INTRODUCTION

Unit 6: The Islamic world Origins of Islam

Between his fi rst divine revelation in 610 CE and his death in 632 CE, Muhammad united the Arabian Peninsula under a new faith – Islam.

For centuries, Bedouins had roamed across the deserts of Arabia leading caravans of camels loaded with goods. Many clans had grown wealthy as guides for merchants bringing carpets and tapestries from Persia, spices from India, incense and perfumes from Arabia, silks and porcelain from China, and gold and ivory from East Africa. However, it remained a harsh landscape in which to make a living, and raids on rival tribes were a common way to survive. By the 7th century CE, a permanent Arab settlement had emerged in Mecca. Here, the Bedouins worshipped a variety of idols from different faiths, held inside a shrine called the Kaaba. The most powerful tribe who ruled over Mecca was the Quraysh. In 610 CE a member of the Quraysh named Muhammad had a vision that he was visited by the Archangel Jibril, who was sent from Allah (the Arabic name for God). Jibril told Muhammad that he was the fi nal Prophet, following Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and others. Muhammad was shocked and worried about these visions, but his fi rst wife Khadija, a wealthy and successful trader herself, persuaded him to recite them. Muhammad called the words he had heard from Allah the Quran, meaning ‘recitation’. They emphasised that there was only one God to be worshipped – Allah – and he was the fi nal judge. When people heard these words, many began to convert to Islam, meaning ‘surrender to the will of God’. A Muslim became the term for someone who had made this surrender to Allah.

A desert caravan of camels loaded with goods

Religious similarities

Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all monotheistic religions based on belief in one God and their descent from the Prophet Abraham. Muhammad himself did not believe that he was beginning a new religion, but simply bringing monotheism to the pagan Arabs. As the Arabs conquered new territories, many customs from Judaism and Christianity were absorbed or continued, including the veiling and segregation of women in public. Mosques used domes like Christian Orthodox churches and Jewish synagogues. In addition, old Bedouin traditions were continued, such as walking around the Kaaba seven times during hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca), to make the transition to Islam easier.

The golden ‘Dome of the Rock’ Islamic shrine and the dome of a Christian church in Jerusalem

The Quraysh were angry that Muhammad attacked their traditional customs, insulted their gods and forbade moneylending. His words threatened the Quraysh leadership of Mecca, so they branded Muhammad a liar and persecuted his followers. Together, Muhammad and his followers fl ed the city in 622 ce during a period known as the Hijrah (‘migration’). They sought refuge in a town called Yathrib, which was populated by Arab and Jewish tribes who were generous people and shared their homes and belongings with the Muslim exiles. It was here that Muhammad learned more about the Jewish faith. In particular, he learned that Abraham had another son named Ismail, who had been sent into the Arabian desert to be the ‘father of a great nation’. Muhammad saw Ismail as the ancestor of the Arab Muslims, and Yathrib was renamed Medina (short for ‘the enlightened city’) in honour of the Prophet Ismail. The Quraysh in Mecca were still determined to destroy this new Islamic faith and sent an army towards Medina. In 624, at the Battle of Badr, Muhammad assembled the fi rst Muslim army in history. His small force was victorious despite being heavily outnumbered by the Quraysh forces. Soon after, accusations arose that the Jewish tribes of Medina were plotting to betray Muhammad to the Quraysh and send him back to Mecca. After the Battle of Khandaq in 627, many of the Quraysh and Jewish tribes were defeated and Muhammad had over 600 men beheaded, seizing all of their goods and distributing them to his followers. Later, at the Battle of Hunayn, it is said Muhammad gained 24 000 camels and 6000 prisoners as loot. This continued to raise his profi le as both a humble preacher but also a fearless warrior.

The return to Mecca

Many of the Bedouin tribes of Arabia joined Muhammad and converted to Islam, but the Quraysh refused to do so and maintained control of Mecca. When Muhammad dared to head towards Mecca unarmed to perform hajj, a tentative peace was established, but it was soon broken by the Quraysh. In 630, Muhammad returned to Mecca with 10 000 soldiers gathered from across Arabia. Abu Sufyan, leader of the Quraysh, realised that the only way to avoid confl ict was to surrender and convert to Islam. He agreed to help Muhammad smash the hundreds of pagan idols kept inside the Kaaba and re-dedicated it to Allah. By the time of his death in 632, the Prophet Muhammad had successfully united most of the tribes of Arabia under the Islamic faith.

Muslim pilgrims at the Kaaba in the Haram Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, during hajj

Check your understanding

1. What did the Bedouins help to trade across Arabia? 2. What was revealed by the Archangel Jibril in Muhammad’s vision? 3. What did the Quryash tribe do to Muhammad in Mecca in 622 CE? 4. What happened after the Battle of Badr and the Battle of Khandaq? 5. How was Muhammad able to unite most of the tribes of Arabia?