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Further reading: William Dalrymple, The Last Mughal:
The Fall of a Dynasty, Delhi, 1857 (New York: Random
House, 2006); John F. Richards, The Mughal Empire
(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993);
Annemarie Schimmel, The Empire of the Great Mughals:
History, Art, and Culture (New Delhi: Oxford University
Press, 2005).
Muhajirun
See e
migrants
.
Muhammad
(Arabic: praiseworthy)
(ca. 570–632) historic founder and prophet of Islam
Recognized as both a prophet and a statesman,
Muhammad delivered the q
Uran
to the people of
m
ecca
and m
edina
and created a religious com-
munity that would grow into a great civilization
after his death. He is beloved by Muslims, who
follow his example in their spiritual and worldly
affairs.
Recognizing Muhammad as God’s messenger
(Rasul Allah) is a central requirement of Islam,
as reflected in the second part of the
shahada
, or
Muslim testimony of faith. He lived in the western
part of the Arabian Peninsula during the sixth and
seventh centuries, when the major empires of the
time, Byzantium and Persia, were being weakened
by warfare and internal strife. But Muhammad’s
importance in the history of religions and civi-
lizations extends far beyond his land and time.
His major contribution is the q
Uran
, the Islamic
holy book, which Muslims believe he received
from God during the last 23 years of his life.
Muhammad’s own words and deeds (the
hadith
)
are known to Muslims everywhere, and they have
given a distinctive stamp to the spiritual, moral,
cultural, social, and political contours of their
lives.
His full name is Abu l-Qasim Muhammad ibn
Abd Allah al-Hashimi al-Qurashi. The first part of
his name, which means “Qasim’s father,” indicates
that he had a son named al-Qasim; Abd Allah
(“servant of God”) was Muhammad’s father, a
member of the clan of Hashim of the q
Uraysh
tribe.
Sources say that Qasim died when he was only
two years old. Muhammad has traditionally been
known by numerous other names, too, includ-
ing Ahmad (“most praiseworthy”), al-Mahmud
(a variant of Muhammad), al-Mustafa (“chosen
one”), and al-Amin (“trustworthy one”). In addi-
tion to calling him God’s Messenger, Muslims also
know him reverently as al-Nabi (“prophet”) and
al-Habib (“beloved”). They believe that he is a
descendant of a
braham
and Ishmael, two major
figures in the Hebrew Bible. He is also recognized
K 490
Muhajirun
in the Quran (Q 33:40) as the Seal of the Prophets
(khatam al-nabiyyin), which, according to Islamic
belief, means that he is the last one to bring God’s
word to humankind.
The main source for knowing about Muham-
mad’s life is a
biography
known as the Sira (also
known as Sirat Rasul Allah), written in the middle
of the eighth century by m
Uhammad
ibn
i
shaq
(d.
767) and later edited by Ibn Hisham. This book
weaves oral history and legendary accounts into
a grand heroic narrative. The Quran is also a
source for biographical information, but it con-
tains mainly indirect references to events in his
life, except for the last 10 years in Medina. Schol-
ars have obtained additional information from
the hadith, but both Muslims and non-Muslims
suspect that some, if not many, of the assertions
were invented after Muhammad’s death. There is
scant knowledge about Muhammad’s childhood,
even the exact year of his birth is uncertain. It is
generally agreed that he was born in m
ecca
to a
family belonging to the clan of the Banu Hashim,
a branch of the powerful Quraysh tribe that domi-
nated the city in the late sixth century. This was
the chief city of western Arabia and it was home
to a major temple, the k
aaba
, where Arabian gods
and goddesses were worshipped and where sacred
relics were housed. The Quraysh tribe profited
from its being a pilgrimage center for people liv-
ing in the region.
MuhAMMAD IN MECCA
Muhammad’s father died before his birth, and,
in accordance with Arab custom, he was nursed
by a Bedouin woman, Halima. According to early
biographical lore, he was taken aside by two men
dressed in white (identified as angels in some
accounts), who opened his belly and purified his
heart with snow, an event that was taken as a sign
that he was destined to become a prophet. Muslim
commentators also associated it with the chapter
of the Opening of the Breast in the Quran (Q 94).
Muhammad’s mother Amina died when he was six
years old, so he became a dependent of his pater-
nal grandfather, Abd al-Mutallib. Then, when his
grandfather died two years later, he was cared
for by his paternal uncle, Abu Talib. As a youth,
Muhammad became involved in Mecca’s caravan
trade, which brought him into contact with peo-
ples living in other parts of the Arabian Peninsula
and Syria. As an adult his career was bolstered by
marriage to k
hadiJa
(d. 619), a wealthy Meccan
businesswoman who was about 15 years older
than he. She was to bear all his children—several
daughters, including F
atima
(d. 633), and two
sons, both of whom died in infancy. Known for
his honesty, Muhammad mediated a dispute that
An Ottoman hilya, or word-portrait of Muhammad’s
physical appearance, based on the description attrib-
uted to Ali ibn Abi Talib. It is embellished with Quran
verses and the names of the first four caliphs.
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