Muhammad (also spelled Muhammed or Mohammed), is considered the last prophet of Islam by most Muslims. He was born in 570 in Mecca.[1]
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Muslims believe that Muhammad is a messenger and prophet of God. He is also acknowledged as the last of Islam's prophets, including Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, Moses, Jesus, and others. Some Islamic scholars argue that Muhammad was foretold in the Bible.[2]
Although Western scholars regard Muhammad as the founder of Islam,[3] Muslims believe that monotheistic faith was not created by a human but was revealed by God.
Muslims do not worship Muhammad, due to the belief in the Oneness of God as stated in the Shahada; they see him simply as a human being.
According to Islamic tradition, when the angel Gabriel appeared to him at the Cave of Hira, the Quran, began to be revealed to him. His wife, Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, encouraged him to describe the events that happened in the cave.
In addition to the Quran, the hadith (narrations originating from the words and deeds of Muhammad) are an important part of Islam. Muslims do not regard the hadith as divine revelation, but as Mohammad's teachings.[citation needed]
The Qur'an does not overtly describe Muhammad performing miracles, and the supreme miracle of Muhammad is finally identified with the Qur’an itself.[4] However, Muslim tradition credits Muhammad with several supernatural events.[5] For example, many Muslim commentators and some western scholars have interpreted the Sura 54:1-2 to refer to Muhammad splitting the Moon in view of the Quraysh when they had begun to persecute his followers.[4][6]
The Isra and Mi'raj are the two parts of a "Night Journey" that, according to Islamic tradition, Muhammad took during a single night around the year 621. It has been described as both a physical and spiritual journey.[7] A brief sketch of the story is in Sura (chapter) 17 Al-Isra of the Qur'an,[8] and other details come from the hadith. In the journey, Muhammad travels on Buraq to "the farthest mosque" where he leads other prophets in prayer. He then ascends to heaven where he speaks to God, who gives Muhammad instructions to take back to the faithful regarding the details of prayer.
According to traditions, the Journey is associated with the Lailat al Miraj, as one of the most significant events in the Islamic calendar.[9]
During his lifetime Muhammad married 11 Women. These were: Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, Sawda bint Zama, Aisha bint Abu Bakr, Hafsa bint Umar, Zaynab bint Khuzayma, Umm Salama Hind bint Abi Umayya, Rayhāna bint Zayd ibn ʿAmr, Zaynab bint Jahsh, Juwayriya bint al-Harith, Ramlah bint Abi Sufyan, Safiyya bint Huyayy, Maymuna bint al-Harith and Maria al-Qibtiyya. Muslims often refer to the wives of Muhammad as Mothers of the Believers.
Muhammad died on 8 June 632. He was buried in Medina in his house, now the Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (Prophet's Mosque).[citation needed]
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Life Career Miracles Views by subject Succession Praise Perspectives |
When speaking or writing, Muhammad's name is often followed by the phrase "peace be upon him," (in English often abbreviated to PBUH or simply "(p)"), since Muhammad is so esteemed by Muslims.[10]
Muhammad is often referenced with these titles of praise or epithet:
He also has these names:
In Turkey, he is often called Hz. Muhammed or "Peygamber Efendimiz". [41]
Sufis believe that Muhammad is alive with the power of invisibility; his spirit pervades the world and can be reached by true seekers.[42][43]
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Sunnis believe in the prophethood of Muhammad like all Muslims.
In Shia Islam, Muhammad is believed to be free from sins as the doctrine of sinlessness called "ismah" (Arabic: عِصْمَة, Persian: ِعصمت) states. This doctrine literally means 'protection' and is generally translated as "sinlessness". Protection is believed to be of three types of "Protection from mistake in receiving the revelation from Allah", "Protection from mistake in conveying the revelation of Allah" and "Protection from sins." It is believed that all the prophets in Islam, as well as Fatima and the twelve descendants of Muhammad through Fatima are sinless.[44]
The Twelver branch, calling them The Fourteen Infallibles teaches that they were purified by God in the Event of the Cloak. Although Satan tempted them to sin, it is believed that they were helped by God to overcome the temptations.
Criticism of Muhammad is often equated with blasphemy, which is punishable by death in some Islamic states.
Pakistan is frequently in the news for prosecutions under its blasphemy law. If the courts decline to act, angry crowds have been known to lynch the suspected blasphemer.[45]
In 2005 a Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, printed some controversial cartoons, a few of which were interpreted as insulting Muhammad and Islam. Some countries -- Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Iraq among them—protested the Danish government for not taking action against the newspaper. The Danish government responded by asserting that it does not control the media.
While much of Islam was aniconistic during most of its history, there are rich traditions of visual representation of Muhammad, mainly in the form of paintings and illustrations in religious or hagiographical texts. Religious figures rarely have their face shown. Such figures are often shown with their head veiled in sheets embroidered with Quranic text.
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Muḥammad (Arabic: محمد; c. 570 CE – 8 June 632 CE), is the central figure of Islam and widely regarded as its founder. He is known to Muslims as the "Holy Prophet", almost all of whom consider him to be the last prophet sent by God to mankind to restore Islam, which they believe to be the unaltered original monotheistic faith of Adam, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and other prophets. He united Arabia into a single Muslim polity and ensured that his teachings, practices, and the Quran, which Muslims believe was revealed to him by God, formed the basis of Islamic religious belief.
Born approximately in 570 CE in the Arabian city of Mecca, Muhammad was orphaned at an early age; he was raised under the care of his paternal uncle Abu Talib. After his childhood Muhammad primarily worked as a merchant. Occasionally, he would retreat to a cave named Hira in the mountains for several nights of seclusion and prayer; later, at age 40, he reported being visited by Gabriel in the cave and received his first revelation from God. Three years after this event Muhammad started preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that "God is One", that complete "surrender" (lit. islām) to him is the only way (dīn) acceptable to God, and that he was a prophet and messenger of God, similar to the other prophets in Islam.
Muhammad (Arabic: محمد) is the primary transliteration of the Arabic given name, مُحَمَّد, from the triconsonantal root of Ḥ-M-D; Praise and becomes conjugated to Muhammad, which means "The Most Praised One". It is the name of the Islamic prophet. Throughout the Muslim world, it is popular to name a male child after him. This name and its variant transliterations are among the most popular names in the world.
The name Muḥammad is the strictest and primary transliteration of the Arabic given name, محمد, that comes from the Arabic passive participle and triconsonantal root of Ḥ-M-D (Praise); hence Praised, or praiseworthy. However, its actual pronunciation differs colloquially, for example, in Egyptian Arabic: IPA: [mæˈħæmmæd], while in exclusively religious contexts, talking about Islam: IPA: [moˈħæmmæd].
The name has one of the highest spelling variants in the world. Other Arabic names from the same root include Mahmud, Ahmed, Hamed, and Hamid.
Muhammad: The Messenger of God is a 2015 Iranian Islamic epic film directed by Majid Majidi and co-written with Kambuzia Partovi. The film is set in the sixth century where the story revolves around the childhood of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. The film marks the biggest-budget production in Iranian cinema to date. Development of Muhammad: The Messenger of God began in 2007 and Majidi wrote the first draft of the screenplay by 2009. By 2011, a colossal set created in the city of Qom near Tehran was ready for the majority of the film. Several scenes were filmed in South Africa. Throughout the filming process, Majidi worked with a team of historians and archaeologists for the work on accuracy of the early life of Prophet Muhammad. Post-production works began in Munich during late 2013 and were completed in 2014. The cinematography is done by Vittorio Storaro and film score is composed by A. R. Rahman.
The film was set to have its premiere at the Fajr International Film Festival on 1 February 2015 but was pulled out due to technical difficulties. For the critics, film-makers and journalists, a special screening was held at Cinema Farhang in Iran on 12 February 2015. The film was released both in Iran and at Montreal World Film Festival on 27 August 2015. The film was selected as the Iranian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.