Hi, welcome to Al Muqaddimah. In a previous video on this channel, I discussed
whether or not we have historical evidence for the existence of Prophet Muhammad, the
central figure of the religion of Islam. Turns out, we do have evidence for him. Now, in this series of videos, I wanna discuss
what we know about the "Historical Muhammad". However, before we do it, we have to discuss
what the traditional narrative tells us about the life of the Prophet of Islam. This narrative comes from the Seerah and the
Hadith, which were compiled in the 8th century, some 100-200 years after the Prophet's death. So, let's get started. This video is sponsored by Magellan TV. Magellan TV is a streaming service that hosts
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to enjoy these documentaries. Back to the video. Muhammad ibn Abdullah was born around 571CE
in Mecca, in what is today, Saudi Arabia. He was born in the Banu Hashim clan, named
after his great-grandfather, of the Quraysh tribe. Quraysh were a local power and ran every aspect
of Mecca's administration. Both the Quraysh and the Banu Hashim were
mostly merchants owing to, as tradition tells us, the importance of Mecca in the Trans-Arabian
trade. All of Arabia came to Mecca for an annual
pilgrimage and brought goods to sell which the Meccans then took up to the Levant and
sold. Mecca's importance, we're told, came from
its status as a Harem. A Harem is a place where, due to religious
reasons, you couldn't shed blood unless you wanted the wrath of the gods. At the time of Muhammad, there were various
Harems in Arabia associated with various deities. Mecca was associated with Hubal, the god of,
among other things, rain and war. Over time, Arabian tribes had brought idols
of their deities to Mecca, and stored them in a shrine called the Kaaba, in order to
turn it into a sort of universal Harem which was watched over by all gods including THE
God, with a capital G, whom the Arabs called Allah. The term Allah is a deformed version of the
word Al-Illah meaning THE God. This made it a perfect place to trade in a
society where people had short tempers and long swords. Along with taking part in it, the Meccans
taxed this trade. Muhammad's father had passed away a short
while before he was born and his mother passed away when he was very young. He was taken in by his grandfather who also
passed away shortly after so, Muhammad grew up in the care of his uncle and the chief
of the Banu Hashim, Abu Talib. Now, there are many stories regarding his
childhood and youth before becoming prophet but only two are important to our story so
I'll be skipping the rest. As a young boy, Muhammad went on a trading
mission with his uncle to Damascus. On the journey, at a place in Syria, Muhammad
was seen by a Christian monk named Bahira, by to Islamic tradition, though Christian
sources give a different name. This monk recognised Muhammad as having the
qualities of a prophet described in Christian scripture and so, warned his uncle that the
boy was in danger of someone recognising him. His uncle abandoned the trading mission and
returned to Mecca. I'll discuss the historicity of this story
in another video. For now, let's go to the second story. This story also involves a trading mission,
this one Muhammad undertook as a young man, roughly 25 years of age. A rich widow named Khadija hired Muhammad
to take goods to the Levant and sell them. Muhammad did this and Khadija was so impressed
by him that she sent him a marriage proposal. She became his first and, for as long as she
lived, his only wife and a source of support when he started his life as God's prophet. Around the age of 40, in the year 610 or so,
Muhammad was meditating in a cave outside Mecca, something he did often by this time,
when he was visited by the angel Jibrail or Gabriel. Jibrail told him to read, to which he replied,
"I can not read". Jibrail said it again and Muhammad gave the
same reply. The third time, Jibrail said the following... "Read in the name of your lord who created. Created man from a clot of blood. Read! For your lord is the most generous. Who taught by the pen. Taught man what he did not know." These words, according to tradition, became
the first revelation of the Quran and turned Muhammad of Arabia, an orphan, into Muhammad,
the Prophet of Allah. Though, this transition wasn't immediate. He was scared and his wife, Khadija, took
him to a cousin of hers who was well-versed in the knowledge of the Torah and the Bible. This cousin told Muhammad that he was indeed
an Abrahamic Prophet in the same tradition as Moses and Jesus. The next revelation came three years after
the first and jumpstarted Muhammad's mission of preaching monotheism to the Meccans who
were primarily Polytheists. Though, the concept of monotheism wasn't an
alien one. Arabia was full of pockets of Christian and
Jewish societies. In fact, Yemen had even had a Christian kingdom
for a while. Also, Meccans went up to the Christian Levant
all the time for trade. Some of them even owned land there. At this point, the revelations of the Quran
and Muhammad's preaching focused on abstract ideas such as monotheism, the end of days,
heaven and hell etc. Not much would have distinguished Muhammad's
teachings from that of Jesus or any other Abrahamic Prophet. Though, the idea of monotheism went against
the entire economic model of Meccan society. If they were to accept Muhammad's God, they'd
have to throw away the idols of all the other Arabian gods which were housed inside the
Kaaba and hence diminish or even destroy its importance. So, as you'd expect, they wanted to stop Muhammad
who was preaching his message to anyone who'd listen. In the tribal societies of Arabia, you were
only as strong as your clan. You'd stick with them and they'd provide protection. If you were attacked by someone, it would
be an offence to your clan and so a war could start between the two clans. These bloody conflicts could go on for generations. Since Muhammad came from a fairly influential
clan, he couldn't be hurt as that would mean an offence against his clan. The chief of the Banu Hashim, Abu Talib had
raised Muhammad and loved him very much so, he protected Muhammad. However, his early followers were mostly the
weak and the helpless people of Mecca who didn't have anyone to protect them. The Meccans cracked down on them and made
their lives miserable. From financial boycotts to outright torture. Muhammad started looking for a place where
they could settle down or at least get temporary refuge. Somehow, he heard that the King of Ethiopia
was a kind man and sent an emissary to him. He agreed to give refuge to Muhammad's followers. So many of them who could afford it, emigrated
to Ethiopia around 615. Back in Mecca, Muhammad continued his mission. He was able to get a few influential followers
as well. Among these followers were names that later
became very prominent in Muhammad’s community such as Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, Umar ibn al-Khattab,
Uthman ibn Affan, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf and Zubayr ibn al-Awwam. However, in 619, Muhammad’s world was turned
upside down when two of the most important people in his life passed away. First, Khadija, his beloved wife and source
of emotional support. Second, Abu Talib, his uncle, guardian and
protector. After Abu Talib, another uncle called Abu
Lahab became chief of the Banu Hashim. He did not feel the same way about his nephew
as Abu Talib had. He withdrew his protection. Muhammad was now fair game to anyone who wanted
to hurt him. Muhammad began looking for a new home for
himself and his community. Luckily, in 620, during the annual pilgrimage
season, Muhammad met some people from a nearby oasis town called Yathrib. They liked Muhammad's message and promised
to come back next year with more of their countrymen which they did. This delegation offered Muhammad and his followers
safe refuge if he came to their city as an arbitrator. Yathrib was located around 350kms north of
Mecca and was home to various polytheist tribes as well as a significant population of Jews. They had been fighting each other for generations
and were looking for an impartial arbitrator who could resolve disputes before swords were
drawn. They saw Muhammad as that man because he was
charismatic and he was well-aware of both monotheistic and Jewish traditions. On the other side, we're told, the Meccans
began an assassination plot. An interesting thing from that plot is that
every single clan in Mecca contributed a man to the group of assassins, that way everyone
would be involved in the assassination. That mixed with Abu Lahab's lack of support
for Muhammad, would ensure that Banu Hashim wouldn't go to war with every single clan
in Mecca and would, hence, accept monetary compensation. Though, according to tradition, God made Muhammad
aware of this and he left that very night to go to Yathrib. Most of his followers had already left, he
along with his dear friend, Abu Bakr, were among the last to make this journey. In the year 622, Prophet Muhammad arrived
in Yathrib with Abu Bakr. This year is, hence, year one on the Islamic
Hijra calendar and was used by later Muslims to keep track of time. Yathrib was a very different place, in comparison
to Mecca. Where Mecca was surrounded by rocky mountains,
Yathrib was an oasis surrounded by agricultural fields and gardens. Where Mecca was dominated by a single tribe,
Yathrib was divided between various small tribes as well as two big ones, the Aws and
the Khazraj. Finally, where Mecca was hostile to Muhammad’s
message, Yathrib was welcoming. From this point on, traditionally, Yathrib
is known as “Madinah tul Rasul Allah”, meaning, “The city of the Messenger of God”,
shortened to Madinah. Muhammad’s migration to Madinah marks a
watershed, not just in the history of Islam but, in my opinion, also in the history of
religions themselves. Muhammad wasn’t just a preacher now, like
Jesus or Buddha or Guru Nanak. He was now also a political and military leader. The next eleven years, the time Muhammad spend
in Madinah, guided and, in fact, continue to guide his followers in almost every matter,
on an individual level and on the state level. Before this, the Quran was focused on abstract
concepts such as God’s oneness, heaven, hell, the day of judgement etc. Now, the Quran would shift to talk about more
practical and worldly things. Muhammad’s first step in Madinah was to
settle his countrymen along with the natives. Muhammad’s followers from Mecca came to
be known as the Muhajirun, “The Emigrants”. Muhammad’s followers from Madinah, who helped
the Muhajirun came to be known as the Ansar, “The Helpers”. Here we get the earliest piece of an actual
historical document from Muhammad’s life, aside from the Quran, of course. Perhaps within the first year of Muhammad’s
arrival in Yathrib, he created a document that is commonly known by Muslims as, “The
Charter or Constitution of Madinah”. It wasn’t a constitution in the modern sense
of the word, of course. It was more of a treaty between the various
tribes of Yathrib including the Jewish ones and the newly arrived followers of Muhammad. Even the most skeptical of scholars today
agree that the document is largely authentic. It may have been edited later on and might
even have been multiple documents in the beginning but it is largely authentic. In its 60 or so clauses, Muhammad lays out
the relationship that was to exist between almost everyone who lived in Madinah. One of the themes that appear in the document
is that of unity between Muhammad’s followers and everyone else. The parties to the agreement must recognize
themselves as a unit with Muhammad at its head. Of course, the definition of the head changed
from people to people. Where, to his followers, Muhammad was the
instrument of God’s will, to the Jews, he was merely an arbitrator. These parties must help each other and bring
their disputes to Muhammad. They were also not allowed to help any outsiders
against each other, this included the Meccans. This social unit is called an Ummah in the
document. Interestingly, today, the term applies only
to Muslims but evidently, back then it applies to Muhammad’s followers who believed in
him being God’s prophet as well as his allies who didn’t, including the Jews of Madinah. To some scholars this indicates that Muhammad
didn’t see himself and his followers as being distinct or, at least, distinct enough
from other Abrahamic religions such as Judaism. In fact, at this point, Muhammad and his followers
did face Jerusalem to pray. However, slowly, the line between Jews and
Muhammad’s followers would begin to be defined. You might’ve noticed that to this point,
I have not referred to Muhammad’s followers as Muslims, rather I’ve called them Believers
and Muhammad’s followers. That’s because the term Muslim wasn’t
used at the time. It is mentioned in the Quran but it was in
the last decade of the seventh century that we first see it being applied to this group
of people. Interestingly enough, it appears in the Constitution
of Madinah which indicates that it was probably an addition made in the later centuries. I will continue referring to them as Believers,
as the Quran calls them, for the remainder of the video. We’re told that the Meccans seized the properties
of the Muhajirun. This gave Muhammad justification for raiding
Meccan caravans, since Madinah was close to the trade route that went between Mecca and
Greater Syria. As Muhammad raided the Meccans, it brought
him and the Meccans to the brink of war. The first battle came in 624, at the location
of Badr. According to tradition, the Meccans were thrice
as many as the Believers but still, due to Muhammad’s strategic brilliance, he won
the day. This assured, for his followers, that God
was, indeed, on their side. Shortly after this battle, Muhammad expelled
the Jewish tribe of Banu Qaynuqa. According to tradition, the Banu Qaynuqa had
harassed a Believer woman in a market which had led to bloodshed between the two groups. Muhammad besieged them and after they surrendered,
he expelled them. The next year, in 625, the Meccans came with
an army to exact revenge for Badr. This time, again, we’re told, they were
thrice as many as the Believers. However, due to miscommunication among Muhammad’s
men, the Meccans were able to attack from the rear and rout Muhammad’s army. Even Muhammad himself was injured. This battle was a defeat for the Believers
but the Meccans themselves broke before they could do any significant damage to Madinah. So, the Believers lived to fight another day. A prominent figure on the Meccan side was
Khalid ibn al-Walid who had a big hand in defeating the Believers. He became the sharpest dagger in Muhammad’s
armory a few years later. This time too, as with the aftermath of Badr,
Muhammad expelled a Jewish tribe. There are many reasons mentioned for why Muhammad
did it. Some sources say that the Banu Nadir, sensing
weakness in Muhammad’s position, challenged him for power. Others say that the Banu Nadir were planning
to assassinate Muhammad. Whatever the case, they were besieged and
expelled. Around the end of 626, Muhammad came to hear
of a confederation formed between the expelled Jewish tribes and the Meccans. A huge army of 10,000 was coming to end Muhammad’s
community at Madinah. With the suggestion of Salman the Persian,
we’re told, Muhammad decided to defend himself by building a trench around Madinah’s north
side which was the only direction that Madinah could be attacked from since it had mountains
and gardens on the other three sides. The Confederation besieged Madinah but couldn’t
get over the trench. After a siege of a month, the Confederation
broke and the army went home. After this, came the most controversial event
from Muhammad’s life, the massacre of the Banu Qurayza. Banu Qurayza were a Jewish tribe that also
lived in Madinah. They had been signatory to the Constitution
but during the Battle of the Confederation, they had promised to helped the Confederation. They would’ve attacked from inside Madinah
to weaken Muhammad’s position. This was, of course, a serious offence. Muhammad laid siege to them and when they
surrendered, he delivered judgement. All men would be killed, all women and children
will be enslaved. This resulted in the execution of some 700
men. Now, before I get angry comments, Muhammad
didn’t deliver this judgement on his own. He had appointed Sa'd ibn Mu'adh for this
job. Sa’d, we’re told, was an expert on Jewish
scripture and from the Aws tribe, which was an ally of the Banu Qurayza. Though, he was a Believer. He had looked at Jewish scripture and decided
Banu Qurayza’s fate from there. Around the turn of the year 628-629, Muhammad
and some 1,400 of his companions went to Mecca as pilgrims. The Meccans thought this was an invading army
and quickly reacted. Muhammad stopped at Hudaybiyyah to send an
envoy to Mecca to ensure them of his peaceful intentions. The Meccans held the man Muhammad had sent
which led to Muhammad thinking the Meccans had killed him. Right there, Muhammad took an oath from his
companions to avenge their fallen brother or die trying. Meanwhile, the Meccans approached Muhammad
to ensure him that his envoy was safe and that they wanted peace but they won’t let
him perform the pilgrimage this year. This resulted in the treaty of Hudaybiyyah. The treaty had various points but a few that
are relevant to us are the following. First, Muhammad and his followers would leave
this year and return the next to observe the pilgrimage at which point, the Meccans will
retreat to the mountains. Second, there will be truce of ten years between
the Meccans and Muhammad. Finally, whichever tribes want to join Muhammad
or the Meccans can do so but they would also be bound by this treaty, ergo, they’d have
to respect the truce as well.* Many of Muhammad’s followers were opposed
to the treaty but it was signed and the Quran called it a manifest victory. Within a year of the treaty, victory would
indeed come. Shortly after returning from Mecca, Muhammad
attacked the Jewish stronghold at Khaybar. This was a major economic center for the Jewish
community of Arabia. Not only was it agriculturally prosperous,
it was also home to some of the Jewish tribes that Muhammad had expelled. According to Islamic sources, they were allying
themselves with other tribes to attack Madinah. Though, in reality, it’s possible Muhammad
just wanted his rear secured. After a siege and assault, Khaybar surrendered. Muhammad allowed them to return to their lives
except they now had to pay half their produce to Madinah. By taking this, Muhammad had firmly secured
himself in Madinah. It was a considerable boost to his reputation
as a commander in the eyes of the Meccans. Muhammad was now very confident and at the
peak of his power. His luck also seems to have turned. Many prominent Meccans abandoned Mecca and
joined him, including, the aforementioned Khalid ibn al-Walid. Also, Muhammad’s followers from Ethiopia
returned to join him in Madinah. Many new tribes allied with him. He even sent an army into Byzantine territory
which was pushed back but without a lot of damage. Though, there was a personal trauma for Muhammad
who lost a cousin and an adopted son in the battle. By the end of 629, Muhammad was powerful and
had an army of around 10,000 people. While the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was supposed
to be valid for ten years, circumstance changed and it expired only over a year later. One of the tribes allied with Mecca attacked
a tribe allied with Muhammad. This was a violation of the treaty. Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Meccans, approached
Muhammad and asked him to keep the treaty intact. However, for Muhammad, that was not an option. He couldn’t hope to win more allies if he
couldn’t even protect his existing ones. For Muhammad, there was no option but war. Muhammad marched his army towards Mecca. Many of the allies of Mecca abandoned them
to join him. The Quraysh knew that it was over and so,
Mecca capitulated without a fight. Only a dozen or so of Muhammad’s worst enemies
were executed. Muhammad then rode to the Kaaba and destroyed
all the idols stored in there. According to his teachings, the Kaaba was
originally built by Abraham but had been corrupted by the polytheists of Arabia. So, he was just returning it to its original
purpose. The same was true for the pilgrimage, which
was heavily pre-Islamic but Islamic tradition adopted it claiming it was started by Abraham. Muhammad had struggled over his enemies and
God’s message reigned supreme. Muhammad then conquered tribes around Mecca
and attacked the city of Ta’if. After taking it, Muhammad was, without a doubt,
the most powerful figure in Western Arabia. He then sent delegations all over Arabia inviting
them to join him. Many did and Muhammad now had allies all over
Arabia. He, once again, attacked the Byzantines by
marching to the city of Tabuk. The purpose behind this campaign isn’t fully
clear, though, some parts of Islamic tradition say that Muhammad had heard of impending attack
by the Byzantines on Madinah so, he marched there to meet them. Though, even according to Islamic tradition,
nothing was achieved. In 632, Muhammad performed the Hajj or Major
Pilgrimage and gave, what is now called, the Farewell Sermon, in which he laid down the
final principles his community was to follow. He fell illshortly after returning to Madinah
and passed away some month later in the year 632, at the age of 63. He was buried in the house of his wife Aisha,
where he had died. This is the biography of the Prophet as written
by compilers at least 100 years after Muhammad’s death. Some of it is very plausible, if not accurate. Though, in the next video, we’ll look at
the sources where those late compilers got the facts of Muhammad’s life. So, if you’re not already, subscribe. See you in the next one. Don’t forget to subscribe and press the
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