Muhammad* was born on the month of rabi al awwal in the Islamic lunar calendar. Although the date isn't certified in the gregorian calendar, the year was 570AD. He was born in Mecca into an important family, the Banu Hashim, a sub-clan of the Quraysh, the most powerful tribe in Arabia at the time.
Muhammad* had an extremely rough start to his life, both his parents had died by 6 years of age. His father, Abdullah, died when he was only 6 months old. Subsequently to his father's death Muhammad* was sent to live in the desert with his foster mother Halimah bint abi Dhuayb who took care of him for 2 years, until Muhammad* went back to his real mother. Muhammad's* mother passed away when he was 6 and Muhammad* was confided to his grandfather Abd al Muttalib, who also died within two years. Just a boy, Muhammad was already familiar with death and loss, at 8 he was brought under the care of the leader of Banu Hashim and his uncle, Abu Talib.
As a prominent leader of the Banu Hashim, Abu Talib, frequently voyaged out of Mecca and brought the young Muhammad* along. In one of his merchant voyages to a nearby Syrian town, one of the rarest accounts of the prophet's* youth was recorded when he met a christian monk called Bahira. The account goes as such. Upon seeing Muhammad* and Abu Talib arrive by caravan, Bahira saw a cloud hovering above the young boy's head, following him, he stopped Abu Talib and asked him who the boy was. He found out that the boy was from Mecca, an orphan and that Abu Talib was his uncle, the restless monk then went to see if Muhammad* had certain attributes that the monk knew of in an ancient book, when Muhammad* had these unknown attributes, the monk became even more excited. He went to Abu Talib and told him regarding Muhammad* "protect him against the hatred of the Graeco-Romans (or another version from the Jews), for your nephew has a great career awaiting him". Not much is known of Muhammad's* childhood after this event as he lived most of it in solitude.
By 25, Muhammad* made a name of himself as a talented merchant and this lead to his marriage and meeting of the to be first convert to Islam, Khadijah. Muhammad* has travelled as far west as the Mediterranean and as far east as the Indian Ocean and a rich woman from a powerful high family, Khadijah, entrusted Muhammad* to pursue a trade mission in her interests. Muhammad* was successful and Khadijah who liked and was impressed by Muhammad* asked for his hand in marriage. Muhammad* accepted and would not have any other wife as long as Khadijah lived. Muhammad* and Khadijah adored each other and had 6 children, of which 4 were girls and 2 were boys, the two baby boys both died. Many say that Allah brought Muhammad's* boys to paradise because he didn't want them to live and take power of the Muslims, turning the Ummah into a monarchy, he wanted the Ummah to be ruled by a leader elected by competence not inheritance.
At around 40, Muhammad* still lived in Mecca and lived peacefully as a leader of the Banu Hashim. He was known for being very caring and generous yet serious and dedicated. He kept the habit of his youth by remaining in solitude for sometimes up to three days in a row. To satisfy his need of solitude and meditation Muhammad* usually retreated to a spot nearby Mecca in a cave on a mount called Mount Hira. It was on this mount that the world's course would change forever.
Sometime in the year 610, still at 40, Muhammad* left his beloved wife and kids to his retreat at Mount Hira. That night Muhammad* saw an exceedingly bright light. Not believing his eyes Muhammad* then saw a creature appear giving off this light. Muhammad* was scared and eager to runaway, however this angel sent down from Allah was not there to hurt Muhammad*, it was the angel Gabriel, there to reveal his destiny to him.
The angel enclosed the frightened man and told him "Read!", Muhammad* replied that he could not as he was illiterate. However the angel Gabriel's power gripped him farther. "Read! In the Name of your Lord Who has created mankind, He created man from a clot of blood...". That night Gabriel revealed the first revelation of the final message, the message that started with Allah's earlier prophets (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon them), Abraham, Moses, Jesus and the many others, was to be concluded and corrected with Muhammad*, the seal of the prophets.
Muhammad* returned home and sought refuge in the warmth of his wife, his mission was revealed, his destiny was to become the seal of the prophets and he would do so, no matter what it took.
The rise of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula began after Muhammad's* declaration of prophethood in 610CE and the the beginning of his preaching of Islam in Mecca (in 613CE). His beloved wife Khadijah was Muhammad's* first follower and therefore the first ever convert to Islam. As time advanced Muhammad* would gain more and more followers, from the high merchant class to local leaders to the poor and the weak of Mecca.
Sorrow and Pain, Meccan Persecution of the Muslims (613CE-622CE)
The Meccan idolaters' lea
ders had felt threatened by Islam's rise and thus began the persecution of the Muslims in any way they could. Muhammad* himself was physically protected for sometime as he was part of Banu Hashim, however he was widely insulted as the believers of Mecca were now struggling for their own survival. Muhammad* was subject to strangling, abusive treatment such as the time when Abu Lahab threw a dead camels' organs on him when he was praying, complete financial boycott and a murder attempt. The first martyr of Islam was Sumayyah Bint Khabbab, she was enslaved to Abu Jahl - a prominent Meccan leader - who tortured her extensively before murdering her by spear for not renouncing her belief in Allah and the prophet Muhammad*. Many other Muslims lost their lives, belonging and dignity to the hands of Meccan persecutors and this lead to the emigration of 12 Muslim females and 12 Muslim males to the Abyssinian Empire, followed by the emigration of hundreds more.
The Abyssinian Christian King, Ashama ibn Abjar, protected the Muslims for he believed that Muslims and Christians were brothers in belief and that the Muslim faith preached only good (giving to the needy, praying to God and thanking him for the trusts he has given us, helping and respecting your surroundings, trying to follow a righteous path of good deeds in order to enter Paradise and taking care of what God has given us, ourselves, the planet and our children). Despite the safety of some Muslims in Abyssinia, Muhammad* stayed behind with his other fellow followers and this was when the Quraish's leaders dealt a heavy blow to Muhammad* and his family by boycotting all commerce with them. As a result of the boycott Muhammad's* beloved wife Khadijah and his uncle Abu Talib died after the health of both of them deteriorated during the harsh and difficult times of the boycott. The year 618-619CE was to be known as the year of sorrows. The lowest moment Muhammad* was still to face in the year 619-620CE when the persecution and hardship would reach an all new crescendo.
The leadership of Banu Hashim was passed from the late Abu Talib - who had protected Muhammad* - to Abu Lahab Muhammad's* and the Muslims sworn enemy, his first move was to remove all protection from Muhammad*. With no security whatsoever in Mecca Muhammad* travelled to a nearby city called Ta'if to seek help. However after the leaders of Ta'if feared taking Muhammad's* side would create a quarrel with Mecca they denied the help to him and left him and Zayd Bin Muhammad - Muhammad's adopted son - to be pelted by stones from local street mobs. Muhammad (peace and blessing upon him) bled so much that his feet clotted to his shoes, his Zayd also endured injuries. It was this time that was said to be one of the lowest of our prophet's* entire life, his mission wasn't advancing, the Muslims were divided between Medina, Mecca and Abyssinia, his wife and uncle died and the most powerful tribe of Arabia wanted him and the believers dead. Allah tends to test us, sometimes he turns things against us, in order to see if we remain faithful to him and in order to strengthen our faith, in judgement day and in this temporary world we will all be rewarded for our patience.
After leaving Ta'if, Muhammad* and Zayb Bin Muhammad were taken care of by some Meccan folk and their Christian slave Addas, who upon helping Muhammad* converted to Islam after hearing of its beauty. So after all the visit to Ta'if did not prove worthless, one muslim convert, his children would've followed the faith, their children and so on... Up till now you could just imagine how many Muslims that worship Allah and believe in submission to Him and justice thanks to the conversion of that one Christian slave upon hearing our prophet.
Hijrah, the Migration (622CE)
Upon returning and under the protection of a wealthy Meccan noble and his clan of Banu Nawfal, Muhammad* knew that the Muslims could not survive and grow in Mecca under such intense persecution, so he began looking for places the Muslims could migrate to in order to live peacefully and in freedom. After Muhammad* experienced the Isra and Ma'araj in 620 the tide began to turn in favor of Muhammad*. Many converts to Islam from Yathrib a nearby oasis (later to be called Medina) came yearly to Mecca, it was when a large group of them (75) came to visit Muhammad* and asked him to come to Yathrib, the Muslims of Yathrib pledged their allegiance to Allah and His prophet Muhammad* and also guaranteed that if necessary they would take up arms to protect Muhammad*. This agreement has come to be known the Second Pledge of Al Aqaba.
The people of Yathrib also endured a devastating civil war which lasted close to 100 years and their representatives needed a neutral mediator to maintain the peace and this is the main reason they invited Muhammad* to come and govern with the just ways of the Islam.
Muhamad* convinced the his followers to leave for Medina and all of them did, untouched by harm, in the middle of the night. That day of migration was the first day of the Islamic calendar, it was the Hijrah of 622CE or 1AH (anno hijarae). Muhammad* made the constitution of Medina that same year and ended the civil war with an agreement between the Jews, Muslims and Pagans in Medina. The constitution of Medina by Muhammad* also marked the creation of the first Islamic state. But besides the new found peace, Muhammad* still had to deal with the Meccans before Islam was to rise astronomically.
From Medina, the Muslims began raiding Meccan caravans carrying food, materials and luxury. The Muslims began to gain power by trading with the bordering towns in the Hejaz and therefore conflict with Meccans intensified farther. Three main battles would define the Muslim-Meccan conflict, the battle of Badr, the battle of Uhud and the battle of the Trench.
The Battle of Badr (624CE)
On March the 17th of the year 624CE (17th Ramadan, 2AH) while fasting the Muslims led by Muhammad* raided a large caravan headed to Mecca protected by Abu Sufyan and forty warriors. With 313 men, the largest Muslim army yet, Muhammad* was about to attack the caravan, until several Muslim scouts were sighted by the scouts of the caravan. Little did Muhammad* know Mecca was informed of the Muslim army by locals who had sighted them and had prepared an army of 900-1000 men of dedicated men with interests against the Muslims.
Muhammad* heard of the Meccan plan and called on his council of war (a show of democracy), as many of his men were recently converted Muslims from Yathrib who had only guaranteed to defend Medina under the constitution of Medina, Muhammad* decided to give them the right to leave.
However, the ansar (helpers) remained loyal and motivated to fight for Islam, the council of war decided to move on towards Badr, a town between Mecca and Medina, and confront the Meccans and take the caravan. Muhammad* and his men also decided that if possible fighting should be avoided, however by this point they had little choice.
Once the caravan was safe behind Meccan lines, Abu Sufyan claimed that the army of Mecca could retreat. After a power struggle on whether or not to attack the Muslims, the Meccan leaders pushed forward expecting an easy and simple victory even with a safe caravan.
In the middle of the night the Meccans advanced on the Muslims, with the two armies meeting each other three men from each side stepped forward to fight each other one to one. Hamzah Ibn Abd al Muttalib, uncle around the same age of Muhammad*, Ali Ibn Abi Talib and Ubaydah Ibn al Harith (cousin of Ali and Muhammad*) all confronted the three Meccans, Ali and Hamzah were triumphant however Ubaydah (may Allah be pleased with him) became the first martyr of the battle of Badr.
As the battle officially started the Muslims destroyed the Meccan ranks, outnumbered by three to one and fasting, they triumphed. The Meccans were demoralized and fled; many say that the battle of Badr was won thanks to Allah sending down help with thousands of angels, including Gabriel. Some say it was thanks to the military genius of Muhammad*. Anyway it was the beggining of the end for the Meccans.
The Battle of Uhud (625CE)
The second major battle in the series of Meccan-Muslim wars was fought on the 23rd of March 625. The battle was fought at Mount Uhud in northwestern Arabia. The Meccans had been marching towards the Muslims since 11th of March 625 and they wanted revenge for their embarrassing defeat at Badr, they were led by Abu Sufyan, Khalid Ibn al Walid and Abu Jahl. Muhammad* led a force of Muslims mainly from Medina in defense against the impending Meccan attack.
The Meccans had an estimated 3000 infaltry and 200 cavalry, they heavily outnumbered the 700 Muslims with 2-4 horses. In the pre-battle duels, Ali ibn Abi Talib struck down the Meccan Talhah bin Abi Talhah al 'Abdari and his family members were all killed in dueling with the Muslims. With the end of the duels, the two armies collided, the battle of Uhud had started.
Muhammad* used his military genius and pushed the Meccans back with tactical supremacy and began destroying their camps. He* had told a group of Muslim archers to defend a rocky hill that could've proven vulnerable for the Muslim ranks and even though he told them to remain fixated at all costs, they disobeyed him and advanced to attack the broken Meccans' camps with the others. Just as victory was almost confirmed, Khalid Ibn al Walid and the Meccan cavalry took advantage of the archers' disobedient move and attacked. The Muslim army panicked and the Meccans killed many of them.
The prophet* was believed to have been killed however it turned out he was still alive just injured on his face after being hit by stones thrown at him. His companions took him away from the battle and laid him down up in the slopes of Uhud. What remained of the Muslim army fought hard hand to hand battles with the Meccans and retreated too to the hills, where the cavalry could not reach them.
Uhud was regarded as a defeat for the Muslims, generally the archers' mistake was the turning point in a battle that seemed to be yet another Muslim victory. The Muslims slowly retreated back to Medina and the Meccans eventually gave up and retreated as well. Hence, the Battle of Uhud ended. But the Muslims and the Meccans would meet again under totally different circumstances.
The Battle of the Trench (627CE)
By 627CE, Yathrib's (Medina) Muslim community had grown strong and Muhammad* had more followers across the desert than ever. Medina still had a Jewish population of considerable size and Muhammad* had lived well with them in harmony, besides when they opposed Islam's laws on rare occasions.
The Meccans were still seeking the destruction of Islam and the death of Muhammad* and so they threw all the dice they could and sent the largest army yet to seige the Muslim stronghold and centre, Medina. Led by Abu Sufyan and the other tribal leaders, 10,000 Arabs and Jews of the Banu Nadir and Banu Qurayza tribes (whom were also present in Medina) marched enthusiastically believing they would finish Muhammad*. Along with the huge infantry, Abu Sufyan's confederation of Arab pagan tribes and Jews had at least 600 horses and a few camels carrying supplies.
Upon learning that the Meccans had such a large force approaching his Ummah, Muhammad* and his companions knew that a battle would've been too disastrous and bloody and decided to dig a trench around the already naturally fortified town of Medina.
On the 31st of March the Confederacy arrived and their advance was halted by the trench. The Arabs were not familiar with siege warfare neither trench warfare and therefore just set up encampments and settled down with all their supplies. Muhammad* and his companions calmed the Medinans and avoided panic, whilst the Confederate armies attempted to enter Medina at all costs.
The Confederates tried sending men into Medina through the narrowest parts of the trench numerous times and failed, their massive numbers of cavalry were useless, although they continued restlessly in trying to enter Medina, mainly by night. The Muslims pelleted the Confederates with stones, both sides exchanged arrows, and due to these minor skirmishes 6 Muslims died, while only 3 Confederate were killed.
Finally, a Confederate leader named 'Amr succeeded in crossing the trench and he demanded to duel with a Muslim. Ali ibn abi Talib came forth a slain 'Amr with a few strong blows, the Confederates retreated back outside the trench and that was the closest they would ever get into entering Medina. However the Confederacy were still determined.
When Muhammad* was invited with his people as a mediator in Yathrib (Medina), at the time there was three Jewish tribes, the Banu Nadir, who Muhammad* expelled, the Banu Qunayqa, who Muhammad* expelled too, and the Banu Qurayza, who remained neutral and still lived in Medina. Two of the tribes above had joined the Confederacy, the Banu Nadir and some of the Banu Qaynuqa, and the Meccans and other pagan tribes were intent on convincing the Banu Qurayza to join. The Banu Qurayza bordered the southern frontier of Medina which was considerably weak and vulnerable, they had a pact with Muhammad* and Muhammad* didn't protect their side of the border due to this. After convincing and plotting, the Meccans and the rest of the Confederates succeeded in bringing the leader of the Banu Qurayza into the Confederacy.
After news leaked out in Medina of the potential attack from the south, the Muslims panicked, fear was widespread, most didn't sleep, food and supplies was running short in Medina and Muhammad* acknowledged that he had to do something to ease the situation. In response, Muhammad* sent 100 soldiers and 300 cavalry to protect the inner-town.
The Confederates remained facing Medina, huge in numbers and extremely powerful, Muhammad* knew that in order to defeat them that he must divide them. He opened discussions with one of the members of the Confederacy, the Ghatafan, he offered a share of Medina's date harvest for their defection. The talks, however, fell apart. The damage was done though, in knowing that some members were negotiating with Muhammad*, the Confederacy mistrusted each other and began conflicting.
A well-respected leader, Nuaym ibn Mas'ud, in secret a Muslim, had powerful influence in the Confederacy and he had permission from Muhammad* to break the Confederacy. Nuaym ibn Mas'ud began raising tensions in the Confederacy by spreading lies and rumors of impending betrayal, he especially did this between the Banu Qurayza and the Meccans. Eventually aggressive acts began between the Banu Qurayza and the Meccans, in addition to this, the weather was against the massive army, sandstorms and heavy wind made many troops defect and whole tribes too. The Muslims would gather over 100 men and all scream the cries that 'God is Great' giving the impression that they were a large force, this was repelling for many who also defected. The weather was exceptionally cold and wet, which was even worse for the Confederacy, the Muslims view this rare weather that repelled the 10,000 men as a blessing from Allah.
After two weeks, the Confederacy fell apart and most of the tribes that made it defected, the Battle of the Trench ended on the 13th of April. The Muslims were victorious.
The new leaders of Arabia and Muslim Mecca (628-630)
After the Battle of the Trench in 627, the stakes were changed for good, a new chapter for Islam dawned and this was a chapter that including an unstoppable Islamic political, social, economic and military rise. Converts to Islam increased further and Muhammad* now had full control of a thriving Medina.
One of the first acts of Muhammad* was to expel the Banu Qurayza who had betrayed their peace treaty by siding with the Meccans and caused mayhem during during the siege of Medina. Along with the fall of the Banu Qurayza, the Meccans dealt a large blow to their prestige and relations, their trade relations with other tribes began to sour and Meccans began contemplating conversion to Islam.
In the revelations Muhammad* received from Allah, Allah has commanded us to go to the ka'aba (the House) in Mecca at least once in our lives if we are financially capable to do so. This is the reason for Muhammad*'s decision in 628, to lead 1400 muslims to perform Hajj in Mecca, he had a dream in which he was shaving his hair after pilgrimage, this also provoked his decision. Upon aproaching Mecca, the Meccans sent 200 cavalry to stop Muhammad's* peaceful advance, although Muhammad* just took a different route to the cavalry and arrived at a place just outside Mecca called Hudaybiyya.
At Hudaybiyya, the Meccans scared of an attack began negotiations with the Muslims who wanted to perform Hajj. These negotiations lead to a treaty between the Meccans and Muslims, this treaty was a milestone in Islam's formidable advance and it was to be named the Treaty of Hudaybiyya.
The Muslims were loyal to Muhammad* and all made the pledge of acceptance, which was a pledge that the Muslims with Muhammad* would fight if the Meccans were to stage a surprise attack. However the Meccans did not commit such an act and the talks led to peace between the two parties. Other agreements made in the treaty was that Muhammad* and the Muslims could perform Hajj the following year (629) and not the year of the treaty, also the guaranteed return of the Muslims who migrated without permission from their owners to Mecca.
Many Muslims disliked the treaty of Hudaybiyya at first, however the benefits were numerous and eventually became obvious.
1. The Meccans began witnessing what Islam was through the newly allowed Muslim pilgrimage, many were impressed at the justice and fairness in Islam and converted.
2. Not only did the truce bring more to Islam, but the peace enabled the Muslims to progress and grow as a community as opposed to struggling to fight a war. An example of this was when Muhammad* had the time and resources to send letters through messengers to the Byzantine Emperor, Justinian, the Persian King, Khosro II, the chief of Yemen and other neighboring leaders.
3. It signified the first time the Meccans began to view Muhammad* and his followers as a powerful entity worthy of leadership.
In the same year of their first Hajj in Mecca (629) Muhammad* sent a few of his generals including the military genius, Khalid ibn al Walid, with 3000 soldiers to punish local tribes up north of the Arabian Peninsula. These tribes were mainly Ghassanids, pagans, who were South Arabian christians who lived in Byzantium. The motive behind Muhammad*'s attack was the hostile killing of a Muslim emissary by one of the Ghassanid chiefs.
The Emperor of Rome, Heraclius put forward an army of 10,000-15,000 to repel the attack, the first tense moment between the Christianity and Islam as a whole had begun. Khalid ibn al Walid and his peers' genius allowed the Muslims to make a safe retreat with only 600 dead after causing approximately 3350 deaths in the much larger Roman army.Primary sources claim that the army the 3000 Muslims faced was 100,000 men strong, but this could be exaggerated. This battle became known as the Battle of Mu'tah.
In 630, the Muslims' allies, the tribe of Khuz'aah, were attacked by allies of Mecca, the Banu Bakr. The Meccans supported this raid and Muhammad* responded with terms the Meccans had to chose from. Muhammad* gave them the choice to pay blood money for those who were killed by the Banu Bakr, they could end their alliance with the Banu Bakr, or they could renounce the treaty of Hudaybiyya. The Meccans chose to renounce the treaty.
Muhammad* responded with an army of 10,000 Muslims, they marched peacefully and triumphantly into Mecca. Muhammad* forgave many of those who hurt the Muslims, he destroyed the idols in the House and in turn Mecca became a Muslim city. Muhammad* was now becoming the most powerful leader in Arabia.
The end of Muhammad's* life in this world (630-632)
Muhammad's* power brought the attention of an enemy tribe of Mecca called the Hawazin. The Hawazin tribe allied with the predominant tribe of Ta'if (where Muhammad* was pelleted with stones), the Thaqif, to attack Mecca. However they were no match for the Muslims who had Allah's favor and Muhammad's* excellent military tactics. The alliance was defeated by the Muslims in the Battle of Hunayn in 630CE and Muhammad* again was pronounced victorious.
There was one endeavor that Muhammad* had not forgot, the Battle of Mu'tah, when the northern Ghassanids and the Romans attacked the Muslims back in 629. The northern tribes were still hostile towards Islam and the Byzantine Empire had to be taught a lesson. Therefore in 631, Muhammad* led an army of 30,000 men to engage the Byzantines to a remote town called Tabouk, however the Byzantines had not appeared, instead withdrawn.
One of the most powerful military entities on Earth at the time feared the Muslims and had withdrawn, this was sure proof that the Muslims gained a reputation for being a significant fighting force. Muhammad* accepted the allegiance of the local tribes and tension dissipated as even more tribes converted or agreed to pay Jizya tax (protection tax) and abandoned the falling Roman Empire. The Battle of Tabouk (not really a battle, historians like to call it that) marked the last significant battle Muhammad* would fight, his great life was coming to a close.
In 632CE, ten years after the persecuted Muslims migrated to Yathrib in an effort to survive, the Islamic lands covered most of Arabia and the people of Arabia were predominantly Muslim. Muhammad* the seal of the prophets of Allah performed pilgrimage in Mecca and gave a sermon to his people, outlining the values and principles of Islam and how succession should occur. Most of his companions, may Allah be content with them, cried that day due to the hints Muhammad* gave that his life was nearing an end. A few months later in the arms of his most beloved wife Aisha, Muhammad* life in this world ended.
The great orator, military strategist, legislator, provider of guidance, reformer, philosopher, merchant, politician and seal of the prophets left behind the seeds that would cause the greatest Empire the world has ever seen to grow and flourish, leaving the rest of the world in envy. On June 8th 632CE, the companions of Muhammad* faced a tough question, who will be the successor?