Home
Assignments
Bookmarks
The life of Muhammad: From the Night Journey to death in Medina
Upgrade for more content
At first, before the muslims' direction of prayer became Mecca, they turned towards another city in their prayers. Which city?
Do you remember the winged horse with a woman’s face, Buraq, and the angel Jibril? Muhammed is on a night journey with them. They fly to Jerusalem. They land here, by the Western Wall at the Temple Mount. On the Temple Mount, Muhammad meets several previous prophets and leads them in prayer.
After the prayer, it’s time for him to make a second journey. Muhammed is lifted up through seven heavens, and up to God. It’s decided that Muhammad is to teach humans to pray five times a day. When Muhammad returns to Mecca he talks about his journeys. He is ridiculed by the Quraysh - who don’t believe him.
Several of his followers doubt him as well. But not all. Because now he is invited to an oasis called Yathrib where he has a large group of followers. In Yathrib live both Jewish and Arab clans. And two of the Arab clans are killing each other in a feud.
The men from Yathrib hope that if Muhammad talks about what Jibril taught him, maybe that could make the clans become Muslims, and make peace. They invite Muhammad to become their religious and political leader. The Muslims in Mecca are suffering from the persecution, and now Muhammad also finds out that the Quraysh are planning to kill him. So Muhammad and his Muslims leave Mecca, and set out for Yathrib. This migration is called The Hegira, and is actually the start of something new.
The muslim chronology. The Hegira year becomes the first year in the Islamic calendar. When Muhammad arrives in Yathrib the city gets a new name: Madinat an-Nabi which means The Prophet’s city. This name will later be shortened to Medina The city. To make peace between the fighting clans in Medina Muhammad creates a treaty; a constitution about how the people of Medina are to behave.
But not everyone here wants to see Muhammad as their new leader. The Jewish clans refuse to acknowledge him as a prophet of God. Muhammad accepts Jews and Christians. He calls them the “people of the book”. By this he means they have shared origins, and worship the same god.
The founder and most important prophets of Judaism - Moses and Christianity – Jesus were both descendants of Abraham. Just like Muhammad. The Jews turn in prayer towards Jerusalem and so far all Muhammad’s followers have done this as well. But now when the Jews don’t recognise Muhammad as a prophet of God, Jibril asks Muhammad to change the direction of prayer. From now on, it’s Mecca and the Kaaba that Muslims are supposed to turn towards in prayer.
Muhammad and the Muslims from Mecca have left their jobs, homes, and belongings behind. How will they make money now? They attack the camel caravans of the Quraysh in revenge and to compensate for what they had to leave behind. The Quraysh are not exactly happy about this. Now a full war breaks out between Medina and Mecca.
Several battles take place in the desert. And eventually in the year 630 or year 8 depending on which calendar one uses it’s time for Muhammad and his Muslims to march on Mecca. When the people in Mecca realise the size of Muhammad's army they give up with almost no resistance. Now Muhammad can remove the statues of gods around the Kaaba. Most in Mecca now become Muslims.
Muhammad returns to Medina and lives there for the rest of his life. During his last year the year 632 or year 10 he makes one last trip back to Mecca. This is a pilgrimage in memory of Abraham. Muhammad now performs many of the rites that Muslims in modern days will come to perform. After his pilgrimage, Muhammad returns to Medina and dies there.
And that was the story of Muhammed as Grandpa tells it.