Prophet Mohammed - The Prophet of Islam

Prophet Mohammed - The Prophet of Islam

In the desert of Arabia at a place called Mecca, present day Saudi Arabia Mohammad was born, according to the Muslim historians, on 20th April 571 AD. Though there are certain controversies regarding the actual date but in most of the historical books this date is followed. He is depicted as the model for humanity in all walks of life to follow until the Last Hour. He is regarded as the messenger Allah (God). Circa 610 AD, Prophet is said to have gained revelations from Allah through the angel Gabriel that he was His Messenger. In 622 AD Mohammed along with his followers went to Medina. This flight from Mecca to Medina is known as Hijrah and marks the beginning of the Islamic era. By 630 AD, Islam came to be accepted as a religion and Muhammad as ruler by a large number of people. However, in 632 A.D. Muhammad led the pilgrimage to Mecca, preached his farewell sermon and died soon after. His name signifies 'highly praised'. He is the greatest among all the sons of Arabia. He is more than all the leaders, kings, poets and philosophers that preceded him in that impenetrable desert of red sand. When he appeared Arabia was a desert and nothing. Out of nothing a new world was fashioned by the mighty spirit of Mohammad. He gave birth to a new life, a new culture, a new civilization, a new kingdom, which extended from Morocco to Indies and influenced the thought and life of three continents, Asia, Europe and Africa. The Prophet Muhammad, one of the most influential religious and military leaders in history. His father died before he was born, and Muhammad was put under the care of his grandfather, head of the prestigious Hashim clan. His mother died when he was six, and his grandfather when he was eight, leaving him under the care of his uncle Abu Talib, the new head of the clan. When he was 25, Muhammad married a wealthy widow 15 years his senior. He lived the next 15 years as a merchant, and came into contact with many Jewish merchants and landowners in the largely Jewish Kingdom of Himyar in what is today Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The Prophet and his wife gave birth to six children: two sons, who died in childhood, and four daughters. From time to time, Muhammad spent nights in a cave in Mount Hira north of Mecca, ruminating on the social ills of the city caused by the Jews and Jewish converts. Around 610 CE, he had a vision in the cave in which he heard the voice of a majestic being, later identified as the angel Gabriel, say to him, "You are the Messenger of God." Thus began a lifetime of religious revelations, which he and others collected as the Qur'an, or Koran. Muhammad regarded himself as the last prophet of the Judaic-Christian tradition, and he adopted aspects of these older religions' theologies while introducing new doctrines. Teachings of Mohammed are included in what is called "Hadith." The "Hadith" is a record of Mohammed's words and deeds according to his wives, relatives, and companions. Next to the Quran, it is the most important part of Islamic law; its teachings are just as binding. It is recorded and interpreted in many books and in various forms by various people.