Reza Aslan’s book, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam, gives a
concise history of Islam. According to the book, Mecca was ruled by one powerful tribe known
as the Quraysh from the 4th century, under a powerful leader, Qusayy. Qusayy united various
small groups into one powerful tribe and declared himself the king of Mecca. To consolidate his
power, he brought together several tribal gods of Arabia and put them around Ka’aba, making
Mecca the center of worship. This enabled the Quraysh accumulate wealth and continue a
religio-economic system to control the city. This dominion violated the tribal ethic of the
Arabians that embraced social equality, where everyone shared in the social and economic
rights as one people. The concentration of wealth in one tribe affected and destroyed the
equality of tribal ethic. This led to poverty, debts and slavery.
Muhammad was uncomfortable about the inequalities he saw in the Quraysh society,
even though he benefited from the religio-economic system of the time. He took long
pilgrimages to the mountains hoping to resolve his inner conflict. The monotheism of the
message he received during one of his retreats challenged the power of the ruling class. He
preached of the radical social reforms that criticized the mistreatment of the oppressed and
claimed that it was the responsibility of the rich to take care of them. This is what the Quran
demands, ‘and do not drive away the beggar.’ (93:9-10).’ The Quraysh leaders got annoyed and
after the death of Muhammad’s wife and uncle, he lacked protection and economic and
emotional support, rendering him powerless against his people. Muhammad’s migration to
Yathrib, called ‘hijra’ is also year one of Islamic calendar. Islam was truly born in Yathrib, which
was renamed Medina, ‘the city of the prophet.’
Prophet Muhammad is one of the most influential figures in human history, who
should be emulated. He stood for the rights of the oppressed and unprotected, something that
modern
This study source was downloaded by 100000856941565 from CourseHero.com on 11-23-2022 02:05:53 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/171558779/No-god-But-Goddocx/
concise history of Islam. According to the book, Mecca was ruled by one powerful tribe known
as the Quraysh from the 4th century, under a powerful leader, Qusayy. Qusayy united various
small groups into one powerful tribe and declared himself the king of Mecca. To consolidate his
power, he brought together several tribal gods of Arabia and put them around Ka’aba, making
Mecca the center of worship. This enabled the Quraysh accumulate wealth and continue a
religio-economic system to control the city. This dominion violated the tribal ethic of the
Arabians that embraced social equality, where everyone shared in the social and economic
rights as one people. The concentration of wealth in one tribe affected and destroyed the
equality of tribal ethic. This led to poverty, debts and slavery.
Muhammad was uncomfortable about the inequalities he saw in the Quraysh society,
even though he benefited from the religio-economic system of the time. He took long
pilgrimages to the mountains hoping to resolve his inner conflict. The monotheism of the
message he received during one of his retreats challenged the power of the ruling class. He
preached of the radical social reforms that criticized the mistreatment of the oppressed and
claimed that it was the responsibility of the rich to take care of them. This is what the Quran
demands, ‘and do not drive away the beggar.’ (93:9-10).’ The Quraysh leaders got annoyed and
after the death of Muhammad’s wife and uncle, he lacked protection and economic and
emotional support, rendering him powerless against his people. Muhammad’s migration to
Yathrib, called ‘hijra’ is also year one of Islamic calendar. Islam was truly born in Yathrib, which
was renamed Medina, ‘the city of the prophet.’
Prophet Muhammad is one of the most influential figures in human history, who
should be emulated. He stood for the rights of the oppressed and unprotected, something that
modern
This study source was downloaded by 100000856941565 from CourseHero.com on 11-23-2022 02:05:53 GMT -06:00
https://www.coursehero.com/file/171558779/No-god-But-Goddocx/
