Origins of Islam

Islam emerged in Arabia in the seventh century AD. Muslims believe that God (Allah in Arabic) called Muhammad to be a prophet and gave him a message for his people. The following is a historical outline according to Islamic traditions (i):

570 AD Muhammad was born in Makkah into the Quraysh tribe. His father died before he was born. His mother died when he was six. At that time, the Arabs worshipped a moon god, a sun goddess, some female deities, and one high god, ‘Allah’.

610 AD Muhammad received the first of his revelations. He had gone to meditate in cave on Mount Hira near Makkah. The angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him ‘recite’ (Qur’an 96:1. Arabic iqra from which comes qur’an). Over the following years, Muhammad received more revelations and also gained followers who believed that his messages came from God. These followers were called Muslims – those who submit (to Allah). Islam means submission.

622 AD Following opposition and persecution from the people of Makkah, the Muslims migrated from there to Yathrib, later called Madinah. The migration, or hijra in Arabic, marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar. Muhammad became the leader of Madinah as a theocratic state. In the succeeding years, many battles were fought, and gradually, the Muslims took control of most of Arabia.

632 AD Muhammad died aged 62 and was buried in Madinah.

Following Muhammad’s death, the Muslims (or ‘Arabs’ as they were referred to in contemporary records) expanded their rule into the Middle East and North Africa. In the ensuing centuries, Muslims ruled from Spain in the west to India in the east. A number of powerful empires emerged, and in the middle ages, Muslim civilisations led the world in mathematics, astronomy, chemistry and other sciences, arts, architecture, medicine, philosophy and the preservation of ancient sources of knowledge.

Today many countries have Muslim majorities, from Indonesia in the east to Morocco in the west. In addition, many other nations contain significant Muslim minorities, including many European nations.

Violence committed in the name of Islam often features in the media, and some Muslims do resort to violence. The vast majority of Muslims are not violent and feel both outrage and embarrassment at atrocities carried out in the name of their community. Most of the victims of violence committed in the name of Islam are themselves Muslims.

You can find out more about what Muslims believe and how they practice their faith here: https://www.mahabbanetwork.com/resource/what-do-muslims-believe

(i) The Qur’an has very little biographical material about Muhammad. The earliest extant account of Muhammad’s life, that of Ibn Hisham, dates to almost 200 years after Muhammad’s death. The Hadith literature (previously oral traditions of what Muhammad did and said) was also written down around the same time. This and other factors have led some modern historians to question the traditional account of Muhammad’s life and Islamic origins; see for example, Tom Holland, In the Shadow of the Sword (London: Hachette Digital, 2012).