Muhammad in Mecca

Muhammad in Mecca
c. 570 – 622 AD
Location	Hejaz, Arabian Peninsula
Including	Mawlid Marriage with Khadija First revelation Year of Sorrow Isra and Mi'raj Hijra
Key events	Emergence of Islam
Chronology Year of the Elephant First Islamic state

In

Muhammad was born in the month of

Muhammad's father,

After parts of the Kaaba were destroyed in flash floods, with the reconstruction almost complete, disagreements arose among the leaders of the different clans of the Quraysh as to which one should put the Black Stone into place. These disagreements led to an escalation in tensions, and war seemed imminent before they agreed to take the advice of the next person entering the Haram. Muslims believe Muhammad was this person, and that he spread out his cloak, put the stone in the middle and had the members of the four major clans raise it to its destined position, before ensuring its secure placement with his own hands.^[29][30]

Due to the death of Abdullah, Muhammad's desire to relieve his uncle Abu Talib of the burden of providing for a large family, and Abu Talib's financial situation, Muhammad took Abu Talib's son and his cousin, Ali, into his own home. Muhammad also adopted Zayd, giving him the name Zayd ibn Muhammad. Muslims believe that this renaming was rendered invalid by the revelation of some verses in Surah 33 of the Qur'an, Al Aḥzāb, wherein it is stated that an adopted child could not be treated as a natural son by marriage or inheritance. Consequently, the adopted child had to retain the name of his or her biological father. Therefore, Zayd's name was reverted to Zayd ibn Haritha.^{[33][Quran 33:40]}

At some point, Muhammad adopted the practice of meditating alone for several weeks every year in a cave on

Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created- Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,- He Who taught (the use of) the pen,- Taught man that which he knew not. (Qur'an 96:1–5)

Most

Very few of the Quraysh gave weight to Muhammad's message; most ignored it and a few mocked him.^[42] According to Welch, early Qur'anic verses were not "based on a dogmatic conception of monotheism but on a strong general moral and religious appeal," further adding that the key themes of these Meccan surahs include the moral responsibility of man towards his creator: the resurrection of the dead, the Day of Judgement supplemented with vivid descriptions of the tortures in hell and pleasures in paradise, the wonders of nature and everyday life, the signs of God, and the proof of the existence of a greater power who will take into account the greed of people and their suppression of the poor.^[43] The foundations of early religious duties were also laid and included belief in God, asking for forgiveness of sins, offering frequent prayers, assisting others with emphasis on those in need, ejecting cheating and the love of wealth, chastity, and the prevention of femicide which was prevalent in early Arabia.^[43]

There were three main groups of early converts to

Conservative opposition arose to Muhammad's speeches. According to Ibn Sa'd, the opposition in Mecca began with Muhammad delivering verses that "spoke shamefully of the idols [the Meccans] worshiped other than [Allah] and mentioned the perdition of their fathers who died in disbelief."^[46] According to Watt, as Muhammad's followers gained traction in Mecca, they posed a new, internal threat to the local tribes and the rulers of the city, whose wealth rested upon the annual pilgrimage to the Kaaba, the focal point of Meccan religious life, which Muhammad threatened to overthrow; his denunciation of the Meccan traditional religion was especially offensive to his own tribe, the Quraysh, as they were the guardians of the Ka'aba.^[42] Some of the ranking and influential leaders of the Quraysh tried and failed to come to arrangements with Muhammad in exchange for abandoning his preaching. They offered him admission into the inner circle of merchants and establishing his position in the circle by an advantageous marriage, but Muhammad refused.^[42] During this period, Muhammad urged his followers to be pacifist; according to Peterson, to "deal gently with the infidels".^[47]

Relations between Muhammad's Islamic faction and the other members of the

In 615, at a time of heightened violence against the Muslims, Muhammad arranged for his followers to emigrate to the

Two important clans of Quraysh declared a public banishment against the clan of Banu Hashim in order to put pressure on the clan to withdraw their protection of Muhammad.[54]^[55] The terms imposed on Banu Hashim, as reported by Ibn Ishaq, were that "no one should marry their women nor give women for them to marry; and that no one should either buy from them or sell to them."^[56] The banishment lasted for two or three years but eventually collapsed mainly because it was not achieving its purpose and sympathizers of the Hashemites within the Quraysh finally united to annul the agreement.^[55][57]

9 years into Muhammad's claim to prophethood, two of the most committed defenders of Muhammad's message, his wife

Sometime in 620, the year following the Year of Sorrow, Muhammad sent a proposal of marriage to Sawda bint Zam'a, an early convert to Islam. The proposal was accepted by both her and her father, Zam'a ibn Qays. Muhammad and Sawda were married in Ramadan of that year. Muhammad also married Aisha, a daughter of his friend and companion Abu Bakr, when she was somewhere between 6 and 9 years old, which has caused controversy in modern scholarly discussion. Both Sawda and Aisha would outlive Muhammad, dying around sometime between 642–672 and in 678, respectively. Aisha would narrate more than 2,200 hadiths in the 44 years she lived after Muhammad, covering several diverse topics, including inheritance, pilgrimage, eschatology and Muhammad's private life.

Some time in 620, Muhammad told his followers that he had experienced the

Since the Quraysh gave little weight to Muhammad's message, Muhammad took to spreading his message to the merchants and pilgrims that frequented Mecca. After several unsuccessful negotiations, he found hope with some men from Medina.

Khazraj, twice, at a hill known as al-'Aqabah near Mina, where they pledged their allegiance to Muhammad and agreed to protect Muhammad if he were to migrate to Medina. Following the pledges at al-'Aqabah, Muhammad encouraged his followers to emigrate to Medina. The Quraysh attempted to stop the Muslims from emigrating to the city, however, almost all Muslims managed to leave.^[60]

Hijra

See also:

Hegira

Muslims believe Muhammad waited until he was commanded by Allah to migrate to Medina. Upon receiving this divine direction, Muhammad planned to leave Mecca the same night. The Quraysh had besieged his house hearing of the large numbers of Muslims who had emigrated prior to him. Muhammad slipped from his home the night of the planned assassination. Due to his possession of several articles that belonged to members of the Quraysh, Muhammad asked Ali to stay behind to settle his outstanding financial obligations. Ali had worn Muhammad's cloak, leading the assassins to think Muhammad had not yet departed. By the time the assassins realised this, Muhammad had already left the city with Abu Bakr. Ali survived the plot, but risked his life again by staying in Mecca to carry out Muhammed's instructions: to restore to their owners all the goods and properties that had been entrusted to Muhammad for safekeeping. Ali then went to Medina with his mother,

Sawda, and wetnurse, Umm Ayman.^[61][62] Muhammad and Abu Bakr took refuge in a cave atop the Thawr mountain outside Mecca before continuing their journey. To further delude the Quraysh, Muhammad travelled south for the first few days of his journey, in the opposite direction to Medina. Later, Muhammad and Abu Bakr turned to the Red Sea, following the coastline up to Medina, arriving at Quba' on Monday, 27 September 622.^[60]

Conquest of Mecca and return

Further information: Conquest of Mecca

Muhammad returned to Mecca not long before his death, following the victory of his forces in the

Arabic: فتح مكة Fatḥ Makkah). The date Muhammad set out for Mecca is variously given as 2, 6 or 10 Ramadan 8 AH^[63] (December 629 or January 630).^[63][64] (10–20 Ramadan, 8 AH).^[63] The date of his entry into Mecca is variously given as 8–12 days later (10, 17/18, 19 or 20 Ramadan 8 AH).^[63]

While in Mecca, Muhammad prayed in the direction of the Kaaba and addressed the Quraysh, destroyed pagan idols, while his army destroyed pre-Islamic influences and punished Quraysh stragglers.

Historiography and sources

See also: Historiography of early Islam

The Quran is the only primary source for the life of Muhammad in Mecca.^[65] The text of the Quran is generally considered by university scholars to record the words spoken by Muhammad as the search for variants in Western academia has not yielded any differences of great significance.^[66] The Quran, however, mainly records the ideological and spiritual considerations of Muhammad, and only fragmentarily references to the details of his life in the city, which makes it difficult to reconstruct the chronological order of the incidents in his or his followers' lives in Mecca.^[67] Modern biographers of Muhammad try to reconstruct the socioeconomic and sociopolitical aspects of Mecca and read the ideological aspects of the Quran in that context.^[67]

Other later historical works, particularly those of the 3rd and 4th century of the Islamic calendar, are also of considerable importance in mapping Muhammad's life in the city.

William Montgomery Watt, in the legal sphere, it would seem that sheer invention could have very well happened. In the historical sphere, however, aside from exceptional cases, the material may have been subject to "tendential shaping" rather than being completely fabricated.^[67]

Hadiths are the record of the traditions or sayings of Muhammad, defined as the biography of Muhammad perpetuated by the long memory of his companions and community for their exemplification and obedience.

'Aisha as mostly fictitious while examining accounts reported without sanad by the early compilers of seerah such as Ibn Ishaq. Wilferd Madelung has rejected the stance of indiscriminately dismissing everything. Madelung and some later historians do not reject the narrations which have been compiled in later periods and try to judge them in the context of history and on the basis of their compatibility with the events and figures.^[74]

Shiites, the words and deeds of their Imams, the progeny of Muhammad, are given that authority. Originally transmitted from generation to generation orally before being compiled, some of these sayings, according to their chain of transmission, are sayings of Muhammad.^[76]

See also

• History of Islam
• Hijra
• Timeline of the history of Islam

References

Citations

1. ^ ^{a b} Watt (1953), pp.1–2
2. ^ Watt (1953), pp. 16–18
3. ^ Loyal Rue, Religion Is Not about God: How Spiritual Traditions Nurture Our Biological,2005, p.224
4. ^ John Esposito, Islam, Expanded edition, Oxford University Press, p.4-5
5. ^ See:
   • Esposito, Islam, Extended Edition, Oxford University Press, pp.5–7
   • Qur'an 3:95
6. ^ Hanifs – native pre-Islamic Arab monotheists – are also sometimes listed alongside Jews and Christians in pre-Islamic Arabia, although their historicity is disputed amongst scholars cf. Uri Rubin, Hanif, Encyclopedia of the Qur'an
7. ^ Louis Jacobs(1995), p.272
8. ^ ^{a b} Watt (1974), p. 7.
9. ^ "By Mufti Taqi Usmani".
10. Allameh Tabatabaei
    , A glance at the life of the holy prophet of Islam, p. 20
11. ISBN 9780062316837
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12. ^ ^{a b c d e f g} Muhammad, Encyclopedia of Islam.
13. ^ See also ^{[Quran 43:31]} cited in EoI; Muhammad
14. ^ Lings (1983), p. 17
15. ^ "Interfaith Institute of the Islamic Center of Long Island | The Prophet Muhammad and The Children of Israel By Dr. John Andrew Morrow". interfaithny.com. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
16. ^ Recep Senturk, Muhammad, the Prophet, Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia
17. ^ ^{a b} William Montgomery Watt, "Halimah bint Abi Dhuayb", Encyclopaedia of Islam
18. ^ Ramadan (2007), p. 10-12
19. ^ Peterson (2006), p. 38
20. ^ Peterson (2006), pp. 38 and 39
21. ^ Peterson (2006), p. 40
22. ^ Nasr, Seyyed Hossein. "Muhammad". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 20 March 2008.
23. ^ Abel, A. "Baḥīrā". Encyclopaedia of Islam. Brill. Brill Online, 2007
24. ^ William Montgomery Watt(1974), p.8
25. ^ Ramadan (2007), p. 19
26. ^ ^{a b} Berkshire Encyclopedia of World History (2005), v.3, p.1025
27. ^ Encyclopedia of World History (1998), p.452
28. ^ Esposito(1998), p.6
29. ^ F.E.Peters(2003), p. 54
30. ^ Jonathan M. Bloom, Sheila S. Blair (2002), p. 28-29
31. ^ "Chapter 4: The Prophet's first Marriage". Al-Islam.org. Archived from the original on 26 September 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
32. ^ Peterson (2006), p. 45
33. ^ ^{a b} Ramadan (2007), p. 22-4
34. ^ Emory C. Bogle(1998), p.6
35. ^ John Henry Haaren, Addison B. Poland(1904), p.83
36. ^ Brown (2003), pp. 72–73
37. ^ *Emory C. Bogle (1998), p.7
    • Razwy (1996), ch. 9
    • Rodinson (2002), p. 71.
38. ^ Brown (2003), pp. 73–74
39. Encyclopedia of the Quran
40. ^ Watt, The Cambridge History of Islam (1977), p. 31.
41. ^
    Encyclopedia of the Qur'an
42. ^ ^{a b c d} The Cambridge History of Islam (1977), p.36
43. ^ ^{a b} Welch, Muhammad, Encyclopedia of Islam
44. ^ ^{a b} Ramadan (2007), p. 37-9
45. ^ Peterson (2006), p. 26-7
46. ^ Francis Edwards Peters,Muhammad and the Origins of Islam, SUNY Press, p.169
47. ^ ^{a b} Peterson (2006), p. 70-1
48. ^ Sirat Ibn Hisham, vol. 1, p. 298
49. Sahih Bukhari
    : Volume 6, Book 60, Number 339
50. ^ *Watt (1964) p. 76;
    • Peters (1999) p. 172
    • Michael Cook, Muhammad. In Founders of Faith, Oxford University Press, 1986, page 309.
51. ^ van Donzel, Emeri (2007). Encyclopaedia of Islam.
52. ^ at-Tirmidhī, Abū ʿĪsā Muḥammad. Jami' al-Tirmidhi. Hadith 3681.
53. ^ ^{a b} Peterson (2006), p. 72-3
54. ^ Francis E. Peters, The Monotheists: Jews, Christians, and Muslims in Conflict and Competition, p.96
55. ^ ^{a b c} Moojan Momen, An Introduction to Shi'i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shiʻism, Yale University Press, p.4
56. ISBN 0-691-03267-X
    , p.54
57. ISBN 0-631-21604-9
58. ^ Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World (2003), p. 482
59. Encyclopaedia of the Quran
    .
60. ^ ^{a b} Peterson (2006), pg. 86-9
61. ^ Tabatabaei (1979), p.191
62. ^ "Ali ibn Abitalib". Encyclopedia Iranica. Archived from the original on 12 August 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2007.
63. ^ ^{a b c d} F.R. Shaikh, Chronology of Prophetic Events, Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd., London, 2001 pp 3, 72, 134-6. Shaikh places the departure on Wednesday, 29 November. This is apparently calculated using the tabular Islamic calendar and then substituting Ramadan for Sha'ban in an (ineffective) attempt to allow for intercalation.
64. ISBN 9780806182506
65. ^ Welch, Muhammad, Encyclopedia of Islam
66. ^ F. E. Peters, The Quest for Historical Muhammad, International Journal of Middle East Studies (1991) pp. 291–315.
67. ^ ^{a b c} William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad in Mecca, p.xv
68. ^ William Montgomery Watt, Muhammad in Mecca, Oxford University Press, p.xi
69. ^ Reeves (2003), pp. 6–7
70. ^ Robinson (2003), p. xv
71. ^ Donner (1998), p. 132
72. ^ Islam, S. A. Nigosian, p. 6, Indiana University Press
73. Cragg, Albert Kenneth. "Hadith"
    . Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Retrieved 30 March 2008.
74. ^ Madelung (1997), pp.xi, 19 and 20
75. ^ Jonathan Bloom, Sheila Blair, Islam: A Thousand Years of Faith and Power, Yale University Press, p.55
76. ISBN 0-300-03531-4
    , p.174

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