They thought that 'Ali, Muhammad's closest surviving blood male relative, should be their next leader ( caliph). One faction, the Shi'a, believed that only individuals with direct lineage to the Prophet could guide the Muslim community righteously. When Muhammad died in 632, he had not named a successor. According to Islamic belief, Muhammad was the only person to see Heaven and Hell while still alive.Īfter the Prophet's Death: Emergence of Shi'i and Sunni Sects of Islam He then returned to earth to continue spreading the message of Islam. There he prayed with other prophets such as Moses, Abraham, and Jesus, and ascended to the skies, where he was led by Gabriel through Paradise and Hell, and finally came face to face with God. Mounted on the heavenly steed Buraq, Muhammad traveled from the Ka'ba in Mecca to the "Farthest Mosque," which Muslims believe to be the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. One night, while the Prophet was sleeping, the Archangel Gabriel came and led him on a journey. The Night Journey and Ascension of the ProphetĪccounts of the ascension ( mi'raj ) of Muhammad have captured the imaginations of writers and painters for centuries. Muhammad and his followers soon returned and took over the city, destroying all its pagan idols and spreading their belief in one God. The conflict with the Quraish continued, but after several years of violent clashes, Mecca surrendered. In Medina, Muhammad continued to receive divine revelations and built an ever-expanding community around the new faith. The move from Mecca to Medina is known as the hijra-the flight-and marks year 1 of the Islamic, or hijri, calendar. In 622, they headed to Medina, another oasis town, where they were promised freedom to practice their religion. After they died, however, Muhammad's situation in Mecca became dire.Įmigration became the only hope for Muhammad and his followers' survival. For a time, the influence and status of his wife and his uncle, Abu Talib, the chief of the clan, protected Muhammad from persecution. From that point forward, Muhammad was ostracized in Mecca. They were afraid that trade, which they believed was protected by the pagan gods, would suffer. His strong monotheistic message angered many of the Meccan merchants. Initially overwhelmed by the significance of what was being revealed to him, Muhammad found unflinching support in his wife and slowly began to attract followers. These early revelations pointed to the existence of a single God, contradicting the polytheistic beliefs of the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula. On one of these occasions, the Archangel Gabriel ( Jibra'il in Arabic) appeared to him and instructed him to recite "in the name of lord." This was the first of many revelations that became the basis of the Qur'an, the holy book of Islam. Searching for clarity, he would sometimes meditate at Mount Hira, near Mecca. When he was roughly forty, Muhammad began having visions and hearing voices. After working for several years as a merchant, Muhammad was hired by Khadija, a wealthy widow, to ensure the safe passage of her caravans to Syria. Mecca was home to two widely venerated polytheistic cults whose gods were thought to protect its lucrative trade. Several trade routes intersected at Mecca, allowing the Quraish to control trade along the west coast of Arabia, north to Syria, and south to Yemen. Muhammad was born into the most powerful tribe in Mecca, the Quraish, around 570 A.D. The power of the Quraish derived from their role as successful merchants. After the holy Qur'an, the sayings of the Prophet ( hadith) and descriptions of his way of life ( sunna) are the most important Muslim texts. Because Muhammad was the chosen recipient and messenger of the word of God through the divine revelations, Muslims from all walks of life strive to follow his example. The rise of Islam is intrinsically linked with the Prophet Muhammad, believed by Muslims to be the last in a long line of prophets that includes Moses and Jesus.
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