1. Arab Religion and Muhammad
Lauren Hayre

2. Arab Religion
Before the coming of Islam most Arabs followed a pagan religion with a number of deities. Many tribes practiced Judaism and Christianity. There is little material of any Arabic religion prior to Islam.

3. Muhammad
Muhammad is considered the founder of Islam. He was born in 570 in the city of Mecca. Orphaned at an early age he was raised by his uncle and became a merchant. Unsatisfied with his life in Mecca he retreated to a cave in the surrounding mountains for meditation and reflection. At age 40 it is said that it is here that he received his first revelation from God during the month of Ramadan. Three years later he started preaching these revelations publicly.

4. Muhammad gathered followers early on but they were treated harshly by other Mecca tribes. To avoid persecution Muhammad and his followers migrated to Medina in 622. This event was called Hijra and marks the beginning of the Islamic calendar, the Hijri Calendar.

5. In Medina Muhammad united conflicting tribes and, after 8 years of fighting with the Mecca tribes, he and his followers, who had grown to , conquered Mecca. In 632 Muhammad fell ill and died. By this time most of the Arabian peninsula had converted to Islam. Muhammad united the tribes of Arabia into a single Muslim religious polity.

6. The Qu’ran
The Qu’ran is the religious text of Islam. It was said to have been verbally revealed to Muhammad from Allah through the angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years. The Qu’ran was memorized and written by Muhammad’s followers after each revelation. It is regarded as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language.