Month: September 2012

At the risk of further inflaming the Middle East….

I found myself wondering “Who is Muhammad?”

Yeah, like most Americans I think of his as someone roughly equivalent to Jesus. A Prophet, a teacher. I think of him as a holy man who was enlightened… after all, thats the image you have of the founder of a worldwide religion right?

I was curious about why the Islamic world apparently loses their minds at the slightest insult to Muhammad, They don’t seem to react nearly a violently if you directly insult God.

Since most information these days is available via a simple Google search I started poking around… There is a lot of information about Muhammad.

Most scholars today accept that the historical accounts from early arabic historians are mostly accurate. The earliest biography was written in 767. The original work has been lost. But was quoted verbatim at great length by a later author so we have a good sense of the original work.

The earliest non-arabic sources of information appear to be Byzantine. These records indicate that the Jews and Christians of the time thought he was a false prophet and Muhammad is portrayed in a bad light.

He lived a long life by the standards of the time. c. 570 – 632 He was born in or around Mecca was orphaned young and raised by his Uncle.

He’s reported later to have been a merchant, and an honorable one. 

In 610 he received the first of a series of revelations. Three years after the event he started preaching. In the beginning,  the message isn’t a bad one.

He preached a complete surrender to God and a monotheistic religion.

The people of Mecca weren’t impressed and he had few followers.

The Meccan tribes began persecuting he and his followers primarily because he was preaching against the polytheistic beliefs of the Meccan Tribes. They eventually forced Muhammad and his followers to Medina.

The people of Mecca seized all the lands and possessions of Muhammads followers effectively leaving them destitute.

I wonder how much of this was punitive and how much was simple practicality. Medina is 200 miles from Mecca and realistically if land or possessions were abandoned by people who’d moved 200 miles away at the time, you didn’t expect the owners to come back.

From this point on Muhammad appears to become a brigand, and warrior

It’s shortly after the move to Medina that his people start raiding Meccan caravans. They’re acquiring wealth and power from the raids.

This leads inevitably to armed conflict with the Meccan tribes. At some point Muhammad leads his followers in a raid on a caravan but the caravan takes a different route.

A large force from Mecca had been sent to protect the caravan. They learned that the Muslim raid had failed and decided to confront the Muslims. This is referred to as the Battle of Badr.

The short story is that the Muslims prevailed even being out numbered 3 to 1. This resulted in the capture and subsequent ransoming of some 70 Meccan prisoners. (Sounds Familiar!)

The Quranic verses of the time deal with practical issues of government and distribution of spoils. (Distribution of Spoils? this is sounding more like Ali Baba)

And here is where the story gets interesting. While the victory strengthens his people faith that he is a prophet. He also starts becoming less tolerant of anyone that hasn’t converted.

Pagans are killed, the tribe of the Banu Qaynuqa, one of the three main Jewish tribes are expelled from Medina (THEIR HOME) without their possessions to Syria. Muhammad wanted them killed because they spoke out against him. (I ask, you punished the whole tribe for the outspoken comments of what was probably a few?)

Mecca began to send ambush parties to Medina and Muhammad led raiding parties on Meccan caravans.

Conflict continues to build between the Muslims at Medina and the Meccans until after many many battle and sieges Muhammad takes the city of Mecca.

After taking Mecca, the enemies the Muslims had made in their rise to power began massing against them.

Muhammads forces defeated the forces of Hawazin in the Battle of Hunayn. 

Then the Muslims went on to destroy or convert opposition in the remainder of Arabia, In the process uniting the land.

If you’re interested do your own search and read the history about this guy.

What I took away from the historical accounts is this.

1) Muhammad started out as a decent guy. He was a family man, a merchant, honorable, and “Average Joe”

2) At some point in his 40s he starts having visions. (At first he’s sure he’s cracking up and it’s only after a long time that he decides he’s not crazy.)

3) His visions are sometimes accompanied by seizures. (This makes me wonder if he had a brain injury, but there have been many other historical “Game Changing” people throughout history who shared these characteristics so I’m willing to be flexible.)

4) He appears to start using “Visions” to justify his actions, and the actions of his followers. Even though they’re doing things that are expressly forbidden by the earlier 10 commandments which Islam is supposed to believe in.

5) He’s sanctioning raiding caravans, (Stealing) then making war on and later outright murder of  people that don’t believe as he and his followers do.

6) Ransoming prisoners is OK in his way of doing things.

So you think OK… this guy isn’t such a good person.

But then you look at the last of his sermons to the people. And he’s back to preaching things like equality for everyone regardless of race, abolishing old blood feuds. He says to treat women well. 

Then he has a fever, pains in his head and he dies.

I’m left feeling that it makes little sense. It’s like there are two distinct people here.

Was the “Warrior, Brigand” created because he wanted to return home? Once he returned home did he cast off that persona?

It’s almost as if the religion is a perfect reflection of the schism in the personality of Muhammad.

On the one hand you have people that are truly about peace and light.

On the other hand you have people that are all about the warrior brigand.

Muhammad was profoundly against Polytheistic beliefs and serious about eliminating his enemies, including those who were disrespectful towards him or his followers.

So I guess in this context the rioting and violence makes sense.