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Mohammed's Struggle
What you see here is information about Mohammed's life, largely taken from the work of well-known scholars and academics which confirm and complement each other (see 'References').The information brought together here relates primarily to Mohammed's struggle for recognition of his mission and message and is limited to this. Knowing about, and understanding, Mohammed's struggle is of vital importance if one wishes to understand what Mohammed taught, the Koran and Muslim belief and practice.
Sequence of Events
570-613
We do not know just when Mohammed was born but it seems to be generally accepted that he was born in Mecca about the year 570, the son of Abdullah of the Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe. Little is known with certainty about his early life. His family was poor but he married a wealthy widow called Khadija when he was about twenty-five years old. When about forty years old God's words began to be revealed to him. He confided in Khadija who encouraged him. Being about forty-two years old, he began to preach in short passages of rhyming prose. Khadija became the first convert. {2}
613-622
At first Mohammed preached only to a small circle of friends and relatives and soon established a small community of converts. His message to the Meccans was that they should abandon all forms of idolatry and devote themselves to following the edicts of the one all-seeing and almighty but compassionate God, that it was necessary for people to be humble and grateful towards God and to worship Him, and the obligation of generosity and respect for the rights of the poor and the defenceless. {3}
The chief religious rite instituted in Mecca was the 'salat', or ritual prayer. Morning and evening are the times spoken of. {1}
The giving of alms (or zakat) was an obligation on all believers. Zakat is to be employed for the poor and the needy, and those employed to administer it. (It came to be regarded as a form of state income tax in the Koran.) {1, 2}
Mecca was dominated by the Quraysh tribe. The leading members of its clans formed an assembly known as a 'mala', which did not however have any legislative or executive powers. {2}
Preaching the obligation of generosity and respect for the rights of the poor and the defenceless, soon aroused the opposition of the Meccan elite.
Mohammed was forming a movement, a super-tribe, which all who were deprived could join. The traditional Arab tribe, and loyalty, were based on family, on blood relationships, and thus limited in size. Hence opposition developed from the fear that in time Mohammed's movement might unseat the ruling family, their establishment, their tribe.
Opposition intensified when Mohammed began to attack traditional polytheism, possibly because his attacks may have been seen by the Meccan elite as a threat to the economically profitable cult of the Kaaba. Mohammed's opposition to the religion of their fathers enabled them to rouse public opinion against him so as to eliminate this threat to their power. {3}
Attacks upon the Meccan gods at length drew down persecution upon his followers {1}. Mockery and insults turned into persecution and in 615 Mohammed advised some of his followers to take refuge in the Christian country of Abyssinia. {3}
A number of his followers emigrated to Abyssinia. Mohammed and his supporters were protected by the danger of starting blood-feuds, but the situation was uncomfortable. {1}
Khadija died in year 619. Mohammed 'had been unswervingly faithful to her in her lifetime'. Following the death of Khadija, Mohammed thought first of moving to the hill town of Taif, forty miles from Mecca, for protection and as a base for his activities. But the people mocked and snubbed him. {2, 3}
Mohammed had now struggled to preach the word of God in this environment for roughly ten years. A small number believed, mostly of the poorer classes. The followers he drew were the rejected, the disadvantaged, the weak and the oppressed - slaves, women and minority tribes. {1, 5}
620-622
Medina was then an oasis 250 miles north of Mecca. The raids and reprisals, practised by Arabs in the desert, escalated into a struggle between two blocs of allied clans, Aws and most of the Khazraj. The struggle had culminated in the battle of Buath, in about 618, with heavy slaughter on both sides. In 620, during the pilgrimage season, a delegation from Medina, impressed by his personality and message, sought his help in mediating this simmering feud. In 621, the delegation returned and promised to accept Mohammed as a prophet, to obey him, and not to commit certain sins. In 622, pilgrims from nearly all the Arab clans of Medina renewed the pledge of the previous year with the added promise to fight on Mohammed's behalf.
The negotiations with the parties from Yathrib (Medina) led to agreement. Mohammed gave the signal for his Meccan followers to slip quietly away to Medina. Soon only Mohammed himself, Abu Bakr, Ali, and some of their families remained. {1}
Most of Mohammed's supporters had already gone to Medina when the Meccans became aware of what had transpired, and on September 622 (the first certain date of his career) Mohammed and his companions made their way to Medina and joined them. This year is known as the year of emigration (hijra). {1}
In Medina, Mohammed was the religious leader, the acknowledged head of the community (umma) of emigrants (muhajirun) which had federated with the eight major Medinan clans called the supporters (ansar). And he occupied a public position as arbiter or settler of disputes and vendettas. {1, 2}
622-623
The needs of the Muhajirun (the emigrants who had left Mecca and had come to Medina) were pressing. Needed were booty and supplies to sustain the impoverished Muslim community. Small expeditions began to molest the Meccan caravans. However, many of Mohammed's followers disliked this new attitude. Further difficulty was caused by an attack on a small caravan at Nakhlah at the beginning of Rajab II as it raised the question of fighting in the sacred months. {1, 2}
624 February
An ambitious attempt to intercept one of the chief Meccan caravans returning from Syria led to a battle at the wells of Badr, in which Mohammed's following of a little over 300 men defeated a Quraysh army of nearly 1000. But the booty had not been so great as had been expected, and difficulties arose as to the division of it. {1}
625 Mar {1}
A large Meccan force appeared before Medina in March 625. The feeling in the town was in favour of remaining on the defensive.
Mohammed ultimately decided to accept the Quraysh challenge. He marched out and took up his position at Uhud, a hill to the north of the town. On the way, however, a portion of his army broke off and returned to the town. He was defeated.
The Quraysh, having no quarrel with Medina, withdrew. Mohammed, recovering from a slight wound and rallying some of his forces, followed, and claimed a victory.
Muslim raiding was resumed.
627
The Meccans, finding their trade still being interfered with, formed a great coalition against Medina, which brought together a large force outside the town. Mohammed had prepared a trench for the defence of the town. This novelty in Arab warfare nonplussed the attackers. As they lay inactive, the unity of the coalition began to wear out, and a storm of wind and rain finally dispersed it. {1}
628 {1}
A year later Mohammed thought himself strong enough to force his way into Mecca. His Beduin allies, however, failed him.
Professing peaceable intentions he set out to perform the pilgrimage. He found his way blocked by Meccan forces and, halting at the borders of the 'haram', at 'Hudaibiyah', he entered into negotiations. The treaty made here was a disappointment to his followers, but really marked the end of Meccan supremacy.
629 Dec, 630 Jan {1, 2}
Meccan influence had been waning, and some leading Meccans had already joined Mohammed in Medina. A great expedition was now got together to overwhelm the town. Negotiations meanwhile took place, and Mecca was entered almost without fighting.
The Kaabah was cleansed from idols. Most of the townspeople accepted Islam and were kindly dealt with.
Deputations began to come in from other Arabian tribes. The conditions for their adherence were, the acceptance of Islam, the destruction of idols, and the payment of the 'zakat' or tax for the support of the Muslim community. {1}
632
In March, Mohammed led the pilgrimage, the hajj. On returning to Medina he fell ill and died after a few days, on June 8. {1}
He died leaving Abu Bakr to lead the prayers in his stead, but making no other provision for succession.
Findings
What matters is the overview, not the points of detail.
And the overview is quite unexpected and completely convincing. Almost the whole of Mohammed's life as Prophet (613-632) was spent struggling against the Meccan ruling elite which opposed the word of God.
Throughout his whole life as Prophet he struggled against the powerful Meccan family which dominated Mecca, against the Quraysh.
They first opposed and then persecuted him and his followers for 10 years, and then he fought them for another 10 years till he won and then he died.
So we need to know just what Mohammed taught which upset the elite so thoroughly and persistently. So what did Mohammed teach which caused him and his followers to be so harshly opposed and so actively persecuted?
It is this which I will be exploring in the other reports.
Lindaland
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posted August 08, 2006 02:42 AM
I am looking forward to learning more about him since my knowledge of what he taught and what he did is very limited. 
His struggles were similar to Jesus's too as Jesus was not accepted in some towns and those opposing him were those in leadership positions who felt threatened by the things he taught. 
posted August 09, 2006 03:56 AM