This chapter revolves more around the rise of Muhammad. I find this fascinating as I never learned too much about Muhammad, or how he became the prophet that he is. The reading states that there was a dominance in Mecca at the end of the fourth century by “an ambitious young Arab named Qusayy who had managed to gain control of the Kaaba by united a number of feuding clans under his rule” (Aslan, 32). It appeared that these clans were comprised of extended families, and some of these family clans merged based on their political beliefs and intermarriage alliances.
There is an interesting debate about the trade that went on in Mecca. Some people believe that Mecca was an International trading ground and others view the opposite that it rarely attracted much trade at all. However, both sides do agree that whatever trade did go on in Mecca, it was due to the importance and significance of the Kaaba. However, there was a problem in Mecca that the wealth had destroyed the tribal ethic and the egalitarianism was swept away. It also weakened the structure of the tribes and could not protect the community.
This article gets back into Muhammad’s life as he was basically rescued and later married a wealthy female merchant named Khadija. She also had hired him for work. The marriage “paved the way for Muhammad’s acceptance at the highest levels of Meccan society and thoroughly initiated him into the religious-economic system of the city” (Aslan, 37). From having little to no family, Muhammad almost had no chance of being accepted by society until this marriage. This shows that almost anything can happen to anyone at any time, even if the odds seem stacked against it. Another fascinating story was of Muhammad’s “burning bush” revelation about a spirit forcing him to recite words that revealed how he knew he became a prophet. This revelation helped spread the word of God and other right and wrong morals, and the people who had wrong morals or who believed in injustice were punished by God. This caused a backlash with the Quraysh, and they boycotted his clan. His clan moved to Yathrib for Muhammad to spread his wisdom. This chapter sheds incredible light on how Muhammad came from nothing and rose to become this prophet.