The beginning of Islam
Long ago Muhammad, peace be upon him, taught people about the religion of Islam. Muhammad was born in Saudi Arabia 570 years after Jesus. His uncle’s family looked after him when his parents died. He got a job leading camel caravans across the deserts of Saudi Arabia. On his travels he talked to Christians and Jews about their religious beliefs and customs. After his marriage to Khadija he lived in Mecca. Visitors came to the city to pray to the gods at the shrine called Ka’ba. Muhammad worried about behaviour of the dishonest people in Mecca. A messenger from god spoke to Muhammad in a cave in the desert. His wife and friends learned off by heart what the messenger said to him.
Muhammad repeated the message to the people of Mecca. There is only one god, Allah. He asked the people to be good and kind to each other. No one listened to him. Muhammad had to escape from Mecca to Medina. This is called the Hijra. He became a ruler in the city of Medina. He went back to Mecca with a large army. He turned the statues into a shrine of the one god Allah. Mecca became the holy city of Islam. Muhammad then died after going on a pilgrimage to Mecca in 632 AD.
