The Prophet Muhammad

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The Prophet Muhammad

• (Peace Be Upon Him)

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Arabia before Muhammad

• Arabs
• majority of Arabias first inhabitants were
  Bedouins
• Biblical tradition Arabs are Semites
  (descendants of Noahs son
• Koran tradition Arabs are descendants of
  Abrahams son Ishmael
• Valued camels above all else
• no strong central government

• Mecca
• important trade stop and religious center of
  Arabia
• people settle there because of the fresh water
  well
• location of Kabba (shrine with 300 religious
  idols)

• Quraysh
• powerful local tribe of Arabs
• Encouraged Tribes to deposit idols in the Kabba
  and protect them for a fee

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Muhammads call to Prophethood

• Muhammeds Early Life
• born into Hashim family of the powerful Quraysh
  tribe sometime between AD 570 and 580
• angels told mother, Amina, to name child Muhammad
  (highly praised)
• father died before birth, mother _at_ 4
• raised by Uncle, Abu Talib
• as a young man, he worked for a wealthy widow
  Khadija
• married Khadija and had 7 children only one
  daughter Fatima survived
• had reputation as a seeker of solitude

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Spreading the word of Allah

• Muhammads Teachings
• Major points of Muhammads public teachings
• There was only one God (Allah)
• and all should submit to him
• 2. all believers in God were equal
• 3. the rich should share with the poor
• 4. people should live righteously
• 5. all people would be subjected to a Judgement
  Day
• Miracles
• passed through the seven levels of heaven in the
  Night Journey
• brought forth a spring in Mecca

• Disagreements
• wanted to abolish idolatry yet most people of
  Mecca did not
• critical of wealthy merchants who controlled most
  of the money and power in Mecca

• Protection for Prophet
• he was able to remain in Mecca because of his
  powerful and respected family

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Emigration to Madinah

• The Hijrah
• Muhammed left after death of wife and Abu Talib
• Traveled to oasis city of Yathrib
• this journey marks the the beginning of Islam and
  the Muslim calendar

• Muhammads Welcome
• Prophet was welcomed by Jews and Arabs of Yathrib
• both groups hoped Muhammad could prevent a civil
  was from breaking out
• renamed Yathrib - Medina
• believers in Islam began to call themselves
  Muslims (those who submit to the will of God)

Conflict in Medina
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• Muhammad hoped Islam could win new converts
• some Jewish leaders did not accept Muhammad as
  Gods latest prophet
• Jews, who opposed Muhammad were expelled from
  Medina
• at first Muhammad told Muslims to pray in the
  direction of Jerusalem but later changed it to
  the Kabba in Mecca

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Return to Mecca
Muhammeds army though tremedsously outnumbered,
won the Battle of Badr
As more people accepted Islam, the Quraysh became
hostile toward Muslims
Battle of Badr

• Outcomes of the Battle of Badr
• more battles were fought in the years that
  followed the Battle of Badr
• Medina taken over by angry Meccans
• AD 630 Muhammad and supporters capture Mecca
• idols and other pagan relics are destroyed and
  the Kabba rededicated to Allah
• 632 Muhammad makes his last journey to Mecca -
  called the hajj
• every detail of his actions on the event were
  noted and imitated by his disciples
• the rites and ceremonies of the hajj became
  standard practice for all Muslims

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Islam as a Way of LIfe
The Five Pillars of Faith
Shahada Salat Zakat Sawm
Hajj
Almsgiving 2 1/2 of a Muslims income or
1/40 of all they possess annually
Pilgrimage to Mecca undertaken once in a
lifetime reminder of equality between all
Muslims
Daily Worship Five times a day guided by a
precise set of rituals
Profession of faith There is only one God
(Allah) and Muhammad is his prophet
Fast From sunrise to sunset during the holy
time of Ramadan