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The life of Muhammad: From childhood to the Night Journey
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The angel that is called Jibril by Muslims is called something else in Christian texts, what?
The story of Muhammad's life may be told in many ways. This is how Selma's grandpa usually tells it. In the Arabian peninsula there is a city called Mecca. People gather here from different origins. Many belong to Arab clans with their own gods, others are Jewish and some are Christians.
It's a great center of commerce, and many come here to pray and make offerings to the gods. Here lies a square building - The Kaaba. Around the Kaaba stand statues of gods. There are lots of them: three hundred and sixty. In the Kaaba's wall there is also a stone that is said to have fallen from heaven.
In charge of the Kaaba there is a mighty family of merchants: The clan of Quraysh. And into this clan is born, in the year 570, a boy: Muhammad. Muhammad becomes an orphan when he is six years old. So he grows up with his grandfather, and later with his uncle. One day when Muhammad is nine, he meets a monk.
You will become one of God's messengers - a prophet - just like Moses and Jesus. Muhammad doesn't know what to think. When Muhammad is 25 - he takes care of a caravan of camels. The owner of the caravan is a wealthy widow: Khadija. She asks Muhammad to marry her.
Khadija is 40, so it's quite a large age difference, but neither Khadija nor Muhammad mind. Muhammad accepts. They get six children. But only one of them will go on to live longer than Muhammed does: Fatima. Muhammad often withdraws to meditate and pray.
One night when he's is doing this in a cave, he gets company. It's the angel Jibril - or Gabriel as he's called in the Christians' texts. Jibril tells Muhammad that there's only one god and that is God - Allah. Muhammad is to become his prophet. There have been several prophets before him, among others Musa and Isa - or Moses and Jesus as the Christians call them.
But Muhammad will become the last one. Muhammad doesn't know what to think. Has he become insane? Surely this can't be true. But Khadija believes in Muhammad being the prophet of God.
She becomes his first follower. Muhammad meets Jibril several more times. Jibril reveals to him that which is to become the holy book of the Muslims: The Quran. The Quran teaches how God wants people to live their lives. Among other things they are supposed to take care of the poor.
The ones who follow the words of God live in peace with God. Whoever does so will reach Paradise after death, those who don't end up in Hell. Muhammad can neither read nor write so Jibril helps him to learn it all by heart. This takes 23 years. During this time Muhammad gathers more followers.
Among others his friend - Abu Bakr - and his cousin - Ali. Muhammad wants to get rid of the statues of gods around the Kaaba. The merchants in Mecca don't like Muhammad's message at all. Only one god? Get rid of the statues?
Then fewer people would come here and the city would get less money. And the talk about taking care of the poor? That sounds expensive, think the Quraysh clan. The Quraysh start to persecute and threaten Muhammad and his followers - the Muslims. The year 619 is a year of mourning.
Muhammad's beloved wife Khadija dies. So does his uncle. This becomes a hard time for Muhammad. After two years of grief and worries, he is exhausted. He comes to the Kaaba to be alone with God, but falls asleep.
Then Jibril appears again. This time he brings a winged horse with a woman's face: Buraq. Muhammad mounts Buraq and they set off on a night journey with Jibril. But where are they going? Well that you will find out another time.