Issues raised for the muslim community by the death of muhammad

Following the wealthy family’s traditions, and the fact that his family had its roots in a poor clan that was however active in politics of the city of Mecca, Muhammad spent more of his childhood living together with a Bedouin family. The Bedouins are people who at the time led fairly isolated nomadic herders live in the harsh Arabian Desert. It is from his experience living with the Bedouins that led to his indisputable and robust influence on Islam religion development. After attaining the age of 20, Muhammad started working as a sole merchant who soon married Khadijah; a wealthy woman who was at one point his employer. Over the next 20 years, Muhammad’s status changed from a poor merchant to a respected, wealthy trader who traveled to many destinations across the Middle East for trade.

In fear of his life, the prophet fled from the town of Mecca to Medina; his flight was given the word ‘Hegira’ an Arabian word meaning ‘flight. ’ The local people in the city of Medina welcomed him and his followers, and there he started building the first Islamic temple (mosque) and began separating Muslims from Christianity and Judaism. He taught his followers to pray while facing Mecca instead of Jerusalem as it had always been a norm for them. He continued to fight against Mecca and in 629 AD returned to his home city without neither opposition nor bloodshed despite leading an army of 1500 converts during his entry. It is after his return to Mecca that Muhammad forcefully converted many Arabian Peninsula to the Islam faith and built a political empire.

As a result, he appointed a person named Abu Bakr to lead congregation prayers on his behalf. He spent more of his illness life in her beloved wife’s apartment until the twelfth of Rabi early morning when his fever abated, and he resolved to go to the mosque with the help of Thawban and Fadl. During the time of the day, Abu Bakr was already leading people in prayers. After seeing the prophet, he stepped back, but the prophet did let him know that he should continue with the prayers by pressing his hand on the shoulder. Muhammad sat as Abu Bakr continued with the prayers. As evident in the preceding paragraphs, Prophet Muhammad was indeed the fountainhead of not only Islam religion but also the Muslim community life.

In their history, no one has ever occupied a position related to his as he was the sole focus of the people on all spiritual, social, economic, political, judicial and political activities of the community. His position is an attribute of the fact that he was the nascent community’s architect and founder, his death, therefore, brought up a vacuum that was not only impossible but also hard to fill. All the people across the community received the news about his death in shock, denial, and disbelief. So great was his subject’s love to him that they could not bear parting with their respect for him. Caliphates have in the Islam history been divided into three different periods between (1258 and 632) AD.

The rightly guided caliphs were the first and existed between 632 and 661 followed BY Umayyad Empire that lived between 661 and 750 and lastly the Abbasid Empire that lived between 750 and 1258. Rightly guided caliphs After the prophet’s death, leaders convened for a meeting in Medina held with the sole aim of choosing the first Muslim Caliph and a successor to Muhammad. In the meeting, the prophet’s longtime companion and father-in-law Abu Bakr was chosen as the first Caliph. His favor over other candidates having been resulted by practical reasons such as the fact that he was leading prayers in the absence of the prophet in addition to being one of his close confidants in his role of creating a political empire. Umar, Abu’s successor, initiated a great conquest and expansion period after taking over the community leadership.

To the title of Abu (deputy of God’s prophet), Umar added Commander of the straight title an indication of the fact that he was one of the greatest military leaders of his time (Esposito). While on his deathbed, Umar left a mark in Muslim community leadership history by appointing a committee (shura) that was to nominate the next caliph. He, therefore, changed the succession dilemma into a standard procedure to be carried out by a group of people. The committee appointed Uthman after Umar’s death which came from a leading family in Mecca in the clan of Umayyad. In spite of the turmoil that Muslims faced over the caliph years, they regard the period in which Prophet Muhammad and his first elder’s companion generation (salaf) as many normative reasons.

One, God sent through the prophet a complete and final revelation in the Quran. Second, bounded by purpose and collective religious identity, the Islamic community came into being among other reasons. After the death of Muhammad, another issue that arose is the refusal to pay Zakat by certain Arab tribes. Before Islamic, Arabia was dominated by small tribes (the territory was tribal). In addition to emphasizing prayer establishment, the Holy Quran also advocates for Zakat payment. As such, therefore, preceding its debt is an act that could have destroyed the Islamic state’s moral foundation and reduce the Islamic faith to litany observances and personal beliefs. The prophet’s successor Abu was, however, able to deal with non-zakat payers as he established vigorous police actions at some point went personally and brought rebellious tribes under the state’s authority.

Prophet Muhammad’s death also brought the issue of false prophets to the Islam community that he had established before his end. Due to the prosperity and success of Islam that occurred under their watch, many false prophets and prophetess came into being having heard about God’s massager death. Even though in theory, all Muslims are equal, the practice in the prophet’s time varied significantly. Non-Arab Muslims were under the rule of Umayyad’s distinctly second-class citizens who continued to offer taxes even after conversion to Islam. The other group comprised of the non-Muslims, i. e. Christians and the Jews. Barely after Saqifa gathering, Umar, Abu’s advisor took his supporters to launch an attack on the house of Ali and Fatimah as they wanted Ali to pledge loyalty to Abu after his successive appointment as the first Islamic caliph.

Umar said to Fatimah that he was aware that the prophet loved nobody more than he did to her, but that could not have stopped him from carrying out his plans. The words he said when he was at the door of her house. In defense, the lady cried out calling the prophet while asking him how people could launch an attack on them in his presence. The act was an indication of how Fatimah believed in the prophet’s protection and how Muhammad used to protect his family against their enemies. Additionally, upon his death, various tribes found a way to escape paying Zakat, a legal and molar obligation in the Muslim faith. Their actions could have indeed destroyed the Islamic state’s moral foundation and reduce the Islamic faith to litany observances, and personal beliefs were it not for Abu’s interference.