He was born into the powerful Quraysh
tribe, although his family was poor and
unimportant
A monk spotted the mark of the
prophet on Muhammad
He married Khadijah in 595 CE
He had a good reputation. Nicknames included 'the
truthful' and 'the trustworhty'
He has children
He knew people from different religions
He hated Meccan society for its greed and selfishness
He had contact with Hanifs
He was a good, honest man with a positive
reputation but he wanted a fairer society, he
wanted more from religion
Muhammad's First Revelation
Prayed and meditated in cave Hira, on Mount Nur
End of Ramadan, 810 CE
God sent angel Gabriel
Told Muhammad to recite 'read in the name of
thy Lord and Cherisher who created, created man
out of a mere clot of blood'
Muhammad protested saying he
couldn't read, but eventually read it
He woke up in abject terror, his body was shaking
He was completely shattered as it wasn't a pleasant experience
Ran home to Khadijah
She told him that
he was being called
by God
Waraqa said he was the prophet God promised to be
sent to Arabs in the Bible
Themes of Mihammad's Meccan revelations
Tawhid
Belief in God's unity
Meccan's response
Angry
Muhammad is telling them that what they've
dedicated their lives to is wrong
Threat of violence
as it's jahilyyah
Man's response,: gratitude and worship
Pray in public to
show they're
Muslim
Men show they're
grateful by
praying
Men prostrate to show
that God is more
important
God's goodness and power
Saved Quraysh from famine
Seen in nature
Formation of
human beings
Conception, birth and growth
Gave creations items for survval
Risalah
Belief in prophets
(including angels and
holy books)
Muhammad's own vocation
Muhammad was a messenger
Became leader of believers
Muhammad wanted people to
know he's linked with previous
prophets
He's nothing new
Meccan's response
Christians and Jews are offended
as he's telling them that they've
betrayed their religion
Akirah
Belief in the Final
Judgement and life
after death
Return to God for judgement
Aimed at non believers
There's a day where you'll be judged
Meccan's response
Angry
Go to hell if current behaviour continues
Dead relatives are in hell
Man's response
Gratitude
Pray in public to show they're Muslim
Men show they're grateful by praying
Men prostrate to show that God is more important
Generosity
Humans should use their wealth to help the needy
Wealth doesn't get you into heaven
God will help if you're a giver
Those who are selfish with wealth will end up in hell
Muhammad's Second Revelation
At home, under a blanket
Ordered him to 'rise and warn'
Started with friends and family
Sura 74, The Mantled One
Revelations continued and a pattern emerged
1) Meccan polytheism was wrong 'there's no God but God'
Beginnings of Tawhid
2) He was being called to bring Arabia back
to the religion of Islam and not a new religion
to Arabia
Beginnings of risalah
Arabs were to be judged by God on their
religion and life,, they had to change and
repent to a good life of honesty
Beginnings of Akirah
Opposition and Persecution
Reasons
If Muhammad became the leader of the young men
in Mecca then eventually he would become the leader
of the whole of Mecca
Scared to lose their authority, power and influence
There was a tradition that a man of great wisdom would rise and
become leader of Mecca, people may think Muhammad was this
man
Scared to lose their power
Muhammad was saying Bedouin Polytheism was wrong.
This would stop traders coming to Mecca if the pilgrimage
stopped
Scared to take away wealth/scared they'd be forced to share their wealth
Methods
Tortured/killed by exposure to midday sun
Attempts to kill Muhammad
Meetings broken up by hooligans
Rubbish and thorns were thrown at his door
Boycott of Hashim (cut off members of his clan)
Stopping him from preaching
Offer him money to stop
The Pledge of Aqaba
Where people agree to only serve the prophet, worship God and live moral lives
Sent Meccan Muslim leaders to instruct converts so
there'd be more converts
The Second Pledge of Aqaba
Where people agree to accept Muhammad as their political
leader as well as their prophet
Made by those who returned
with 63 converts
Why did Muhammad leave Mecca?
1) He saw the pledges by the converts from
Yathrib as a sign from God that he was to
leave
All part of God's plan
2) The reaction of the Meccans when news of the
Second Pledge leaked out (tortured converts stopped
Meccan Muslims leaving), if Meccans against it, God
was for it
He has got to go, as him and his
followers lives are in danger. If he stops
and is killed then he has failed
3) Islam was a way of life not just a religion, politics had to
be part of it. Going to Yathrib to be the political leader and a
prophet meant he could show what Islam is all about
Gets to show that Islam isn't just a religion
it's a way to govern people
4) Worried about the safety of his
followers in Mecca, could protect
them in Medina
If he doesn't protect his
followers then he'll get no more
5) Wanted to be able to preach once more, openly
about the revelations from God
Has to leave so he can do the job
God wants him to do - preach
and 'rise and warn'
The Hijrah
The emigration of Muhammad
and his followers to Medina from
Mecca in 622 CE
The significance of the Hijrah for Muslims today
Don't give in to persecution
Go through difficulties for their faith
Trust God
God will protect/guide
How society is run, based on the ummah
Islam was able to continue and grow
People moved with Muhammad, showing their faith and his power
How Islam is a way of life
Muhammad battled for
what he believed in
Without it monotheism would've continued
Medina helped
spread the word
'Muhammad's message wasn't new'
Agree
Some people worshipped Allah in
Bedouin Polytheism
On the night journey
he saw prophets in the
same prayer position,
showing they're
Muslim
Pilgrimage to Mecca already existed
Main theme Tawhid existed
Original religion of Arabia
Part of a long line of Prophets
People messed up the same
message previously, creating
different religions
Main idea, Monotheism was present
in Christianity, Judaism and Hanifs
Disagree
The Qur'an was
introduced which
Islam is based on
Islam had an order, people
would pray - unlike
followers of Bedouin
Polytheism (so didn't copy)
People at first didn't accept his
message as they hadn't heard of it
before
Islam didn't exist before it
The message had new teachings
Islam is a way of life, unlike Christianity
Monotheism was new to many
Belief in life after death and
judgement was new to Bedouin
Polytheists
New/different prayer positions
Christians and Jews
regarded the message as
new
Introduced a moral code
Muhammad was forced out of Mecca
Agree
He was in fear of his life
Some of his followers had been persecuted
Wasn't able to spread his message in Mecca
Stopped him from doing his job - preaching
Interrupted meetings
Boycotted trade
Disagree
Meccans wanted him to stay so they
could kill him
He was invited to go to Medina
May have seemed that
others were forcing him
out, Islam teaches that
everything's part of God's
plan
If he moved he could become a
political and a religious leadet
He could show that Islam is a way of life
Able to fulfil his duties of a Prophet by preaching
He was able to build an army to ensure safety
Test for his followers, if they'd leave
the tribal system to create and
Ummah
Development of Islam in Mecca between 610 and 622 CE
Call to be a prophet in 610 CE
Private phase
Married Khadijah
Had children
Prayer established
Public preaching
Criticism and warning
Proclamation of monotheism
Threat to pilgrimage business
Attracts younger members of society
Faced opposition and boycot
Emigrated to Abyssinia
Loss of protection
Restriction on preaching
Invitation to Medina
Few followers
Muhammad's most important role in
Makkah between 610 and 622 CE was as a
Warner
Agree
Command to 'rise and
warn'; prominent in
Qur'an verses revealed at
that time
Summoned people to just hear
this message
Disagree
Monotheism -
condemnation of idol
worship and rejection of
social and moral evils also
important
Main cause of opposition
No one part of his
message is more
important that the others
Command to 'Recite' gives him his mission
Simply hearing the
Qur'an is said to
bring about reversion
to Islam
Main themes of the prophet's teachings between 610 and 622 CE
Social
Condemns drunkenness,
dishonest trade, gambling and the
abuse of widows and orphans
Religious
Condemns idol worship, shirk,
requires worship of the One God,
and gratitude to God
Teaches resurrection and judgement
Prayer
Muhammad's most important
message in Mecca was 'judgement is
coming'
Agree
The Qur'an calls
Muhammad 'the
warner'
Much of the teaching
concerns the
punishments of hell
and the reward of
heaven
Summoned the
leaders together to
announce the
coming judgement
Teaching responded to
the immediate needs
of the situation
Disagree
Primary duty was to recite
the revelations that came to
him; none were more
important than the others