The Life of Muhammad and the Spread of Islam
In 570 AD a man to be by the Islamic people as the last prophet was born into the world; his name was Muhammad. Muhammad was born into a poor family in Mecca, but spent most of his childhood being raised by Bedouin relatives in a different town after he was orphaned at the age of six. His uncle Abu Talib brought him under his wing and taught him to be a successful merchant. When Muhammad was about twenty years old he moved into Mecca and began trading for widow named Khadijah. Through the next five years Khadijah became aware of how reliable and resourceful Muhammad was and proposed marriage to him when he was twenty-five. Through his travels Muhammad became very aware of the clan rivalries and the undermining forces among the tribes. He soon became distracted and unsatisfied with his life. In 610 he retreated to a cave above Mecca to meditate and fast. While he was there the angel Gabriel appeared to him and gave him a message from God, “There is no god but Allah.” Muhammad began teaching his revelations form God. His first group of disciples consisted of his wife, his servants, and just a few of his clan’s people. His first followers called themselves Muslims. As he taught his circle grew and he became a threat to other wealthy Meccans, the worshiping of the gods of their fathers, and the sacred Ka’ba. In 622 After severe persecution, Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina. The flight to Medina marks year one of the Islamic Calendar. In Medina he was thought of as a hero. In the mid 620s the Quraysh began launching attacks against Muhammad and his followers in Medina. The small Muslim army held off the imposing Quraysh forces for three years while the Muslims grew over 1,000 strong. They defeated the Meccan army and created the treaty with Quraysh in 628. The treaty gave Muslims permission to visit the shrine at Ka’ba. Through the truce Muhammad gained over 10,000 converts to Islam. Muhammad’s teachings brought Arab a religion that