1.
Islam
(03:23)
Islam, history's third monotheistic religion to arise in the Middle East, means "submission to the will of God." Over one billion people lead their lives according to the Koran, Islam's sacred text containing Allah's revelations to the prophet Muhammad.
2.
Muhammad's Mecca
(02:44)
During Muhammad's time Mecca is a small but wealthy trading town on the Arabian Desert's edge. Mecca is a center of an idolatrous religion characterized by many gods, mystic rituals, sacrifices, and mysterious prayers.
3.
Muhammad's Youth
(03:12)
According to custom Muhammad grew up in the desert with nomadic Bedouins, learning their lifestyle and traditions. Orphaned at eight years old, Muhammad earns his way out of poverty by learning the caravan business.
4.
Jews, Christians, and Muslims
(02:04)
An Islamic legend describes the story of a Christian monk who proclaims the young Muhammad to be the successor of Jesus. Jews, Christians, and Muslims share the same prophets and same belief in a single god; all three religions refer back to Abraham.
5.
Muhammad: Caravan Trader and Merchant
(04:07)
Caravan traders hire Bedouins to guide them through the desert and Muhammad is considered one of Mecca's best caravan leaders. Impressed by his abilities, a wealthy widow marries Muhammad, making him a man of wealth and influence.
6.
Allah Chooses Muhammad
(02:55)
On long trading trips through the desert Muhammad's mind is filled with questions about life's meaning and the state of society. In the year 610 A.D. Muhammad hears Allah begin to reveal the Koran's verses; Allah assigns Muhammad to bring his message to the Arab people.
7.
Muslims Take Refuge in Christian Ethiopia
(02:06)
After Mecca's merchants denounce and threaten Muhammad for his message of a single god some of his followers take refuge in Christian Ethiopia. They are welcomed warmly there as brethren of a single god. In the Koran Muhammad emphasizes Christianity is closely related to Islam, but he rejects the Christian concept of the Trinity.
8.
Muhammad Leaves Mecca
(03:15)
Muhammad creates a stir in Mecca by proclaiming Arab women have several rights not customarily granted to them. When his enemies plot to assassinate him, Muhammad and his followers leave Mecca and establish a new tribe in the desert.
9.
Muhammad in Madina
(04:25)
The Muslim, Jewish, and Christian people of Yatrib welcome Muhammad and his followers after they leave Mecca. Muhammad stops warfare in Yatrib by settling a water dispute, dictating new laws, and creating a new moral code. The oasis of Yatrib is renamed Madina, "the city of the prophet."
10.
The Success of Islam
(02:55)
Islam's message and rules for everyday life merged with cultures in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Muhammad's messages remind Muslims of Allah constantly throughout their daily lives and might be one reason for Islam's success.
11.
The Koran
(02:04)
The notes Muhammad's followers made on leather, stone, papyrus, wood, and bone were compiled in a book 20 years after his death. Considered the unalterable word of god, the Koran details the rules of daily life for Muslims.
12.
Jihad: Muslims Fight Meccans and Jews
(05:06)
Islamic jihads, struggles against disbelievers, have their roots in Muhammad's raids on Meccan trading caravans. In Madina, Jews ally themselves with Meccans against Islam in a war that ended with Muhammad's return to Mecca.
13.
Muhammad Returns to Mecca
(03:46)
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Muhammad returns to Mecca, visits the Kaaba, and destroys the pagan idols at the temple which will become the house of Allah. The life of Muhammad as a prophet, statesman, and military leader has always been the model on which Muslims pattern their lives.