a.k.a. ابو القاسم محمد ابن عبد الله ابن عبد المطلب ابن هاشم ‎ Muhammad a.k.a. Abū al-Qāsim Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib ibn Hāshim a.k.a. محمد a.k.a. ابو القاسم محمد ابن عبد الله ابن عبد المطلب ابن هاشم a.k.a. “The Prophet”

General Information Born in Mecca (present-day Saudi Arabia) around 570 C.E. Exact birthdate is thought to be in the month of Rabi’ al-awwal, the third month of the Muslim calendar. Mawlid, the twelfth day of Rabi’ al-awwal, is the day Muslims celebrate Muhammad’s birth. Died in Medina (present-day Saudi Arabia) June 8th, 632 C.E. Unified Arabia under Islam. Is considered to be the greatest of all the prophets, some of the others being Abraham, Moses, David, Noah, Luqman, Hud, DhulKifl, and . . .

Jesus Christ (عيسى) (Isa Ibn Maryam) Muhammad denied Jesus was divine or the Son of God just as he believed was true of all prophets. Instead, Jesus is not divine, but rather “shirk,” or is associated with God. Not the Son of God, but a messenger of God. Believed to have announced coming of Muhammad "And remember, Jesus, the son of Mary, said: "O Children of Israel! I am the messenger of Allah (sent) to you, confirming the Law (which came) before me, and giving Glad Tidings of a Messenger to come after me, whose name is the Praised One." But when he came to them with Clear Signs, they said, "this is evident sorcery!"  Quran 61:6

How Muhammad founded Islam When he was about forty years old, he began having visions of Allah. He wrote these revelations in the Quran. In a way, this makes Muhammad similar to Paul. He began preaching his visions to Arabs, warning them against mistreatment of the less fortunate (sound familiar?). He said that following the Quran was the only path to salvation. Nonbelievers would be eternally damned (again, sound familiar?).

Tell me more about the Quran, Stephen. It actually bears many similarities. Noah’s Ark, Adam and Eve, the virgin birth of Jesus… All are there. However, Muhammad still denies the divinity of Jesus. And also, of course, denies Christianity and Judaism as true faiths.

Journey to Medina His journey was largely the result of an assassination threat. It had something to do with this new religion that seemed to spring up out of nowhere (Hint: It was Islam). In 622, Muhammad and some of his followers migrated to Medina. The celebration of Muhammad’s journey (called Hijra) marks the new year of the Muslim calendar.

Christian Response to Muhammad’s new Muslim empire Not good. Any time a new idea spreads rapidly, those in power can get very scared. The Muslim takeover of Jerusalem was a big downer to the Church and led to the bloody Crusades. Though the Crusades did bring some cultural connections between the eastern and western cultures, it led to drastically increased tensions between Christians and Muslims.

Death of Muhammad Died of a fever on June 8th, 632 C.E. However, all Muslims pledge to make a journey to Mecca (his birthplace) at least once in their lifetime if they are able to. And remember how Muslims hold Jesus in high regard? Well it turns out the Crusades were kind of a case breaker with Muslim-Christian relations, so…

Don’t get too comfortable… Non-Muslims are still banned from entering Mecca.