To understand Islam, it is necessary to understand the long history of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). His biography infolds within it a divine message, which came to bring a crucial change to the history of humankind. It came to bring humanity out of the darkness of ignorance, to the light of knowledge, and from the worship of living creatures, and idols to the worship of God. The biography of the Prophet is not a common story. It is, rather, the story of a messenger of God, a social reformer, and a man of state, who founded the basis of the Islamic civilisation. A civilisation, which, once, dominated the world, with its divine values of peace and brotherhood between Muslims. Thus, before exploring the main issues in the history of Islam, let us take an overall view about the world before the coming of this new religion.
The revelation descended on the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in Saudi Arabia (Mecca). Its geographical location, as a country of sands and deserts, between the five continents made of it, not only, a stumbling block against the outsiders’ invasion, but a religious, cultural and trade center as well. The Arabian people, at that time, adhered to the teachings of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), who preached his people about the uniqueness of God, the creator of the universe. However, their spiritual leader, Omar Ibn Luhay, was the first one to divert his people from this truth, and spread the worship of idols, which he brought from Syria. Thus, polytheism was spread amongst people, and the trade of idols became one of the greatest bases of the Arabian economy. Despite their moral values of generosity, truthfulness, and respect of their neighbours (among other values), the Arabian people lived in complete corruption. The drinking of wine, gambling, bribery and debauchery were common practices amongst them. Some could consider them as normal behaviours, as the modern time, with the help of the Mass Media, encourages such practices, unfortunately, even within our Muslim societies, despite their strict denial in Islam. Moreover, other odd behaviours spread between people at that time, such as the burial of new born baby girls alive, the killing of children, boys and girls, for fear of poverty and hunger, and the tribal wars that communities waged against each other, not only for robbery and slender, but sometimes for revenge as well. The surrounding Persian and Roman empires were even worse. The common people worshipped the sun and the fire, and other natural phenomena, while the nobility gained huge fortunes out of slavery, and taxes, which they imposed upon the poor farmers. The Jewish and Christians, who adopted their religion in its true monotheist form, were a minority who, despite their good faith, did not have enough power to bring their communities out of this chaos. In a nutshell, the whole Europe and the Arabian land got stuck in complete chaos and barbarism.
Out of this corrupted background flourished the Islamic civilisation, through its leader and messenger of God, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).The Prophet’s family tree goes back to the tribe of Beni Hachim (a reputed and wealthy tribe in Quraish). In spite of this, the Prophet (peace be upon him) was orphaned at an earlier age .This urged him to work as a cattle breeder while he was still a young man, and to practice trade later in his life. With the blessings of God, the Prophet succeeded in paving his way through the corruption in which his community lived. Despite the fact that the revelation was descended upon him later in life, I guess about the age of 40, the Prophet was protected by a divine power that he never got drunk, gambled, practiced debauchery, or involved in the numerous vices, in which his community got stuck. His truthfulness, his good faith, and his great wisdom gained him a big reputation among his community, that the people of Quraich sought his advices and solutions whenever they indulged in tribal misunderstandings. Repelled by his people’s ignorant behaviours, and worship of idols, which were, for him, mere stones which deserved not praise, the Prophet Muhammad isolated himself from his community. These feelings of alienation from his society lead him to find a solace in the mountains surrounding Mecca, where lies the cave of Hiraa. Within this cave, the Prophet Muhammad cherished moments of spirituality and deep thinking about the might of God, which is seen from the great order and beauty of the universe. In the midst of nature, the Prophet (peace be upon him) worshipped God, and believed in no other Power than Him.
Forty years before the revelation, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), lead a life full of endeavour and hard work. Orphaned from childhood, the Prophet has no other way than cattle breeding, and trade to gain the means of his subsistence. He was confronted by the challenge of survival. Thus, he succeeded as a trade man due to this truthfulness and wisdom. He got married with Lady Khadija and with her he founded a happy family. He gained a good reputation among the people of his community. In spite of their corruption and ignorance, he succeeded in preserving his faith in God, and no one dared to divert him from his moral principles. In a nutshell, before becoming a successful messenger of God and a social reformer, he was a successful believer, trade’s man, and husband.
The revelation came to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), during the “Night of Decree” (Lailatu al Qadr), in the cave Hiraa, lying between the rocky mountains surrounding Mecca. While the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in his usual seclusion in the cave of Hiraa; the Angel Gabriel came to him in the shape of a man, and asked him to read. In his greatest confusion and fright, the Prophet kept saying that he was illiterate till the Angel Gabriel took grasp of him and began to recite the first verses of the Noble Quran:
“Read in the name of your Lord who created -created man from a clot. Read: for your Lord is Most Bountiful, who teaches by the pen, teaches man that which he knew not.” (Quran : The Embryon 96:1-5).
Terrified by what he saw in the cave, the Prophet Muhammad went to his wife, Lady Khadija, and told her about what happened and asked her to cover him. Being a wise and intelligent woman, Lady Khadija immediately understood that the Angel Gabriel was sent to teach Muhammad (peace be upon him) the message of God. She was the first one to believe in his story and to assure him about the Prophecy:
“Never! By God, God will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your relatives, help the poor, serve your guests generously, and assist those hit with calamities.” (Saheeh Al-Bukhari)
The revelation delayed for some days that the Prophet felt despair and loosed self-confidence; again, and each time the Angel Gabriel came to assure Muhammad about his being the ultimate messenger and to teach him the message of God:
‘O you (Muhammad) enveloped (in garments)! Arise and warn! And your Lord (Allah) magnify! And your garments purify! And keep away from Ar-Rujz (the idols)!’" [74:1-5]
This verse of the Quran was a divine order to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) to start preaching the message of God. During the first three years, the Prophet started to spread Islam between his family, and friends, and to all the people whom he trusted, according to the order of God. The first one to adopt Islam, as I hinted previously, was Lady Khadija and then the first man to convert was Abu Baker Assedik (Assedik means the believer as he was the first one to believe in the Prophet after Lady Khadija). The Islam of Abu Baker Assedik was of a great help to the Prophet Muhammad, as this man also gained a good reputation between his people for his truthfulness and modesty. Moreover, being one of the wealthiest men of Quraish, this man sacrified all his fortune to liberate Muslim slaves. Let us not forget about Othman Ibn Affan, the great man, who also sacrified his money for the sake of Islam, and Hamza Abd Al Moutaleb, who stood firm against the harms that pagans of Quraish did towards the Prophet. Those are only famous examples of great Muslim men who served Islam in its beginning and assisted the Prophet in spreading the divine message.
However, the Prophet could not keep his preaching activities secret for long. The Angel Gabriel came again by the divine order to propagate Islam in public. Thus, the Prophet began to pursue his people, poor and wealthy, weak and strong, men and women in their encounters and pilgrimages and ask them to believe in the unique God. This was not an easy mission at the start of the message as the people of Quraish, despite their love for the Prophet, were not easy to convince. At the start, these people thought that the Prophet could not stand for long, and that the call would easily vanish like all the preachers before him. However, when Quraish began to witness the great conversion to Islam among their communities, and especially from wealthy man and women, and saw Muslims practice their pilgrimages and worships in public, then they realised that their idols were treated, and they began to act seriously against the Prophet. They, not only, tried to kill the Prophet, or to divert him from his call by money, which he refused, but they began to torture Muslims and, even, stopped selling food to them as well. The Islam of Omar Ibn Al khatab, one the greatest and courageous men of Quraish, was a greater deception to them. Hence, they started to boycott Muslims not only at the economic level, but at the social level as well, that they refused to let their women marry Muslim people.
Unable to bear these conditions, the Prophet decided to move with his people to Al Medina. The decision to move away from Mecca was for the Prophet and all Muslims, not only, an escape from torture and hunger, but a quest for religious freedom. They sought a place where they could live with dignity and protect their religion from the corrupted life of Quraish. They moved away from their houses, and left their lands and money, at the hands of Quraish, for the sake of God and the Prophet. When Quraish knew about the Prophet’s and the Muslims’ plan to move out of Mecca, they tried to prevent them by all means, as they knew that this migration would make the Muslims more independent , and more willing to build a new Muslim community. Hence, building a new Islamic land means that they will get stronger, and may even represent a treat to their trade and idols. Hence, Quraish felt the urgent need to kill the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Thanks to God, the Prophet knew about their dirty plan from the Angel Gabriel, who came to the Prophet and ordered him to quit his home late at night, while the pagans of Quraish were waiting for him outside. Thus, the Prophet, accompanied by Abu Baker Assedik, succeeded to leave Mecca, and all the Muslims followed them late at night.
Moving to Al Medina meant for the Prophet that he was faced with a new challenge, which was the foundation of a new Islamic country, independent and strong. However, before indulging in the main issues of this new civilisation, and to a better understanding of the Prophet’s biography, let us have a quick and a general idea about the political and social problems, in which Al Medina (Yetrib) was engulfed before the coming of Islam. Added to the moral corruption, in which people lived before Islam, Al Medina was, once, inhabited by three main tribes the Jews, El Awes, and El Khazraj. These latter two tribes lived in continuous tribal wars against each other. Intending to master the land, the Jews used to enhance tribal wars, and political disagreements between the two sides, and, even, provided them with weapons to fight against each others. This has always been the dirty philosophy of the Jews from ancient times up to the present day. Before invading the land, they act on the political misunderstandings between tribes and parties, and create gaps between them. However, the divine wisdom went against their intricacies and plans. God chose Muslims to inhabit this land, as He wanted to spread peace and brotherhood between the people of Yetrib. God knew that the Jews would only spoil people and create political, religious, and social corruption, as they do nowadays in the Midlle East. That is one of the main reasons why Islam and our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) have always been hated by the non-Muslims, especially the Jews.
Despite this political chaos, and before the coming of the Prophet, the majority of the people of Al Medina were already converted to Islam, from what they heard about the Prophet’s modesty and truthfulness. Moreover, the first visit of the Prophet to Al Habasha helped him to make encounters with the people and gain their love and respect. He, also, encountered their leader, who has shown great generosity towards the Prophet, and protected the Muslims against the pagans of Quraish. Thus, it was normal that most of the people of Al Medina got converted to Islam and waited the coming of the Prophet with great eagerness. Hence, when the Prophet came, he was welcomed by the people of Al Medina, with the utmost joy and generosity. Women and men made celebrations, and started singing, and turning around the Prophet that they all expressed their wishes to take him as a guest to their houses. This great excitement shows how this people were greatly oppressed by the political chaos of the land, and the corruptions of the Jews and their leaders, who generated nothing than hatred and wars. They saw in the Prophet the true leader, who would bring social and political reform to their land, that they loved the Prophet and welcomed all the Muslims migrating with him.
…and that is what really happened! The Prophet did never betray their confidence and loved them so much that he had never forgotten about their generosity and good faith, and praised them in every occasion to show to all Muslims the great role that these people played in the foundation of the Islamic civilisation, and the spread of Islam all around the globe.
The first mosque in Islam was called Qabaa, taking the name of the place where the Prophet settled for the first time. Its foundation was the first achievement of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) within Al Medina. Through this mosque, the Prophet wanted to establish the relationship of Muslims to God. It was their place of worship and prayers. After that, the function of the mosque extended, not only, from a place where all Muslims meet to learn about Islam and its teachings, but to a place where they met casually to discuss the social and political issues of the land, and where great ambassadors and kings made their encounters with the Prophet at that time. Thus, through his knowledge about the techniques of “real” leadership, he moved from the religious to the social and political issues of the time, as he knew that religion does not go counter to the political and social interests of Muslims. Islam is not a mere state of spiritual purification and salvation; it is not a mere philosophy of making sin and asking forgiveness, but it is a daily practice that embraces all the facets of Muslims’ life. Cleansing the land from the leftovers of corruption, and promoting the dignity of Muslims and their social interests was, and is still, one of the main concerns of Islam. The Western secular philosophies did nothing but spoil people, even Muslims themselves, and astray them from the path of God to the destructing materialism of the modern time. Look at what has become of our women and men, may they be Muslims or not. They are mere puppets in the string, deprived of values, and consciousness. They do nothing other than having fun, while people in other parts of the world keep suffering from deprivation, and injustice.
Again, let us talk about another issue in Islam, and which was one of the main concerns of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), which is that of brotherhood. In Islam, all men and women are brothers and sisters. Brotherhood in Islam is more than what a common person may understand. It implies that all Muslims may they be men or women, black or white, poor or rich, weak or strong, illiterate or erudite are all equal at the sight of God. The mere distinction between them is how faithful they are to God, and how truthful and compassionate they are to each other. Likewise, the Prophet sought to bridge the gap between those Muslims who emigrated with him, and the Muslims of Al Medina. One of the greatest features of brotherhood among them is that the Muslims of Al Medina hosted the Prophet and his community, who emigrated with him in their own land and protected them against the pagans of Quraish. Moreover, they gave them not only moral, but material support as well. They also provided them with money, as the migrants left their lands and fortunes at the hands of Quraish. They hosted them in their houses, and gave them food, and allowed intermarriage between them. Thus, with his great wisdom, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) brought the Muslims from tribal to communal life. He built out of fighting tribes a nation, where all men and women lived together in peace, and strived to promote Islam, as God says in his Holy Book:
“We have made of you people and tribes to merge with each other, the best amongst you in the sight of God are the most faithful.”
Another step that the Prophet (peace be upon him) adopted in his foundation of the Islamic nation is the “The Treaty of Peace”, which represented the official constitution of Al Medina. The goal behind this treaty is, not only, to establish the internal peace between Muslims, but to preserve the external peace, and reconcile with the Jews as well. When the Jews refused to believe in him as the last Messenger of God, and to convert to Islam, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) established with them the “Treaty of Peace”, through their leader Abdullah Ibn Salam, who converted later to Islam. The main points of this treaty are:
1- This is a document from Muhammad the Prophet (peace be upon him), governing relations between the Believers i.e. Muslims of Quraysh and Yathrib and those who followed them and worked hard with them. They form one nation --Ummah.
2- In case of war with any body they will redeem their prisoners with kindness and justice common among Believers. (Not according to pre-Islamic nations where the rich and the poor were treated differently).
3-The security of God is equal for all groups.
4- Non-Muslim members have equal political and cultural rights as Muslims. They will have autonomy and freedom of religion.
5-Non-Muslims will take up arms against the enemy of the nation and share the cost of war. There is to be no treachery between the two.
6-Non-Muslims will not be obliged to take part in religious wars of the Muslims
This treaty shows the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), not only, as a social reformer, but as a political leader. Along with the Jews he wanted to build a nation, based upon duties and rights for both sides. As the Jews have the right to practice their religious freedom, they should go side by side with Muslims and support them to promote the internal peace and economy of Al Medina.
Tell me dear reader, as the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was illiterate, who then taught this man the techniques of writing a constitution equal to the most famous constitutions written by erudite political leaders throughout history? Does this not show that the Prophet Muhammad was a true messenger of God? Or that Islam is the ultimate of all religions? Try to bring us any heavenly religion , may it be Christianity or Judaism , who has came with the notion of founding a nation or a political charter like this one ,written by our dear and beloved Prophet? Does this not show to you that religion has never been apart from the political and social mainstream of the history of humankind? Does it not show that Islam is unique and different from all religions? Or, does this demonstrate, in any way, that Islam was forced by the sword? Or, that the Prophet has been a terrorist? Dear reader, I do not seek an answer, just read more and then judge.
At first, the Jews pretended to respect the treaty with the Muslims, but later when they realised that Islam began to spread, especially after the conversion of their leader, they were not able to hide their treacherous intentions and breached the “Treaty of Peace” with Muslims. Moreover, when the Jews witnessed the victory of the Muslims against the pagans of Quraish in the historical battle called “Bader”, they blackmailed the Prophet to wage war against him. Throughout history, the Jews have always been reputed for their betrayals and their breaching of the treaties of peace with Muslims. They have always been treacherous and war criminals. What happens nowadays is not new, but it dates back to their long history of crimes and corruption. They feared that the spread of Islam would bury their dream to dominate Al Medina city. That is why they hate the Prophet and try their best to exterminate Muslims. They hate us, because they, unconsciously; fear that our history would be revived once again, and once Muslims awakened from their ignorance, again, they would revive the Islamic civilisation and dominate the world. Thus, by mastering the mass media of the world, they propagate immorality and nakedness to keep Muslims and non-Muslims ignorant and divert them from the truth. God speaks to the Jews in the Holy Quran (Al Baqara):
We made a covenant with you, that you not shed each others’ blood, nor evict each other from your homes. You agreed and bore witness. Yet it is you who are killing each other and evicting a group among you from their homes, supporting each other against them unlawfully and aggressively; and if they should come to you as captives you would ransom them—while evicting them was unlawful for you. Do you then believe in a part of the Book and disbelieve in the other? (Qur’an 2:84-85)
Tell me dear reader, what proof is greater than this divine message? Is it not a witness for the Jews’ history of crime and bloodshed? That is another reason why they hate Islam, because our Holy book has already unveiled the truth about them. This is only one verse in the Quran amongst other verses that accuse the Jews of treachery and corruption.
After the great victory of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) against the pagans of Quraish in the battle of “Bader”, the Jews felt more hatred towards the Prophet and went to meet Quraish in Mecca to urge them for revenge to regain their lost reputation in Saudi Arabia. Likewise, the leaders of Quraish collected soldiers from all around Mecca, and went to attack Al Medina. Quraish came to the Jews tribe of Banu Quraida to help them in the siege around Mecca. Hesitating at first, but when Banu Quraida saw the Meccan army ready for attack they agreed and prepared themselves to attack the Muslim communities. Their hesitation was motivated by their fear of being attacked by the Prophet after the end of siege around Mecca. So, to ensure that Quraish would not leave them face the Prophet alone, the tribe Banu Quraida asked Quraish to give them hostages from the Meccan army to ensure that they will not betray them. Their fear was justified as Quraish did not agree to this suggestion and left Banu Quraida to face Muslims alone. Thus, it becomes obvious how the intricacies against Muslims were defeated, as there were no strong bonds between Quraish and the Jews. Each side of them acted out of their hatred to the Muslims, and each side tried to promote their own interests.
When Quraish left home, the Jews were left to Muslims alone. Thus, the Prophet forced a siege around Banu Quraida tribe for 25 days. To end this siege, Saad Banu Muadh, a former ally of the Jews, proposed to the Prophet that all the men of this tribe should be killed, as according to him, they did not respect the constitution of Al Medina, and formed allies with the enemy, which is a breach to the “Treaty of Peace”. Likewise, the Prophet executed 700 men of their tribes, and for the rest they exiled them out of the city. Only those Jews who refused to exile remained in Al Medina, in condition that they convert to Islam and respect their treaties with Muslims.
Maybe some would say that the execution and the exile of the Jews was tyrant and against the values of Islam. Some even would say that the Jews were forced to convert to Islam under the pretext that the Prophet did not allow them their religious freedom as stated in the Al Medina Charter. In spite of the severity of his decision, the Prophet, as a political leader, who is responsible for the internal peace of the city, was bound to apply a strict punishment to the Jewish traitors. Otherwise, they would commit more treachery against Muslims. This decision has been fair enough to protect his community against traitors. Moreover, the Prophet did not force the Jews to convert, but, rather, they converted for their own interests, not by good faith. They converted and resigned for fear of loosing their lands and fortunes, as most of them were wealthy jewellers and tradesmen.
From this attitude, it comes to mind the experience of Muslims themselves in Mecca. Muslims were courageous and faithful enough to sacrifice their fortunes and lands for sake of God, while the Jews had no faith at all, that they were ready to resign merely for the sake of money.
The foundation of an Islamic nation was not an easy matter. Beside the political activities and institutions which the Prophet established in Al Medina, the Angel Gabriel came with the divine order to the Prophet to establish al Jihad. Al Jihad is an Arabic notion, which means effort, endeavour, or struggle. Jihad in Islam has three meanings. First, it is an effort to practice religion in spite of the oppression and persecution of the enemy. Second, it implies to make efforts against evil desires within a man’s heart. Third, and which is most common to people is the military strive against the enemies. Likewise, to found an Islamic nation requires from the Prophet to take care, not only, of the social and political side, but of the military activities as well. At the beginning of the call, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had to struggle against the pagans of Quraish, not with the military powers, as the Muslims were weak at their beginnings. However, their struggle was an effort to stand again the oppression and torture of Quraish, and also to stand the economic siege that the pagans of Quraish imposed upon Muslims. They struggled, in a sense that, despite torture and hunger they have to keep their faith in God, and propagate Islam. However, when the Muslims moved to Al Medina, strive took another form, which is that of the military struggle. Through the Angel Gabriel, God ordered the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for Jihad, or let us say military struggle, in many verses in the Quran:
“Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities Allah loves not aggressors. “
He also says:
“To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to fight), because they are wronged; and verily Allah is most powerful for their aid.”
God permitted the Prophet to use the military struggle, not only, to defend the land from the enemy and preserve peace, but to make Muslims regain their dignity and create a powerful Islamic nation as well. At the beginning of the Islamic nation in Al Medina, Muslims had to face great competition and hostility from the Jews at the economic level. These hostilities against Muslims were mainly enhanced by the pagans of Quraish, who urged the Jews to hinder Muslims from practicing trade. Thus, one of the techniques of war that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) adopted is to weaken the economy of Quraish by raiding their caravans. When they knew that the Prophet was spying their caravan coming from Syria back to Mecca, Quraish’s leader Abu Jahl prepared the Meccan army and insisted upon war. At first Muslims did not have the intention of war, rather their goal was to wage an economical attack against Quraish. However, knowing that Quraish was on its way to Al Medina, the Prophet met urgently with the Muslim army and leaders to advice them about the necessity of military struggle against the pagans. The Prophet, also, sent Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, Zoubeir Ibn Awam, and Saad Ibn Abi Waqas, three Muslim men, who emigrated with the Prophet from Mecca, to inquire and collect information about the Meccan army. While Quraish was numerous in terms of soldiers (at about 1300 soldiers), the Muslim soldiers were fewer in number. However, the Prophet Muhammad and his followers were clever enough to master the nearest water of the enemy in a place called “Bader”, the name by which the battle was recognised afterwards. As the Muslims took hold of this place, the pagans could have no provision against thirst. Moreover, Muslims suggested that the Prophet should build a place of leadership, where he would have a full view of the war, organise it, and give orders to his army. Taking all the necessary steps to assure the good management of the battle, the Prophet and Muslims spent a peaceful night, while the Meccan army got hindered by the rain. At last, the battle ended with the victory of Muslims. This is only one battle amongst the numerous military struggles of Muslims against the enemy The aim from relating the events of this battle, though I try my best to avoid details, is to demonstrate how the military struggle has been of a great help to the Prophet to carry on the foundation of an Islamic nation, who, afterwards, gained more fame and respect in Saudi Arabia and helped at the spread of Islam.
However, this does not prove, in any way, the saying that Islam has been forced through the sword. The military struggle had been imposed in a time, when the enemies of Islam and traitors did their best to hinder the Muslims from practicing, not only, their religious freedom, but also from involving in trade and promoting their economy. Muslims took the sword to survive against the intricacies of the enemy. However, whenever the war ceased, the Prophet used to carry on his message and teach people Islam in peaceful ways. The Charter of Al Medina is a good example showing that the Prophet advocated religious freedom instead of spreading Islam using force. Together with the verses advocating Jihad, God, also, advocated resignation from the military forces whenever the enemy withdraws and chooses peace. God says in His Holy Quran:
“Therefore, if they withdraw from you and fight you not, and (instead) send you (guarantees) of peace, then Allah has opened no way for you (to war against them).”
“But if the enemy inclines towards peace, you (also) incline towards peace, and trust in Allah; for he is one that hears and knows (all things)”
These verses are crucial proves that Islam advocates Jihad only in case of self-defence.
If you look back at all the battles and political achievements of the Prophet, even though I did not cite them all, you will come to truth that the Prophet has not only been a simple messenger of God , but a social reformer and a man of state. He saved his people from the ignorance of the pre-Islamic era, and moved with them in quest for religious freedom. He, also, moved his people from the political and social corruption of tribal life towards the foundation of a free nation, where all men are equal despite their colour, race, or social status. The Charter of Al Medina and the military struggles in times of war are living examples of the Prophet’s sense of leadership and good management. Although, he was an illiterate man, he succeeded in propagating the message of God, and leaving for the humanity a long history full of achievements and giving us examples of a success story.
In this brief biography, I did not cite all the political or religious events that happened at the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon).My aim is not, merely, to tell the story of the Prophet but show that the Muslim civilisation and history has nothing to with Muslim’s life and behaviours nowadays, as they have lost all bonds with God, and cherish no more the long history of the Prophet Muhammad (may peace be upon him). If you want to understand Islam, do not judge it through its people, but rather try to read more to understand the real meaning of Islam. This is a call from a Muslim girl, dreaming that some day Muslims will get out of their ignorance, and try to revive the true spirit of Islam.
A. Siham
