2 THE LIFE OF THE PROPHET The Prophet Muhammad was born in the town of Mecca around the year 570 CE. He belonged to the Banu Hashim clan, a subset of the Quraysh tribe that controlled Mecca—the trading and religious center deep in the heart of the Arabian Peninsula. About eighty kilometers inland from the Red Sea, it benefitted greatly from the north-south trade routes that connected the Romans in the north and Yemen in the south. Yet, Mecca was far detached from both these places. Hundreds of kilometers of desert surrounding the valley town allowed it to develop independent of any foreign control or influence. Mecca was at once both internationally connected and isolated. But when it came to religion, Mecca was a focal point for the entire Arabian Peninsula. It was the location of the Ka’ba and the annual pilgrimage that attracted Arabs from all over the peninsula. So while Mecca was far away enough to elude imperial control by the Byzantines or Persians, it was central enough to have a major impact on the Arab people. Both of these characteristics would play a major role when Islam began to spread. Early Life Muhammad’s early life was marked by hardship and loss. His father, ‘Abdullah, died before his birth while on a trading mission in the town of Yathrib, north of Mecca. His mother, Aminah, died when he was six, leaving his respected grandfather, ‘Abd al-Muttalib to care for him. Two years later, his grandfather also died and Muhammad came to live with his paternal uncle, Abu Talib. Despite belonging to the wealthy tribe of Quraysh, Muhammad did not grow up amid riches. His status as an orphan and his belonging to the clan of Banu Hashim— considered an inferior branch of Quraysh—meant he was not a part of the ruling class. He did, however, accompany his uncle on numerous trading missions to Syria in his childhood, inaugurating him into the age-old nomadic tradition of the Arabs. His reputation as an honest trader led to him being known by two nicknames: as-Sadiq and al-Amin, meaning the truthful and the trustworthy. He was thus respected by the Quraysh, and he was regularly trusted with money and business transactions, acting as an arbiter in many cases. By his twenties, Muhammad was an accomplished merchant, working as an agent for a wealthy widow named Khadijah. Eventually, his reputation as an honest and reliable man caught the attention of his employer, and when he was twenty-five, Khadijah proposed to Muhammad, who accepted, despite being several years her junior. Although being surrounded by a polytheistic idol-worshipping society, the young Muhammad did not get involved in the religion of the Quraysh. The original monotheistic message of Ibrahim and Isma‘il was a faint memory to most Arabs, but it still held weight for a few, known as the hunafa‘ (singular hanif), meaning “monotheists”, who refused to accept the hundreds of stone and wood gods. Muhammad was one of them. Instead of engaging in the idol worship so rampant in society, Muhammad chose seclusion. He made a habit of retreating to a cave atop a mountain about five kilometers from the center of Mecca, where he would sit in silence and reflect on the society and religion that surrounded him in Mecca. The First Revelations According to Islamic tradition, in 610, while sitting in the cave he had come to many times before, Muhammad experienced something new. An angel suddenly appeared to him in the cave, commanding him, “Read!” He responded that he did not know how. Like most people in Mecca, Muhammad was illiterate. Again, the angel demanded he read. Again, Muhammad responded that he was unable to. A third time, the angel demanded he read, and for a third time, Muhammad responded that he was unable to. The angel then recited to him the first verses of the Quran to be revealed: Recite in the name of thy Lord who created He created man from a clot of blood. Recite; and thy Lord is the Most Bountiful, He who hath taught by the pen, Taught man what he knew not. (Quran 96) He repeated the words after the angel, who then informed him that he is Jibreel (Gabriel), an angel sent by the one God and that Muhammad is the Messenger of God. Shaken and scared, Muhammad rushed home, not knowing what to make of the encounter. He was comforted by Khadijah, who believed his account of the encounter in the cave. She asked her cousin, who was familiar with Jewish and Christian scriptures, what this could mean. When he heard of what happened, he immediately accepted Muhammad as the messenger of his time, like Moses and Jesus before him. Consoled by his wife and her cousin, Muhammad accepted his mission as the Messenger of God, and his life as the Prophet began. The first person to hear of Muhammad’s prophethood and accept it was Khadijah, who can be said to have converted immediately upon his return from the cave. He soon began to invite those closest to him to this new religion. His closest companion, Abu Bakr, his young cousin, ‘Ali, and his house-servant, Zayd, all respected and trusted Muhammad, and thus immediately accepted him as a prophet. They began to inform those closest to them, and slowly the number of people who accepted Muhammad began to grow. The first attempts at proselytizing were covert. Mecca was, after all, a polytheistic society, and the idea of one God replacing the numerous idols in the Ka’ba would no doubt be seen as a threat. Thus, the early months and years of Islam were marked by the development of a secret, hidden group, fearful of society’s reaction to them, but submitting to the ideas of this new religion. They were called Muslims, meaning “submitters”. The word Islam itself, from which Muslim derives, denotes submission to God and His will. “Woe to every scorner and mocker. Who collects wealth and continuously counts it. He thinks his wealth will make him immortal. No! He will surely be thrown into the Fire.” – Quran 104:1–4 At the same time, the core ideas of Islam began to take shape through continuing revelations, which would be shared throughout the community. Strict monotheism, far different from the prevailing religion of Mecca, was the core theme. According to Muhammad, there was only one God. The idols worshipped by the Meccans were nothing more than useless statues of stone and wood, and were incapable of bringing benefit to anyone. The verses also warned of a Day of Reckoning, when all souls would be brought before God to account for their deeds. Those who believed in God and did good deeds would enter an eternal Heaven as a reward. Those who did not would have a place in Hell and would be eternally tormented. But Islam was not just concerned with theology and life after death. The early verses also denounced social ills that were prevalent in Mecca. With increasing prosperity from the trade routes, distinct social classes developed. The wealthy would use their money to fund more caravans that would in turn bring them more wealth. A poor person, meanwhile, continued to be marginalized, doubly so if they did not belong to a powerful clan. The Quran declared such disregard for the poor as detrimental to the establishment of a just social order, and worthy of punishment in the Hereafter. It would be years until the rules regarding society would be laid down, but from early on, it was clear that Muhammad had come not just to change people’s religious beliefs, but also society itself. The early revelations repeated these themes numerous times. The verses and chapters revealed in Mecca, which are found towards the end of the Quran, tended to be short and to the point. This worked well for the nascent Muslim community, which was still unknown to the rest of the city. When around fellow believers, the Muslims would discuss the latest revelations among themselves and teach each other. When around non-Muslims, they had to hide their conversion and beliefs. After all, these new ideas would threaten the established social order of Mecca. Social, economic and tribal equality flew directly in the face of the wealthy and powerful members of Quraysh. Social revolution is rarely welcomed by those in positions of power. Even if Muhammad had not advocated any change in society, the new beliefs alone were a threat to the economic and social position of the polytheists. Because of the Ka’ba, Mecca was a religious center for Arabs throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Once a year, Arabs would travel to Mecca for a pilgrimage and to honor the hundreds of idols kept around the Ka’ba. This meant big business for the Quraysh. Trade was a natural by-product of the pilgrimage: with people from so many distant lands in the same place at the same time, a natural market evolved which made Mecca a religious, economic and political focal point of Arabia. And as the facilitators of this trade, the Quraysh stood to make huge profits. Muhammad’s message, however, denied the importance of the idols, emphasizing the unity of God. Without idols, there would be no pilgrimage. With no pilgrimage, there would be no business. This was not a scenario that was pleasing to the Quraysh, and the early followers of Muhammad knew that. For this reason, there could be no mention of this new religion around the leaders of the tribe.