Hazrat Muhammad peace be upon him

Pre-Islamic Arabia

The Arabian Peninsula was largely arid and volcanic, making agriculture difficult except in oases or riparian areas. Arabia here refers to the area comprising Makkah and Madinah and their surrounding areas. Medina was a largely agricultural city, while Mecca was an important commercial center inhabited by various communities. Muhammad's (PBUH) life was associated with both these parts.

The Arab economy at that time was based on trade and animal husbandry. The local Arabs were of both nomadic and domestic classes. Nomads traveled with their communities from one place to another in search of water and food. Householders, on the other hand, lived in the same place and engaged in trade and agriculture. The nomads supported themselves by raiding passenger vehicles on the highways and snatching their goods. They did not consider this act a crime.

Read more: The Authenticity of the Quran | Fuqhul Akbar

Islamic State and Constitution | Guidance

In pre-Islamic Arabia, different tribes worshiped individual gods or goddesses as their protectors. Even tribes worshiped different gods. They were also worshipers of trees, stones, springs and wells. They made the Holy Kaaba a place of annual pilgrimage and installed 360 idols inside the Holy Kaaba. They mainly worshiped three gods and goddesses. In some regions, the goddesses Lat, Manat and Al-Uzza were worshiped as daughters of Almighty God. But monotheistic religious communities also existed in pre-Islamic Arabia, among which were Christians and Jews. Hanif - Native pre-Islamic Arabs who practiced "strict monotheism" Jews and Christians are sometimes listed as the same religious sect in pre-Islamic Arabia, although there are different theories and debates about this. According to Muslim hadith, Muhammad was a descendant of Ismail, the son of Abraham. But after a century of extensive archaeological investigations, no historical evidence has been found.

The term used by historians to describe the social and political condition of the Arabs before the advent of the Messenger of Allah is ``Ayame Jahiliyyah'', i.e. the Age of Ignorance. In this article, I will try to give a brief picture of Jahiliyyah in those days.

In Ayyam, the term Jahiliyyah or Age of Ignorance may imply that the Arabs were backward in education, science, etc., so their era is called the Age of Ignorance, but in fact, it is not. This ignorance is essentially ignorance of right and wrong, ignorance of truth and falsehood. In Arab society at that time, there was no problem with justice and injustice. There was no difference between truth and falsehood. Shaktiman's word was law. Injustice, injustice, tyranny, lawlessness, adultery, theft, robbery, murder and bloodshed were rampant. The society was divided into small tribes. There was no well-organized state system and no undisputed leadership. It is as if they could not even imagine that human life could have any noble purpose other than daily sustenance, fulfillment of biological needs, or material enjoyment. They lived divided into many small and large tribes, which had no unity, no brotherhood, and no national consciousness. Fights, fights, and bloodshed were daily occurrences. The wars between one tribe and another lasted throughout the year and that too over trivial incidents. But war, however trivial, once started, did not end easily. Some wars lasted for centuries. Here's a sample of how the conflict became a hot topic.

Once a foreign traveler became the guest of an old woman named Basus, suffering from hunger. The guest had a camel with him. He left the camel in the pasture and sat down to eat at the old woman's house. Meanwhile, the camel entered the garden of a man named Kulayb and rubbed against a tree. There was a bird's nest in that tree, due to friction of the camel, an egg from that nest fell to the ground and broke. Kulaib, the owner of the garden, became angry when the bird started screaming. He got angry and threw back the camel. Meanwhile, seeing Kulaib's throw, the old woman also became very excited. His guest's camel was wounded, and he appealed to his relatives to avenge the insult he had suffered. Saddened by the pitiful cries of the old woman, one of his distant relatives, Kulaib, attacked and killed him, and a fierce war began between Banu Bakr and Banu Taghlab, and this war continued for eighty years from generation to generation. That is, the war lasted for eighty years and nothing else centered on the incident of breaking a bird's egg!

These hereditary bloody riots became so terrible that the Arabs came to a unanimous decision that they would abstain from bloodshed for four months of the year. These months will be considered holy months or forbidden months. At this time even the most extreme enemy will not be killed if it is close at hand. But the intoxication of blood got to them in such a way that they broke the rules of the forbidden month several times and got involved in the war. These battles, which were fought in violation of the forbidden month, were called the Battles of Fiser. One such battle of Fizar took place when Rasulullah was twenty years old. In history, it is known as Fizar Al Barad. During this war, Rasulullah's uncles used to take him to the battlefield. Rasulullah (SAW) said, "I used to resist the arrows and spears thrown by the enemies and would collect them and hand them over to my uncles." (Sirat Ibn Hisham) In the biography of Rasulullah, we can learn about the establishment of the organization called 'Hilful Fujul' after the battle of Fizr, mainly when the young mind of Rasulullah became pained by the horror of this war, he formed the organization called 'Hilful Fujul' whose aim was to fight - Stop the bloodshed and establish peace in the Arabian Peninsula. This shows how vocal the Messenger of Allah was in eradicating injustice and bloodshed from a young age.

The Arabian desert was never suitable for agriculture, so although there was some small-scale farming, many made a living by trading and raising domestic animals. And the livelihood of the rest depended on looting. Accomplishing a robbery was considered a sign of achievement and heroism in those days. Notorious robbers used to take pride in recounting the stories of their heists at gatherings. Poems were recited describing the heroism of how he was able to kill an innocent passerby and take away the aid. Hearing that poem, people used to cheer again. Another disease of society was theft. Not only the poor but also the rich used to steal. They used to gain self-glory by recounting that theft. But while the poor thief was rarely tried, the rich were never tried. Theft became so terrible that later when the Arabs accepted Islam, the Messenger of Allah took a promise to them in advance that, 'You shall never steal.''Due to constant riots and bloodshed, the Arabs lost the human qualities of kindness, tenderness, compassion, etc. Cruelty, cruelty and madness become. They made kebabs by cutting the meat from the backs of live camels and the fatty meat from dumb runs.

Women's Rights in the Jahili Age: Law of Inheritance

Women had no social status during the Jahili period. They were considered heirlooms like cattle or cattle. Even certain foods were specified for men, which were prohibited for women. At that time it was considered humiliating to have a female child and she was buried alive. Almighty Allah says:

When one of them is given the good news of a daughter, his face turns black and he is overcome with unbearable grief. The news that was given to him, because of his sadness, he sings from his own community. He thought he would keep him in spite of his depravity, or bury him in the ground (Nahl 58-59).

As noted elsewhere,

'When the daughter is buried alive will be asked, for what crime she was killed (Taqbeer 8-9).

Not only that, women were deprived of Meerach during the Jahili era. Imam Qurtubi (RA) said:

People of the Jahili era did not inherit women and children. Even if the child is a son. They used to say, Mirach will be given only to him who fights on horseback, strikes with spears, fights with swords and gains booty'.

Mufassir Abdur Rahman Ibn Nashir As-Sadi (RA) said,

Because of their power and ruthlessness, the Arabs of the Jahili era did not make weak their successors. such as women and children. They used to fix Meerach for brave men. Because according to their idea, only men are fit to fight and plunder. Meddaktha, in the Jahili period the criteria for inheritance were masculinity and strength.

In the Jahili period, there were three means of inheritance. 1. Kinship relationship 2. Being foster son and 3. contract.

1. Kinship:

In the Jahili era, Meerach could be obtained on the basis of kinship relationships. But despite the relationship of descent and kinship, mothers, daughters, sons, children and the elderly were deprived of the property left by the deceased. Because they did not have the strength to fight against the enemy and they were of no use in the defense of their own people. Only the young and the brave were heirs to death. This rule was in force till the early days of Islam. Then it ended with the revelation of verse 11 of Surah Nisa.

During the war, captives used to kill pregnant women by pulling out their babies. He mutilated the dead body by cutting off the nose, ears, throat, etc. of the enemy killed in the war. As the sense of right and wrong disappeared, adultery spread widely in society. Describing that time, Ibn Abbas said, "They did not consider it wrong to commit adultery openly, but they did not consider adultery in secret wrong." One person's child continued to be another person's child. After the rape, the rapist would compose poems describing his ordeal and take pride in reciting them in public. In their impudence, they went so far as to circumambulate the Holy Kaaba with men and women naked.

Women's suffering knew no bounds. They were subjected to torture since childhood. Among the Arab tribes, the custom of burying female children alive continued. They took great pride in doing this humiliating and humiliating act and considered it a badge of honor for them. Besides, their youth class used to indulge in gambling, drugs, etc. Every household had someone involved in the production, sale, or consumption of drugs. The spread of usury was epidemic. There used to be human markets like cows and goats, where slaves and slaves were bought and sold. The life of slaves was animal level. They had no security of life, no guarantee of food, and no respect. Their life depended on the grace of the master. Slave slaves were forced into prostitution.

This social and political degradation made the Arabs the most neglected, neglected, ignored and despised people in the whole world. The superpower of the world at that time, the two world powers, the Romans and the Persian Empire, looked down on the Arabs, which can be understood from the fact that, although the Romans and the Persians fought repeatedly over the control of the surrounding areas of Arabia, they did not have any headache over the control of the Arabs. Although they could have directly ruled Arabia if they wanted to. Arabs feared Roman and Persian soldiers like Yama. One Roman soldier was considered equal to ten Arab soldiers.

There is a misconception that the Arabs of Jahiliyyah did not believe in Allah, which is why they were infidels. This idea is not entirely true. The Arabs of that time believed in the existence of Allah and believed that Allah is the Creator, Sustainer, etc. This testimony was given by Allah Himself. (Zakhruf: 09, Ankabut: 63) They made idols of various gods and goddesses and worshiped them, thinking that these gods and goddesses would intercede for them with Allah and help them achieve their various worldly interests. (Yunus: 18) They put 360 idols into the Holy Shrine. But Allah has given people vision, conscience, and thinking power, and people can use those powers to achieve their own success, for this reason, there is no need to wait for idols made of wood and stone. Idolatry is a curse that stifles human creativity, and dynamism. Makes people stagnant, and hangs the lock of blindness on the door of thought. They seek success by folding their hands and feet, imprisoning their thinking power in the prison of blindness and praying before idols, and failing in the laws of nature.

Because idols made of wood and stone do not have the power to hear and fulfill the needs of people, but in the name of religion, the Arab religious traders kept that superstition going for centuries and in the name of these gods and goddesses, they practically sat in the seat of the people's Ilah or commander. What they ordered, and the laws they gave were accepted by people as inviolable laws. No one could disobey them. Of course, no one wanted to be disobedient. Because the common people believed that the religious priests were the authorities of the religion. They were ready to obey whatever they were told in the name of religion. The people did not have time to think about how logical, how beneficial, etc. their statements are. And by taking advantage of this faith, the religious priests used to gain political and economic interests. This is the main reason why those people are called Kafir-Mushreek, because they did not have Allah in the seat of their Ilah or Commander, this seat they gave to their religious priests. Thus, when the degradation of the Arab people reached its final stage in all directions, the oppressed, oppressed, exploited, deprived helpless people lost their way in the darkness of Jahiliyyah and screamed, then Allah sent the last prophet, the world prophet Muhammad (PBUH) bin Abdullah, to be the beacon of truth among those people.

In the second half of the sixth century, the political situation in Arabia reached a peak of instability and the communication routes of the region became unsafe. Mainly religious and communal divisions are identified as the root cause of this crisis. As Christianity began to gain influence in the Persian Gulf region, Judaism became the dominant religion in Yemen. In the history of the ancient world, this region underwent the practice of polytheistic culture and became a center for the emergence of various religions.

During the early years of Muhammad's (PBUH) life, the Quraish clan (the clan to which he belonged) became a dominant sect in Western Arabia. They formed a society called the Hams, connecting members of many western Arabian tribes to the holy Kaaba and re-establishing Mecca's religious reputation. To counter the anarchy, the Quraysh banned all violence in the region and provided for safe pilgrimages and other gatherings. Although the Hams community was initially religious, it later became an important economic center for the region.

Biography of Muhammad (PBUH)

The birth

Muhammad (PBUH) was born in the Banu Hashim tribe of the Quraish tribe in the city of Makkah in present-day Saudi Arabia. According to popular belief, he was born on August 29, 570 CE, or on the 12th of the Arabic month of Rabiul Awwal. However, the actual date could not be revealed. Moreover, there is no reliable evidence that Muhammad himself made any comments; That is why there is so much disagreement about it. Even the months are widely disputed. For example, in one narration it would be 26th April 571 or 9th Rabiul Awal; This information came out in the research of Syed Sulaiman Nadvi, Salman Mansurpuri and Mohammad Pasha Falaki. There is no dispute that the battle of the elephants took place in the year of his birth and it was the 40th anniversary of the accession of the Persian emperor Khusrau Anusherwan.

Childhood and adolescence

Muhammad's father Abdullah died about six months before his birth. It was the custom of the Arabs at that time, to raise the children in the open climate of the desert, to give them to the Bedouin women who were engaged in milking them immediately after birth, and to take them back again after a certain period, in order that they might grow up in a healthy body, well-formed, and pure Arabic. According to this custom, Muhammad was also handed over to Halima as-Sadia. Halima belonged to the tribe of Bani Sa'd. And the Arab Bani Sa'd tribe at that time was the purest and most fluent Arabic speaker. After bringing the baby home, Halima regained her composure and they were able to raise the baby boy properly. One incident of that time is notable: the baby Muhammad would only drink from one of Halima's breasts and leave the other for his other nurse brother. After two years of fostering, Halima returned the baby Muhammad to his mother Amina. But soon after, an epidemic broke out in Mecca and the baby Muhammad was returned to Halima. Halima also wanted to get the child back. His hope was fulfilled. According to Islamic belief, a miracle happened a few days after this - one day, a part of the liver was cut open in the chest of the child Prophet, washed in the water of Zamzam well and placed again in its proper place by Angels Gabriel and Angels Michael. This event is known as the incident of chest splitting in the history of Islam.

After this incident, Halima returned Muhammad to Amina. He lived with his mother until he was six years old. At this time, one day Amina wants to go to Medina with her son. It was probably due to visiting a relative and visiting her husband's grave. Mother Amina, son, father-in-law and companion Umm Ayman traveled 500 kilometers to reach Madinah. He spent a month in Medina. A month later, on his way back to Makkah, he fell seriously ill at a place called Abwa and died there. After the death of the mother, the grandfather Abdul Muttalib reached Mecca with the child Muhammad. From then on, Dada-i continued to look after Muhammad. His grandfather also died when Muhammad was 8 years 2 months 10 days old. Before his death, he left his son Abu Talib in charge of Muhammad.

Abu Talib was a merchant and traveled to Syria once a year according to Arab rules. When Muhammad was 12 years old, he decided to go to Syria with his uncle. Abu Talib could no longer forbid it because of intense compassion. After reaching Bushra on the journey, Abu Talib pitched his tent with the caravan. At that time, Bushra, the capital of the kingdom of Arabia Petraea, occupied by Rome in the Arabian Peninsula, was famous in many ways. It is said that in the city there was a Christian priest called Zarzis who was better known as Buhaira or Bahira. He came out of his church and entertained the travelers of the caravan. At that time, he saw the boy Muhammad and identified him as the last prophet. Muhammad was 15 years old when the battle of Fizr began. He indirectly participated in this war. That is, he helps his tribe in various ways, including supplying them with weapons, without fighting directly. Muhammad (pbuh) was young then. He was deeply distressed by the brutality of the war. But there was nothing he could do. From that time he started thinking of doing something. Because of his good character and good behavior, everyone in the familiar addressed him as "al-Amin" (meaning: "the faithful, the trustworthy, the trustworthy") and "as-Siddiq" (meaning: "the truthful").

Pre-Prophetic Life

An organization called Hilful Fuzul was established to suppress the violence, treachery and revenge among the Arabs. Muhammad joined it and played a major role in advancing this association. It is known from various sources that Muhammad (PBUH) did not have any profession in his youth. However, many have mentioned that he used to graze goats. Usually, the goats he used to graze were from Banu Sa'd tribe. He used to graze the goats of various people living in Makkah for a fee of a few kirats. Then he started in the business. Muhammad achieved great success in this work within a short period of time. He visited Syria, Bushra, Bahrain and Yemen several times on business. When Muhammad's fame spread far and wide, Khadija bint Khuwaylid was informed and requested him to go on a business trip. Muhammad accepted this offer and went as far as Bushra in Syria with Khadija's goods.

Khadijah was overwhelmed by Maisara's praise of Muhammad's (PBUH) honesty and justice. Besides, seeing the success of the business, he was also informed about his qualifications. At one point she decided to marry Muhammad. He expressed his thoughts about marriage to his girlfriend Nafisa bint Munabihar. After listening to Nafisa, Muhammad says that he will talk to her guardians. Muhammad spoke to his uncles and consented to the marriage. Khadija was 40 years old and Muhammad was 25 years old at the time of marriage. He did not marry again during Khadijah's lifetime. Khadija bore Muhammad six children, four daughters and two sons. Their names are Qasim, Zainab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulsoom, Fatima and Abdullah respectively. Both sons died in infancy. All of the girls reached the Islamic age and embraced Islam, and all died in her lifetime except Fatima.

When Muhammad was 35 years old, the need to rebuild the Kaaba arose. The renovation of the Kaaba began due to several reasons. The old building was demolished and new construction started. Thus during the rebuilding, a setback occurred when the construction work up to the Hazret Aswad (Holy Black Stone) was completed. Originally there was a dispute over which tribe member would do this work. Construction work was divided among all the clans. But establishing Hazare Aswad was one's work. A dispute broke out over who would install it, and after four or five days the dispute became so serious that it threatened to lead to murder. In this situation, a man named Abu Umayyah Makhzoomi decided a solution that the decision of the first person to enter through the door of Masjid al-Haram the next morning would be accepted by everyone. The next day Muhammad entered the Kaaba first. Everyone was quite pleased with this and accepted him as a judge. And everyone had a deep trust in him. However, given this responsibility, Muhammad handled it very smoothly. He spread a sheet and placed Hazre Aswad on it with his own hand and called the leaders of each of the disputing clans and asked them to take the different corners of the sheet to their respective places and they did so. Then he lifted the stone and placed it in a certain place.

Attainment of Prophethood

According to Islamic sources, Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, attained prophethood at the age of forty, that is, at this time God sent messages to him. According to the hadith narrated by Az-Zuhri, Muhammad received revelation through visions of truth. After reaching the age of thirty, Muhammad often spent time in meditation in the cave of Hera, near Mecca. His wife Khadija used to bring him food regularly. According to the hadith, one day while meditating, the angel Gabriel came to him with the message of God and asked him to recite these verses:

“Recite, in the name of your Lord who created. He created man from clotted blood. Recite, your Lord the Most Merciful, who taught with the pen, taught man what he did not know. "

Muhammad replied that he did not know how to read, whereupon Jibraeel hugged him and pressed him hard and asked him to recite the same line again. But this time too, Muhammad expressed his impotence. After pressing three times in this way, Muhammad was able to read the verse. According to Muslim belief, this is the first set of verses in the Qur'an; The first five verses of Surah Al-Aqb. The narration also mentions that after receiving the first message, Muhammad was so frightened that he entered his house trembling and asked Khadijah to cover him with a blanket. He kept saying, "cover me". Khadija fully believed all these words of Muhammad and accepted him as a prophet. To allay her fears, Khadija took Muhammad to her cousin Waraqah ibn Nawfal. Naufal calls him the last prophet. Nabi gradually assimilated. Then wait again for the next revelation. After a long pause, God's words came to him for the second time. Now some verses of Surah Muddassir were revealed. From then on, Muhammad devoted himself to spreading Islam secretly.

Makki life of Muhammad (pbuh)

Covert propaganda

After the revelation, Muhammad realized that in order to establish it, he would have to stand against the whole of Arab society; Because the leadership of that time had no other way to spread and establish Islam except to destroy it. So first he started spreading the message of Islam secretly among his relatives and friends. The first person to accept Islam at Muhammad's call was his wife Khadijah. Muhammad's cousin and home-grown teenager Ali, who was only 10 years old when he converted to Islam, then became a Muslim. To convey the message of Islam, the Prophet held a meeting with prominent people of his clan; No one accepted his ideology in this meeting, and only one accepted Islam in this meeting, that is Ali. The third person to accept Islam was Abu Bakr, a close friend of the Prophet. Thus he started the work of spreading Islam in the first stage and this work continued in complete secrecy.

Public invitation

After three years of invitations in secret, Muhammad began to preach Islam publicly. The beginning of such a campaign was quite dramatic. Muhammad stood on Mount Safa and called everyone together. Then publicly said, "There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah". But this made everyone furious against him. He is despised by most Meccans, but has a small number of followers. Mainly three classes of people followed him and converted to Islam: younger brothers and sons of large merchants; People who have been displaced from or have not reached the top of their communities and vulnerable people, especially insecure foreigners.

Facing opposition in Mecca

Muhammad's opponents began to persecute him on several levels: first by creating an atmosphere of incitement and excitement, then by propaganda, sophistry and counterargument. When these also did not work, at one point efforts were made to undermine the propagation of Islam and a propaganda group was formed to manage it. At the same time, the Arab poets and flatterers of the time were formed into interesting literary and musical groups, and at one point the Quraysh even tried to compromise with Muhammad. But Muhammad did not accept it; Because the condition of the compromise was to practice Islam without preaching or to preach Islam by supporting polytheistic paganism, while calling people to monotheism without idols was the first divine duty of preaching.

Emigration to Ethiopia

As violence against Muslims gradually escalated, Nabi sent a number of Muslims to migrate to Abyssinia. From there too the Quraysh tried to bring back the Muslims, although it was unsuccessful due to the then emperor of Abyssinia, Najjashi.

Acceptance of important persons to Islam

Then the most important event in the history of Islam was the conversion of Muhammad's uncle Hamza and the Quraysh leader Umar Ibn al-Khattab to Islam. Muhammad was loved by his uncle Hamza and loved him like his own son. Abu Jahl treated Muhammad with harsh language in the courtyard of the Kaaba. Upon learning of this incident, Muhammad's uncle Hamza beat Abu Jahl in protest and accepted Islam with Muhammad's support. On his conversion to Islam, Muslim supremacy in Arabia was established to some extent. Abu Jahl's companion, the Quraysh stalwart Umar, also led the opposition to the Muslims. Muhammad always prayed that at least one of Abu Jahl and Umar would accept Islam. This prayer was fulfilled by Umar's conversion to Islam. Because of Umar's special influence in Arab society, his conversion to Islam made the spread of Islam somewhat easier, although the difficult part was still considered important. Nevertheless, Umar's conversion to Islam strengthened Muslim supremacy, and the Muslims, including Muhammad, began to worship publicly with Umar in the Kaaba, having been assured of total protection from Umar.

Exile of Muhammad (pbuh)

Thus, while Islam was progressing at a slow pace, the Quraysh of Mecca isolated and besieged Muhammad and his followers, including the Banu Hashim tribe. They were released after three years of confinement.

Sad year and Taif journey

The year after liberation was a year of sorrow for Muhammad. Because in this year his wife Khadija and uncle Abu Talib died in a very short period of time. During the Troubles, Muhammad became very disillusioned with the spread of Islam in Mecca. Frustrated, he left Makkah and went to Taif to preach Islam (the date of his departure to Taif is disputed). But while preaching Islam there, he was subjected to ultimate humiliation, anger and ridicule. Even the people of Taif threw their youth behind Muhammad; They beat him to death with bricks and stones. But still he did not give up; Rather, he continued to think about the possibility of spreading Islam there.

Mi'raj or Ascension

According to Islamic interpretation, Muhammad traveled one night from Masjid al-Haram in Mecca to Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem; This journey is known as Isra in Islam. According to the narrations of the Holy Hadith Sharif and Sahaba-Ajma'in, he ascended from Masjid al-Aqsa in a Buraq (a special divine vehicle) and attained the presence of the Almighty. During this time he observed heaven and hell and met Prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus. This journey is known as Mi'raj to Muslims. According to Islamic sources, no time on earth is believed to have passed during this entire journey. Muhammad's first biographer, Ibn Ishaq, argued that the event took place spiritually, while later rationalist Islamic historians, such as al-Tabari and Ibn Kasir, argued that Muhammad physically ascended to Mi'raj.[84]

Migration to Medina

At the call of Muhammad, several people in Mecca became enthusiastic about Islam and accepted Islam. They originally came to perform Hajj and were invited to Islam. They swore to Muhammad at Aqaba that they would protect their Prophet Muhammad at all costs and work for the spread of Islam. These oaths are known as the Oath of Aqaba. It was through these oaths that an environment conducive to the establishment of Islam was created in Medina, and once the leaders of the 12 tribes of Medina invited Muhammad to come to Medina by sending a delegation. In Medina and Yathrib, from long ago until about 620 AD, there were wars between tribes and the Jews. Especially in the Battle of Beach, there was a lot of bloodshed as all the clans took part in the war. From this, the people of Madinah were able to understand that the principle of taking blood for blood could no longer apply. That's why they need a leader who can unite everyone. It was with this in mind that they invited Muhammad, although many of the invitees had not yet converted to Islam. On this invitation, the Muslims migrated from Mecca to Medina. Finally, Muhammad and Abu Bakr migrated to Medina in 622 AD. On the day of their migration, the Quraysh planned to assassinate Muhammad, although it did not succeed. This is how the Makki era ended. Those who migrated from Mecca to Medina with Muhammad became known as "Muhajirun".

Madani life of Muhammad (pbuh)

Leaving one's tribe to join another tribe was considered impossible in Arabia. But in the eyes of Islam, it is not like that, because in this case, the bond of Islam is considered the best bond for Muslims. It gave birth to a revolutionary thought in that era. In the Islamic calendar, the counting of days starts from the year of Hijra. That is why AH is mentioned at the end of the Islamic calendar year which means: After Hijri.

Establishment of independent state and formulation of the constitution

Muhammad went to Medina as a mediator and ruler. At that time the two main parties in conflict were Banu Aaws and Banu Khazraj. He performed his duty well. All tribes of Medina signed the historic Medina Charter, which is known as the first written constitution in the history of the world. Through this charter, all bloodshed was declared forbidden among Muslims. It even initiates state policy and creates a sense of accountability among all the tribes. Both Aws and Khazraj tribes embraced Islam. Also mainly three Jewish tribes (Banu Qainuka, Banu Quraiza and Banu Nadir). Including these, a total of eight tribes signed this charter. By this charter, Medina was established as an independent state and Muhammad became its head. The people of Medina who accepted Islam and helped the Muslim emigrants by sheltering them were known as Ansar (helpers).

Disputes and wars with Mecca

Immediately after the establishment of the state in Medina, its relations with Mecca deteriorated day by day. The Quraysh of Makkah continued to adopt a bellicose attitude towards the destruction of the Madinah state. Muhammad was at the forefront of making peace with all the surrounding tribes after arriving in Medina. But the Quraysh of Makkah confiscated the property of all Muslims who left their homes. In this situation, in 624, Muhammad sent an army of 300 soldiers to intercept a trade caravan in Mecca. Because the caravan was trying to collect weapons in the name of trade. Quraysh succeeded in protecting their caravan. But calls for war to avenge this attempt. In this self-defensive battle, the Muslims were victorious despite being one-third of the Quraysh in terms of numbers. This battle known as the Battle of Badr took place on March 15, 624 AD. According to Muslims, Allah helped Muslims in this battle. From this period the armed history of Islam begins. Then the battle of Uhud took place on March 23, 625. In this, the Quraish were initially defeated but eventually managed to enter Makkah as victors and the Muslims entered Madinah as vanquished due to the weakness of policy at the last moment despite their initial victory. In 627 Abu Sufyan attacked Medina with another group of Quraish. But this time too the Muslims were defeated in the Battle of Khandak. Encouraged by the victory in the war, the Muslims became a dominant force in Arabia. As a result, Muslims were able to influence many surrounding tribes.

Relations with the Jews of Medina

But at this time the Jews living in Medina became a threat to the Islamic state. Originally the Jews did not believe that a non-Jew could be the last prophet. That is why they never accepted the ideals of Islam and when they realized the power of the Islamic state, they realized the need to use force against it. Muhammad attacked one Jewish tribe after each battle. After the battles of Badr and Uhud, the tribes of Banu Qainuka and Banu Nadi were expelled from Medina; And after the trench, all the Jews were expelled from Medina. Two reasons for Muhammad's anti-Semitism can be found, one religious and the other political. If you think from a religious point of view, this was the punishment for not accepting the last prophet even though he was an Ahl al-Kitab. And politically speaking, the Jews were a threat and a weakness for Medina. That is why they are expelled.

Treaty of Hudaybiyah

"O, Lord! In your name.

It is a peace treaty between Muhammad ibn Abdullah and Suhail ibn Amr. They agreed to a truce for ten years. During said period both parties are safe and neither party shall harm the other party; There will be no secret attacks, but there will be mutual honesty and respect between them. If anyone in Arabia wants to make a treaty or enter into a treaty with Muhammad, he can do so, and whoever wants to make a treaty or enter into a treaty with Quraish, he can do so too. And if a Quraish comes to Muhammad without permission (entering Madinah), he shall be returned to the Quraish; But on the other hand, if one of Muhammad's people comes to Quraysh, he will not be handed over (returned) to Muhammad. This year Muhammad must withdraw from Makkah with his companions, but next year he may come to Makkah and stay for three days, but without their weapons and with their swords sheathed."

—Declaration of the Treaty of Hudaybiyah

Although the Qur'an mentions the rules and requirements of Hajj for Muslims, Muslims could not perform Hajj due to the enmity of Quraish. Muhammad saw in a vision that he was shaving his head for Hajj. Seeing this, he made up his mind to perform Hajj and in the month of Shawwal in 6 A.H. he set out on the road to Mecca with 1400 companions for Hajj. But this time also the Quraysh prevented. Necessarily the Muslims set up a base at Hudaybiyah on the outskirts of Mecca. Here a peace treaty was signed between the Muslims and the Quraish, known in history as the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. According to this treaty, the Muslims returned to Madinah that year without performing the Hajj. Although most of the terms of the treaty went against the Muslims, Muhammad carried out the treaty.

Letters to various statesmen

According to Muslim belief, Muhammad was sent as a messenger to the whole world and it was his responsibility to convey the call of Islam to all parts of the world. After the Treaty of Hudaybiyah, he concentrated on this work after being reassured by the Quraish and other Arab tribes. At that time, the main powers of the world were the Roman Empire in Europe, the Persian Empire in Asia and the Abyssinian Empire in Africa. Also, the 'Aziz Muqaukis' of Egypt, the chieftain of Yamama and the Ghassani ruler of Syria were also quite influential. Therefore, at the end of the sixth Hijri month, six messengers were sent to them with invitations to Islam.

Conquest of Mecca

The ten-year Treaty of Hudaybiyah was broken after only two years. The Khujaah tribe was the ally of the Muslims, while their enemy, the Bakr tribe, was the ally of the Quraish. One night Bakr tribe ambushed Khujaad. The Quraish unjustly supported the Bakr clan in this attack by arming them. According to some accounts, some youths of Quraysh also participated in the attack. After this incident, Muhammad sent a letter to the Quraish with three conditions and asked the Quraish to accept any one of these three conditions. The conditions are three;

Quraish will pay the blood money of the slain of the tribe of Khuja'a.

Or they will declare their alliance with the Bakr tribe void.

Or declare that the Treaty of Hudaybiyah has been abrogated and the Quraish are ready for war.

The Quraysh said that they would only accept the third condition. But the Quraysh soon realized their mistake and sent Abu Sufyan to Medina as an envoy to renew the treaty. But Muhammad rejected the Quraysh's offer and began preparing to attack Mecca.

In 630 AD, Muhammad left for Makkah with a large army of ten thousand companions. That day was the 10th of the month of Ramadan of the eighth Hijri. Mecca was conquered fairly unopposed, except for a few scattered skirmishes, and Muhammad entered in triumph. He announced a general amnesty for the people of Makkah. But ten men and women were out of this pardon. They vilified Islam and Muhammad in various ways. However, some of them were pardoned later. On entering Mecca, Muhammad first entered the Kaaba and destroyed all the idols there. Most Meccans converted to Islam after seeing the prosperity of the Muslims and being impressed by Muhammad's forgiveness. The event of this victory is specially discussed in Al-Qur'an.

After the conquest of Mecca

After the conquest of Mecca, Muhammad saw the possibility of an attack by the Hawazin community. They had twice as many soldiers as Muhammad's army. The Banu Hawazin were Mecca's old enemies. The Banu Sakif (inhabitants of the city of Taif) adopted an anti-Mecca policy and joined the Banu Hawazin. Muhammad defeated Hawazin and Sakifs in the Battle of Hunain.

Death of Muhammad (PBUH)

After returning from the Farewell Hajj, Muhammad contracted fever in the month of Safar 11 Hijri. The heat was felt even on the turban due to the high temperature of the fever. Even when he was sick, he led prayers for eleven days. After the illness worsened, he stayed at Aisha's house with the permission of all his wives. The illness was said to have been caused by consuming poisoned food prepared by a Jewish woman in Khyber. Resting his head in his wife Aisha's lap, he asks Aisha to donate the last of his worldly possessions (seven or eight dinars) (reportedly the day before his death), then utters the last words of his life:

O Allah, You are ar-Rafiq al-A'la (The Best Friend, the Highest Abode or the Most Excellent, the Highest Companion of Heaven).

— Muhammad

Finally, on Sunday 8th June 632 AD or on the evening of 12th Rabiul Awwal 11th Hijri, he died at Aisha's house in Madinah. At that time he was 63 years old. Ali gave him a bath and shrouded him. Ayesha's house where she died, she was buried after the funeral. Later, during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Walid I, the Masjid al-Nababi was expanded to include Muhammad's grave within its expanded area. His grave is still inside the Masjid Nabbi. Next to Muhammad's grave, there are two other graves, those of the first two caliphs of Islam and famous Companions, Abu Bakr and Umar respectively, another grave space has been left empty next to it. According to Muslim belief, it is there that Prophet Jesus will be buried after his actual death.

After the death of Muhammad (PBUH)

After Muhammad's death in 632 AD, when his family members were busy with his burial, differences arose among the Ansar in Medina over his successor. Both Umar and Abu Ubaidah expressed their loyalty to Abu Bakr. The Ansar and the Muhajirs of Medina soon followed them. Abu Bakr was thus unanimously anointed as the first caliph (Khalifa Rasulullah or successor of the Messenger of Allah) and began to work for the propagation of Islam. Through this, a new political institution called the Khilafat was formed. First, he had to suppress the rebellious Arab tribes who had abandoned Islam and returned to the Eastern system. After Abu Bakr's rise to power, the problem soon came to a head and became a threat to the state. Some heresies occurred during Muhammad's lifetime, and the first conflict regarding this occurred during his lifetime. As the apostasy increased, it affected every tribe in Arabia. In some cases, entire tribes are apostatized. In some cases, there is a refusal to pay zakat even if one does not deny Islam. Many tribal leaders started claiming themselves as prophets. Apostasy is considered the highest crime in Islamic law. Abu Bakr declared war on the rebels. With this, the battle of Ridda started. The apostates of Central Arabia were led by the self-proclaimed prophet Musailima. Others were leading other regions in the south and east such as Bahrain, Mahra and Yemen. Abu Bakr formulated a plan to suppress the rebellion. He divided the Muslim army into several divisions. The most powerful and primary force was led by Khalid bin Walid. Khalid's troops were used to fight the powerful forces of the rebels. Other troops were used to deal with less important insurgents. Abu Bakr's plan was first to clear western and central Arabia (which was close to Medina), then to deal with Malik ibn Nuayrah, and finally to discipline the most dangerous enemy, Musailima. After several successive successes, Khalid bin Walid finally defeated Musailima at the Battle of Yamama. This war started and ended in 11 Hijri. In 12 Hijri, the leadership of the caliphs stationed in Arab Medina was consolidated. Abu Bakr consolidated Arabia under Islam and saved the Islamic state from collapse by defeating the rebel so-called Prophet in battle.

Muhammad as reformer

According to William Montgomery Watt, religion was not a personal or singular subject for Muhammad, "it was the full expression of his personality in which he found himself. He was concerned with religious and intellectual matters as well as the economic, social and political pressures of contemporary Mecca." According to Bernard Lewis, there are two important political traditions in Islam - Muhammad as a statesman in Medina and Muhammad as a rebel in Mecca. He considered the introduction of the new social system as a major change in Islam, which was more like a revolution.

Historians generally agree that Islamic social changes positively reformed Arab society in areas such as social security, family structure, slavery, and the rights of women and children. For example: According to Lewis, Islam 'went from criticizing civil privileges confined to the elite to ending the priesthood and adopting a theocracy-based professional system.' Muhammad's message transformed the morality and society of the people of the Arabian Peninsula; Society focused on self-identity, global outlook, and hierarchy of values. Economic reforms took into account the plight of the poor, which had become a problem in pre-Islamic Mecca. The Qur'an enjoins the payment of taxes (Zakat) for the benefit of the poor; As Muhammad's power grew, he demanded that the tribes that wished to ally with him pay zakat individually.

Muhammad's Miracles According to Islamic Narratives

According to Muslims, Muhammad's numerous miraculous powers number over ten thousand overt miracles or miracles. The famous scholar Jalaluddin Suyuti recorded the incidents related to the miracles of Muhammad separately in his book "Khasayesul Kubra". In response to the demands of the Meccans, Muhammad split the moon in half for a while. Al-Quran's Surah Qamar mentions the splitting of the moon in Muhammad's prayer. One narration states that on the day before the Battle of Badr, Muhammad reached the place called Badr and said,

“It is the place of so-and-so's martyrdom, it is the place of so-and-so's murder. Companions said, 'Rasulullah! The place for which sallallahu alaihi wa sallam has shown, has not moved a little. (Muslim)

An Islamic account mentions that a companion's broken leg was healed by the touch of Muhammad. When Companion Abdullah Ibn Atiq broke his leg, he touched his leg when he reported it to Muhammad. The Sahabi said, 'My leg was healed by it as if I had never been hurt by it.' (Bukhari) In another narration, Muhammad fed thousands of people with contented food on meager food as the power given by Allah. (Bukhari, Muslim)

The view of non-Muslims

French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte praised Muhammad and Islam, calling him an ideal lawmaker and a great man. Historians Thomas Carlyle and William Montgomery Watt in their respective books refer to Muhammad as one of the most influential positive reformers in history. In addition, Michael H. Hart places Muhammad first in his biography The World's One Hundred Wise Men.

Reference: Wikipedia