For Muslims, the most significant religious figure is the prophet Muhammad, thanks to whom the world saw and read the Koran. Many facts from his life are known, which gives a chance to understand his personality and significance in history. There is a prayer dedicated to him that can work miracles.

Who is the Prophet Muhammad?

Preacher and prophet, Messenger of Allah and founder of Islam - Muhammad. His name means "Praised". God through him transmitted the text of the holy book for Muslims - the Koran. Many are interested in what the prophet Muhammad was like in appearance, so, according to the scriptures, he differed from other Arabs in a lighter skin color. He had a thick beard, broad shoulders and large eyes. Between the shoulder blades on the body there is a "seal of prophecy" in the form of a relief triangle.

When was the prophet Muhammad born?

The birth of the future prophet took place in the year 570. His family came from the Quraish tribe, who were the keepers of ancient religious relics. Another important point is where the prophet Muhammad was born, and so the event took place in the city of Mecca, where modern Saudi Arabia is located. Father Mohammed did not know at all, and his mother died when he was six years old. His uncle and grandfather were engaged in his upbringing, who told his grandson about monotheism.

How did the prophet Muhammad get the prophecy?

Information about how the prophet received revelations to write the Qur'an is minimal. Muhammad never spoke in detail and clearly on this topic.

1. It is established that Allah communicated with the prophet through an angel whom he calls Jibril.
2. Another interesting topic is how old Muhammad became a prophet, so according to legend, an angel appeared to him and said that Allah had chosen him as his messenger when he was 40 years old.
3. Communication with God was through visions. Some researchers believe that the prophet fell into a trance, and there are scientists who are sure that the reason is the weakness of the body due to long-term fasting and lack of sleep.
4. It is believed that one of the evidence that the Prophet Muhammad wrote the Qur'an is the fragmentary nature of the book and this, according to historians, is due to the inspiration of the preacher.

Prophet Muhammad's parents

The mother of the founder of Islam was the beautiful Amina, who was born into a wealthy family, which gave her a chance to get a good upbringing and education. She married at the age of 15, and the marriage with the father of the Prophet Muhammad was happy and harmonious. During childbirth, a white bird descended from the sky and touched Amina with its wing, which relieved her of existing fears. There were angels around, who took the child into the world. She died of illness when her son was five years old.

The father of the Prophet Muhammad - Abdullah was very handsome. Once his father, that is, the grandfather of the future preacher, made a vow before the Lord that he would sacrifice one son if he had ten of them. When the time came to fulfill the promise and the lot fell on Abdullah, he exchanged it for 100 camels. Many ladies were in love with the young guy, and he married the most beautiful girl in the city. When she was in the second month of pregnancy, the father of the Prophet Muhammad died. At that time he was 25 years old.

Prophet Muhammad and his wives

There is different information regarding the number of wives, but in official sources 13 names are traditionally represented.

1. The wives of the Prophet Muhammad could no longer marry after the death of their spouse.
2. They should hide the entire body under clothing, while other women can reveal their face and hands.
3. Communicating with the wives of the prophet was only possible through the curtain.
4. They received a double reward for every one they did.

The Prophet Muhammad married the following women:

1. Khadija... First wife to convert to Islam. She gave birth to the Messenger of Allah six children.
2. Saud... The prophet married her a few years after the death of his first wife. She was devout and godly.
3. Aisha... She married Muhammad at the age of 15. The girl told people many sayings of her famous husband related to her personal life.
4. Umm Salama... She married Muhammad after the death of her husband and lived longer than his other wives.
5. Maria... The Egyptian ruler presented a woman to the prophet, and she became a concubine. Legalized the relationship after the birth of a son.
6. Zainab... She was in the status of a wife for only three months, and then she died.
7. Hafs... The young girl was distinguished from others by her explosive character, which often angered Muhammad.
8. Zainab... The girl was first the wife of the adopted son of the prophet. Other wives did not like Zainab and tried to portray her in a bad light.
9. Maimuna... She was the sister of the prophet's uncle's wife.
10. Juvairia... She is the daughter of a tribal leader who opposed the Muslims, but after marriage, the conflict was settled.
11. Safia... The girl was born into a family that was at enmity with Muhammad, and she was captured. She was freed by her future husband.
12. Ramla... The first husband of this woman changed his faith from Islam to Christianity, and after his death she remarried.
13. Raikhan... At first, the girl was a slave, and after accepting Islam, Muhammad took her as his wife.

Children of the Prophet Muhammad

Only two wives gave birth to the Messenger of Allah and, interestingly, all of his descendants died at an early age. Many are interested in how many children the Prophet Muhammad had, so there were seven of them.

1. Kasim - died at the age of 17 months.
2. Zainab - was married to her father's cousin, gave birth to two children. She died young.
3. Rukia - was married early and died in her youth, not survived the disease
4. Fatima - she was given in marriage to a cousin of the prophet, and only she left the offspring of Muhammad. She died after the death of her father.
5. Ummu-Kulthum - was born after the advent of Islam and died at a young age.
6. Abdullah - was born after the prophecy and died at an early age.
7. Ibrahim - after the birth of his son, the prophet made a sacrifice to Allah, shaved his hair and distributed donations. He died at the age of 18 months.

Prophecies of the Prophet Muhammad

There are about 160 confirmed prophecies that were fulfilled both during his lifetime and after his death. Consider a few examples of what the Prophet Muhammad said and what came true:

1. He predicted the conquest of Egypt, Persia and confrontation with the Turks.
2. He said that after his death Jerusalem would be subdued.
3. He argued that Allah will not give people a specific date, and they should understand that the Day of Judgment can come at any time.
4. He told his daughter Fatima that she was the only one who would survive him.

Prayer of the Prophet Muhammad

Muslims can turn to the founder of Islam with the help of a special prayer - salavat. She is a manifestation of obedience to Allah. Regular referrals to Muhammad have their advantages:

1. Helps to cleanse from hypocrisy and save from the fire of Hell.
2. The Messenger Prophet Muhammad will intercede on the Day of Judgment for those who pray for him.
3. Prayer appeals are a way of cleansing and atonement for sins.
4. Protects from the wrath of Allah and helps not to stumble.
5. You can ask for implementation through it.

When did the Prophet Muhammad die?

There are a huge number of versions related to the death of the Messenger of Allah. Muslims know that he died in 633 AD. from a sudden illness. At the same time, no one knows what the Prophet Muhammad was ill with, which causes many doubts. There are versions that in fact he was killed with the help of poison, and this wife Aisha did. Disputes over this issue continue. The preacher's body was buried in his house, which was located near the Prophet's Mosque, and after a while the room was expanded and became part of it.

Prophet Muhammad Facts

A huge amount of information is associated with this figure in Islam, while some facts are little known for many.

1. There is an assumption that the Messenger of Allah suffered from epilepsy. In ancient times, he was considered possessed due to unusual seizures and clouding of consciousness, but these are common symptoms of an epileptic condition.
2. The morals of the Prophet Muhammad are considered an ideal, and every person should strive for them.
3. The first marriage was for great love and the couple lived in happiness for 24 years.
4. Many are interested in what the prophet Muhammad did when he began to prophesy events. According to legend, the first feelings were doubt and despair.
5. He was a reformer because revelation demanded social and economic justice, which the elite did not agree with.
6. The merits of the Prophet Muhammad are enormous, so it is known that in his entire life he did not offend or defame anyone, while he avoided dishonest people and gossip.

Muhammad (Muhammad) (570-632), religious preacher and politician, founder of Islam.

The son of Abdullah from the Hashim clan of the Qurayit tribe, which had Mecca as its capital, the most important commercial and religious center of the Arabian Peninsula.

Left an orphan, Muhammad lived in poverty for a long time, he was a shepherd and a caravan driver. His marriage to the widow of the merchant's wife Khadija returned him to the environment of the Meccan nobility.

In the 10s. VII century. Muhammad preached monotheism. According to Muslim tradition and the statements of Muhammad himself, the angel Jebrail (Archangel Gabriel in the Christian New Testament) appeared to him and told him to prophesy in the name of the One God (Allah).

Muhammad, according to Muslims, is the last in a series of great prophets of God, among whom were the first man Adam and the escaped from the flood Nuh (Noah), the biblical progenitors Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail, Ishak (Isaac), Yakub (Jacob), the Israeli kings Daoud (David) and Suleiman (Solomon), finally, Isa al-Masih (Jesus Christ, the Messiah).

Muhammad condemned the polytheism of his fellow tribesmen, who worshiped Allah only as the supreme deity, and called for the destruction of idols. For his ideas, he was persecuted and in 622 left Mecca for nearby Medina. This resettlement (hijra) serves as the starting point for the Muslim chronology. Condemning paganism, Muhammad rejected Judaism (the Jews did not recognize the prophets since the Old Testament) and Christianity (Christians, from his point of view, deviate to polytheism, since they deify Christ).

He became the founder of a new religion - Islam. Having established it in Medina and becoming the head of the union of the Medina tribes, Muhammad began a holy war (ghazavat, jihad) for returning to Mecca and establishing the faith there.

In 628 he inflicted a crushing defeat on the Meccan army, and in 630 he solemnly entered Mecca. The main Meccan temple - the Kaaba ("black stone" sent by Him from heaven to earth as a sign of Allah's greatness) - was cleared of idols and became the main shrine of Islam. Envoys of many Arab tribes appeared to Muhammad in Mecca, who expressed a desire to recognize Islam and the power of the prophet.

After the death of Muhammad on June 8, 632, the power of the head of the community was inherited by his closest associate Abu Bakr, who became the first caliph (“successor” of the prophet), the head of the emerging Arab Muslim state.

Prophet Muhammad (Mohammed), the founder of Islam, was born in Mecca in about 570 (according to some versions - April 20 or 22, 571). Muhammad's father died shortly before his birth, and when the boy was 6 years old, he lost his mother. Two years later, Muhammad's grandfather, who took care of him in a fatherly way, passed away.

Muhammad - biography

Young Muhammad was raised by his uncle Abu Talib.

At the age of 12, Muhammad, together with his uncle, went on business to Syria, and plunged into the atmosphere of spiritual quests associated with Judaism, Christianity, and other religions.

Muhammad was a camel driver, then a merchant. When he turned 21, he got a job as a clerk from a wealthy widow Khadija. While doing business for Khadija, he traveled to many places and everywhere showed interest in local customs and beliefs. At the age of 25, he married his mistress. The marriage was happy.

But Muhammad was drawn to spiritual quests. He went into desolate gorges and, alone, plunged into deep contemplation. In 610, in the cave of Mount Hira, Muhammad saw a luminous figure of God, who ordered him to memorize the text of the revelation and named him "the Messenger of Allah."

Starting to preach among his loved ones, Muhammad gradually expanded his circle of adherents. He called his fellow tribesmen to monotheism, to a righteous life, observance of the commandments in preparation for the coming judgment of God, talked about the omnipotence of Allah, who created man, everything living and inanimate on earth.

He perceived his mission as a commission from Allah, and called his predecessors the biblical characters: Musa (Moses), Yusuf (Joseph), Zakariya (Zachariah), Isa (Jesus). A special place in the sermons was given to Ibrahim (Abraham), who was recognized as the forefather of the Arabs and Jews, and the first to preach monotheism. Muhammad stated that his mission was to restore the faith of Abraham.

The aristocracy of Mecca saw in his sermons a threat to their power and organized a conspiracy against Muhammad.

Upon learning of this, the prophet's companions persuaded him to leave Mecca and move in 632 to the city of Yathrib (Medina). Some of his companions have already settled there. It was in Medina that the first Muslim community was formed, strong enough to launch attacks on caravans from Mecca. These actions were perceived as punishment of the Meccans for the expulsion of Muhammad and his associates, and the funds received went to the needs of the community.

Later, the ancient pagan sanctuary of the Kaaba in Mecca was declared a Muslim shrine, and from that time Muslims began to pray, turning their eyes to Mecca. The inhabitants of Mecca itself did not accept the new faith for a long time, but Muhammad managed to convince them that Mecca would retain its status as a major commercial and religious center.

Shortly before his death, the prophet visited Mecca, where he broke all the pagan idols that stood around the Kaaba.

Mohammed (Mohammed; in European literature, often Mohammed, Magomed)

c. 570-632) - the founder of Islam, revered as a prophet. A native of the Banu-Hashim clan of the Arab tribe of the Quraish. Having received, according to legend, about 609 (or 610) a revelation from Allah, he spoke in Mecca with a preaching of the new faith. In 622, together with the adherents, he was forced to move (so-called hijra) to Medina (Yathrib). In 630-631. Muslims under the leadership of Muhammad subdued Mecca and a significant part of Arabia. Muhammad became the head of a theocratic state. Muhammad's tomb, revered by Muslims, is located in Medina.

Source: Historical Dictionary

MUHAMMAD

OK. 570-632) - Arab religious and political leader, founder of Islam. Muslims are considered the greatest prophet, the messenger of God. Descended from a tribe of Quraish, he was orphaned early, was a shepherd, then married a rich widow and became a merchant. Around 610, he preached a new religion, which he later called Islam. The Kureishite elite was at first hostile to the activities of M., and in 622 he had to flee from Mecca to Yathrib, later called Medinatan-nabi, that is, the city of the prophet. 622 went down in history as the main date of Islam (hijra), from which the Muslim calendar begins. In Medina, M. became the head of the Muslim community, in which people were united not by blood kinship, but by religion. In 630-631. the Muslims, under the leadership of M., subjugated Mecca, and then a significant part of the ancient regions of Arabia, where Islam took root. M.'s tomb in Medina became the second, after the Kaaba, the shrine of Islam.

Source: Dictionary of Historical Terms

MUHAMMAD

Mohammed (570/580 - 632) - religion.

and polit. activist Zap. Arabia. Acc. muslim. traditions and the Koran, the last messenger of Allah, the greatest prophet. According to the European rationalistic. critics, M. - the founder of Islam, the author of the Koran. Modern M. source. has not survived; in the Koran biographical. there is no data on M. Information about M.'s life and work appeared after his death.

Prophet Muhammad

M.'s first biography, composed. Ibn Ishaq, has come down to us in the revision of Ibn Hisham (d. 834). According to legend, M. is an Arab from the Hashim clan of the Kureish tribe, born. in Mecca; orphaned early, was a shepherd, then accompanied the bargaining. caravans; after marrying a rich widow, Khadija conducted her bargaining. business. Religious attitude adhered to Hanifism, and approx. 610 preached a new religion - Islam. Having not received recognition in Mecca, M. in 622 with his few. followers moved (hijra) to Medina, where he was led by the Muslim. community. After the surrender of the Meccans M. about 630, acc. legend, entered Mecca. M.'s grave, revered by Muslims, is located in Medina.

Source: Ancient World. Encyclopedic Dictionary in 2 volumes

Muhammad

Muhammad (c. 570-632), founder of Islam, prophet. Genus. in Mecca, a native of the Banu-hashim clan of the Quraish tribe, he was orphaned in infancy; earned the nickname al-Amin ("The Reliable").

He married a rich widow Khadija. According to legend, immersed in religion. reflections, received "revelations" from Allah (610), later set forth by him in the Qur'an and determined the foundations of the Muslims. religion. From 613 he openly opposed idolatry and social evils, proclaiming the idea of ​​one Allah, the true God, and the inevitability of the Last Judgment. After the death in 619 of Khadija and his patron uncle Abu Talib, M. and his supporters began to persecute the inhabitants of Mecca, which forced them in 622 to flee to Medina (Hijra) and organize the first Muslim there. community. After a long fierce resistance to the new religion, Mecca capitulated, and most of the tribes of the Arabian Peninsula adopted Islam. After the sudden death of the prophet in 632, the Caliphate was formed, which gave rise to a wave of afterbirth. Arab conquests. Although M. constantly said that he was only a "messenger" of Allah, generations of Sunni Muslims strive to follow his teachings in words and deeds, as indicated in the hadith, and see in him an incomparable example of godly life.

Source: Oxford Illustrated Encyclopedia of World History (1800 to Present)

MUHAMMAD

arab., lit. - praised), in Europe. transcriptions - Mohammed (b. presumably between 570 and 580 - d. in 632), - relig. and polit. leader of Z. Arabia. According to Muslims. traditions and the Koran, - the last messenger of Allah, the greatest prophet. According to the views of Europe. rationalistic. critics, M. - the founder of Islam, the author of the Koran. There are no contemporary sources about him preserved; in the Koran biographical. there is no data on M. Information about M.'s life and work appeared after his death. The first biography of M., compiled by Ibn Ishaq, has come down to us in the revision of Ibn Hisham (d. 834). According to legend, M. is an Arab from the Hashim clan of the Kureish tribe, born. in Mecca; orphaned early, was a shepherd, then accompanied the bargaining. caravans; after marrying a wealthy widow, Khadija conducted her trade business. Religiously adhered to Hanifism, and approx. 610 preached a new religion - Islam. Not receiving recognition in Mecca, M. in 622 with his few followers moved (hijra) to Medina, where he headed the Muslim community. After the surrender of the Meccans, M. about 630, according to legend, entered Mecca. M.'s grave, revered by Muslims, is located in Medina.

Source: Das Leben Muhammed's nach Muhammed Ibn Ishak, hrsg. von F. W? stenfeld, Abt. 1-4, G? Tt., 1858-60 (in Arabic); Wellhausen J., Muhammed in Medina, B., 1882; Caetani L., Annali dell´ islam, v. 1-2, Mil., 1905-07. Lit .: Krymsky A., Sources for the history of Mohammed and the literature about him, v. 1-3, M., 1902-10; Bartold V.V., Muslim world, P., 1922; Belyaev E.A., Arabs, Islam and Arab. caliphate ..., M., 1965; Klimovich L.I., Islam, 2nd ed., M., 1965; Smirnov N. A., Essays on the study of Islam in the USSR, M., 1954; Weil G., Mohammed der Prophet, sein Leben und seine Lehre, Stuttg., 1843; Margoliout D. S., Mohammed and the rise of Islam, L., 1905; Blach? Re B., La probl? Me de Mahomet, P., 1952; Buhl P., Das Leben Muhammeds ..., (2 Aufl.), Hdlb., 1955; Gaudefroy-Demombynes M., Mahomet, P. 1957; Montgomery Watt W., Muhammad, Oxf.-L., 1961. See also ref. or T. at Art. Wakidi, Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sad. L. I. Klimovich. Moscow.

Source: Soviet Historical Encyclopedia: In 16 volumes - M .: State Scientific Publishing House "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1961-1976

Prophet Magomed (Muhammad) before and after the hijra

Prophet Muhammad (570-632) is a real historical person. Muhammad was born in Mecca (now Saudi Arabia), belonged to a priestly family, but was left without parents early and spent his childhood in poverty. Muhammad was married to a wealthy woman much older than him. By occupation, the future prophet was a merchant, traveled a lot, was very impressionable and inclined to think.

The priests of Mecca did not like Muhammad's sermons, and in 622, due to persecution, he had to flee to Medina. From the moment of the hijra (flight) of Muhammad from Mecca, Muslims ("obedient to Allah") lead their own chronology. The first mosque was built in Medina, the rules of prayer and behavior in everyday life, the ritual of marriage, the order of inheritance, etc. were established.

In 630, Muhammad returned to his hometown at the head of an armed detachment. The priests and the population of Mecca, after several years of confrontation, accepted Muhammad and his new teachings. Mecca surrendered without a fight. The victory strengthened Muhammad's authority in Arabia. Representatives of various Arabian tribes made alliances with him and converted to Islam.

The rapid triumph and spread of Islam was due to a number of circumstances.

First, Islam was a young religion, but it managed to creatively rework and absorb much of Christianity, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, etc. Islam contained an attractive idea of ​​an afterlife. IN janne("Garden" in Arabic) - a Muslim paradise - shady gardens with canals and ponds, with rivers of milk, wine and honey awaited the faithful. The inhabitants of Janna were rewarded with virgin spouses - the Hurias. They were served by eternally young boys, and guarded by angels. IN jahanname(hell), on the contrary, was supposed to burn in an eternal fire, drink boiling water and purulent water, suffer from the searing cold, etc. All non-Muslims were supposed to only have hell.

Among the 120 thousand prophets who preceded Muhammad, places of honor were given to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses (Musa), Jesus (Isa) and others. The faithful believed that on the day of the Last Judgment, Muhammad and Jesus would together carry out their judgment over people.

Second, the new religion was simple. The applicants had to fulfill five basic requirements.

1. To recognize the main dogma - "There is no God but God (Allah), and Muhammad is his prophet."

2. Pray five times a day, facing Mecca.

3. Fast one month a year (Ramadan or Ramadan).

4. Be sure to give alms, a kind of tax in favor of the poor (zakat).

5. Make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during your life.

These requirements were understandable, accessible, easily assimilated by the masses of nomadic pastoralists, warriors, merchants of the Middle East.

Thirdly, for the peoples who adopted Islam, the new creed became a sufficient basis for expansionist aspirations. The desire to bring the true faith, to attach to it other lands became for the Arabs the ideological basis for waging a holy war.

The powerful expansion of the Arabs affected vast territories. By the middle of the VIII century. under the rule of the Arab caliphs were Arabia, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Egypt, North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, India. The offensive of the Arabs was stopped in the south of France in the battle of Poitiers (731), the Byzantines (718) did it near Constantinople, and the Chinese also opposed them. The need to conduct military operations and the procedure for distributing booty to a large extent determined the formation of feudal relations in different countries.

Fourth, an important advantage of Islam is its powerful unifying force, its centripetal tendency. The new teaching not only indicated the path to salvation and contained the idea of ​​development, movement, spread, but also proposed a new system of values ​​presented in the Quran. Compliance with uniform rules of community, mandatory norms of behavior, adherence to traditional, and in essence, universal human ethics turned the crowd into a people and brought the Muslim medieval East to the first positions in general civilizational development.

Muhammad organized a huge religious and political alliance, in the power of which was a significant part of Arabia. In the strong centralized state created by Muhammad, the supreme ruler was also a religious leader. Muhammad sought to extend his influence to Palestine and Syria, but in 632 he died without leaving a male offspring. According to one of the legends, he was poisoned. Mohammed was buried in the Medina mosque.

In Islam, there were some restrictions that did not suit the taste of Vladimir I, who chose religion for Russia. These restrictions are associated with the climate that prevailed in the territories of the spread of Islam. Circumcision of the foreskin in men seems to be an expedient hygienic procedure that prevents the accumulation of carcinogenic smegma on the glans penis. The ban on the use of wine is due to the fact that in a hot climate it delivers a drunken person more than in a cold one, and with more serious consequences. They say that Muhammad saw how his respected, but completely drunk uncle suddenly began to chop the humps of the camels. And during his commercial travels, Muhammad had to pass through a village where grapes were harvested and wine was made. On the way back in the same village, he faced the consequences of mass drunkenness - killed people, burned down houses, orphaned women and children.

During the Soviet period, Muslims in the USSR could not afford to be orthodox. In the Soviet army, they did not feed lamb or veal. And on the development of oil and gas reserves in the north of the Tyumen region at temperatures of -40 ... -50 ° C, an absolutely sober person had nothing to do. From fellow graduate students from the Asian republics, who sometimes began to make fun of about participating in feasts, I had to hear wonderful culturological explanations. “Dear, you have not read the Qur'an and do not understand.

Biography of Muhammad

Muhammad forbade drinking wine, but he has no orders regarding vodka and brandy! "

Russian peasants sometimes like to speculate that Vladimir Krasnoe Solnyshko was still wrong in rejecting Islam. In the cult film "The White Sun of the Desert", a Red Army soldier, comrade Sukhov, has to save the Baysky harem, which allowed Fyodor Ivanovich to dream about this topic. Most modern Russian men are well aware that Muhammad allowed to have four wives not so that men have fun with group sex or live off the money of working spouses. Wise Muhammad wanted to ensure a high birth rate and solve the problem of social protection of women. Every modern Muslim, in accordance with the Koran, must provide all his wives with equal and dignified material living conditions. Therefore, most Muslim men get along with one wife.

INTRODUCTION

People known to the world - about the Prophet Muhammad

QURAN - THE SACRED BOOK OF MUSLIMS

ISLAMIC CONCEPT OF GOD

"FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM"

PILLARS OF FAITH

CONCLUSION

LITERATURE

INTRODUCTION

For many centuries, the best minds of mankind have sought to find a rational explanation of the causes of the emergence of a specific, illusory-mystical, irrational form of human thinking and to understand religion as a form of social consciousness, as a social phenomenon.

Having arisen at the dawn of mankind and taking shape for centuries on the basis of inadequate reflection in people's thinking of real objective processes in nature and society, religious ideas and beliefs, as well as dogmas, cults, rituals and ceremonies that consolidated them, entangled human consciousness with a web of unrealizable illusions, distorted his perception of the world in crooked a mirror of fantastic myths and magical transformations, magic and miracles, they were forced to create more and more elaborate and complex metaphysical constructions of the universe and the afterlife. Strengthening itself in the minds of people, fixing itself in the memory of generations, religion became part of the cultural potential of a people, a country or even many countries.

Ancient people, creating their religions, took care of purely ethnic needs and counted on the "compatriot" help of their own gods. Some of the religions “with local registration” have faded into oblivion (sometimes together with the peoples that gave birth to them), while others, with all their territorial limitations, live to this day.

Islam is one of the three (along with Buddhism and Christianity) so-called world religions, which has its adherents on almost all continents and in most countries of the world. Muslims make up the overwhelming majority of the population in many countries in Asia and Africa. Islam is an ideological system that has a significant impact on international politics.

In today's world, more than 700 million people are asked: "Who are you by faith?" - answer the Arabic word Muslim: "A person who professes Islam", a Muslim.

"Islam" in translation from Arabic means obedience, "Islam" (from Arabic "muslim") - surrendered to Allah.

The founder of Islam is the Arab "prophet" Muhammad (Muhammad or Muhammad), whose significance for the common destiny of mankind is difficult to overestimate, so this historical figure should be dwelt upon.

ACTIVITIES OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD

The biography of Muhammad is devoid of special fiction (in contrast to the Gospel biography of Jesus). But the origins of the Muslim religion must be sought, of course, not in the biographies of individuals, but in the socio-economic and ideological conditions prevailing in that era in Arabia.

Arabia has long been inhabited by Semitic tribes, the ancestors of today's Arabs. Some of them settled in oases and cities, engaged in agriculture, crafts and trade, some roamed the steppes and deserts, breeding camels, horses, sheep and goats. Arabia was economically and culturally connected with neighboring countries - Mesopotamia, Syria, Palestine, Egypt, Ethiopia. Trade routes between these countries went through Arabia. One of the important points of intersection of trade roads was in the Meccan oasis, near the coast of the Red Sea. Tribal nobility of the tribe who lived here Koreish(kureish) derived many benefits from trade. The religious center of all Arabs was formed in Mecca: sacred images and cult objects of various Arab tribes were collected in a special sanctuary of the Kaaba.

There were also settlements of foreigners in Arabia, in particular, Jewish and Christian communities. People of different languages ​​and religions communicated with each other, their beliefs influenced each other. In the IV century, the caravan trade began to decline in Arabia, as trade roads moved east to Sassanian Iran. This upset the economic equilibrium that had lasted for centuries. Nomads, who had lost their income from the caravan movement, began to tend to a sedentary lifestyle, to switch to agriculture. The need for land increased, and clashes between tribes intensified. The need for unification began to be felt. This was not slow to be reflected in the ideology: a movement arose for the merger of tribal cults, for the veneration of the single supreme god Allah; all the more so as Jews and partly Christians set an example of monotheism to the Arabs. A sect arose among the Arabs Hanifs who honored one god. It was in such an atmosphere that Muhammad's preaching activities developed, which fully met social needs. In his sermons, in fact, there was almost nothing new in comparison with the religious teachings of Jews, Christians, Hanifs: the main thing in Muhammad is the strict requirement to honor only the one Allah and to be unconditionally submissive to his will. The very word "Islam" means obedience.

"Allah testifies that there is no deity besides him, and angels and those possessing knowledge, who stand in justice: there is no deity, his mole, great, wise! Indeed, religion before Allah is Islam ..." (3:16-17).

During the Jahimeyah - this is the name of the pre-Islamic era, when the Arabs did not know the true God - large trade fairs were held in Mecca. In the sanctuary of the Kaaba ("cube") and on the forbidden territory ("haram"), it was impossible to quarrel, to shed blood. For all this could offend the religious feelings of various Arab tribes, each of which worshiped its own deities, but equally honored the Kaaba.

At the center of the pagan Kaaba stood Hubal; the ancient Arabs honored this deity of the Quraish tribe as the lord of the heavens and the moon, the lord of thunder and rain. The statue of Hubal in the form of a man with a golden hand was made of carnelian (gold replaced the once broken stone hand). The black stone that has been in the Kaaba since ancient times (according to scientists, had a meteoric origin) personified the heavenly power of Hubal.

Around the main deity were numerous idols - betila, depicting other Arabian deities (up to 300 in the Kaaba).

Both Jews and Christians lived in Mecca, as well as Hanifs - ascetics, pious people who professed strict monotheism. The pantheon of pagan Mecca consisted of many gods, one of whom bore the name Allah.

Muhammad was born in Mecca on August 29, 570 AD - it was Monday, 12 Rabi al-Awal, the year of the Elephant (according to the lunar calendar) - celebrated on the 12th of the month of Rabi al-Awway according to the lunar calendar. Mawlid - the Prophet's birthday coincides with the death of Muhammad. Symbolic coincidence of the dates of birth and death, i.e. birth for eternal life, was given to Muhammad by the Creator as a sign of his special mission as the bearer of the Revelation, the last, according to Islam, the Prophet in the history of mankind.

According to legend, the birth of Muhammad was predicted by the prophets Ibrahim (Abraham), Ismail, Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus Christ). There is nothing strange in these "double" names, since Islam belongs to the so-called Abrahamic religions, and Muslims, along with Jews and Christians, revere the same Old Testament prophets, as well as Jesus Christ as one of them.

Muhammad came from the brave and famous tribe of Qureish. His grandfather Abd al-Muttalib was an elder of the tribe, the keeper of the Kaaba, that is, a very revered person. His father Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib died without seeing his son. For 4 years, Muhammad lived the usual life of a boy from a nomadic tribe in the Arabian steppe, where his nurse Halima took him from Mecca. With his mother Amina, the boy was destined to live only two years. At the age of 6, he was left a complete orphan.

At first, his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib was involved in the upbringing of the future prophet, and after his death, his uncle Abu Talib. In his uncle's family, Muhammad led a relatively independent life, being present at the discussion of the most important public affairs, at disputes on religious and moral topics, at stories about trade travels, about adventures in distant countries, about the traditions of antiquity and the customs of different tribes and peoples. All this contributed to his spiritual development.

Muhammad later said simply and succinctly about his childhood and youth: "I was an orphan." An orphan reaches maturity earlier than other children. He feels the suffering of orphans and empathizes with them in life.

At the age of 12, Muhammad made his first long journey with his uncle Abu Talib's caravan to Syria, doing the work he could for his age. A long (six months) and fascinating journey allowed the teenager to get acquainted with the various landscapes of his homeland - Arabia, to get to know the life of ordinary people better.

By about 20 years of age, Muhammad began a completely independent life, without the formal guardianship of Abu Talib. By this time, his occupation was fully determined - he was a man versed in trade, knew how to drive caravans, hiring wealthy merchants as a clerk, caravan guide or trade agent. According to Arab historians, Muhammad was known as a man of impeccable reputation, distinguished by excellent character, honesty and conscientiousness, intelligence and ingenuity, faithfulness to his word.

At the age of 25, Muhammad married a wealthy widow, Khadija. Their marriage turned out to be extremely happy. Khadija became for her husband not only his beloved wife, but also the best friend, adviser and helper in his difficult career as a prophet. She bore him children: Kassema, Abdullah, Zeynab, Rukayu, Um-Kulsum and, finally, Fatima-zahra ("beautiful", "brilliant"). To the great grief of the parents, their sons died in childhood.

Even during his trade travels, observing the religious beliefs of different peoples, especially the Jews and Nasar (Christians), comparing them with the idolatry of his fellow tribesmen, Muhammad noted the positive and negative qualities of these religions. He thought a lot about faith, about God and finally came to the conclusion that God (Allah) is one, and no idol can replace him. Made by human hands, an idol cannot fulfill the function of Allah. Therefore, worshiping idols is a crime against Allah alone. Muhammad prayed to Allah Almighty in complete solitude. A successful marriage gave Muhammad a prosperous life, which allowed him to have enough free time, which over the years he devoted to religious pursuits. Spiritual tension, which prompted Muhammad to think about the purpose and meaning of life, about the foundations of the universe, grew stronger over the years and, finally, took shape in the conviction that it was he who was destined to know the true God and fulfill the mission of proclaiming the true faith to his fellow tribesmen.

The Prophet Muhammad was born in Mecca (Saudi Arabia) around 570 AD. BC, in the Hashim clan of the Quraish tribe. Muhammad's father, Abdallah, died before the birth of his Son, and Muhamed's mother, Amina, died when He was only six years old, leaving the Son an orphan. Muhammad was raised first by His grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, a man of exceptional piety, and then by His uncle, the merchant Abu Talib.

At that time, the Arabs were inveterate pagans, among whom, however, few adherents of Monotheism stood out, such, for example, as Abd al-Muttalib. Most of the Arabs lived a nomadic life in their original territories. There were few cities. Chief among them are Mecca, Yathrib and Taif.

From his youth, the Prophet was distinguished by exceptional piety and piety, believing, like His grandfather, in the One God. First, He tended the flocks, and then He became involved in the commercial affairs of His uncle Abu Talib. He became famous, people loved Him and, as a sign of respect for his piety, honesty, justice and prudence, gave him the honorary nickname al-Amin (Deserving of Trust).

Later, He was in the business of a wealthy widow named Khadija, who suggested, some time later, to Muhammad to marry her. Despite the age difference, they lived a happy married life with six children. And although in those days polygamy was common among the Arabs. The Prophet did not take other wives for Himself while Khadija was alive.

The newfound position freed up much more time for prayer and reflection. As usual, Muhammad retired to the mountains surrounding Mecca, and retired there for a long time. Sometimes His seclusion lasted for several days. He especially fell in love with the cave of Mount Khira (Jabal Hyp - Mountains of Light), majestically towering over Mecca. On one of these visits, in the year 610, something happened to Muhammad, who was then about forty years old, that completely changed his whole life.

In a sudden vision, the angel angel Gabriel (Gabriel) appeared before Him and, pointing to the words that appeared from outside, ordered Him to pronounce them. Muhammad resisted, declaring that he was illiterate, and therefore could not read them, but the angel continued to insist, and the Prophet suddenly discovered the meaning of these words. He was ordered to learn them and pass them on to the rest of the people exactly. This is how the first revelation about the sayings of the Book, now known as the Koran (from the Arabic "reading"), was marked.

This eventful night fell on the 27th of the month of Ramadan, and was named Laylat al-Qadr. From now on, the life of the Prophet no longer belonged to him, but was given over to the care of the One who called him to the prophetic mission, and the rest of His days he spent in the service of God, everywhere proclaiming His messages.

Receiving revelations, the Prophet did not always see the angel Jabrail, and when he did, the angel did not always appear in the same guise. Sometimes the angel appeared before Him in a human form, overshadowing the horizon, and sometimes the Prophet could only catch his gaze on Himself. At times He only heard a voice speaking to Him. Sometimes He received revelations deeply immersed in prayer, but other times they appeared completely "arbitrarily", when Muhammad, for example, was in the care of the affairs of everyday life, or went for a walk, or simply listened with enthusiasm to a meaningful conversation.

At first, the Prophet avoided public sermons, preferring personal conversation with interested people and with those who noticed extraordinary changes in Him. A special path of Muslim prayer was revealed to him, and He immediately began daily pious exercises, which invariably caused a wave of criticism from those who saw him. Having received the highest order to start a public sermon, Muhammad was ridiculed and cursed by the people, who mocked his sayings and deeds. Meanwhile, many Quraysh were seriously alarmed, realizing that Muhammad's insistence on establishing faith in the One True God could not only undermine the prestige of polytheism, but also lead to the complete decline of idolatry if people suddenly began to convert to the faith of the Prophet. Some of Muhammad's relatives turned into His main opponents: humiliating and ridiculing the Prophet himself, they did not forget to do evil against the converts. There are many examples of mockery and abuse against those who adopted the new faith. Two large groups of the first Muslims in search of refuge moved to Abyssinia, where the Christian Negus (king), very impressed with their teachings and way of life, agreed to protect them. The Quraysh decided to ban all trade, business, military and personal ties with the Hashim clan. Representatives of this clan were strictly forbidden to appear in Mecca. These were very difficult times, and many Muslims were doomed to the most severe poverty.

In 619, the Prophet's wife Khadija died. She was His most devoted supporter and helper. In the same year, Muhammad's uncle, Abu Talib, who defended Him from the fiercest attacks from his fellow tribesmen, also died. Grief-stricken, the Prophet left Mecca and went to Taif, where he tried to find refuge, but was rejected there too.

The Prophet's friends married a pious widow named Saud, who turned out to be a very worthy woman, and besides, she was also a Muslim. Aisha, the young daughter of his friend Abu Bakr, knew and loved the Prophet all her life. And although she was too young for marriage, however, according to the customs of that time, she nevertheless entered the family of Muhammad as a relative. However, it is necessary to dispel the misconception that exists among people who, at all, do not understand the reasons for Muslim polygamy. In those days, a Muslim who marries several women did so out of compassion, graciously providing them with protection and shelter. Muslim men were encouraged to provide assistance to the wives of their friends who died in battle, to provide them with separate houses and treat them as if they were closest relatives (of course, everything can be different in the case of mutual love).

In 619, Muhammad experienced the second most important night in his life - the Night of the Ascension (Laylat al-Miraj). It is known that the Prophet was awakened and transported on a magical animal to Jerusalem. Over the location of the ancient Jewish Temple on Mount Zion, the heavens opened and a path was opened that led Muhammad to the throne of the Lord, but neither he nor the angel Jabrail who accompanied him was allowed to enter the transcendental regions. That night the rules of Muslim prayer were revealed to the Prophet. They have become the focus of faith and the unshakable foundation of the life of Muslims. Muhammad also met and talked with other prophets, including Jesus (Isa), Moses (Musa), and Abraham (Ibrahim). This miraculous event greatly comforted and strengthened the Prophet, adding to the confidence that Allah did not leave Him and did not leave Him alone with sorrows.

Henceforth, the fate of the Prophet changed in the most decisive way. He was still persecuted and ridiculed in Mecca, but the message of the Prophet had already been heard by people far beyond this city. Some of the elders of Yathrib urged Him to leave Mecca and move to their city, where He would be honored as a leader and judge. In this city, Arabs and Jews lived together, constantly at odds with each other. They hoped that Muhammad would bring them peace. The Prophet promptly advised many of His Muslim followers to move to Yathrib while He remained in Mecca, so as not to arouse undue suspicion. After the death of Abu Talib, the courageous Quraysh could calmly attack Muhammad, even kill him, and he perfectly understood that sooner or later this would happen.

The Prophet's departure was accompanied by some dramatic events. Muhammad himself narrowly escaped captivity thanks to his exceptional knowledge of the local deserts. Several times the Quraysh nearly captured Him, but the Prophet still managed to reach the outskirts of Yathrib. They were eagerly awaiting him in the city, and when Muhammad arrived in Yathrib, people rushed to meet him with offers of refuge. Embarrassed by their hospitality, Muhammad gave the choice to his camel. The camel stopped at a place where the dates were dried, and it was instantly presented to the Prophet for building a house. The city received a new name - Madinat al-Nabi (City of the Prophet) now known as Medina in abbreviation.

The Prophet immediately began to prepare a decree, according to which He was proclaimed the supreme head of all the warring tribes and clans of Medina, who were now forced to obey His orders. He established that all citizens are free to practice their religion in peaceful coexistence, without fear of persecution or the highest disfavor. He asked them only about one thing - to rally and repel any enemy who dared to attack the city. The previous tribal laws of Arabs and Jews were replaced by the basic principle of "justice for all", regardless of social status, skin color or religion.

Becoming the ruler of the city-state and taking possession of untold wealth and influence. The Prophet, however, never lived like a king. His dwelling consisted of simple clay houses built for His wives; He never even had a room of his own. Not far from the houses there was a courtyard with a well - a place that has now become a mosque where devout Muslims gather.

Almost the entire life of the Prophet Muhammad was spent in constant prayer and in the instruction of believers. In addition to the five obligatory prayers that He spent in the mosque, the Prophet devoted much time to solitary prayer, and sometimes he devoted most of the night to pious reflections. His wives performed night prayer with Him, after which they retired to their chambers, and He continued to pray for many hours, falling asleep briefly towards the end of the night in order to soon wake up to the pre-dawn prayer.

In March 628, the Prophet, who dreamed of returning to Mecca, decided to make His dream a reality. He set out with 1,400 followers, completely unarmed, in pilgrim robes consisting of two simple white veils. However, the followers of the Prophet were denied entry to the city, despite the fact that many of the citizens of Mecca professed Islam. To avoid clashes, the pilgrims brought their sacrifices near Mecca, in an area called Khudaibiyya.

In 629, the Prophet Muhammad began plans for the peaceful conquest of Mecca. The truce concluded in the town of Khudaibiya proved to be short-lived, and in November 629 the Meccans attacked one of the tribes, which was in a friendly alliance with the Muslims. The Prophet marched into Mecca at the head of 10,000 men, the largest army ever to leave Medina. They settled near Mecca, after which the city surrendered without a fight. The Prophet Muhammad entered the city in triumph, immediately went to the Kaaba and seven times made a ritual circumambulation around it. Then He entered the shrine and destroyed all the idols.

It was only in March March 632 that the Prophet Muhammad made His only full-fledged pilgrimage to the shrine of the Kaaba, known as the Hajat al-Weeda (The Last Pilgrimage). During this pilgrimage, revelations were sent to Him about the rules of the Hajj, which to this day are followed by all Muslims. When the Prophet reached Mount Arafat to "stand before Allah," He delivered His last sermon. Even then, Muhamed was seriously ill. He continued to lead the prayers in the mosque to the best of his ability. There was no improvement in his illness, and He finally took to his bed. He was 63 years old. It is known that His last words were: "I am destined in Paradise to stay among the most worthy." His followers hardly believed that the Prophet could die like a common man, but Abu Bakr reminded them of the words of revelation spoken after the battle of Mount Uhud:
"Muhammad is only a messenger. There are no messengers who were once before him;
if he dies or is killed, will you really turn back? "(Qur'an, 3: 138).

The founder is a prophet Muhammad. He was born in A.D. 570. In Arabic chronology, this year is called Year of the Elephant. The year got its name because at this time the ruler of Yemen, Abraha, launched an offensive against Mecca with the aim of capturing it and subordinating all Arab lands to his influence. His army moved on elephants, which terrifies the locals, who have not seen these animals before. However, halfway to Mecca, Abrakh's army turned back, and Abrah himself died on the way home. Researchers believe that this was due to a plague epidemic that destroyed a significant part of the army.

Muhammad came from an impoverished clan of an influential family kureish. Members of this clan had to monitor the safety of spiritual sanctuaries. Muhammad was orphaned early. His father died before he was born. His mother gave him, according to the custom of that time, to a Bedouin nurse, with whom he grew up until the age of five. His mother died when he was six years old. Muhammad was raised first by his grandfather Abdalmuttalib, who served as a caretaker at the Kaaba temple, then after his death - an uncle Abu Talib. Muhammad joined labor early, grazed sheep, and took part in equipping trade caravans. When he turned 25, he took a job at Khadij, a rich widow. The work consisted of organizing and escorting trade caravans to Syria. Soon Muhammad and Khadija got married. Khadija was 15 years older than Muhammad. They had six children - two sons and four daughters. The sons died in infancy.

Only the beloved daughter of the prophet Fatima survived her father and left offspring. Khadija was not only my love wife of the prophet, but also my friend, in all difficult circumstances of life she supported him financially and morally. While Khadija was alive, she remained the only wife of Muhammad. After his marriage, Muhammad continued to engage in trade, but without great success. The change in the historical situation affected.

Muhammad spent a lot of time in prayer and meditation. When Muhammad was meditating in one of the caves in the vicinity of Mecca, he had a vision, during which he received the first message from God, transmitted through the archangel Jebraila(biblical - Gabriel). The first people who believed the sermons of Muhammad and converted to Islam were his wife Khadija, his nephew Ali, his freedman Zayd and his friend Abu-Bakr. At first, the call for a new pen was carried out in secret. The beginning of open preaching dates back to 610. The Meccaites greeted it with mockery. The sermon contained elements of Judaism and Christianity. Muhammad, according to historical information, was illiterate. He took oral stories from the Holy Scriptures from Jews and Christians and adapted them to the Arab national tradition. Biblical subjects organically became part of the holy book of the new religion, linking together the histories of many peoples. The popularity of Muhammad's sermons was promoted by the fact that he read them in recitative, in the form of rhymed prose. Gradually, a group of companions from different strata of Meccan society formed around Muhammad. However, the entire initial stage of the preaching, up to the resettlement to Medina, Muslims were persecuted and persecuted by the Meccan majority. As a result of this oppression, a large group of Muslims emigrated to Ethiopia, where they were received with understanding.

The number of Muhammad's supporters in Mecca grew steadily, but resistance to the new religion from influential residents of the city also grew. After the death of Khadija and Abutalib's uncle, Muhammad lost his inner support in Mecca and in 622 was forced to leave for his mother's city Yathrib, which after that began to be called Medina - the city of the prophet. A large group of Jews lived in Medina, and the people of Medina were more prepared to accept the new religion. Soon after the resettlement of Muhammad, the majority of the population of this city became Muslim. It was a huge success, so the year of resettlement began to be considered the first year of the Muslim era. - hijri(resettlement).

In the Medina period, Muhammad developed and deepened his teaching in the direction of isolation from related religions - and. Soon the whole of southern and western Arabia submitted to the influence of the Islamic community in Medina, and in 630 Muhammad solemnly entered Mecca. Now the Meccans bowed before him. Mecca was declared the holy capital of Islam. However, Muhammad returned to Medina, from where he made a pilgrimage in 632. (hajj) to Mecca. In the same year he died and was buried in Medina.

“Encyclopedia of Death. The Chronicles of Charon "

Part 2: Dictionary of Chosen Deaths

The ability to live well and die well are one and the same science.

Epicurus

MUHAMMAD

(Mohammed, in European literature sometimes Mohammed, Magomed)

(c. 570-632) - founder of Islam, prophet

Shortly before his death, Muhammad managed to unite Mecca and a significant part of other regions of Arabia under the banner of Islam, becoming the head of the first Islamic theocratic state. In the spring of 632, the disease began to overwhelm him, but he was still able to make the Hajj - a pilgrimage to Mecca. The story of the death of the prophet over the past centuries has been overgrown with legends and speculation. I will cite one of the most successful fictionalized statements made on the basis of historical and mythological evidence.

"At the end of May, Muhammad still had enough strength to lead Osama on a campaign. The army did not go far, however - everyone was alarmed by the prophet's illness, everyone understood that in case of his death, a struggle for power would begin and one should not go far. from Medina, the army set up camp.

Almost the next day after Osama was seen off, Muhammad's condition deteriorated sharply. At night he was tormented by nightmares, then he clearly heard voices that called him: the dead demanded that he pray for them. Now, immediately.

He woke up in horror that an important duty had not been fulfilled. Since Allah called him, he never disobeyed his will, did not distort a single word, did not hide anything. He always accompanied the believers and prayed at their graves. But someone could have died in his absence, he might not have been told about it, or had been told, but he forgot. Hundreds of people died in ten years - women, children, slaves, he did not even know their names. No, he did not pray for everyone, he did not fulfill his duty as a prophet. It was necessary to hurry. Muhammad called a slave and ordered him to behave immediately to the cemetery.

I have been ordered to pray for the dead in the cemetery, ”he explained.

Supported by a slave, he walked through the streets of sleeping Medina to the outskirts, to a public cemetery. It was the middle of the night ... According to the slave, when he finished praying, Muhammad exclaimed:

Peace be with you, people of graves! Happiness for us that you died! Troubles are approaching in waves of darkness, and each subsequent one will be more terrible than the previous one! ..

From that night on, Muhammad's condition began to deteriorate rapidly. He barely made it to the mosque to direct prayers, barely crossing the courtyard to devote himself to the care of his next wife. Finally, the illness overpowered him - in the house of Maimuna he lost consciousness for the first time, and when he woke up, he could not get up. He asked to be released from these daily transitions from house to house and placed in the care of Aisha.

Ali and the son of Abbas (the prophet's companions) with difficulty translated - rather, carried - Muhammad across the courtyard, his legs dragged along the ground, his head fell on his chest.

Maimuna wanted to treat him with some kind of medicine brought from Ethiopia. Muhammad refused to accept them; he asked to bring water from the seven wells of Medina and pour it over. They brought water, they sat him on a block and began to pour cold water on his head - he endured this torture, although he screamed in pain, but the treatment did not help. The next day he could no longer get up for prayer - he had to pray while standing. He was helped to bathe and was raised, but he immediately lost consciousness and fell. When he woke up, he asked for help to get up; they put him down, and he fell again. This was repeated several times.

After that, he resigned himself. He could not reach the mosque, Omar tried to lead the prayer instead of him, but the believers did not accept Omar. Then Muhammad entrusted this responsibility to Abu Bakr. Or maybe he did not instruct: everyone felt that he would soon die, the power was gone from his hands.

Everyone was removed from him, even his wives. Only Aisha saw him and looked after him. They stopped letting him in. Abu Bakr, Omar, Ali peeped in for a minute and immediately disappeared - they had no time for him. They hastily conferred with their supporters, sent messengers to friendly nomads, and watched each other with caution. They were concerned about the fate of the Ummah and the fate of Islam; the question of who would become the successor of the prophet was a matter of life and death for them.

Who did Muhammad want to see as the head of the believers after him? Nobody asked him about it, but he was silent. He knew that he could not do anything: the believers would not obey his choice, they would decide this issue themselves. Even worse, if the chosen one by Muhammad does not gain power, he will be killed. No one would dare to leave alive the man whom the prophet himself considered his worthy successor ...

Muhammad was silent, but still they were afraid of him. They were afraid of his last will, rash words, unnecessary revelation. He raved and fell into oblivion, at times losing the ability to speak. Once, when consciousness returned to him, he asked to bring writing accessories - he wanted to dictate something. No one answered him, no one moved. Everything. End. He no longer asked them for anything.

Rumors of the prophet's fatal illness caused a dangerous unrest among Muslims. Some insisted that Muhammad had died, others were convinced that the prophet could not die, that the prophet was immortal. Abu Bakr and Omar, apparently, calmed the Muslims in every possible way - the Prophet's illness was not dangerous, they argued, he was already recovering, he would soon be healthy. On the morning of June 8, when the believers gathered in the mosque, the doors of Aisha's hut were thrown open, the curtain was pulled back, and Muhammad appeared on the threshold. They supported him, but still he stood - alive and well. It was only forty meters from the doors of Aisha to the mosque, the believers saw the prophet well, some claimed that he was smiling. After standing for a minute, Muhammad slightly waved his hand, the door slammed. Everyone calmed down and went about their business.

Muhammad died a few hours later. According to Aisha, his head rested in her lap when she saw that his eyes had stopped. At the cry of Aisha, the rest of the prophet's wives came running, they announced the house with friendly cries, tore their clothes and scratched their cheeks ... "

The grave for the prophet was dug in the same place where his deathbed was. The tomb of Muhammad became the second shrine of Islam after the Kaaba.