Muhammad
Life of Muhammad
Muhammad (A.D. 570-632) or Mohammed, was the founder of Islam. He began life as a wealthy tradesmen, one of the elite of his city of Mecca. He claimed to be privy to certain revelations in middle age, speaking of a need to abandon worship of the many gods who dominated Mecca's religion at the time, and worship the one God, Allah.
These early revelations spoke of a need to return to the monotheism of Abraham; in this way, at an early age, Muhammad saw himself as reviving an ancient faith, a perceived correction to Christianity and Judaism, and restoring his people to what he saw as their rightful position as the true founders and heirs of monotheism. In these revelations, submission to the will of God - Allah - was critical. Muhammad's fledgling religion continued to develop throughout his life, through periodic revelations often relating directly to events currently facing his new faith.
The faith caught on slowly, winning only a few converts in Mecca (the first being his wife). Under increased pressure and ostracism from elders in Mecca, Muhammad began the hijra, an organized exodus of his followers from Mecca to the city of Medina. Muslims date the formation of their religion to the hijra itself, even beginning their dating system at this point.
At Medina, the new Muslims immediately adopted an aggressive stance, seeking to coexist with the Jews living in Medina on his terms. The encounter ended badly, though, with Muhammad dividing and conquering the Jewish groups in Medina, ordering the massacre of the Qurayza Jewish tribe, as they refused changing their religion to his submission, after (possibly) fabricating a cause to break what is called by modern historians the Compact of Medina.[1]
After Muhammad's Death
Muhammad's death at an early age caused the splintering of his religion into new sects, over the question of succession. The groups called themselves the Sunnis and the Shi'as. Many attribute this split to the high degree to which authority was centered in the powerful character of Muhammad himself: without his powerful personality, the movement could not survive intact.[2]
The failure or splintering of movements built around a charismatic leader is a recurring sociological problem, often studied by psychologists, and referred to as the problem of the routinization of charisma. Christianity faced the same problem, and many attribute the conquest of this problem to the leadership of the apostle Paul.[3].
In accordance with the Islamic hadith, it is considered proper to add an honorary phrase of "Peace Be Upon Him (or PBUH)" or "sallalahu aleyhi wasallam (or SAW)".
See Also
References
- â Berkey, The Formation of Islam
- â Bernard Lewis, What Went Wrong
- â Maximillian Weber, Theory of Social and Economic Organization, in the chapter "The Nature of Charismatic Authority and its Routinization," see also Len Oakes, "Prophetic Charisma: The Psychology of Revolutionary Religious Personalities"
Robert Spencer, The Politically Incorrect Guide(tm) to Islam (and the Crusades)
Notes
HIR | Muhammad's massacre of the Jewish tribe Banu Qurayzah [1]