Muhammad was an Arab religious leader and the founder of Islam. Islam is the second-largest religion in the world after Christianity, with about 1.8 billion followers. Islam has flourished in diverse cultural and ethnic regions. Today, Islam is one of the major religions in the world. Islam which was developed by Muhammad in the 7th century is one of the earliest and most successful religions in the world. The religion is based on the teachings of Prophet Muhammad and was founded in a place known as Mecca, present in Saudi Arabia. The Arabic word Islam means to surrender although as a religious term in the Quran, it means to surrender to the will or law of God. Islam followers believe that all people are created in the image of Allah and are therefore equal in the eyes of Allah. Muslims leave together as one community and they do not discriminate against each other based on race or color. Islam is unified by the Quran that entails God’s revelations to prophet Muhammad. Muhammad ultimately brought peace to Arabs through his teachings although questions have been raised on how his teachings advocate for peace, how he united Arabs and the importance of unity.
How and Why Muhammad Ultimately Brought Peace to Arabs
Muhammad brought peace to Arabs by preaching the importance of unity and developing Islam religion to unite the divergent Arabic tribes. He sought to end the rivalry that had existed between the Meccans and the Muslims in Medina. Before Islam became the dominant religion in Arabia, Meccans practiced idolatry and polytheism. The central sanctuary at Mecca had once held around 360 idols that everyone across that region worshipped as their gods and goddesses (Armstrong, 2002). Meccans did not stay as one and they discriminated against each other based on various aspects, such as race, color, socio-economic status, and others. The wealthy families discriminated against the poor households, such as the Bedouin family, where Muhammad was raised. Muhammad, having been raised from a poor clan, believed that he could bring long-term changes to Mecca by teaching the Arabs the importance of unity and the worship of one God.
Through his teachings, Muhammad claimed that the gods and goddesses that Meccans worshipped, were non-existent and proclaimed that there was only one omnipotent God, Allah. Muhammad’s teachings were met with strong opposition in Mecca and some of his followers were persecuted for going against the region’s traditional polytheism. According to Armstrong (2002), this forced Muhammad to flee his native land, Mecca, to Medina in 622 CE as there were plots to kill him. In Medina, Muhammad’s teachings were accepted and his followers even wanted the prophet to act as the ruler of the city and manage its affairs. Around 623 CE, the Muslims conducted regular raids on Meccan trade caravans, intending to strike back against the Meccans for persecuting them some years back (Robinson, 2010). Robinson (2010) contends that the Meccan economy was adversely affected by those regular raids, and in turn, they decided to attack the Muslims around 624 CE. However, Muhammad, commanding an army of his Sahaba, defeated an army of Quraysh that was led by Amr ibn Hisham. As a result, the Meccans surrendered and accepted Muhammad’s teachings (Armstrong, 2002). Rather than persecuting the Meccans, Muhammad decided to create peaceful co-existence between the two warring tribes. Using the Islamic religion and its basic tenets such as peace, unity, and the worship of one God, Allah, Muhammad was able to unify both Meccans and Medinians. By developing the Islamic religion, Muhammad was able to bring peace between the Arabs, especially those from Mecca and Medina. Since then, religion has flourished across various cultural and ethnic backgrounds and Muslims have fairly lived as one society controlled by similar beliefs, such as that there is only one God.
How Muhammad’s Teachings Advocate for Peace
Muhammad’s teachings advocated for peace by promoting the need for togetherness between the Arab communities. Muhammad’s teachings focused on the need of the Arabs to live as one society and have similar values and beliefs. Arabs were originally tribal and lacked unity, and Muhammad believed that they could be united by sharing similar beliefs (Marranci, 2020). Before Muhammad became a prophet, individuals from poor backgrounds were isolated from wealthy families. An example in regard is Muhammad’s Bedouin family that lived an isolated nomadic life in the Arabian Desert. Besides, the Arab communities lacked unity because they did not share similar beliefs about gods and goddesses (Hillenbrand, 2005). Intending to unite the Arabs, Muhammad decided to educate the Arab communities through his teachings about the importance of them believing in the existence of only one God, who is Allah and living together as one family. In the first three years, Muhammad shared his teachings with his close friends and family members. Through his teachings, he educated his family members on the importance of living together as one and supporting each other in times of difficulties. God revealed Himself to Muhammad through Gabriel who asked the prophet to share his teachings with the public in his fourth year of preaching as opposed to only preaching to his family members, relatives, and close friends. Muhammad’s first revelation took place in a cave called Hira, located on mount Jabal an-Nour, near Mecca. The prophet was visited by Angel Gabriel who revealed to Muhammad various teachings that later became part of the Qur’an (Hillenbrand, 2005). Through his teachings, Muhammad was able to ensure peace and unity amongst the Arabs by informing them about the importance of advocating for social and economic justice within the society, believing in one God (Allah), and living together as one society. Although Muhammad’s teachings were met with strong opposition at first, they have helped to promote peace and unify the Muslims.
How Muhammad Unite Arabs And Why It Was Important
Muhammad united Arabs by creating the Islam religion. For a long time, Arabs had different beliefs, implying that different Arabic tribes or communities believed in their gods and goddesses. Arabs also lacked unity, which was demonstrated by social and economic injustice and constant wars between them. Armstrong (2002) contends that the regular wars were experienced between 623-624 CE due to differences in spiritual beliefs amongst the Arabs. An example regarding that is the rivalry between Meccans and Muslims in Medina, which was prompted by the difference in spiritual allegiance. Dabashi (2017) argues by Muhammad utilizing his teachings that advocated for togetherness and the need to share similar beliefs, he decided to develop the Islamic religion to unite the Arab communities, which had for a long time been engaged in rivalry. The development of the Islam religion was of significance as it facilitated the uniting of the Arabs not only based on the spiritual aspects but also on the temporal aspects of life. Since the development of the religion, Muslims live as one family. The reason for the creation of the Islam community was to help eliminate the discriminatory acts that were frequently encountered amongst the Arabs based on spiritual allegiance and social and economic status (Armstrong, 2002). By living as one society, Muslims have been able to support each other as a family and many Arab countries have developed due to the togetherness that Islam has promoted. Islam has not only helped to regulate individuals’ relationship with God but has also advocated for the need of individuals to develop and maintain strong relationships with others in the social setting.
Since its establishment, Islam has flourished in diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds, and today it is the second-largest religion in the world after Christianity. Islam is regarded as one of the oldest religions in the world together with other major religions, such as Christianity and Judaism, considering that it was created in the 7th century. The religion was founded in Arabia and it is based on Prophet Muhammad’s teachings. Muhammad, through his teachings, wanted to bring peace amongst Arab communities who had, for a long time, discriminated against each other based on spiritual beliefs. Muhammad also intended to bring together Arab communities that had lacked unity for a long time. The lack of unity was demonstrated by the discrimination acts that were targeted at poor families. Poor clans were isolated from the wealthy clans. An example in this regard is the Bedouin clan that was isolated in the Arabian Desert. Intending to unite the Arab tribes, Muhammad utilized his teachings to create the Islam religion. Through the development of Islam, Muhammad advocated for togetherness and the need for Muslims to share similar beliefs. The development of the Islamic religion helped to eliminate discriminatory practices that had been rampant in Arabia. The main aspect included in the Islam religion is peace. By adhering to Muhammad’s teachings, Muslims live together with others peacefully, stay as one family, and help each other in times of difficulties.
References
Armstrong, K. (2002). Islam: A short history. New York: Modern Library.
Dabashi, H. (2017). Muhammad’s Charismatic Authority: Towards an Equivalent Islam Typology. Authority in Islam, 33-45. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351317122-3
Hillenbrand, C. (2005). Muhammad and the rise of Islam. The New Cambridge Medieval History, 317-345. https://doi.org/10.1017/chol9780521362917.014
Robinson, C. F. (2010). The rise of Islam, 600–705. The New Cambridge History of Islam, 171-225. https://doi.org/10.1017/chol9780521838238.007
Marranci, G. (2020). Islam: Beliefs, History, and Rituals. The Anthropology of Islam, 13-30. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003086857-2