Islam

Prophet Muhammad

                  The Prophet Muhammad is both a messenger of God and a model for humanity. Born in the city of Makkah on the Arabian peninsula in 570 CE, he was raised an orphan in his uncle's house. He married an older woman, the widow Khadijah, for whom he had worked in the caravan trade. As a merchant, he was known by reputation as al-Amin, the trusted one. When Muhammad was forty years old, he had a profound experience that changed his life.
                Muhammad and his family performed devotions each year on Mt. Hira, outside of Makkah. One night during the month of Ramadan, Muhammad reported having a strange encounter while half-asleep in a cave. An angel commanded him, "Recite!" Twice Muhammad asked, "Recite what?" The third time the angel replied: "Proclaim! Recite! In the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created man, out of a leech-like clot: Proclaim! And thy Lord Is Most Bountiful, He who taught (the use of) the Pen, Taught man that which he knew not." (Surah 96:1-5, King Fahd trans.) Muhammad recited this and then awoke, feeling "as though the words were written on [his] heart." He ran down the mountain, but he heard a voice from the sky: "Muhammad, you are the Messenger of God, and I am Gabriel." Looking up, Muhammad saw an angelic form standing astride the horizon, repeating the message.
Muhammad continued to receive revelations, which he recited to his wife and followers as a small group of believers grew in Makkah. The message he received was a warning of divine judgment and an invitation to return to the ways of the earlier prophets, including Abraham, Moses and Jesus. These revelations challenged the foundations of seventh-century Makkan society. Makkah was the pilgrimage center of the polytheistic Arabian religion; the Ka'bah, a central cube-shaped structure, housed over 360 idols. In this polytheistic world, Muhammad spoke of tauhid, the unity and oneness of God. Where tribal bonds and blood feuds pervaded the...