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182-564: The Kaaba , sometimes referred to as al-Ka'ba al-Musharrafa , is a stone building at the center of Islam 's most important mosque and holiest site , the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca , Saudi Arabia . It is considered by Muslims to be the Baytullah (Arabic: بَيْت ٱللَّٰه , lit.   'House of God') and is the qibla (Arabic: قِبْلَة , direction of prayer ) for Muslims around

364-592: A scientific , economic and cultural flourishing . The expansion of the Muslim world involved various states and caliphates as well as extensive trade and religious conversion as a result of Islamic missionary activities ( dawah ), as well as through conquests . The two main Islamic branches are Sunni Islam (85–90%) and Shia Islam (10–15%). While the Shia–Sunni divide initially arose from disagreements over

546-690: A Christian origin that explicitly mentions the Kaaba, and confirms the idea that not just the Arabs but certain Christians as well, associated the site with Ibrahim in the seventh century. This is the second dateable text mentioning the Kaaba, first being some verses from the Quran . Saudi archeologist Mohammed Almaghthawi discovered some rock inscriptions mentioning the Masjid al-Haram and the Kaaba, dating back to

728-505: A combined 6,236 verses ( āyāt ). The chronologically earlier chapters, revealed at Mecca , are concerned primarily with spiritual topics, while the later Medinan chapters discuss more social and legal issues relevant to the Muslim community. Muslim jurists consult the hadith ('accounts'), or the written record of Muhammad's life, to both supplement the Quran and assist with its interpretation. The science of Quranic commentary and exegesis

910-727: A crime against humanity by the UN and Amnesty International, while the OHCHR Fact-Finding Mission identified genocide , ethnic cleansing, and other crimes against humanity. Conquest of Mecca Ridda Wars Conquest of Sasanian Persia Conquest of Byzantine Syria Campaigns in Africa Campaigns in Armenia and Anatolia The conquest of Mecca ( Arabic : فَتْحُ مَكَّةَ Fatḥu Makkah , alternatively, "liberation of Mecca")

1092-423: A figurehead monarchy. The Sunni Seljuk dynasty campaigned to reassert Sunni Islam by promulgating the scholarly opinions of the time, notably with the construction of educational institutions known as Nezamiyeh , which are associated with Al-Ghazali and Saadi Shirazi . The expansion of the Muslim world continued with religious missions converting Volga Bulgaria to Islam. The Delhi Sultanate reached deep into

1274-631: A god in general. Angels (Arabic: ملك , malak ) are beings described in the Quran and hadith. They are described as created to worship God and also to serve in other specific duties such as communicating revelations from God, recording every person's actions, and taking a person's soul at the time of death. They are described as being created variously from 'light' ( nūr ) or 'fire' ( nār ). Islamic angels are often represented in anthropomorphic forms combined with supernatural images, such as wings, being of great size or wearing heavenly articles. Common characteristics for angels include

1456-785: A group of Muslims towards Mecca with the intention of performing the Umrah , but was prevented from doing so by the Quraysh. He secured a peace treaty with them, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah , which allowed the Muslims to freely perform pilgrimage at the Kaaba from the following year. At the culmination of his mission, in 630 CE, after the allies of the Quraysh, the Banu Bakr, violated the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Muhammad conquered Mecca . His first action

1638-537: A human being, rather than God, is central to Muslims' religion. The Islamic creed ( aqidah ) requires belief in six articles : God, angels , revelation, prophets, the Day of Resurrection , and the divine predestination. The central concept of Islam is tawḥīd (Arabic: توحيد ), the oneness of God. It is usually thought of as a precise monotheism , but is also panentheistic in Islamic mystical teachings. God

1820-498: A lack of bodily needs and desires, such as eating and drinking. Some of them, such as Gabriel ( Jibrīl ) and Michael ( Mika'il ), are mentioned by name in the Quran. Angels play a significant role in literature about the Mi'raj , where Muhammad encounters several angels during his journey through the heavens. Further angels have often been featured in Islamic eschatology , theology and philosophy . The pre-eminent holy text of Islam

2002-467: A manner similar to the repentance of the prophet Joseph's brothers in the Qur'an: "They said, "By Allah, certainly has Allah preferred you over us, and indeed, we have been sinners." (Qur'an 12:91) Abu Sufyan followed this advice and approached Muhammad, who forgave Abu Sufyan and quoted from the Qur'an: "He said, "No blame will there be upon you today. Allah will forgive you; and He is the most merciful of

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2184-556: A movement that would evolve into tasawwuf or Sufism . At this time, theological problems, notably on free will, were prominently tackled, with Hasan al Basri holding that although God knows people's actions, good and evil come from abuse of free will and the devil . Greek rationalist philosophy influenced a speculative school of thought known as Muʿtazila , who famously advocated the notion of free-will originated by Wasil ibn Ata . Caliph Mamun al Rashid made it an official creed and unsuccessfully attempted to force this position on

2366-509: A narration by Ibn Abbas , Muhammad said, "Allah has made Mecca a sanctuary, so it was a sanctuary before me and will continue to be a sanctuary after me. It was made legal for me (i.e. I was allowed to fight in it) for a few hours of a day. It is not allowed to uproot its shrubs or to cut its trees, or to chase (or disturb) its game, or to pick up its fallen things except by a person who would announce that (what has found) publicly." Al-'Abbas asked for an exception to be made for lemon grass, as it

2548-569: A pair of ram's horns were recorded to be inside the Kaaba. The pair of ram's horns were said to have belonged to the ram sacrificed by Ibrahim in place of his son Ismail as held by Islamic tradition. During its history, the Black Stone at the Kaaba has been struck and smashed by a stone fired from a catapult , it has been smeared with excrement, stolen and ransomed by the Qarmatians and smashed into several fragments. al-Azraqi provides

2730-504: A person to hell . However, the Quran makes it clear that God will forgive the sins of those who repent if he wishes. Good deeds, like charity, prayer, and compassion towards animals will be rewarded with entry to heaven. Muslims view heaven as a place of joy and blessings, with Quranic references describing its features. Mystical traditions in Islam place these heavenly delights in the context of an ecstatic awareness of God. Yawm al-Qiyāmah

2912-529: A place of prayer, it is also an important social center for the Muslim community . For example, the Masjid an-Nabawi ("Prophetic Mosque") in Medina, Saudi Arabia , used to also serve as a shelter for the poor. Minarets are towers used to call the adhan , a vocal call to signal the prayer time. Zakat ( Arabic : زكاة , zakāh ), also spelled Zakāt or Zakah , is a type of almsgiving characterized by

3094-487: A religious duty though its rites were not yet finalized. During the first half of Muhammad's time as a prophet while he was at Mecca, he and his followers were severely persecuted which eventually led to their migration to Medina in 622 CE. In 624 CE, Muslims believe the direction of the qibla was changed from the Masjid al-Aqsa to the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, with the revelation of Surah 2 , verse 144. In 628 CE, Muhammad led

3276-667: A religious group. This has been undertaken by communist forces like the Khmer Rouge , who viewed them as their primary enemy to be exterminated since their religious practice made them stand out from the rest of the population, the Chinese Communist Party in Xinjiang and by nationalist forces such as during the Bosnian genocide . Myanmar military's Tatmadaw targeting of Rohingya Muslims has been labeled as

3458-728: A root that means "to measure" or "calculating". Muslims often express this belief in divine destiny with the phrase "In-sha-Allah" ( Arabic : إن شاء الله ) meaning "if God wills" when speaking on future events. There are five acts of worship that are considered duties –the Shahada (declaration of faith), the five daily prayers, Zakat (almsgiving), fasting during Ramadan , and the Hajj pilgrimage–collectively known as "The Pillars of Islam" ( Arkān al-Islām ). In addition, Muslims also perform other optional supererogatory acts that are encouraged but not considered to be duties. The shahadah

3640-449: A small unit of eight individuals, led by Abu Qatadah bin Rab'i , towards the vicinity of Edam, close to Medina, with the intent of diverting the people's attention and obscuring the true objective of his focus. There was so much fear everywhere that Hatib, a trusted follower of Muhammad, secretly sent a female messenger to Mecca with a letter that contained information of the intended attack by

3822-560: A tribe that had chosen a particular alliance, the party to which it was allied would possess the right to take retaliatory action. Consequently, the Banu Bakr aligned themselves with the Quraysh, while the Banu Khuza'ah aligned themselves with the Muslims. They had maintained peace for a period of time; however, underlying motives stemming from the pre-Islamic era , exacerbated by a persistent desire for revenge, ultimately led to renewed hostilities. The Banu Bakr launched an attack against

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4004-535: A trust from God's bounty, and is seen as a purification of one's excess wealth. The total annual value contributed due to zakat is 15 times greater than global humanitarian aid donations, using conservative estimates. Sadaqah , as opposed to Zakat, is a much-encouraged optional charity. A waqf is a perpetual charitable trust , which finances hospitals and schools in Muslim societies. In Islam, fasting ( Arabic : صوم , ṣawm ) precludes food and drink, as well as other forms of consumption, such as smoking , and

4186-398: Is Sahih al-Bukhari , often considered by Sunnis to be one of the most authentic sources after the Quran. Another well-known source of hadiths is known as The Four Books , which Shias consider as the most authentic hadith reference. Belief in the "Day of Resurrection" or Yawm al-Qiyāmah (Arabic: يوم القيامة ) is also crucial for Muslims. It is believed that the time of Qiyāmah

4368-456: Is also identified in the Quran as Yawm ad-Dīn ( يوم الدين "Day of Religion"); as-Sāʿah ( الساعة "the Last Hour"); and al-Qāriʿah ( القارعة "The Clatterer"). The concept of divine predestination in Islam ( Arabic : القضاء والقدر , al-qadāʾ wa l-qadar ) means that every matter, good or bad, is believed to have been decreed by God. Al-qadar , meaning "power", derives from

4550-403: Is an oath declaring belief in Islam. The expanded statement is " ʾašhadu ʾal-lā ʾilāha ʾillā-llāhu wa ʾašhadu ʾanna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh " ( أشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وأشهد أن محمداً رسول الله ), or, "I testify that there is no deity except God and I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God." Islam is sometimes argued to have a very simple creed with the shahada being the premise for

4732-530: Is changed. However, the most significant increase in their numbers is during Ramadan and the Hajj , when millions of pilgrims gather for Tawaf. According to the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah , 6,791,100 external pilgrims arrived for the Umrah pilgrimage in the Islamic year AH  1439 (2017/2018  CE ). The literal meaning of the word Ka'bah ( Arabic : كعبة ) is cube . In the Qur'an, from

4914-553: Is disputed whether Allah and Hubal were the same deity or different. According to a hypothesis by Uri Rubin and Christian Robin, Hubal was only venerated by Quraysh and the Kaaba was first dedicated to Allah, a supreme god of individuals belonging to different tribes, while the pantheon of the gods of Quraysh was installed in the Kaaba after they conquered Mecca a century before Muhammad's time. Imoti contends that there were numerous such Kaaba sanctuaries in Arabia at one time, but this

5096-581: Is known as tafsir . In addition to its religious significance, the Quran is widely regarded as the finest work in Arabic literature , and has influenced art and the Arabic language. Islam also holds that God has sent revelations, called wahy , to different prophets numerous times throughout history. However, Islam teaches that parts of the previously revealed scriptures, such as the Tawrat ( Torah ) and

5278-473: Is only a kind of friendly relationship between them and myself. My family is in Mecca and there is no one to look after them or offer protection. My situation is different from that of the refugees whose families are secure due to their blood ties with Quraysh. I felt that since I am not related to them, I should, for the safety of my children, earn their gratitude by doing good to them. I swear by Allah that I have not done this act as an apostate, forsaking Islam. I

5460-407: Is optional and can be undertaken at any time of the year. Other sites of Islamic pilgrimage are Medina , where Muhammad died, as well as Jerusalem , a city of many Islamic prophets and the site of Al-Aqsa , which was the direction of prayer before Mecca. Muslims recite and memorize the whole or parts of the Quran as acts of virtue. Tajwid refers to the set of rules for the proper elocution of

5642-422: Is performed from dawn to sunset. During the month of Ramadan , it is considered a duty for Muslims to fast. The fast is to encourage a feeling of nearness to God by restraining oneself for God's sake from what is otherwise permissible and to think of the needy. In addition, there are other days, such as the Day of Arafah , when fasting is optional. The Islamic pilgrimage , called the " ḥajj " (Arabic: حج ),

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5824-766: Is preordained by God, but unknown to man. The Quran and the hadith, as well as the commentaries of scholars , describe the trials and tribulations preceding and during the Qiyāmah . The Quran emphasizes bodily resurrection , a break from the pre-Islamic Arabian understanding of death. On Yawm al-Qiyāmah, Muslims believe all humankind will be judged by their good and bad deeds and consigned to Jannah (paradise) or Jahannam (hell). The Quran in Surat al-Zalzalah describes this as: "So whoever does an atom's weight of good will see it. And whoever does an atom's weight of evil will see it." The Quran lists several sins that can condemn

6006-564: Is rather the power of Prophethood," with which the former agreed. Sa'd bin 'Ubadah carried the flag of the Ansar. When he passed by Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, he taunted him, saying "Today will witness the great fight, you cannot seek sanctuary at Al-Ka'bah . Today will witness the humiliation of Quraysh." Abu Sufyan expressed his dismay to Muhammad, who became angry and rebuked Sa'd, stating "Nay, today Al-Ka'bah will be sanctified, and Quraysh honoured." He immediately ordered that Sa'd be stripped off

6188-488: Is seen as incomparable and without multiplicity of persons such as in the Christian Trinity , and associating multiplicity to God or attributing God's attributes to others is seen as idolatory , called shirk . God is described as Al Ghayb so is beyond comprehension. Thus, Muslims are not iconodules and do not attribute forms to God. God is instead described and referred to by several names or attributes ,

6370-433: Is the Quran . Muslims believe that the verses of the Quran were revealed to Muhammad by God, through the archangel Gabriel, on multiple occasions between 610 CE and 632, the year Muhammad died. While Muhammad was alive, these revelations were written down by his companions , although the primary method of transmission was orally through memorization . The Quran is divided into 114 chapters ( sūrah ) which contain

6552-403: Is the verbal noun of Form IV originating from the verb سلم ( salama ), from the triliteral root س-ل-م ( S-L-M ), which forms a large class of words mostly relating to concepts of submission, safeness, and peace. In a religious context, it refers to the total surrender to the will of God . A Muslim ( مُسْلِم ), the word for a follower of Islam, is the active participle of

6734-528: Is to be done at least once a lifetime by every Muslim with the means to do so during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah . Rituals of the Hajj mostly imitate the story of the family of Abraham . In Mecca , pilgrims walk seven times around the Kaaba , which Muslims believe Abraham built as a place of worship, and they walk seven times between Mount Safa and Marwa , recounting the steps of Abraham's wife, Hagar , who

6916-401: Is to worship God. He is viewed as a personal god and there are no intermediaries, such as clergy , to contact God. Consciousness and awareness of God is referred to as Taqwa . Allāh is a term with no plural or gender being ascribed to it and is also used by Muslims and Arabic-speaking Christians and Jews in reference to God, whereas ʾilāh ( إله ) is a term used for a deity or

7098-460: Is under my heel, except that of the custody of Al-Ka'bah and supplying of water to the pilgrims. Bear in mind that for anyone who is slain, even though semi-deliberately, with club or whip, for him the blood-money is very severe: a hundred camels, forty of them to be pregnant." "O people of Quraish! surely Allah has abolished from you all pride of the pre-Islamic era and all conceit in your ancestry, (because) all men are descended from Adam, and Adam

7280-818: Is when Muhammad received his first revelation . By the time of his death, most of the Arabian Peninsula had converted to Islam . Muslim rule expanded outside Arabia under the Rashidun Caliphate and the subsequent Umayyad Caliphate ruled from the Iberian Peninsula to the Indus Valley . In the Islamic Golden Age , specifically during the reign of the Abbasid Caliphate , most of the Muslim world experienced

7462-529: The Encyclopedia of Islam , Wensinck identifies Mecca with a place called Macoraba mentioned by Ptolemy . G. E. von Grunebaum states: "Mecca is mentioned by Ptolemy. The name he gives it allows us to identify it as a South Arabian foundation created around a sanctuary." In Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam , Patricia Crone argues that the identification of Macoraba with Mecca is false and that Macoraba

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7644-803: The Hijra ("emigration") in 622 to the city of Yathrib (current-day Medina). There, with the Medinan converts (the Ansar ) and the Meccan migrants (the Muhajirun ), Muhammad in Medina established his political and religious authority . The Constitution of Medina was signed by all the tribes of Medina. This established religious freedoms and freedom to use their own laws among the Muslim and non-Muslim communities as well as an agreement to defend Medina from external threats. Meccan forces and their allies lost against

7826-532: The Injil ( Gospel ), have become distorted —either in interpretation, in text, or both, while the Quran (lit. 'Recitation') is viewed as the final, verbatim and unaltered word of God. Prophets (Arabic: أنبياء , anbiyāʾ ) are believed to have been chosen by God to preach a divine message. Some of these prophets additionally deliver a new book and are called "messengers" ( رسول‎ , rasūl ). Muslims believe prophets are human and not divine. All of

8008-707: The Arab Spring , Jamaat-e-Islami in South Asia and the AK Party , which has democratically been in power in Turkey for decades. In Iran , revolution replaced a secular monarchy with an Islamic state . Others such as Sayyid Rashid Rida broke away from Islamic modernists and pushed against embracing what he saw as Western influence. The group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant would even attempt to recreate

8190-593: The Battle of Nahrawan but a Kharijite assassin later killed Ali. Ali's son, Hasan ibn Ali, was elected Caliph and signed a peace treaty to avoid further fighting, abdicating to Mu'awiya in return for Mu'awiya not appointing a successor. Mu'awiya began the Umayyad dynasty with the appointment of his son Yazid I as successor, sparking the Second Civil War . During the Battle of Karbala , Husayn ibn Ali

8372-684: The Deobandi movement. In response to the Deobandi movement, the Barelwi movement was founded as a mass movement, defending popular Sufism and reforming its practices. The Muslim world was generally in political decline starting the 1800s, especially compared to non-Muslim European powers. Earlier, in the 15th century, the Reconquista succeeded in ending the Muslim presence in Iberia . By

8554-511: The Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. The area around the Kaaba where pilgrims walk is called the Mataaf. The Kaaba and the Mataaf are surrounded by pilgrims every day of the Islamic year , except the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah , known as the Day of Arafah , on which the cloth covering the structure, known as the Kiswah (Arabic: كسوة , romanized:  Kiswah , lit.   'Cloth'),

8736-788: The House of Wisdom employed Christian and Persian scholars to both translate works into Arabic and to develop new knowledge. Soldiers broke away from the Abbasid empire and established their own dynasties, such as the Tulunids in 868 in Egypt and the Ghaznavid dynasty in 977 in Central Asia. In this fragmentation came the Shi'a Century , roughly between 945 and 1055, which saw the rise of

8918-672: The Indian Subcontinent and many converted to Islam, in particular low-caste Hindus whose descendants make up the vast majority of Indian Muslims. Trade brought many Muslims to China , where they virtually dominated the import and export industry of the Song dynasty . Muslims were recruited as a governing minority class in the Yuan dynasty . Through Muslim trade networks and the activity of Sufi orders, Islam spread into new areas and Muslims assimilated into new cultures. Under

9100-574: The Kaaba (holy sanctuary) , while some individuals led by Ikrima ibn Amr , Safwan ibn Umayya , and Suhayl ibn Amr, encamped themselves in a place called Khandamah with the intention of causing harm to the Muslims. Muhammad made final preparations for the military breakthrough into Mecca. He appointed Khalid ibn al-Walid as the leader of the right flank of the army with the Aslam, Sulaym , Ghifar, Muzainah, and Juhaynah tribes under his command to enter Mecca through its lower avenues. Zubayr ibn al-Awwam

9282-689: The Maghreb , the Iberian Peninsula , Narbonnese Gaul and Sindh . The Umayyads struggled with a lack of legitimacy and relied on a heavily patronized military. Since the jizya tax was a tax paid by non-Muslims which exempted them from military service, the Umayyads denied recognizing the conversion of non-Arabs, as it reduced revenue. While the Rashidun Caliphate emphasized austerity, with Umar even requiring an inventory of each official's possessions, Umayyad luxury bred dissatisfaction among

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9464-614: The Muslim population in Latin America . The resulting urbanization and increase in trade in sub-Saharan Africa brought Muslims to settle in new areas and spread their faith, likely doubling its Muslim population between 1869 and 1914. Forerunners of Islamic modernism influenced Islamist political movements such as the Muslim Brotherhood and related parties in the Arab world, which performed well in elections following

9646-723: The Ottoman Empire , Islam spread to Southeast Europe . Conversion to Islam often involved a degree of syncretism , as illustrated by Muhammad's appearance in Hindu folklore. Muslim Turks incorporated elements of Turkish Shamanism beliefs to Islam. Muslims in Ming Dynasty China who were descended from earlier immigrants were assimilated, sometimes through laws mandating assimilation, by adopting Chinese names and culture while Nanjing became an important center of Islamic study. Cultural shifts were evident with

9828-529: The Quran and the teachings of the Islamic Prophet and messenger Muhammad , the religion's founder. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims , who are estimated to number approximately 1.9 billion worldwide and are the world's second-largest religious population after Christians . Muslims believe that Islam is the complete and universal version of a primordial faith that was revealed many times through earlier prophets and messengers , including Adam , Noah , Abraham , Moses , and Jesus . Muslims consider

10010-485: The Ridda wars . Local populations of Jews and indigenous Christians, persecuted as religious minorities and heretics and taxed heavily, often helped Muslims take over their lands, resulting in rapid expansion of the caliphate into the Persian and Byzantine empires. Uthman was elected in 644 and his assassination by rebels led to Ali being elected the next Caliph. In the First Civil War , Muhammad's widow, Aisha , raised an army against Ali, attempting to avenge

10192-493: The Sacred Mosque is safe." On the morning of Tuesday, 17th Ramadan, 8 A.H., Muhammad set out from Mar Az-Zahran and ordered 'Abbas to detain Abu Sufyan ibn Harb at a location that offered a clear view of the Muslim army's march towards Mecca. This was done so that Abu Sufyan could witness the strength and power of the Muslim soldiers. As the different tribes of the Muslim army passed by, each with their banners unfurled, Abu Sufyan marveled at their strength and power. Eventually,

10374-441: The Sunnah , documented in accounts called the hadith , provide a constitutional model for Muslims. Islam is based on the belief in oneness and uniqueness of the God ( tawhid ), and belief in an afterlife ( akhirah ) with the Last Judgment —wherein the righteous will be rewarded in paradise ( jannah ) and the unrighteous will be punished in hell ( jahannam ). The Five Pillars —considered obligatory acts of worship—are

10556-416: The hatīm was a remnant of the foundations of the Abrahamic Kaaba, and that Muhammad himself had wished to rebuild it so as to include it. The Kaaba was bombarded with stones in the second siege of Mecca in 692 , in which the Umayyad army was led by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf . The fall of the city and the death of 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr allowed the Umayyads under 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan to finally reunite all

10738-402: The mathematical model that was later argued to be adopted by Copernicus unrevised in his heliocentric model, and Jamshīd al-Kāshī 's estimate of pi would not be surpassed for 180 years. After the introduction of gunpowder weapons, large and centralized Muslim states consolidated around gunpowder empires , these had been previously splintered amongst various territories. The caliphate

10920-400: The millennialist Isma'ili Shi'a missionary movement. One Isma'ili group, the Fatimid dynasty , took control of North Africa in the 10th century and another Isma'ili group, the Qarmatians , sacked Mecca and stole the Black Stone , a rock placed within the Kaaba, in their unsuccessful rebellion. Yet another Isma'ili group, the Buyid dynasty , conquered Baghdad and turned the Abbasids into

11102-447: The succession to Muhammad , they grew to cover a broader dimension, both theologically and juridically . The Sunni canonical hadith collection consists of six books , while the Shia canonical hadith collection consists of four books . Muslims make up a majority of the population in 49 countries. Approximately 12% of the world's Muslims live in Indonesia , the most populous Muslim-majority country; 31% live in South Asia ; 20% live in

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11284-476: The " Night of Power " ( Laylat al-Qadr ) and is considered a significant event in Islamic history. During the next 22 years of his life, from age 40 onwards, Muhammad continued to receive revelations from God, becoming the last or seal of the prophets sent to mankind. During this time, while in Mecca, Muhammad preached first in secret and then in public, imploring his listeners to abandon polytheism and worship one God. Many early converts to Islam were women,

11466-421: The "world's first true scientist", in particular regarding his work in optics . In engineering, the Banū Mūsā brothers' automatic flute player is considered to have been the first programmable machine . In mathematics , the concept of the algorithm is named after Muhammad ibn Musa al-Khwarizmi , who is considered a founder of algebra , which is named after his book al-jabr , while others developed

11648-423: The 19th century such as Sailaifengye in China after returning from Mecca but were eventually persecuted and forced into hiding by Sufi groups. Other groups sought to reform Sufism rather than reject it, with the Senusiyya and Muhammad Ahmad both waging war and establishing states in Libya and Sudan respectively. In India, Shah Waliullah Dehlawi attempted a more conciliatory style against Sufism and influenced

11830-563: The 19th century, the British East India Company had formally annexed the Mughal dynasty in India. As a response to Western Imperialism , many intellectuals sought to reform Islam . Islamic modernism , initially labelled by Western scholars as Salafiyya , embraced modern values and institutions such as democracy while being scripture oriented. Notable forerunners in the movement include Muhammad 'Abduh and Jamal al-Din al-Afghani . Abul A'la Maududi helped influence modern political Islam . Similar to contemporary codification , sharia

12012-411: The Ansar and Muhajirun, made his way towards the Kaaba which is seen as a symbol of the Oneness of Allah. It was filled with idols , numbering 360. He proceeded to knock them down using his bow while reciting the verse from the Qur'an : "And say: 'The truth has come, and falsehood has vanished away; surely falsehood is ever certain to vanish." (Qur'an 17:81) This act was significant as it symbolized

12194-402: The Arabic language and performed in the direction of the Kaaba . The act also requires a state of ritual purity achieved by means of either a routine wudu ritual wash or, in certain circumstances, a ghusl full body ritual wash. A mosque is a place of worship for Muslims, who often refer to it by its Arabic name masjid . Although the primary purpose of the mosque is to serve as

12376-402: The Banu Khuza'ah at Al-Wateer in Sha'ban , 8 A.H., disregarding the terms of the treaty. A group of the Quraysh, headed by Safwan ibn Umayya , Ikrima ibn Amr , and Suhayl ibn Amr , provided the Banu Bakr with men and weapons under the cover of darkness, without the awareness of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb . Faced with aggression from their opponents, the members of the Banu Khuza'ah sought refuge in

12558-450: The Greatness and Oneness of Allah. Shortly afterwards, he returned to the doorway, standing on its elevated step, gazed in thankfulness at the thronging multitude below and delivered a celebrated address: "There is no god but Allah Alone. He has no associates. He made good His Promise that He held to His slave and helped him and defeated all the Confederates alone. Bear in mind that every claim of privilege, whether that of blood, or property,

12740-463: The Holy Sanctuary - the Kaaba. However, they were not spared and Nawfal, the leader of the Banu Bakr, killed twenty of them in violation of established customs. In response, the Banu Khuza'ah immediately dispatched a delegation to Medina to inform Muhammad of the breach of the truce and to request his assistance. When the Banu Khuza'ah sought redress from their Muslim allies, Muhammad, in his capacity as their leader, insisted on immediate reparations for

12922-642: The Islamic oath and creed ( shahada ), daily prayers ( salah ), almsgiving ( zakat ), fasting ( sawm ) in the month of Ramadan , and a pilgrimage ( hajj ) to Mecca . Islamic law, sharia , touches on virtually every aspect of life, from banking and finance and welfare to men's and women's roles and the environment . The two main religious festivals are Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha . The three holiest sites in Islam are Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Prophet's Mosque in Medina , and al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem . The religion of Islam originated in Mecca in 610 CE . Muslims believe this

13104-419: The Islamic possessions and end the long civil war. In 693 CE, 'Abd al-Malik had the remnants of al-Zubayr's Kaaba razed, and rebuilt it on the foundations set by the Quraysh. The Kaaba returned to the cube shape it had taken during Muhammad's time. Its basic shape and structure have not changed since then. During the Hajj of 930 CE, the Shi'ite Qarmatians attacked Mecca under Abu Tahir al-Jannabi , defiled

13286-460: The Kaaba and tasked him with the responsibility of providing water to pilgrims. It was decreed that the keys to the Kaaba would remain in the possession of 'Uthman and his descendants permanently. As the time for prayer approached, Bilal ibn Rabah ascended the Kaaba and called the adhan – the Islamic call to prayer. Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, 'Itab bin Usaid, and Al-Harith ibn Hisham were present in

13468-582: The Kaaba and trade with each other in the city. Various sculptures and paintings were held inside the Kaaba. A statue of Hubal (the principal idol of Mecca) and statues of other pagan deities are known to have been placed in or around the Kaaba. Apart from the paintings of pagan idols decorating the walls, which were destroyed at the behest of Muhammad after his conquest of Mecca , there were also paintings of angels , of Ibrahim holding divination arrows , and of Isa ( Jesus ) and his mother Maryam ( Mary ), which Muhammad spared. Undefined decorations, money and

13650-525: The Kaaba around 600 C.E., after its structure was weakened by a fire, and then damaged by a subsequent flood. Sources including Ibn Ishaq 's Sirat Rasūl Allāh , one of the biographies of Muhammad (as reconstructed and translated by Guillaume), as well as Al-Azraqi 's chronicle of Mecca, describe Muhammad settling a quarrel between the Meccan clans as to which clan should set the Black Stone in its place. According to Ishaq's biography, Muhammad's solution

13832-491: The Kaaba on the day of the conquest, ordered all the pictures erased except that of Maryam: Shihab (said) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) entered the Kaaba on the day of the conquest, and in it was a picture of the angels (mala'ika), among others, and he saw a picture of Ibrahim and he said: "May Allah kill those representing him as a venerable old man casting arrows in divination (shaykhan yastaqsim bil-azlam)." Then he saw

14014-550: The Kaaba was officially dedicated to Hubal , a Nabatean deity, and contained 360 idols which probably represented the days of the year. However, by the time of Muhammad's era, it seems that the Kaaba was venerated as the temple of Allah, the High God. Once a year, tribes from all around the Arabian Peninsula would converge on Mecca to perform the Hajj pilgrimage, which was a mark of the widespread conviction that Allah

14196-411: The Kaaba was rebuilt several times throughout history, most famously by Ibrahim and his son Ismail , when he returned to the valley of Mecca several years after leaving his wife Hajar ( Hagar ) and Ismail there upon Allah 's command. Circling the Kaaba seven times counterclockwise, known as Tawaf (Arabic: طواف , romanized:  tawaaf ), is a Fard (obligatory) rite for the completion of

14378-614: The Kaaba was the first masjid on Earth, and the second was Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem. Abu Dhar narrated: I said, "O Allah's Apostle! Which mosque was first built on the surface of the earth?" He said, "Al-Masjid-ul-Haram (in Mecca)." I said, "Which was built next?" He replied "The mosque of Al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem)." I said, "What was the period of construction between the two?" He said, "Forty years." He added, "Wherever (you may be, and)

14560-544: The Kaaba was thought to be at the center of the world, with the Gate of Heaven directly above it. The Kaaba marked the location where the sacred world intersected with the profane; the embedded Black Stone was a further symbol of this as a meteorite that had fallen from the sky and linked heaven and earth. According to Sarwar, about 400 years before the birth of Muhammad, a man named 'Amr bin Luhayy, who descended from Qahtan and

14742-400: The Kaaba, and took the key from him. He entered the Kaaba and observed images of the prophets Abraham and Ishmael , throwing divination arrows. He strongly denounced these practices of the Quraysh and ordered that all idols, images and effigies be destroyed. Muhammad then entered the sacred hall, facing the wall opposite the door and performed devout prostrations, and went around acclaiming

14924-527: The Middle East–North Africa ; and 15% live in sub-Saharan Africa . Muslim communities are also present in the Americas , China , and Europe . Muslims are the world's fastest-growing major religious group, due primarily to a higher fertility rate and younger age structure compared to other major religions. In Arabic, Islam ( Arabic : إسلام , lit.   'submission [to God]')

15106-757: The Mosque was renovated. In 1916, after Hussein bin Ali had launched the Great Arab Revolt , during the Battle of Mecca between Arab and Ottoman forces, the Ottoman troops bombarded the city and hit the Kaaba, setting fire to the protective veil. This incident was later exploited by the propaganda of the Great Arab Revolt to attempt to demonstrate the impiety of the Ottomans and the legitimacy of

15288-476: The Muslims at the Battle of Badr in 624 and then fought an inconclusive battle in the Battle of Uhud before unsuccessfully besieging Medina in the Battle of the Trench (March–April 627). In 628, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was signed between Mecca and the Muslims, but it was broken by Mecca two years later. As more tribes converted to Islam, Meccan trade routes were cut off by the Muslims. By 629 Muhammad

15470-511: The Muslims encountered Abu Sufyan bin Al-Harith (not to be confused with the previously mentioned Abu Sufyan ibn Harb) and ‘Abdullah bin Umayyah, who were the cousins of Muhammad. However, due to their previous actions and negative attitude towards the Muslims, they were not received with open arms. ' Ali advised Abu Sufyan to seek forgiveness from Muhammad and confess his past misconduct in

15652-466: The Muslims were furious at the sight of Abu Sufyan and sought to kill him. However, with the help of 'Abbas, the two men were able to secure an audience with Muhammad, who advised that they return the following day. During this meeting, Muhammad addressed Abu Sufyan, saying: "Woe to you! Isn’t it time for you to bear witness to the Oneness of Allah and Prophethood of Muhammad?" In response, Abu Sufyan, who

15834-462: The Muslims' position. On their way, they encountered Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib , Muhammad's uncle, who provided them with information about the current situation and urged them to consider accepting Islam and surrendering to Muhammad, warning that failure to do so would result in severe consequences. Faced with the dire circumstances, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, in the company of Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib, sought an audience with Muhammad. Upon their arrival,

16016-419: The Muslims. Muhammad is believed to have received news of Hatib's actions through revelation and sent Ali and Al-Miqdad with instructions to catch up with the messenger. They succeeded in overtaking her and discovered the letter that was carefully hidden in her hair. Muhammad summoned Hatib and asked him why he had done such an act. Hatib replied: "O Messenger of Allah! I have no blood ties with Quraysh; there

16198-729: The Ottomans from the beginning. The Mevlevi Order and Bektashi Order had a close relation to the sultans, as Sufi-mystical as well as heterodox and syncretic approaches to Islam flourished. The often forceful Safavid conversion of Iran to the Twelver Shia Islam of the Safavid Empire ensured the final dominance of the Twelver sect within Shia Islam. Persian migrants to South Asia, as influential bureaucrats and landholders, helped spread Shia Islam, forming some of

16380-609: The Quran to be the verbatim word of God and the unaltered, final revelation. Alongside the Quran, Muslims also believe in previous revelations , such as the Tawrat (the Torah ), the Zabur ( Psalms ), and the Injil ( Gospel ). They believe that Muhammad is the main and final Islamic prophet , through whom the religion was completed. The teachings and normative examples of Muhammad, called

16562-733: The Quran. Many Muslims recite the whole Quran during the month of Ramadan. One who has memorized the whole Quran is called a hafiz ("memorizer"), and hadiths mention that these individuals will be able to intercede for others on Judgment Day. Supplication to God, called in Arabic duʿāʾ ( Arabic : دعاء   IPA: [dʊˈʕæːʔ] ) has its own etiquette such as raising hands as if begging. Remembrance of God ( ذكر , Dhikr' ) refers to phrases repeated referencing God. Commonly, this includes Tahmid, declaring praise be due to God ( الحمد لله , al-Ḥamdu lillāh ) during prayer or when feeling thankful, Tasbih , declaring glory to God during prayer or when in awe of something and saying ' in

16744-588: The Quranic accounts are collected and explored in the Qisas al-Anbiya (Stories of the Prophets). Muslims believe that God sent Muhammad as the final prophet (" Seal of the prophets ") to convey the completed message of Islam. In Islam, the "normative" example of Muhammad's life is called the sunnah (literally "trodden path"). Muslims are encouraged to emulate Muhammad's moral behaviors in their daily lives, and

16926-402: The Quraysh. The Quraysh were disheartened but did not anticipate immediate danger. According to Al-Tabari , three days prior to receiving news of a breach of covenant, Muhammad instructed his wife, ' Aisha , to make preparations for a military campaign. Abu Bakr ('Aisha's father), expressing surprise at the preparations, asked her for an explanation, to which she replied that she was unaware of

17108-554: The Roman army, which is known to have required colossal quantities of leather and hides for its equipment. According to Islamic cosmology , the Zurah pilgrimage site was the precursor to the Kaaba. Prior to Islam, the Kaaba was a holy site for the various Bedouin tribes throughout the Arabian Peninsula . Once every lunar year, Bedouin people would make a pilgrimage to Mecca. Setting aside any tribal feuds, they would worship their gods in

17290-539: The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was breached as a result of the aggression of the Banu Bakr , a confederate of the Quraysh, against the Banu Khuza'ah , who had recently entered into an alliance with the Muslims. Pursuant to the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah , the Arab tribes were afforded the opportunity to align themselves with either the Muslims or the Quraysh. The agreement stipulated that in the event of any aggression against

17472-602: The Zamzam Well with the bodies of pilgrims and stole the Black Stone, taking it to the oasis in Eastern Arabia known as al-Aḥsāʾ , where it remained until the Abbasids ransomed it in 952 CE. After heavy rains and flooding in 1626, the walls of the Kaaba collapsed and the Mosque was damaged. The same year, during the reign of Ottoman Emperor Murad IV , the Kaaba was rebuilt with granite stones from Mecca, and

17654-472: The actual wording, called matn . There are various methodologies to classify the authenticity of hadiths, with the commonly used grading grading scale being "authentic" or "correct" ( صحيح , ṣaḥīḥ ); "good" ( حسن , ḥasan ); or "weak" ( ضعيف , ḍaʻīf ), among others. The Kutub al-Sittah are a collection of six books, regarded as the most authentic reports in Sunni Islam . Among them

17836-547: The battalion of the Muhajirun (Muslims from Mecca) and Ansar (Muslims from Medina), with Muhammad at their head, heavily armed, marched by. Abu Sufyan began to wonder who those people were, to which 'Abbas told him that they were Muhammad and his Companions. Abu Sufyan said that no army, however powerful, could resist those people and addressing 'Abbas, he said: "I swear by Allah that the sovereignty of your brother's son has become too powerful to withstand." 'Abbas responded, "It

18018-838: The beginning of the compilation of the Quran. The Caliph Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz set up the committee, The Seven Fuqaha of Medina , and Malik ibn Anas wrote one of the earliest books on Islamic jurisprudence, the Muwatta , as a consensus of the opinion of those jurists. The Kharijites believed there was no compromised middle ground between good and evil, and any Muslim who committed a grave sin would become an unbeliever. The term "kharijites" would also be used to refer to later groups such as ISIS . The Murji'ah taught that people's righteousness could be judged by God alone. Therefore, wrongdoers might be considered misguided, but not denounced as unbelievers. This attitude came to prevail into mainstream Islamic beliefs. The Umayyad dynasty conquered

18200-482: The carpet is too good for me or that I am too good for the carpet." Umm Habiba responded, "It is the Messenger of Allah's carpet, and you are an unclean polytheist." Abu Sufyan ibn Harb sought an audience with Muhammad. However, the latter was aware of his tricks and did not provide him with any assurance. He then approached Abu Bakr but was similarly rebuffed. He attempted to solicit the intervention of ' Umar but

18382-425: The ceiling. The ceiling itself is of a darker colour, similar in hue to the lower trimming. The Bāb ut-Tawbah —on the right wall (right of the entrance) opens to an enclosed staircase that leads to a hatch, which itself opens to the roof. Both the roof and ceiling (collectively dual-layered) are made of stainless steel -capped teak wood . Islam Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centered on

18564-417: The city of Mecca." The Asatir book was likely compiled in the 10th century CE, though Moses Gaster suggested in 1927 that it was written no later than the second half of the 3rd century BCE. The Qur'an contains several verses regarding the origin of the Kaaba. It states that the Kaaba was the first House of Worship for mankind, and that it was built by Ibrahim and Ismail on Allah's instructions: Verily,

18746-487: The city, engaging in combat, resulting in the deaths of twelve enemy combatants and the martyrdom of two of his own men. Zubayr ibn al-Awwam reached his designated destination, where he planted the banner at the Al-Fath (conquest) Mosque and waited there for the arrival of Muhammad. A tent was set up for him, where he offered prayers of gratitude to Allah for the victory. Muhammad did not rest for long and, accompanied by

18928-465: The concept of a function . The government paid scientists the equivalent salary of professional athletes today. Guinness World Records recognizes the University of Al Karaouine , founded in 859, as the world's oldest degree-granting university. Many non-Muslims, such as Christians , Jews and Sabians , contributed to the Islamic civilization in various fields, and the institution known as

19110-423: The courtyard at the time. 'Itab commented on the novel situation, remarking that Allah had honoured his father, Usaid, by not allowing him to hear such words. Muhammad, said to have been guided by Divine revelation, approached the group and informed them that he had learned of their conversation. Al-Harith and 'Itab, taken aback by this, immediately professed their belief in Islam. On that same day, Muhammad visited

19292-534: The dates of these events. The conversion of these dates to the Julian calendar depends on what assumptions are made about the calendar in use in Mecca at the time. For example, 18 Ramadan 8 AH may be converted to 11 December 629 AD, 10 or 11 January 630, or 6 June 630 AD. In 628, the Quraysh tribe of Mecca and the Muslims in Medina entered into a 10-year pact called the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. However, in 630 (8 A.H.),

19474-526: The death of Uthman, but was defeated at the Battle of the Camel . Ali attempted to remove the governor of Syria, Mu'awiya , who was seen as corrupt. Mu'awiya then declared war on Ali and was defeated in the Battle of Siffin . Ali's decision to arbitrate angered the Kharijites , an extremist sect, who felt that by not fighting a sinner, Ali became a sinner as well. The Kharijites rebelled and were defeated in

19656-700: The decrease in Arab influence after the Mongol destruction of the Abbasid Caliphate. The Muslim Mongol Khanates in Iran and Central Asia benefited from increased cross-cultural access to East Asia under Mongol rule and thus flourished and developed more distinctively from Arab influence, such as the Timurid Renaissance under the Timurid dynasty . Nasir al-Din al-Tusi (1201–1274) proposed

19838-640: The developments, but Muhammad did not wish to take them by surprise. He instructed his men to light fires on all sides for cooking purposes. This was done to allow the Quraysh to accurately assess the situation and make informed decisions, rather than risking their lives by blindly entering into the battlefield without proper knowledge. 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab was assigned the responsibility of guarding their camp. Meanwhile, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, Hakim bin Hizam , and Budail bin Warqa', ventured out to gather information about

20020-470: The early Abbasid era, scholars such as Muhammad al-Bukhari and Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj compiled the major Sunni hadith collections while scholars like Al-Kulayni and Ibn Babawayh compiled major Shia hadith collections. The four Sunni Madh'habs , the Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki, and Shafi'i, were established around the teachings of Abū Ḥanīfa , Ahmad ibn Hanbal , Malik ibn Anas and al-Shafi'i . In contrast,

20202-616: The entry into Mecca, was forgiven. Wahshi , the murderer of Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib , Muhammad's uncle, and Hind bint Utba , who had mutilated his body, were also extended clemency. Habar, who had attacked Muhammad's daughter with a spear while she was on her way from Mecca to Medina, causing fatal injuries that ultimately led to her death, was also forgiven. Two chiefs of the Quraysh were pardoned once they had embraced Islam. They were Safwan bin Umayya and Fudalah bin 'Umair. The latter had previously attempted to assassinate Muhammad while he

20384-704: The era of the life of Muhammad , the Kaaba is mentioned by the following names: According to historian Eduard Glaser , the name "Kaaba" may have been related to the southern Arabian or Ethiopian word " mikrab ", signifying a temple. Author Patricia Crone disputes this etymology. Historian Patricia Crone has cast doubt on the claim that Mecca was a major historical trading outpost. Other scholars such as Glen Bowersock disagree and assert that it was. Crone later on disregarded some of her theories. She argues that Meccan trade relied on skins, hides, manufactured leather goods, clarified butter, Hijazi woollens, and camels. She suggests that most of these goods were destined for

20566-404: The first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for mankind. Behold! We gave the site, to Ibrahim, of the (Sacred) House, (saying): "Associate not anything (in worship) with Me; and sanctify My House for those who compass it round, or stand up, or bow, or prostrate themselves (therein in prayer)." And remember Ibrahim and Ismail raised

20748-484: The first and second centuries of Islam. One of them reads as follows: God suffices and wrote Maysara bin Ibrahim Servant of the Kaaba (Khadim al-Kaaba). Juan Cole is of the opinion that the inscription is likely from the second century A.H. ( c.  718 –815 CE). During Muhammad's lifetime (570–632 CE), the Kaaba was considered a holy site by the local Arabs. Muhammad took part in the reconstruction of

20930-478: The flag and that it should be given to his son Qais , in another version, Az-Zubair. 'Abbas urged Abu Sufyan ibn Harb to hasten into Mecca and warn the Quraysh against any aggressive behaviour towards the Muslims. Abu Sufyan, who was now an ally of the Muslims, shouted at the top of his voice and advised the Quraysh to seek safety in his house. The people of Mecca laughed at him and dispersed in different directions, some taking refuge in their homes, others entering

21112-420: The floor is made of marble and limestone . The interior walls are clad with tiled, white marble halfway to the roof, with darker trimmings along the floor. The floor of the interior stands about 2 m (6 ft 7 in) above the ground area where tawaf is performed. The wall directly adjacent to the entrance of the Kaaba has six tablets inlaid with inscriptions, and there are several more tablets along

21294-505: The following narrative on the authority of his grandfather: I have heard that there was set up in al-Bayt (referring to the Kaaba) a picture ( Arabic : تمثال , romanized :  Timthal , lit.   'Depiction') of Maryam and 'Isa. ['Ata'] said: "Yes, there was set in it a picture of Maryam adorned ( muzawwaqan ); in her lap, her son Isa sat adorned." In her book Islam: A Short History , Karen Armstrong asserts that

21476-587: The foundations of the House (With this prayer): "Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For Thou art the All-Hearing, the All-knowing." Ibn Kathir , in his famous exegesis ( tafsir ) of the Quran, mentions two interpretations among the Muslims on the origin of the Kaaba. One is that the temple was a place of worship for mala'ikah ( angels ) before the creation of man. Later, a house of worship

21658-458: The gates of itjihad rather than blind imitation of scholars. He called for a jihad against those he deemed heretics, but his writings only played a marginal role during his lifetime. During the 18th century in Arabia, Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab , influenced by the works of Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn al-Qayyim , founded a movement called Wahhabi to return to what he saw as unadultered Islam. He condemned many local Islamic customs, such as visiting

21840-537: The geography starts with a speculation about the origin of the Muslim sanctuary in Arabia: Regarding the K'bta (Kaaba) of Ibrahim, we have been unable to discover what it is except that, because the blessed Abraham grew rich in property and wanted to get away from the envy of the Canaanites, he chose to live in the distant and spacious parts of the desert. Since he lived in tents, he built that place for

22022-399: The giving of a fixed portion (2.5% annually) of accumulated wealth by those who can afford it to help the poor or needy, such as for freeing captives, those in debt , or for (stranded) travellers, and for those employed to collect zakat. It acts as a form of welfare in Muslim societies. It is considered a religious obligation that the well-off owe the needy because their wealth is seen as

22204-476: The grave of Muhammad or saints, as later innovations and sinful and destroyed sacred rocks and trees, Sufi shrines, the tombs of Muhammad and his companions and the tomb of Husayn at Karbala, a major Shia pilgrimage site. He formed an alliance with the Saud family , which, by the 1920s, completed their conquest of the area that would become Saudi Arabia . Ma Wanfu and Ma Debao promoted salafist movements in

22386-433: The head of an army consisting of ten thousand soldiers on the tenth day of the month of Ramadan. This was the largest Muslim force ever assembled as of that time. Muhammad appointed Abu Ruhm Al-Ghifari as the custodian of the affairs of Medina during his absence. As they progressed towards Mecca, Al-'Abbas bin 'Abdul Muttalib and his family joined Muhammad and his army at a place called Al-Juhfa. Upon reaching Al-Abwa’ ,

22568-424: The home of 'Umm Hani , where he washed and offered prayers of victory. 'Umm Hani had provided shelter to two of her Meccan relatives in her home, an action which was supported by Muhammad. It was decreed that the shedding of the blood of nine arch-criminals was lawful, even "under the curtains" of the Kaaba. However, only four of them were ultimately killed, while the others were pardoned for various reasons. One of

22750-407: The individuals killed was ' Abdullah ibn Khatal , who had initially accepted Islam and was appointed to collect alms-tax ( zakat ) in the company of an Ansar. During a dispute, 'Abdullah killed the Ansar's slave and subsequently apostatized, joining the pagan Arabs. He remained unrepentant for this crime and even hired two women singers to sing satirical songs about Muhammad. Another individual who

22932-512: The largest Shia populations outside Iran. Nader Shah , who overthrew the Safavids, attempted to improve relations with Sunnis by propagating the integration of Twelverism into Sunni Islam as a fifth madhhab , called Ja'farism, which failed to gain recognition from the Ottomans. Earlier in the 14th century, Ibn Taymiyya promoted a puritanical form of Islam, rejecting philosophical approaches in favor of simpler theology, and called to open

23114-652: The majority. Caliph Al-Mu'tasim carried out inquisitions , with the traditionalist Ahmad ibn Hanbal notably refusing to conform to the Muʿtazila idea that the Quran was created rather than being eternal , which resulted in him being tortured and kept in an unlit prison cell for nearly thirty months. However, other schools of speculative theology – Māturīdism founded by Abu Mansur al-Maturidi and Ash'ari founded by Al-Ash'ari – were more successful in being widely adopted. Philosophers such as Al-Farabi , Avicenna and Averroes sought to harmonize Aristotle's ideas with

23296-410: The merciful." (Qur'an 12:92) Abu Sufyan then recited some verses (of poetry) in praise of Muhammad and professed Islam as his only religion. The Muslims continued their journey towards Mecca while observing the fast, until they reached a location called Al-Qadeed where they found water and broke their fast. They then continued their march towards Mar Az-Zahran. The Quraysh did not have knowledge of

23478-484: The modern gold dinar as their monetary system. While some of those who broke away were quietist , others believed in violence against those opposing them, even against other Muslims. In opposition to Islamic political movements, in 20th century Turkey, the military carried out coups to oust Islamist governments, and headscarves were legally restricted, as also happened in Tunisia. In other places, religious authority

23660-502: The moral decline and idolatry prevalent in Mecca and seeking seclusion and spiritual contemplation, Muhammad retreated to the Cave of Hira in the mountain Jabal al-Nour , near Mecca. It was during his time in the cave that he is said to have received the first revelation of the Quran from the angel Gabriel . The event of Muhammad's retreat to the cave and subsequent revelation is known as

23842-399: The most common being Ar-Rahmān ( الرحمان ) meaning "The Entirely Merciful", and Ar-Rahīm ( الرحيم ) meaning "The Especially Merciful" which are invoked at the beginning of most chapters of the Quran. Islam teaches that the creation of everything in the universe was brought into being by God's command as expressed by the wording, " Be, and it is ," and that the purpose of existence

24024-418: The name of God ' ( بسملة , basmalah ) before starting an act such as eating. According to Islamic tradition, Muhammad was born in Mecca in 570 CE and was orphaned early in life. Growing up as a trader, he became known as the " trusted one " ( Arabic : الامين ) and was sought after as an impartial arbitrator. He later married his employer, the businesswoman Khadija . In the year 610 CE, troubled by

24206-403: The northern part of the Kaaba. This portion is what is currently known as Al-Hateem الحطيم or Hijr Ismail حجر اسماعيل. Muhammad's Isra' is said to have taken him from the Kaaba to the Masjid al-Aqsa and heavenwards from there. Muslims initially considered Jerusalem as their qibla, or prayer direction, and faced toward it while offering prayers; however, pilgrimage to the Kaaba was considered

24388-418: The other walls. Along the top corners of the walls runs a black cloth embroidered with gold Qur'anic verses. Caretakers anoint the marble cladding with the same scented oil used to anoint the Black Stone outside. Three pillars (some erroneously report two) stand inside the Kaaba, with a small altar or table set between one and the other two. Lamp -like objects (possible lanterns or crucible censers ) hang from

24570-528: The perpetually warring tribes, Mecca was declared a sanctuary where no violence was allowed within 30 km (20 mi) of the Kaaba. This combat-free zone allowed Mecca to thrive not only as a place of pilgrimage, but also as a trading center. In Samaritan literature, the Samaritan Book of the Secrets of Moses ( Asatir ) states that Ismail and his eldest son Nebaioth built the Kaaba as well as

24752-603: The picture of Maryam, so he put his hands on it and he said: "Erase what is in it [the Kaaba] in the way of pictures except the picture of Maryam." After the conquest, Muhammad restated the sanctity and holiness of Mecca, including its Great Mosque (Masjid al-Haram), in Islam. He performed the Hajj in 632 CE called the Hujjat ul-Wada' ("Farewell Pilgrimage") since Muhammad prophesied his impending death on this event. The Kaaba has been repaired and reconstructed many times. The structure

24934-491: The pilgrimage including doing naked circumambulation. A king named Tubba' is considered the first one to have a door be built for the Kaaba according to sayings recorded in Al-Azraqi 's Akhbar Makka . The interpretation that pre-Islamic Arabs once practiced Abrahamic religions is supported by some literary evidence, being the prevalence of Ishmael , whose God was that of Abraham , in pre-Islamic Arab culture. Writing in

25116-655: The pious. The Kharijites led the Berber Revolt , leading to the first Muslim states independent of the Caliphate. In the Abbasid Revolution , non-Arab converts ( mawali ), Arab clans pushed aside by the Umayyad clan, and some Shi'a rallied and overthrew the Umayyads, inaugurating the more cosmopolitan Abbasid dynasty in 750. Al-Shafi'i codified a method to determine the reliability of hadith. During

25298-518: The poor, foreigners, and slaves like the first muezzin Bilal ibn Rabah al-Habashi . The Meccan elite felt Muhammad was destabilizing their social order by preaching about one God and giving questionable ideas to the poor and slaves because they profited from the pilgrimages to the idols of the Kaaba. After 12 years of the persecution of Muslims by the Meccans , Muhammad and his companions performed

25480-554: The prayer time becomes due, perform the prayer there, for the best thing is to do so (i.e. to offer the prayers in time)." Sahih al-Bukhari : Volume 4, Book 55, Hadith Number 585 While Abraham was building the Kaaba, an angel brought to him the Black Stone which he placed in the eastern corner of the structure. Another stone was the Maqam Ibrahim , the Station of Abraham, where Abraham stood for elevation while building

25662-406: The prophets are said to have preached the same basic message of Islam – submission to the will of God – to various nations in the past, and this is said to account for many similarities among religions. The Quran recounts the names of numerous figures considered prophets in Islam , including Adam , Noah , Abraham , Moses and Jesus , among others. The stories associated with the prophets beyond

25844-528: The reason. On the third day, 'Amr bin Salim Al-Khuza'i arrived in Medina with a group of 40 horsemen to inform Muhammad of the plight of his people and to seek assistance from the Muslims for retaliation. The people of Medina soon learned that the Quraysh had breached the covenant. This news was later confirmed by the arrival of Budail and Abu Sufyan ibn Harb. With the aim of ensuring a total news blackout regarding his military plans, Muhammad dispatched

26026-408: The removal of polytheistic practices and the reclaiming of the Kaaba for the worship of Allah alone, in line with the teachings of Islam. This event is considered a major milestone in the establishment of the Islamic faith and the spread of monotheism . Muhammad began the usual circumambulation on his ride, and after completing the circumambulation, he called for 'Uthman ibn Talha, the key holder of

26208-508: The renegotiation of the treaty. Following the incident, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb journeyed to Medina with the intention of renegotiating the Truce. He made a direct visit to the residence of his daughter Umm Habiba , who was also the wife of Muhammad. Upon entering the house, Abu Sufyan attempted to take a seat on the carpet of Muhammad. However, his daughter, Umm Habiba, promptly folded it. "My daughter," Abu Sufyan stated, "I hardly knew if you think

26390-429: The rest of the religion. Non-Muslims wishing to convert to Islam are required to recite the shahada in front of witnesses. Prayer in Islam, called as-salah or aṣ-ṣalāt (Arabic: الصلاة ), is seen as a personal communication with God and consists of repeating units called rakat that include bowing and prostrating to God. There are five timed prayers each day that are considered duties. The prayers are recited in

26572-406: The revolt as a holy war. The Kaaba is depicted on the reverse of 500 Saudi riyal and 2000 Iranian rial banknotes. The Kaaba is a cuboid -shaped structure made of stones . It is approximately 15 m (49 ft 3 in) high with sides measuring 12 m (39 ft 4 in) × 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in) wide (Hawting states 10 m (32 ft 10 in). Inside the Kaaba,

26754-530: The same verb form, and means "submitter (to God)" or "one who surrenders (to God)". In the Hadith of Gabriel , Islam is presented as one part of a triad that also includes imān (faith), and ihsān (excellence). Islam itself was historically called Mohammedanism in the English-speaking world . This term has fallen out of use and is sometimes said to be offensive , as it suggests that

26936-422: The source: Diodorus puts the temple too far north for it to have been Mecca. Christian church father Arnobius , in around 300 CE, referred to "an unshapen stone" worshiped in an unspecified location in Arabia. This short Nestorian (Christian origin) chronicle written no later than the 660s CE covers the history up to the Arab conquest and also gives an interesting note on Arabian geography. The section covering

27118-540: The structure. The Black Stone and the Maqam Ibrahim are believed by Muslims to be the only remnant of the original structure made by Abraham as the remaining structure had to be demolished and rebuilt several times over history for its maintenance. After the construction was complete, God enjoined the descendants of Ismail to perform an annual pilgrimage: the Hajj and the Qurban , sacrifice of cattle. The vicinity of

27300-408: The sunnah is seen as crucial to guiding interpretation of the Quran. This example is preserved in traditions known as hadith , which are accounts of his words, actions, and personal characteristics. Hadith Qudsi is a sub-category of hadith, regarded as God's verbatim words quoted by Muhammad that are not part of the Quran. A hadith involves two elements: a chain of narrators, called sanad , and

27482-605: The teachings of Ja'far al-Sadiq formed the Ja'fari jurisprudence . In the 9th century, Al-Tabari completed the first commentary of the Quran, the Tafsir al-Tabari , which became one of the most cited commentaries in Sunni Islam. Some Muslims began questioning the piety of indulgence in worldly life and emphasized poverty, humility, and avoidance of sin based on renunciation of bodily desires. Ascetics such as Hasan al-Basri inspired

27664-666: The teachings of Islam, similar to later scholasticism within Christianity in Europe and Maimonides ' work within Judaism, while others like Al-Ghazali argued against such syncretism and ultimately prevailed. This era is sometimes called the " Islamic Golden Age ". Islamic scientific achievements spanned a wide range of subject areas including medicine , mathematics , astronomy , and agriculture as well as physics , economics , engineering and optics . Avicenna

27846-467: The temple was also made a sanctuary where bloodshed and war were forbidden. According to Islamic tradition, over the millennia after Ismail's death, his progeny and the local tribes who settled around the Zamzam well gradually turned to polytheism and idolatry. Several idols were placed within the Kaaba representing deities of different aspects of nature and different tribes. Several rituals were adopted in

28028-415: The treatment that I am about to accord to you?" They replied: "O noble brother and son of noble brother! We expect nothing but goodness from you." Upon this he said: "I speak to you in the same words as Yusuf (the prophet Joseph ) spoke unto his brothers: He said: "No reproach on you this day," (Qur'an 12:92) "go your way, for you are freed ones." Muhammad designated ' Uthman ibn Talha as the custodian of

28210-515: The violation of the treaty and the deaths of individuals allied with him in the sacred area. Three demands were presented, the acceptance of any one of which was imperative: This behaviour by the Quraysh was a clear breach of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah and a hostile act against the Muslim allies, the Banu Khuza'ah. Realizing the gravity of the situation and the potential consequences, the Quraysh immediately called for an emergency meeting and elected to send their leader, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, to Medina for

28392-402: The world. The current structure was built after the original building was damaged by fire during the siege of Mecca by Umayyads in 683 CE . In early Islam , Muslims faced in the general direction of Jerusalem as the qibla in their prayers before changing the direction to face the Kaaba, believed by Muslims to be a result of a Quranic verse revelation to Muhammad . According to Islam,

28574-472: The worship of God and for the offering of sacrifices. It took its present name from what it had been, since the memory of the place was preserved with the generations of their race. Indeed, it was no new thing for the Arabs to worship there, but goes back to antiquity, to their early days, in that they show honor to the father of the head of their people. This is an early record from the Rashidun caliphate , of

28756-582: Was a military campaign undertaken by Muhammad and his companions during the Muslim–Quraysh War . They led the early Muslims in an advance on the Quraysh -controlled city of Mecca in December 629 or January 630 (10–20 Ramadan , 8 AH ). The fall of the city to Muhammad formally marked the end of the conflict between his followers and the Quraysh tribal confederation. Ancient sources vary as to

28938-428: Was a pioneer in experimental medicine , and his The Canon of Medicine was used as a standard medicinal text in the Islamic world and Europe for centuries. Rhazes was the first to identify the diseases smallpox and measles . Public hospitals of the time issued the first medical diplomas to license doctors. Ibn al-Haytham is regarded as the father of the modern scientific method and often referred to as

29120-445: Was a town in southern Arabia in what was then known as Arabia Felix . A recent study has revisited the arguments for Macoraba and found them unsatisfactory. Based on an earlier report by Agatharchides of Cnidus , Diodorus Siculus mentions a temple along the Red Sea coast, "which is very holy and exceedingly revered by all Arabians". Edward Gibbon believed that this was the Kaaba. However, Ian D. Morris argues that Gibbon had misread

29302-485: Was appointed to lead the left flank and storm Mecca from the upper side. Abu 'Ubaidah was given command of the infantry and was ordered to penetrate the city through a side valley. The soldiers were given clear and decisive orders not to kill unless in self-defense, and to eliminate any aggressive elements and quell any opposition they may encounter. The Muslim battalions executed their assigned missions with precision and success. Khalid ibn al-Walid effectively infiltrated

29484-539: Was built on the location and was lost during the flood in Nuh ( Noah )'s time and was finally rebuilt by Ibrahim and Ismail as mentioned later in the Quran. Ibn Kathir regarded this tradition as weak and preferred instead the narration by Ali ibn Abi Talib that although several other temples might have preceded the Kaaba, it was the first Bayt Allah ('House of God'), dedicated solely to him, built by his instruction, and sanctified and blessed by him, as stated in Quran 22:26–29. A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari states that

29666-432: Was circumambulating the Kaaba. On the second day of conquest, Muhammad addressed the people and discussed the holy status of Mecca. He began by praising Allah and proclaimed that Mecca was a holy land and would remain so until the Day of Judgement . He emphasized that no bloodshed was allowed within Mecca and reminded the people that the temporary license granted to him for the conquest did not apply to others. According to

29848-515: Was claimed by the Ottoman dynasty of the Ottoman Empire and its claims were strengthened in 1517 as Selim I became the ruler of Mecca and Medina . The Shia Safavid dynasty rose to power in 1501 and later conquered all of Iran. In South Asia, Babur founded the Mughal Empire . The religion of the centralized states of the gunpowder empires influenced the religious practice of their constituent populations. A symbiosis between Ottoman rulers and Sufism strongly influenced Islamic reign by

30030-484: Was co-opted and is now often seen as puppets of the state. For example, in Saudi Arabia, the state monopolized religious scholarship and, in Egypt, the state nationalized Al-Azhar University , previously an independent voice checking state power. Salafism was funded in the Middle East for its quietism. Saudi Arabia campaigned against revolutionary Islamist movements in the Middle East, in opposition to Iran. Muslim minorities of various ethnicities have been persecuted as

30212-404: Was established in 1969 after the burning of the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem . Contact with industrialized nations brought Muslim populations to new areas through economic migration. Many Muslims migrated as indentured servants (mostly from India and Indonesia) to the Caribbean, forming the largest Muslim populations by percentage in the Americas. Migration from Syria and Lebanon contributed to

30394-455: Was executed was Miqyas bin Sababa, who was a Muslim. An Ansar had accidentally killed his brother Hisham, and Muhammad had arranged for the payment of blood money to him, which he had accepted. However, Miqyas killed the Ansar and subsequently apostatized, going to Mecca. Similarly, Huwairith and one woman singer were also put to death for their crimes. In contrast, 'Ikrimah bin Abu Jahl , who had attacked Khalid ibn al-Walid's detachment during

30576-511: Was for the first time partially codified into law in 1869 in the Ottoman Empire's Mecelle code. The Ottoman Empire dissolved after World War I , the Ottoman Caliphate was abolished in 1924 and the subsequent Sharifian Caliphate fell quickly, thus leaving Islam without a Caliph . Pan-Islamists attempted to unify Muslims and competed with growing nationalist forces, such as pan-Arabism . The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), consisting of Muslim-majority countries ,

30758-412: Was killed by Yazid's forces; the event has been annually commemorated by Shias ever since. Sunnis, led by Ibn al-Zubayr and opposed to a dynastic caliphate, were defeated in the siege of Mecca . These disputes over leadership would give rise to the Sunni - Shia schism, with the Shia believing leadership belongs to Muhammad's family through Ali, called the ahl al-bayt . Abu Bakr's leadership oversaw

30940-476: Was looking for water for her baby Ishmael in the desert before Mecca developed into a settlement. The pilgrimage also involves spending a day praying and worshipping in the plain of Mount Arafat as well as symbolically stoning the Devil . All Muslim men wear only two simple white unstitched pieces of cloth called ihram , intended to bring continuity through generations and uniformity among pilgrims despite class or origin. Another form of pilgrimage, Umrah ,

31122-405: Was made out of clay." He then recited to them the verse from the Qur'an: "O mankind, indeed, We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted." (Qur'an 49:13) He further added: "O you people of Quraysh! What do you think of

31304-510: Was met with a flat refusal. Finally, he turned to 'Ali bin Abi Talib , pleading with him in the humblest manner and subtly hinting at the potential for domination over all the Arabs if he were to intercede for the renewal of the treaty. However, 'Ali also expressed his inability to assist him. Abu Sufyan ibn Harb returned to Mecca in a state of disappointment and despair. He reported his encounters with his daughter, Abu Bakr, 'Umar, and ' Ali , as well as Muhammad's lack of response to his pleas, to

31486-418: Was previously an archenemy of Islam, begged for forgiveness and professed his wholehearted acceptance of the faith. Muhammad, in accordance with the general amnesty he had proclaimed, granted Abu Sufyan a special privilege at the request of 'Abbas. Muhammad stated, "He who takes refuge in Abu Sufyan’s house is safe; whosoever confines himself to his house, the inmates thereof shall be in safety, and he who enters

31668-567: Was prompted only by the considerations I have just explained." Umar, upon hearing of Hatib's actions, wanted to execute him for being a hypocrite, but Muhammad accepted Hatib's explanation and granted him pardon. Muhammad then addressed Umar saying, "Hatib is one of those who fought in the battle of Badr. What do you know 'Umar? Perhaps Allah has looked at the people of Badr and said: "Do as you please, for I have forgiven you." Umar released Hatib and acknowledged that "Allah and His Messenger know better." Muhammad set out towards Mecca at

31850-443: Was severely damaged by a fire on 3 Rabi' I 64 AH (Sunday 31 October 683 CE), during the first siege of Mecca in 683 in the war between the Umayyads and 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr , an early Muslim who ruled Mecca for many years between the death of ʿAli and the consolidation of power by the Umayyads . 'Abdullah rebuilt it to include the hatīm . He did so on the basis of a tradition (found in several hadith collections ) that

32032-406: Was the king of Hijaz , placed an idol of Hubal on the roof of the Kaaba. This idol was one of the chief deities of the ruling Quraysh tribe. The idol was made of red agate and shaped like a human, but with the right hand broken off and replaced with a golden hand. When the idol was moved inside the Kaaba, it had seven arrows in front of it, which were used for divination . To maintain peace among

32214-485: Was the only one built of stone. The others also allegedly had counterparts of the Black Stone. There was a "Red Stone", in the Kaaba of the South Arabian city of Ghaiman; and the "White Stone" in the Kaaba of al-Abalat (near modern-day Tabala ). Grunebaum, in Classical Islam , points out that the experience of divinity of that period was often associated with the fetishism of stones, mountains, special rock formations, or "trees of strange growth." Armstrong further says that

32396-433: Was the same deity worshipped by monotheists. At this time, the Muslims would perform the Salat prayer facing Jerusalem, as instructed by Muhammad, and turning their backs on the pagan associations of the Kabah. Alfred Guillaume , in his translation of the Ibn Ishaq 's seerah , says that the Kaaba itself might be referred to in the feminine form. Circumambulation was often performed naked by men and almost naked by women. It

32578-476: Was to have all the clan elders raise the cornerstone on a cloak, after which Muhammad set the stone into its final place with his own hands. The timber for the reconstruction of the Kaaba was purchased by Quraysh from a Greek ship that had been wrecked on the Red Sea coast at Shu'aybah. The work was undertaken by a Greek carpenter from the same ship, called Baqum (باقوم Pachomius). Financial constraints during this rebuilding caused Quraysh to exclude six cubits from

32760-510: Was to remove statues and images from the Kaaba . According to reports collected by Ibn Ishaq and al-Azraqi , Muhammad spared a painting of Mary and Jesus , and a fresco of Ibrahim. Narrated Abdullah: When the Prophet entered Mecca on the day of the conquest, there were 360 idols around the Kaaba. The Prophet started striking them with a stick he had in his hand and was saying, "Truth has come and Falsehood has vanished..." (Qur'an 17:81) Al-Azraqi further conveys how Muhammad, after he entered

32942-399: Was used by goldsmiths and for household purposes, to which Muhammad agreed. Muhammad was deeply angered upon learning of the tribal retaliation committed by the Khuza'ah tribe, in which a member of the Laith tribe was killed. He swiftly issued a directive for the Khuza'ah to cease any further engagement in "pre-Islamic practices" of revenge. Additionally, he granted the family of the victim

33124-548: Was victorious in the nearly bloodless conquest of Mecca , and by the time of his death in 632 (at age 62) he had united the tribes of Arabia into a single religious polity . Muhammad died in 632 and the first successors, called Caliphs – Abu Bakr , Umar , Uthman ibn al-Affan , Ali ibn Abi Talib and sometimes Hasan ibn Ali – are known in Sunni Islam as al-khulafā' ar-rāshidūn (" Rightly Guided Caliphs "). Some tribes left Islam and rebelled under leaders who declared themselves new prophets but were crushed by Abu Bakr in

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