Life of Muhammad

The main sources for the life of Muhammad are the Qur'an, the life written by Ibn Hisham, the section of the Annals of at-Tabari, the history of Muhammad's campaigns by al-Waqidi, and the Tabaqat of Ibn Sa'd (Watt xx-xxi). However, little is known of the early life or ancestry of Muhammad, and much of the data of the Muslim tradition has been questioned. The primary story of Muhammad is embodied in the Qur'an. He received the call from God when he was nearing his fortieth year. His early preaching was seen as harmless by the Meccans, though any idea he had of founding a new religion was thwarted by the indifference of the Meccans. He moved to the city of Medina, a move known as the Hijra, and this was a turning point and would become the starting point in the Muslim calendar. In Medina Muhammad was the chief magistrate of the community, and he could now not only preach Islam but practice it.

Muhammad's career in Medina included the political power he gathered to himself during this time. Certain pre-Islamic practices were retained, and the ideas of the Umma were incorporated into the structure of tribalism that already existed. The Umma had a political aspect, but it also had a religious meaning as a theocracy. The economic and politica

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e disseminated his ideas to others, and how they were affected by these teachings and beliefs (Watt 75-150). Muhammad preached for three years privately only to his friends before beginning to preach publicly. He did engender some opposition in time, though: At first there is no evidence that the preaching aroused any opposition among those who did not accept it but as the Revelation became more specific and more widely accepted, conservative elements in Mecca began to see it as a threat to their position (Kennedy 310. Muhammad emigrated to Abyssinia in the fifth year, in the second year after beginning his public preaching. The boycott of the clan of Hasham began after the emigration and lasted for three years. Abu Tilab and Khadija died after the end of the boycott and three years before the Hijra. In the Qur'an can be found the message of the Prophet. The primary document is the Qur'an, and dating the Qur'an becomes important in deciding when Muhammad formulated his message and thus what the source of that message may have been. Different theories have been put forward by different scholars. Among the types of evidence used for this purpose are internal evidence, mentions in other documents, and ways of comparing
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Muhammad Khadija, Medina Muhammad, Mecca Medina, God Kennedy, Muhammad Islam, Sa'd Watt, Abdallah Aspects, Hijra Qur'an, Gabriel Muhammad, , satanic verses, story muhammad, moral ideal, life muhammad,
Approximate Word count = 1305
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page)

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