Authority - AQALife of the Prophet Muhammad

Muhammad is the final prophet in Islam, known as the Seal of the Prophets. This means that Muslims regard Muhammad as Allah’s final messenger, and the Qur’an is formed from God’s revelations to Muhammad, give through the Angel Jibril. According to Islamic belief, no further prophets will come after him.

Key events in Muhammad’s life

• Muhammad was born in around AD570 into the Quraysh tribe in Arabia.
• At this time, people worshipped many gods within their tribes.
• Muhammad was orphaned and brought up by his uncle, Abu Talib.
• Muhammad married Khadijah.
• Following the Night of Power, Muhammad began preaching, which made the leaders of Makkah angry.
• Muhammad left Makkah to live in Madinah.
• There was a war in Makkah between Muhammad and the Quraysh tribe, and Muhammad won. He smashed all the statues of gods in the Ka’aba, teaching Muslims that they should believe in one God, Allah.

Muhammad is thought to have had a personality that enabled him to convert people by clearly delivering his message from God. Muslims also believe that Muhammad had the qualities to be a strong leader and so they trust his leadership in spiritual and earthly matters. Therefore, Muslims today still hold the Hadith as an authority as it contains the prophet’s words and teachings.

Muhammad was a leader with charisma, a great teacher and the perfect example for Muslims of how best to serve Allah. He saw the family (husband, wife, children and extended family) as a basic unit for a caring society in which morals are learned and faith can be upheld. Muhammad continued to lead his community both spiritually and in earthly matters until his death in AD632.