The Life and Works of Muhammad

  Lesson 25 Essay

       Islam is one of the biggest religions in the world and it's only second to Christianity. I'm going to tell you how Islam came to be one of the most popular religions to practice.

         It all started with a man named Muhammad. Muhammad was born in 570, in a city called Mecca, just three years after the treaty between Byzantium and Persia was signed. Mecca was located near the ancient shrine called Ka'ba. This shrine was said to have been built by Abraham, whom the Muslims claim as the “father of Islam”. Anyway, Muhammad's father died shortly after his birth and his mother died by the time he was six. Muhammad's uncle took him in and raised him. At the age of 24 Muhammad married a wealthy widow and became a successful merchant.

       In the year 610, at the age of 40, Muhammad had his first revelation. These messages told him he was the prophet of a new religion and that he needed to prophecy to the world. These first proclamations make up the first few passages of Islam's holy book, the Qu'ran. Muhammad started preaching to the people of Mecca and tried to convert them to his new religion. But his family shunned him and some people tried to assassinate him because of his strange, new message.

       In 622, Muhammad moved Mecca to a city called Medina for safety and began witnessing there. This new city welcomed Muhammad and his religion and soon became the first Islamic community. He became the leader of Medina shortly after. Not long after Muhammad came to Medina, wars broke out between the two cities. Muhammad eventually captured Mecca, banned the idolatry, and set up Islam as the new religion there.

         Later, in 632, Muhammad led the first Islamic pilgrimage as he walked from Medina to Mecca to visit the Ka'ba shrine. This shrine is the holiest place in Islam and is today located inside of a mosque in Mecca for protection. At the end of the pilgrimage, Muhammad gave his famous farewell sermon. Muhammad fell ill and died several months after.

        By the time of Muhammad's death, most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam and he had united Arabia into a single Muslim religious nation.

        To conclude this essay, Muhammad had no idea how famous he would become and how quickly Islam would catch on. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions to this day.