The more I read news about terrorist attacks in different corners of the world, the more I feel how misguided those people are. Trying to underscore the supremacy of one particular religion and killing innocent people in its name – what a shame. I have been reading a bit about Islam lately, its genesis, its propagation, rise of Caliphate and its eventual decline. There is one thing that I have learnt after all this time – perspective. It is the difference in perspective that makes all the difference. Muhammad, in my opinion, was a preacher of harmony and peace. He nurtured a society in Medina which had different tribes living in harmony under a set of rules. After winning holy wars with Arab tribes (from Mecca), he forgave everyone. Uneducated people (I mean terrorists here) only focus on holy wars that he fought, but completely ignore the holy peace that he restored in the region. It was need of the hour that he had to fight battles to protect his followers and save himself. But it was not that he preached or longed for. Forgiving all those people who were thirsty for his blood was an act very few could have managed. What could be a more humane gesture, what could be a better example of magnanimity!

Many people know little about Muhammad and his life. Probably, our textbooks need to teach a bit more about this amazing person, the prophet. In fact, not just Islam, it is important that our curriculum should include  teachings of all religions. And it’s even more important in these trying times when fundamentalism and extremist views have gained importance and gradually deepening its roots.

Since, I learned something about life of Prophet Muhammad, it wouldn’t be honest of me if I don’t disseminate that knowledge.

The life of Muhammad can be broadly divided into 3 stages –
1. The seeker
2. Holy wars
3. Holy peace

Chapter 1: The seeker
Muhammad was born in 570 AD in Mecca. He belonged to Hashim clan of Quraysh tribe. At a very young age his parents died. He was brought up by his uncle Abu Talib, who was an affluent merchant. Under the umbrage of his uncle, he grew up to be a man of integrity and fine business acumen. The experience that Muhammad held working with caravans in his uncle Abu Talib’s family business had earned him the honorific titles Al-Sadiq (“the Truthful”) and Al-Amin (“the Trustworthy” or “Honest”). At the age of 25, he married Khadijah. Khadijah, herself, was a successful merchant. However, she didn’t travel with her caravans, rather employed others to trade on her behalf for some commission. Once, she hired Muhammad to do some of her transactions in Syria, and was impressed with the profit he brought back. She came to know about his honesty and proposed him. Muhammad reluctantly agreed as he didn’t earn enough to support a wife. Khadijah was the soulmate of Prophet, and he confided in her the most.

It was around at the age of 40, 610 AD, that he started getting divine epiphany. He felt as if God is talking to him. It was these revelations that led him to quest and find the real meaning of this life. It is said that one night, in a split second, he reached Jerusalem where he met God and other prophets like Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus etc. He had a discourse with them and then he transcended to heaven. Whether it actually happened or was it a dream, is contested to this date. This event is called “the night journey”. It is because of this, that Jerusalem is the 3rd holiest site of Islam (after Mecca and Medina). It was in Jerusalem that Muhammad was granted divinity and transcended to heaven in presence of all other prophets. Jerusalem, henceforth, became the holiest site for 3 religions – Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

Muhammad used to seclude himself from worldly things and meditate in a cave in Mecca. As he continued to get enlightenment, he started preaching. Islam was born, a religion that preached faith in one God and Khadijah was the first person (and first female) ever to become a Muslim. She was followed by Muhammad’s cousin Ali (also his son-in-law), close friend Abu Bakr and adopted son Zaid. The revelations that Muhammad reported receiving form the verses of Quran, regarded by Muslims as “Word of God” and around which the religion is based.

Chapter 2: Holy wars
Arab world, before Islam, was a pagan culture. Different tribes believed in different gods. In fact, the Kaaba, at Mecca, had inscription of multiple gods and pilgrims of different faith used to visit Kaaba. Despite internal conflicts among various Arab tribes, it was a tacit understanding that Kaaba is one place where everyone can visit and pay their respects to God.

When Muhammad started preaching Islam, a faith that believed in just one God, it irked the leaders of the tribes including his own Quraysh tribes who controlled the city of Mecca. As his followers (especially marginalized sections of Meccan society) increased, Muhammad became a threat to the local tribes and rulers of the city whose wealth rested upon the Kaaba, the focal point of Meccan religious life that Muhammad threatened to overthrow. The followers of Islam were persecuted and brutally punished. This was a difficult phase in Muhammad’s life, both on personal and spiritual front. Khadijah, his wife, died in 620 AD at the age of 65 (yes, she was older than Muhammad). Khadijah was the only wife to be married to Muhammad in monogamy thus sometimes regarded Muhammad’s most beloved. She is considered as one of the most important women in Islam and certainly classed as the most important out of all Muhammad’s subsequent wives.

In 622 AD, Muhammad left Mecca for a place called Yathrib or more commonly known as Medina. This event is called “Hijra” and marks the beginning of Islamic calendar, also called Hijri calendar. In Medina, Muhammad united all tribes and preached peace and harmony under the “Constitution of Medina”.

The gradual gain in popularity and followers didn’t go down well with hostile Meccan tribes and what followed was a series of wars. Numerous battles were fought between Meccan tribes and Muhammad’s army in Medina. Muhammad realized that he needed support of multiple tribes in order to build a stronger army and protect his followers. So, he started marriage alliances which was the most sacred way of committing allegiance. This war continued for next 8 years until Muhammad gathered an army of 10,000 Muslims and marched on the city of Mecca in 630AD. The battle was largely uncontested, and he was successful in gaining siege over Mecca with little bloodshed. He forgave all the hostile Meccan tribes and made a pact with them. This soared the popularity of Muhammad and Islam that he preached.

Chapter 3: Holy peace
Muhammad led a very simple life in Medina. His revelations continued which led him to define the ways of living in Medina. Over time, moral code was revealed to Muhammad based on social justice to all. People came to him to discuss matters and seek justice. He was the ruler of Medina. These rules or code of conduct came to be known as Sharia or Islamic law. Current Sharia law, however has changed a lot from what has been defined in Quran. It came into existence two centuries after Muhammad when Muslim legal experts devised a legal code to help run the ever expanding Islamic empire. It is a blend of Quranic verses and examples from the life of Muhammad’s life. Many believe the current version to be too narrow in its approach than the original one defined in Quran.

By 632 AD, entire Arabia was under Muhammad’s rule. A few months after the farewell pilgrimage to Mecca, Muhammad fell ill and died in the house of his wife Aisha on 8th June 632.

After Muhammad – the rise of Caliphate
Muhammad died in 632 AD without nominating a heir. His followers got divided into 2 factions –emigrants (“mujahirs”), Muslims who fled to Medina with Muhammad, and supporters (“ansars”), Medinians who converted to Islam and helped these Muslim emigrants find shelter. Supporters wanted someone from Muhammad’s bloodline (i.e. Ali, his cousin and son-in-law) to be his successor while emigrants believed it should be chosen based on his quality, not bloodline. This ideological difference eventually led to a schism in Muslim community that exists to date – Shia and Sunni.

Finally, Muhammad’s close friend Abu Bakr was chosen to be the first Caliph of Islamic world. This marked the beginning of 4 Rashidun Caliphs, who were chosen by shura i.e. a process of community consultation. Abu Bakr died after two years and was followed by Omar, another close friend, in 634 AD. The new Caliph ruled astutely for 10 years and conquered Mesopotamia, Byzantine Syria, Byzantine Egypt and large parts of Persia. Omar was assassinated by a Persian slave in 644 AD. After his death, there were two candidates for the post of Caliph: Uthman and Ali. Uthman was from Umayyad clan of Quraysh tribe while Ali, cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, was from Hashemite clan (same as Muhammad’s) of Quraysh tribe. After much contemplation, Uthman was chosen to be Omar’s successor and the next Caliph. He continued the war of conquest started by his predecessors until 656 AD before being assassinated. It was after the death of Uthman, quarter century later that Ali, someone sharing Muhammad’s bloodline, became a Caliph. Ali was also assassinated in 661 AD marking the end of Rashidun Caliphate.

Rashidun Caliphate marked the end of Caliphate that was chosen by Ummah, or community. It was followed by multiple Caliphates before it was abolished once and for all in 1924 with Ottoman Caliphate, post World War 1. Recently, terrorist organization ISIS has declared a return of Caliphate with Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to be their Caliph. Baghdadi claims to be from Quraysh tribe, same as Muhammad’s, and hence a legitimate Caliph. However, all Muslim nation have refused his legitimacy.

Afterthoughts
Let me come back to what I started with. It is the perspective that matters. A broad perspective will prevent us from skewing towards an extremist view. No religion is bad. It is the way propagators disseminate the knowledge and we believers interpret it, makes all the difference. It is important that we move beyond the narrow-mindedness and usher into an era of social equality, liberty and justice encompassing all strata of human society. Let us learn from the lives of such great people and work for the betterment of society.

If time permits, one should definitely watch this series of documentary on the life of Muhammad. It presents his story in a simple and engaging manner. In fact, this blog is inspired by this documentary and I took the liberty of borrowing ideas from this series (most importantly the structuring of prophet’s life). Sit with it for 3 hours and you’ll come away wiser, smarter and more tolerant.

In case, you loved the previous series and longing for some more, try this one –