The life of the prophet Muhammad SAW from birth. Islamic Encyclopedia. Several cases from childhood and adolescence

In 570. Comes from the Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe, which had great political and economic influence in the city. About him early years little is known, mainly what is contained in the Koran and biographies (sira). Muhammad's father, a poor merchant Abdallah ibn al-Muttalib, died in 570 as a result of an accident during a trading trip even before his son. Muhammad's mother, Amina, died when He was six years old. Muhammad was taken in by His grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, and two years later, when his grandfather died, His uncle, Abu Talib, took custody of Muhammad. While in Abu Talib, Muhammad first worked as a shepherd, then studied commerce.
WITH youth He was distinguished by piety, piety, and honesty. Over time, Muhammad became involved in Abu Talib's trading affairs. Those around him fell in love with the young man for his justice and prudence and respectfully called him Amin (Trustworthy). Muhammad received his first impressions of the world around him while traveling with Abu Talib. trade affairs. His reputation as a reliable person, experience in trade and caravan business allowed him to get a job with a rich widow, whom he later married.

New social status allowed Muhammad to spend more time in thought. He retired to the mountains surrounding Mecca and retired there for a long time. He especially loved the cave of Mount Hira, overlooking Mecca. In 610, when Muhammad was 40 years old, during one of these retreats, he received the first Revelation of the sayings of the book now known as the Koran. In a sudden vision, Jibril appeared before him and, pointing to the words that appeared from outside, ordered them to be spoken out loud, learned and passed on to people. This event occurred at the end and was called Laylat al-Qadr (Night of Power, Night of Glory). The exact date of the event is unknown, but it is celebrated on the 27th of Ramadan. The first to appear to Muhammad were five verses of the 96th, with the words: “Read! In the name of your Lord." Then messages, from the first Revelation to the last, came to Muhammad throughout His life (for 23 years). Jibril has always been the mediator in the transmission of Revelations. Through him came the command to bring the Word of God to people. Muhammad was convinced that he had been chosen as a messenger and prophet to bring the true word to people, fight polytheists, proclaim the uniqueness and greatness of Allah, and warn about the future raising the dead, and punishment in hell for all who do not believe in Allah.

A small group of followers gathered around Muhammad, but the majority of Meccans greeted him with ridicule, where He spoke about the one God, Allah, about the Day of Judgment, heaven and hell. The Meccan oligarchy resisted His reforms, since the sermons He preached undermined their political and social influence in the Hijaz, adversely affected the welfare of the Meccans, and in particular, since the establishment of faith in one God dealt a blow to polytheism and to trust in the idols of the sanctuary, which would lead to a decrease in the number of pilgrims and, accordingly, the income received from. Persecution by the Meccan elite forced supporters of the doctrine to flee to Ethiopia. Muhammad was under the protection of his family and continued to preach about the omnipotence of Allah, proving the validity of his claims to prophecy.

In Medina

After the death of his uncle Muhammad Abu Talib, his main patron, the new head of the clan refused to support him.
Muhammad was forced to seek help outside of Mecca. Around 620 he entered into a secret agreement with a group of inhabitants of Yathrib, a large agricultural oasis north of Mecca. The pagan tribes who lived there and the tribes that converted to Judaism were tired of the protracted civil strife and were ready to admit prophetic mission Muhammad and make him an arbitrator in order to establish a peaceful life. First, most of the companions moved to Yathrib from Mecca, and then in July (according to another version - in September) 622, the prophet himself. The city later began to be called (Madinat an-Nabi - City of the Prophet), and from the first day of the year of the prophet's migration () Muslims begin their reckoning.
Muhammad received significant political power in the city. Its support was the Muslims who came from Mecca () and the Medina converts to Islam (). Muhammad also counted on the support of local Jews, but they refused to recognize him as a prophet. Some Yathribs who converted to Islam, but were dissatisfied with the rule (in the Koran they are called hypocrites) also became hidden and open allies of the Jews.
In Medina, the prophet condemned the Jews and Christians for their oblivion of the true covenants of God and their prophets. The Meccan shrine of the Kaaba acquired paramount importance, to which believers began to turn during prayer (qibla). The first was built in Medina, the rules of prayer and behavior in everyday life, wedding and burial rituals, the procedure for raising funds for the needs of the community, the procedure for inheritance, division of property and provision of credit were established. The basic principles of religious teaching and community organization were formulated. They were expressed in revelations included in the Koran.

Having strengthened himself in Medina, Muhammad began to fight the Meccans who did not recognize his prophecies. In the early years preceding the spread of Islam throughout Arabia, Muhammad took part in successive three major battles that brought him to the fore as a political leader. This is the battle of (624) - the first victory won by the Muslims; the battle of (625), which ended in the complete defeat of Muhammad's army; and the siege of Medina by three Meccan armies (under the command of Abu Sufyan of the clan), which ended in failure for the besiegers and allowed Muhammad to consolidate his position as a political and military leader in the city and in Arabia as a whole.
Mecca's connection with the internal Medina opposition prompted drastic measures. Many of the prophet's opponents were destroyed, and the Jewish tribes were expelled from Medina. In 628, a large Muslim army led by the prophet himself moved towards Mecca, but it did not come to military action. In the town of Hudaibiya, negotiations took place with the Meccans, which ended in a truce. A year later, the prophet and his companions were allowed to make a small pilgrimage to Mecca.
The power of the prophet grew stronger, many Meccans openly or secretly went over to his side. In 630, Mecca surrendered to the Muslims without a fight. By joining hometown, the prophet destroyed the idols and symbols located in the Kaaba with the exception of the “black stone”. However, after this, the Prophet Muhammad continued to live in Medina, only once, in 10/623, making a “farewell” (Hijjat al-Wada) to Mecca, during which revelations about the rules of Hajj were sent to Him. The victory over the Meccans strengthened his authority throughout Arabia. Many Arabian tribes entered into an alliance agreement with the prophet and accepted Islam. A significant part of Arabia found itself as part of a religious-political union led by Muhammad, who was preparing to extend the power of this union to the north, into Syria, but in 632, leaving no male offspring, he died at the age of 63 in Medina, 12 rabi' Al-Awwala, 10 Hijri in the arms of his beloved wife Aisha. The Prophet Muhammad was buried in the Medina Mosque of the Prophet (al-Masjid an-Nabi). After the death of Muhammad, the community was ruled by the Prophet's deputies. His daughter Fatima married his student and cousin Ali ibn Abu Talib. From their sons Hassan and Hussein come all the descendants of the prophet, who are Muslim world called and .

In Medina, Muhammad created a theocratic state in which everyone had to live according to the laws of Islam. He acted simultaneously as the founder of a religion, diplomat, legislator, military leader and head of state.

Family

At the age of 25, Muhammad married Khadija bint Khuwaylid ibn Assad, who was already over forty at the time. But, despite the age difference, their married life was happy. Khadija bore Muhammad two boys, who died in infancy, and four daughters. After one of his sons, Qasim, the Prophet was called Abu-l-Qasim (father of Qasim); daughters' names: Zainab, Ruqaiya, Umm Kulthum and Fatima. While Khadija was alive, Muhammad did not take other wives, although polygamy was common among Arabs.

Meaning

Islam recognizes Muhammad as an ordinary man who was superior to others in his religiosity, but did not possess any supernatural abilities and, most importantly, a divine nature. The Koran repeatedly emphasizes that he is a person like everyone else. For Islam, Muhammad is the standard of a “perfect man”; his life is considered a model of behavior for all Muslims. He is considered the “seal” of the prophets, that is, the final link in the series of prophets represented by Moses, David, Solomon and. His mission was to complete the work Abraham began.

Muhammad was an exceptional personality, an inspired and dedicated preacher, and an intelligent and flexible politician. The personal qualities of the prophet became an important factor in the fact that Islam became one of the most influential world religions.
Muhammad devoted his entire life to service, in particular, he reproached Christians for the fact that they revere the Trinity and, therefore, are not monotheists in the strict sense, and do not remain faithful to the teachings of Jesus himself, who never claimed divinity.

Opinions

Information about Muhammad, which can be found in the Koran, Sira or, gives only a hint of the depth and greatness of His personality. Later Islamic biographies are hagiographical in nature and, as a rule, based on Arabic primary sources. In some communities of South Asia, at the festival in honor of the Prophet's birthday (see Mawlid an-Nabi), poetic biographies of Muhammad are read, in which a certain Hindu influence is felt.
Until recently, biographies of Muhammad published in the West showed Him as an ambiguous personality, inspiring neither sympathy nor respect. It is rare to find books that present Muhammad in a different light. Currently, in the academic works of Western Islamic scholars, there is a tendency to present the image of the Prophet more objectively and positively.

Muhammad was born around 570 in Mecca, a city of merchants and pagan sanctuaries. Mecca lay in the middle of the Hejaz on the trade route to Syria. As the Arabs believed, Mecca arose approximately in the place where Hagar and her son once got lost. The Meccans lived on the income from trade, bringing Yemenite and Indian goods to Syria and Palestine. The main pagan sanctuary in Hijaz was located in Mecca, in which there were 360 ​​idols.

Muhammad was orphaned very early and was raised by his relatives. When Muhammad was a child, legend says, omens already pointed to his great future.

One day, frightened and trembling children, Muhammad’s playmates, came running to the nurse of the future prophet. They reported that someone radiant and huge approached Muhammad, opened his chest, took something out of his chest and threw it on the ground. This unknown person then washed the wound with water and healed it. The nurse got scared and ran to look for Muhammad. She found Muhammad lying in the field, he was pale, and there was a purple scar on his chest. It was the head of the angels, Gabriel (Jabrail in Arabic), who purified the soul of Muhammad.

When Muhammad grew up, he for a long time He was poor, worked for pennies for rich merchants and for his relatives. At the age of 25, Muhammad married rich woman named Khadija and began to conduct her trading affairs. Khadija turns into Muhammad's closest friend and like-minded person. The prophet experienced the death of Khadija painfully. The Meccans treated Muhammad with respect; he was known as a fair and kind man.

Every year Muhammad retired to mountain caves near Mecca. There he fasted and indulged in pious thoughts. And then one day, in 610, Muhammad fell asleep in a cave, and Gabriel visited him in a dream. He ordered him: “Read,” and then said several phrases, forcing Muhammad to repeat them. Thus Muhammad was called to prophesy. Since then, Muhammad has received revelations from above, that is, instructions in a new religion, and preaches them to the people.

At first, Muhammad had very few followers. He only revealed himself to close relatives and friends. But now he decides to inform all the inhabitants of Mecca about the new religion. The Meccans were very indignant when they heard Muhammad's call to turn away from pagan gods and believe in One God. They considered him an apostate who had betrayed the faith of his grandfathers, and oppressed his family and associates in every possible way. The very life of the prophet was under threat. Muhammad was fully convinced of the truth of the saying: “There is no prophet in his own country.” Then Muhammad and a handful of his followers left Mecca and traveled north to the city of Yathrib. Yathrib was the closest trading city to Mecca, inhabited by Arabs and Jews.

The Arabs call this event hajra (migration). The countdown of the Muslim era begins from the year of migration (622).

In Yathrib, Muhammad was received well. The Jews who lived there understood the meaning of the prophet's sermon, as did the Yathrib Arabs, who had previously heard from them about the One God. The authority of the prophet grew so much that people renamed Yathrib “City of the Prophet” or simply “City”, in Arabic - Medina. In Medina, Muhammad built the first mosque and determined the order of Muslim worship. He becomes the ruler of Medina and begins a war with the Meccans, among whom a split quickly occurred. Most of them demanded that the city rulers surrender to the prophet. The noble people of the city, seeing the mood of the townspeople, gave up Mecca without a fight. Muhammad, having entered the city, first of all cleared the main Meccan sanctuary, called the Kaaba (translated from Arabic as “Cube”), from idols. The Kaaba became a sacred place for all Muslims.

The Kaaba is recognized by Muslims as the main temple also because, according to Arab legend, the Kaaba was built by Abraham himself, visiting his son Ishmael. Since Abraham professed monotheism, he dedicated the Kaaba to the One God. Later, according to Muslims, people desecrated the temple with paganism.

The Kaaba is located in the center of the main Muslim mosque, called al-Haram (“Holy”), and is a cubic stone building, the height of a five-story building. Inside the Kaaba is kept the “black stone,” which, according to legend, God gave to Adam, the first man on earth.

Arabian cities and nomadic tribes one after another joined Muhammad, but soon, in 632, Muhammad died.

The holy book of Muslims is the Koran. It records the revelations Muhammad received from God, which are summarized in chapters (suras) in the Koran. Islam translated from Arabic means a special action of a person in relation to God, namely, “surrendering oneself” to God. Surrendering oneself to God means believing in the One God and voluntarily agreeing to follow His will, which is the kindest and fairest instruction for a person. A Muslim (the words “Islam” and “Muslim” have the same root) is a person who has “surrendered himself” to God. According to Muslims, the first man Adam was the first to “surrender to God.” But the faith of Adam's descendants weakened over time, and they fell into paganism. Then God chose the prophet Abraham to preach monotheism. Abraham converted his people to the true faith. To remind people about monotheism, God sent the Jewish prophet Moses, and then Jesus Christ.

Muhammad's sermon also called for people to believe in the True God and abandon the worship of natural forces. Muhammad's words were primarily addressed to the pagans - Arabs, Persians, etc. Muhammad warned people about the coming Last Judgment, which would occur at the end of time, and in which everyone would receive reward from God for the good and evil committed during life. Muhammad said that the teaching he preached did not contradict true Judaism and Christianity, but confirmed them.

Muhammad respected the Mother of God, the Mother of Christ. When Muslims entered Mecca and began to destroy the idols in the Kaaba, one warrior wanted to wash away the wall image of the Virgin Mary with Christ with water. Muhammad forbade him to do this, covering the faces of the Virgin and Child with his palms.

The beliefs of Christians, Jews and Muslims are similar in many ways. And the main thing is that the followers of all three religions worship the One Deity, while the differences relate primarily to the ways in which (rites, dogmas, way of life) the faith of Christians, Jews and Muslims in the One God is manifested.

Having founded a new religion, Muhammad spread monotheism among many pagan tribes and peoples, which was the reason for the rapid cultural rise over vast areas from Atlantic Ocean to the Chinese borders. Muhammad was not only a religious teacher, but also a skilled politician. It took Christianity more than three centuries to transform from a small religious community into a state religion and become the basis of the lives of millions of people. Muhammad managed to accomplish a similar transformation in the last ten years of his life. Having begun as a prophet persecuted by everyone, he ended his life as the sovereign of a Muslim power.

When Ishmael, the son of Abraham, God bless them! - settled in Mecca and numerous offspring were born to him there, so that they filled Mecca... Mecca became too close for them, and clashes and enmity began between them, and some of them expelled others. And they dispersed throughout the country in search of food.

What led them to worshiping idols and stones was the fact that no one left Mecca without taking a stone with them from the Sanctuary ( This refers to the sanctuary of the Kaaba.) because of reverence for this Sanctuary and affection for Mecca. And wherever they settled, they placed this stone and walked around it, as they walked around the Kaaba, wanting to gain her mercy and out of affection and love for the Sanctuary.

From Surah Maryam, which tells about the Virgin Mary (Maryam) and Jesus Christ (Isa). The text is divided into verses (signs), each of which begins on a new line.

And remember Mary in scripture. So she moved away from her family to an eastern place.

And she made a veil for herself before them. We sent Our Spirit to her, and he took on the appearance of a perfect man before her ( This refers to the angel Gabriel.).

She said: “I seek protection from you from the Merciful, if you fear God.”

He said: “I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you a pure boy.”

She said, “How can I have a boy? No man touched me, and I was not a whore.”

He said: “This is what your Lord said: “This is easy for Me. And We will make it a sign for people and Our mercy.” This matter is settled."

And she carried him and went with him to a distant place.

And her torment led her to the trunk of a palm tree. She said: “Oh, if only I had died before this and been forgotten, forgotten.”

And he called ( Baby Jesus.) to her: “Do not be sad: your Lord has made a stream under you.”

And shake the trunk of the palm tree above you, it will drop fresh, ripe (fruits) to you.

Eat, drink, and cool your eyes! And if you see one of the people, then say: “I have made a vow of fasting to the Merciful and I will not speak to a person today.”

She came with him to her people, carrying him. They said: “O Mary, you have done an unheard of thing!

O sister of Aaron ( Sister of Aaron is an expression indicating that the Virgin Mary belongs to the people of Israel, the same as “daughter of the Israeli people.” Aaron - older brother of the Hebrew prophet Moses), your father was not a bad person, and your mother was not a harlot.”

And she pointed at him. They said, “How can we talk to a child in a cradle?”

He said: “I am a servant of God, he gave me the Scripture and made me a prophet.

And he made me blessed wherever I was, and commanded me prayer and alms while I live, and kindness to my mother, and did not make me an oppressor, unhappy.

And peace be with me on the day I was born, and on the day I die, and on the day I am resurrected alive!”

This is Jesus, the son of Mary, according to the Word of Truth,( This refers to God) which they doubt...

Hadiths are the statements of the prophet, his remarks on this or that matter, and his teachings to his followers. If the Koranic revelations are considered by Muslims to be the speech of God himself, then hadiths are only the opinion of a person, although extremely authoritative and weighty.

1. Anyone whom prayer does not restrain from bad deeds has fallen far from God.

2. Contentment with little is inexhaustible wealth.

3. Heaven is under the feet of mothers.

4. Shame comes from faith.

5. Dry eyes are a sign of a hard heart.

6. The best among you are those who call you to good.

7. This is a great betrayal if you told your brother something, and he (believing) confirmed what you said, and you lied to him.

8. In order to turn out to be a liar, it is enough to repeat everything that you heard.

9. In order to turn out to be ignorant, it is enough to say everything you know.

10. Friendliness towards people is half the mind.

11. Asking well is half knowing.

12. Seek knowledge even in China; the pursuit of knowledge is the duty of every Muslim man and woman.

13. Teacher and student are friends for good.

14. Anyone who died defending his property is a holy martyr.

15. The property of a Muslim is the blood of a Muslim.

16. Poverty is the threshold of unbelief, and envy is such that it changes a person’s destiny.

Prophet Muhammad was born in 570 in Mecca. His family was not rich, but quite noble; it belonged to the Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe. Muhammad's father Abdallah died during a trading trip shortly before his birth, and the boy found himself under the care of his grandfather Shayb ibn Hashim al-Qurashi (also known as Abd al-Mutallib), head of the Hashim clan. The climate of Mecca was considered unfavorable for small children, and at the age of six months, Muhammad was given to be raised by a wet nurse in a nomadic family. Muhammad's mother Amina died when the boy was six years old, and two years later the Prophet Muhammad experienced another major grief - the death of his grandfather and guardian Abd al-Mutallib. The boy's guardian was Abu Talib, the son of Abd al-Mutallib, Muhammad's uncle and the new head of the Hashim clan. Abu Talib was a fairly large merchant of that time, he led caravans and often took Muhammad with him on business trips.

Around the age of twenty, the Prophet Muhammad began to teach independent life, without formal guardianship from an uncle. By that time, he was already quite knowledgeable in trade, knew how to drive caravans, but did not have enough funds to conduct business on his own. Therefore, the young man was forced to hire out to more prosperous merchants. In 595, Muhammad began to manage the affairs of the wealthy Meccan widow Khadija bint Khuwaylid, who was so captivated by his character, intelligence and honesty that he offered to marry her. Khadija was 40 years old at that time, Muhammad was 25. Khadija gave birth to Muhammad several sons, who died in infancy, and four daughters: Ruqayu, Umm Kulthum, Zainab and Fatima. While Khadija was alive (she died in 619), Muhammad had no other wives.

The Prophet Muhammad was prone to solitary, pious reflections and often spent several days alone, and once a year, a whole month, in a cave on the slope of Mount Hira, at the foot of which Mecca lies. According to legend, in 610, when Muhammad was about 40 years old, he had a vision in a dream, and he heard a call addressed to him: “Read! In the name of your Lord, who created - created man from a clot. Read! And your Lord, the most generous, who taught with kalam, taught man what he did not know” (96:1-5). This marked the beginning of a series of revelations that continued until Muhammad's death in 632. Around 650, these revelations were written down and compiled into holy book Muslims - Koran.

Initially, the Prophet Muhammad was frightened by the revelations that had begun and doubted their origin, thinking that he was possessed by jinn (evil spirits), but Muhammad’s wife Khadija helped her husband cope with his doubts and convinced him that the nameless ghost was the angel Jibrael (Gabriel), and his visions came from from God. Muhammad became convinced that he was chosen by God as a messenger (rasul Allah) and prophet (nabi) to bring his word to people. The first revelations proclaimed the greatness of the one and only god Allah, rejected the polytheism widespread in Arabia, and convinced of the inevitability doomsday, warned about the coming resurrection of the dead and punishment in hell for all who do not believe in Allah.

At first, his fellow tribesmen perceived the preaching of the Prophet Muhammad with ridicule, but gradually a permanent group of supporters formed around him, recognizing him as a prophet and listening attentively to his revelations. The Meccan elite felt the danger of these sermons, which threatened to destroy one of the foundations of Meccan trade - the cult of Arabian deities, and began to oppress the followers of the Prophet Muhammad - Muslims. Muhammad himself was under the protection of his clan and its head, his uncle Abu Talib, who, although he did not convert to Islam, considered it his duty to protect a member of his clan. Around 619, Muhammad's wife Khadija and Abu Talib died, and Abu Lahab became the head of the Khashim clan, who refused Muhammad protection.

The Prophet Muhammad began to look for supporters outside of Mecca. He preached to merchants who came to the city on business, tried to preach in other cities and became more and more famous. Around 621, a group of residents of the large oasis of Yathrib, located about 400 km north of Mecca, invited Muhammad to act as an arbitrator in their protracted and complicated inter-clan conflict. They agreed to call Muhammad as the prophet of Allah and transfer control of their city into his hands. First, most Meccan Muslims moved to Yathrib, and Muhammad himself arrived there in 622. From the first month (Muharram) of this year according to the lunar calendar, Muslims began to count years new era according to the hijri (relocation), that is, according to the year of the Prophet Muhammad’s migration from Mecca to Yathrib, which became known as Madinat an-nabi (City of the Prophet), or simply al-Madina (Medina) - the City.

The Prophet Muhammad gradually transformed from a simple preacher into a political leader of the community (ummah). His main support was the Muslims who came with him from Mecca - the Muhajirs and the Medina Muslims - the Ansars. In Medina, the house of Muhammad was built, the first mosque was erected near it, the foundations of Muslim ritual were established - the rules of prayer, ablution, fasting, etc. In the revelations that visited the Prophet Muhammad, the rules of community life were explained in detail: the principles of inheritance, division of property, marriage , prohibitions were proclaimed on usury, gambling, wine, and eating pork.

The Prophet Muhammad initially hoped to find support from the Jews of Medina and even pointedly chose Jerusalem as the qiblah (the direction to be followed when praying), but they refused to recognize Muhammad as a prophet and even came into contact with the Meccans - the enemies of Muhammad. The response to this was a gradual break. The Prophet Muhammad began to speak more and more clearly about the special role of Islam and its independence as a separate religion. Jews and Christians are condemned as bad believers, Islam is declared to be the correction of their distortions of the will of Allah. In contrast to Saturday, a special Muslim day for general prayer is established - Friday; the Meccan Kaaba is proclaimed the main shrine of Islam, which becomes the qibla. The Kaaba is a stone building 15 m high. A “black stone” (melted meteorite) is embedded in the eastern corner of the building - the main object of worship in al-Kaaba. According to Muslim legends, the “black stone” is a white yacht from paradise, given by Allah to Adam when he, dropped on, reached Mecca. The stone later became black because of the sins and depravity of people, so that they would not see paradise, which could be seen in the depths of the stone (whoever sees paradise must go there after death).

One of the main religious and political tasks of Muhammad was the liberation of Mecca from the rule of polytheists and the cleansing of the Kaaba from pagan idols and rituals. The Prophet Muhammad began to prepare for the fight against the unbelieving Meccans from the very beginning of his life in Medina. In 623, Muslim attacks began on Meccan trade caravans (gazavat - mi. ch. from ghazwa - raid). In 624, at Badr, a small Muslim detachment led by Muhammad defeated the Meccan militia, despite the numerical superiority of the Meccans. This victory was taken as proof that Allah was on the side of the Muslims. In response, the Meccans approached Medina in 625, and a battle took place near Mount Uhud, in which the Muslims suffered big losses, however, the Meccans did not develop their success and retreated. The military defeat was also associated with internal difficulties in the Muslim camp. Some of the people of Medina, who initially willingly converted to Islam, were dissatisfied with the autocracy of the Prophet Muhammad and maintained close ties with the Meccans. This internal Medina opposition is repeatedly condemned in the Qur'an under the name of "hypocrites" (munafikun).

For several years, the Prophet Muhammad gathered forces for a decisive struggle against Mecca, strengthening his position in Medina and securing the support of many nomadic tribes. In 628, a large army moved towards Mecca and stopped nearby - in a place called Hudaibiya. Negotiations between Meccans and Muslims ended with the conclusion of a truce agreement, according to which Muhammad pledged to stop the offensive and abandon hostilities against Mecca. For this, the Meccans gave Muslims the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the Kaaba. Exactly one year later, Muhammad and his companions performed the minor pilgrimage (umrah) in accordance with the agreement.

Meanwhile, the strength of the Medina community grew stronger. Rich oases lying north of Medina were conquered, and more and more nomadic tribes became allies of the Prophet Muhammad. Under these conditions, secret negotiations between Muhammad and the Meccans continued, many of whom openly or secretly accepted Islam. At the beginning of 630, the Muslim army entered Mecca unhindered. Muhammad granted forgiveness to many former enemies, worshiped the Kaaba and cleansed it of pagan idols.

However, the Prophet Muhammad did not return to live in Mecca and only once, in 632, made one pilgrimage to Mecca. The victory over Mecca further strengthened Muhammad's self-confidence and raised his religious and political authority in Arabia. The leaders of various clans and petty rulers came to Mecca to negotiate an alliance; many of them expressed their readiness to convert to Islam. In 631-632 a significant part of the Arabian Peninsula is more or less included in the political entity headed by Muhammad.

In the last years of his life, the Prophet Muhammad prepared a military expedition against Syria with the aim of spreading the power of Islam to the north. In 632, Muhammad died unexpectedly after a short illness (there is a legend that he was poisoned). He was buried in the main mosque of Medina (the Prophet's Mosque).

Islam is one of the largest and most influential world religions. It is the religion of much of the Middle East, North Africa, Malaysia and Indonesia. By the way, Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world. Today, about a billion people profess Islam.

Islam - Arabic word, which means submission, submission, or obedience. Another meaning of the word is "peace". Thus, the name of the religion can be more fully translated as " perfect world which occurs if you submit your life to God." A person who professes Islam is called a Muslim. Muslims believe that submission and obedience to the will of God is the only way by which a person can achieve true peace in his own soul and in the whole society. Islam can be considered as a religion related to Judaism and Christianity, since all three consider Abraham to be the forefather of the faith. Therefore, the history and even the essence of Islam cannot be understood in isolation from the earlier related religions, that is, Judaism and Christianity. Like Judaism and Christianity, Islam is the “religion of the Book.” For Jews, the Book is the Torah, for Christians it is the Bible, for Muslims it is the Koran, a collection of revelations that the Prophet Muhammad received from God.

Origin of Islam

For Muslims, the origin of Islam begins not with Muhammad, but with God. “In the beginning God...” - this opens the biblical book of Genesis. The story of the creation of the world in the Koran is very close to the biblical description, only the name Allah is used to describe God. Allah literally means "the only God." Not one of the gods, because God is one. Allah created the world and then man. The first man was the prophet Adam. He had to take care of the world the way God wanted him to. However, he succumbed to the temptation of Satan and, together with Eve, was expelled from paradise. Eventually Adam and Eve repented and made peace with God. Out of gratitude, they built a simple sanctuary - the Kaaba. Adam's descendant, Noah, had a son named Shem. This is where the word Semite comes from. Thus, both Arabs and Jews, being descendants of Shem, are Semites. The Prophet Abraham, a descendant of Shem, lived for a long time with his childless wife Sarah. Wanting to continue his family line, Abraham also took Hagar, Sarah's maid, as his wife. From this union a son was born, Ishmael. Sarah later had a son named Isaac. After some time, God ordered Abraham to sacrifice his son (according to the Koran, it was Ishmael; according to the Torah, it was Isaac). It was Abraham's obedience to this extremely difficult command, called "aslama" in the Koran, that perhaps gave Islam its name. According to the Koran, Abraham went to Mecca and, together with his son Ishmael, recreated the Kaaba, the holiest shrine of Islam. The descendants of Ishmael, who grew up in Arabia, became Arabs, and the descendants of Isaac who remained in Palestine became Jews. Following the descendants of Ishmael, the first son of Abraham, we come to the second half of the 6th century AD, to Muhammad, the prophet thanks to whom Islam found its final form.

Birth and childhood of Muhammad

In the times before the birth of Muhammad, Arabia was part of a barbarian world. Scientists often call this time the period of ignorance. Arabia, cut off from the rest of the world by vast expanses of desert, was practically isolated. The Bedouins living in the desert felt virtually no obligations to anyone outside their tribe. Material goods there was not enough, and thanks to the warlike nature of the tribes, robbery and robbery became a daily occurrence. The only law was the law of force. Ideas about morality, culture and civilization were extremely primitive. Blood feuds sometimes lasted for more than half a century. Drunken orgies ended in bloody massacres. Gambling houses were open around the clock, and half-naked dancers inflamed the passion of the players. The main religion was polytheism, that is, the worship of many gods personifying the races of the desert - stones, trees, idols, stars and spirits. There is no evidence that these gods aroused in people a true religious feeling, much less a desire for morality. The time has come for a deliverer. Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca around 570 AD. e., in the Hashim family of the Koreish tribe. According to legend, when his mother was pregnant, an angel appeared to her and said: “You carry under your heart the ruler of this people and when he is born, say: I entrust him to the care of the One, far from the malice of envious people; and call him Muhammad.” (The name "Muhammad" means "blessed by heaven and earth.") Tradition also says that the Jewish community learned about the birth of Muhammad from the movements of the stars, and the Christian community from the monk Bahira. This also shows the close connection that existed between the three religions.

At that time the inhabitants of Arabia were mainly pagans; a rare exception among them was Muhammad's grandfather, Abd-al Muttalib. Many Arabs lived as nomads; there were few cities in the country - such as Mecca, Yathrib and Taif. Mecca was a rich trading city, which also housed the main pagan shrine. The cubic temple of the Kaaba in the center of Mecca was originally dedicated to the One True God, but over the centuries other cults came, and by the time of Muhammad there were at least 360 idols of various deities - one for each day of the year. Muhammad's childhood was full of tragic events. His father, who was a merchant, died a few days before his birth; his mother died when he was six years old. The grandfather, who took care of the boy after the death of his mother, was famous for his righteous life. Largely thanks to him, Muhammad grew up as a pious and honest man and believed in One God. After the death of his grandfather, his uncle, Abu Talib, took him in. Muhammad worked for his uncle first as a shepherd, then became a merchant. In his youth, Muhammad was pure of heart, and his friends loved him very much. Early suffering made him sensitive to people, and his character was always friendly and gentle. As he grew older, his extraordinary sense of honor, duty and loyalty earned him the names Faithful and Trustworthy. At twenty-five, Muhammad entered the service of a wealthy widow named Khadija. She liked his wisdom and decency more and more, and after a while they got married. Although Khadija was 15 years older than Muhammad, the marriage was happy and they had six children. Polygamy among Arabs at that time was normal, but Muhammad did not think about another wife while Khadija was alive. In the difficult times that followed, she did not leave him. “God,” says the legend, “sent her to him as a consolation, for she lightened his burden.” Now Muhammad was a rich, respected citizen of Mecca and, it would seem, had achieved his goal in life. But material security did not satisfy him. Muhammad could not find peace for himself; More and more he retreated from business and family concerns and sought refuge in the desert. It was there that an event happened that turned his life upside down and influenced the entire world history.

Religious quest

Not far from Mecca in the desert there was a large rock - Mount Hira, in which there was a cave. In search of solitude and a place where he could deeply reflect on the mysteries of good and evil, Muhammad began to increasingly retire to this cave. He could not accept the lifestyle of most of his fellow tribesmen with their rudeness, superstition and immorality: he sought God. After spending many sleepless nights in prayer and meditation, he came to the conclusion that Allah exists in the same way that life and the universe He created exist, and that His greatness is much greater than his fellow tribesmen imagined. Its essence is already reflected in the name itself - God, the only one who has no equal. One night, Muhammad, immersed in deep contemplation, heard a voice commanding him: “Read!” “I can’t read,” Muhammad answered in horror. But the voice was heard again and commanded him to read for the second time:

Read! In the name of your Lord, who created - created man from a clot. Read! And your most generous Lord... taught man what he did not know. (Quran 96:1-5)

Coming out of his trance, with the words deeply imprinted on his soul, Muhammad left the cave. And then he heard the voice of an angel from heaven: “Muhammad, you are the messenger of God, and I am Gabriel.” Muhammad rushed home and told his wife that he had either become a prophet or gone crazy. Khadija believed her husband's story and soon became his first follower. "But was it really the voice of God? Will it sound again and what will it require?" - thought Muhammad. Two years later, the voice sounded again and since then has not left Muhammad throughout his life. He was chosen to preach the word of God and decided to follow this path, overcoming persecution, insults and ridicule. He became a prophet of God. Muhammad did not always see Gabriel (Jebrail) during the revelations. Sometimes he only saw his eyes or heard his voice. Sometimes revelations came while he was deeply immersed in prayer, and sometimes during daily activities. The way the revelations came distinguished them from the thoughts and teachings of Muhammad himself. During the visions, he felt as if he was about to die.

Every time a revelation came to me, it seemed to me that my soul was being torn out of me. (Hadith)

First Sermons

At first, Muhammad did not preach publicly, but spoke privately to those who were interested or who noticed a change in him. His first followers were his wife Khadija, his nephew Ali and the slave boy Said, as well as his friend, the merchant Abu Bakr. He began to pray daily in the Muslim way, which caused rumors in his circle. After some time, he began preaching on the streets of Mecca. He announced to the city merchants that God would judge each according to his deeds, and urged them to submit their lives to God, to love the poor and prisoners, slaves and foreigners. In all likelihood, at first it was difficult for Muhammad to go out to the inhabitants of Mecca who knew him well and preach to them a new teaching. Everyone was surprised. All his life his kindness and gentle wisdom spoke of him as a noble and pious man. But now he claimed that he had received a revelation from God himself and that he was called to change people's lives. Moral teaching demanded an end to licentiousness and debauchery, which people were unwilling to do. The claim that all people are equal before God was too democratic and challenged a class system based on injustice. Crowds of people gathered to listen to Muhammad, but few wanted to follow the new teachings, abandoning their old ways. The revelation of the one invisible God also did not please the inhabitants of Mecca, who were accustomed to worshiping many idols made of wood and stone. Muhammad's tribesmen controlled the Kaaba and its idols. When they realized that he was trying to put an end to this cult, they were furious because it threatened the significant income generated by the pilgrims who came to worship the 360 ​​shrines of the various gods. Muhammad began to receive threats; he was ridiculed and insulted. When this proved futile, he was accused of witchcraft, of insulting the gods, of trying to break up families by forcing young people to rebel against their parents. Muhammad's uncle, Abu Lahab, one of the tribal leaders, tried to argue with him, bribe him and threaten him, but nothing could make him change his beliefs. The people of Mecca decided to stop Muhammad and his followers at any cost. His enemies resorted to abuse and slander, which soon turned into direct persecution. Muhammad and his followers were pelted with dirt and filth as they indulged in their daily prayers. They threw stones at them, beat them with sticks, threw them into prison and tried to starve them to death, excluding them from all trade, craft and help. Islam's first martyr was a woman named Sumaya, and the first muezzin (caller to prayer) was a black slave named Bilal, rescued after being left to die in the desert under the scorching sun with a heavy stone on his chest.

Night of the ascent

In the first three years of desperate efforts, Muhammad gained fewer than forty followers. However, it soon became clear that the resistance of the enemies could not withstand the truth, his talent and dignity, they were convinced of the truth of his message, and ten years later about a hundred families followed him. However it was very hard time. In 619, Muhammad's wife died. She was his most ardent follower and helper. That same year, his uncle, Abu Talib, who protected him from the worst persecution, died. Without their support, a period of melancholy and despair began for Muhammad, although he, of course, understood that death would not escape anyone. His enemies took advantage of his troubles by intensifying their persecution. Abu Lahab's wife scattered thorns and rubbish near his house every day. Muhammad, when she subsequently fell ill, did all her housework for her until she recovered. It was this year that Muhammad experienced the second most important night of his life - the night of ascension. It is not known whether this was a vision, a dream or a supernatural phenomenon, but it so happened that the Prophet was awakened and carried by a strange beast to Jerusalem. From the site of the old Jewish temple on Mount Zion, he was taken up into all seven heavens and saw. In heaven, he spoke with the ancient prophets, including Abraham, Moses and Jesus the Messiah. During these meetings, he learned how many times a day a devout Muslim should pray. Muhammad thought about fifty times, but Moses told him that such a burden was too heavy for him. ordinary person, and the number of prayers was reduced to five. Gradually Muhammad and the angel approached the highest heaven and God's throne. Muhammad felt only great peace and pure light. Neither he nor the angel could come closer. Time, thought and feeling stood still as Muhammad experienced the benefit of God's presence, a feeling that he could never express in words because it surpasses all human understanding and knowledge. This experience brought great comfort and strength to Muhammad and confirmed that Allah had not abandoned him.

Flight to Medina

After this event, Muhammad's fate changed radically. He was invited to Yathrib (a city about 320 km north of Mecca) by 75 of the most distinguished residents of the city. Yathrib was inhabited by Jewish and two Arab tribes, feuding for power. It seemed that this blood feud, in which Jewish clans also participated, would never end. The townspeople who came to Muhammad saw him as a sage and prophet who could become a worthy ruler of the city; finally bring peace and tranquility to people. Having thought about this proposal and having received the consent of the townspeople to support Islam, Muhammad decided to go to Yathrib. He first sent seventy families to Yathrib, while he himself remained in Mecca. But when the residents of Mecca learned of his intention to leave the city, they decided to prevent this at all costs. They wanted to destroy a movement that threatened their very existence. When Muhammad and one of his supporters were already leaving Mecca, the enemies almost overtook them, and Abu Bakr exclaimed in horror: “There are only two of us!” “No, three,” corrected Muhammad, “after all, God is with us.” When Muhammad arrived in Yathrib, many people were willing to give him shelter in their homes, and he was even embarrassed by their kindness. Not wanting to offend anyone, he gave the choice to his camel. The animal stopped where the figs were drying, and this place was given to the prophet so that he could build himself a house. He built a house with a large courtyard where the whole city could pray. This was in 622. The migration, known as hijra, which means flight, is considered by Muslims to be the turning point of history, from which they count time. Yathrib was soon renamed Medinat al-Nabi - the city of the Prophet, and then this name was shortened to Medina - "city".

Reign of Muhammad

In Medina, Muhammad faced many problems. He had to try to unite the various clans and tribes into one strong community; he had to deal with the city of Mecca, which was about to attack Medina if Muhammad succeeded in fortifying it; and he was concerned with converting all of Arabia to Islam. Muhammad decided to create a charter that would allow all the warring tribes and parties in Medina to accept him and obey his decisions. Thus the blood feud could end. He decreed that all citizens were allowed to practice their own religion, and by this means people of different faiths were able to live in peaceful neighborhood without fear of persecution or disfavour. He only asked that in cases of aggression or tyranny they should unite together in the face of the enemy. The former laws under which Arabs and Jews lived were replaced by the principle of universal justice, regardless of class, color or creed. So Muhammad defied all odds political structure Arabia, which until then had been based on tribal principles. Despite the fact that each tribe and clan retained its own leaders, Muhammad became the head of the entire city, using his religious authority. Muhammad expected the Jews to be the first to support him, since they already believed in one God. However, when he spoke to them about the Quran, it caused controversy. There were a number of differences between the faiths of Muslims and Jews. Muhammad could not refuse the revelations given to him, but the Jews remained faithful to their Scriptures. Later, when all the Arab tribes officially accepted Islam, the religion took on a more Arab and less Jewish character. The direction of prayer was changed from Jerusalem to Mecca. Subsequently, conflict between Arabs and Jews led to the expulsion of Jews from the city. Although Muhammad was now the head of a city-state and was gaining increasing wealth and influence, he never lived the life of a king. His home consisted of simple adobe houses. He built the first mosque at home and prayed regularly. He was polite, friendly to people and respectful to elders. He combined his serious teachings with gentle humor, saying: "The dearest of you is the one who behaves politely; the worst of all is the one who is the most boring and talkative." He was never impudent or arrogant, despite his position as a ruler, and never put people in an awkward or humiliating position. He slept on a very simple mattress on the floor and never had enough to eat. He did not consider it possible for himself to indulge in idleness while others were working, and helped his friends in different types work. He had few clothes, and sometimes he darned and patched old clothes and shoes. In Medina, Muhammad married again. Two of his wives were Jews, and one was a Christian. His wives shared his devout lifestyle and often supported him during nightly prayers. Muhammad had another child, a son, who, like Khadija's two sons, died in infancy. His four daughters married and had children.

Muhammad's goal was to convert all of Arabia to Islam. First he sent missionaries who told people about Islam, then proposals for an alliance followed. Under the protection of Medina, people could avoid blood feuds. However, the resistance of the Koreish clans continued, and Muhammad had to wage hostilities until the end of his life. As a result of these wars, Muslims developed many rules for waging war and treating prisoners - the rules of jihad. Jihad never meant military action for the purpose of conquest, tyranny or expansion. It could only be used for defense and if the enemy could not be forced to make peace. During the prophet's battles, many opponents turned to his side, seduced by Muslim chivalry, courage and faith in God.

Return to Mecca

In 628, peace was concluded with Mecca. However, the next year, the inhabitants of Mecca attacked one of the tribes allied with the Muslims. The Prophet marched on Mecca with an army of ten thousand. They set up camp near the city, and Muhammad promised the townspeople complete forgiveness if they voluntarily submitted. In the end, only 28 Mecca residents were killed, including some of Muhammad's most bitter enemies. Muhammad entered the city in triumph, went straight to the Kaaba and walked around it seven times. Then he entered the sanctuary and, as tradition says, destroyed all the idols and all the images except Jesus and Mary. Uthman ibn Talha, who once denied Muhammad entry into the Kaaba and persecuted him, received the key to the sanctuary, which is kept by his family to this day. Muhammad returned to Medina, where he again began war against tribes that were attacking Muslims. In 632, the prophet went on a pilgrimage to the Kaaba. During the Hajj (pilgrimage), he received revelations about its rules, which are observed by Muslims to this day. He also delivered his last sermon, an abbreviation of which can be found in all mosques around the world:

• O people, listen carefully to my words, for I do not know whether I will be with you after this year. Listen and share my words with those who are not here today.
• View the life and property of every Muslim as sacred property. Do not offend anyone, so that no one offends you. remember that you will meet God and that he will judge your affairs. You will neither commit nor tolerate injustice. Remember that you have rights over your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you took them as wives only by the will and with the permission of Allah. Treat them well and be kind to them, for they are your companions and devoted helpers.
• Worship Allah, say your daily prayers five times; fast during the month of Ramadan and distribute your wealth. Go for Hajj if you can.
• An Arab is no higher than a non-Arab; white is not superior to black, and black is not superior to white, except in piety and good deeds. All Muslims are brothers.

At the end of his speech, he looked around at the huge crowd of people. "Have I completed my mission?" - he exclaimed. The crowd cheered: “You have accomplished it, O messenger of God.” Muhammad raised his eyes to the sky and exclaimed three times: “O God, you are a witness, O God, you are a witness, O God, you are a witness.” There was silence, which was broken by Bilal's powerful voice calling for prayer. Returning to Medina, Muhammad fell ill with a severe fever and began to suffer from headaches. But he continued to lead prayers in the mosque as long as he was able to do so; then he asked Abu Bakr to take his place. Having never overcome the disease, he died in the arms of his beloved wife Aisha. He was 63 years old.

Spread of Islam

Muhammad died practically the ruler of all Arabia. A century later, his followers conquered Armenia, Persia, Syria, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, and Spain. They crossed the Pyrenees and invaded France. And if Charles Martel had not defeated them in 732, the entire western world could be Muslim. It was an empire stretching from the shores of the Atlantic Ocean and Spain to India, more extensive than Rome at its height. It is wrong to think that people converted to Islam under the threat of the sword. During their campaigns, Muslims were guided by the motto: “Islam, tribute or sword.” No one can be forced to convert to any faith, and Muslims were actually tolerant of non-believers as long as they followed adopted laws. Non-Muslims had to pay taxes, but those who converted to Islam were exempt from taxes. Some Muslim rulers were even against the conversion of non-believers, since it reduced their income.

Due to the fact that Prophet Muhammad is a man - as stated in one of the lines Holy Quran“one of us” - he has many actions that are worth thinking about and trying to put them into practice. Only now, such an excellent personality as the Prophet Muhammad has such actions and words that have no analogues in the history of mankind. In other words, humanity still has nothing similar. In this article I will try to give examples of these incomparable actions. Having selected up to ten examples from the life of the Prophet, we will consider this topic together.

Ability to appreciate people

Everyone is aware of the importance that the Qur'an attaches to man and human life. How deep and broad is the meaning of the universal message in the form of the concept " killing one person is tantamount to killing all of humanity, giving life to one person is tantamount to giving life to all of humanity.". The Prophet Muhammad has examples of the need to express respect not only to living people or only to the faithful, but also to representatives of other religions and even to the dead. One day, during a funeral procession, the Prophet Muhammad rose to his feet. The ashabs surrounding him said that this was the funeral of a non-Christian, a Jew. In response to this, the Prophet of Islam explained to them that death always makes one think, that no matter who the deceased is, first of all, he is a person and it is necessary to show respect to him.

This act of the Prophet Muhammad is one of the acts that has no analogue in history. For there is no other example of a prophet of one of the religions showing such respect for a deceased person of a different faith only because the deceased was a human being.

The Prophet Muhammad did not want anyone, no matter who the person was, for a man to die without faith in his soul or as a mush. The Prophet did not want even his most evil opponents, who insulted him in every possible way and never missed an opportunity to mock him, to leave this world as unbelievers. In order to avoid humiliation of human honor, the Prophet Muhammad orders to bury the bodies of the Mushniks who died in the Battle of Badr and, in addition, addresses the dead with a speech: in contrast to the expectations of those present, he addresses the bodies of the deceased Mushniks - among whom is the most avid opponent of Islam and the Prophet of Islam, the Mushrik named Abu Jahl - with words that have no analogues in the history of all mankind, “Didn’t I warn you? It would be better if you listened to my words. Now you have died as mushriks and torment has a right over you.” As can be seen from the text, the Prophet Muhammad did not want a person - even if it was his enemy - to die without faith or as a mushrik. His speech addressed to the dead Mushnikaya is the only example in world history.

Attitude towards mother and everything female

Prophet Muhammad treated women with great respect and subtlety. Meanwhile, the society in which he lived buried girls alive in the ground, did not bother to allocate them shares of the inheritance, etc. Or rather, a society that did not accept a woman as a person. The Prophet's respect for women comes from the Quran's respectful attitude towards the female sex - firstly, a woman is the same person as everyone else, and equality with men - and from his incomparable personality.

Despite the presence of hadiths in some books that humiliate women, they have nothing to do with the Prophet. This is all evidence of the existence in our days of the views of the Mushrik Arabs regarding women, which since the time of the Emevians has again come to the fore; this is the exclusion of representatives of the fairer sex from society, social life, equal rights with men. The Prophet Muhammad does not have a single word or deed against women. Not knowing the basics of Islam and the Koran, not understanding the Prophet Muhammad and reflecting the Arab traditions as a religion, such people constantly instilled hatred of the female sex and blamed all responsibility for this on the Prophet Muhammad, inventing all sorts of fables in the name of the Prophet of Islam. The greatest proof of the Prophet Muhammad's respect for women is his words " The gates of heaven are under the feet of mothers.". If you carefully delve into the meaning of these words, it will become clear what heaven, mother and woman mean. Paradise, where every true believer strives, is under the feet of a mother - a woman. This sign encourages us to always be respectful and affectionate, to show kindness and patience towards the woman - the mother who gave birth, raised and raised us. Only in this case will Allah Almighty reward us with a place of endless happiness - paradise, laid by Him under the feet of a woman-mother. Allah orders us not to look for paradise somewhere far away, in an inaccessible place, but only to know that paradise is very close, under the footsteps of a woman - a mother. Or rather, in our attitude towards them. In other words, the concepts of woman, mother and heaven within the framework of public morality are concentrated into a single center. This is an indicator of the greatness of a woman - a mother and components of one of the examples of the incomparable words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad.

One example of the attitude of the Prophet Muhammad towards a woman is the following event: One day, cleaning was started in the house of the Prophet. The cleaning was done by the wife of the Prophet Muhammad, the venerable Khadija, and the Prophet helped her. At that moment, the sister of the Venerable Khadija Khale came. There was no suitable place in the house to seat the guest. The venerable Khadija will want to sit her on the floor, but the Prophet Muhammad resists this and immediately throws off his jubba and places her under the guest. The blessed Haleh hesitates in indecision, but the Prophet Muhammad, insisting on his own, will seat the guest on the jubba. This act has no analogues in relation to women and the history of all mankind. For one prophet takes off his jubba and sits the guest - a woman - not on the bare floor, but on his jubba.

Attitude towards children

Prophet Muhammad loved children very much, never offended them and gave them great value raising children. The religion he propagated, Islam, prioritized forbearance, love and justice. Children are best suited to apply these concepts. And therefore, for the Prophet Muhammad, children were very important. Actually, we all love children and children are very dear to all of us. There are many examples of love for children. But the following example is the most best example love for children:

Once the Prophet Muhammad performed namaz at Masjid an-Nabi. The grandson of the Prophet, the venerable Hussein, then two and a half years old, played there, in the mosque. Hussein will approach his grandfather and when the Prophet Muhammad is at sajd, he will suddenly jump on his neck and sit on his head. Prophet Muhammad will not rise from sajda, which, according to the rules of prayer, cannot be ignored. How long? Of course, until the grandson gets off of him himself. The Prophet Muhammad remained at the sajd for so long that the Sahaba who were behind began to be afraid that the Prophet had not given his soul to the Almighty. In the end, the Venerable Hussein jumped from his grandfather's neck, great Prophet With the words “Allahu Akbar” he straightened up and finished his prayer. After the prayer, the Sahabah surrounded the Prophet Muhammad and expressed their concern - that the sajda was too long, that they were afraid that the Prophet had died during the sajda, etc. The Prophet Muhammad responded with an incomparable joke to this example of incredible leniency, love and justice: " I delayed sajda because Hussein made a camel out of me.".

There are no analogues to this example of the Prophet Muhammad. For, being before Allah and devoting himself completely to prayer, the Prophet did not want to offend the child who sat on his head at that time and tightened the sajda to warn the child from the danger of falling if he unexpectedly stood up.

Importance given to science

Everyone knows the importance Islam, and especially the Koran, places on knowledge and science. The importance of science and a learned person is understood from the verses: " Will they really be on an equal footing with those who know before Allah?(az-Zumar, 39/9) and " My Lord, increase my knowledge."(Ta-Ha, 20/114). There are many hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad about science, scientists and hadiths praising education. As with all his wonderful actions and relative to this topic, there are actions that are the only examples in world history. There are many examples in history of the importance of scientists and science, but the example below has no analogues.

During the time of the Prophet Muhammad in the Arabian Peninsula, there were certain rules regarding prisoners of war. The prisoners were either killed, or given into slavery, or after paying the required amount, they were ransomed, or they made an exchange. Apart from these cases there was no other possibility. Those who wished to pay the ransom were obliged to collect an amount equivalent to the price of one person’s life. Human life was made dependent on money. The Prophet Muhammad established a ransom standard for the Meccan mushriks captured in the Battle of Badr: those who are unable to pay the ransom with money must pay with their own knowledge. Each of the prisoners who can read and write obliged to teach ten Muslim children to read and write. Whoever does this will be considered to have paid the ransom and he will be given life. Using education and science as a ransom for life the first and last case in history. There are many examples in history when people cut off their heads for science, sentenced them to the gallows, sent them into exile, burned them alive, etc. But giving life to a prisoner doomed to death only because he passed on his knowledge to others is the only example in history. has no analogues.

The meaning attached to things left in care

The Koran commands that things left in care (amanate) must be returned to their owners. Whoever does not fulfill this command, the Prophet Muhammad declared him a munafiq. One of the hadiths says: “there is a sign of a munafiq - he speaks a lie, does not stand by his word, treats things left in his care with treachery and treachery.” Therefore, the return of things left in care is one of the foundations of the public morality of Islam. Prophet Muhammad is not Peaceful time, during the war he never and under no circumstances deviated from the principle of amanat, justice and sincerity. In the following example, we will witness the attitude of the Prophet Muhammad towards the amanat:

During the time in Khaybar, one black slave engaged in shepherding will go over to the camp of the followers of Islam and bring the whole herd with him. Prophet Muhammad will ask who is the owner of the flock. “One Jew,” answered the shepherd. Following this, the Prophet Muhammad: “immediately take the flock back to the Jewish owner. The Islamic faith commands to treat the farmer with dignity.” However, the shepherd said that if he appeared before the owner’s eyes, he would immediately kill him and therefore he would not be able to take the flock back to the owner. In this case, the Prophet Muhammad orders the herd to be taken to a pen and left there. After this, the shepherd took the flock back and hid the animals near the paddock. The animals immediately rushed to their usual place. Thus, the shepherd will deliver the amanat to its place and, upon returning, will take a place in the ranks of the followers of the Prophet Muhammad.

There is no example in history similar to the act of the Prophet of Islam. Because, in a situation of war, where much is accepted as spoils of war and, moreover, during the war with the Jews, the Prophet Muhammad respects individual rights, distinguishes amanat from booty and promotes the return of amanat to the Jewish owner.

Meaning of leniency

The forbearance of the Prophet Muhammad has no analogues in human history. One day, a group of Sahabah along with the Prophet Muhammad were in the same mosque. At this time, one Bedouin came there and began to urinate right in the mosque. The Sahabah immediately became alarmed, “stop it, don’t do it, stop,” screams filled the mosque. Some of the Sahabah wanted to immediately punish the Bedouin, but the Prophet Muhammad stopped them: " leave him alone and let him finish". After this, the Prophet Muhammad called the Bedouin to him and explained in a language he understood that the mosque was intended for worship and it was not suitable for such actions. Then turning to those present he said: " bring a bucket of water and wash away this dirt".

From this example of the Prophet’s condescension, it is necessary to draw the following conclusion - it is imperative to find out with what intention it was done. For the purpose of insult or out of ignorance? In fact, today the concept of “lenience” has lost its shine and everyone expects leniency only from Muslims. A Muslim who is taught patience and forbearance must whether the act was committed on purpose or out of ignorance. If he understands something out of ignorance, then he is obliged to teach him. If it was done for the purpose of insult or humiliation, then it is pointless to expect leniency from him. Because the offender will not insult and think that he will be treated with leniency. He is fully aware of what he has done and in any case knows that the other side will react to his action. For example, when the British wanted misunderstandings to arise between Muslims and Indians, they forced the Indians to throw stones at a mosque in the Muslim quarter, and to force a Muslim butcher to slaughter a cow in the Indian quarter. Thus, due to the insult of shrines on both sides, clashes between Muslims and Indians became inevitable. As a result of these clashes, many Muslims and Indians died.

Love for animals and respect for their rights

From the text of the Holy Quran it is clear that everything in the universe is arranged to please man. This especially applies to animals and plants that are given at our disposal. Prophet Muhammad always ordered the Sahabah to take into account the rights of animals, not to disturb them needlessly, to be attentive to the care and health of animals and, if necessary, take the necessary measures, and not to leave them without water and food.

In the life of the Prophet Muhammad there are wonderful examples regarding the observance of animal rights and showing respect for animals. By choosing two samples from large quantity I present these examples to your attention. First sample o cohabitation people and cats.

One day an ashab came to the Prophet Muhamad. The Messenger of the Almighty realized that the ashabah had nothing edible in his house and would want to give him food. The Prophet asked how many of them were in the house.

Three, came the answer.

Is there a cat in the house, asked the Prophet.

Yes, said the ashab.

Following this, the Prophet gave him food for four. At first glance it seems, “Well, what’s wrong with this, I gave food for the cat too.” But if you delve into the meaning of this event, the message that the Prophet Muhammad wanted to give to his followers will become clear. We must pay attention to the following fact: after specifying the number of inhabitants of the house, food is given for four people, i.e. A serving of food for a cat is equivalent to a serving for a human. This event clearly indicates that the Prophet Muhammad considers the cat an equal member of the house.

Cats are of great benefit - snakes, scorpions, scolopendras and mice only avoid houses with cats because of the smell of cats, and if they accidentally visit these houses, the cats will immediately fulfill their duties. At the same time, the Prophet’s act emphasizes that a person’s responsibility to cats lies not only in feeding them leftover food, but in constantly being attentive to feeding and caring for them.

The second example is related to another pet - a dog. The Prophet Muhammad, together with an army of twenty-five thousand, was returning from another campaign. Suddenly, on the edge of the road, he noticed a dog feeding its puppies. The Prophet knew that among the warriors, there would be those who would want to drive the dog away from the place, kick it, throw a stone at it, etc. Therefore, he immediately called one warrior to him and said: “ Stay near the dog until the last warrior passes, don’t let anyone bother him. Prevent all attempts to cause disturbance. After this you will catch up with the army"The Prophet Muhammad did not bother to say anything and, in order to stop all attempts to disturb the animal, changed the path of the army.

Humanity has no more excellent example of behavior towards animal rights than the above two examples.