THE ORIGIN OF JIHAD

The Legacy of Mohammed

PART 3- Mohammed - The Years of War (A.D. 622-632)

At the time that Mohammed entered it, Medina was called Yetreb (Yathrib). It was not until a few years later that its name was changed (by order of Mohammed himself) to Medinat al-Nabi or City of the Prophet. But for purposes of clarity, we shall call it by the name Westerners are today acquainted with: Medina (Arabs now call it al-Madinah).

As mentioned earlier, compared with stony Mecca, Medina was like a watered garden with hundreds of orchards, palm groves, farms, and farm animals.

The Mohammedan era truly began with the Hegira. Mohammed entered Medina in triumph, being enthusiastically welcomed by his followers, who now regarded him as a sovereign as well as an apostle and prophet.

At the first ceremony he held with the people, he arose and proclaimed Allah is most great! Then he descended the stairs backwards and bowed to the ground three times. Then turning to his followers, Mohammed told them to do this till the end of time. Thus prostration to the ground became an example which his followers followed in years to come. Islam means to surrender; and its adherents are Muslims, the surrendered ones.

After the prostrations, a sermon was given (which might be very secular). If you were to enter a Muslim mosque, this would be the procedure you would observe.

Although Mohammed was revered by a portion of Medinas inhabitants, there were others, many others, who were quite skeptical. Among them were the Christians, the Jews, and over half of the Arabs. So Mohammed entered into an agreement with them:

The Jews who attach themselves to our commonwealth shall be protected from all insults and vexations; they shall have an equal right with our own people to our assistance and good offices; they . . shall form with the Muslims one composite nation; they shall practice their religion as freely as the Muslims . . They shall join the Muslims to defend Medina against all enemies . . All future disputes between those who accept this charter shall be referred, under God, to the Prophet (Syed Ameer Ali, Spirit of Islam, 54).

The agreement was soon accepted by all the Jewish tribes in Medina and the surrounding country. Later, the prophet was to deny that agreement in a most terrible way.

Now that Mohammed was in a position of unusual power, he became a changed man. He bore adversity and opposition with great patience, but was not able to bear prosperity so well. Instead of just a preacher, he now became a commander. Previously he taught principles; thenceforth, force constituted his chief means. He no longer sought to convince his antagonists, but determined to force their submission by the terror of his power.

The tone of his dreams and revelations changed, adapting themselves to his necessities; and he claimed inspiration for every action, even for taking an additional wife.

Up to the Hegira, the prophet of Mecca might have said, My kingdom is not of this world. But, after that event, the sword was to serve him as his most faithful servant in building up Islam. His objective was the same: submission to Allah. But he no longer contented himself with the arts of persuasion, but used threats and bloodshed.

He declared that the period of long suffering and patience was past and that his mission, and that of every Muslim male, was to propagate the dominion of Islam by the sword. The duty of Muslims was to destroy the temples of the infidels, to overthrow the idols, and to pursue the unbelievers to the remotest quarters of the world.

Mohammed's new message was that the sword is the key of heaven and of hell. He said that a drop of blood shed in the cause of Allah, a night spent in arms, is of more avail than two months of fasting and prayer. Whoever dies in battle, his sins are forgiven.

This promise, with the assurance that every mans death is decreed by fate, made the Muslims boldly face death in battle. They were assured that no man could die until the appointed moment. Until that moment arrived, he was safe from the enemy's darts; but, when it did arrive, he would drop dead in his own house or expire in his bed, if not on the battlefield. It is no wonder that, under such teaching, the soldiers of Islam have ever been distinguished for their recklessness.

Mohammed not only promised the glories of Paradise as the reward of the valor of his followers, but the riches of this world were also to be divided among them. Thus the new religion attracted the wandering Bedouins of the Arabian desert, not so much from the sublime dogma which it taught of the spirituality of Allah, as from the sanction it conferred on the Mohammedan conquerors over the wealth, women, and slaves of the conquered.

The prophet who had exhibited such qualities as a religious teacher now also displayed the characteristics of the warrior. He had finally obtained a position at Medina whence he was able to act on men with other forces than those of eloquence and poetry.

Now the man who, for forty years, had been a simple citizen, leading a quiet family life and, for thirteen years afterward, had been a despised and persecuted but patient teacher of Allah, passed the last ten years of his remarkable career in raising and organizing an army of warriors, destined to conquer half the civilized world.

Mohammed, who had always been so kindhearted and affectionate, was now capable of the greatest cruelty toward those who resisted his purpose.

This tendency showed itself in his treatment of the Jews. They had helped him in many ways in the past, but they refused to receive him as a divinely inspired prophet. So he eventually denounced the Jews as obstinate unbelievers and slew many of them.

About a year after his settlement in Medina, the humble outcast of Mecca proclaimed a holy war (jihad) against its leaders. He sent out raiders to ambush the caravans that passed through the entire area. The objective was to dry up the commerce that supported Mecca, as well as enrich himself and his followers. In commissioning his lieutenants to raid the caravans, he was adopting the morals of most Arab tribes in his time. Here is the story of his first successful raid. It provided him with the camels and supplies to be extremely successful in his later ones:

Mohammed went in person to the plain of Bedr, one of the usual watering stations, located about forty miles from Mecca. It was January 624.

Praying and waiting, his spies brought him word that a caravan of traders, consisting of a thousand camels richly laden, was on its home journey to Mecca and Yemen from Syria.

But the prophets group was so impoverished, that they only had two horses and seventy camels, mounting these by turns. His cause seemed hopeless, but he declared that Allah would give them the victory.

He himself waited at a short distance away at an overlook, and prayed for victory in this first episode in a holy war destined to continue for centuries.

Mohammeds troops charged the merchants and fighting began. The tradesmen outnumbered Mohammeds warriors three to one. But their superiority of numbers was overbalanced by the religious fanaticism of the prophets followers. They had Allah on their side and the promise that they would go immediately to heaven if they died in battle.

While he waited, Mohammed fell into a brief trance and received another vision from the angel, assuring him that Allah approved and the men would win the battle against the forces of evil.

At this, the prophet mounted his horse and rode to his followers; he rekindled their enthusiasm and led them in battle to total victory.

The innocent traders who were only trying to support their families and feed people back home, in Mecca and Yemen, were slaughtered.

The Koran ascribes the glory of this triumph to divine aid. Mohammedan historians relate that the angelic cavalry, headed by the archangel Gabriel, did frightful execution with their invisible swords on the terrified traders.

The prophet spoke bitterly of his enemies, the hapless traders, as their dead bodies were cast into a pit. Only a few remained alive.

He scowled fiercely at one of the prisoners brought before him. The unhappy man exclaimed: There is death in that glance! Agreeing, the prophet ordered him to be beheaded. Two days later when another was ordered to be executed, he asked piteously: Who will take care of my little girl? Hell-fire, replied Mohammed, instantly ordering the man to be cut down.

Since this event marked the beginning of a jihad which was to last for centuries, we must ask a few questions:

Were these slaughtered men warriors? No, just traders minding their own business.

Had they initiated the attack on the prophets men? No, they were just passersby.

Had they been given opportunity to accept Allah and his prophet, Mohammed? No, it could not be said that they had rejected Islam. They were killed without being given a chance.

These questions and the answers help us better understand the events of September 11, 2001. The 6,000 people that died there were also private citizens. None of them were soldiers. Both men and women were slain; some children as well. They had not attacked Islam; they hardly knew anything about it. They were just innocent people who were minding their own business, like the tradesmen in the plain of Bedr who were killed in January 624.

By a special revelation from the angel, Mohammed claimed the fifth part of all the captured camels, horses, and supplies. He now had come into an immense supply of wealth.

More raids followed. At one, the same year, Mohammed suffered a severe defeat at Ohud, six miles from Medina, where he himself was wounded. This disaster imperiled his reputation, as some of his followers began questioning whether he was a genuine messenger from God. So the prophet was provided with another revelation. He told his followers the defeat was due to their sins, and assured them that the seventy martyrs who died in that battle were already enjoying the pleasures of Paradise.

For some reason, Mohammed's defeat at Ohud intensified his harsh feelings. A Jewish lady, Asma, wrote a poem in which she said something negative about the prophet. For this deed she was assassinated by a Muslim. Immediately afterward in the public mosque, the prophet praised the murderer for what he had done.

When some Jews quarreled with some Muslims over a matter, Mohammed ordered his men to attack the entire Jewish tribe. The tribe surrendered after a 15-day siege of their village. Mohammed ordered all the prisoners, including women and children, to be killed. But at the urgent request of a powerful chief in Medina, the prophet cursed them and let them flee to another town.

All of these facts are derived from contemporary Muslim historians. They do not try to hide what happened, but glorify the prophet for what he did.

On another occasion, seven hundred Jewish prisoners had surrendered, trusting in Mohammed's mercies. He ordered all the men killed, and the women and children sold into slavery. One woman who was especially beautiful, Mohammed selected for his personal concubinage.

Ironically, if Mohammed had died in Mecca in 619 when his wife did, he would go down in history as a good man who preached peace and simple living. But it is impossible to tell the story of Mohammed's life without telling it all. Muslim historians carefully wrote it all down, so later generations could know what happened. People today should know it as well.

About this time, the prophet began multiplying wives. Each time he did so, he publicly announced to his followers that he had received a special revelation permitting it.

In 626, Mohammed led 3,000 men against the Banu-Kuraiza Jews. Capturing them, 600 fighting men among the Jews were put to death and buried in a mass grave. Their women and children were sold into slavery.

From January 624, onward, the violence continued year after year. Battles were fought against the Syrians, Quraish of Mecca, and the Jews. During his ten years in Medina, the prophet planned sixty-five campaigns and raids, and personally led twenty-seven of them.

The men of Mecca had suffered immensely by the years of pillage, and wished that it could somehow stop. The raids led by Mohammed were drying up their commerce. Then, on behalf of his followers who were anxious to visit relatives in Mecca and once again go to the Kaaba, in 628 Mohammed sent the Quraish an offer of peace, pledging the safety of their caravans in return for permission to fulfill the rites of the annual pilgrimage. The Quraish replied that a period of peace must precede this consent. A ten-year truce was signed, so both sides solemnly agreed not to attack the other.

Mohammed consoled his disappointed raiders, who had been enjoying all the spoils they collected in battle, by ordering them to attack the Khaibar Jews in their settlement six days journey northeast of Medina. The horrors of another conquest followed.

By agreement with the Quraish, in 629, the Medina Muslims, numbering about 2,000, entered Mecca peacefully, made seven circuits of the Kaaba, reverently touched the Black Stone, and then shouted There is no god but Allah alone!

Impressed by their orderly behavior, several influential Quraish, including the future generals Khalid and Amr, adopted the new faith. In addition, some neighboring desert tribes offered Mohammed the pledge of their belief if he would defend them with his arms.

By the time the prophet had returned to Medina, he decided he was now strong enough to capture Mecca. Of course, he was bound by a ten-year truce not to attack the city, and only two years had elapsed. But, alleging that a tribe allied with the Quraish had attacked a Muslim tribe, Mohammed voided the truce in 630.

Gathering 10,000 men, he marched to Mecca. Fear fell on all the inhabitants. Abu Sufyan the Quraish leader who earlier had opposed him, recognized the situation to be hopeless and let the army enter the city.

Mohammed grandly announced a general amnesty, and only slew two or three of his enemies. He destroyed the idols in and around the Kaaba, but spared the Black Stone and sanctioned the kissing of it. Then he publicly proclaimed Mecca as the Holy City of Islam and the qibla (the point toward which Muslims should turn when they pray). He decreed that no unbeliever should ever be permitted to set foot on its sacred soil. All opposition by the Quraish ended, and Mohammed was now master of the city and everyone in it. He was sixty years old.

Only two years remained to his life. Proclaiming that all Arabia must submit to his rule, or else, he sent emissaries to inform them. After some minor rebellions, the entire peninsula yielded submission.

In return for a moderate tribute, the Christians of Arabia were taken under Mohammed's protection and enjoyed full liberty of worship. This was a pattern that would be followed in later years by the prophets successors: Convert to the faith, or pay yearly tribute money, or die.

Mohammed also sent envoys to several foreign monarchs, demanding that they accept him as the prophet of Allah.

Heraclius, Emperor of the Eastern Roman Empire rejected it with a laugh. The rulers of Hira and Ghassan ignored the message.

On the banks of the River Karasu, Khosrou Parviz, King of Persia, received the letter ordering him to abjure the errors of the Persian faith and embrace the religion of Islam and its prophet, Mohammed. The king was so indignant at what he considered an insulting message that he tore the letter into fragments and cast them into the river. Upon hearing of this, Mohammed said, It is thus that Allah will tear the kingdom and reject the supplications of Khosrou!

All those empires, as well as others, were later overrun by the Muslims.

Although age was telling on him, Mohammed wanted to extend his empire beyond the borders of Arabia while he was still alive. The wealth and fertility of Syria attracted his attention, and he determined to invade that part of the Eastern Roman Empire.

The Arabs reluctantly entered upon this struggle, as it was harvest season; and there was scarcity in the land. They vainly begged for a dispensation, urging different excuses, lack of money, camels, provisions, and the hot weather. The angry prophet replied, Hell is much hotter!

So an army of thirty thousand Muslims was assembled and a holy war (jihad) was solemnly proclaimed against Romans. Hearing of what was coming, the Emperor Heraclius made some military preparations. 

Ten men rode by turns on the same camel, and the suffering from thirst was intense. After a ten-days journey, they reached the oasis of Tabue, partway between Medina and Damascus. There they learned that the Roman army packed up and moved elsewhere. Using that as an excuse, the Arabs returned home.

Mohammed, weakened by age and frequent sickness, had no disposition to do anything further outside of Arabia.

Among the Arabs, as among the Jews, the calendar consisted of twelve lunar months of 28 days, with an extra (intercalary) month tossed in every three years, to keep the seasons in harmony with the sun.

But Mohammed changed the calendar for Muslims, and made it a disaster. He declared that the angel said it should have twelve lunar months, of alternately thirty and twenty-nine days. This threw the Muslim calendar out of harmony with the seasons, and gained a year on the Gregorian calendar every thirty-two and a half years.

The weekly cycle of seven days did not, of course, change. In all lands, everywhere, ever since the Creation of the world, it has always been a week of seven days. According to historians and astronomers, the first day of the week today is the same as the first day of the week in the most distant past.

The prophet drew up no code; he just issued revelations covering items as they arose. When a conflict occurred, he came up with a new revelation contradicting the previous one.

Even his most prosaic directives were presented as revelations from the angel. When Mohammed decided to marry the pretty wife of Zaid, his adopted son, he accomplished the task by issuing another revelation from the angel. The angel said he could take the other mans wife.

By divine revelation, Mohammed had earlier announced that no Muslim could have more than four wives. But, by special revelations from the angel, he gave himself more.

The prophets first wife, Khadija, died in 619. After that, by 632 Mohammed had ten wives and two concubines. All his wives after Khadija were barren. Of the children presented to him by Khadija, only one daughter survived him: Fatima. The sons all died in infancy.

His crowded harem troubled him with quarrels, jealousies, and demands for spending money. Women and power were his only indulgence. Otherwise, he lived simply. His usual fare were dates and water, or a small quantity of barley bread, the same as his countrymen ate. But he did enjoy spending time grooming himself, perfuming his body, painting his eyes, and dying his hair. He was proud of a ring someone had engraved for him, which said, Mohammed the Messenger of Allah.

Mohammed took part in religious processions. His camp included all his wives, who rode on camels and were inclosed within pavilions of embroidered silk. He was followed by a number of captives. Every spot where he halted and said his prayers became consecrated. The manner in which he conducted the various religious rites, from cutting his hair and nails to the solemn act of casting stones at the devil, are still faithfully followed by Muslims.

He was an unscrupulous warrior, yet kind to the poor. His followers collected his spittle, hair cuttings, nail clippings, and the water in which he washed himself, hoping that those objects would perform magic cures. The prophet never told them they erred in doing so.

As he grew older, Aisha his favorite wife reported, he would leave the house at times, visit a graveyard, ask forgiveness of the dead, pray aloud for them, and congratulate them on being dead.

Early in his sixty-third year, Mohammed contracted a fever which continued for fourteen days. On June 7, 632, he passed away.

When he was born, Arabia was a collection of quarrelsome tribes. When he died, it was a single nation, prepared to rapidly expand from Gibralter to the borders of India. Few men in history have been more influential.

Continue Part 4