Question answer

Why do the Arabs, especially the Quraysh, deserve more love from Muslims than other peoples?

The Arabs were chosen by the Almighty to spread Islam. Allah has sent down the last thing to humanity Holy Bible– Koran – on Arabic. And from the Arabs He singled out the Quraish, choosing Muhammad (ﷺ) as Prophet from this family. This is also stated in the hadiths of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). And since the Prophet (ﷺ) was an Arab, the Quran was revealed in Arabic and the language of the inhabitants of Paradise is Arabic.

Which significant events preceded the birth of the Prophet (ﷺ )?

On the night our Prophet (ﷺ) was born, a new star appeared in the sky. All the idols that were in the Kaaba crumbled; the fire which the unbelievers worshiped and which had not been extinguished for a thousand years went out; Lake Sava, which the unbelievers worshiped, dried up. From that night, the priests stopped receiving messages from heaven that the genies brought them; the walls of the Persian Shah's palace (Kisra) cracked and 14 balconies fell; the troops of the ruler of Yemen, Abraha, who was going to destroy the Kaaba, taking war elephants with him, were destroyed by the Almighty, etc.

List some of the signs and wonders that happened during the time when the Prophet's mother (ﷺ) was pregnant with him.

On the night when Amina, having become pregnant, was chosen by Allah to become the mother of the Lord of all people and communities, the animals of the Quraysh began to speak, testifying that Amina was carrying in her womb the future Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). The thrones of many kings and rulers turned over, their idols crumbled.

After long droughts and crop failures, the land flourished again. Amina was informed in a dream that she was pregnant and was carrying under her heart the Lord of all worlds and the best Creation of the Almighty. She did not feel any pain or heaviness during childbirth.

During her pregnancy, Amina noticed how birds surrounded her respectfully out of respect for the one she carried in her womb. And when she approached the well to draw water, the water itself rose to the top as a sign of respect for the greatness of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). When she told her husband Abdullah about all this, he said that the reason for this was the greatness of their unborn child. Amina recalled that she heard the praise (tasbih) of the angels in his honor.

Where did the angels take the Prophet (ﷺ ) immediately after his birth?

Immediately after the birth of Muhammad (ﷺ), the angel Gabriel, at the command of Allah, raised him above the earth from east to west and conveyed to all people and jinn on earth and in heaven the news of the birth of the Prophet (ﷺ). The entire Universe was shown to him. All this lasted no more than an hour, and Muhammad (ﷺ) was returned to his home (Said-afandi, “Kisasul Anbiya”, vol. 2, p. 111).

What did they do with the Prophet (ﷺ ) three angels immediately after his birth?

When the Prophet (ﷺ) was born, three angels appeared to prepare him before ascending to heaven. One angel had a silver jug ​​with the scent of musk, another had a golden cup, and the third had folded silk, white as snow.

First, the angels, pouring water from a jug, washed the body of the Prophet (ﷺ) seven times. He was placed in a bowl and his head and feet were washed, after which he was perfumed with beautiful incense, and his eyes were outlined with antimony. Then the angel Rizvan applied the seal of the prophecy, which was wrapped in silk, between the shoulder blades of the Prophet (ﷺ) (Said Afandi, “Kisasul Anbiya”, vol. 2, pp. 113–114).

What is the wisdom of cutting the chest of the Prophet by angels (ﷺ )?

The heart of the Prophet (ﷺ) was washed several times. As a child, the heart of the Prophet (ﷺ) was washed in order to protect it from Satan. Before being entrusted with the messenger mission, his heart was washed again so that he could accept the revelation (vahyu) in its most perfect, pure form. On the night of his ascension, he was washed in preparation for dialogue with Allah. (Read more about this in Muhammad al-Alawi’s book “Muhammad al-insanul-kamil”.)

Who gave it to the Prophet and why (ﷺ) name Muhammad?

Immediately after giving birth, the mother of the Prophet (ﷺ) sent news of the birth of the child to his grandfather Abdul Muttalib. He was very happy and named the newborn Muhammad (ﷺ). This name was not widely known among the Arabs. But it was mentioned in the heavenly scriptures (in the Torah, in the Gospel, etc.), and Allah Almighty inspired Abdulmuttalib to name the child the name Muhammad (ﷺ), fulfilling His predestination (“Nurul-Yakin”, p. 10).

For Muslims, the most significant religious figure is the Prophet Muhammad, thanks to whom the world saw and read the Koran. Many facts from his life are known, which gives a chance to understand his personality and significance in history. There is a prayer dedicated to him that can work miracles.

Who is Prophet Muhammad?

Preacher and prophet, messenger of Allah and founder of Islam - Muhammad. His name means "The Praised One." Through him, God transmitted the text of the holy book for Muslims - the Koran. Many people are interested in what the Prophet Muhammad was like in appearance, so, according to the scriptures, he differed from other Arabs in his lighter skin color. He had a thick beard, broad shoulders and big eyes. Between the shoulder blades on the body there is a “seal of prophecy” in the shape of a relief triangle.

When was the prophet Muhammad born?

The birth of the future prophet occurred in 570. His family came from the Quraish tribe, who were the guardians of ancient religious relics. Another important point is where the Prophet Muhammad was born, so the event took place in the city of Mecca, where modern Saudi Arabia is located. I didn’t know Muhammad’s father at all, and his mother died when he was six years old. He was raised by his uncle and grandfather, who told his grandson about monotheism.

How did the prophet Muhammad get the prophecy?

Information about how the prophet received the revelations to write the Qur'an is minimal. Muhammad never spoke in detail or clearly on this topic.

1. It was established that Allah communicated with the prophet through an angel whom he calls Jibril.
2. Another interesting topic is how old Muhammad became a prophet, so according to legend, an angel appeared to him and said that Allah had chosen him as his messenger when he was 40 years old.
3. Communication with God took place through visions. Some researchers believe that the prophet fell into a trance, while there are scientists who are sure that the reason was the weakness of the body due to prolonged fasting and lack of sleep.
4. One of the proofs that the Prophet Muhammad wrote the Qur'an is believed to be the fragmentary nature of the book and this, according to historians, is due to the inspiration of the preacher.

Parents of the Prophet Muhammad

The mother of the founder of Islam was the beautiful Amina, who was born into a wealthy family, which gave her the chance to receive a good upbringing and education. She got married at the age of 15, and the marriage with the father of the Prophet Muhammad was happy and harmonious. During the birth, a white bird descended from the sky and touched Aminu with its wing, which relieved her of her existing fears. There were angels around who took the child into the world. She died of illness when her son was five years old.

The father of the Prophet Muhammad, Abdullah, was very handsome. One day his father, that is, the grandfather of the future preacher, made a vow before the Lord that he would sacrifice one son if he had ten of them. When the time came to fulfill the promise and the lot fell on Abdullah, he exchanged it for 100 camels. Many ladies were in love with the young guy, and he married the most beautiful girl in the city. When she was two months pregnant, the father of the Prophet Muhammad died. At that time he was 25 years old.

Prophet Muhammad and his wives

There are different information regarding the number of wives, but official sources traditionally present 13 names.

1. The wives of the Prophet Muhammad could no longer marry after the death of their spouse.
2. They must hide their entire body under clothing, while other women can expose their face and hands.
3. It was possible to communicate with the wives of the prophet only through a curtain.
4. They received double reward for everything they did.

Prophet Muhammad married the following women:

1. Khadija. The first wife to convert to Islam. She bore the Messenger of Allah six children.
2. Sauda. The prophet married her a few years after the death of his first wife. She was devout and pious.
3. Aisha. She married Muhammad at age 15. The girl told people many of her famous husband’s sayings related to her personal life.
4. Umm Salamah. She married Muhammad after the death of her husband and lived longer than his other wives.
5. Maria. The Egyptian ruler gave the woman to the prophet, and she became a concubine. They legalized the relationship after the birth of their son.
6. Zainab. She was in the status of a wife for only three months, and then she died.
7. Hafsa. The young girl was distinguished from others by her explosive character, which often angered Muhammad.
8. Zainab. The girl was first the wife of the prophet's adopted son. The other wives did not like Zainab and tried to present her in a bad light.
9. Maimuna. She was the sister of the prophet's uncle's wife.
10. Juwayriyah. This is the daughter of the leader of a tribe that opposed the Muslims, but after marriage the conflict was resolved.
11. Safiya. The girl was born into a family that was at enmity with Muhammad, and she was captured. Her future husband freed her.
12. Ramlya. This woman's first husband changed his faith from Islam to Christianity, and after his death she married a second time.
13. Raihana. At first the girl was a slave, and after accepting Islam, Muhammad took her as his wife.

Children of the Prophet Muhammad

Only two wives gave birth to the Messenger of Allah and, interestingly, all his descendants died at an early age. Many people are interested in how many children the Prophet Muhammad had, so there were seven of them.

1. Qasim - died at the age of 17 months.
2. Zainab was married to her father's cousin and gave birth to two children. She died young.
3. Rukia - was married off early and died young, without surviving the illness
4. Fatima - she was given in marriage to the prophet's cousin, and only she left the offspring of Muhammad. She died after the death of her father.
5. Ummu Kulthum - was born after the advent of Islam and died at a young age.
6. Abdullah - was born after the prophecy and died at an early age.
7. Ibrahim - after the birth of his son, the prophet made a sacrifice to Allah, shaved his hair and distributed donations. He died at the age of 18 months.

Prophecies of the Prophet Muhammad

There are about 160 confirmed prophecies that were fulfilled both during his life and after his death. Let's look at a few examples of what the prophet Muhammad said and what came true:

1. He predicted the conquest of Egypt, Persia and confrontation with the Turks.
2. He said that after his death Jerusalem would be conquered.
3. He argued that Allah will not give people a specific date, and they must understand that the Day of Judgment can come at any time.
4. He told his daughter Fatima that she was the only one who would survive him.

Prayer of the Prophet Muhammad

Muslims can turn to the founder of Islam using a special prayer - salawat. It is a manifestation of obedience to Allah. Regularly turning to Muhammad has its advantages:

1. Helps to cleanse yourself of hypocrisy and save yourself from the fire of Hell.
2. The Messenger Prophet Muhammad will intercede on the Day of Judgment for those who pray for him.
3. Prayer requests are a way of cleansing and atonement for sins.
4. Protects from the wrath of Allah and helps not to stumble.
5. You can ask for fulfillment through it.

When did the prophet Muhammad die?

Exists great amount versions associated with the death of the Messenger of Allah. Muslims know that he died in 633 AD. from a sudden illness. At the same time, no one knows what the Prophet Muhammad was sick with, which gives rise to many doubts. There are versions that he was actually killed with poison, and this was done by his wife Aisha. Disputes on this matter continue. The preacher's body was buried in his house, which was located near the Prophet's Mosque, and over time the room was expanded and became part of it.

Facts about the Prophet Muhammad

A huge amount of information is associated with this figure in Islam, while some facts are little known to many.

1. There is an assumption that the Messenger of Allah suffered from epilepsy. In ancient times he was thought to be possessed due to unusual seizures and clouding of consciousness, but these are common symptoms of the epileptic condition.
2. The morals of the Prophet Muhammad are considered an ideal, and every person should strive for them.
3. The first marriage was Great love and the couple lived in happiness for 24 years.
4. Many people are interested in what the prophet Muhammad was doing when he began to prophesy events. According to legend, the first feelings were doubt and despair.
5. He was a reformer because the revelations demanded social and economic justice, which the elite did not agree with.
6. The merits of the Prophet Muhammad are enormous; it is known that throughout his entire life he did not offend or defame anyone, while he avoided dishonest people and gossip.

At the age of 12, Muhammad and his uncle went to Syria on trade business and plunged into the atmosphere of spiritual quest associated with Judaism, Christianity, and other religions.

Muhammad was a camel driver and then a merchant. When he turned 21, he received a position as a clerk for the rich widow Khadija. While engaged in Khadija's trading affairs, he visited many places and everywhere showed interest in local customs and beliefs. At the age of 25 he married his mistress. The marriage was happy.

But Muhammad was drawn to spiritual quests. He went into deserted gorges and, alone, plunged into deep contemplation. In 610, in a cave on Mount Hira, Muhammad saw the luminous figure of God, who ordered him to remember the text of the revelation and called him “Messenger of Allah.”

Having begun to preach among his loved ones, Muhammad gradually expanded his circle of adherents. He called on his fellow tribesmen to monotheism, to a righteous life, to observance of the commandments in preparation for the coming divine judgment, and spoke about the omnipotence of Allah, who created man and all living and nonliving things on earth.

He perceived his mission as an order from Allah, and called biblical characters his predecessors: Musa (Moses), Yusuf (Joseph), Zakaria (Zechariah), Isa (Jesus). A special place in the sermons was given to Ibrahim (Abraham), who was recognized as the forefather of Arabs and Jews, and the first to preach monotheism. Muhammad stated that his mission was to restore the faith of Abraham.

The Mecca aristocracy saw his preaching as a threat to their power and organized a conspiracy against Muhammad. Having learned about this, the prophet's companions persuaded him to leave Mecca and move to the city of Yathrib (Medina) in 632. Some of his associates had already settled there. It was in Medina that the first Muslim community formed, strong enough to attack caravans coming from Mecca. These actions were perceived as punishment for the Meccans for the expulsion of Muhammad and his companions, and the funds received went to the needs of the community.

Subsequently, the ancient pagan sanctuary of the Kaaba in Mecca was declared a Muslim shrine, and from that time on, Muslims began to pray, turning their gaze to Mecca. Residents of Mecca itself did not accept new faith, 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.

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Muhammad ibn Abdallah, a Quraysh from the Hashim clan, was born into one of the noble Meccan families. The traditional year of birth attributed to Muhammad, 570, cannot be confirmed. Of course, they are not known exact month and the date of this event.

Muhammad's father, Abdallah, died before his son was born. Thus, the widow Amina and her newborn found themselves in the care of the family.

The baby was named Kotan at birth. However, after thanking the gods of the Kaaba for their blessing, the head of the family, Hashim Abd al-Mutallib, named his grandson Muhammad, which means: “The Praised One.” The guests were surprised by this name, quite rare, but well known among the Arabs. To the question of one of the guests as to why the tradition of using the family name is not preserved, Abd al-Mutallib replied: “May the Almighty praise in heaven the one He created on earth.”

Little can be said definitely about the period of his adolescence and youth, except that he was orphaned early: at the age of two he lost his mother, until he was eight years old he remained in the care of his grandfather, Abd al-Mutallib, and then his uncle, Abu Talib. Follow-up Muslim tradition gave rise to many mythical tales about the childhood of the “prophet” and embellished them with a wide variety of details. It is known, however, that Muhammad was a shepherd in his youth and also went with caravans; once he visited Syria, where, according to legend, a Christian hermit recognized him as a future prophet.

At the age of 25, Muhammad went to work for his distant relative, the widow of a wealthy merchant Khadija, whom he married a little later, despite the fact that she was 15 years older than Muhammad. The marriage, which took place on the initiative of Khadija, gave Muhammad freedom of action and provided him with the leisure necessary to mental development. Every year he spent some time alone on Mount Hira, near Mecca (this was a common form of asceticism in pre-Islamic Arabia).

During one of these retreats in 610, when he was about forty years old, Muhammad, according to tradition, heard a call addressed to him. A certain nameless ghost appeared to him, who later began to be considered the Archangel Gabriel. He forced Muhammad to recite poetry. These verses became the first lines of the “revelation.” This is how this key event is described in the biography of the founder of Islam, Ibn Hisham:

“When this month came... the Messenger of Allah went to Mount Hira... When night fell... Jibril brought him the command of Allah. The Messenger of Allah said: “Jibril appeared to me while I was sleeping, with a brocade blanket in which some kind of book was wrapped and said: “Read!” I answered: “I don’t know how to read.” Then he began to strangle me with this blanket, so that I thought that death had come. Then he let me go and said: “Read!” I answered: “I don’t know how to read.” He started choking me with it again, and I thought I was dying. Then he let me go and said: “Read!” I answered: “I don’t know how to read.” He began to choke me again, so I decided that the end had come, then he let me go and said: “Read!” I answered: “What to read?”, wanting only to get rid of him, so that he would not again do the same thing to me as before. Then he said: -Read! In the name of your lord, who created...” (Quran 96, 1-5)."

The calling of Muhammad, as described in Muslim sources, is very similar to the way the shaman is called by spirits. It is known that no one becomes a shaman of their own free will, and no one strives to become one. Shamans themselves are chosen by otherworldly forces to serve them, after which the spirits are forced, including torture (the so-called “ shamanic disease") candidate for shaman to accept the mission determined by him. The main parallel is visible both in the calling of Muhammad and in the calling of shamans - this is violence against the individual, the desire to force a person to accept his will by force and torture. This parallel was also noted by secular researchers, for example, M. Eliade, who also drew parallels between the miraculous ascension of Muhammad to heaven - the “miraj” and visions of shamanic trance.

In fear, Muhammad runs home and tells his wife Khadija about the vision. She goes to her Christian cousin Waraqa, and it is in a conversation with him that the concept of Islam appears - Waraqa interprets the vision in the sense that it was the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel, who appeared to all the prophets, and that Muhammad is also, therefore, a prophet of the one God . Khadija believed in this and tried to convince the frightened Muhammad himself, to whom the same thing continued to appear at night. spiritual being. For quite a long time he remained in suspicion that this was the devil.

However, in a rather original way, Khadija managed to convince him that it was an angel, and not a shaitan, who appeared to him. When Muhammad once again saw a spirit appearing to him in the form of a man, he told Khadija about this. It was night. She asked, “Can you see him now?” He said, "Yes." After that, she opened up and asked: “Can you see him now?” He replied: “No, he disappeared.” She said: “Be strong and rejoice, because now we know for sure that this is an angel, not a devil.” According to her, if he were a shaitan, he would have stayed to look at the naked woman, and the angel, with appropriate modesty, would definitely have left (see. Ibn Hisham. Biography of the Prophet Muhammad. M., 2003. - P. 94).

It is noteworthy that during this formation of the initial concept of Islam, the role of Muhammad himself was passive. Having accepted the mission assigned to him, Muhammad began to receive new revelations, but for another three whole years he talked about what was revealed to him only in an intimate circle. The first few followers appeared - Muslims (“submissive”). The very name of the religion “Islam” is translated by Muslims as “submission”, in the sense of submission to Allah. The first Muslims were, first of all, relatives (wife Khadija, nephew Ali, etc.) and close acquaintances.

The first Muslim was Khadija, the second was his nephew Ali, who was then 12 years old and whom Muhammad took in to raise him. The next Muslim was Muhammad's slave, Zeid. Then others appeared, but, with the exception of Abu Bakr, as a rule, unnoble people who did not play any role in the political life of Mecca, who, nevertheless, believed that Muhammad was the prophet of a single god, whom he preached under the name of Allah. They gathered together, prayed, Muhammad retold them his revelations, taught them to believe in one God and himself as a prophet.

Several hadiths should be quoted that describe how revelations came to Muhammad. Visions like the original were very rare. Revelations mostly came in a different form.

Ibn Saad reports the following hadith:

“Al-Xapuc ibn Hisham said: “O Messenger of Allah! How do revelations come to you? The Messenger of Allah answered him: “Sometimes they come to me in the form of a ringing bell, and it’s very difficult for me; (eventually) it stops ringing and I remember everything I was told. Sometimes an angel appears in front of me and speaks, and I remember everything he said.” Aisha said: “I witnessed when the revelation came to him on a very cold day, when it stopped, his whole forehead was covered in perspiration.”

"Ubayd b. Samit says that when the revelation came to the Messenger of Allah, he felt heaviness, and his complexion underwent a change” (Hadith from the collection of Muslim).

“The prophet’s face was red, and he was breathing heavily for a while, and then he got rid of it” (Hadith from the collection of al-Bukhari).

A few words must be said about the versions that existed in the Christian world and about the understanding of these revelations. There are three main ones.

First version: Muhammad imitated it and fooled his followers. He specifically took advantage of this to make a greater impression around his teaching. This version was developed, in particular, by Theodore Abu Kurra.

Another: Muhammad suffered from epilepsy, and these conditions were epileptic seizures. The first to express this idea was St. Theophanes the Confessor. She enjoys attention scientific world to this day. The fact is that in the biography of Muhammad, written by ibn Hisham, there are moments from which we can conclude that Muhammad had similar seizures in childhood. A case is described when Muhammad, still in infancy, while in the family of the nurse Halima, fainted. Then Halima and her husband were very scared for him, and, as Halima herself says: “The father told me: I’m afraid that this child has had a stroke, so give him to his family before the result affects.” So we took the child and took him to his mother.”

Another version is that Muhammad actually saw all these visions that were generated by negative spiritual forces, that is, during these states he was under the influence of demons, and this non-communication explains his condition. This was expressed by George Amartol, a Christian historian of the 9th century. His chronography was translated into Slavic and Georgian languages ​​and had a tremendous influence on Russian historical science.

Each of these interpretations has its supporters in our time, including among researchers. It is characteristic that each has a strong argument in its favor and each finds foundations in the Muslim historical tradition. It is possible that in reality all these factors were combined and intertwined.

Public preaching

Three years after the first revelation, Muhammad is instructed to begin public preaching, which he does. The core of the first sermon was the proclamation of monotheism, the call to abandon the worship of false gods and the affirmation of the inevitability of the Last Judgment.

The main meaning of his sermon was the proclamation of monotheism, that there is only one god - Allah. Accordingly, there are attacks on pagan religion Arabs, on their revered gods and goddesses, on their shrines. He claimed to be a prophet of Allah, sent to the Arabs in order to lead them away from false worship, as well as to proclaim Last Judgment, about the Resurrection, about the reward for the faithful and the torment of those who did not believe. These were the main themes of Muhammad's early preaching. Although a few more converts appeared, the sermon was generally received with indifference. Significant people were offended by his attacks on their cult.

Among other things, this was explained by the fact that Muhammad was not original against the backdrop of a pagan environment. At the same time as Muhammad, and earlier, the Arabs had similar prophets. They taught that God is one, about His mercy, and proclaimed themselves prophets. They had similar trance experiences to Muhammad. His early predecessor and rival was the "prophet" Maslama from the city of Yemama in eastern Arabia. So Muhammad's failure as a preacher is also explained by the fact that he was unoriginal. It is known that the pagans reproached him that he was simply retelling the man from Yemama, who said the same thing, and even behaved the same. In addition, there were other prophets: Aswad, Talha and many others who said that they were prophets of one God.

The conflict between the small followers of Muhammad and the pagans escalated when the “prophet” opposed the revered Meccan deities. Over time, the conflict began to result in fights and persecution.
There is a known episode when, during a debate on religious topics between one of the followers of Muhammad and a pagan, a Muslim, having no arguments, grabbed a camel bone lying nearby and hit his opponent with its sharp end, seriously injuring him. This trick and much more forced the elite of Mecca to decide to destroy Muhammad, as well as his supporters. Some Muslims who were enslaved by pagans were killed or tortured, but Muhammad himself was not in danger, since he was under the protection of his family. The heads of other clans repeatedly came to the head of the clan Abu Talib and asked him to remove the protection of the clan from Muhammad, they offered him different options, however, he did not agree. Then the Meccans declared a boycott of the Hashim family, but Abu Talib remained adamant.

As relations worsened during two years of open preaching, Muhammad found it necessary to send those believers who caused the most irritation to Christian Abyssinia. This first Hijra took place in 615. At the same time, some of Muhammad’s companions who moved to Abyssinia, having learned Christianity, were baptized (for example, Ubaidallah ibn Jahiz).
Muhammad himself was still not in danger of persecution. When the rest of the Quraish declared a boycott of the Hashim clan, this did not force Abu Talib to change his position. During this time, Khadija died. The situation worsened in 619, when Abu Talib, despite the entreaties of his nephew, who remained a pagan, and the head of the Khadija clan died. Abu Talib's successor is another uncle of Muhammad, Abu-Sufian, who later became his most sworn enemy; he removes the patronage of the clan from Muhammad. This was partly because Muhammad said that because his uncle Abu Talib had not converted to Islam, he would go to hell when he died.

Muhammad tries to preach outside of Mecca - in the neighboring city of Taif, but the first attempt was unsuccessful, and the proclaimer new religion was stoned.

In general, in general, we can admit that Muhammad as a preacher was completely untenable. In addition to the defeat in Taif, in Mecca itself for ten years he was unable to acquire a sufficiently noticeable number of supporters, and of the handful of converts, many were converted not by him, but by his supporter, the respected merchant Abu Bakr in Mecca. By comparison, Muhammad's elder contemporary and rival prophet Maslama was able to easily convert all the inhabitants of his hometown of Yemama. Then Muhammad decides to move to the city of Yathrib or Medina, as an arbitrator, where he was invited by representatives of the tribes inhabiting the city. Yathrib was mired in internecine wars and strife between the clans of the Banu Qayla tribe, as well as three Jewish tribes. Their representatives invited Muhammad and his community to settle in Medina in the hope that the Muslim presence would have a stabilizing effect. This was probably due to the fact that Muhammad's mother, Amina, came from Yathrib. After two years of negotiations with the people of Medina, some of whom also converted to Islam, Muhammad decided to make the second Hijra. In the summer of 622, about 70 members of his community flocked to Yathrib. So, when Muhammad, along with his friend Abu Bakr, also arrived in Yathrib on September 4, he found there a personal guard of muhajirs (migrants). The Medina Muslims were called Ansars (helpers). Upon the arrival of Muhammad, the first mosque was built.

The inhabitants of Medina heeded the requests of Muhammad and accepted Muslims from Mecca as their dependents. However, this could not continue for long, the Ansars themselves were not rich, and the community could not exist in miserable conditions. The need was to quickly ensure the economic independence of immigrants who had lost all their property.

Then Muhammad makes a decision that can be considered a turning point in Muslim history. Seeing that it is impossible to feed the community with honest labor, he decides to engage in robbery and makes his first treacherous raid. The Arabs revered four sacred months of the year, during which it was forbidden to carry out any military actions. During these months, Muhammad, who was well aware of the movements of the caravans, having been a participant in them in the past, ordered a small detachment of his followers to attack the caravan, knowing that it would be unprotected.

It is from this point that the history of the successes of Islam begins, built not on preaching, the results of which were insignificant, but on robberies, murders and military clashes.

The first such raid was carried out on his orders during the sacred truce.

“The Prophet heard that Abu Sufyan ibn Harb was returning from Syria with a large caravan of Quraysh, carrying money and goods... Hearing about this... The Prophet called on the Muslims to attack them, saying: - Here is the caravan of Quraysh. It contains their wealth. Attack them, and maybe with the help of Allah you will get them! ”(Ibn Hisham. Biography... pp. 278-279).

It is definitely said that Muhammad himself was the initiator of the seizure of the caravan with money and goods. Muhammad understood that the property in the caravan did not belong to him, not to Muslims, but to other people. However, he calls on Muslims to seize these values, and this is the only motive given by the biographer.

The caravan was practically unguarded, and the treacherous attack was crowned with success: the sent detachment of Muslims returned with booty. However, many of Muhammad's followers were embarrassed by the violation holy months truce prohibiting military action. Their perplexity was answered by revelation: “They ask you [whether it is permissible] to fight [with the Meccan polytheists] in the forbidden month. Answer: -Fighting in the forbidden month is a great sin. However, to lead astray from the path of Allah, not to allow Forbidden Mosque, disbelief in Him and expulsion of those who pray from it is an even greater sin before Allah, for polytheism is a greater sin than murder” (Quran 2.217).

A year later, the Meccans sent a detachment to Yathrib to punish Muhammad for robbery. Around March 15, 624, they attacked the Muslims. About six hundred people took part in the battle on the pagan side, and a little more than three hundred on the Muslim side. Thanks to the discipline and zeal of the Muslims, victory was on their side. This had a significant strengthening of Muhammad's position in Medina; many pagans began to actively accept Islam. The Muslims were convinced that this victory was confirmation that they were right. “You did not kill them, but Allah killed them” (Koran 8.17), the revelation said about this.

At the Battle of Badr, many pagans were captured. The “prophet” ordered some of them to be sold to relatives for a ransom, those who were beggars were released under an oath that they would never oppose him, and some he ordered to be killed:

“The Prophet moved on, returning to Medina. Along with him were captive pagans, and among them were Uqba ibn Abu Muayt, an-Nadr ibn al-Harith... When the Prophet was in al-Safra, an-Nadr ibn al-Harith was killed. Then he moved on, and... Uqba ibn Abu Muayt was killed. When the Prophet ordered the death of Uqba, Uqba asked: “What will happen to the boys, O Muhammad?” The Prophet replied: “Fire.” He was killed by Asim ibn Sabit al-Ansari..." (Ibn Hisham. Biography... p. 300).

These people are especially noted because they at one time annoyed Muhammad with ridicule of him and his poems. Muhammad did not forgive such things and organized show executions. And the boys that the poet Ukba asks Muhammad about are his, Ukba’s, children...

In the next battle that happened a year later - at Uhud, the Muslims suffered a significant defeat, although Muhammad had predicted victory the day before; nevertheless, his camel was killed under him, and two of his teeth were knocked out.

These were not the best times for the Muslim community, although it did not collapse despite the defeat. A revelation came down to Muhammad, explaining that the Muslims themselves were to blame for everything, but not the “prophet.” If, they say, they had listened to him, they would have won. At the same time, Muhammad strengthened his position inside Medina. Repression begins against those who opposed Muhammad. All of Muhammad's sermons, which later became the Koran, were in poetic form, and although Muhammad himself claimed that no one would ever be able to write such wonderful poetry, nevertheless, Arab poets were skeptical about his poetry and the level of his poetry. They made fun of them in their poems, and he could not tolerate this. By order of Muhammad, in addition to the captured Meccan poets, two poets living in Medina were killed. Moreover, to kill the old poet, who was very careful, Muhammad allowed the killers to resort to lies. They told the poet that they were not Muslims and, having gained his trust, killed the old man and brought his heart to Muhammad. Women were also subjected to these repressions. Muhammad personally ordered his freedman and adopted son Zeid to kill the poetess Umm Qirfa, who ridiculed the “prophet” in her poems. Zayd killed her by tying a rope to her legs, at the other end tied to two camels, leading the camels in opposite directions until the woman was torn in two (Al "saba - Ibn Hagar - vol. 4, page 231)

Most of the pagans of Medina became Muslims, while a minority were forced to move out. The other opposition in the city was the Jewish tribes, of which there were four. Some of the Jews also converted to Islam, but their number was insignificant. Most Jews ridiculed prophetic claims and attempts at retelling Bible stories which Muhammad undertook. This irritated him, and he began a systematic war against the Jewish tribes. At the same time, he acted like a cunning politician, took advantage of quarrels between tribes and sought to destroy each tribe separately, while being at peace with everyone else. He destroyed three tribes completely. This is the first example of genocide under Islam. He forced one tribe to move out.

“At noon, Gabriel appeared to the Prophet... [and said]: “Almighty and all-glorious Allah orders you, O Muhammad, to go to Banu Quraiza. I will go to them and shake them.” The Messenger of Allah besieged them for twenty-five days until the siege became unbearable for them... “Then they surrendered, and the Prophet locked them in Medina in the house of Bint al-Harith, a woman from Banu al-Najjar. Then the Prophet went to the market of Medina and dug several ditches there. Then he ordered them to be brought, and cut off their heads in these ditches. They say there were between eight and nine hundred of them." (Ibn Hisham. Biography... p. 400).

Some of the influential pagans - the Medinians, for example, Khalid ibn Sufyan and Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, were killed by Muhammad through sent assassins, and others were forced to move out. Thus, Muhammad had at his disposal an entire city with a strong and trained community, completely obedient to him. Therefore, when the Meccans undertook their next campaign, the situation was different.

The Meccans gathered a large force and moved against Medina with the intention of destroying Islam. However, Muhammad, who understood that his strength was still not enough, resorted to the advice of a Persian specialist who was in the community and suggested an innovation with which the Arabs were unfamiliar. Salman the Persian advised to dig a ditch around Medina. When the Meccans came to this ditch, they did not dare to overcome it and retreated, content with destroying the date palms that grew around. Most of the subsequent battles were won by the Muslims, despite the fact that some tribes united against them, as the opponents made mistakes and were not united. Due to this, Islam grew stronger.

As he grew in power, Muhammad imposed his religion on the surrounding small tribes. The Bedouins accepted this passively in most cases; a few horsemen were enough to destroy the tribal idols; this met with virtually no resistance.

In 630, Muhammad, at the head of an army of thousands, marched on Mecca. The city capitulated. Muhammad defiantly forgave his most bitter enemies. Those, just as demonstratively, were among the first to rush to convert to Islam. In the year of his death (632), Muhammad performed the ritual of hajj to the Kaaba, cleansed of idols, and performed the ritual of worship of the black stone. Representatives of Arab tribes flocked to Mecca from all sides, hastening to enter into an alliance with a formidable force. In the year of Muhammad's death, there were approximately 100,000 adherents of Islam. However, not everything was smooth sailing. A number of regions of Arabia (East and South) drove out his emissaries in disgrace, rallying around their own prophets - Aswad and Musailima. It was these alternative prophets, together with their followers, who became the most solid obstacles to the path of Islam in Arabia.

A serious illness found Muhammad preparing a great campaign against Byzantium. Death prevented the plan from being realized. Before his death, he was seriously ill, the ghosts of the dead bothered him. He died in Medina in 632.

Personal life

According to Islamic teaching: “The Messenger of Allah is an exemplary example for you, for those who place their hope in Allah” (Quran 33.21). Therefore, actions and moral character Muhammad are of great importance to every Muslim.

In Medina, Muhammad acquired a harem; he had up to nine wives at a time, and in total he had 13 wives throughout his life. For Muslims, Muhammad set a restriction not to take more than four wives, but then received a “revelation” that he himself, as an exception, could take an unlimited number of wives. There were some interesting examples among these wives. For example, Aisha bint Abu Bakr, whom Muhammad married when she was nine years old. Since Muhammad is the model for a Muslim, this is a legal precedent in Islamic law. In Iran and Morocco, to this day girls can be married off at age nine. Another of his wives was the wife of his adopted son Zeid, Muhammad liked her very much, and he forced his son to divorce her and took her as his wife. When some of the Muslims dared to be indignant at this, since, according to the Arabs, such a marriage was incest, Muhammad immediately received a “revelation” allowing him to marry the wives of his adopted sons.
There was also a Jewish woman captured by the "prophet" on the battlefield, who refused the "honor" of being the "prophet's wife", and, moreover, tried to poison Muhammad.

The justification and calls for military aggression against non-Muslims played a major role. The Prophet said: “I am ordered to fight the people until they testify that there is no God but Allah, and that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger, they will not turn in the direction of our qibla (direction for prayer), they will not eat what we kill, and they will not pray like us. When they do this, we will not have the right to take away their lives and property, except what is due from them" (Abu Dawud, 2635 - here and further in the footnotes the name of the author of the collection of hadiths that make up the Sunnah appears first, and the second is the number hadith in the collection).

“Let those who buy future life at the cost of life in this world. Whoever fights in the name of Allah and is killed or wins, We will give a great reward" (Quran 4, 74), whoever dies in jihad "will be exalted for his deeds until the Day of Resurrection, and will be free from the afterlife Judgment" (Muslim, 2494 ).

Muhammad himself was ordered: “O Prophet! Encourage the believers to fight the infidels!” (Quran 8, 65). And he was encouraging. “The Messenger of Allah encouraged people to jihad and told them about the Gardens of Eden. One of the Ansars was eating dates that he was holding in his hands and said: “I so want to get into this world, should I sit until I finish eating?” He threw away what he had in his hands and took his sword and fought until he was cut down.” (Malik, 21,18,42).

At the same time, participation in jihad is a Muslim duty, not dependent on the desire to fulfill it: “You are ordered to fight the enemies of Islam, and this is hateful to you. But it is also possible that you hate what is good for you; what you desire is what is evil for you. Allah knows about it, but you do not know” (Quran 2.216).

Muhammad's relationship with Christians

Representatives of Christian Arab tribes regularly met with Muhammad, and he enjoyed talking with them about faith. Throughout his life, the founder of Islam had to fight with four Jewish tribes - Kanuk, Nadir, Quraiz and Khaybar, and he directed one campaign against the Orthodox Byzantines.

The Christians of Najran entered into an agreement with Muhammad. They also had religious disputes that ended unsuccessfully for the false prophet. Apparently, these failures were the reason why he last years throughout his life he experienced an ever-increasing hostility towards Christians and Christianity. In the Koran you can find both verses praising Christians and direct curses. He bequeathed the expulsion of all Christians from the Arabian Peninsula and died while preparing a large campaign against the Orthodox Byzantines.

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was born in 570 according to the Christian calendar in Mecca (modern Saudi Arabia). His father Abdullah was the great-great-great-grandson of Qusay, the founder of Mecca, and belonged to the Hashemite family of the Quraish tribe. Muhammad's mother, Amina, was a descendant of her brother Qusay. One day, returning with a caravan from Syria and Palestine, Abdullah stopped to visit relatives at one of the oases north of Mecca. There he fell ill and died a few months before the birth of his son.

According to custom, the Quraish sent their children to a wet nurse in the desert, where, among the Bedouins, they spent the first years of their lives. This custom included not only concern for the child’s health, but also a return to the roots, the opportunity to feel freedom in the vast expanses of the desert. The Prophet Muhammad was taken by his nurse Halima. He lived in a Bedouin family for 4-5 years: he got used to life in the desert, looked after sheep as soon as he learned to walk.

Muhammad was about six when he and his mother went to Yathrib, where his father died. There Amina suffered from illness. She died on the way home. Now Muhammad’s guardian was his grandfather Abdul Mutalib, the head of the Hashemite clan. Two years later, when Muhammad was 8, he too died. The leadership passed to the prophet's uncle Abu Talib, and he became his new guardian. Muhammad was nine years old when his uncle, gathering a caravan, set off for Syria, and took his nephew with him to teach him the art of trade.

Muhammad succeeded in trade. Among the rich people of Mecca was the twice-widowed Khadija. Having learned of the illustrious reputation of Muhammad, often called Al-Amin (the trustworthy), she hired him to escort her caravan to Syria. Impressed by Muhammad's abilities and his charm, she sends matchmakers to him. At that time, Muhammad was twenty-five years old, Khadija was forty. After the wedding, she gave her husband a young slave named Zeid, to whom Muhammad granted freedom. When Zeid's relatives came to pay the ransom, he loved Muhammad so much that he chose to stay with his benefactor. Khadija bore Muhammad six children, including a son named Qasim, who died before he was two years old.

Muhammad became a wealthy man, a revered member of the community. His generosity and common sense aroused the admiration of people. It seemed that a bright future awaited him: he would achieve prosperity for his clan, become one of the most influential elders of the city, and die, perhaps like his grandfather, in the shadow of the Kaaba, reflecting on his past years. But he was destined for something completely different.

Hanifa

The Meccans were descendants of Abraham through his eldest son Ismail, their temple - the Kaaba - was built by Abraham to worship the One God. The Kaaba was still called the House of God, but numerous idols and deities, who were called daughters of God and considered intermediaries between people and God, became the object of worship. Only a few felt disgust at the widespread idolatry, and tried to adhere to the religion of Abraham. These truth seekers are known as Hanifs, which means “turning away from idolatry.” They did not unite into societies: each individually tried to find the truth. Muhammad, son of Abdullah, was one of them.

Food