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Born in Arabia, 570 CE.
Died 632 CE.
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Grew up an orphan in
Mecca, Arabia under his uncle�s care
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Like most people of
that time and place, he was illiterate
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Mecca
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even then, was the center of pre-Muslim Arabian culture, commerce, and
religion
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The Arabia of that time
was a polytheistic culture - each Arabian tribe had its own god all of whom
were represented at the Ka�ba (now the center of Islamic faith).
"Allah" was seen as the greatest of all these gods before Muhammad
proclaimed Allah to be the only true God.
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As a young man Muhammad
was employed in the commerce/merchant trade by a woman, Khadijah, 15 years
his senior. He drove a camel caravan.
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At age 25 Muhammad
married Khadijah. They had children. His daughter Fatimah
along with Khadijah are significant in early Muslim history and important
role models for women in Islam. It was his wife who encouraged and supported
him in his mission when he was unsure of himself.
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Several pre-Muslim
Arabian religious traditions were incorporated into Islam including
pilgrimage to and circling the Ka�ba and fasting during the month of Ramadan
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During Ramadan Muhammad
would meditate in seclusion in a cave on Mt. Hira, just outside
Mecca.
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It was here, at the age
of 40, in the year 610, that Muhammad began to receive messages -
revelations - from Allah through the angel Gabriel (the same angel mentioned
in the Christian Gospels). Muhammad was instructed to "remember and
recite" ("Quran") these messages, word for word, to others
upon his return to the city.
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Muhammad continued to
receive revelation throughout the remainder of his life (another 22 years).
These revelations comprise the Quran (the holy book of Islam) having
been written down by Muhammad�s followers during his lifetime.
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From 610 - 622 the
small movement of Islam was centered in Mecca without much success, growth,
or acceptance from most of the Arabs there. The small following was
persecuted and seen as an affront to the Arabian tribal religions and a
threat to the Meccan economy (since the elimination of the many tribal
deities from the Ka'ba would mean a loss of business from Arabian pilgrims
to the city).
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In 622 Muhammad took
his movement to Medina (approximately 250 miles NW of Mecca) on
invitation and request from the people there to settle their internal
disputes. Muhammad agreed to take the role of statesman and arbiter of
Medina providing the people of Medina follow the new faith. It would be
through this common faith that the people would become united. The year 622
is considered the start of the Islamic era and is dated the year 1 AH (after
Hijrah - migration).
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Islam flourished in
Medina and by the year 630 Muhammad had returned triumphant to Mecca, making
the first Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.
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By the time of
Muhammad's death the new religion was well settled and widespread amongst
the tribes of Arabia, uniting them as a single, cooperative people rather
than as the warring tribes they had been.
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Within 100 years of
Muhammad�s death Islam had spread into Europe, Northern Africa and central
Asia.