Prophet Muhammad brief description. The birth of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ is the greatest event in the entire history of the Universe

In 570. Comes from the Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe, which had great political and economic impact in the city. Little is known about His early years, mainly what is contained in the Qur'an and life stories (sira). Muhammad's father, a poor merchant Abdallah ibn al-Muttalib, died in 570 as a result of an accident during a trading trip even before his son. Muhammad's mother, Amina, died when He was six years old. Muhammad was taken in by His grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, and two years later, when his grandfather died, His uncle, Abu Talib, took custody of Muhammad. While in Abu Talib, Muhammad first worked as a shepherd, then studied commerce.
From a young age He was distinguished by piety, piety, and honesty. Over time, Muhammad became involved in Abu Talib's trading affairs. Those around him fell in love with the young man for his justice and prudence and respectfully called him Amin (Trustworthy). Muhammad received his first impressions of the world around him while traveling with Abu Talib on trade matters. His reputation as a reliable person, experience in trade and caravan business allowed him to get a job with a rich widow, whom he later married.

The new social position allowed Muhammad to spend more time in thought. He retired to the mountains surrounding Mecca and retired there for a long time. He especially loved the cave of Mount Hira, overlooking Mecca. In 610, when Muhammad was 40 years old, during one of these retreats, he received the first Revelation of the sayings of the book now known as the Koran. In a sudden vision, Jibril appeared before him and, pointing to the words that appeared from outside, ordered them to be spoken out loud, learned and passed on to people. This event occurred at the end and was called Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power, Night of Glory). The exact date of the event is unknown, but it is celebrated on the 27th of Ramadan. The first to appear to Muhammad were five verses of the 96th, with the words: “Read! In the name of your Lord." Then messages, from the first Revelation to the last, came to Muhammad throughout His life (for 23 years). Jibril has always been the mediator in the transmission of Revelations. Through him came the command to carry the Word God's people. Muhammad was convinced that he had been chosen as a messenger and prophet to bring people the true word, fight polytheists, proclaim the uniqueness and greatness of Allah, warn about the coming resurrection of the dead, and the punishment in hell of all who did not believe in Allah.

A small group of followers gathered around Muhammad, but the majority of Meccans greeted him with ridicule, where He spoke about the one God, Allah, the Day of Judgment, heaven and hell. The Meccan oligarchy resisted His reforms, since the sermons He preached undermined their political and social influence in the Hijaz, adversely affected the welfare of the Meccans, and in particular, since the establishment of faith in one God dealt a blow to polytheism and to trust in the idols of the sanctuary, which would lead to a decrease in the number of pilgrims and, accordingly, the income received from. Persecution by the Meccan elite forced supporters of the doctrine to flee to Ethiopia. Muhammad was under the protection of his family and continued to preach about the omnipotence of Allah, proving the validity of his claims to prophecy.

In Medina

After the death of his uncle Muhammad Abu Talib, his main patron, the new head of the clan refused to support him.
Muhammad was forced to seek help outside of Mecca. Around 620 he entered into a secret agreement with a group of inhabitants of Yathrib, a large agricultural oasis north of Mecca. The pagan tribes who lived there and the tribes that converted to Judaism were tired of the protracted civil strife and were ready to recognize the prophetic mission of Muhammad and make him an arbitrator in order to establish a peaceful life. First, most of the companions moved to Yathrib from Mecca, and then in July (according to another version - in September) 622, the prophet himself. The city later began to be called (Madinat an-Nabi - City of the Prophet), and from the first day of the year of the prophet's migration () Muslims begin their reckoning.
Muhammad gained significant political power in the city. Its support was the Muslims who came from Mecca () and the Medina converts to Islam (). Muhammad also counted on the support of local Jews, but they refused to recognize him as a prophet. Some Yathribs who converted to Islam, but were dissatisfied with the rule (in the Koran they are called hypocrites) also became hidden and open allies of the Jews.
In Medina, the prophet condemned the Jews and Christians for their forgetfulness of the true covenants of God and their prophets. The Meccan shrine of the Kaaba acquired paramount importance, to which believers began to turn during prayer (qibla). The first was built in Medina, the rules of prayer and behavior in everyday life, wedding and burial rituals, the procedure for collecting funds for the needs of the community, the procedure for inheritance, division of property and provision of credit were established. The basic principles of religious teaching and community organization were formulated. They were expressed in revelations included in the Koran.

Having strengthened himself in Medina, Muhammad began to fight the Meccans who did not recognize his prophecies. In the early years preceding the spread of Islam throughout Arabia, Muhammad took part in successive three major battles that brought him to the fore as a political leader. This is the battle of (624) - the first victory won by the Muslims; the battle of (625), which ended in the complete defeat of Muhammad's army; and the siege of Medina by three Meccan armies (under the command of Abu Sufyan of the clan), which ended in failure for the besiegers and allowed Muhammad to consolidate his position as a political and military leader in the city and in Arabia as a whole.
Mecca's connection with the internal Medina opposition prompted drastic measures. Many of the prophet's opponents were destroyed, and the Jewish tribes were expelled from Medina. In 628, a large Muslim army led by the prophet himself moved towards Mecca, but it did not come to military action. In the town of Hudaibiya, negotiations took place with the Meccans, which ended in a truce. A year later, the prophet and his companions were allowed to make a small pilgrimage to Mecca.
The power of the prophet grew stronger, many Meccans openly or secretly went over to his side. In 630, Mecca surrendered to the Muslims without a fight. Having entered his hometown, the prophet destroyed the idols and symbols located in the Kaaba with the exception of the “black stone”. However, after this, the Prophet Muhammad continued to live in Medina, only once, in 10/623, making a “farewell” (Hijjat al-Wada) to Mecca, during which revelations about the rules of Hajj were sent to Him. The victory over the Meccans strengthened his authority throughout Arabia. Many Arabian tribes entered into an alliance agreement with the prophet and accepted Islam. A significant part of Arabia found itself as part of a religious-political union led by Muhammad, who was preparing to extend the power of this union to the north, into Syria, but in 632, leaving no male offspring, he died at the age of 63 in Medina, 12 rabi' Al-Awwala, 10 Hijri in the arms of his beloved wife Aisha. The Prophet Muhammad was buried in the Medina Mosque of the Prophet (al-Masjid an-Nabi). After the death of Muhammad, the community was ruled by the Prophet's deputies. His daughter Fatima married his student and cousin Ali ibn Abu Talib. From their sons Hassan and Hussein come all the descendants of the prophet, who in the Muslim world are called and.

In Medina, Muhammad created a theocratic state in which everyone had to live according to the laws of Islam. He acted simultaneously as the founder of a religion, diplomat, legislator, military leader and head of state.

Family

At the age of 25, Muhammad married Khadija bint Khuwaylid ibn Assad, who was already over forty at the time. But, despite the age difference, their married life was happy. Khadija bore Muhammad two boys, who died in infancy, and four daughters. After one of his sons, Qasim, the Prophet was called Abu-l-Qasim (father of Qasim); daughters' names: Zainab, Ruqaiya, Umm Kulthum and Fatima. While Khadija was alive, Muhammad did not take other wives, although polygamy was common among Arabs.

Meaning

Islam recognizes Muhammad an ordinary person, who surpassed others in his religiosity, but did not possess any supernatural powers and, most importantly, divine nature. The Koran repeatedly emphasizes that he is a person like everyone else. For Islam, Muhammad is the standard of a “perfect man”; his life is considered a model of behavior for all Muslims. He is considered the “seal” of the prophets, that is, the final link in the series of prophets represented by Moses, David, Solomon and. His mission was to complete the work Abraham began.

Muhammad was an exceptional personality, an inspired and dedicated preacher, and an intelligent and flexible politician. The personal qualities of the prophet became an important factor in the fact that Islam became one of the most influential world religions.
Muhammad devoted his entire life to service, in particular, he reproached Christians for the fact that they revere the Trinity and, therefore, are not monotheists in the strict sense, and do not remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus himself, who never claimed divinity.

Opinions

Information about Muhammad, which can be found in the Koran, Sira or, gives only a hint of the depth and greatness of His personality. Later Islamic biographies are hagiographical in nature and, as a rule, based on Arabic primary sources. In some communities of South Asia, at the festival in honor of the Prophet's birthday (see Mawlid an-Nabi), poetic biographies of Muhammad are read, in which a certain Hindu influence is felt.
Until recently, biographies of Muhammad published in the West showed Him as an ambiguous personality, inspiring neither sympathy nor respect. It is rare to find books that present Muhammad in a different light. Currently in academic works There is a tendency among Western Islamic scholars to present the image of the Prophet more objectively and positively.

Mohammed or Magomed, Mohammed (Abul Kazem ben Abdallah, Mohammed). Founder of Islam.

Life

Born in the early 70s of the 6th century (presumably in 571) in Mecca, in the family of Abdallah and Amina. Muhammad was from the Quraish tribe, which had a very high position in the Arab environment. He belonged to the Hashim clan (Hashemites).

Arab gold dinar 695 - coin issued under Caliph Abd al-Malik, those who personally saw Mohammed were still alive.

Muhammad's father Abdullah ibn Abd al-Muttalib died shortly before his birth (two months) or a few months after the birth of Muhammad. His mother Amina (Amina bint Wahb ibn Abd Manaf ibn Zuhra ibn Kilab) died when he was still a child. Mohammed was raised first by his grandfather, and after his death by his paternal uncle, Abu Talib. He was treated well, but he had to share hard life a large and very poor family, herding sheep and picking wild berries in the desert. The name Muhammad, which means "The Praised One", was given to him by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib.

At the age of 25, Mohammed, on the recommendation of his uncle, took up the affairs of the rich widow Khadija. He undertook trade trips on her behalf, visited various parts of Palestine and Syria, and probably received impressions that enriched his mind.

In 595 he married a widow who was much older than him. Mohammed was a witty man, attractive in appearance, had black hair and a whiter complexion than usual.

Arabic paganism and ganifs

Soon after his marriage, Mohammed became interested in the religious movement that had arisen shortly before that time in Mecca, Medina and Taif.

The generally accepted religion at that time was Arab paganism, the expression of which was large religious festivals. The Arabs recognized many gods, who had more or less importance, depending on the circles in which they were revered. The gods were looked upon as the patrons of clans and tribes that united their members.

Above all the deities stood Allah, the greatest and common god. His name was invoked at the most sacred oaths, at the conclusion of contracts and conditions; the lower deities recognized by one party could not be suitable in those cases where the sanctification of a deity standing above all parties was required. The name of Allah was recalled to the enemy in order to protect oneself from insult; "enemy of Allah" was a disgraceful title for a scoundrel.

But since Allah ruled everyone and imposed duties on everyone, no one considered themselves to have the right to enter into close relations with him. In the cult he was given last place; preference was given to those deities who personified the interests of one or another circle and fulfilled the private desires of their fans. However, neither the fear of Allah nor the service of other deities had any particular influence on the Arabs.

The chief practical consequence of the general festivities was the observance of a truce during the sacred months; but soon it lost its religious meaning and became a simple custom.

The settled Arabs must have attached more importance to religion than the nomads, but the difference between them was hardly great in this respect. The Meccans looked upon religious festivals as a profitable business on which the success of their trade depended, and they valued the truce during the holy month, as it was beneficial for the fair.

However, some individuals in Arabia felt the need to replace the lost religion with something. These were the so-called “ganifs,” whose name meant “repentants,” that is, people who sought to free themselves from sin. The Ganifs did not constitute a special sect and did not have certain established views. They communicated with each other, but did not represent a closed community; Moreover, they cared more about their souls than about spreading their views.

There were comparatively more ganifs in Medina than in other cities of Arabia. They rejected polytheism, recognized one god - Allah, and considered it their duty to submit to his will (Islam), so that for them monotheism was closely connected with responsibility for their actions and with the expectation of the coming judgment; Thus, monotheism was opposed to the worldly thoughts of idolaters and served as the basis righteous life. The Hanifs were ascetics; but not feeling attracted to the forms of religion that had previously been created, they sought a new form, and only a very few of them joined the communities of Christians or Jews.

Young Mohammed, recognized by the monk Behira.
Miniature from the book of Jami al-Tawarikh, written by Rashid al-Din in Tabriz, Persia, 1307. AD

Sources of ideas

Mohammed did not create his religious ideas on his own, but borrowed them from the Hanifs. But what was the first source of this religious movement?

It is usually thought that it was caused by the Jews. Jews were numerous in Hejas and Yemen; they communicated freely with the Arabs and introduced them to the Bible; Mohammed borrowed from the holy books of the Jews, stories and most of the laws that passed into the holy book of Muslims - the Koran; the theological language of Islam is full of Jewish expressions.

But neither Judaism nor Christianity can be considered the real source of Islam. The Arabs were familiar with the Greek, Syrian and Abyssinian churches, which, of course, had various influences on Islam. But both among the Jews and in the Christian churches, the ideas and meaning of the deity were obscured by theological subtleties.

But in the Syrian-Babylonian desert, far from the centers of Christianity and church history, the original forms of the religion of Christ were preserved. These Christians included the so-called Sabians and numerous hermits.

The connection between Islam and the Sabians is already evident from the fact that in Mecca and Taif the adherents of Islam were called Sabians; The hermits, who acted not so much through their teaching as through their lives, apparently had an even stronger influence on the Hanifs, and through them on Mohammed. Their life was a serious preparation for the future life, for the Last Judgment, and represented a sharp contrast to the life of the pagans. Asceticism and contemplation were the hallmarks of the Ghanifs, and therefore it would hardly be wrong to conclude that the nameless followers of the gospel sowed the seed from which Islam subsequently developed.

Muhammad prays with other prophets, including Abraham, Moses and Jesus.
Medieval Persian manuscript from the 14th century.

Prophet

Mohammed became friends with the Hanifs, and their teaching found grateful soil in his heart. He became deeply aware of his dependence on the omnipresent and omnipotent God and his responsibility to him.

Following the example of one ganif, he often began to for a long time retire to the deserted Mount Gira and indulge there in prayer and ascetic exercises. For whole years he practiced piety in this way, not standing out in any way from the other ganifs.

But this time the concepts and views of the Ganifs were instilled in a man who was distinguished by a nervous temperament and had a morbid tendency to ecstasy and visions, and caused in him a strong spiritual work, which was to manifest itself in an unusual way.

Mohammed himself explained the visions as revelations from above. After the death of Mohammed, these revelations were collected in the Koran. The revelation could calm Muhammad, instill in him peace and perseverance. Some revelations canceled previous ones. It is generally accepted that the revelations that came to Muhammad before the Muslims moved to Medina contain fewer legal provisions.

Mohammed felt like a prophet and was convinced of the need to leave the silent circle of ascetics and preach the truth. This decision was made by him partly under the influence of the example of the biblical prophets, and perhaps also under the influence of the fact that among the Hanifs there was a widespread expectation of a new founder of the religion, and Mohammed found confirmation of this expectation in the fact that he vaguely heard about the Jews' expectation of the Messiah.

Traditions have been preserved about how Mohammed gradually reached the point of openly proclaiming what had been living and developing in his soul for a long time, that is, how he became a prophet.

One night, in the month of Ramadan - as the ancient biographer of Mohammed relates - while he was indulging in pious exercises on Mount Gir, the angel Gabriel appeared to him with a silk scroll and forced him, although he could not read, to read everything written on it. This is the first origin of the holy book, the source of revelation from which Mohammed subsequently drew. The words he read on the scroll of the angel Gabriel remained etched in his heart:
"Read!
In the name of your Lord, who created everything, who created man from one drop.
Read!
For the Lord is the greatest, who taught man what he did not know.
Truly, a person is mistaken in thinking that he is content with himself; everyone must return to the Lord."

Mohammed receives his first revelation, miniature 1307. AD

After a night vision in the month of Ramadan, in 610 Mohammed appeared publicly in Mecca as a prophet. The angel's address to him (Sura XCVI) expresses the idea of ​​Islam. A person lives content with himself, but the day comes when he will have to return to his Lord and Creator and give him an account of his affairs.

When the angel disappeared - so the legend goes on - Mohammed came to Khadija and told her about what had happened with grief, since he considered himself possessed. She began to console him and inspired him that he had received a revelation and was called to be an ambassador of the Lord.

But doubts returned to Mohammed again when there was no continuation of the revelation. These doubts drove him several times to such despair that he was ready to throw himself down Mount Gira. It is usually believed that this condition lasted two or three years.

Then the angel, according to legend, appeared to him a second time. Mohammed came to Khadija in great excitement and asked her to cover him, probably fainting. During the attack, he received a surah beginning with the words “O you covered!” and calling him to get up, go preach and glorify the Lord (Sura XXIV). From then on the doubts were over; revelations followed one after another, and the prophet was completely confident in his calling.

This legend developed as an explanation for the fact that after the first vision, Mohammed did not publicly act as a prophet for a very long time. He looked for followers of his teaching among those close to him. First, he attracted members of his household to the new teaching - his wife Khadija, his cousin Ali, his freedman, his best friend Abu Bakr and several others, who subsequently played a more or less prominent role in the history of Islam. Thus a small community was formed.

One of his followers, Arkam, offered him his house, which was located next to the sanctuary, for meetings of his community; Thus, the Muslims - as the followers of Mohammed began to be called - acquired a convenient place for their meetings in the city itself, whereas previously they had to gather in ravines and deserted places outside the city.

While preaching in the city, Mohammed acquired several more followers of Islam. But in Mecca he did not have outstanding success. His sermons contained nothing essentially new for the Meccans; The only thing new to them was the enthusiasm with which he proclaimed the truth.

However, the prophet’s enthusiasm did not impress his fellow citizens; they began to look at him as a dreamer, a poet, or as an obsessed person. In their eyes, he could not have much importance because his followers were mostly slaves, people from the lower strata of society and youth; Not a single one of the elders and rulers of the city joined him. This circumstance worried the prophet himself. There is a place in the Koran where God condemns him for pushing away a blind beggar who interfered with him when he was trying to convert an influential person, and punishes Mohammed for not achieving his goal.

Rejection of Islam in Mecca

The indifference of the Meccans upset the prophet and forced him to give his sermon a polemical character. In the most ancient suras, monotheism is expressed as a dogma. There is no need to say that the worship of all other deities except Allah is excluded.

It should be noted, however, that Mohammed did not immediately begin to sharply deny polytheism. His attacks on idols and their worshipers were intensified by the cold mockery with which he was received by the Meccans. He began to frighten the unbelievers with the judgment of God for their disdain for his teaching and his prophet; he began to talk about the terrible punishments that had befallen in other cases those who refused to listen to the voice of truth, drawing material for his stories from ancient legends. Mohammed attacked what the Meccans considered sacred, and they were insulted on behalf of their gods and their fathers. In addition, the prosperity of the city was associated with Mecca's polytheism, since at that time the Kaaba was still an exclusively pagan sanctuary.

Finally, the Mecca elders turned to the prophet's uncle, Abu Talib, asking him to silence his nephew, so that he was forced to choose: either to restrain his nephew from his offensive attacks or openly take his side and go against his fellow citizens. Abu Talib called Mohammed, explained to him the state of affairs and asked him not to destroy them both; but Mohammed could not and did not want to give up preaching his beliefs. “Even if they gave me the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left, so that I would give up my intention,” he said, “but I will not rest until the Lord grants victory to my cause or until I die.” for him." With these words he began to cry and turned to go. But Abu Talib called him back and said: “Go in peace, son of my brother, and say whatever you want, for I will not leave you under any circumstances.”

The patronage of his uncle did not save Mohammed from all kinds of insults that he had to endure day after day from his enemies; no one, however, caused him serious harm, for fear of causing clashes between the heads of the clans.

Less happy in this case were those of his followers who occupied a dependent position and did not have support in their families. Especially slaves and serfs converted by Mohammed and not respected, were often tolerated ill-treatment. There were no martyrs of the new teaching, but the situation of many Muslims became so unbearable that they fled to Abyssinia, since they looked upon the Abyssinian Christians as relatives in religion.

Mohammed tried in every possible way to avoid a final break with his fellow citizens. He even went so far as to soften his doctrine of one God. One day, when the elders gathered at the Kaaba, Mohammed began to tell them the following: “What do you think about Lata, Ozza and Manat? These are great goddesses, on whose intercession before God we can count. The listeners were surprised and delighted by such recognition of the patron goddesses of Mecca, and when Mohammed concluded his speech with the words: “So worship Allah and serve him,” everyone unanimously agreed to serve Allah, expressing their pleasure at Mohammed’s concession.

But Mohammed soon repented of his action. He came home dissatisfied with himself; in the evening Gabriel appeared to him, and Mohammed repeated to him his speech to the elders. Then the angel said: “What have you done? You have put words in the ears of the people that I never spoke to you.” Mohammed fell into deep despair that God would turn away from him. But the Lord forgave and restored him. The “devilish” sura was scraped out and began to read like this: “What do you think about Lat, Ozz and Manat? That you produce male offspring, and they produce female offspring - this is an incorrect distribution.” When the Meccans learned about this change, their enmity towards the prophet flared up with renewed vigor.

Mohammed resolves a dispute over the raising of the black stone to its place in the wall of the Kaaba. According to legend, when Muhammad was still young, the community was repairing the Kaaba and a dispute arose between various clans in Mecca over the right to reinstall the black stone. Mohammed resolved the dispute by placing a stone on a cloth and inviting members of each clan to lift the cloth together.
Miniature on parchment from the book of Jami al-tawarikh (literally "Collection of Chronicles", but often referred to as world history or history of the world), by Rashid al-Din, published in Tabriz, Persia, 1307.

Mohammed's agreement with the Meccans must not be looked upon as a momentary suggestion of Satan; it was probably the result of rather long negotiations; the break also could not have occurred as quickly as is usually thought, and the peace lasted, of course, more than one day. This fact itself is undoubted, for the news of reconciliation managed to reach the Muslims who fled to Abyssinia. Some of them even thought that all of Mecca had converted to Islam, and managed to return to their homeland.

On their return they found things had changed again, and a new resettlement soon followed. More than a hundred Muslims, mostly still young, in small groups again moved to Abyssinia, where they were again warmly received by Christians.

During this difficult period for the Muslims, two conversions occurred that bolstered their spirit. Mohammed's uncle Hamza, standing up for his nephew, openly converted to Islam. Even more important was the conversion of Omar, who was then 26 years old and not rich or noble; but his impressive figure and extraordinary willpower gave him such an influence that it was very sensitive to Islam. Until then, religious gatherings of Muslims took place in a private home, but Omar began to pray publicly in the Kaaba, and other Muslims followed his example. Their religious ceremonies for the first time they began to be performed publicly, in front of everyone.

Apparently, at this time, Mohammed's disagreement with his fellow citizens reached its extreme point. Mohammed could not forgive himself for his temporary concession and began to attack religion and his opponents even more strongly, and the personal element little by little came to the fore.

Idols, according to Mohammed, were even less displeasing to Allah than their worshipers, and he sought not so much the worship of Allah as recognition of him as a prophet. Regarding the Meccans, he adopted a tone of threat and denunciation, predicting the onset of judgment and its hour.

Finally, the Quraysh lost patience. Their elders entered into a solemn agreement to stop all relations with the Hashemites if they did not renounce Mohammed. The Hashemites nevertheless continued to side with Mohammed and, since all trade transactions with the outcasts were prohibited, they found themselves in a very sad situation. This steep the measure forced many of the prophet's followers to fall away from him, and all efforts to spread Islam were unsuccessful.

Flight to Medina

In 620, his wife Khadija died, and soon after her his patron Abu Talib died. Mohammed finally decided to give up polemics against the Meccans. He realized that there was no prophet in his patronymic, and that he needed to leave.

At first, Mohammed decided to try his luck in the neighboring city of Taif and went there alone. But even there the elders refused to patronize his preaching, and the mob drove him out of the city and pursued him until he managed to hide in a vineyard.

Mohammed flees Mecca. Colorized Algerian postcard, 1920s

In deep despondency, he walked towards his hometown. But after an open break with the Meccans, he decided to enter Mecca only by securing the patronage of one of the elders. Two months after Khadija's death, he married Sauda, ​​the daughter of a settler in Abyssinia.

Having no success among his fellow citizens, Mohammed sought an opportunity to preach to the Arabs visiting Mecca. Thus, he became friends with a small circle of citizens of the city of Medina, who not only did not ridicule him, but expressed their readiness to accept his teaching.

They were prepared for this by constant relations with the Jews who lived in Medina and its environs, and by connections with the northern Christian Arabs. Among the Medinans there were many Ghanifs who sought to find a new religion and even expected the appearance of the Arab Messiah, its founder. Therefore, Medina was the most suitable soil for the activities of Mohammed.

It is remarkable that he made this discovery by accident. Having entered into relations with pilgrims who had arrived from Medina to Mecca, he asked them to find out how he would be received in their city. They promised to give him an answer in a year at the Mecca festival.

The following year, 12 Medinans arrived at the Mecca celebration, who promised Mohammed that they would not have any gods except Allah, that they would not touch anything that belonged to others, that they would avoid fornication and slander, that they would not kill newborn babies and that they would obey the messenger of God.

This was the so-called first oath of allegiance at Aqaba, named after the gorge where the meeting took place. The Medinites returned to their homeland as preachers of Islam, promising to notify the teacher about their successes next year. One of the Mecca Muslims went with them to teach the Medinas the rituals of Islam.

Islam quickly took root in the new soil. The Prophet, in his joy, made great plans. Probably, his night trip to Jerusalem, made under the influence of an exalted mood, dates back to this time.

Mohammed during the "Night Voyage", fresco from the 9th century.

In March 622, 25 converts to Islam appeared among the pilgrims of Medina at the Mecca festival. They met with the prophet again at Aqaba. This meeting was attended by Mohammed's uncle, Al-Abbas, who after the death of Abu Talib became the head of the Hashemids. The so-called second oath of Aqaba took place, and it was decided that Mohammed would move to Medina. Al-Abbas solemnly entrusted his nephew to the protection of the Medinans, and they swore to protect him from everything from which they kept their wives and children.

Rumors of this affair reached the Meccans, although it took place in secret. However, the leader of the Medina caravan of pilgrims, interrogated the next morning, knew nothing about the agreement with the Mohammedans by the Medinians, since he remained a pagan. The Meccans reliably learned about what had happened only after the departure of the Medinans; they chased after them, but achieved nothing.

Then they tried in every possible way to prevent the eviction of Mecca Muslims. In Mecca, persecution of the prophet's followers resumed; others renounced the new teaching, others were imprisoned. But all these measures only accelerated the crisis. A few days after the oath at Aqaba, Mohammed gave his followers a formal order to move, and soon up to 150 Muslims moved from Mecca to Medina.

Mohammed himself with Abubekr and Ali remained in Mecca longer than others. The reason for this is as little known as the reason for his sudden flight. It is said that the Meccans plotted to kill him, and that this prompted him to flee with Abubekr. For two or three days the friends hid in the Taurus Mountains, south of Mecca; they then headed north and reached Medina safely.

The personality of Mohammed, the founder of Islam, is first illuminated by the full light of history in 622, when he fled from Mecca to Medina. Therefore, Muslims calculate their chronology from this year, and not from the birth of Mohammed.

In Medina

After fleeing to Medina, a new period in the life of the prophet begins. If Mohammed had remained in Mecca, then at best he would have died for his teaching, and it would have triumphed only after his death. Thanks to his flight, he, the founder of a new religion, lived to see complete victory; during his lifetime, everything that in Christianity was divided by a huge gap between Christ and Constantine the Great was accomplished.

Mohammed also managed to make Islam a tool for the formation of an Arab national state, and this explains the speed with which the dominance of the new teaching was established.

Mohammed first settled in the village of Kobe, near Medina, where his most zealous followers had already built a mosque. Convinced that he would be greeted with joy in Medina, the prophet entered the city in front of a huge crowd of people. The Medinians continually expressed their desire to receive Mohammed in their homes; so as not to offend anyone by refusal, he left his camel to carry him at his discretion. The camel knelt down in an open place in the quarter of the Najar clan and Mohammed decided to build a mosque and a home for himself here. A few months later, a mosque and huts were erected for the wives of the prophet, the already mentioned Sauda and Aisha, the daughter of Abubekr, who had great influence on Mohammed. The Prophet lived alternately with one wife and then with the other, without having a separate home for himself.

Medina is located in the west of the Arabian plateau, in an oasis lying among bare cliffs, mostly of volcanic origin. The inhabitants ate the fruits of date palms, vegetables and fruits that grew under their shade.

This oasis once belonged to the Jews, but several centuries before Mohammed the Jews were partly driven out from there by Arabs who came from Yemen. Nevertheless, there were still many Jews in Medina, partly under the patronage of the Arabs, partly forming an independent community.

The Arabs in Medina split into two main parties, which were constantly at odds with each other; their disagreements were beneficial to the Jews and were zealously supported by them.

Circumstances developed in such a way that Mohammed soon acquired political influence over the citizens of Medina. In case of strife and other difficulties, the pagan Arabs usually turned to the priests. It is quite understandable that due to the religious prestige of Mohammed, he was often resorted to as an adviser or judge. Quarrels and complicated circumstances arose every now and then, and an authority was needed that would stand above the parties.

Mohammed became such an authority; his judgment was recognized voluntarily, as the judgment of God, which cannot be shameful for anyone. Soon Mohammed thus acquired enormous influence, which was largely due to his personality, which aroused general confidence. Not everyone could be forced to recognize himself as a messenger of God, and his words as the words of God.

If his decisions were stupid or unjust, then even the glory of a prophet could not support respect for him; but his decisions were reasonable, he deeply understood things and knew how to resolve disputes among the people of Medina, since he was not only an enthusiast, but also a very practical person.

An angel gives Mohammed a miniature city - a symbol of the acquired Medina. Drawing from an early 14th century folio

But soon Mohammed began to demand as a right what was at first a voluntary act. “In every dispute that you have with each other, turn to God and Mohammed” - this is the text of the Medina legislation, compiled in the first year after the flight; in the Koran, all those who would seek justice from the priests are condemned. With incredible speed, the prophet became the most powerful man in Medina.

Thus, religion became an instrument in the formation of the state. Religion has never fulfilled such a purpose better; it has never been used with such dexterity as a means to an end.

In Mecca, Islam was Mohammed's personal conviction, and by his preaching he sought to create a personal conviction in others. He said that one must believe in God and in the coming judgment, that people should not lead their lives frivolously, that one should not be arrogant, stingy, etc.

In Mecca, however, a community was formed that established itself thanks to persecution. But everything was still in its infancy, and the outer side of Islam was not at all developed.

The rituals of Islam were established only two years after the flight of the prophet. Muslims were required to pray five times a day: at sunrise, at noon, during the day, at sunset and late in the evening; every Friday they were required to attend the main public service with a sermon.

The entire dogma of Muslims was the position that God is one; but faith in this dogma was given less importance than its confession. "There is no god but God!" - this was the slogan and war cry of the followers of the prophet. The prayers took on the character of military exercises; the mosque was the place where these exercises took place, and where the Muslims acquired that corporate spirit and that severe discipline that distinguished their army.

The confession of monotheism and prayer were followed by almsgiving as the third important means by which Mohammed considered it necessary to arouse the unity of his followers. Alms later turned into a kind of tithe, from which the Muslim treasury was made up and which served as the material basis of the Muslim state. With the practical development of religion, almsgiving was preserved only in name; in essence, the view prevailed that a certain fee should be paid to God.

By uniting its followers more and more closely, Islam became more and more exclusive in relation to those who stayed away from it. If in Mecca Mohammed adhered to the rule: “whoever is not against me is for me,” then in Medina his rule had already become: “whoever is not for me is against me.”

It was especially important to find out the attitude towards Jews. Without any effort on their part, they helped prepare the ground for Mohammed in Medina; therefore, the prophet at first did not distinguish between them and the Arabs who recognized him. But since the Jews did not allow the combination of religious and political authority in one person, Mohammed soon became hostile to them, especially since under the Arab national political system he created, foreign elements were completely undesirable.

Mohammed's hostile attitude towards the Jews was expressed in the fact that he began to carefully separate from the Jewish those Muslim rituals that were originally borrowed from the Jews. When praying, he replaced facing Jerusalem with turning towards Mecca; The fast was moved from the month of Tizri to the month of Ramadan. By designating Friday as the main day of public worship, Mohammed probably wanted to contrast this day with both the Jewish Sabbath and Christian Sunday.

Of particular importance was the injunction to face Mecca when praying, and not Jerusalem; this indicated not only the independence of Islam from Judaism, but a concession was made to paganism, and Islam acquired national significance, meaning to gather the Arab tribes into one state. Muslims were commanded to observe the Mecca festival as much as possible, even if they could not attend it in person.

Five main principles of Islam:
Recognition of the unity of God.
Fulfillment of the prescribed prayer.
Giving the required alms.
Fasting in the month of Ramadan.
Observance of the Mecca festival.

All this had a much deeper meaning than it seems at first glance. Even with one outward observance, these rules were an excellent means of creating that team spirit that constituted the strength of Islam.

Before Mohammed, all political and social relations in Arabia was based on blood relationships, and on such a foundation it was impossible to erect a strong building, for blood separates as much as it unites.

Mohammed brought religion onto the stage as a much more energetic figure in the construction of a social edifice. Ruthlessly destroying ancient alliances, religion cemented the destroyed elements with new cement and created a new and much more durable political system.

Islam has transformed the very hearts of people; the sanctity of ancient ties has faded before the name of Allah. At the behest of Mohammed, brother would go against brother without any remorse.

Mohammed gave preference to active natures; contemplative piety received only verbal praise from him. Over the chaotic management of many families was placed supreme power god; every Muslim who recognized this authority; was the brother of another Muslim and the enemy of anyone who was not a Muslim.

Mohammed appears before Abd Mutalib and the inhabitants of Mecca in heaven, in paradise with beautiful women. Turkish copy from an 8th century Arabic original.

Outside of Islam there was neither law nor salvation; Allah alone was powerful, and he protected only those who recognized his supremacy. It is clear that this new principle should have had a strong response to the chaos of existing relations.

There are several records of the astonishment with which the Arabs viewed the strange spirit that had pervaded the Muslim community, the firmness with which they clung to each other, the unconditional submission to their leaders, and the disdain with which they showed everything that was considered holy before Islam or outside of it.

Others were attracted to these features of Islam, but in general an unfriendly attitude towards it still prevailed. In Medina itself there was a strong party that was not happy with the increasing importance of Islam and the need to obey the prophet. At one time, this discontent threatened to cover the whole of Medina. But, in the end, the younger part of the community, which was enthusiastic about Mohammed, gained the upper hand; the party hostile to him consisted of old people who stood at the head of families and were offended by the loss of their political significance.

Spread of Islam in Arabia

The creation of a state was as great a task for Mohammed as the creation of a new religion. The Medina community was the core of this state, and faith was the force through which Islam achieved such great results in world history.

At first, Mohammed maintained peaceful relations only with part of the Medina citizens and with the tribes living in the neighborhood of Medina. The rest of Arabia became hostile to him, and therefore, before achieving its political claims, Islam had to defeat the unbelievers.

The clash of principles had to be resolved by the sword, and the sovereignty of Allah had to be demonstrated by the disobedient by force. In the mouth of Mohammed, the words: “I came not to bring peace, but a sword,” would have had a more literal meaning than in the mouth of Christ.

The first clash occurred with Mecca. According to Arab concepts, it was considered high treason on the part of Mohammed to leave his hometown and join a foreign community; on the part of the inhabitants of Medina it was an act hostile to Mecca to accept the prophet to themselves.

The Meccans would have every right to take up arms against the Muslims; but the war was started by the followers of Mohammed, who showed unusual aggressiveness for such a young party.

Mohammed began by taking advantage of the advantageous position of Medina near the high road from Yemen to Syria in order to attack and rob Mecca caravans.

In 623, during the holy month of Rajab, when robbery was considered unlawful, a caravan of Quraysh returned from Taif to Mecca, loaded with leather, wine and raisins. Mohammed sent a crowd of immigrants from Mecca to intercept the caravan; The prophet's plan succeeded, but one Meccan was killed in the battle. This caused such indignation even in Medina that Mohammed had to renounce all participation in this matter and punish the culprits.

The Quraish were still silent. But in the month of Ramadan 623, they were waiting for the return from Syria of a large caravan under the command of Abu Sofiyan. Mohammed decided to wait for the caravan in Bedra, somewhat north of Medina. At the insistence of Mohammed, more than 300 people went to Bedr; but Abu Sofian found out about this in advance and sent a messenger to Mecca to ask for help; he himself hurried to Mecca by a different route. The Quraish took up arms and up to 900 people moved to Bedar.

On the way, they learned that the caravan was safe, but still decided to continue their journey. Seeing the army of the Meccans, Mohammed, despite the insignificance of his army, decided to join the fight. A battle took place; The Meccans, frightened by the enthusiasm of the Muslims and having lost several of the noblest and most respectable Quraysh, fled. The number of killed and captured Meccans reached one hundred: the Medinans killed no more than fourteen.

The skirmish at Bedra was of great importance and strengthened the position of Mohammed. He himself attributed his victory to the help of the deity and thereby ensured that open opposition to him in Medina became impossible. Many accepted Islam under the influence of horror, which was brought upon everyone by several terrible murders committed on the orders of the prophet. Those who refused to recognize the prophet were partly expelled from Medina, partly killed, and several Jews hated by Mohammed suffered.

In Mecca, the Muslim victory made a strong impression. The Meccans sought revenge and began to prepare for a fight. A year later they marched against Medina under the command of Abu Sofiyan and camped near the city.

At first Mohammed did not want to leave the city, but at the request of the younger part of the population he went with an army to Uhud, where the battle took place. Here Mohammed was wounded in the face, and the uncle of the prophet Hamza, nicknamed “the lion of God,” was killed. Magomed's army lost the battle.

However, the Mecca army retreated without making an attack on Medina, Abu Sofiyan only demanded in conclusion that the Muslims should meet the Meccans again the following year at Bedra.

Returning to Medina, Mohammed decided to expel the strong Jewish family of Ben-Nadir from the city under the pretext that they were plotting to destroy the prophet. At first the Jews decided to resist and locked themselves in their houses; but they were soon forced to leave the city.

With music, in festive clothes, taking with them all their movable property, they walked through the streets of Medina; their real estate fell into the hands of the prophet. The Beni Nadir clan retired partly to the Jewish settlement of Kaibar, partly to Judea.

Miniature from the book of Jami al-Tawarikh, written by Rashid al-Din in Tabriz, Persia, 1307. AD

The Kaibar Jews were looking for an opportunity to harm their mortal enemy; they in every possible way contributed to the alliance of the Quraish with the Bedouin tribes to suppress Islam. In 627, already 10 thousand troops marched against the Muslims under the command of Abu Sofiyan.

Having received news of this, Mohammed began to prepare for the siege. The houses in Medina were built so close together that they formed a continuous wall; only in the northwestern part of the city was there a wide, open place through which the enemy could easily get through. Here Mohammed ordered to dig a ditch, behind which he placed himself with the Muslims.

Thanks to this, the war itself received the name “Battle of the Ditch.” Courageously defending the ditch, the Muslims constantly pushed back the enemy. Finally, the allied army decided to attack the other end of the city and, for this purpose, attempted to enter into negotiations with the Jews remaining in Medina. This attempt was unsuccessful, since the Jews did not dare to oppose Mohammed; moreover, there were strong winds, cold nights and the Bedouins were in poverty, especially since they did not take any fodder for their camels and horses. On a stormy night, the Meccans suddenly lifted the siege and headed home. The Bedouins followed them. In the morning, the Muslims were happy to see that the enemy had left; they themselves were driven to the extreme by cold, hunger and fatigue.

The prophet's wrath now fell on the Jews, who locked themselves in their homes in fear. After a few days, however, they had to surrender. They were brought in chains to the Medina market and executed there among 600 people. By converting to Islam, they could have saved their lives, but they chose death. Among them, the prophet chose for himself the beautiful Raigana, whom he persuaded to convert to Islam.

Six years had passed since Mohammed left Mecca, and in 628. he felt a desire to worship God in the Kaaba, especially since the pilgrimage to the Kaaba was considered an essential point of the new religion. He saw in a dream that he and his people were peacefully entering Mecca; when he told his followers about this, they expressed a desire to accompany him.

Up to 1,500 people went to pray, and although they did not have a warlike appearance, when they approached Mecca, the Quraysh became agitated and sent 200 armed horsemen to meet Mohammed to block his path. Then negotiations opened. The Meccans refused to let Mohammed into the Kaaba.

Suddenly there was confusion in the camp of pilgrims, as news of the betrayal spread. The Muslims ran to Mohammed, who, standing under an acacia tree, demanded an oath from them that they were ready to die for him; as a sign of their fidelity, the prophet's followers struck his hand with their palm, and then the prophet himself struck his left hand with his right hand as a sign of fidelity to his absent son-in-law.

At this scene, known as the Oath under the Tree, several messengers from Quraysh were present, they were amazed at the general enthusiastic obedience to the prophet and reported everything to the Meccans. The Quraysh invited Mohammed to retreat, promising to allow him into the sanctuary next year. Despite the murmuring of the Muslims, Mohammed agreed, and in this sense an agreement was concluded between the warring parties. In this treaty, Mohammed, yielding to the insistence of the Mecca elders, agreed to be called simply “Mohammed, son of Abdullah,” and not “prophet of God,” as he initially wanted.

Returning to Medina, Mohammed in the fall of the same year 628 spoke out against the Caybar Jews. The Jews locked themselves in Kaibar, but since they had neither discipline nor good leaders, and the Arab allies abandoned them, one fortification after another passed into the hands of the Muslims.

Finally, the Jews began to ask for peace. Mohammed agreed that their lives, wives and children, and one piece of clothing would be left to them, and all their property would be taken away from them. One of the Jews was subjected brutal torture for burying his family's treasures in the ground, but his beautiful wife Safiya begged for his freedom at the cost of her own and went to Mohammed.

The lion's share of the spoils went to the prophet, so that a significant amount of material resources was concentrated in his hands; he knew how to use them not only to enrich his family, but also to attract to his side such individuals who were more captivated by money than by principles.

Capture of Mecca

The agreement with Mecca, although it was concluded with concessions on the part of Mohammed, in essence turned out to be beneficial for Islam. Many people of moderate thought joined Islam, and during the 22nd month of the truce the number of conversions was greater than at any previous time.

In 629, a year after the treaty with Mecca, Mohammed entered the city with 2,000 Muslims and performed sacred ceremonies in the Kaaba. The Meccans were indignant, but were forced to remain silent. They had lost confidence in themselves, and this was the most ominous sign. In Mecca, Mohammed entered into his last marriage with the young widow Maimuna; Thus he had ten wives, not counting slaves. However, such a number of wives was a special privilege of the prophet; his followers were allowed to have no more than four free wives, but they were allowed to have as many concubines as they wanted from slaves.

The war with Mecca soon resumed. Mohammed marched against his hometown with 10,000 troops, joined by the Bedouins, who were hoping for booty. The Prophet kept the purpose of his campaign a secret. But it was probably known to some of the elders, since many Meccans went over to the side of Mohammed even before the capture of the city.

Muslims from different parts entered the city, meeting almost no resistance (630). Mohammed insisted that there should be no violence or bloodshed in the holy city.

Latest reforms

Under the rule of Islam in Mecca, the prosperity of the ancient cult was to continue. Even the previous ceremonies when visiting the Kaaba were preserved. Mohammed destroyed only idols and images of gods, as well as all pagan sanctuaries outside Mecca.

Mohammed destroying idols in Mecca, Kashmir, 1808

The final step of identifying the Kaaba with Islam, thanks to which Mecca became the center of the Muslim world, was taken only the following year, when pagans were forbidden to take part in the festival. In 632, Mohammed himself celebrated the Mecca celebration in an orthodox manner, introducing several changes to the traditional custom. At the same time, he stated that he was restoring ancient way worship supposedly instituted by Abraham. At the same time, he redid the calendar and introduced a lunar year with 12 lunar months.

The Quraysh's allies, the rebellious Bedouins, soon also joined Islam. Mohammed richly rewarded the noble Meccans who did not help the resisting Bedouins, and thus attracted many to his side.

The fall of Mecca was of great importance for the future of Islam. But the victory of the Muslims over the Quraysh soon turned into the dominance of the Quraysh among the Muslims. In making Mecca the Jerusalem of Islam, the prophet seemed to be motivated by religious motives, as if forgetting that his religion was contrary to the pagan customs practiced at the Kaaba.

Mohammed wanted to harmonize Islam with the remnant of former paganism; in the same way, guided by his local patriotism, he attached great importance to reconciliation with the Quraish. He was ready to fulfill all their desires, to facilitate their conversion to Islam in every possible way, convincing them that they were losing little and gaining a lot.

In the last years of his life, the prophet reaped the fruits that had ripened with such difficulty. After the conquest of Mecca, Bedouin sheikhs flocked to Medina from all over Arabia and entered into negotiations regarding the accession of their tribes to Islam, and Mohammed himself sent to those tribes that did not express a desire to join Islam.

There was no struggle for the Arabs to give up their ideals; paganism had outlived its time, and ancient superstitions were skillfully reconciled with Islam. The victory of Islam was explained by the omnipotence of Allah.

But, in essence, joining Islam was determined more by political than religious reasons; it meant joining the Medinan state rather than monotheism. The Arabs were attracted to the power that Medina achieved because they recognized the need for order and peace.

Therefore, the distant tribes of Arabia recognized the prophet, although they could not enter into direct relations with him. Mohammed demanded from converts only the fulfillment of five daily prayers, paying the required alms and accepting Muslim law; but he did not interfere in the affairs of individual tribes, trying only, as far as possible, to strengthen the influence of the existing aristocracy everywhere.

The pilgrimage for which the prophet went to Mecca in March 632 was a real triumphal procession crowned with the so-called last sermon. All of Arabia lay at his feet, and we can safely say that he owed his success not to the sword, but mainly to his moral strength.

Mohammed's last sermon to his first disciples.
Miniature from the book of Al-Biruni, 13th century

Returning from Mecca to Medina, Mohammed began to prepare for a campaign against the Arabs subject to Byzantium and living on the border of Syria. But this trip did not take place. On June 8, 632, Mohammed died in the arms of his beloved wife Aisha in Medina and was buried in the house in which he died.

Mohammed on his deathbed, miniature from 1307

Children

After the death of Khedijah in 620, Mohammed had several more wives: only after his death there were nine of them.

All of Muhammad's children, except Ibrahim, were from Khadija. The first child from Khadija was al-Qasim, then at-Tahir, at-Tayyib, Zainab, Ruqaiya, Umm Kulthum, Fatima were born.

The boys died in early childhood. The girls lived to see the beginning of the prophetic mission of Muhammad, all accepted Islam, and all moved from Mecca to Medina. All died before Muhammad's death, except Fatima. She died six months after his death.

After death

After the death of Mohammed, his close associates Abu Bakr and Omar initiated the creation of a written version of the Koran - a collection of sayings attributed to Mohammed.
Already in the first suras of the Koran (96 and 74) Magomed is recognized as a prophet of Allah.

By the time of Muhammad's death in 632, the entire Arabian Peninsula had been converted to Islam, and soon after the death of the prophet, his successors (“deputies”, caliphs) conquered vast territories of the Asian and African possessions of the Byzantine Empire, spreading Islam, Arabic culture and language. The Abbasid Caliphate was the largest empire of its time, stretching from Morocco to Iran.

Mohammed, with his face later sketched, sits surrounded by his four successors - the “righteous caliphs”. Miniature from the book "Sinsilanam" - the book of Genealogy, Ottoman Empire, 1st half of the 17th century

Brief chronology
570 - Birth of Muhammad in Mecca. Even before Muhammad's birth, his father dies and Muhammad is given to his nurse, Halima bint Abu Zuaib. For 4 years, Muhammad lives with the nomadic Bedouin tribe Banu Sad.
575 - the arrival of the nurse Halima to Mecca and the return of Muhammad to mother Amina.
583 — travel to Syria with Abu Talib.
585 - participation in the “Blasphemous War”, where the Prophet Muhammad “repelled arrows with a shield, protecting his uncles.”
595 — the trip of the Prophet Muhammad with Khadija’s trade caravan to the city of Basra; marriage to Khadija.
575 - participation in the “Union of the Noble”, the essence of which was to protect the defenseless and ensure the safety of strangers in Mecca.
610 - sending down the first revelations; the beginning of the prophetic mission of Muhammad.
613 - Beginning of Muhammad's public preaching
615 - resettlement of some of Muhammad’s companions to Abyssinia from persecution (he himself remains under the protection of his uncle Abu Talib).
615 - boycott of the Banu Hashim clan against Muhammad.
619 - death of Khadija and Abu Talib; attempt to resettle in the city of At-Taif; ending the boycott of the Banu Hashim clan against Muhammad.
620 - a secret agreement between Muhammad and a group of Medina residents on the special role of an arbitrator.
621 — Isra and Miraj; first oath under Aqaba.
622 - Hijra, migration to Medina.
623 - the beginning of the war against the Meccan polytheists
624 - Battle of Badr; marriage to Aisha.
625 - marriage to Hafsa and Zainab bint Khuzaima; Battle of Mount Uhud.
626 - marriage to Umma Salama; Battle of the Ditch.
627 - marriage to Juwayriyah bint Haris and Zainab bint Jahsh.
628 - marriage to Safiya bint Huay, Umm Habib and Maymunah bint Harith; Baya Ridwan and the Treaty of Hudaibiya; Zainab bint Harith's attempt to poison the Prophet Muhammad.
629 - peaceful pilgrimage of Muslims and Muhammad to the Meccan sanctuary at the Kaaba; violation of the agreement by Quraysh under Hudaybiya.
630 - Capitulation of Mecca.
632 - farewell pilgrimage to Mecca; June 8 - death and funeral of the Prophet Muhammad.

Scientific view

IN scientific literature For a long time there was a view that attributed epilepsy to Mohammed. Then some researchers attributed hysteria to him. In any case, his frequent seizures with partial loss of consciousness are historically reliable.

Ancient scientists had a similar opinion. Thus, his contemporary historian Theophanes wrote (AM 6122):
The Jews deceived (by him) at his first appearance thought that he was the Christ they were waiting for; so that some of them, the most prominent people, joined him, accepted his teaching and broke away from Moses, the seer of God. Ten people did this, and they remained with him until his death. Seeing that he was eating camel meat, they realized that he was not the one for whom they took him and, wondering what to do, the unfortunate people no longer dared to lag behind his teaching, but inspired in him villainous intentions against us Christians; they remained with him..... the mentioned Muamed, as a man who had no relatives and an orphan, decided to approach one rich woman, to his relative, named Khadige, as a hired worker for walking behind camels and for trading in Egypt and Palestine. Little by little he grew bolder, proposed to a widow woman and married her, receiving camels and all her property for her. Coming to Palestine, he met Jews and Christians and borrowed some of their scriptures, but was overcome by epilepsy. The wife, noticing this, was very sad because she, herself a noble woman, had become involved with such a man, who was not only poor, but also suffering from a comitial illness. But he tried to console her with these words: an angel named Gabriel appears to me in a vision, and unable to bear the sight of him, my consciousness darkens and I fall. She knew one monk who was expelled due to evil faith and lived there, she told him everything and the name of the angel; The monk, to calm her down, told her: he told the truth: this angel is sent to all the prophets. Having listened to the words of the false father, she was the first to believe him and, through other women of the same tribe, spread the word that her husband was a prophet. This news passed from the wives to the husbands, and first of all to Abubahar, whom he left as his heir; this heresy took hold in the countries of Ethrib and eventually broke out in terrible wars. First it spread for ten years, then it manifested itself in a ten-year war, and finally it was openly preached for nine years. He taught his subjects that whoever kills an enemy, or is killed by an enemy, goes to paradise, which, according to him, consisted of carnal food, drink and pleasure with women: there are rivers of wine, honey and milk, there women are not like here, but much better ; there the pleasure is long-lasting and complete; His teaching was full of other frenzy and stupidity, but he praised compassion for each other and help for the offended.

This is confirmed by Zonara (XIV, 17), Kedren (I P741) and Amartol (II, 235) with various minor interpretations. Thus, Zonara said that Muhammad came from a low and unknown family, Kedren - that he picked up ideas from Jews, Arians and Nestorians.

Practice of depicting Mohammed

There is a separate and complex debate about whether Islam in principle prohibits any graphic images of Muhammad.

For some Muslims, such a prohibition is absolute: images of Muhammad and all other prophets in the Islamic faith are certainly prohibited and are considered idolatry. Historically, Islamic fine art is based on geometric or calligraphic motifs and has no figurative aspects.

This ban exists in many Islamic countries. Moreover, this ban, of course, does not apply to non-Muslims, because Moreover, they will not worship the images of Mohammed. In later times, some Ottoman sultans took advantage of this, ordering the creation of illustrated books on history and genealogy in Europe (illustrations from some of these books are given in this article).

Muslims usually cite a surah in the Koran in which the prophet Ibrahim asks: “What are these images that you worship?” To which they answer: “We know that our fathers worshiped them.” Ibrahim answered them: “So, both you and your fathers were clearly mistaken.”

But the attitude of Islam towards the images of the prophet has changed more than once; even over the last 200-300 years, views on this issue have repeatedly undergone changes.

Night ride of Muhammad on his horse, leaf from the book Bustan Sacdi, Bukhara, 1514

Neither the Koran nor the Hadith are unanimous on this issue. In subsequent centuries, there were different views on this matter among different Muslim communities.

There is no direct prohibition in the Koran on the image of the prophet.

Muslim images of Mohammed

Throughout Islamic history, Muslims have created numerous images of Muhammad, mostly in the form of illustrations for manuscripts. In some of them, the face of the prophet was erased or painted over by later owners of the images, but there is no doubt that it is he.

These were often luxury items created for wealthy people and stored in their libraries. Some of the illustrations are miniatures of characters from the Koran.

The book "Varqa and Gulshah", kept in the Topkapi Library, contains the earliest known book images of the Prophet. The book was created before or during the Mongol conquest of Anatolia in the 1240s. Although few early depictions of living things survive, fine art has been a long-standing traditional craft in Islamic lands since the 8th century, for example, it flourished in the Abbasid Caliphate.

Mohammed prays at the Kaaba in Mecca. Fragment of a miniature from the book “Varka and Gulshakh”, 12th century. The face is destroyed these days.

German scientist Christiane Gruber analyzed images from detailed ones showing the body and face in the 8th-15th centuries to more abstract ones in the 16th-19th centuries. A transitional variety, which appeared at the beginning of the 13th century, contains an image of Muhammad without a face, instead the face is written "O Muhammad!" or similar inscription. Perhaps such images are related to Sufism. Sometimes the inscription was later covered with a veil or an image of a face so that the artist remained God-fearing, but others could see the face. According to Gruber, many such images were later defaced, with faces erased or scraped off, as opinions about the acceptability of such images changed.

There are several extant Persian manuscripts from the period of Mongol rule, including the Marzubannama of 1299. Remaining monuments of past generations Al-Biruni contains 25 images, five of which are of Muhammad, including the final two. One of the last illustrations depicts Muhammad and Ali ibn Abu Talib in the traditional Sunni interpretation. According to Christiane Gruber, there are other illustrations in books promoting Sunnism, in particular several works on the miraj from the early 14th century, although some other historians date these paintings to the Jalarid period.

Also, images of Muhammad are found in Persian works of the following dynasties - the Timurid and Safavids, as well as in Ottoman art up to the 17th century and beyond. Perhaps the most detailed illustrations of Muhammad's life are found in a 14th-century copy of Sieri Nebi's biography, completed in 1595 and commissioned by Sultan Murad III for his son, the future Mehmed III. This book contains more than 800 illustrations. One of the most common scenes with Muhammad is the miraj; from the 15th to the 20th centuries, countless works on this subject appeared in Persia and Turkey. These images are also used to celebrate the anniversary of the miraj on the 27th day of the month of Rajab. The retelling of this miracle had a religious meaning, and although it is easier to find descriptions of the celebrations of the 18th and 19th centuries, there are manuscripts mentioning it from much earlier times.

Mohammed at the Kaaba, 19th century reprint from a drawing of 1269, the halo is still round as in Christianity, the face is blurred in the reprint

The earliest images of Muhammad sometimes do not contain a halo of flame, and the first halos were round, like Christian halos, later a halo appears in the form of a flame, engulfing the Prophet's head or his entire body, even often hiding his body. If Muhammad's body is visible, then his face may be covered; this type of halo appeared from the beginning of Safavid rule and was considered particularly reverent and respectful.

Of course, judging by the subjects of these paintings, the artists were inspired by a deep religious feeling and the very fact of their existence speaks of approval, or at least the absence of a ban on images of Mohammed.

At what point did images of Muhammad become considered forbidden, or “haram”?

Mohammed and the Archangel Gabriel visit Hell and watch the demon punish women who did not cover their hair in front of strangers. Persia, 15th century

The widespread spread of printing at the end of the 18th century put Islam in a difficult position. European colonization of many countries in the Islamic world, as well as the spread of Christianity and other Western ideologies also played a role.

Islam responded by emphasizing its differences from Christianity, which for much of its history relied on a tradition of public iconography. Images of Muhammad began to disappear from circulation, and imams waged an increasingly active fight against “idolatry,” because Christians with their icons were presented not just as infidels, but as idolaters.

Arab theologian Muhammad ibn Abd Wahhab, who is considered the founder of the Wahhabi teachings accepted among Sunnis in Saudi Arabia, played a leading role in this matter.

Under him, the disputes became much more fierce. Among Wahhabis, hostility to the idea of ​​worshiping anything other than Allah has spread, including the potential, never actually practiced, worship of an image of the prophet himself.

Mohammed (right), Archangel Gabriel (center) talks with Abraham (left) in paradise. Persia, 15th century.

The situation with sculptural or other three-dimensional images of the prophet was always much more certain. For some Muslims, aversion to images of the prophet extended to a refusal to accept any images of living beings, both human and animal.

However, such a ban does not exist everywhere - for example, many Shiite Muslims, Alawites and some others to this day adhere to a completely different point of view.

Even today, images of the Prophet Muhammad can be found in the homes of many Iranian Shiites. There have never been any religious prohibitions on such images; they can be seen in shops and in homes, postcards and even stamps with his image are printed. They are not considered religiously or culturally offensive by local clergy.

Portrayal of Muhammad in Islamic literature

Hadiths and other literary works of the early Islamic period contain descriptions of portraits of Muhammad.

Abu Hanifa ad-Dinawari, Ibn al-Faqih, Ibn Wahshiya and Abu Nuaym al-Isfahani tell the story of how the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius I receives two residents of Mecca. He shows them a chest with compartments, each containing a portrait of the prophet, including a portrait of Muhammad.

Sadid ad-Din al-Kazaruni tells the same story about the visit of the Meccans to the King of China.

Al-Kisai wrote that God transmitted the images of the prophets to Adam.

Ibn Wahshiya and Abu Nu'aym tell another story in which a Meccan merchant traveling to Syria visits a Christian monastery that contains several sculptures and paintings depicting prophets and saints. There he also sees portraits of Muhammad and Abu Bakr, not identified by Christians.

The history of the 11th century tells how Muhammad posed for the court artist of the Sasanian Shahinshah Kavad II. Kavad liked the portrait so much that he kept it under his pillow.

Makrizi later recorded a story about how the ruler of Egypt, Mukaukis, meets with the ambassador of Muhammad and asks the ambassador to describe the appearance of the prophet. Comparing the description with a picture of an unknown prophet, Mukaukis discovers that the picture is indeed Muhammad.

In a 17th-century legend, the Emperor of China invites Muhammad to his court, but Muhammad responds by sending a portrait of himself, which so captivates the Emperor that he converts to Islam. After this, the portrait, having completed its mission, disappears.

Non-Muslim images

Both in the Middle Ages and in the modern world, Mohammed is depicted everywhere. This could be an image in history books or encyclopedias. They depict Mohammed and fine arts- both in paintings and in sculpture.

Depictions of Muhammad outside the Islamic world were very rare before the advent of the printing press. A small surge in their numbers occurred during the times crusades. Muhammad is depicted in several medieval paintings, usually in an unsavory manner, often influenced by his brief mention in Dante's Divine Comedy.

Salvador Dali, illustration for Dante's Divine Comedy, 1951

Sometimes Muhammad was painted among other “influential people”; one example of such an image can be seen on a building Supreme Court USA. It was created in 1935, and also contains portraits of Hammurabi, Moses, Confucius and others. In 1997, his image sparked a controversy that resulted in a politically correct change in tourism literature to describe the image as "a well-intentioned attempt to pay respect to Muhammad" that supposedly "has nothing to do with his appearance."

Image of Muhammad on the US Supreme Court building, panel "Wise Men of the World", 1935

Muhammad is in the 15th century fresco “The Last Judgment” by Giovanni da Modena, which is located in the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna and in paintings by such artists as Salvador Dali, Auguste Rodin, William Blake, Gustave Doré and others. Among Russian artists we can name Roerich and Gagarin.

Roerich's paintings (diptych) "Mohammed on Mount Hira", 1925 and "Mohammed the Prophet", 1932.

Sermon of Mohammed, Grigory Gagarin, 1840.

Caricatures

Humorous depictions of Mohammed have generated serious public discussion in recent times. In European culture, starting from the 20th century, there is nothing wrong with caricatures of gods and prophets, including Jesus Christ, Mohammed, Buddha, Allah, etc.

However, the first caricature of Mohammed was recorded back in 1162 in the first edition of the Koran in Latin; apparently during the Crusades it was considered very funny to depict someone as a fish.

Before the appearance of a significant layer of Muslims in Europe, no one paid any attention to this, until in 2002 the so-called Islamists staged actions of disapproval of cartoons of Mohammed that had recently appeared in a Danish newspaper.

The Western public perceived this dissatisfaction and attempts to ban it as an attack on the sacred right to freedom of speech, and the effect of Muslim actions turned out to be the opposite - isolated cartoons in small-circulation publications that were of no interest to anyone became a mass phenomenon that covered even serious publications.

In 2015, an Islamist terrorist attack was carried out against one of the most frequently published low-grade cartoons of this kind - the French cartoon magazine Charlie Hebdo. The attack killed 12 people, and again the Islamic radicals lost, achieving an even greater backlash. A third-rate magazine with a total circulation of 50 thousand, the next issue was published all over the world, distributing a caricature of Mohammed with a total circulation of more than 8 million copies.

The attack sparked a wave of protests. A grand march took place in Paris in memory of the victims of the terrorist attacks, in which several dozen heads of state of the world took part. After the terrorist attack, the phrase Je suis Charlie (Russian: I am Charlie) became the slogan of freedom of speech defenders around the world.

Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is truly one of the most influential figures in the history of Islam. But few people know what kind of person the great prophet of Islam really was. The facts presented below are the most amazing about the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).

1. He was an orphan

The Prophet's father died before Muhammad was born. According to ancient Arab tradition, little Muhammad was given to be raised by the Bedouins. When Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) was 6 years old, his mother died while returning from Medina, where she had gone to visit relatives. After this, his grandfather Abdulmuttalib became his guardian, and Ummu-Ayman looked after him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) later said that she was his second mother. When he was 8 years old, his beloved grandfather also died. According to his grandfather's will, his uncle Abu Talib became his trustee.

1. He married for love

The widow Khadija was 40 years old, the Prophet Muhammad was 25 years old, the Prophet Muhammad worked for Khadija and was escorting trade caravans. Khadija, noticing Muhammad's pious disposition, herself invited him to marry her. Truly this one was great love, based on respect and caused by an attraction to good character. Muhammad was young and could have chosen another young girl, but it was Khadija who gave his heart, and they were married for 24 years until her death. Muhammad yearned for Khadija for 13 years before he left the world himself. His subsequent marriages were motivated by a personal motivation to help and provide social protection. In addition, Muhammad only fathered children with Khadija.

1. His first reaction to receiving the prophecy is doubt and despair.

At a certain age, Muhammad developed a need for privacy. He was haunted by questions to which he could not find answers. Muhammad retired to the cave of Hira and spent time in meditation. During one of his regular solitudes, he received the first revelation from Allah. He was then 40 years old. In his own words, at that moment the pain was so severe that he thought he was dying. The meeting with the Angel of the Most High became inexplicable for him. Muhammad was gripped by fear and despair, from which he sought peace from his wife Khadija.

1. The Prophet was a reformer

The message of Muhammad, who became a prophet, having acquired the true message and revelation, went against the established norms of Arab society. Muhammad's message was against the corruption and ignorance of Meccan society. The continuing revelations coming to Muhammad demanded social and economic justice, which caused dissent among the elite.

1. Prophet Muhammad advocated peace

The Prophet was subjected to many difficulties throughout his life, including non-acceptance as a prophet, the militia of polytheists, and organized oppression of him and his followers. The Prophet never responded to aggression with aggression; he always maintained a sound mind and tolerance, calling for peace. The highest point of the Prophet's love of peace is his sermon delivered on Mount Arafat, where the messenger called on his followers to respect religion and peoples, and not to harm people even with a word.

1. He died without leaving a successor

The Prophet left the world without leaving a successor, since all his children died before him. Under such conditions, many thought that the prophet would clearly define his desire for a successor, but this did not happen.

Saida Hayat

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Muhammad ibn Abd Allah, a Quraysh from the Hashim clan, was born in the Arabian city of Mecca around 570 AD. He was orphaned early, tended sheep, accompanied caravans, and took part in inter-tribal battles. At the age of 25, Muhammad went to work for his distant relative, the wealthy widow Khadija, whom he later married. After marriage, he took up the leather trade, but was not very successful at it. In marriage he gave birth to four daughters; his sons died in infancy.

Until the age of forty, he led the life of an ordinary Meccan merchant, until in 610 he had his first experience of encountering the spiritual world. One night, which he spent in a cave on Mount Hira, a certain ghost appeared to him and forced Muhammad to read the verses that became the first lines of “revelation” (Koran 96 1-15). This is how this event is described in the biography of the founder of Islam, Ibn Hisham:

“When this month came... the Messenger of Allah went to Mount Hira... When night fell... Jibril brought him the command of Allah. The Messenger of Allah said: “Jibril appeared to me while I was sleeping, with a brocade blanket in which some kind of book was wrapped and said: “Read!” I replied, “I can’t read.” Then he began to choke me with this blanket, so that I thought that death had come. Then he let me go and said: “Read!” I replied, “I can’t read.” He started choking me with it again, and I thought I was dying. Then he let me go and said: “Read!” I answered: “What should I read?”, wanting only to get rid of him so that he would not again do to me the same thing as before. Then he said: “Read! In the name of your Lord, who created man from a clot. Read! Indeed, your Lord is the most generous, who taught a man with a writing reed what he did not know (Quran 96.1-5)".

After this, the strangler disappeared, and Muhammad was overcome with such despair that he decided to commit suicide. But when he was about to jump off the mountain, he saw the same spirit again, got scared and ran home in fear, where he told his wife Khadija about the vision, saying:

“O Khadija! In the name of Allah, I have never hated anything so much as idols and soothsayers, and I am afraid that I myself must become a soothsayer... O Khadija! I heard a sound and saw a light, and I'm afraid I've gone crazy."(Ibn Saad, Tabaqat, vol. 1, p. 225).

She went to her Christian cousin Waraqa, and he interpreted the vision to mean that it was the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel, who supposedly appeared to all the prophets, and that Muhammad was also, therefore, a prophet of the one God. Khadija tried to convince the frightened Muhammad of this, to whom the same spiritual being continued to appear at night. For quite a long time he was suspicious that it was the devil, but later Khadija managed to convince her husband that it was an angel who appeared to him.

Having accepted the mission imposed on him, Muhammad began to receive new revelations, but for another three whole years he told about them only to his family and close friends. The first few followers appeared - Muslims (“submissive”). The very name of the religion “Islam” is translated by Muslims as “submission”, in the sense of submission to Allah.

Muhammad continued to receive what he called “revelations from Allah.” Visions like the original were very rare. Revelations mostly came in a different form. Hadiths describe it this way:

“Verily, al-Harith ibn Hisham said:

“O Messenger of Allah! How do revelations come to you?” The Messenger of Allah told him: “Sometimes they come to me in the form of a ringing bell, and it is very difficult for me; (eventually) it stops ringing and I remember everything I was told. Sometimes an angel appears in front of me and speaks, and I remember everything he said.” Aisha said: “I witnessed when the revelation came to him on a very cold day; when it stopped, his entire forehead was covered in sweat" (Ibn Saad, Tabaqat, vol. 1, p. 228).

“Ubayd b. Samit says that when the revelation came to the Messenger of Allah, he felt heaviness, and his complexion underwent a change.”(Muslim, 17.4192).

Another hadith talks about following signs: “The messenger's face was red and he was breathing heavily for a while, and then he freed himself from it” (Bukhari, 6.61.508). And other legends report that when Muhammad received “revelations,” he fell into painful states: he thrashed around convulsively, felt a blow that shook his entire being, it seemed as if his soul was leaving his body, foam came out of his mouth, his face turned pale or purple, he even sweated on a cold day.

Over the course of several years, Muhammad converted just over two dozen people to his faith. Three years after the first revelation, he begins public preaching at the bazaar. Already known to the Arabs, the god Allah, who was part of the pre-Islamic pagan pantheon, Muhammad declared the only one, and himself a prophet, proclaimed the resurrection, the Last Judgment and retribution. The sermon was generally met with indifference and was not widely successful.

This was explained by the fact that Muhammad was not original in his ideas - at the same time in Arabia there were people who taught that God is one and proclaimed themselves his prophets. An early predecessor and competitor of Muhammad was the “prophet” Maslama from the city of Yemama. It is known that the Meccans reproached their “prophet” for simply copying the “man from Yemama,” i.e. Maslamu. Early sources indicate that Muhammad studied with a certain Nestorian monk...

Over time, when attacks against the goddesses revered by the Meccans began to appear in his sermons, and clashes began between Muslims and pagans, this led to a strong deterioration in relations towards Muhammad on the part of most of the townspeople. His Hashim clan was boycotted by other clans.

As relations grew tense, Muhammad decided to send those Muslims who caused the most irritation to Christian Abyssinia. This first hijra (migration) took place in 615. At the same time, some of the companions of Muhammad who moved to Abyssinia, having learned Christianity, were baptized (for example, UbaydAllah ibn Jahiz). Later, one of Muhammad’s scribes also converted to Orthodoxy.

The position of the “prophet” worsened in 620, when Abu Talib and Khadija died. Desperate to convert the Meccans, Muhammad tries to preach outside of Mecca - in the neighboring city of Taif, but this attempt was unsuccessful, and the herald of the new religion was stoned and expelled in disgrace. The next month, Muhammad began to preach among pilgrims from other tribes who came to worship the gods of the Kaaba, but again failed.

But a year later he was finally lucky - his speeches attracted the attention of pilgrims from Yathrib (which was also called Medina), where Muhammad’s maternal relatives lived. He sent his supporter Musaba there, who managed to convert many Yathribs to Islam.

Having learned about this, Muhammad decides to move the community to Medina. In the summer of 622, the second, or great Hijra, took place - about 70 Muslims rushed to Yathrib. The first mosque was built here.

Most of the settlers' property remained in Mecca. The Muslims of Yathrib helped them, but they themselves were not rich. The community found itself in miserable conditions. Then Muhammad, not seeing a way to feed the community with honest labor, decides to engage in robbery.

He tried to rob the caravans, but the first six attempts were unsuccessful, since in normal months the caravans were well guarded. Then Muhammad decided to carry out a treacherous raid. The Arabs revered four sacred months of the year, during which it was forbidden to carry out any military actions. In one of these months, the month of Rajab, at the beginning of 624, Muhammad ordered a small detachment of Muslims to attack a caravan carrying a load of raisins from Taif to Mecca.

The caravan was practically unguarded, and the attack was crowned with success: the sent detachment of Muslims returned with booty, one of the drivers was killed, the other managed to escape, two more were captured, one of whom was later sold.

The first successful raid brought the first loot. A few months later, the “Battle of Badr” took place:

“The Prophet heard that Abu Sufyan ibn Harb was returning from Syria with a large caravan of Quraysh, carrying money and goods... Hearing about this... The Prophet called on the Muslims to attack them, saying: “Here is the caravan of Quraysh. It contains their wealth. Attack them, and maybe with the help of Allah you will get them!”(Ibn Hisham. Biography... pp. 278–279).

Thus, intending to capture a rich Meccan caravan returning from Palestine under the supervision of his uncle Abu Sufian, Muhammad encountered superior forces of pagans who were rushing to help the caravan's escorts. But the Muslims managed to win. This had a significant strengthening of Muhammad's position in Medina; many pagans began to actively accept Islam. Muslims were convinced that the victory was a confirmation of the truth of Islam.

If previously the “prophet” was content with a share of one fifteenth of the loot, then during the division of trophies after Badr, Muhammad received a revelation that he now needed to separate a fifth of all the booty (Koran 8:41).

Captured Meccans formed the most important part of the booty. The ransom for the captive was the price of several camels, and representatives of all the rich families of Mecca were captured here. And Muhammad raised the price of their ransom, and ordered the death of some prisoners of war, namely an-Nadr ibn al-Harith and Uqba ibn Abu Muayt. The fault of the first was that he considered his poems to be of better quality than the Quranic revelations of Muhammad, and the second composed mocking poems about the “prophet”.

All of Muhammad's sermons, which later became the Koran, were in poetic form, and although Muhammad himself claimed that no one would ever be able to write such wonderful poems, nevertheless, Arab poets were skeptical about his poetry and the level of his poems. And he could not tolerate this.

After Badr, Muhammad began to crack down on the Medina poets. One of the first to die was Ka'b ibn Ashraf, who annoyed Muhammad by writing satirical poems about him. Here's how Muslim sources describe it:

“The Messenger of Allah said: “Who is ready to kill Ka’b ibn Ashraf?” Muhammad ibn Maslama replied: “Do you want me to kill him?” The Messenger replied in the affirmative.”(Bukhari, 4037).

The Messenger said: “Whatever is entrusted to you, you must do.” He asked: “O Messenger of Allah, we will have to lie.” He replied: “Say whatever you want, since you are free in your business” (Ibn Ishaq, Sirat rasul Allah, p. 367).

Muhammad ibn Maslama came to Ka'b and spoke to him, recalling the old friendship between them, and persuaded Ka'b to leave the house, convincing him that a group of Muslims had become disillusioned with the “prophet.” Kaab believed him, especially since Kaab’s foster brother, Abu Naila, was with him, who said: “I am Abu Naila, and I came to tell you that the coming of this man (“messenger”) is a great misfortune for us. We want to get away from him” (Ibn Saad, Tabaqat, vol. 2, p. 36).

When Ka'b was drawn into conversation and began to talk to them freely and was "pleased with them and became close to them" (ibid., p. 37), they moved closer to him under the pretext of examining the aroma of his perfume. They then drew their swords and stabbed him to death. Having killed the Kaaba, they immediately returned to Muhammad, saying takbir (Allahu akbar - “Allah is great”). And when they approached the Messenger of Allah, he said: “ (Your) faces are happy.” They said: “Yours too, O Messenger of Allah!” They bowed their heads before him. The Messenger thanked Allah that the Ka'b was dead."(Ibn Saad, Tabaqat, vol. 2, p. 37).

In the same way, through assassins sent, the poetess Asma bint Marwan was killed in her home, and a little later, the poet Abu Afak, one of the elders of the Amr b. Auf, then it was the turn of Al-Harith ibn Suwayd. On another occasion, Muhammad personally ordered his adopted son Zeid to kill the poetess Umm Qirfa, who ridiculed the “prophet,” and Zeid killed her by tying a rope to her legs, at the other end tied to two camels, and leading them to opposite directions until the woman was torn into two halves (Al ‘saba – Ibn Hagar – vol. 4, page 231).

The repressions also took on a group character - at least fifty families of pagans from the Aus tribe who did not convert to Islam had to move to Mecca. Thus Muhammad strengthened his position inside Medina. Most of the pagans became Muslims. The other opposition in the city was the Jewish tribes, of which there were three. Some of the Jews also converted to Islam, but their number was insignificant. Most Jews ridiculed his prophetic claims. And Muhammad began a systematic war against the Jewish tribes. First, he initiated hostility with the Jewish tribe Banu Qaynuqa, forcing them to move out of the city to the oasis of Khaybar.

It is worth noting that in Medina, Muhammad's family increased significantly. After the death of Khadija, he married Sauda in Mecca, and acquired a harem in Medina: he married Aisha, the daughter of Abu Bakr, Hafsa, the daughter of Omar, Zainab bint Khuzaim, Umm Habibu, the daughter of Abu Sufian, Hind Umm Salama, Zainab bint Jahsh, Safiya and Maimun. For Muslims, Muhammad set a restriction not to take more than four wives at a time (Koran 4.3), but when he himself exhausted this “quota,” the “prophet” immediately received a “revelation” that he himself, as an exception, could take an unlimited number of wives. In addition to his wives, he had a number of concubines.

A year after Badr, the next battle between the Muslims and the Quraish took place, called the “Battle of Uhud.” This time the Muslims suffered a significant defeat, although Muhammad had predicted victory the day before; nevertheless, his camel was killed under him, and two of his teeth were knocked out. It was not the best of times for the Muslim community, but it did not collapse. A “revelation” came down to Muhammad, explaining that the Muslims themselves were to blame for everything, but not the “prophet.” If, they say, they had obeyed him, they would have won (Koran 3.152). In addition, he constantly tried to strengthen his supporters by instilling the image of an enemy that surrounded them everywhere. Muhammad continued the systematic extermination of non-Muslims in Medina and expanded beyond its borders, attacking the surrounding, weaker tribes.

The Bani Mustaliq tribe was attacked, and then Muhammad began a siege of the second Jewish tribe of Medina, the Bani Nadir. As a result, the Jews were forced to leave their homes and lands and also move to Khaybar.
After the expulsion of the Banu Nadir, the Muslims for the first time got rich, well-irrigated lands with palm groves as booty. They hoped to divide them according to the accepted rules, but then Muhammad received a revelation, which explained that since this booty was not obtained in battle, but by agreement, it should all go to the complete disposal of the “messenger of Allah” and be distributed at his discretion (Koran 59.7 ).

Now Muhammad began to send his killers even beyond Medina. For example, he “ordered” the murder of one of the leaders of the Banu Nadir, Abu Rafi, who, after being expelled from Medina, went north to Khaybar. On the way, Muslims killed him (Bukhari, 4039).

After this, Muhammad turned his arms against the last Jewish tribe in Medina, the Bani Qurayza, who remained neutral during the siege. In Muslim traditions this is presented as a consequence of a divine command:

“At noon Jibril appeared to the Prophet... [and said]: “Almighty and all-glorious Allah orders you, O Muhammad, to go to Bani Qurayza. I will go to them and shake them.” The Messenger of Allah besieged them for twenty-five days until the siege became unbearable for them... Then they surrendered, and the Prophet locked them in Medina in the house of Bint al-Harith, a woman from the Banu al-Najjar. Then the Prophet went to the market of Medina and dug several ditches there. Then he ordered them to be brought, and cut off their heads in these ditches. They say there were between eight and nine hundred of them.” (Ibn Hisham. Biography... p. 400).

As a result of such activities, Muhammad had an entire city at his disposal with a strong and obedient community. The confiscation of the property of the expelled and exterminated Jewish tribes, as well as predatory raids on surrounding tribes and caravans brought rich booty to the Muslims. The Meccans once again tried to attack the Muslims, but they surrounded the city with a siege ditch, which the pagans did not dare to storm and the battle never took place.

Muhammad then organized an attack on the Jewish fortress of Khaybar.

The superior Muslim forces managed to capture it. After the victory, the “prophet” not only sold and killed prisoners, as before, but also tortured some. One of the local leaders named Kinana did not have as much money as Muhammad expected to see. He ordered al-Zubair to torture Kinana in order to find out where the rest was hidden. The torture with two hot charred pieces of wood pressed to Kinana's chest was so severe that he lost consciousness. However, the torture did not produce results, and the location of the money was still unknown. Then the “prophet” handed Kinana over to his supporters for execution, and took his wife into his harem.

In 629, Muhammad gathered and sent against the Ghassanid Arabs, who were in the service of the Byzantine emperor, a large army of three thousand people. Here the Muslims first encountered Byzantine forces and were defeated, three of the four military leaders died in the battle, including their adopted one Muhammad's son Zeid.

The following year, Muhammad marched against Mecca with an army of thousands. The Quraysh did not dare to resist; the vast majority of them sat in their houses. The city capitulated. Muhammad defiantly forgave the Quraish - with the exception of some sworn enemies, some of whom the Muslims managed to capture and execute. However, he did not forgive for nothing - but on the condition that the Quraish convert to Islam. Which they hastened to do.

Approaching the Kaaba (pagan sanctuary), Muhammad ordered all the idols to be taken out of it, except for the black stone, and also ordered to erase all the paintings, except for the iconographic image of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus (Azraki, p. 111).

After the Hajj in Mecca, Muhammad, through Ali, as usual, citing revelation (Koran 9.5), declared war on paganism after the end of the holy months. Until now, he considered Islam a matter of conscience for everyone, he persuaded people to accept Islam, bribed them, but did not force them. Now Muhammad felt able to force him to accept Islam under threat of death. In 630, campaigns continued to the surrounding tribes in order to force them to convert to Islam. Often weak tribes submitted to these demands, but not always.

In the year of his death, Muhammad performed the ritual of hajj to the Kaaba and performed the ritual of worship of the black stone. Everything that the “prophet” did during his hajj became the basis of rituals observed to this day by Muslim pilgrims.

Representatives of Arab tribes flocked to Mecca from all sides, hurrying to enter into an alliance with a formidable force. However, not everything was smooth sailing. A number of regions of Arabia (East and South) drove out his emissaries in disgrace, rallying around their own prophets - Aswad and Maslama.

A serious illness found Muhammad preparing a great campaign against Byzantium. Death prevented the plan from being realized. Before his death, he was seriously ill, the ghosts of the dead bothered him. He died in Medina in 632. According to legend, Muhammad’s last words were: “May Allah curse the Jews and Christians who turned the graves of their prophets into places for prayer!” (Bukhari, 436) .

During his life he made nineteen military campaigns. Left nine widows and three daughters, he had eight swords, four spears, four coats of mail, four bows, a shield and a fringed banner.

With the death of Muhammad, the political system he created was shaken everywhere. Many of the most important tribes considered themselves free from treaty obligations, expelled the tax collectors and returned to their former lives. There was a riddah - a mass apostasy from Islam. It was Abu Bakr, his successor, the first caliph, who had to make enormous efforts to save Islam from defeat and schism. As before, the main means to achieve this was seen as continuous Muslim expansion. Having dealt with opponents on Arabian Peninsula, they poured further - into the territories of Persia and Byzantium, devastated and weakened by twenty-five years of war, plague and internal turmoil.

from the book of priest Georgy Maximov “Orthodoxy and Islam”

Prophet Muhammad died after serious illness. He started getting sick in the last 10 days of the month of Safar. Prophet Muhammad felt severe pain while he was in the house of one of his wives, Maimunah. When the pain intensified, he began to ask his wives: “Where will I be tomorrow? Where will I be tomorrow? Because the Prophet spent time in the house of each of his wives when it was her turn. They understood his desire to stay in the house of 'A'isha and allowed him to stay where he wished.

‘A’isha said: “When the Prophet Muhammad passed by my house, he greeted me and I was happy. One day, Prophet Muhammad passed by and did not greet me. I wrapped my head in a cloth and fell asleep. Then the Prophet Muhammad passed by again and asked: “What happened?” I replied: “I have a headache.” Prophet Muhammad said: “It’s my head that hurts.” It was then that the Angel Jibril conveyed to him that the time of his death would soon come. A few days later, four people carried the Prophet Muhammad to the house of ‘A’isha. Imam ‘Ali came and said to call the wives of the Prophet. When they arrived, the Prophet Muhammad said: “I cannot visit you, allow me to stay in the house of ‘A’isha.” They agreed.

‘A’isha said: “When the Messenger of Allah came, he was in in serious condition, but despite this, he asked whether the people had performed Namaz. She replied: “No. They are waiting for you, O Messenger of Allah.” Then he said: “Bring water.” He washed himself [made ghusul] and went to the people, but on his way out he lost consciousness. When he came to his senses, he again asked whether the people had performed Namaz. They answered him: “No. People are waiting for you, O Messenger of Allah.”

People gathered in the mosque and waited for the Messenger of Allah to perform the Isha Namaz. The Messenger sent for Abu Bakr to perform Namaz with them as an imam. Abu Bakr was a very gentle man and suggested to ‘Umar: “O ‘Umar! Do it." But ‘Umar replied: “You are more worthy of this.” And Abu Bakr performed Namaz with them as an imam for several days.”

When the Prophet's condition improved a little, he went out to the people to perform Namaz Zuhr. He was supported by two people, one of whom was his uncle - Al-'Abbas. And when Abu Bakr saw the Prophet, he began to move away to make room for the imam for him. But the Prophet Muhammad gave him a hand sign to remain in place and indicated to those who were holding him to sit next to him. And Abu Bakr performed Namaz standing, and the Prophet - sitting.

The condition of the Prophet Muhammad remained grave. His daughter Fatima, seeing the pain he was in, felt sorry for him. In response, he told her: “After this day there will be no pain or heaviness.”

Then the Prophet's condition worsened and he stopped speaking, communicating with surrounding signs. It is reported that when the Prophet was in a dying state, his head was in the lap of ‘A’isha. She said, describing this moment: “Of the blessings that Allah has endowed me with, there is that the Prophet died in my house, on my day, and that before his death our saliva united. ‘Abdur-Rahman came into my house, and in his hand was a siwak. The Prophet looked at him, and I realized that he wanted siuak. I asked if he wanted this siuak. To which he nodded affirmatively. He took it in his hand and looked at it. I asked: “Soften?” He nodded. I gave him siuak, softened in his mouth, and put a bowl of water on him. He wet his hand in water, stroked his forehead and repeated: “There is no other creator but Allah,” and he also said: “Truly, before death there is agony.”

She also said: “I saw that his face turned red and sweat appeared. He asked to be helped to sit up. I held him and kissed his head. He lay down on the mattress and I covered him with clothes. Previously, I had not seen a person dying, but now I saw him dying [it is reported that there was no one except ‘A’isha and the Angels when the Prophet Muhammad died. ‘Umar came along with Mughira ibn Sha’ab. I covered my face and allowed them to enter. ‘Umar asked: “A’isha, what happened to the Prophet?” I replied: “He lost consciousness an hour ago.” ‘Umar opened his face and said: “Oh woe!”

In another hadith, it was narrated from Hassan ibn 'Ali from Muhammad ibn 'Ali, who said: “Three days before the death of the Prophet, the Angel Jibril came to him and said: “O Muhammad, truly Allah sent me to you with mercy so that I I asked how you were doing.” The Prophet replied: “O Jibril, I am sad, O Jibril I am sad.” The next day Angel Jibril came to the Prophet again and repeated his question. The Prophet again replied: “I am sad, I am saddened.” On the third day, Angel Jibril came along with Angel Azrael, and with them was an Angel in the air, whose name was Ismail, who was accompanied by 70 thousand Angels and each of these 70 thousand was accompanied by 70 thousand Angels. Angel Jibril was the first to approach the Prophet Muhammad and said: “O Ahmad, Allah has sent me with mercy to you” and repeated his question. The Prophet again replied that he was sad. At that moment, Angel Azrael approached the Prophet. Jibril told the Prophet Muhammad: “It is the Angel of Death who is asking for permission and, previously, he did not ask permission from anyone and will no longer ask permission from any person.” Prophet Muhammad replied: “I permit.” Then ‘Azrael greeted the Prophet and said: “Peace be upon you, O Ahmad, Allah sent me to you and commanded me to obey your command. If you command me to take your soul, then I will do it. If you don’t want it, then I’ll leave her.” The Prophet asked the Angel of Death: “Is this what you do, Azrael?” He replied: “So I was commanded [Allah ordered me to fulfill your request].” Prophet Muhammad replied: “O ‘Azrael, do what you came for.” Then all those who were in the house heard the greeting of the Angels: “Peace be upon you, O inhabitants of this house, the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you,” and expressed their condolences: “Rely in Allah in everything and trust in Him, truly truly in trouble.” this is the one who was deprived of thawab "". This hadith has the degree of hasan-mursal.

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It is true that there will be Shafaat on the Day of Judgment. Shafaat is done by: Prophets, God-fearing scholars, martyrs, Angels. Our Prophet Muhammad is endowed with the right of a special great Shafaat. Prophet Muhammad in the name of the Prophet "Muhammad" the letter "x" is pronounced like ح in Arabic will ask for forgiveness from those who have committed great sins from his community. Narrated in a truthful hadith: “My Shafaat is for those who have committed great sins from my community.” It was transmitted by Ibn H Ibban. For those who have not committed major sins, Shafaat will not be needed. For some they do Shafaat before going to hell, for others after going to it. Shafaat is done only for Muslims.

The Shafaat of the Prophet will be done not only for those Muslims who lived during the time of the Prophet Muhammad and after that, but those who were from previous communities [communities of other Prophets].

It is said in Quran (Surah Al-Anbiya, Ayat 28) which means: “They do not do Shafaat except for those for whom Allah has approved Shafaat.” Our Prophet Muhammad is the first to make Shafaat.

There is a well-known story that we have already cited earlier, but it is worth mentioning again. Ruler Abu Ja'far said: "O Abu 'Abdullah! When reading dua, should I turn towards Qiblah or face the Messenger of Allah? To which Imam Malik replied: “Why do you turn your face away from the Prophet? After all, on the Day of Judgment he will do Shafaat in your favor. Therefore, turn your face to the Prophet, ask him for Shafaat, and Allah will grant you the Shafaat of the Prophet! It is said in the Holy Kur`an (Sura An-Nisa, Ayat 64) meaning: “And if they, having acted unfairly towards themselves, came to you and asked forgiveness from Allah, and the Messenger of Allah asked forgiveness for them , then they would receive the mercy and forgiveness of Allah, because Allah is the Accepter of the repentance of Muslims and is Merciful to them."

All this is important evidence that visiting the grave of the Prophet Muhammad in the name of the Prophet "Muhammad" the letter "x" is pronounced like ح in Arabic, asking him about Shafaat is permissible, according to the words of scientists, and most importantly - the Prophet Muhammad himself in the name of the Prophet "Muhammad" the letter "x" is pronounced like ح in Arabic.

Truly, on the Day of Judgment, when the sun will be close to the heads of some people, and they will drown in their own sweat, then they will begin to say to each other: “Let us go to our forefather Adam so that he will perform Shafaat for us.” After this they will come to Adam and say to him: “O Adam, you are the father of all people; Allah created you, giving you an honorable soul, and ordered the Angels to bow down to you [as a greeting], so make Shafaat for us before your Lord.” To this Adam will say: “I am not the one who was given the great Shafaat. Go to Nuh (Noah)! After this, they will come to Nuh and ask him, he will answer the same as Adam and send them to Ibrahim (Abraham). After this, they will come to Ibrahim and ask him for Shafaat, but he will answer like the previous Prophets: “I am not the one who was given the great Shafaat. Go to Musa (Moses)." After this, they will come to Musa and ask him, but he will answer like the previous Prophets: “I am not the one to whom the great Shafa’at was given, go to ‘Isa!” After this they will come to ‘Isa (Jesus) and ask him. He will answer them: “I am not the one who was given the great Shafaat, go to Muhammad.” After this they will come to the Prophet Muhammad and ask him. Then the Prophet will bow to the ground, he will not raise his head until he hears the answer. He will be told: “O Muhammad, raise your head! Ask and it will be given to you, do Shafaat and your Shafaat will be accepted!” He will raise his head and say: “My community, O my Lord! My community, O my Lord!

Prophet Muhammad said: “I am the most important of people on the Day of Judgment, and the very first who will emerge from the grave on the Day of Resurrection, and the very first who will make Shafa’at, and the very first whose Shafa’at will be accepted.”

Also, the Prophet Muhammad said: “I was given a choice between Shafaat and the opportunity for half of my community to enter Paradise without suffering. I chose Shafaat because it has more benefits for my community. You think that my Shafaat is for the pious, but no, it is for the big sinners from my community.”

Abu Hurayrah said that the Prophet Muhammad said: “Every Prophet was given the opportunity to ask Allah for a special dua, which will be accepted. Each of them did this during their lifetime, and I left this opportunity for the Day of Judgment in order to make Shafaat for my community on That Day. This Shafaat, by the Will of Allah, will be given to those from my community who did not commit shirk.”

After moving from Mecca to Medina, the Prophet Muhammad performed Hajj only once, and that was in the 10th year of the Hijra, shortly before his death. During the Pilgrimage, he spoke several times before people and gave farewell instructions to the believers. These instructions are known as the Prophet's Farewell Sermon. He delivered one of these sermons on the day of 'Arafat - in the year (9th Dhul-Hijjah) in the valley of 'Uranah (1) next to 'Arafat, and the other on the next day, that is, on the day of Eid al-Adha. Many believers heard these sermons, and they retold the words of the Prophet to others - and so these instructions were passed on from generation to generation.

One of the stories says that at the beginning of his sermon the Prophet addressed the people like this: “O people, listen to me carefully, for I do not know whether I will be among you next year. Listen to what I have to say and pass on my words to those who were unable to attend today.”

There are many transmissions of this sermon of the Prophet. Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah outlined the story of the last Hajj of the Prophet and his farewell sermon better than all other companions. His story begins from the moment when the Prophet set off from Medina, and it describes in detail everything that happened until the completion of the Hajj.

Imam Muslim reported in his collection of hadiths "Sahih" (book "Hajj", chapter "Pilgrimage of the Prophet Muhammad") from Ja'far ibn Muhammad that his father said: “We came to Jabir ibn 'Abdullah, and he began to get acquainted with everyone , and when it was my turn, I said: “I am Muhammad ibn 'Ali ibn Hussein.”< … >He said, “Welcome, oh my nephew! Ask whatever you want.”< … >Then I asked him: “Tell me about the Hajj of the Messenger of Allah.” Showing nine fingers, he said: “Verily, the Messenger of Allah did not perform Hajj for nine years. In the 10th year it was announced that the Messenger of Allah was going to Hajj. And then many people came to Medina who wanted to perform Hajj with the Prophet in order to follow his example.”

Further, Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah said that, having gone on Hajj and arriving in the vicinity of Mecca, the Prophet Muhammad immediately headed to the Arafat Valley, passing through the Muzdalifah area without stopping. There he remained until sunset, and then rode on a camel to the Uranakh valley. There, on the day of Arafat, the Prophet addressed the people and [giving praise to Allah Almighty] said:

“Oh, people! Just as you consider this month, this day, this city sacred, your life, your property and dignity are also sacred and inviolable. Truly, everyone will answer to the Lord for their deeds.

The times of ignorance are a thing of the past, and its unworthy practices have been abolished, including blood feud and usury.<…>

Be God-fearing and kind in your dealings with women (2). Do not offend them, remembering that you took them as wives with the permission of Allah as a value entrusted for a time. You have rights in your relationship with them, but they also have rights in relation to you. They should not allow into the house those who are unpleasant to you and whom you do not want to see. Lead them with wisdom. You are obligated to feed and clothe them as prescribed by Shariah.

I have left you a clear guide, following which you will never go astray from the True Path - this is the Heavenly Scripture (Kuran). And [when] they ask you about me, what will you answer?”

The Companions said: “We testify that you brought this message to us, fulfilled your mission and gave us sincere, good advice.”

The Prophet raised his index finger up (3) and then pointed at the people with the words:

“May Allah be a witness!” This ends the hadith reported in the collection of Imam Muslim.

Other broadcasts of the Farewell Sermon also contain the following words of the Prophet;

“Everyone is responsible only for himself, and the father will not be punished for the sins of his son, and the son will not be punished for the sins of the father.”

“Truly, Muslims are brothers to each other, and it is not permissible for a Muslim to take what belongs to his brother except with his permission.”

“Oh, people! Verily, your Lord is the One and Only Creator, Who has no partners. And you have only one forefather - Adam. There is no advantage for an Arab over a non-Arab, or for a dark-skinned person over a light-skinned person, except in the degree of fear of God. For Allah, the best of you is the most God-fearing.”

At the end of the sermon, the Prophet said:

“Let those who have heard convey my words to those who were not here, and perhaps some of them will understand better than some of you.”

This sermon left a deep imprint on the hearts of the people who listened to the Prophet. And, despite the fact that many hundreds of years have passed since that time, it still excites the hearts of believers.

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1 - scholars other than Imam Malik said that this valley is not included in Arafat

2 - The Prophet urged to respect the rights of women, to be kind to them, to live with them as commanded and approved by Sharia

3 - this gesture did not mean that Allah is in Heaven, since God exists without a place

The miracles of many Prophets are known, but the most amazing were those of the Prophet Muhammad in the name of the Prophet "Muhammad" the letter "x" is pronounced like ح in Arabic.

Allah in the name of God in Arabic “Allah”, the letter “x” is pronounced like ه Arabic The Almighty granted special miracles to the Prophets. The miracle of the Prophet (mujiza) is an extraordinary and amazing phenomenon given to the Prophet in confirmation of his truthfulness, and it is impossible to oppose anything similar to this miracle.

Holy Quran this word must be read in Arabic as - الْقُـرْآن- this is the greatest miracle of the Prophet Muhammad, which continues to this day. Everything in the Holy Quran is true, from the first to the last letter. It will never be distorted and will remain until the End of the World. And this is stated in the Koran itself (Sura 41 “Fussilyat”, verses 41-42), meaning: “Truly, this Holy Scripture is a great Book, preserved by the Creator [from errors and delusions], and from any side lies will not penetrate into her."

The Quran describes events that occurred long before the appearance of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as those that will occur in the future. Much of what is described has already happened or is happening now, and we ourselves are eyewitnesses of it.

The Qur'an was revealed at a time when the Arabs had deep knowledge in the field of literature and poetry. When they heard the text of the Koran, despite all their eloquence and excellent knowledge of the language, they were unable to oppose anything to the Heavenly Scripture.

0 The unsurpassed beauty and perfection of the text of the Qur'an is stated in verse 88 of Sura 17 "Al-Isra", meaning: "Even if people and jinn united to compose something like the Holy Qur'an, they would not be able to do it, even if they helped each other friend."

One of the most amazing miracles that proves the highest degree of the Prophet Muhammad is Isra and Miraj.

Isra is a wonderful night journey of the Prophet Muhammad# from the city of Mecca to the city of Quds (1) together with the archangel Jibril on an unusual mount from Paradise - Burak. During Isra, the Prophet saw many amazing things and performed Namaz in special places. In Quds, in the Al-Aqsa Mosque, all previous Prophets were gathered to meet with the Prophet Muhammad. All together they performed a collective Namaz, in which the Prophet Muhammad was the imam. And after that, the Prophet Muhammad ascended to Heaven and higher. During this ascent (Mi'raj), Prophet Muhammad saw angels, Paradise, Arsh and other grandiose creatures of Allah (2).

The Prophet's miraculous journey to Quds, Ascension to Heaven and return to Mecca took less than a third of the night!

Another extraordinary miracle given to the Prophet Muhammad was when the moon split into two halves. This miracle is stated in the Holy Quran (Surah Al-Qamar, verse 1), meaning: “One of the signs of the approaching End of the World is that the moon split.”

This miracle happened when one day the pagan Quraysh demanded from the Prophet proof that he was truthful. It was the middle of the month (14th), that is, the night of the full moon. And then an amazing miracle happened - the disk of the moon was divided into two parts: one was above Mount Abu Qubais, and the second was below. When people saw this, the believers strengthened their faith even more, and the unbelievers began to accuse the Prophet of witchcraft. They sent messengers to distant territories to find out if they had seen the moon split into pieces. But when they returned, the messengers confirmed that people had seen this in other places as well. Some historians write that in China there is an ancient building on which it is written: “Built in the year of the splitting of the moon.”

Another amazing miracle of the Prophet Muhammad was when, in front of a huge number of witnesses, water flowed like a spring between the fingers of the Messenger of Allah.

This was not the case with other Prophets. And although Musa was given a miracle that water appeared from a rock when he hit it with his staff, but when water flows out of the hand of a living person, it is even more amazing!

Imams Al-Bukhariy and Muslim transmitted the following hadith from Jabir: “On the day of Hudaibiya, people were thirsty. The Prophet Muhammad had a vessel with water in his hands, with which he wanted to perform ablution. When the people approached him, the Prophet asked: “What happened?” They replied: “O Messenger of Allah! We have no water for drinking or for washing, except what is in your hands.” Then the Prophet Muhammad lowered his hand into the vessel - and [here everyone saw how] water began to gush out from the spaces between his fingers. We quenched our thirst and performed ablution.” Some asked: “How many of you were there?” Jabir replied: “If there were a hundred thousand of us, then we would have enough, but we were one thousand five hundred people.”

Animals talked to the Prophet Muhammad, for example, one camel complained to the Messenger of Allah that his owner was treating him poorly. But it is even more surprising when inanimate objects spoke or showed feelings in the presence of the Prophet. For example, food in the hands of the Messenger of Allah recited the dhikr “Subhanallah”, and the dried palm tree, which served as a support for the Prophet during the sermon, groaned from separation from the Messenger of Allah when he began to read the sermon from the minbar. This happened during Jumuah and many people witnessed this miracle. Then the Prophet Muhammad came down from the minbar, walked up to the palm tree and hugged it, and the palm tree sobbed like a small child being soothed by adults until it stopped making sounds.

Another amazing incident occurred in the desert when the Prophet met an idolater Arab and called him to Islam. That Arab asked to prove the truth of the words of the Prophet, and then the Messenger of Allah called to him a tree located on the edge of the desert, and it, obeying the Prophet, went to him, furrowing the ground with its roots. As this tree approached, it uttered Islamic testimonies three times. Then this Arab accepted Islam.

The Messenger of Allah could cure a person with one touch of his hand. One day, a companion of the Prophet named Qatada lost an eye and people wanted to remove it. But when they brought Qatada to the Messenger of Allah, with his blessed hand he put the fallen eye back into the socket, and the eye took root, and vision was completely restored. Katada himself said that the missing eye took root so well that now he does not remember which eye was damaged.

There is also a known case when a blind man asked the Prophet to restore his sight. The Prophet advised him to be patient, because there is a reward for patience. But the blind man replied: “O Messenger of Allah! I don’t have a guide, and it’s very difficult without vision.” Then the Prophet ordered him to perform ablution and perform Namaz of two rak'ahs, and then read the following dua: “O Allah! I ask You and turn to You through our Prophet Muhammad - the Prophet of mercy! O Muhammad! I appeal through you to Allah so that my request is accepted.” The blind man did as the Prophet commanded and received his sight. Companion of the Messenger of Allah? named Uthman Ibn Hunayf, who witnessed this, said: “I swear by Allah! We have not yet parted with the Prophet, and very little time has passed since that man returned sighted.”

Thanks to the barakah of the Prophet Muhammad, a small amount of food was enough to feed many people.

One day Abu Hurayrah came to the Prophet Muhammad and brought 21 dates. Turning to the Prophet, he said: “O Messenger of Allah! Read me a dua so that these dates contain barakah.” The Prophet Muhammad took each date and read “Basmalyah” (4), then ordered to call one group of people. They came, ate their fill of dates and left. Then the Prophet called the next group and then another. Every time people came and ate dates, but they never ran out. After this, Prophet Muhammad and Abu Hurayrah ate these dates, but the dates still remained. Then the Prophet Muhammad collected them, put them in a leather bag and said: “O Abu Hurayrah! If you want to eat, put your hand in the bag and take a date from there.”

Imam Abu Hurairah said that he ate dates from this bag throughout the life of the Prophet Muhammad, as well as during the reign of Abu Bakr, and also Umar, and also Uthman. And all this is because of the dua of the Prophet Muhammad. Abu Hurayrah also told how one day a jug of milk was brought to the Prophet, and it was enough to feed more than 200 people.

Other famous miracles of the Messenger of Allah:

“On the day of Khandak, the Prophet’s companions were digging a ditch and stopped when they came across a huge stone that they could not break. Then the Prophet came, took a pickaxe in his hands, said “Bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim” three times, hit this stone, and it crumbled like sand.

“One day a man from the area of ​​Yamama came to the Prophet Muhammad with a newborn child wrapped in cloth. The Prophet Muhammad turned to the newborn and asked: “Who am I?” Then, by the Will of Allah, the baby said: “You are the Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet said to the child: “May Allah grant you blessings!” And this child began to be called Mubarak (5) Al-Yamamah.

— One Muslim had a God-fearing brother who kept the Sunnah Fast even on the hottest days and performed the Sunnah Namaz even on the coldest nights. When he died, his brother sat at his bedside and asked Allah for mercy and forgiveness for him. Suddenly the veil slipped from the face of the deceased, and he said: “As-salamu alaikum!” The surprised brother returned the greeting and then asked: “Does this happen?” The brother replied: “Yes. Take me to the Messenger of Allah - he promised that we will not part until we see each other.”

“When the father of one of the Sahabah died, leaving behind a large debt, this companion came to the Prophet and said that he had nothing but date palms, the harvest of which even for many years would not be enough to pay off the debt, and asked for help from the Prophet. Then the Messenger of Allah walked around one pile of dates, and then around another and said: “Count them.” Surprisingly, not only were there enough dates to pay off the debt, but there were still the same amount left.

Allah Almighty granted the Prophet Muhammad a great many miracles. The miracles listed above are only a small part of them, because some scientists said that there were a thousand of them, and others - three thousand!

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1 - Quds (Jerusalem) - holy city in Palestine

2 - It is important to note that the Prophet’s ascension to Heaven does not mean that he ascended to the place where Allah supposedly is, since it is not inherent for Allah to be in any place. To think that Allah is in any place is disbelief!

3 – “Allah has no shortcomings”

4 - the words “Bismillahir-rahmanir-rahim”

5 - the word "mubarak" means "blessed"