User talk:Claudiagharrison

The story of Muhammad Muhammad is believed by Muslims to be the last of a long line of prophets that includes Jesus and Moses. Muslims from everywhere followed his example because he was the chosen recipient of and messenger of God. The sayings of the prophet are the second most important Muslim texts (first was the holy Qur’an).Muhammad was born into the most powerful tribe in Mecca, the Quarish, around 750 A.D. Several trade routes met at Mecca, allowing the Quarish to control trade along the west cost of Arabia, north to Syria, and south to Yemen. Mecca was home to two widely venerated polytheistic cults whose gods were thought to protect the trade. After working for several years as a merchant, Muhammad was hired by Khadija, a rich widow, to ensure the safe passage of her caravans (camels) to Syria. They later got married. When he was roughly forty, Muhammad began to have visions and to hear voices. Searching for clarity, he would sometimes meditate at Mount Hira, outside Mecca. One time that he was there, the archangel Gabriel appeared to him and instructed him to recite “in the name of lord” this was the first revelation that appeared in the book of Qur’an, the holy book of Islam. These early revelations pointed to the existence of a single god, contradicting the earlier beliefs of the pre-Islamic Arabian Peninsula. Muhammad soon began attracting followers but in doing so he angered many of the meccan merchants as they were afraid that the trade that was protected by the pagan gods would suffer. Emigration became the only hope for Muhammad and his followers, in 622; they headed to Medina, another oasis town, where they were promised freedom to practice their religion. The move from mecca was called the hijra or the flight and marks year one of the Islamic calendar. In Medina, Muhammad began to build an ever expanding community around the new faith. The conflict with the Quraish continued but after years of violent clashes, Mecca surrendered. Muhammad then returned to take over the city, spreading their belief and destroying their old one. One night when Muhammad was sleeping, the archangel Gabriel came and led him on a journey. Mounted on the steed buraq, Muhammad travelled from the ka’ba in Mecca to the farthest mosque which the Muslims believe to be the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. He was then led by Gabriel through heaven and hell and then finally came face to face with God. He then returned to earth to continue spreading the message of Islam. According to their belief, Muhammad is the only person to see heaven and hell whilst he was still alive. When he died in 632, he had not named an heir. Half of his followers thought that only people with a direct lineage to the prophet could guide the Muslim community correctly. They all thought that Ali, Muhammad’s closest surviving blood male relative should be their next leader. The other half of them thought that Muhammad’s successor should be decided by a vote between three of his most trusted companions. The Muslims even today are still divided into Sunni and Shi’a branches. This has had a big impact on today’s life as lots of countries are split between Sunnis and Shi’as, for example, Iraq and Iran and many others.

February 2016

Hello, I'm Gareth Griffith-Jones. I wanted to let you know that one or more of your recent contributions to Conversation has been undone because it did not appear constructive. If you would like to experiment, please use the sandbox. If you think I made a mistake, or if you have any questions, you can leave me a message on my talk page. — Gareth Griffith-Jones | The Welsh | Buzzard |  14:04, 6 February 2016 (UTC)