Really brief…..

1500 years in under an hour…

Born around 570 CE
Father died when he was six(ish)
Raised in his uncle’s clan (Keep in mind that
clan/tribe alliance was crucial in the Arabian
Peninsula at this time – literally a matter of life and
death)
We do not know much about Muhammad’s youth
Muhammad’s first marriage was to Khadija, a
wealthy widow he went to work for at about the
age of 20
Khadija was probably 15-20 years older than
Muhammad
Several children came from this marriage, including
daughter Fatima, who would later marry Ali, both
of whom are revered in Islamic history and culture
Muhammad often went to a cave on Mt. Hira, near
Mecca, for private meditation
In the year 610 CE, during one of these trips, a
voice told Muhammad he was the messenger of
God, and gave him the command “Recite!” This
became the beginning of the Quran.
Muhammad then believed he saw a figure on the
horizon, the angel Gabriel
Over the next few years, the message Muhammad
received gained followers in Mecca, beginning with
Khadija
The focus of the message was to submit one’s self
to the will of God
An important part of the message was to care for
the poor and disadvantaged, a rather radical
message in this tribal society
This new religious group began to suffer
persecution in Mecca, mainly due to the fact that
they wished to reclaim the Kaba, a stone structure,
for Allah.
The Kaba had been used as a place of worship for
360 gods, which the Muslims considered to be false
worship
In 622, Muhammad led his followers to Medina.
This is known as the Hijra, or “Emigration”, an
important date in Muslim history.
These two groups have no major doctrinal
differences. They share major religious practices
and beliefs.
What was the problem? Who was going to lead the
Muslims after the death of the Prophet Muhammed?
There weren’t going to be any more prophets;
Muhammad is the “seal of the prophets”. This
leadership would be political/military.
Abu Bakr – seemed to have the approval of
Muhammad as his successor
Umar – the feared and respected military leader
who greatly increased Muslim territory
Uthman – pious and morally good man, but seen by
many as a weak leader. He did standardize the
text of the Quran
Ali – son-in-law of Muhammad (married to Fatima)
Ali became the leader of a Muslim faction called
“Shi’a” (literally “party”) and claimed that
Muhammad had appointed him, prior to death, to
be his successor
The majority of Muslims (those who became known
as Sunni Muslims) rejected this claim and backed
Mu’awiya as a leader
Uthman was murdered, and while Ali didn’t seem to
be responsible, he didn’t punish those who were
Ali, his family and companions were assassinated in
661, and are considered martyrs by the Shi’ites.
This corresponds with the European Medieval
Period.
The capitol of the Muslim world was Baghdad, and
was an intellectual center for scholars. It was a
time of terrific growth in many academic, scientific
and artistic endeavors.
Islam’s control and influence in Africa and the
Middle East is undeniable.
Radical forms of Islam – often referred to as
“fundamentalist Islam” – is responsible for
totalitarian regimes and terrorist activity
throughout the world. Many would argue that this
form of Islam is not Islam at all, but a political
agenda using the structure of religion for
militaristic purposes