Muhammad recognizes that the Quraysh are most vulnerable in the caravans that pass between Mecca and the north. Muhammad receives a revelation that gives permission for the Muslims to fight.

He makes a covenant with the Jews at Medina, promising equality for both groups and help for each other in times of battle.Īlthough Muhammad is now out of Mecca, the Quraysh are still concerned about Muhammad's power in the region and they continue the oppression of Muslims.

When the Quraysh plot against his life is revealed, Muhammad escapes Mecca and emigrates to Medina. Muhammad encourages his followers to emigrate to safer areas, including Abyssinia, Yathrib, and Medina. Individuals like Abu Jahl try to make life unpleasant for the converts, using tactics like ridicule and torture. The Quraysh who live in Mecca become increasingly intolerant, partly because they see relatives and tribesmen choosing Muhammad over their traditional religious practices. As more and more people choose to follow Muhammad, however, tensions begin to rise. At first the Arab tribes and Jews are fairly tolerant, although they may not agree with Muhammad or his message. He receives God's instructions on how individuals should live and how they should practice their religion, including how they should pray and purify themselves.Īs word spreads of Muhammad's revelations and gifts, individuals begin to convert to Islam. From that time on, Muhammad receives revelations from God, forming the basis for the Islamic religion. Then, one day on a spiritual retreat, Muhammad is visited by an angel and then by the Archangel Gabriel. Muhammad is taken in by his uncle's family, helps earn money for them, and marries. He grows up loved by those around him, although his mother and grandfather die before Muhammad reaches the age of ten. His mother hears a voice proclaiming that his name should be Muhammad and that he would be protected by God. Lings paints an image of life in ancient Mecca and how Islam changes the relationships and daily life of the individuals in the region.įrom before his birth, Muhammad is set apart as special and different. Using ancient sources, Lings discusses Muhammad's life from his birth to his death, including the revelations that Muhammad receives from God and the opposition to Islam with which Muhammad and his followers had to contend. In Muhammad: His life Based on the Earliest Sources, Martin Lings traces the life of Muhammad, the founder of Islam.

Muhammad his life based on the earliest