Prophet Muhammad (SAW) THE FOUNDER OF ISLAM

Prophet Muhammad (SAW) (571-632 CE), founder of Islam, whose prophetic teachings, encompassing political and social as well as religious principles, became the basis of Islamic civilization.

Muhammad (SAW) was born in Mecca to Hazrat Abdullah and Hazrat Amna. He belonged tothe clan of Hashim, a branch of the influential tribe of Quraysh. Orphaned as a small child, he was brought up by his uncle Abu Talib (RA). Like his fellow tribesmen, he became a trader. At the age of 25, he married Khadija (RA), a rich widow.

Muhammad (SAW) periodically withdrew to a cave outside Mecca to meditate and pray for guidance. During one of these retreats he reported experiencing a vision of the archangel Gabriel, who proclaimed him a prophet of God. He began to preach in public, reciting the verses of his revelation, which came to be known as the Qura'an. Muhammad (SAW)'s earliest teachings emphasized his belief in one transcendent but personal God, the Last Judgment, and social and economic justice. God, he asserted, had sent prophets to other nations throughout history, but, having failed to reform, those nations had been destroyed. Muhammad (SAW) proclaimed his own message, the Qura'an, to be the last revealed Book and himself to be the last of the prophets, consummating and superseding the earlier ones.

Insisting on the necessity of social reform, Muhammad (SAW) advocated improving the lot of slaves, orphans, women, and the poor and replacing tribal loyalties with the fellowship of Islamic faith. Muhammad (SAW) fled Mecca to escape his enemies, who were angered by his advocacy of social reforms. In 622 CE, he went to Medina, a city about 400 km (about 248 miles) to the north. This departure from Makkah is the hijrah (emigration), from which date the Muslim calendar begins. And from this date, Yathrib also became known as Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah. Muhammad (SAW) was given supreme authority in Medina, and he began to establish the ritual practices of Islam.

Resistance from Mecca remained, but after several battles the Meccans finally submitted peacefully to Muhammad (SAW) in 630. As tribes throughout Arabia were converted to Islam, Muhammad (SAW) became the most powerful leader in Arabia. He enforced the principles of Islam and established the foundation of the Islamic empire. In 632 he died suddenly and unexpectedly in Medina at the age of 63. Only one of his children survived, a daughter named Fatima (RA), who married Hazrat Ali (RA), the fourth caliph.