w


  





 
 
 Muhammad was born in Mecca approximately 570
C.E. and was a member of the Quraysh tribe. His parents
died when he was young, and he never learned to read or
write. When he was 12, he visited Syria and had his first
exposure to Jews and Christians and apparently developed
a respect for these "People of the Book." At 25, Muhammad
married a widow named Khadija who was involved in trade
and got him involved in it as well.

During one trading journey when he was about 40,

Muhammad had an encounter with the angel Gabriel
revealed to him special revelations. Different opinions exist
on whether Mohammed miraculously read or just repeated
the revelations, which said he was to become the messenger
of God. Following his prophetic experience, Mohammed
returned to his wife and began spreading the teachings he
learned.
 Madinah also had a sizeable Jewish community,
which had probably moved there after being expelled from
Palestine by the Romans. Muhammad respected the Jews,
and his early teachings appeared to borrow from Jewish
tradition. The Jews began to distance themselves from
Muhammad, however, when he became critical of their not
recognizing him as a prophet.

Once it was clear the Jews would not accept him,

Muhammad began to minimize or eliminate the Jewish
influence on his beliefs. For example, he shifted the direction
of prayers from Jerusalem to Mecca, made Friday his
special day of prayer, and renounced the Jewish dietary
laws (except for the prohibition on eating pork).
 Originally, he said the Arabs were descendants of
Abraham through his son Ishmael, but in the Koran
Abraham's connection to the Jews is denied, with
Muhammad asserting that Abraham is only the patriarch of
Islam, not Judaism as well, because he "surrendered
himself to Allah."

One of the immediate consequences of

Muhammad's frustration was the expulsion of two Jewish
tribes from Medina and the murder of all the members of a
third Jewish tribe (except for the women and children, who
were sold into slavery). But even worse for the long-term
treatment of the Jews were a number of inflammatory
statements about Jews that Muhammad made that appear in
the Koran.
 Muhammad began to develop a code of behavior
that he said had come from Allah, or God. Some of the
revelations included that the world would end, that God
would judge humans mercifully if they submitted to His will,
and that people should pray to show their gratitude to God.

Muhammad slowly began to build his power base

both by the persuasiveness of his faith and the old-
fashioned way: by marrying women from important families
to gain political advantage. He came to control the oases
and markets, which forced other traders and tribesmen to
negotiate with him. When he finally returned to Mecca, it
was at the head of an imposing army that forced the
residents to capitulate.
 The people who accepted Muhammad's teachings
came to be known as Muslims and their religion Islam,
Arabic for "surrender [to the will of Allah]." Muhammad was
regarded as the last and most perfect prophet. During the
two centuries after Muhammad's death, the laws of Islam
were codified in the Shariah, and Muhammad was regarded
as the last and most perfect prophet. The word of God was
revealed to him through the angel Gabriel and recorded in
the Arabic language in the Quran.

Muhammad died in 632, and it was left to his

followers to carry on the traditions he had begun. His
followers developed Islam, just as the followers of Moses
and Jesus developed Judaism and Christianity over time.
 Prophet for all humanity Ö
Ö 

  Ö   
! "Ö#
#$ %&'  () * +, 
) , -.( /(Ö01$ 
2 3 4(
4 Ö 5(
Ö 67$ 8  $. 3#
 (
Ö 6
9(:;
4 


v[Say, O Muhammad]: 'O men! I

am Allah's Messenger to you all - of
Him to Whom belongs the dominion of
the heavens and the earth. There is no
god but He. He grants life and deals
death. Have faith then, in Allah and in
His Messenger, the ummi Prophet who
believes in Allah and His words; and
follow him so that you may be guided
aright.'
 Islam had come to illuminate the lives of the people
with the light of virtue and good manners, to create in them
brightness of character, and to fill their laps with the pearls
of good conduct. It made the stages that came in the
process of achieving this great objective as an important
part of the prophet hood. Similarly it declared all attempts to
create disruption in these stages as an expulsion from the
religion and equivalent tothrowing away the yoke of faith
from one's neck.

The position of morality is not like that of the means

of pleasures and luxuries, from which indifference may be
possible. But morality is the name of the principles of life
which the religion must adopt and must care for the respect
of its standard-bearers.
6 A slave achieves, by means of the goodness of his
character, great position and high honour in the Hereafter,
though he may be weak in matters of worship; but on
account of his wickedness of character he is thrown in
the lowest recesses of the Hell.

6 A Muslim who observes moderation in matter of worship,

on account of the goodness of his character and decency
achieves the position of that man who observes fast and
recites Allah's verses during prayers in the night.

6 A Momin's nobility is his religiousness, his tolerance is his

intelligence, and his lineage is his goodness of character.

6 Successful is the man who had purified his heart for faith,
kept his heart on the right lines, his tongue was truthful,
his self was content, and his nature was on the right path.
6 ˜
e unt
each sinful liar, 
earet e revela
s

Alla reced u
 a e c

e  pr e as


 e ear e 
. Ge   s
 a pa



. A we e k
e 

 O
 ee 
s e
e   jes. F
 s
c ee s  se


. Bey

e ee s e    c ey e ee 

  e 
 
se 
 ey e c
se 

p
ec e s bes e A . Tes  be  


.
Ts s 
 ce. A 
se 
sbe ee e ee 
s

e L
  
 e ee s  p



 .µ (45:7-
11)

6 ˜
se 
e e Scp

e   ee e se
O
 essees. B
 e  c
e 

 e ccs
e 

 e ecs  cs. e e e 



  es; e e e 
s 
e Fe. (40:70-72)

6 ˜ 
 e e (e c

 e ˜

  
 
se

e (e c

 e 

 e e pepe 
 e. e  see e 
  e e e cc 
 e 
 ee
. A e e e 
 
 

p ce ee
 ce 
ee e p 
 es
c

ee.µ (25:11-13
6 þ 
        
 
  
  
  
 





6   
     

6 
  
     
  

6    
 
   

6     

!! 
 
 "

 #
6 "There is none worthy of
worship except God and
Muhammad is the
messenger of God." This
declaration of faith is called
the Shahadah, a simple
formula that all the faithful
pronounce. The significance
of this declaration is the
belief that the only purpose
of life is to serve and obey
God, and this is achieved
through the teachings and
practices of the
Last Prophet, Muhammad.
6 Salah is the name for the obligatory
prayers that are performed five times a
day, and are a direct link between the
worshipper and God. There is no
hierarchical authority in Islam and there
are no priests. Prayers are led by a
learned person who knows the Qur'an and
is generally chosen by the congregation.
6 Prayers are said at dawn, mid-day, late-
afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus
determine the rhythm of the entire day.
These five prescribed prayers contain
verses from the Qur'an, and are said in
Arabic, the language of the Revelation.
Personal supplications, however, can
be offered in one's own language and at
any time.
6 Although it is preferable to worship
together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray
almost anywhere, such as in fields,
offices, factories and universities.
Oftentimes visitors to the Muslim world
are struck by the centrality of prayers in
daily life.
6 An important principle of Islam is that everything belongs to God, and
that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust. The word zakah
means both "purification" and "growth." Our possessions are purified
by setting aside a proportion for those in need and for the society in
general. Like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and
encourages new growth.
6 Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakah individually. This involves
the annual payment of a fortieth of one's capital, excluding such items
as primary residence, car and professional tools.
6 An individual may also give as much as he or she pleases as sadaqa-
h, and does so preferably in secret. Although this word can be
translated as "voluntary charity" it has a wider meaning.
The Prophet said, "Even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is an
act of charity." The Prophet also said: "Charity is a necessity for every
Muslim." He was asked: "What if a person has nothing?" The
Prophet replied: "He should work with his own hands for his benefit and
then give something out of such earnings in charity." The Companions
of the Prophet asked: "What if he is not able to work?" The Prophet said:
"He should help the poor and needy." The Companions further asked:
"What if he cannot do even that?" The Prophet said: "He should urge
others to do good." The Companions said: "What if he lacks that also?"
The Prophet said: "He should check himself from doing evil. That is also
an act of charity."
6 Every year in the month of Ramada-n, all Muslims
fast from dawn until sundown--abstaining from
food, drink, and sexual relations with their
spouses.
6 Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey, and
women who are menstruating, pregnant or
nursing, are permitted to break the fast
and make up an equal number of days later in
the year if they are healthy and able. Children
begin to fast (and to observe prayers) from
puberty, although many start earlier.
6 Although fasting is beneficial to health, it is
mainly a method of self-purification and self-
restraint. By cutting oneself from worldly
comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person
focuses on his or her purpose in life by constantly
being aware of the presence of God. God states
in the Qur'an: "O you who believe! Fasting is
prescribed for you as it was prescribed to those
before you that you may learn self-restraint."
(Qur'an 2:183)
6 The pilgrimage to Makkah (the hajj) is an obligation only
for those who are physically and financially able to do so.
Nevertheless, over two million people go to Makkah each
year from every corner of the globe providing a unique
opportunity for those of different nations to meet one
another.
6 The annual hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic
year (which is lunar, not solar, so that hajj and Ramada-n
fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter). Pilgrims
wear special clothes: simple garments that strip away
distinctions of class and culture, so that all stand equal
before God.
6 The rites of the hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin,
include going around the Ka'bah seven times, and going
seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa as did
Hagar (Hajir, Abraham's wife) during her search for water.
The pilgrims later stand together on the wide plains of
'Arafat (a large expanse of desert outside Makkah) and join
in prayer for God's forgiveness, in what is often thought as
a preview of the Day of Judgment.
6 The close of the hajj is marked by a festival, the 'Id al Adha,
which is celebrated with prayers and the exchange of gifts
in Muslim communities everywhere. This and the 'Id al Fitr,
a festive day celebrating the end of Ramada-n, are the two
holidays of the Islamic calendar.