1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hello and welcome to This Day in History Class, 3 00:00:10,320 --> 00:00:13,440 Speaker 1: a show that uncovers a little bit more about history 4 00:00:14,000 --> 00:00:18,560 Speaker 1: every day. I'm Gabe Bluzier, and today we're talking about 5 00:00:18,560 --> 00:00:22,040 Speaker 1: the time when one man's flight from an intolerant city 6 00:00:22,600 --> 00:00:33,560 Speaker 1: led to the birth of a new religion. The day 7 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:40,480 Speaker 1: was September six two, the prophet Muhammad completed his hijira, 8 00:00:40,880 --> 00:00:43,839 Speaker 1: or flight, from the city of Mecca to what is 9 00:00:43,880 --> 00:00:48,839 Speaker 1: now known as Medina. He fled to escape religious persecution 10 00:00:49,200 --> 00:00:51,360 Speaker 1: and to live where he would be free to gather 11 00:00:51,479 --> 00:00:56,520 Speaker 1: followers for his new religion, Islam. The day of Mohammed's Hijira, 12 00:00:57,120 --> 00:01:00,640 Speaker 1: that is, the day he arrived in future Medina, would 13 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: later be used as the starting point for year one 14 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:08,560 Speaker 1: of the Muslim calendar. Mohammed was born in Mecca around 15 00:01:08,560 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: the year five seventy. He was orphaned before he turned 16 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:15,759 Speaker 1: six and was raised by his uncle Abu Talib, who 17 00:01:15,800 --> 00:01:19,240 Speaker 1: was the head of the prestigious Hasham clan. When he 18 00:01:19,280 --> 00:01:22,000 Speaker 1: was older, Mohammed worked as a merchant and gained a 19 00:01:22,040 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: reputation for his honesty. In his mid twenties, Mohammed standing 20 00:01:26,800 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: in society got a nice boost when he married a 21 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:33,840 Speaker 1: wealthy widow named Kaja. They had four daughters and two 22 00:01:33,880 --> 00:01:37,920 Speaker 1: sons together, though sadly the sons both died in infancy. 23 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:43,039 Speaker 1: Although now a family man, Mohammed still valued solitude and 24 00:01:43,080 --> 00:01:46,039 Speaker 1: would occasionally spend nights in a cave on Mount Hira, 25 00:01:46,360 --> 00:01:50,160 Speaker 1: just north of Mecca. On one night of Ramadan, when 26 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: Mohammed was about forty years old, he experienced a vision 27 00:01:54,320 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 1: in the cave. He later reported that he had been 28 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: visited by the angel Gabriel, who told him you are 29 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: the messenger of God. This proved to be the first 30 00:02:05,120 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: of many religious revelations for Muhammad, which he and his 31 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:13,520 Speaker 1: followers would later collect as the Kuran. If you're unfamiliar 32 00:02:13,560 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 1: with Islam, which may be unlikely since it's now the 33 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: second most practiced religion in the world, it helps to 34 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:24,040 Speaker 1: know that Muhammed believed himself to be the final prophet 35 00:02:24,160 --> 00:02:29,080 Speaker 1: of the Judeo Christian tradition. His theology combined aspects of 36 00:02:29,120 --> 00:02:34,399 Speaker 1: those older religions with new doctrines inspired by his personal revelations. 37 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:39,440 Speaker 1: Over time, these teachings became known as Islam, which means 38 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:44,560 Speaker 1: surrender to God, and its followers became Muslims, those who 39 00:02:44,560 --> 00:02:48,440 Speaker 1: have surrendered to God. At the time, though, in about 40 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:52,320 Speaker 1: the year six ten, Muhammed's new faith had attracted only 41 00:02:52,360 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: a few followers, most of whom were young and of 42 00:02:55,840 --> 00:03:00,440 Speaker 1: low social standing. By six fifteen, Muhammed had gathered about 43 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,880 Speaker 1: a hundred converts in his native town, which was enough 44 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:08,040 Speaker 1: to attract the attention of his fellow merchants. Most people 45 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:11,920 Speaker 1: in Mecca believed in multiple gods and goddesses, and here 46 00:03:11,960 --> 00:03:16,160 Speaker 1: was Muhammed preaching that there was only one. To the merchants, 47 00:03:16,200 --> 00:03:19,560 Speaker 1: this was blasphemy, and since Muhammed was one of their 48 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: industry's own, they worried that his behavior might upset the 49 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: gods and hurt their business. As a result, city leaders 50 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:30,680 Speaker 1: began to harass Muhammed and his followers, and things only 51 00:03:30,720 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: got worse from there. His wife Kaja died unexpectedly in 52 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:39,640 Speaker 1: six nineteen, and soon after Mohammed's persecution intensified when his 53 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: uncle also died and was succeeded as head of the 54 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:49,080 Speaker 1: Hasham clan by another less agreeable uncle. Without Abu Talib's protection, 55 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:53,960 Speaker 1: Muhammed's life in Mecca went from bad to hopeless, or 56 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,040 Speaker 1: at least, that's how it seemed until the summer of 57 00:03:57,160 --> 00:04:00,120 Speaker 1: six twenty one, when a dozen or so men and 58 00:04:00,200 --> 00:04:03,920 Speaker 1: traveled over two hundred miles south to Mecca from an 59 00:04:03,960 --> 00:04:09,720 Speaker 1: oasis community called Yathrib in the location of present day Medina. 60 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: The men had seemingly made the pilgrimage to visit the 61 00:04:12,720 --> 00:04:16,680 Speaker 1: town's pagan shrines, but in reality they had come to 62 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:20,200 Speaker 1: meet with Muhammed and to be counted as his followers. 63 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:25,360 Speaker 1: Despite the best efforts of the ruling class, Muhammed's teachings 64 00:04:25,360 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 1: had traveled as far as two hundred miles north. A 65 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:34,080 Speaker 1: year later, and even larger group of converts came to Mecca. 66 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 1: Sensing that Muhammed had more than worn out his welcome, 67 00:04:37,839 --> 00:04:41,120 Speaker 1: the followers invited him to settle with them in Yathrib. 68 00:04:41,839 --> 00:04:46,120 Speaker 1: Muhammed accepted the invitation and encouraged his followers in Mecca 69 00:04:46,480 --> 00:04:50,039 Speaker 1: to start making the journey in small groups to avoid 70 00:04:50,120 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: drawing attention from city authorities. Unfortunately, officials got wise soon 71 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: enough and began hatching a plan to kill Muhammed and 72 00:04:59,400 --> 00:05:03,600 Speaker 1: hopefully put an end to his religious revolution. When Mohammed 73 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:06,560 Speaker 1: heard of the plot to murder him, he decided it 74 00:05:06,640 --> 00:05:09,400 Speaker 1: was time for him to leave. He made his way 75 00:05:09,480 --> 00:05:13,279 Speaker 1: to Yathrip along back road paths and completed his hygia 76 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,560 Speaker 1: from Mecca when he arrived safely at the oasis on September. 77 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:23,920 Speaker 1: One reason that day remains of such deep importance to 78 00:05:24,120 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: later Muslims is that it marked the first time in 79 00:05:27,440 --> 00:05:30,960 Speaker 1: the Arabian Peninsula when the members of a community were 80 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:34,400 Speaker 1: united by a shared belief in God and not by 81 00:05:34,440 --> 00:05:38,599 Speaker 1: the bonds of a clan or tribe. Over time, the 82 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:42,880 Speaker 1: community of Yathrid came to be called Medina, or the 83 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: City of the Prophet. Mohammed spent the next decade in Medina, 84 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:52,359 Speaker 1: gathering followers and raiding supplies from trading caravans that passed 85 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:57,160 Speaker 1: by from Mecca. Finally, in the year six thirty, Mohammed 86 00:05:57,279 --> 00:06:00,920 Speaker 1: returned to his birthplace with an army of ten thousand. 87 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:06,920 Speaker 1: The people of Mecca swore allegiance and swiftly converted to Islam. 88 00:06:06,960 --> 00:06:10,360 Speaker 1: Over the next few years, more and more Arab tribes 89 00:06:10,480 --> 00:06:14,800 Speaker 1: joined Muhammed's alliance and converted to his religion, until the 90 00:06:14,800 --> 00:06:18,279 Speaker 1: prophet had become the most powerful man in a newly 91 00:06:18,440 --> 00:06:22,919 Speaker 1: united Arabia, But his reign would be short lived. On 92 00:06:23,080 --> 00:06:27,080 Speaker 1: June eight thirty two, a little less than a decade 93 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:31,240 Speaker 1: after his Hijira, the prophet Muhammed died suddenly at the 94 00:06:31,279 --> 00:06:36,920 Speaker 1: age of sixty. His faith, however, lived on. I'm Gabe 95 00:06:36,960 --> 00:06:40,159 Speaker 1: Louzier and hopefully you now know a little more about 96 00:06:40,200 --> 00:06:44,280 Speaker 1: history today than you did yesterday. If you're feeling friendly, 97 00:06:44,400 --> 00:06:47,760 Speaker 1: you can follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at 98 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:51,240 Speaker 1: t d i HC Show, and if you have any 99 00:06:51,279 --> 00:06:53,760 Speaker 1: feedback to share, you can send it to me at 100 00:06:53,920 --> 00:06:58,200 Speaker 1: this Day at i heart media dot com. Thanks to 101 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:01,640 Speaker 1: Chandler May's for producing the show, and thank you for listening. 102 00:07:02,120 --> 00:07:04,680 Speaker 1: I'll see you back here again tomorrow for another Day 103 00:07:04,839 --> 00:07:17,160 Speaker 1: in History class. For more podcasts from I Heart Radio, 104 00:07:17,280 --> 00:07:19,800 Speaker 1: visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 105 00:07:19,840 --> 00:07:21,080 Speaker 1: you listen to your favorite shows.