Mecca

Examples of Mecca in the following topics:

• Arabian Cities

  • Cities like Mecca and Medina acted as important centers of trade and religion in pre-Islamic Arabia.
  • Islamic tradition attributes the beginning of Mecca to Ishmael's descendants.
  • Mecca's prominence as a trading center eventually surpassed the cities of Petra and Palmyra.
  • Along with the port of Jidda, Medina and Mecca thrived through years of pilgrimage.
  • Medina is 210 miles (340 km) north of Mecca and about 120 miles (190 km) from the Red Sea coast.

• Islam Ascendant

  • After eight years of warring with Mecca and finally conquering the city in 630 CE, Muhammad united Arabia into a single Islamic state.
  • The caravan attacks provoked and pressured Mecca by interfering with trade, and allowed the Muslims to acquire wealth, power, and prestige while working toward their ultimate goal of inducing Mecca's submission to the new faith.
  • The Meccans did not pursue the Muslims further, but marched back to Mecca declaring victory.
  • After eight years of fighting with the Meccan tribes, Muhammad gathered an army of 10,000 Muslim converts and marched on the city of Mecca.
  • Muhammad received revelations that he should face Mecca, rather than Jerusalem, in 624 CE.

• Flight from Mecca to Medina

  • As Islam faced more political and religious opposition in Mecca, Muhammad and his followers migrated to Medina in 622 CE.
  • The Hijra is the migration of Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina, 320 kilometers (200 miles) north, in 622 CE.
  • Muhammad instructed his followers to emigrate to Medina until nearly all of them left Mecca.
  • In June 622, when he was warned of the plot, Muhammad slipped out of Mecca with his companion, Abu Bakr.
  • Muhammad's message of monotheism challenged the traditional social order in Mecca.

• Early Life of Muhammad

  • Born c. 570 CE in Mecca, Muhammad was raised by his uncle Abu Talib and later worked as a merchant.
  • Muhammad's life is traditionally defined into two periods: pre-hijra (emigration) in Mecca (from 570 to 622 CE) and post-hijra in Medina (from 622 until 632 CE).
  • Muhammad was born around the year 570 CE to the Banu Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe, one of Mecca's prominent families.
  • After Khadija's death, Khawla bint Hakim suggested that Muhammad that should marry Sawda bint Zama, a Muslim widow, or Aisha, daughter of Um Ruman and Abu Bakr of Mecca.
  • The leaders of Mecca could not agree on which clan should have the honor of setting the Black Stone back in its place.

• Culture and Religion in Pre-Islamic Arabia

  • Gods and goddesses were worshipped at local shrines, such as the Kaaba in Mecca.
  • Zoroastrianism existed in the east and south, and there is evidence of Manichaeism or possibly Mazdakism being practiced in Mecca.
  • Idols were housed in the Kaaba, an ancient sanctuary in the city of Mecca.
  • Relief of the goddess Allāt, one of the three patron gods of the city of Mecca
  • The Kaaba is a cube-shaped building in Mecca held to be sacred both by Muslims and pre-Islamic polytheistic tribes.

• The Quran

  • The moral degeneration of his fellow people, and his own quest for a true religion, further lent fuel to this, with the result that he began to withdraw periodically to a cave called Mount Hira, three miles north of Mecca, for contemplation and reflection.
  • Religious duties required of the believers at this time were few: belief in God, asking for forgiveness of sins, offering frequent prayers, assisting others, particularly those in need, rejecting cheating and the love of wealth (considered to be significant in the commercial life of Mecca), being chaste, and not killing newborn girls.
  • All of these prayers are recited while facing in the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca, and are accompanied by a series of set positions including bowing with hands on knees, standing, prostrating, and sitting in a special position.
  • Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca): every able-bodied Muslim is obliged to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in his or her life.

• Early Islamic Society

  • He was responding [not only]... to the religious and intellectual aspects of the situation, but also the economic, social, and political pressures to which contemporary Mecca was subject. "
  • The historian Bernard Lewis says that there are two important political traditions in Islam—one that views Muhammad as a statesman in Medina, and another that views him as a rebel in Mecca.

• Architecture of Djenne

  • Sudano-Sahelian architecture reproduces the sacred architecture of Mecca in mud brick and other local materials.
  • The qibla, which face the direction of Mecca, is dominated by three large, box-like minarets jutting out from the main wall.

• Coupon Interest Rate

• Prayers

  • Some outward acts that can accompany prayer include anointing oneself with oil, ringing a bell, burning incense or paper, lighting a candle or candles, facing a specific direction (i.e. towards Mecca or the East), and making the sign of the cross.