Since the time of Ishmael the Arab peoples had divided into warring tribes. Each tribe worshipped its own god. By the seventh century CE the Arabian city of Mecca had become a major trading and pilgrimage site for the Arab peoples. In Mecca stood a huge black cube - the Ka'ba - that housed the idols of the various Arab tribal gods. It was in this place that the Arabs put down their swords to worship and trade. This Ka'ba still stands today, surrounded by the Great Mosque of Mecca. It is the major place of pilgrimage for Muslims as it was for their pre-muslim Arab ancestors. Legend has it that this Ka'ba had originally been built by Abraham and Ishmael as the first altar for worship of the God of Abraham - the God that Jews, Christians, and Muslims, continue to worship in common to this very day! But, by the time of Muhammad, this shrine had become desecrated with worship of many "false" gods and the idols that represented them. By the time Muhammad died, in 632 CE, the Ka'ba had been rededicated to the One True God - Allah.
Muhammad(SAWW):
Muhammad was born in 570 CE. He was orphaned at an early age and raised by his uncle. As a young man, he led camel caravans across the desert and was hired by a businesswoman 15 years his senior. At the age of 25 Muhammad was married to this woman - Kadhija - and she bore several children to him. Only one - a daughter by the name of Fatima - lived to adulthood. Muhammad was married only to this one women until she died. He then took several other wives who had become widowed.
The Qur'an and the life of Muhammad testify to Islam's concern, right from the start, with care and respect for orphans and widows (often tossed aside and abused by Arabian culture in Muhammad's day). Muslim women also have strong role models in Muhammad's wife and daughter.
The Holy Quran:
In the year 610, when Muhammad was 40, he had taken a spiritual retreat in a cave just outside of Mecca. It was the Arabian month of Ramadan - a month still special to Muslims today. Here, then, Muhammad heard a voice. It was the voice of an angel - the angel Gabriel (the same angel that made the annunciation unto Mary about the coming birth of Jesus). The angel said, "recite!" (qur'an in Arabic). This was the beginning of a series of revelations that would come to Muhammad throughout the remaining 22 years of his life. Bit by bit, God's words were being revealed to this new prophet. Muhammad would then return to his followers and recite to them the words he had heard from the angel. Muhammad himself was illiterate but some of his followers wrote down the words. Within several years of his death, these writings were collected into what has since been known as the Qur'an - the "recitation" of the word of God.
The Quran is a compilation of the verbal revelations given to the Holy Prophet Muhammad over a period of twenty two years.A great educational site about Islam and Muslims in text,audio and video especially for pakistani and indians.Urdu and English Islamic Books,lectures,Dars-e-Quran urdu and in English,naats,Tafseer Quran and urdu bayans by Ulmah are available.
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