Portal: Muhammad: Difference between revisions

Muhammad, the founder of Islam, is one of the most vigorously revered men to have ever lived. His legacy has meant many different things to many different people throughout history. Information on his life comes almost exclusively through oral reports (hadiths) compiled, for the most part, more than a hundred and fifty years after his death. While historians span a spectrum of skepticism regarding the reliability of these frequently hagiographic and tendentious writings, Islamic scholars have and continue to rely on some portion of the hadith which they consider to be authentic (sahih) in order to formulate most of Islamic doctrine, ritual, and law. Consequently, while some contend that Muhammad is altogether enigmatic as a historical entity, the accounts of his life found in Islamic scriptures have found near-universal assent in the Muslim world and comprise a fundamental part of the Islamic self-identity.

Personal life

Family played a central role the tribal culture that dominated the environment in which Muhammad grew up and passed away. The diverse experiences Muhammad encountered with his wives and extended family shaped at times indirectly and at times directly the religious message he would be reported as having left behind.

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Military life

In what was reported to have been the twenty years following his proclamation of prophethood at the age of forty, Muhammad conquered the Arabian peninsula (most of the actual conquering was achieved in the latter part of these 20 years). In achieving this, Muhammad conducted and oversaw a large number of military campaigns, raids, and assassinations.

Religious life

The reports regarding Muhammad specific teachings a prophet are tend toward the more contentious end of the spectrum of scripture, as far more parties were interested in placing their doctrines, rulings, and even political ambitions in the mouth of the prophet than parties interested in altering the details of his family or military life.

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In doctrine

Islamic doctrine holds as an article of faith that Muhammad, like all prophets, was a man. In his capacity as a man, however, Muhammad is held as having the priveleged to be God's final and sole spokesperson on Earth. As the Uswa Hasana ("excellent model") and al-Insan al-Kamil ("the perfect human"), everything Muhammad did was later held to be instructive for all of mankind for all time. Muhammad's family and descendants were also perpetually given priveleged social and spiritual status, especially in the Shi'ite tradition. While historians are generally skeptical of the specific contents of the hadiths, or "narrations" attributed to Muhammad, Islamic doctrine holds that since Muhammad was the final messenger, God must have preserved all facts about his life which would be necessary for our instruction. Thus, the hadith literature must be sufficient and, from an orthodox standpoint, harboring any real or comprehensive skepticism toward this body of literature is not acceptable.

In history

Though it was once believed that Muhammad's life transpired 'in the full light of history', historians have since moderated their claims on the basis of revealing critical studies on the origins and development of the hadith as well as due to the at times conflicting archeological evidence that has been studied, much of which comes from non-Muslim sources. Beyond the historical study of Muhammad and his times, Muhammad has also featured multiple times as a character in non-Islamic scriptures that post-date Islam. Altogether, the study of historical and later documents regarding Muhammad, especially those from outside of the Islamic world, have show how non-Muslim perceptions of Muhammad have changed over time.

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In recent times

Today, Muhammad remains one of the most remembered persons to have ever lived on Earth. His is one of if not the most commonly used name for children across the globe and hundreds of millions of Muslims pray for him by name on a daily basis. Outside of the Muslim world, however, and considered from the vantage point of the entire global population, however, the most well-known contemporary relevance of Muhammad is perhaps found in the various international controversies that have ensued from those persons who have dared, in defiance of Islamic law, to depict and criticize him.

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