthorn Books Inc., 1963
Bullock, Alan. World History. New York, Doubleday & Company Inc., 1962
The Internet, http://www.sim.org/islam
Foot Notes:
(1) Francesco Gabrieli, The Arabs, New York, Hawthorn Books Inc., 1963, p. 26
(2) The Internet, http://www.sim.org/islam
(3) George M. Lamsa, The Short Koran, New York, Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, 1949, p. 14
(4) Robert Payne, The History of Islam, New York, Dorset Press, 1987, p. 12
(5) Alan Bullock, World History, New York, Doubleday & Company Inc., 1962, p. 101
(6) George M. Lamsa, The Short Koran, New York, Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, p. 10
(7) Ibid.
(8) Robert Payne, The History of Islam, New York, Dorset Press, 1987, p. 16
(9) The Internet, http://www.sim.org/islam
(10) Ibid.
(2) The Internet, http://www.sim.org/islam
(3) George M. Lamsa, The Short Koran, New York, Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, 1949, p. 14
(4) Robert Payne, The History of Islam, New York, Dorset Press, 1987, p. 12
(5) Alan Bullock, World History, New York, Doubleday & Company Inc., 1962, p. 101
(6) George M. Lamsa, The Short Koran, New York, Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, p. 10
(7) Ibid.
(8) Robert Payne, The History of Islam, New York, Dorset Press, 1987, p. 16
(9) The Internet, http://www.sim.org/islam
(10) Ibid.
copied from http://www.angelfire.com in consideration that the material of the summary from the book is less.