Life-of-Muhammad

{Life of Muhammad saARABIA AT THE TIME OF THE PROPHET'S saBIRTHThe Prophet sa was born in Mecca in August 570 A.D.He was given the name Muhammad sa which means, thePraised One. To understand his life and character wemust have some idea of the conditions which obtainedin Arabia at the time of his birth.When he was born almost the whole of Arabiabelieved in a polytheistic form of religion. The Arabstraced their descent to Abraham as . They knew thatAbraham as was a monotheistic Teacher. In spite of this,they entertained polytheistic beliefs and were given topolytheistic practices. In defence, they said that somehuman beings are outstanding in their contact withGod. Their intercession on behalf of others is acceptedby God. To reach Him is difficult for ordinary humanbeings. They must have others to intercede for them inorder to obtain God's pleasure and help. Thus they wereable to combine their reverence for Abraham as with theirown polytheistic beliefs. Abraham as , they said, was aholy man. He was able to reach God withoutintercession, whilst ordinary Meccans could not do so.The people of Mecca, therefore, had made idols of holyand righteous persons, and these they worshipped andto these they made offerings in order to please Godthrough them. This attitude was primitive, illogical andfull of defects. But the Meccans were not worried bythese. They had not had a monotheistic Teacher for along time, and polytheism, once it takes root, spreadsand knows no bounds. The number of gods begins toincrease. At the time of the Prophet's sa birth, it is said1