At the time of her marriage to Muhammad, Khadija was forty years old and possibly had children from an earlier marriage. As husband and wife, Muhammad and Khadija bore seven children. In 619 a.D., Khadija died from an unknown illness; soon after, Muhammad married for the second time. However, at this point in his life, Muhammad opted to have more than one wife, a tradition that was carried on in Arabic culture

Abdullah, Allama. The Sayings of Muhammad. NY: Citadel Press, 1990, 245.

A for hundreds of years. Thus, Muhammad clearly knew the power that went along with having a large family; exactly how many children he had by the time of his death is unknown.

In essence, the life of Muhammad was a long-term mission aimed at spreading the words of Allah to all corners of the world. According to Allama Abdullah, writing in the Sayings of Muhammad, the great Prophet was also a kind of educator, for he has left us a number of harm any man, no matter what religion or race he may be," an indication that Muhammad was far ahead of his time in relation to not being bigoted or racist. Also, "To comfort the hunger of your neighbor, no matter who he is or what religion he belongs to, is Islam. To realize the pain and suffering of others and offer your hands in assistance, is Islam," a statement that reflects the Third Pillar of Islam, being the giving of alms (i.e., financial assistance) to those in need of help. Muhammad also declared that "Hurting another is not Islam... The purity of Islam is to avoid hurting others, for you must regard others as you regard yourself."

This statement is perhaps the closest Muhammad ever came to being a philosopher, for it implies that human beings must consider the feelings of others and that physical violence is upon another person is not acceptable, something much in line with the sayings of Jesus Christ as recorded in the New Testament. 10

In contrast to the message that Muhammad was preaching to his people,...

Fortunately, at least for Muhammad and his fellow Muslims, after several "miraculous" occurrences linked to Muhammad, the pagans gave up their fight to destroy Muhammad and the rest, as they say, is history.
The last Pillar of Islam is known as the hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca. This journey, as related in the Holy Quran, must be done at least once during the life of all Muslims as long as one is physically and financially able to do so. The center of this journey is the Grand Mosque and the Kabah, "a huge stone edifice that Muslims believe was constructed by the prophet Abraham and Ishmael for the worship of the one and only god Allah." 12 During this visit to Mecca, most Muslims also make a trip to the city of Medina, the place where Muhammad found shelter after he was forced to flee for his life from Mecca, due to certain pagan groups who did not accept his teachings. For this reason, the hajj has become a very important aspect of Islam, 11 Armstrong, 99.

12 Kelen, 189.

In conclusion, as an historical figure, the prophet Muhammad stands out as the quintessential Middle Eastern religious leader, mostly due to his position as the "interpreter" of the Holy Quran and his ability to transform an entire culture from one of pagan worship to the adoration of one God, the great and all-loving Allah.

13 Ibid, 194.

SOURCES CITED

Abdullah, Allama. The Sayings of Muhammad. New York: Citadel Press, 1990.

Adil, Hajjah Amina. Muhammad: The Messenger of Islam. New York: Islamic Supreme

Armstrong, Karen. Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet. New York: HarperCollins,

Kelen, Betty. Muhammad: The Messenger of God. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1975.