.::The History of Islam::.
 

 
 
The Birth and the early Years:

 

It begins with the Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
 
In the desert of Arabia was Mohammad born, according to Muslim historians, on April 20, 571
The name means highly praised.
Because his father Abdullah died a few weeks, before his birth, his Grandfather looked after him,
According to tradition his mother gave the baby to a bedouin nurse with whom he stayed for several years in the desert.
As soon as he came home, his mother Aminah took him to his uncle in Medina in order to visit the grave of Abdullah.
On his way back, she did too.
 little time later his grandfather also died.
After Muhammed (peace be upon him) had faced, at the age of eight years, so much sufferings, he lived with his uncle Abu Talib.
This man could not open up the good qualities of his heart, because he had to provide a big family but had only limited money.
So Muhammed (peace be upon him) had to work immediately for his living‑ he had graze the herds of his neighbours.
When his uncle led a caravan to Syria, the ten year old boy went with him.
Other journeys of Abu Talib were not reported.Different reports say, that he had a Shop in Mecca.
It is also possible, that Muhammed (peace be upon him) had helped his uncle in the Shop too
 
Youth and Marriage:
 
Muhammed (peace be upon him) was now 25 years old and his honorship was well known. A rich widow of Mecca, Khadisha, gave him her products, which he had to sell in Syria. She was attracted by his enormous earning and by his outward appearance, so that she asked him, to marry her, in order to lead a happy married life.
 
Strange businessmen often brought their products for selling to Mecca.  ZIn a club with other heads of the city, a gathering of volunteers was declared, in order to found a knightial order, which has to support every oppressed in the town, whether he was of the town or a stranger. Muhammed (peace be upon him) joined this organisation as a young man with great enthusiasm, and later often said. 1 have joined it and 1 am not willing to renounce the honour, even for a whole camel herd‑ in opposite, if one would call me in the name of this duty, 1 would come to help him.
One day a certain Jeminitian wrote a satirical poetry against the Meccanians, because some of them did not paid them their price of his products and no other had helped him.
Az-Zubair, the uncle of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the oldest of the tribe, had real pangs of conscience of this legitimated satire. In a club with other heads of the city, a gathering of volunteers was declared, in order to found a knightial order, which has to support every oppressed in the town, whether he was of the town or a stranger. Muhammed (peace be upon him) joined this organisation as a young man with great enthusiasm, and later often said. 1 have joined it and 1 am not willing to renounce the honour, even for a whole camel herd‑ in opposite, if one would call me in the name of this duty, 1 would come to help him.
 
Until the 35th year of Muhammed (peace be upon him) there not much known about his religious practice, except, that he, as his biographers secure, never praised the idols, which the Meccanians worshipped in
 
around the year 605 the curtains which covered the walls of the Kaaba (the black "cube" in Mecca) cached fire. The building could not resist the stormy rains, which followed and everything was destroyed. The temple was soon rebuilt. The population spend, Each according to his earning and they were watched carefully that only honestly earned money was been accepted for it. Everyone worked as a bricklayer as Muhammed (peace be upon him) who injured his shoulder by carrying stones. At the starting point of the ceremonial circling around the Kaaba, there was on the outside of the building a black stone, which probably remained of the time of Abraham. as the time came in which the stone had to be replaced, a debate among the people arose: Who should have the honour? It nearly came that far, that the swords were taken, when someone said, that the next who would come, should decide. In that minute Muhammed (peace be upon him) appeared to work as usual, He was known as the trustworthy and therefore accepted as the judge. Muhammed (peace be upon him) spread a sheet on the ground, called the heads of the tribes of the city and ordered them to uplift the sheet with the stone. He himself then replaced the stone into the corner and everyone was pleased.
 
Since this Muhammed (peace be upon tum) engaged in spiritual thoughts. As his Grandfather, he started to go to a cave, in the "Mountain of the Light" for the whole month Ramadan. The cave was called "cave of searching"; there he meditated, prayed and shared his limited food with travellers, who passed.
 
The beginnig of the prophethood:
 
In the fifth year of his annual meditation he got 40 years old. In the end of Ramadan he was visited by an angle in the night. He told him, that god had chosen him as a Messenger for mankind, he taught him the washing and the way to praise God almighty, that means the way of praying and gave him the godly order in the following words:
 

"In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful. Read: In the name of thy Lord Who createth, (1) Createth man from a clot. (2) Read: And thy Lord is the Most Bounteous, (3) Who teacheth by the pen, (4) Teacheth man that which he knew not. (5)“ (Sura 96, Verse 1-5)
 
Astonished, Muhammed (peace be upon him) went home and told his wife what had happened. He feared, that it was devil or an evil who had posed him. But she advised him, that he always was merciful and soft‑hearted to the poor, the orphans, the widows and every one who needed his help. therefore God would protect him against all evil things.
 
then three years passed without new revelations. After the first astonishing for Muhammed (peace be upon him), this must have been a certain reassurance for him. But then a demand, a continuous impatience arose. ( ... ) Because the news of the first revelation was being spread, and in the meantime the first doubtful started to make jokes on him, that God had left him.
 

 
During this three years of interruption and waiting, the Prophet (peace be upon him) engaged more and more in prayers and in spiritual exercise. Then the revelations restarted: God secured him, that he had not left him. In opposite, through him he was set on the right path. Now he should support the beggars and the orphans and proclaim the mercy of God (Sura 93). this was an order to preach. Another revelation ordered him to tell the people, what are the consequences of their bad habits. He had to tell them only to horsewhip God and to leave everything which would make him angry (Sura 74, Verse 2‑4). An other revelation told him to warn his close relatives (Sura 26, Verse 214), and finally‑.
 

"So proclaim that which thou art commanded, and withdraw from the idolaters.“ (Sure 15, Vers 94)
 
Muhammed (peace be upon him) first told his message to his secret friends, then his tribe and finally public in the town and in its area. his message was primary an attack against the idol worship and the atheism. He put the attention on the necessarily to believe in one God, in the resurrection and in the Judgement day. He also ordered to love the next one and to give charity. He took care that the revelations, which he got, were recorded in writing and learned by heart by his followers. This work of recording went on for his whole life, because the Quran was not sent down at once in one piece, but partly. Every revelation was the answer to a special effect. By the time, the number of followers grew, but with the denying of the idol worshipping, the reticence of those grew, who were fixed in their believe of their forefathers. This resistance went up to physical tortures ‑ against the Prophet (peace be upon him) as well as against those, who started to follow his religion, They were laid onto the glowing sand of the dessert, burned with iron or chained at the feet. Some died through the tortures, but no one wanted to give up the believe after they once knew it. Despairing in the heads of the town, the Prophet (peace be upon him) advised his followers to leave their hometown and to flee into a foreign country. To Abyssinia, "were a righteous King rules, and where there is no oppression on anybody" (compare Hischam). Dozens of faithful took this advice, but not all. And because of the ernigration, the leftovers had to face the rising of the persecution. ( ... ) As a consequence of the emigration of a big number of Muslims to Abyssinia, the heathen Leaders sent a Delegation to Abyssinia in order to get an expulsion of the Muslims. When the righteous king Negus did not agreed, the gave an ultimatum to the tribe of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in which they sharply ordered, that he should be banned and given to them for his execution.

But each member of the tribe, whether he was a Muslim or not denied the demands (compare Ihn Hischam). The next thing what the town did, was to boycott the tribe of Muhammed (peace be upon him), nobody was allowed to talk to his members, nor to have business‑ or marriage relations to them. Another tribe, which habitude around Mecca, united with the Meccaninans in that boycott and caused terrible suffering under the innocent population, but nobody wanted to give up the loyalty to the Prophet (peace be upon him). Several died, but nobody wanted to give Muhammed (peace be upon him) to his persecutors. An uncle of Muhammed (peace be upon him), Abu Lahab, left his relatives to join the Heathen. After three hard years, in which the outlaws had to eat skin to survive, four or five tribes officially declared, that they could not agree with the inhuman treatment. At the same time, they found, that the contract about the boycott, which was hung in the temple, was destroyed by termites, as Muhammed (peace be upon him) had prophesied it. Only the name of God and the name of Muhammed (peace be upon him) remained. Now the Boycott ended, but because of the sufferings, the Prophet's wife and his uncle Abu Talib soon died. Abu Lahab ‑ an cruel enemy of the Islam ‑ then became head of Muhammed's (peace be upon him) tribe. In a shameless way, he declared that Muhammed is banned. Therefore Muhammed (peace be upon him) had to leave his hometown and his family.

He went to his uncle in Ta'if, but had to return immediately, when the bad inhabitants of that town started to stone him and injured him. At this Muhammed (peace be upon him) his Ascension: He was taken into heaven by God, saw the wonders of the heavenly world and brought his Islamic community a heavenly present, the prayer ( ... ). the news of the Ascension increased the hate of the Heathen, but the prophet (peace be upon him) went the way of his godly message.

 
From Mecca to Medina:
 
The annual pilgrimage to the Kaaba brought the Arabs of all parts of the Arabian Pensuila to Mecca. Muhammed (peace be upon him) therefore tried to find any tribe, who could protect him in order to give him the possibility to work further on his message. But The 15 tribes denied. He did not gave up and finally met half a dozed people of Medina. As neighbours of Christians and Jews, they knew about Prophets and their scriptures. They also knew, that these "people of the scriptures" were awaiting the arrival of a prophet, a final comforter. That is why the Medinesans did not wanted to miss the chance, to be the first. They soon believed Muhammed (peace be upon him) and promised him to search for new members in Medina and the necessary supporting for him. In the next year a dozen Medinensian promised to follow him and asked for an Islam‑teacher. The result of the teacher, Mus'ab was that successful, that he could lead a group of 73 new‑converted to Mecca during the pilgrimage season. They offered Muhammed (peace be upon him) and other Muslims to move to Medina and also promised to protect them and to treat them as their own family, They move away to Medina secretly and in little groups. The Heathen did not only took their properties, but also made a conscription to murder the Prophet (peace be upon him). Muhammed (peace be upon him) could not stay any longer. (We have to remember, that the Heathen, although they denied his message, they trusted him, many had given him their properties for taking care of Muhammed (peace be upon him) gave these properties to his nephew Ali, who should return them to their owners) Then he secretly left Mecca with his friend Abu Bakr and after an adventure journey, they got secured to Medina. It was the year 622‑ At that historical moment it began the year "one" of the Islamic time.
 
In order to get a better unity of the people, the Prophet (peace be upon him) arranged with a kind of brother‑contract the unity with the rich Medinensians. The families worked both for the living and helped themselves in each and every way. Muhammed's (peace be upon him) opinion was, that man can better devote himself, if the religion is equalised and combined with the politics as one unity. Therefore he called the representatives of the Muslims and the Non­Muslims of that area, and told them, that it would be better to found a city state. After they agreed, he gave the city state a written declaration. It was the first of that, the world had seen, in which the rights and duties of the inhabitants as well as the head of the state were fixed. Muhammed (peace be upon) was elected to become Head of state after that. The private law ended through the declaration and the looking after it became a matter for all people of the state. Basics for the defence and foreign‑politics were also fixed. For the obligations, which were to heavy to carry, a system of social am'aqil (securities) was invented and Muhammed (peace be upon him) got the final word in all trials. There was no limitation in the legislative power of Muhammed (peace be upon him). The freedom of religion was accepted, especially for the Jews, who were equalised with the Muslims in everything of the worldly affairs by the declaration. Then Muhammed (peace be upon him) made several journeys in order to unite the neighbour tribes and to get alliance‑ and helping‑contracts with them. With their supporting, he started to put an economical pressure on the Meccanians, who took the property of the Muslims and caused much damages. The hindrance of the business‑caravans from Mecca during their crossing of the land of Medina, angered the Heathen so much, that a bloody dispute began. But the spiritual aspects were not forgotten in the times of this situation, Nearly one year after the Hidschra, the leaving of Mecca, the most strong spiritual discipline was ordered: the annual fasting during the whole month of Ramaclan for all adult persons, men as well as women. For the Meccanians, the exile‑living of the Muslims was not enough: They ultimated to the population of Medina, to take away the protection of Muhammed (peace be upon him) and his Muslims and to send them away. But they did not succeeded.
 
The war years:
 
Some months later, in the second year of the Hidschra, they sent a big army against the Prophet (peace be upon him). The fight took place in Badr and the Heathen were driven away, although they were three time as big as the army of the Prophet (peace be upon him) (624). After another year of preparation, the Meccanians came one more time to take revenge for the battle of Badr. The enemy was four‑times stronger than the Muslims were, but stepped back in a bloody battle in Uhud. The soldiers did not wanted to put themselves in the danger zone any longer. But still, the battle of Uhud was not victorious for the Muslims (625).

The battle occurred in the field of Badr, located south west of Madinah. The enemies of Islam were defeated. The cause of victory of the Muslims lay in great faith in Allah, their superior leadership and their unique discipline.

One year later, the enemies of Islam again marched on Madinah. Muhammad(p.b.u.h.), moved to engage them. Both armies met on the slopes of Mount Uhud. The Muslim force had to retreat for certain strategic mistakes. Muhammad(p.b.u.h.), was seriously wounded. But he managed to save his small army. Abu Sufian, commander of he Makkan forces shouted, "Uhud is for Badr; we call it even. We will meet again next year."
 

 
In the meantime, the Jewish people of Medina started to cause some trouble: After the victory of Badr, one of their great leaders, Ka'b ibn al‑Aschraf, went to Mecca, to secure the Heathen of his loyalty and to bring them to take revenge for the lost battle. After the battle of Uhud, the Jews of his tribe started to make a conscription in order to murder the Prophet (peace be upon him). They invited him to visit their village with two other persons and said, that they were willing to accept Islam, if the Prophet (peace be upon him) could convince their rabbies, who had knives in their clothes, in a discussion about religion. An Arabian woman, who was married with a Jew of that tribe gave his brother, who was a Muslim, the message about the plan. This is being told by Samhudi, who uses old sources and rightfully says, that his version is to be preferred more than the version of Ibn Ishaqs. Still Muhammed (peace be upon him9 only ordered the Jews to leave the land of Medina with all their properties. They should sell their land and take back the things, which they had lend other persons. The mercy of Muhammed (peace be upon him) had an opposite result. From Khaibar on the Jews did not only joined the population of Mecca but also with the tribes, which were located in the north, south and east of Medina. They mobilised their armed forces and started an attack, which was four times as strong as the attack of Uhud. The Muslims waited for the attack and prepared themselves for the hardest examination. The Jews, who still were in the city, destroyed all the defence plans. But a clever diplomat was able to disunite all the enemies. So every one stepped back, one after the other (627). In that time the drinking of alcohol and the playing of lucky‑games were forbid. Muhammed (peace be upon him) once more tried to get peace with the Meccanians and went to Hudaibiyah, which is not far away from Mecca. Because the cutting of the north caravan‑trek had ruined the economic of the Meccanians. Muhammed (peace be upon him) promised a secure passing, the delivery of the refugee and the fulfilling of each condition, the Heathen would make. He also agreed to go back to Medina, whiteout performing the pilgrimage to Mecca. The both parties did not only promised peace, but also the keeping of neutrality in foreign affairs (628). The peace was used by the Prophet (peace be upon him) to make the biggest effort in the increasing of the Islam. Except his efforts in Arabia, he also sent letters to the rulers of Byzantium, Persia, Abyssinia and other states. The "autocrat" or chief priest of Byzantium accepted Islam and was lynched by the Christian population. The Prefect of Ma'an (Palestine) was convicted to death and crusaded by the Caesar, because of the same reason. A Muslim Messenger was murdered in Palestine/Syria, and the Caesar, instead of punishing the Murderer brought up a legion against the army of the Muslims, who came for revenge (Battle of Mu'tah).
 
The Heathen of Mecca took their benefit out of the difficulties which the Muslims had, and broke the peace‑contract. The prophet (peace be upon him) himself led the army of ten thousand soldiers and surprised the city Mecca, which he conquered without the use of a sword. He called the population, reminded their bad things to them: the religious persecution, the justice by taking away the properties of the Muslims, the robberies, which happened several times, 20 years of senseless hate, etc.. Finally he asked: "Now, what do you expect from me?" When everyone bowed his head, Muhammed (peace be upon him) declared: "Go in peace, and God forgive you, today nobody should get any penance‑, you are all free. " He even renounced on the properties, which the Heathens had taken from the Muslims. This attitude caused a psychological changing of the situation and when a chief of one tribe went freely to Muhammed (peace be upon him) to accept Islam, Muhammed (peace be upon him) said to him: Und 1 chose you to become the chief of Mecca." Without leaving one single soldier in the town, Muhammed (peace be upon him) returned to Medina. Mecca accepted Islam within a few hours, and it came from their hearts (630).
 
Now the Town Ta'if started to attack the Prophet (peace be upon him), but the enemy army was beaten after some difficulties in the valley of Hunain. The Muslims preferred to use peaceful methods instead of military punishment, to break the resistance of this area. Nearly one year later a delegation went to Medina and proclaimed the acceptance of the Islam of their town. But they demanded the liberation of praying, of paying of taxes and of serving in the army, further to continue with intermarriage, and with drinking alcohol, even to remain the temple of one idol in Ta'if. But the Islam is not any materialistically movement, which has no moral, and the delegation shamed themselves because of their conditions. The prophet allowed them to be liberated of the taxes and the military service and added: "You do not have to destroy the picture of the idol by yourselves. we will send people from here, who will do it for you. if any bad thing will be caused, as your unbelieving teaches you, it will done unto them. "
This shows, how many concessions the Prophet (peace be upon him) could make to the new converts. The conversation of the people of Ta'if was so honest, that after a few moths they renounced on the concessions, of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is shown by the fact, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) elected a person to collect the taxes, as he used to elect one in other Islamic countries too.
 
During these ten "war"‑years the non‑Muslims had only 200 people to record as dead ones. So soon Arabia got rid off anarchy and immorality. During the ten years all tribes of the Arabian Pensuila, the South‑Palestine and the South‑Iraq freely accepted Islam as their religion. (Single Christian, Jewish and Persian groups, who wanted to keep their religion, kept their religious freedom as well as their secular autonomy.)
 
In the year 10 H., when Muhammed (peace be upon him) prepared himself for Hadsch (the pilgrimage) to Mecca he met with 140.000 other faithful, which came from all parts of Arabia. they all wanted to join him while he was fulfilling his religious duties. He held a famous speech to them, in which he summarised his message: Believe in one God without pictures or other symbols, equality of all faithful without looking on race or rank, without another superior than the faith of the individual. Protection of the life, the property and the honour of all people. Ending with the bering interested loan (also the no‑profiteering). Ending with the blood revenge and the privet justice. Better treatment of women. The duty to share the inheritance among the near relatives of both sexes. So that the possibility of the increasing the riches among a little group was impossible. The Quran and the behaviour of Muhammed (peace be upon him) should be taken as the basic line for the law and all questions of the life and the religion.
 
Death and heritage:
 
After his returning to Medina the Prophet (peace be upon him) got ill, and after a few weeks, he could give his soul back to his creator, knowing, that he had succeeded in giving the world his godly message (632).
 
He left to the world a religion, of the believing in one God. He founded a disciplined state out of nothing, which was freed from the chaos of wars in which everyone fought against everyone. He achieved a harmonically coexistence between the spiritual and the secular, between the mosque and the citadel. He ordered a law‑order which was able to pass neutral judgements under which the head of state is also subjected as the simple man and which religious tolerance goes that far, that the nom‑Muslim population of a country could keep their religious and secular autonomy. For the taxes, the Quran ordered, that they have to be spent for the poor and are in no way the property of the head of state, Finally it has o be said, that Muhammed (peace be upon him) had practised his message in each aspect.
 
And here is the other side:

 

After the fall of Mecca, more than one million square miles of land lay at his feet, Lord of Arabia, he mended his own shoes and coarse woolen garments, milked the goats, swept the hearth, kindled the fire and attended the other menial offices of the family. The entire town of Medina where he lived grew wealthy in the later days of his life. Everywhere there was gold and silver in plenty and yet in those days of prosperity many weeks would elapse without a fire being kindled in the hearth of the king of Arabia, His food being dates and water. His family would go hungry many nights successively because they could not get anything to eat in the evening. He slept on no soften bed but on a palm mat, after a long busy day to spend most of his night in prayer, often bursting with tears before his creator to grant him strength to discharge his duties. As the reports go, his voice would get choked with weeping and it would appear as if a cooking pot was on fire and boiling had commenced. On the very day of his death his only assets were few coins a part of which went to satisfy a debt and rest was given to a needy person who came to his house for charity. The clothes in which he breathed his last had many patches. The house from where light had spread to the world was in darkness because there was no oil in the lamp. Remember, that we are talking about the mightiest man of Arabia, and the only titles he assumed were: Servant of God and his Messenger. Servant first and then a Messenger.