The Bedouin

While Muhammad was regarded as an honorable and trustworthy man in the community, he remained unmarried and without any capital or business of his own for twenty five years. After succeeding at almost doubling the expected profit for a caravan, Muhammad was awarded a proposal of marriage from the rich forty-year old widow named Khadija. Although this marriage elevated Muhammad to the upper echelon of society, he felt conflicted by his dual status in society: his renowned reputation and tahannuth (self justification), which led to his seeking of solitude. In 610 AD, Muhammad received his first revelation from Allah, and while he feared madness and contemplated suicide, Muhammad was granted a second revelation from Allah, declaring his sanity and Prophethood. Muhammad thusly began to preach about social reform and the demise of tribal ethic.

Muhammad was born in the year 570 A.D. in the city of Mecca, located now in what is known as Saudi Arabia. His father, Abdullah died before he was born and his mother, Amina passed away when Muhammad was around five or six years old. He was then brought up by his grandfather, ‘Abdul-Muttalib, who treated him with the utmost love. Two years passed before his grandfather also passed away and Muhammad was left in the care of his uncle, Abu Talib and his wife, Fatima. They treated him just as well if not better than their own children. The love they had for the young boy was matched by no one.

This chapter begins with the Muhammad and the message he brings. It all began in the Arabian Peninsula, which was mostly desert. The people who lived there were called Nomadic Bedouin, and they are organized in family and clan groups. The importance of long-distance trade networks became important again between China, India, and Persia, Byzantium. The section starts talking about the early life Muhammad ibn Abdullah was born in to a Mecca merchant family in 570 C.E. He had a difficult life growing up, but in 595 C.E, he married a wealthy widow. By the time, he was thirty he became a merchant and exposed too many faiths. He had a spiritual transformation at the age of forty, and declared that there was only one true god, whose name was Allah, “the god.” His believe that Allah would soon bring judgment on the world, and the divine messenger, Gabriel, delivered these revelations to Muhammad. The Quran, also known as the “recitation,” is the holy book of Islam. Muhammad followers complied with his revelations. They had works of poetry and definitive authority on Islam;

“O Messenger, announce that which has been revealed to you from your Lord, and if you do not, then you have not conveyed His message. And Allah will protect you from the people. Indeed, Allah does not guide the disbelieving people.” (Quran 5:67) Prophet Muhammad PBUH, was born to a branch of Quraish family. He was born to Abdullah Ibn Abd Al-Muttalib and Amna Bint Wahab in the year 570 C. He received his “call” which is the message from God carried by the angel Gabriel to deliver the truth about God to his people. Prophet Muhammad PBUH, died in the year 632 C due to fever after that the Umma was in the hands of the Caliphate, which was then passed

At first, the history of Islam is connected to Mohamed’s life. Mohamed was born in to a wealthy merchant Clan, which is now Saudi Arabia. On the other hand Muslims thought Islam began with God. Mohamed was raised by his uncle, because his parents and grandparents passed away. Mohamed lived the life of a Quryash Merchant then later married a girl by the name of Khadija. Mohamed started hearing voices and though he was going mad. But Khadija thought differently and told Mohamed that he was the chosen one. Mohamed searched for the true faith of Judaism and Christianity. Mohamed isolated himself in to the mountains near Mecca for retreat and mediation. Gabriel the Angel told Mohamed to recite the Koran. The Koran was only originally recited and not written down in one volume until after Mohamed’s death. This has brought controversy over the authentic composition. Mohamed’s wife was the first to convert.

While these people looked for peace, Islam welcomed them with open arms telling of equality and harmony. This appealed to the people and thus led to more Islam believers by showing how peace and harmony was present in the ways of Islam.

The Muslim prophet, Muhammad, was born in 570 in the city of Mecca. Muhammad lived a normal life just like any Muslim, until he began seeing visions believed to be inspired by Allah. Muhammad believed that since Allah has already revealed himself to Moses and Jesus, it was now his turn to receive the final revelations. After receiving them, Muhammad tried to convince his people that the revelations were true, but most thought he was insane and crazy, or that he would upset the social and political order of society. As a result, Muhammad and some of his followers left to the rival city of Yathrib in 622. Yathrib was later renamed Medina, which meant “city of prophet”, as he began to win support from the residents in Medina and on the surrounding country side. With these people, Muhammad formed the first Muslim community.

Mohammed offered alternatives to leaders of Christian tribes. He told them that they either had to convert to Islam or pay tribute, or money, in return for protection on the condition of the acceptance of Islam. If they obeyed the Lord and Mohammed, then the Muslim armies would defend them. However, if the tribes opposed or displeased them, there would be a cruel, brutal war between the two groups in which children would be taken captive and the elderly would be killed. Though these attacks were viewed as cruel and merciless by the Christians, the Muslims viewed this as act of self-defense. They felt these attacks were necessary because they had to fight their enemies in the name of God and live according to the example of their prophet, Mohammed.

Camels, or dromedaries, are animals that have one or two humps on their backs. The hump is mostly made out of fat. If the camel has a hard time finding food, the fat in the hump provides energy. When the camel is starving the hump shrinks. They are large animals that are able to survive in the hot, dry climate of the desert in the Middle East.

However, Jihad’s age old association with violence was nearly unavoidable. Struggle can rather easily be translated into a call to conduct an external Jihad for the Islamic faith. For example, a verse in the Qu’ran states, “go forth, light armed and heavy armed, and strive with your wealth and your lives in the way of Allah” (Church 111). This verse clearly pairs Jihad (“strive”) with external violence (“go forth, light armed and heavy armed”) (Church 111). Indeed, violent Jihad was an obvious necessity because the Muslim community had always been a religious and political faction. Many lost their lives to spread and defend the newfound faith in Arabia and eventually to locations far beyond. Jihad’s association with violence and religious duty made it an ideal expression for Muslims to justify “lesser Jihad,” or the notion of external conflict, centered on the idea of spreading the faith (Church 112).

After ‘The Year of Sorrow’ in which both Muhammad’s uncle- Abu Talib and wife- Kadijah died Muhammad is warned by the angel Gabriel that the situation is getting too dangerous for him in Mecca. “Muhammad knew the faith must find expression in a community which would insure its external force and the opportunity to prevail against opposition” (Cragg). It is at this point that Muhammad is invited to become a leader in Medina (622ce).

For about fifteen hundred years, Saudi Arabia’s history has centered on one major theme: Islam. Muhammad, the founder of Islam, was born around 570 A.D. in the city of Mecca. Early in the 7th century A.D., according to Islamic belief, Muhammad, while meditating in a cave on Mount Hira, was visited by the angel Gabriel. Gabriel

Islam refers to Prophet Muhammad as the founder of the religion. He was the son of Abdullah and Amina. In early history books of the subject, Prophet Muhammad lived an extraordinary life. In the book by Waqidi, ‘Book of Campaigns’, the author describes some of the military eminence that the prophet portrayed. According to him, he was a community leader and commander of the military (Ali, 79-113). He also married and lived a ‘normal’ life. However, after the death of K’hadija, he remarried other women but the effect of his wife remained in his heart forever (Ali, 114). His actions to

Muhammad, who is believed to be a prophet of God, is considered the last prophet sent by god to the Muslim people. Muhammad is believed to have brought the word of God through the Qur’an. The Prophets’ life started in Mecca where he grew up orphaned. During his life, specifically in the month of Ramadan, he would spend time in a cave outside Mecca where he originally received revelations about the sacred text. Originally Muhammad found little success preaching God’s word but eventually gained a following of Muslim people, which would turn into the tradition it is today.

Khadija was fifteen years older than Muhammad. Muhammad accepted work from Khadija and had led a few caravans for her. Credit should be given to Khadija for Muhammad’s success with Islam because it was her wealth that enabled him to spend a significant amount of time in religious meditation and isolation. Even though she was some years older than her twenty-five-year-old employee and had been married twice, she asked him to marry her (Phipps, 35).