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MUHAMMAD.
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Discusses life of Islamic founder as creator of new religion & social order. His early life & messages & achievements.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Discusses life of Islamic founder as creator of new religion & social order. His early life & messages & achievements.

Paper Introduction:
Islam was instituted by Muhammad as he created both a new religion and a new social order. In doing so, he developed as a human being from the contemporary society that then prevailed and reacted to the social forces around him. The main sources for the life of Muhammad are the Qur'an, the life written by Ibn Hisham, the section of the Annals of at-Tabari, the history of Muhammad's campaigns by al-Waqidi, and the Tabaqat of Ibn Sa'd (Watt xx-xxi). However, little is known of the early life or ancestry of Muhammad, and much of the data of the Muslim tradition has been questioned. The primary story of Muhammad is embodied in the Qur'an. He received the call from God when he was nearing his fortieth year. His early preaching was seen as harmless by the Meccans, though any idea he had of founding a new religion was thwarted by the

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Works CitedKennedy, Hugh. After the time of Muhammad, Islam unified the Arabs in a way notpossible before and shaped the political and social history of the Arabsthereafter. Gabriel came to Muhammad and told him the errorof his ways. Montgomery. His early preaching wasseen as harmless by the Meccans, though any idea he had of founding a newreligion was thwarted by the indifference of the Meccans. However, little is known of the early life or ancestry of Muhammad,and much of the data of the Muslim tradition has been questioned. In doing so, he developed as a human being fromthe contemporary society that then prevailed and reacted to the socialforces around him. There are several versions of this tradition. Some of the tribes and cities had been warlikebefore, but now they had an ideology supporting their expansionisttendencies, that ideology being one intended to reach all humanity in time. The call to be a prophetcame to Muhammad when he was forty. The marriage of Muhammad with Khadija is a turning point, related ina traditional account. The economic and political systemprovided the young man with considerable opportunity: It was natural that the young man sought to make a career for himself in commerce. Muhammad probably had a certain amount of success in the early days,and then opposition developed. A pro-Muslim movement started among the more distant tribes, atestimony to the strength and prestige of the Umma. London: Oxford, 1953. It was first necessary for Muhammad to correctcertain misconceptions about the power of God compared to the power of thevarious Arab deities. From Khadija he received enough money to take amoderate share in trading enterprises. Muhammad felt that some of the Meccans were turning from hismessage, and he wanted to make it easier for them to accept. The main sources for the life of Muhammad are the Qur'an, the lifewritten by Ibn Hisham, the section of the Annals of at-Tabari, the historyof Muhammad's campaigns by al-Waqidi, and the Tabaqat of Ibn Sa'd (Watt xx-xxi). The primarydocument is the Qur'an, and dating the Qur'an becomes important in decidingwhen Muhammad formulated his message and thus what the source of thatmessage may have been. He moved to thecity of Medina, a move known as the Hijra, and this was a turning point andwould become the starting point in the Muslim calendar. Certain pre-Islamic practices were retained,and the ideas of the Umma were incorporated into the structure of tribalismthat already existed. The Qur'anrevived old Arab ideals of generosity and also tried to produce a new moralideal suited to the needs of settled life. Muhammad died in 632after achieving a great deal. (Kennedy 3 ). He established a communityand a state. . His marriage to Khadija brought him material security, and children. In the Qur'an can be found the message of the Prophet. Much of the early life of Muhammad isalso inferred from the way people lived at the time and from other data,and there is really very little information until Muhammad's marriage.Little else is known from the standpoint of the secular historian, andthere are a number of religious stories of doubtful authenticity. The story of Muhammadshows how his religious belief developed, how he disseminated his ideas toothers, and how they were affected by these teachings and beliefs (Watt 75-15 ). Theprimary story of Muhammad is embodied in the Qur'an. Satan is saidto have thrown certain verses on Muhammad's tongue, verses which didattract certain Meccans. . The content of the passages from the different periods shows acertain progression in thought. Some sections are thought to have been written at Mecca andsome at Medina. Aspects of the social position of this family isinferred from marriage records and other secondary sources, and a good dealof this information is sketchy and uncertain. He had brought a new religion, and heprovided it with a revealed book, the Qur=an. He received the callfrom God when he was nearing his fortieth year. Fighting between Medina and Mecca was averted by a ten-year trucebeginning in 628, but after a Muslim was killed by a Meccan, Mecca wasconquered. The idea of the honor ofthe tribe supported the sanction of muruwah in nomadic society. Because of his honesty and trustworthiness he was taken on, when in his twenties, as business manager for a wealthy Qurashi widow Khadija whom he married shortly afterwards. These visions are mentioned in several sources.Muslims see these visions as being of Gabriel, but there are reasons tothink that Muhammad interpreted them as God Himself. Kennedy notes that it is wrong to see whatMuhammad did as no more than to restore the old Meccan trading commonwealthunder new management: The old system had been a series of agreements among equals whereas the expansion of Islam was to mean the imposition of the authority of the Muslim elite by force if necessary (Kennedy 48).To do otherwise would be to allow an Arab contingent that might challengethe authority of Islam. Among the types of evidence used for this purpose areinternal evidence, mentions in other documents, and ways of comparing suchinformation. Muhammad had visions that began hisprophetic mission. We might thus assume that God wasunknown and that the message of God was seeping into Arab life from Judeo-Christian monotheism. Muhammad was now in the lowest rung of the ladderof worldly success. Muhammad at Mecca. Abu Tilab and Khadijadied after the end of the boycott and three years before the Hijra. The story of Muhammad begins with what is known of his ancestry andhis father, Abdallah. Muhammad's career in Medina included the political power he gatheredto himself during this time. The theme of God's goodness and power isemphasized in the early passages. The moral ideal would becomeIslam, or surrender to God. He did engender some opposition intime, though: At first there is no evidence that the preaching aroused any opposition among those who did not accept it but as the Revelation became more specific and more widely accepted, conservative elements in Mecca began to see it as a threat to their position (Kennedy 31 .Muhammad emigrated to Abyssinia in the fifth year, in the second year afterbeginning his public preaching. The Umma had a political aspect, but it also had areligious meaning as a theocracy. The idea of the unity of God is not mentioned. Muslimscholars had trouble understanding that Muhammad could have not understoodthe heterodoxy of the satanic verses because they believed that he had fromthe very first an awareness of the full range of orthodox dogma. The boycott of the clan of Hasham beganafter the emigration and lasted for three years. The issueof the satanic verses is a difficult one and involves a number of factorsand possible motivations (Kennedy 31). Islam was instituted by Muhammad as he created both a new religionand a new social order. Muhammad preached for three years privately only to his friendsbefore beginning to preach publicly. In Medina Muhammadwas the chief magistrate of the community, and he could now not only preachIslam but practice it. London: Longman, 1986.Watt, W. In the moral sphere, some of the nomadic ideals were no longerrelevant in the developing mercantile community. The satanic verses point to thisopposition. The Prophet and the Age of the Caliphates. Different theories have been put forward bydifferent scholars. Muhammad was born in theYear of the Elephant, about 57 A.D. For the traditional Muslim, he was the greatest of theApostles of God, sent to bring the final revelation of God's word tomankind. There are indications that Khadijarealized some of Muhammad's spiritual capacities.

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