Islamic encyclopedia. A Brief Biography of the Prophet Muhammad

Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) was born in the year 570 according to the Christian calendar in Mecca (modern Saudi Arabia). His father Abdullah was the great-great-great-grandson of Kusay, the founder of Mecca, and belonged to the Hashemite clan of the Quraish tribe. Muhammad's mother, Amina, was a descendant of Kusay's brother. Once, returning with a caravan from Syria and Palestine, Abdullah stopped to visit relatives in one of the oases north of Mecca. There he fell ill and died a few months before the birth of his son.

According to custom, the Quraysh sent their children to the desert to nurse, where, among the Bedouins, they spent the first years of their lives. This custom included not only taking care of the health of the child, but also returning to the roots, the opportunity to feel freedom in the vast expanses of the desert. Prophet Muhammad was taken away by Halim's nurse. He lived in a Bedouin family for 4-5 years: he got used to life in the desert, looked after the sheep as soon as he learned to walk.

Muhammad was about six when he and his mother went to Yathrib, where his father died. There Amina fell ill. She died on the way home. Now Muhammad's guardian was his grandfather Abdul Mutalib, the head of the Hashemite clan. Two years later, when Muhammad was 8, he also died. The headship passed to the uncle of the prophet Abu Talib, and he became his new guardian. Muhammad was nine years old when his uncle, having assembled a caravan, went to Syria, and took his nephew with him to teach him the art of trade.

Muhammad excelled in the trade. Among the rich people of Mecca was the twice widowed Khadija. Having learned of the glorious reputation of Muhammad, who was often called Al-Amin (reliable), she hired him to escort her caravan to Syria. Impressed by Muhammad's abilities and charm, she sends matchmakers to him. At that time, Muhammad was twenty-five years old, Khadija - forty. After the marriage, she gave her husband a young slave named Zeid, whom Muhammad granted freedom. When Zeyd's relatives came to pay the ransom, he fell in love with Muhammad so much that he preferred to stay with his benefactor. Khadija bore Muhammad six children, including a son named Qasim, who died before he was two years old.

Muhammad became a wealthy man, a revered member of the community. His generosity and sanity aroused the admiration of people. It seemed that a bright future awaited him: he would achieve the prosperity of his clan, become one of the most influential elders of the city, and die, perhaps, like his grandfather, in the shadow of the Kaaba, reflecting on the past years. But he was destined for something completely different.

Hanifs

The Meccans were the descendants of Abraham through his eldest son Ismail, their temple - the Kaaba - was erected by Abraham to worship the One God. The Kaaba was still called the House of God, but numerous idols, deities, who were called the daughters of God and were considered mediators between people and God, became the object of worship. Only a few felt disgusted with the spread of idolatry, and tried to adhere to the religion of Abraham. These truth seekers are known as Hanifs, which means "turned away from idolatry." They did not unite in societies: each separately tried to find the truth. Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, was one of them.

The Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca around 570 or 571. Muhammad's father died shortly before his birth, and when the boy was 6 years old, he lost his mother. Two years later, Muhammad's grandfather, who had taken care of him as a father, died. Young Muhammad was raised by his uncle Abu Talib.

At the age of 12, Muhammad, together with his uncle, went on business to Syria, and plunged into the atmosphere of spiritual quest associated with Judaism, Christianity, and other religions. Muhammad was a camel driver, then a merchant.

When he was 21 years old, he got a job as a clerk with a wealthy widow, Khadija. Being engaged in trading affairs of Khadija, he visited many places and everywhere showed interest in local customs and beliefs. At 25, he married his mistress. The marriage was happy. But Muhammad was attracted to spiritual quests. He went into deserted gorges and alone plunged into deep contemplation.

In 610, in the cave of Mount Hira, the angel Jabrail, sent by Allah, appeared to Muhammad with the first verses of the Koran, who ordered him to memorize the text of the revelation and called him "the Messenger of Allah." Starting to preach among loved ones, Muhammad gradually expanded the circle of adherents. He called his fellow tribesmen to monotheism, to a righteous life, observance of the commandments in preparation for the coming judgment of God, spoke about the omnipotence of Allah, who created man, everything living and inanimate on earth. He perceived his mission as an assignment from Allah, and called biblical characters his predecessors: Musa (Moses), Yusuf (Joseph), Zakaria (Zechariah), Isa (Jesus). A special place in the sermons was given to Ibrahim (Abraham), who was recognized as the forefather of the Arabs and Jews and the first to preach monotheism. Muhammad declared that his mission was to restore Abraham's faith.

The aristocracy of Mecca saw in his sermons a threat to their power and organized a conspiracy against Muhammad. Upon learning of this, the companions of the prophet persuaded him to leave Mecca and move to the city of Yathrib (Medina) in 622. Some of his associates had already settled there. It was in Medina that the first Muslim community was formed, strong enough to attack the caravans coming from Mecca. These actions were perceived as the punishment of the Meccans for the expulsion of Muhammad and his companions, and the funds received went to the needs of the community. Subsequently, the ancient pagan sanctuary of the Kaaba in Mecca was declared a Muslim shrine, and from that time on, Muslims began to pray, turning their eyes to Mecca. The inhabitants of Mecca itself did not accept the new faith for a long time, but Mohammed managed to convince them that Mecca would retain its status as a major commercial and religious center. Shortly before his death, the prophet visited Mecca, where he broke all the pagan idols that stood around the Kaaba.

The founder is a prophet Muhammad. He was born in A.D. 570. In Arabic reckoning, this year is called Year of the Elephant. The year got its name because at that time the ruler of Yemen, Abraha, launched an attack on Mecca with the aim of capturing it and subordinating all the Arab lands to his influence. His army moved on elephants, which terrifies the locals, who until that time had not seen these animals. However, halfway to Mecca, Abrah's army turned back, and Abrah himself died on the way home. Researchers believe that this was due to a plague epidemic that destroyed a significant part of the army.

Muhammad came from an impoverished clan of an influential family kureish. Members of this clan were supposed to monitor the safety of spiritual sanctuaries. Muhammad was orphaned early. His father died before he was born. His mother gave him, according to the custom of that time, to a Bedouin nurse, with whom he grew up to the age of five. His mother died when he was six years old. Muhammad was first brought up by his grandfather Abdalmuttalib, who served as a caretaker at the Kaaba temple, then after his death - uncle Abu Talib. Mohammed early joined the work, shepherd sheep, participated in the equipment of trade caravans. When he was 25 years old, he got a job with Khadije, a wealthy widow. The work consisted in organizing and accompanying trade caravans to Syria. Mohammed and Khadija soon got married. Khadija was 15 years older than Muhammad. They had six children - two sons and four daughters. The sons died in infancy.

Only the Prophet's Beloved Daughter Fatima outlived her father and left offspring. Khadija was not only the beloved wife of the prophet, but also a friend, in all difficult circumstances of life she supported him financially and morally. While Khadija was alive, she remained the only wife of Muhammad. After his marriage, Muhammad continued to engage in trade, but without much success. There was a change in the historical situation.

Muhammad spent much of his time in prayer and meditation. When Muhammad was meditating in one of the caves in the vicinity of Mecca, he had a vision during which he received the first message from God, transmitted through the archangel Jabrail(bibl. - Gabriel). The first people who believed the preaching of Muhammad and converted to Islam were his wife Khadija, his nephew Ali, his freedman Zayd and his friend Abu Bakr. At first, the call for a new pen was carried out secretly. The beginning of an open sermon dates back to 610. The Meccaites greeted it with mockery. The sermon contained elements of Judaism and Christianity. Muhammad, according to historical data, was illiterate. He took oral stories from the Holy Scriptures from Jews and Christians and adapted them to the Arab national tradition. Biblical stories organically became part of the holy book of the new religion, linking together the history of many peoples. The popularity of Muhammad's sermons was facilitated by the fact that he read them in recitative, in the form of rhymed prose. Gradually, a group of companions from different strata of Meccan society formed around Muhammad. However, the entire initial stage of the sermon, up to the resettlement to Medina, Muslims were persecuted and persecuted by the Meccan majority. As a result of these oppressions, a large group of Muslims emigrated to Ethiopia, where they were received with understanding.

The number of supporters of Muhammad in Mecca was constantly growing, but the resistance of the new religion from the influential residents of the city also grew. After the death of Khadija and Uncle Abutalib, Muhammad lost his inner support in Mecca and in 622 was forced to leave for the city of his mother Yathrib, which after that became known as Medina - city ​​of the prophet. A large group of Jews lived in Medina, and the Medinans proved to be more prepared to accept the new religion. Shortly after the migration of Muhammad, the majority of the population of this city entered the ranks of the Muslims. It was a huge success, so the year of the migration began to be considered the first year of the Muslim era. – Hijri(relocation).

During the Medina period, Muhammad developed and deepened his teaching in the direction of isolation from related religions - and. Soon, all southern and western Arabia submitted to the influence of the Islamic community in Medina, and in 630 Muhammad solemnly entered Mecca. Now the Meccans bowed before him. Mecca was declared the holy capital of Islam. However, Muhammad returned to Medina, from where he made a pilgrimage in 632 (hajj) to Mecca. In the same year he died and was buried in Medina.

Muslims from all over the world revere Mohammed as the founder of the world religion and the greatest prophet on the planet. Even in the Koran, the holy book of Muslims, Muhammad is called the Seal of the Prophets or Lord of the Prophets.

Before the advent of Islam, polytheism and disunity reigned in Saudi Arabia. Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), who, together with his son Ismail (Isaac), started the construction of the Kaaba, is considered the first to take up the arrangement of sacred symbols for the Islamic forerunner. Also, the followers of Islam claim that after the construction was completed, the archangel Jabriel visited Ibrahim and taught such a rite as the Hajj. After that, Ibrahim taught the others this rite and, leaving his son in Mecca, returned back to Palestine.

After that, more numerous tribes seized power in the city and took over the Kaaba. They began to spread polytheism. In the fifth century, the idolaters were expelled by the Quraysh, led by the fifth generation of Muhammad's grandfather. They also rebuilt the Kaaba and undertook to protect the city and its pilgrims. The Quraysh turned out to be good rulers, and thanks to trade relations with many cities and countries, including powerful Byzantium, they made Mecca one of the most powerful and powerful cities.

The Kaaba became especially revered after the local Yemeni Abraha decided to destroy it, but did not succeed. In Sura Fil, it is stated that the numerous army of the governor died from stones that fell on him by a flock of birds.

However, along with the worship of Allah, idolatry flourished. So it was until Mohammed appeared.

He was born on April 22, 571 in Mecca, of the Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe. He lost his parents early and was placed under the care of his grandfather, Abd al-Mattalib, and then his uncle, Abu Talib.

The Muslim prophet was distinguished by piety and honesty, for which people respected and loved him very much. Later, the future founder of Islam was the chargé d'affaires of a pious widow named Hatija. Some time later they got married and had six children. Magomed was very fond of spending time in the mountains, in complete seclusion, which lasted more than one day. In 610, he began to preach, referring to the visions and command of the archangel Jabriel.

At first, his sermons were private, and then the prophet was ordered to engage in public preaching. The first attempts ended in failure - Magomed was beaten and ridiculed. His followers also began to be persecuted. The Quraysh were also alarmed, by that time also carried away by polytheism. In 619, the prophet suffered two severe blows at once - his first and beloved wife Hatija died, as well as his most devoted protector - uncle Abu Talib. But soon the prophet married again.

In 622, Mohammed, forced to hide from persecution, moved to the competitors of the Meccans, to the city of Yathrib (Medina), where he soon acquired unlimited power. Eight years later, Mecca capitulated, and the tribes living there converted to Islam. On June 6, 632, the prophet died.

Muhammad led into battle and inspired by his example the troops loyal to him. He was also fond of medicine, and considered honey, leeches and cauterization to be reliable remedies for any disease. True, cauterization was soon banned, but it was allowed to be used in extreme cases. He also recognized black cumin oil, Indian frankincense and amber as medicines.

During his lifetime, he had up to a dozen wives and many (according to various sources) concubines. Muhammad's sermons are in many ways more democratic than the constitutions and laws of the current European community. He condemned any kind of violence against a person and believed that descendants should not be responsible for the sins of their ancestors. Also, blood feuds were strictly prohibited, which used to be almost the only way to resolve disputes.

Nevertheless, the humiliated and subordinate position of a woman, not only in this life, but even in the afterlife, causes serious criticism, because women have no soul and they are unlikely to go to heaven. However, the prophet commands his followers to take care of the women and also punish them if they commit misdeeds.

The followers of Magomed after his death were divided into two irreconcilable camps, which are at war to this day. Some of them are the Sunnis, who, in addition to the Koran and hadiths, recognize the Sunnah as a sacred book - the biography of the prophet and his statements. The Sunnis also insist on the election of the heads of Muslim communities. Most of the Muslims are Sunnis. There are also Shiites who reject the Sunnah. They recognize the right of supreme power over communities only to the descendants of the prophet's daughter, Fatima.

It is believed that during his lifetime, Muhammad performed a number of miracles that are questioned: he split the moon, wrote the Koran (verses and suras of which often contradict each other), squeezed water from his fingers, fed the hungry and others.

Despite the criticism and ambiguous attitude towards this person, he is an outstanding politician and commander, who subsequently created a single powerful state with a single faith.

100 great politicians Sokolov Boris Vadimovich

Muhammad, prophet, founder of Islam (570–632)

Muhammad, prophet, founder of Islam

(570–632)

The founder of Islam, recognized by Muslims as a prophet, Mohammed was born into the family of Abdallah, who belonged to the poor family of the Hashemites of the Arab tribe of Quraysh, who lived in the Mecca region. He was orphaned early and had to earn his living as a shepherd and caravaneer. For the fact that he meekly fulfilled all the requirements of the owners, he was nicknamed Al-Amin - the Devotee. From childhood, he had visions in which he was visited by people in white clothes - angels. Only a successful marriage to a wealthy merchant's widow, Khadija, significantly improved the financial situation of Muhammad, who was engaged in large-scale caravan trade. In 610, when Muhammad was 40 years old, in the month of Ramadan according to the Arabic lunar calendar, an event took place that laid the foundation for Islam. At night on Mount Hire near Mecca, as Muhammad claimed, the angel Jabrail (Christian Gabriel) appeared to him in a dream and ordered him to preach in the name of the One God - Allah. Allah, through Jabrail, inspired Muhammad with the text of the holy book - the Koran (from the Arabic "al-quran" - "reading aloud by heart"). Muhammad considered himself the last of the great prophets. The previous ones, according to his teaching, were: the first man Adam, who escaped the flood Nuh (biblical Noah), the biblical prophets Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail, Ishak (Isaac), Yakub (Jacob), the Israeli kings Daud (David) and Suleiman (Solomon) , as well as Isa al-Masih (Jesus Christ). Muhammad condemned the paganism of his fellow tribesmen, for whom Allah was only the supreme deity of the pagan pantheon. Muhammad rejected not only paganism, but also Judaism, since the Jews recognized only the Old Testament prophets, and Christianity, since Christians, according to Muhammad, deviated into polytheism, deifying Jesus Christ and the Divine Trinity. He proclaimed the new religion of Islam, which in Arabic means "submission" (meaning submission to the will of Allah). He called for the destruction of idols and a return to the ancient monotheism - the faith preached by the prophet Abraham. These appeals did not meet with a response among the Quraysh, and in 622, on September 20, Muhammad was forced to flee from Mecca to Yathrib, which was later renamed Medinat al-Nabi (City of the Prophet), but is now better known by its abbreviated name Medina. This escape ("hijra" - resettlement) became the starting point of the Muslim chronology. At first, Muhammad managed to convince the inhabitants of Medina, who had long been at enmity with the Meccans, of his innocence. The first inhabitants of Medina, who began to help Muhammad, began to be called Ansar (helpers). Their descendants have kept this word in their surnames as an honorary title. Being elected head of the Medinan tribes, Muhammad began a holy war, ghazawat (jihad), for the establishment of Islam in Mecca, the traditional religious center of the Arabs. Members of the Muslim community, led by Muhammad, attacked caravans heading for Mecca. Long before he managed to seize Mecca, he sent out messages demanding recognition of Allah and his prophet to the main sovereigns of the then world, including the Persian king, the Byzantine and Chinese emperors. The world rulers were surprised by the impudence of an unknown insolent. But twenty years later, when the state founded by Mohammed turned into a powerful force in world politics, such letters no longer aroused surprise, and few would dare to answer them impolitely. Muhammad undoubtedly possessed great charisma and knew how to inspire his supporters in the most adverse circumstances. Otherwise, he would never have united the Arabs and created a world religion, but would have remained a petty preacher of one of the Arab tribes, whose name would have been known only to historians who studied the history of the Arabs in the early Middle Ages. The new faith was provided with a mass of adherents by the ideals of equality and brotherhood laid down in Islam for all who believed in Allah and his prophet. Just this was not the case in neighboring Zoroastrian Iran and Christian Byzantium, and shortly after the death of the prophet, Islam conquered Iran and Byzantine possessions in Asia - with sword and word. Yes, and the Arabs, among whom there was already a significant stratification of property, were very receptive to the ideas of equality and justice preached by Muhammad.

At first, Muhammad suffered a series of serious setbacks in his struggle to unite the Arab tribes. In 625, in a battle near Mount Okhod, his detachment of 750 people was defeated by four times the superior forces of the Meccans. In 629, the Byzantines who supported Mecca at the Battle of Mut destroyed an army of 3,000 under the command of the nephew of Muhammad Zeid. It seems that Muhammad did not have particularly outstanding military qualities, and the forces of the enemies significantly exceeded the forces of the prophet. However, Muhammad had a great gift of persuasion and managed to win over a number of Arab tribes to his side. In 628, Muhammad's army inflicted the first serious defeat on the Meccans, and two years later, Mecca voluntarily opened the gates to the adherents of Muhammad. The Prophet finally succeeded in persuading the Meccans to accept Islam, the true faith. The main temple of Mecca, the Kaaba, where since ancient times a black stone was installed - a meteorite that fell from the sky, which the Arabs worshiped - was the main shrine of the surrounding Arab tribes. Muhammad's agreement with the Meccans was a kind of compromise. The leaders of the Meccan community, in exchange for the adoption of Islam, negotiated the recognition of Mecca as the main center of the new religion and the Kaaba as its main shrine. Mohammed won over to his side his worst opponents - the Meccan merchants - not only by the spiritual power of his sermon, but also by completely rational circumstances. It became obvious that Islam was popular among the Arabs primarily due to the preaching of equality and would help unite them into one state, which, of course, improved the terms of trade. Mecca was cleansed of pagan idols and turned into the main holy city of the new religion. In the last month of the Zul-Hijja year, Muslims were supposed to make a pilgrimage to this shrine. The power of the prophet extended to Arabia, Hijaz and Nejd. The state created by Muhammad was an absolute theocracy. Every word spoken by the prophet was perceived as a law in both spiritual and secular matters. Supporters of Muhammad also began to raid Byzantine and Iranian lands. Muhammad died on June 8, 632 while preparing for a campaign against Yemen. His successor Abu Bekr became the first caliph - "deputy of the prophet" and the head of the Arab Muslim state, which very soon extended its power far beyond the Arabian Peninsula.

From the book Call Sign - "Cobra" (Notes of a Special Forces Intelligence Officer) author Abdulaev Erkebek

Scout Mohammed One of the Uzbek cadets sends greetings to me from some Mohammed and smiles enigmatically. - Which Mohammed? - I wrinkle my forehead. - The same one you helped in 1984. - I don’t remember. - They wrote a letter of recommendation. I grabbed the interlocutor by the

From the book of Mohammed. His Life and Religious Teachings author Solovyov Vladimir Sergeevich

Chapter V. Essence of Islam. - Vera Avramova. – Attitude towards other monotheistic religions Although Muhammad attached importance to the sensual phenomena that accompanied his receipt of divine revelation, the essential thing for him was, of course, this revelation itself, that is,

From the book Limited contingent author Gromov Boris Vsevolodovich

Mohammed Nabi Units of the 40th army and government troops near Kandahar were opposed mainly by the armed formations of the “Movement of the Islamic Revolution of Afghanistan”. The leader of this party is Mohammed Nabi (Muhammedi). He was born in 1937 in the Baraki district

From the book Blue and Pink, or the Cure for Impotence the author Yakovlev Leo

CHAPTER 6 The Lion of Islam The only time I felt completely safe was on Hafiza's yacht. Completely relaxed, I sat for several hours in folding chairs, standing under an awning at the stern, and watched with pleasure the life of the port of Karachi. I noticed a long time ago that

From the book Genghis Khan: Conqueror of the Universe author Grousset Rene

On the land of Islam The meeting of the Mongol troops took place in the summer of 1213 on the southern slope of the Altai, near the sources of the Irtysh and Urungu. With its grandeur, the local landscape could not be more consistent with the emerging military storm. In the north, there is a chain of sharp-pointed mountains of Altai, on

From the book of Abd al-Qadir the author Oganisyan Julius

Knight of Islam Before him was a mighty European power. It has advanced science and technology for that time. Possessing a powerful army that went through the school of the Napoleonic wars. Ruled by a class that was eager for colonial conquests and, in words

From the book The Most Famous Lovers author Solovyov Alexander

Mohammed and Khadija: the Messenger of Allah and the best of women The year 595 from the birth of Christ (although only a few people measured time according to such a calendar) was like any other year. Kings died in Europe (King of Deira in Scotland, among others). Courtiers were born in Asia (Kim Yusin,

From the book Commonwealth of the Sultana by Sasson Jin

CHAPTER NINE THE DAMAGED PROPHET MUHAMMED A few days after Omar left Saudi Arabia for Egypt, Karim said that he and Assad had to go to New York. The pressing business of the company required their presence there. Knowing that I was still worried about

From the book 100 great politicians author Sokolov Boris Vadimovich

Mohammed (Mehmed) II the Conqueror, Sultan of Turkey (1432–1481) Sultan Mehmed II the Conqueror, under whom the Ottoman Empire turned into a great power, is best known for the capture of Constantinople, was born on March 30, 1432 in Edirne (Adrianople). His mother Uma Khatun was not

From the book of Brem author Nepomniachtchi Nikolai Nikolaevich

Babur Zahireddin Mohammed (1483-1530) Babur was born on February 14, 1483 in the family of the ruler of Ferghana, one of the numerous descendants of Tamerlane, who waged countless internecine wars with each other. At the age of 11, after the death of his father, he became the formal ruler of this

From the book Great Love Stories. 100 stories about a great feeling author Mudrova Irina Anatolyevna

Muhammad Ali - Viceroy of Egypt When, after the completion of the Napoleonic Wars, these places left the British occupying troops (taking care to strengthen their influence on the establishment of their own administration), Egypt again fell under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire.

From the book of 50 famous patients author Kochemirovskaya Elena

Muhammad and Khadija Muhammad belonged to the Quraysh tribe. After the death of his wife Khadija, in 622, oppressed by pagans in Mecca, he moved from Mecca to Yathrib, which after that became known as Medina (this date - Hijra (moving) - is the beginning

From the book The Smell of Dirty Laundry [compilation] author Armalinsky Mikhail

MUHAMMED (MOHAMMED) (born in 570 - died in 632) Many people to whom the world owes achievements in various fields of human activity suffered from epilepsy - for example, Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Socrates, Blaise Pascal. True, their epilepsy is legendary, absent

From the book of Mirza-Fatali Akhundov author Mammadov Sheydabek Farajievich

From the book Rank of great travelers author Miller Yang

Chapter IV. Atheism. Criticism of Islam Being not only a materialist, but also a militant atheist, Akhundov was the first thinker of Azerbaijan who declared a mortal struggle against the religion of Islam. His philosophical and political treatise "Letters of Kemal-ud-Dovle" is one of the best

From the author's book

Ibn Battuta, Mohammed ibn Mohammed, ibn Ibrahim (1302–1377) Returning to Tangier, Ibn Battuta also chose a rather difficult route: from Mecca to the east, through the entire Arabian Peninsula, further along the shores of the Persian Gulf along southern Iran (Persia ) to the Strait of Hormuz. Here Ibn