THE LATTER LIFE OF PROPHET MOHAMMED
Prophet Muhammad is the founder of Islam or Islamic Religion. The name Mohammed means the highly praised one.
He was born in Mecca or Makkah in the year 570 AD. Mecca is in Saudi Arabia. His father was Abdullah Muttalib and his mother was Amina Wahab.
Mohammed married Khadija bint Khuwaylid when he was 25 years old. Khadija was 40 years old. They had four daughters and two sons.
The Call of Prophet Mohammed
Mohammed started his ministry at 40 years old.
At Mecca, there was a mountain called Hira. There was cave in the mountain where he always went to pray and meditate.
The angel called Jibril or Gabriel started revealing himself to Mohammed teaching him things to write down as the Qur’an. So the Qur’an came from Allah.
According to Angel Jibril, Allah wanted Mohammed to become a Prophet. Allah wanted him to preach to people to stop their evil deeds and idol worship.
When Prophet Mohammed left the cave and went home, he was afraid. He informed his wife, Khadijah, what happened in the cave.
Khadija took Mohammed to her cousin called Waraqah ibn Nawfal who was an Arab priest. He advised Mohammed to do what the angel said because he has been chosen by Allah to be a Prophet.
That is how Islamic Religion or Islam started. Khadija was the first person to convert to Islam.
HIJRAH
Hijrah means the departure or fleeing of Prophet Mohammed and his followers from Mecca to Yathrib. It occured in May 622 AD.
Medina was called Yathrib before Prophet Mohammed renamed it. Medina is also called Medinat – anabi which means City of the Prophet.
The Quraysh people of Mecca were evil-doers. Some cheated poor people, worshipped idols, etc. Prophet Mohammed preached against their evil deeds and asked them to repent.
The Quraysh (people of Mecca) didn’t like his preaching and decided to kill him. When he heard this, he and his followers fled or departed from Mecca to Madina (Yathrib). This is called Hijrah.
The Triumphant Entry Into Mecca
The people of Medina accepted Mohammed and his teachings so he established himself there. He gathered a lot of followers.
He tried to reach an agreement with the Quraysh people in Mecca but they refused. He gathered an army of about ten thousand (10,000) people and attacked Mecca.
The Quraysh people in Mecca surrendered because they couldn’t stand Mohammed’s army. Some converted to Islam and others were killed.
The Ka’aba is found in Mecca. It was built as a holy place for prayer but the Meccans used it for idol worship.
When Prophet Mohammed defeated Mecca, he and his followers marched around the Ka’aba seven times. They went inside it and destroyed about 360 idols that were inside it.
After the war, they returned to Medina. Mohammed decided that all Muslims should visit Mecca every year to pray because it is the holy city. This yearly pilgrimage to Mecca is called Hajj.
