Tag Archives: Fatimah

Umar At Fatimah’s House

The first crisis of the post-Muhammad Islamic State came quickly. Ali and Fatimah had retired to their own house to complete their mourning for her father. But outside the house, Abu Bakr was seizing power as rapidly as he could. … Continue reading

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The Prophet’s Death, 632

For about three months after returning from Mecca, Muhammad lived a normal life. He taught and led prayers, dealt with envoys from other parts of Arabia, and planned another military expedition to Syria. He may have begun to feel unwell … Continue reading

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Respite and Growth of the Islamic State

The Arabian tribes who were not already allied with or tributaries of Muhammad were impressed and maybe shocked at how large the army for Tabuk had been. Arabia had never been united. Its largest cities, like Saba, employed much smaller … Continue reading

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The Mothers of the Faithful

Muhammad acquired six new wives during this time. After the Banu Qurayza Jews were executed or expelled, he took the chief’s daughter Rayhanah as a captive, and she became his servant. That meant concubine, but some narratives say that she … Continue reading

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Four Wives and Three Grandchildren

We focus a lot on the most sensational aspects of Muhammad’s marriages: A’isha’s age and the sheer number (8 or 9) of the widows he left at his death. He spent most of his life as an ordinary man with … Continue reading

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After the Battle of Badr: Muhammad’s Social Revolution

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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Muhammad’s First Marriage

Muhammad is said to have been 25 when his employer, Khadijah, asked him to marry her. She was trying to run a business inherited from her deceased husband, having to depend on relative strangers and men whose interests might go … Continue reading

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