Tag Archives: Muhammad

When blood flows…

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Ruth

I want to write briefly about some of the very minor incidents that happened in the Medina Muslims vs. Mecca war. They’re important because they set up a context for understanding decisions that were made. In a war, emotions don’t … Continue reading →

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The Battle of Uhud at Medina

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Ruth

After the Battle of Badr, the Muslims at Medina continued to attack Meccan shipping. When a caravan took a northeastern route to Iraq, Muhammad’s adopted son Zayd led 100 men to stop it and bring its trade goods back to … Continue reading →

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After the Battle of Badr: Muhammad’s Social Revolution

Posted on December 30, 2020 by Ruth

The aftermath of the first Battle of Badr has many details and incidents that show just how revolutionary Muhammad’s new way was. His message was one of radical individualism pitted against the old systems of clan solidarity and social class. … Continue reading →

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Medina’s Foreign Policy (Battle of Badr)

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Ruth

Most of the Emigrants from Mecca had left their wealth (or their poverty) behind. Their clans would have re-absorbed the houses they were occupying, passing them to families that stayed. Some of their possessions were seized by others. I wasn’t … Continue reading →

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The Prophet’s Third Wife, A’isha

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Ruth

One of the diciest parts of Muhammad’s story is that as soon as his new house was completed, he and Abu Bakr decided it was time for A’isha to move into her wife-apartment in the house. Until this time, she … Continue reading →

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The First Islamic State at Medina

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Ruth

It’s important to understand how society was organized in Muhammad’s Medina, because it set the pattern for Muslims as what a perfect society would look like. One of the schools of Islamic jurisprudence (Maliki) takes customs and memoirs from Medinans … Continue reading →

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The Move to Medina

Posted on December 19, 2020 by Ruth

Ten years had passed since the Prophet’s first revelations, and it was increasingly clear that Mecca was not going to have a change of heart regarding the new beliefs. Toward the end of this time, six men from the oasis … Continue reading →

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Two Deaths: “The Year of Sorrow”

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Ruth

In the year 619, Muhammad’s wife Khadijah died. Most Sunni accounts say that she was significantly older than her husband, 65 years old to his 50. Her great age seems less likely when you consider that she left a daughter … Continue reading →

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Coping with Persecution

Posted on December 12, 2020 by Ruth

Two major events define the next, more intense, stage of persecution. They were happening simultaneously, and they represented two different ways of handling what was happening: to leave, or to stay. Persecution ramped up to include some beatings, torture, and … Continue reading →

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Mecca and the Revelations

Posted on December 9, 2020 by Ruth

One reason that, at first, Muhammad’s message stayed among his clan is that in Mecca, people tended to live in family and clan blocks. It’s a typical way that older cities grew: each patriarch built additions onto the house, and … Continue reading →

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