Page 37 - Empires of Medieval West Africa

E m p i r E s o f m E d i E v a l w E s t a f r i c a

Muhammad and the Islamic Empire

islam was founded by muhammad (570– the Kaaba. the Kaaba is a one-room struc-
632), who was born in the arabian city of ture made of dark stone that is home to the
mecca. His name means “worthy of praise” sacred Black stone. this stone, embedded
in arabic. after the age of eight, muhammad in one of the walls, is believed to have been
began accompanying his uncle on long cara- placed there originally by adam, the first
vans. when he was 25, he married a wealthy man, and later by the prophet abraham (from
40-year-old widow named Khadijah (d. 620), whom the arabs say they are descended).
whose husband had been the owner of the Before islam, the Kaaba was also thought to
caravans. be the home of the god Hubal and more than
in 610, muhammad reported that while 300 other minor gods.
he was on retreat in a mountaintop cave near muhammad began an effort to renew the
mecca, he was visited by the angel Gabriel. ancient religion of abraham. He believed in
He received the first of a series of divine worship of one god (allah in arabic). in the
revelations that would become part of the next few years, muhammad and his follow-
Quran, the sacred book of islam. ers fought and won a series of battles against
Eventually, making a pilgrimage to mecca, the local ruling clans and their allies. Eventu-
as Yahya ibn ibrahim did, became a religious ally, they established a great empire. after his
requirement for all muslims. But mecca was death, the expansion of the islamic Empire
already an ancient center of pilgrimage long continued. within 100 years, it extended
before islam because it was the location of from india to spain.

He was determined to convert everyone, even if he had to do so under
the threat of physical harm.
At one point, along with Yahya, Yasin led the Juddala to attack a
branch of the Lamtuna clan and force them to join his new religious
movement. Yasin’s strictness and attitude of superiority over the local
people were deeply resented by the Juddala. He became increasingly
unpopular. He survived under the protection of Yahya. But when Yahya
died, the Juddala looted and destroyed Yasin’s house and exiled him
from the community.
Yasin fled with some devoted followers and went into hiding at a
kind of fortified monastery (a place where monks live) called a ribat.

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