Muhammad
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In 620, Muhammed claimed to have embarked on a spiritual voyage, aboard the flying horse Al-Burāq, with Gabriel in one night. During the first part, the ''Isra'', he traveled the length and breadth of the Middle East, from Mecca to [[Jerusalem]]. In the ''Miraj'', he is said to have toured [[heaven]] and [[hell]] and conversed with earlier prophets [[Abraham]], [[Moses]] and [[Jesus]]. | In 620, Muhammed claimed to have embarked on a spiritual voyage, aboard the flying horse Al-Burāq, with Gabriel in one night. During the first part, the ''Isra'', he traveled the length and breadth of the Middle East, from Mecca to [[Jerusalem]]. In the ''Miraj'', he is said to have toured [[heaven]] and [[hell]] and conversed with earlier prophets [[Abraham]], [[Moses]] and [[Jesus]]. | ||
| − | ==Medina: | + | ==Medina: peacemaker, emigrant, statesman, bandit, warlord== |
The twelve most important clans of [[Medina]] sent a delegation to ask Muhammed to mediate in the growing tribal conflicts occurring with more frequency and violence for the better part of the past century. They offered he and his followers protection in return for his aid. Muhammed instructed his supporters to leave Mecca and follow him to Yathrib. He himself fully settled into the area in about 622. The Meccans, seeing a great section of their economic strength weakening, plotted to [[assassinate]] Muhammed but were unsuccessful. | The twelve most important clans of [[Medina]] sent a delegation to ask Muhammed to mediate in the growing tribal conflicts occurring with more frequency and violence for the better part of the past century. They offered he and his followers protection in return for his aid. Muhammed instructed his supporters to leave Mecca and follow him to Yathrib. He himself fully settled into the area in about 622. The Meccans, seeing a great section of their economic strength weakening, plotted to [[assassinate]] Muhammed but were unsuccessful. | ||
Revision as of 05:06, 27 October 2010
Muhammad, or Mohammed (various spellings are used in English), (circa 570-632 CE) is, as regarded by Muslims, the final prophet of Allah (God). He preached the creed of Islam, and was preceded in the mission of bringing God's word to mankind by Moses, Jesus, and others.
He is not considered divine, but divinely inspired. Muslims believe that the Angel Gabriel dictated the Qur'an to him in classical Arabic. He was also a merchant who became a military and religious leader, and also had a dozen wives, including one as young as nine. Naughty naughty!
He is also known for his lack of facial features,[1] mostly due to the rule that any depictions of the Prophet are considered blasphemous, whether they portray him positively or negatively. A movie based on his life got around this by shooting it from his point of view. In 2005, cartoons in a Danish newspaper, depicting Muhammad and linking him with militant Islamic violence and terrorism, provoked international outcry from the Muslim community.
Most of what we know about Muhammad comes from the Qur'an.
Contents |
Birth and early life
Muhammed was born and lived in Mecca from 570 - 622. Competing theories argue he may have been born earlier, perhaps 568 or 569. His father, Abdullah, died six months before he was born. Islamic sources claim he was sent to live with his foster mother, Halimah bint Abi Dhuayb, while an infant. Western scholars reject this. He became a full orphan at six when his mother, Amina, died. Abd al-Muttalib, his paternal grandfather, became his guardian until he died when Muhammed was eight.
When he entered his teens, Muhammed spent much of his time accompanying his uncle, Abu Talib, on trading journeys to Syria. Somewhat ironically, a Christian monk named Behira met the young Muhammed while the boy was on one of these trips and, it is said, foresaw his role as a prophet.
His later adolescence is a source of speculation; it is known that he was widely regarded for his fair and impartial behavior when involved in disputes, and gained a reputation for smooth mediation in potentially volatile situations.
A turn for the surreal
Muhammed at some point developed a habit of spending several weeks each year meditating in a cave on Mount Hira, near Mecca. During one of his visits to Mecca, around 610, he was apparently visited by the Archangel Gabriel and told to recite the following verses:
Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created- Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,- He Who taught (the use of) the pen,- Taught man that which he knew not.(Qur'an 96:1-5)
Muhammed was distressed by the voices, and contemplated suicide. Somewhat contradictory to this, Shia tradition claims Muhammed in fact welcomed the archangel and accepted his imminent work as prophet. Alford T. Welch claims these revelations were accompanied by mysterious seizures and spells of unconsciousness.
Hmmm.
Preaching, persecution, and personality
Muhammed's wife Khadija was the first to believe he was a prophet. His close family followed her shortly after, including Ali ibn Abi Talib, his ten year old cousin, and his adopted son Zaid.
The Meccans opposed Muhammed's condemnation of their idolatry and polytheism. His public preaching drew criticism from the established order at that time, and his growing following became a threat to the local tribesmen and city leaders. He resisted all attempts by these men to coerce or bully him.
Muhammed is said to have claimed the existence of three Meccan goddesses, the daughters of Allah, about the same time some of his followers were emigrating to the Ethiopian Aksumite Empire. Conveniently, he later claimed the archangel Gabriel appeared and asked him to retract the declaration. The story is known as 'The Story of the Cranes' and is part of an early Hadith. The episode later came to be known as 'The Satanic Verses'. It has provoked much debate within the Islamic world.
The year Of sorrow
Muhammed's wife and uncle both died in 619. Abu Talib was the leader of the Banu Hashim clan and Abu Lahab inherited the leadership. Abu Lahab was an enemy of Muhammed's and wasted little time in withdrawing Muhammed's clan protection. This left the prophet open to attacks from hostile Meccans, and, if killed, he would not be avenged. He struggled to find himself a new protector and was only able to re-enter Mecca with the help of Mut'im b. Adi and the Banu Newfal tribe.
Muhammed found allies in Yathrib (what would become Medina) and found converts to Islam in nearly all the Arab tribes which dwelt there, since they were already familiar with monotheism from the large Jewish community which existed at that time.
Miraculous journey
In 620, Muhammed claimed to have embarked on a spiritual voyage, aboard the flying horse Al-Burāq, with Gabriel in one night. During the first part, the Isra, he traveled the length and breadth of the Middle East, from Mecca to Jerusalem. In the Miraj, he is said to have toured heaven and hell and conversed with earlier prophets Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
Medina: peacemaker, emigrant, statesman, bandit, warlord
The twelve most important clans of Medina sent a delegation to ask Muhammed to mediate in the growing tribal conflicts occurring with more frequency and violence for the better part of the past century. They offered he and his followers protection in return for his aid. Muhammed instructed his supporters to leave Mecca and follow him to Yathrib. He himself fully settled into the area in about 622. The Meccans, seeing a great section of their economic strength weakening, plotted to assassinate Muhammed but were unsuccessful.
Muhammed drafted a 'Constitution of Medina' which specified the rights and duties of all citizens. Crucially, it dealt with the growing tension between Muslims and Jews, what he termed 'Peoples of the Book.' In effect, it was the first Islamic state.
The Meccans seized the property of the Muslims remaining in Mecca and left them with no source of income. In retaliation, the Muslims began launching raids against Meccan caravans. The aim was to deliberately spark an armed conflict between themselves and the Meccans. Conveniently (yes, again!), Muhammed had another 'revelation' and delivered Qur'anic verses allowing the use of arms against the enemies of Islam (the oft-quoted Qur'an 22:39-40). The Battle of Badr resulted in the deaths of at least 45 Meccans, who outnumbered the Muslims three-to-one. The growing Muslim religion saw this as a confirmation of their faith (oh, shit, we've been here before, haven't we?).
The conflict with Mecca escalated into 'total war' at Muhammed's behest. The Battle of Uhud followed. The Muslims were defeated, with 75 killed (involving the most famous martyr in Islam, Hamza, Muhammed's uncle). The Meccans declared victory, marched home, and refused to acknowledge that they'd actually said they would wipe Muslims off the face of the Earth so, y'know, technically they'd lost.
Muhammed was facing growing unrest among his followers because of the defeat - if God was on their side, why had they lost? Was God bad at war? Not to worry - another revelation provided ample explanation (Qur'an 3:152). Enemies of Muhammed and, by association, Islam, were growing in number, and Muhammed ordered the assassination of a Jewish poet, Ka'b ibn al-Ashraf, who had sided with the Meccans, expelled the Banu Nadir from Medina around a year later, and managed to stop many budding alliances between his enemies.
The Siege of Medina, or Battle of the Trench, followed, and after this, an accusation of adultery was made against Aisha. Muhammed delivered yet another revelation clearing her of all wrongdoing. We see a pattern emerging here, methinks.
Truce
In 628, Muhammed negotiated a truce with the Meccans via emissaries from both sides traveling between Medina and Mecca. Muhammed meanwhile asked pilgrims to Mecca not to flee or reject his leadership, and had them take what became known as a 'Pledge of Acceptance.' The treaty, or Truce of Hudaybiyya, was projected to last at least ten years. The main points of the treaty included the cessation of hostilities; the deferral of Muhammad's pilgrimage to the following year; and an agreement to send back any Meccan who had gone to Medina without the permission of their protector. The terms of the truce dissatisfied many Muslims.
Later life
The Bakr clan, supplied with weapons by the Meccans, began raiding the Khuz'aah. The treaty had lasted just two years. Muhammad sent a message to Mecca with three choices for the Meccans, but asking them to accept only one of them. These were:
- The Meccans paid blood money for those slain among the Khuza'ah tribe.
- They sever all ties with the Banu Bakr
- They declare the truce of Hudaybiyya null.
They, er, chose the third one. A poor choice, we must say. When the Meccans realized they had gotten in over their heads, they sent a peace emissary to Medina. Muhammed refused to accept the withdrawal of their decision. With ten thousand men, Muhammed took control of Mecca. Most Meccans converted to Islam and Muhammed destroyed all statues of Arabian gods in Kaaba.
In 632, Muhammed made his first and only Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca.
After summarizing his teachings and philosophies, he fell ill, complaining of headaches and sickness. He died on Monday 8 June in 632 in Medina.
Perceptions, controversies, and interpretations
Muhammed and his character, teachings and deeds have been interpreted in many different ways.
Jewish perception
During even his own lifetime, Jewish scholars often referred to Muhammed as ha-meshuggah, which means "madman" or "the possessed".
Medieval Christianity
Islam was quick to spread throughout the Middle East. Medieval Christian authors sought to examine and deal with this growth by studying Mohammed in detail.[2] Initially, Mohammed was considered by Christian scholars to be divinely inspired. However, they later concluded that he was a heretic, and his teachings by association were heretical.[3] The politics of power likely played a large role in this; Islam was gaining new converts rapidly, and the Church's power was threatened. The idea of Muhammed as a pseudo-Prophet was first forwarded over five hundred years ago by Johannes Damascus.[4]
Child wife
Or: "Oh, God, I'm sick of writing about this", as the subject of Aisha is referred to by many Muslim scholars. Yes, she was six years old when Muhammed married her. Yes, she was nine years old when they consummated the marriage. Yes, by today's standards he'd be thrown in jail and splashed across the tabloids. But, in his defense, people fucking ate each other in those days. By the standards of his own time this was nothing in comparison.
Women
Muhammed's view of women has been debated endlessly. From the Hadith, the teachings of Muhammed, is the Prophet's belief about the worth of a woman's testimony:
The Prophet said "Isn't the witness of a woman equal to half of that of a man?" The women said, "Yes." He said, "This is because of the deficiency of a woman's mind." [5]
However, Muhammed also worked for his first wife in a courier capacity, so we really don't know what to think vis-a-vis his views of their 'deficiencies.' Here is what he saw while on his miraculous journey with Gabriel:
Narrated 'Imran bin Husain: The Prophet said, "I looked at Paradise and found poor people forming the majority of its inhabitants; and I looked at Hell and saw that the majority of its inhabitants were women." [6]
Woah. We ain't touching one that with a ten foot barge pole.
But wait, we have to, dammit, we're Rationalwiki! It's our (non-paid) job to inquire, to look deeper, to illuminate the cloudy depths of the collective unconscious. Okay, here's Muhammed's rationale behind women making up the majority of Hell's population:
The people asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What is the reason for that?" He replied, "Because of their [womens] ungratefulness." It was said. "Do they disbelieve in Allah (are they ungrateful to Allah)?" He replied, "They are not thankful to their husbands and are ungrateful for the favors done to them. Even if you do good to one of them all your life, when she seems [sic] some harshness from you, she will say, "I have never seen any good from you.'" [7]
Yeah, our first choice was the correct one. Presumably his wife was not forthcoming in bed at the time of that "revelation".
But! Maybe these double standards don't appear in the Qur'an, which is distinct from the Hadith in that it is supposedly Allah's final revelation. Let's have a look at Allah's view of some good man lovin':
If two men among you commit indecency (sodomy) punish them both. If they repent and mend their ways, let them be. Allah is forgiving and merciful. Qur'an 4:15
Okay. And of a woman's sexual transgression:
If any one of your women is guilty of lewdness ...confine them until death claims them. Qur'an 4:16
Now, since we're inclined to believe that Allah didn't really send a winged celestial foot soldier to the top of a mountain to whisper in Muhammed's ear, we're left with only one conclusion:
Those are Muhammed's views.
Slaves
Rodney Stark writes: "...the fundamental problem facing Muslim theologians vis-à-vis the morality of slavery is that Muhammad bought, sold, captured, and owned slaves." Altogether, Muhammed owned approximately 50 slaves. 16 were female, 34 were male. His adopted son Zayd was among their number. The girls/women were concubines or wetnurses.
Jerry Falwell
In 2002 Jerry Falwell called Muhammed a terrorist. In Falwell's defense, he was a fucking idiot. This is the same guy who claimed that 9/11 was God's judgment of America because they tolerate gays, abortionists and open-mindedness, and that the antichrist was already here on Earth and was a Jewish male, remember. He was clearly not in his right mind. He clearly did not even own a right mind.
Medina and Jewish tribes
Muhammed is accused of manipulating the Jewish tribes for his own advantage and developing a nasty habit of literally stabbing them in the back when their usefulness was exhausted. Ibn Ishaq claims that Muhammad ordered the beheading of some 600-900 individuals who surrendered unconditionally after a siege that lasted several weeks. The surviving women and children were sold into slavery.
Muhammed as schizophrenic?
Or: "Probably the most likely explanation for most of everything you've read since you clicked on the link for this page." You've heard the argument before, we're sure. "Prophet X or Messiah Y were neither divine nor divinely inspired. They were actually suffering from extreme schizophrenia/mania/manic depression/narcissism/severe psychosis/delusions of grandeur/tumors growing on the frontal lobes/etc (delete as appropriate)." It's a compelling argument. Alfred T. Welch provides early Islamic sources detailing Muhammed's sudden seizures, spells of unconscious, and fits of despair which would last from days to weeks at a time. It's only natural a society without the benefit of psychological study would conclude that these symptoms were evidence of God's intervention. See how Joan of Arc is regularly exposed as a victim of mental health issues and not touted as a hot French chick with a one way line to God.
A modern comparison, if you will. You've seen "Fight Club", right? Or how about "The Dark Knight"? Think about how you react to any of Tyler Durden or The Joker's scenes. A lot of what they say, heck, maybe all of it, is stuff you don't necessarily agree with. But yet, deep down, way down, you sorta want them to step out of the screen and exist. You'd follow those guys, because they're charismatic, they're confident, they seem to have all the answers to all the important questions about life, the universe and everything. But what else do they have in common? Well, they're completely batshit insane. But that doesn't matter as long as they're talking and doing. Catch our drift? Imagine you're a fisherman on the shores of Galilee. You haven't caught anything in weeks. You're broke, you're hungry, you are part of the huddled masses yearning to breathe free. One day, a dude comes along who says he can turn water into wine, raise the dead, walk on water, and save mankind from its self (and save you from people you don't like). What would you do? You'd throw down your fishing rod and hitch a ride with him. Because that is what humans do. We are biologically and evolutionarily programmed to follow, and follow the loudest, the most charismatic, the most attractive, and the most sheer badass - and that is exactly what Jesus and Muhammed were in their respective times and places. You don't have to be crazy to found religions which go on to take over the world and will, sooner or later, bring about the end of it...but it helps. Oh, Lord, does it help.
Footnotes
- ↑ As seen on many islamic drawings
- ↑ http://www.lastprophet.info/en/content/view/283/1/
- ↑ Stephen Hotz: "Mohammed and his teaching according to the accounts of the occidental authors from the late 11th to the middle of the 12th centuries: continuing and changing aspects, sources and tendencies."
- ↑ http://www.lastprophet.info/en/content/view/283/1/
- ↑ The Hadith, Volume 3, Book 48, Number 826
- ↑ The Hadith, Volume 4, Book 54, Number 464
- ↑ The Hadith, Volume 7, Book 62, Number 125