253
Now in Saudi Arabia, Mecca is the
holiest city of the Islamic faith since it
is the birthplace of Muhammad. This is
the Grand Mosque, the heart of the city.
See also: God’s covenant with Israel 168–75 ■ Jesus’s message to the world
204–207 ■ The origins of Ahmaddiya 284–85
ISLAM
before Muhammad, but they also
believe that these revelations
became corrupt. Jews introduced
elements to the Torah that did not
come directly from God. Likewise,
Jesus’s followers mishandled his
message and distorted the Gospels,
misrepresenting God’s original
intentions. Therefore, Islam teaches
that the Jewish and Christian
scriptures in their current form are
no longer God’s pure revelations,
but corrupted by human error.
God’s word uncorrupted
In order to overcome this corruption,
God sent down his undefiled word
one final time, in the form of the
Qur’an, through Muhammad—his
final messenger. Thus, Islam is not
seen by Muslims as a new religion
with a new holy book. Instead,
Islam is considered the original,
pure, and unique revelation of God.
It supersedes those revelations that
were given to Moses and Jesus and
mishandled by their followers.
Moreover, it marks an end to further
revelation. Muhammad is the Seal
(last) of the Prophets: he marks a
close in God’s revelation and is the
last of God’s special messengers.
By the early 7th century,
Muhammad claimed the authority
of a prophet, whose mission was
to preach the worship of the one,
true God. Many Jews, Christians,
and polytheists in his native
Mecca believed his message. This
fledgling community of Muslims
was persecuted for its beliefs,
and so Muhammad left Mecca for
nearby Medina, where the Muslim
community expanded.
Given Muhammad’s eminent
status in Islam, Muslims have
always looked to his life and words
as a model for Islamic living. Many
of the things he said and did are
recorded in the Sunna, which
comprises authoritative collections
of Muhammad’s sayings (hadith)
and actions (sunna). These serve as
examples to Muslims seeking
guidance on how to live their lives. ■Muhammad ibn
’AbdallahBorn near Mecca around 570,
Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah
was raised by his uncle, Abu
Talib. The young Muhammad
accompanied his uncle on
many of his journeys as a
camel-train merchant, meeting
travelers from a wide variety of
cultures and religions. He
gained a reputation for being
wise and trustworthy.
When in his early 20s,
Muhammad was employed by
a wealthy widow, Khadija, to
manage her business. She, too,
was a camel-train merchant.
Khadija later proposed to
him and they were married.
After her death, Muhammad
remarried and is said to have
had 13 wives or concubines.
Muhammad would often
retreat from business and
family life to a cave in the
desert, where he would
meditate. In 610, during a
moonless night of meditation,
the angel Jibrail (Gabriel)
appeared in a bright light to
Muhammad, offering to him
the first of many revelations
that would eventually make up
the Qur’an, Islam’s holy book.
Muhammad’s career as a
prophet lasted for 22 years.
He died in 632 in Medina.Muhammad is...the
Messenger of God and
the Seal of the Prophets.
Surah 33:40