Brief History of Islam
*Note - References use Mohammed and Muhammad interchangeably
Most historians believe that Islam originated in Mecca and Medina at the start of the 7th century, approximately 600 years after the founding of Christianity. Muslims in contrast believe that their religion did not start with Muhammad. Instead they believe it was the original faith of others whom they regard as prophets. This list includes Jesus, David, Moses, Abraham, Noah and Adam[1]. That means they consider those just mentioned to be Muslim, not Jewish.
Islam claims origination by the revelation of God (Allah) through the angel Gabriel to a man named Muhammad born approximately AD 570-571 (history claims that he never learned to read or write, so his visions were dictated to others and collected in the Quran).
Muhammad was born into the powerful Quraish tribe in Mecca. His father's name was Abdullah who apparently was a merchant who died on a caravan trading trip leaving Muhammad fatherless at birth. Then his mother died when he was only six years old. His grandfather took him in but he died when Muhammad was eight years old. At this time, his uncle, Abu Talib, one of the leaders of the Quraish tribe, took him in and raised him.
Muhammad successfully learned the family business. Khadijah, a wealthy widow, arranged for Muhammad to oversee her trading business and was so impressed with his skill and appearance that she proposed marriage to him. Muhammad was twenty-five and Khadijah was forty when they married. They had six children, two boys and four girls. Both sons died early in life. The daughters lived to see Muhammad become the founder of Islam[2].
The content of the message in the Qur’an, received by Mohammed in a cave, was offensive to the idol worshipers of Mecca. He declared that Allah was the one and only deity. His message condemned idol worship, the backbone of Meccan economy.
This caused Mohammed to gain a very small following in the first ten years of his self-proclaimed prophethood. Even his tribe turned against him which was unheard of in an age when clan loyalty was the foundation of the culture.
When Mohammed sought to transfer his movement to another town, At-Taif, the leaders ended the negotiations with such strong opposition that they encouraged the residents of the community to throw stones at him as he retreated.
Holy War
The Meccans were plotting to take Mohammed’s life so relocation to a different place was essential. Negotiations with the town of Medina went much better than those at At-Taif. Medina was a prosperous agricultural center that struggled with tribal friction. Some in Medina hoped that the presence of the Muslims would bring a spiritual sense of peace and Mohammed was invited to come as an arbitrator of disputes. Just before the Meccans tried to execute their plan to kill Mohammed, he and his small group of believers fled to Medina where his community of followers began to grow in power and influence. The first day of their move was July 1, AD 622. Muslims cite this date as the first day of the Islamic calendar.
Shortly after the migration, those following the Islamic religion became violent in dealing with their enemies. Mohammed proclaimed verses that allowed Muslims to fight for Islam. They began by targeting the Meccans. The Muslims raided caravans in the name of Allah, which eventually led to formal battles between them and the armed forces of Mecca. The Muslims became rich by collecting the spoils of war.
The Muslims were experiencing success. The fact that they were now a military force unified their ranks and increased their membership. The Muslim’s influence over the tribes of Medina grew as their enemies began to fear them.
For example, there were three Jewish tribes in Medina. All three rejected Mohammed as a genuine prophet in the tradition of the Biblical prophets, a great disappointment to Mohammed as the Qur'an claims to be an extension of the Bible. There is no evidence the Jewish tribes took military action against the Muslims, but Mohammed attacked them one at a time. The first two, Banu Qaynuqah and Nadir, were forced into exile. The Islamic forces confiscated their homes, lands and rich orchards. The last remaining Jewish tribe in Medina was the Banu Qurayzah. Mohammed’s forces surrounded this tribe. The siege was a success. Upon surrendering all their weapons they received a sentence severe even for those times. The Muslims executed all the Jewish men, between 600 and 900, and their women and children were sold or became the slaves of their Muslim conquerors. Mohammed himself distributed their riches. Mohammed also took one of their widows, Rayhana, whose husband had just been executed, to be his concubine[3].
Ironically, there were times Muhammad sought refuge among the Christians where he was accepted and cared for.
Almost ninety percent of Muslims are Sunnis. The remaining ten percent are Shi’a who split from the Sunnis in 632 CE when Muhammad died.
With Muhammad's death violent disagreement broke out over who would succeed him as leader of the Muslim community. The outcry for revenge divided the early Islamic community when Muhammad’s grandson was killed in battle. To this day these factions disagree about who should lead Islam.
By the 8th century, the Islamic empire had great power and influence in the world.
In the 13th and 14th centuries, the Black Death and destructive Mongol invasions from the East greatly weakened the traditional centers of the Islamic world. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, most of the Muslim world fell under the influence or direct control of European Great Powers. Their efforts to win independence and build modern nation states over the course of the last two centuries continue to reverberate to the present day[4].
[1] History of Islam para 1 (summarized)
[2]. A brief history of Islam para 1-3 (summarized)
[3]. History of Mohammed and the Qur'an para 9-15BIU (summarized)