Famous Men of the Middle Ages · Ch. VII, part 2 · Unit 3: Mohammed and the Saracens
12. Mohammed, part 2: The Hejira and the spread of Islam
Goal: Your child can tell what the Hejira was and why it matters, and describe what the book says about Muslim prayer and the pilgrimage to Mecca.
You'll need
- The book, open to this chapter
- A map or globe showing Europe, the Middle East and Asia (a free online map works)
- Paper and colored pencils
- Your timeline strip (see the tips at the top)
What's in the book
Chapter VII, sections III and IV: Khadijah is the first to believe. Mohammed preaches in Mecca; a few believe, many mock him, and his own tribe threatens his life. Leaders from Medina accept his teaching, and in 622 he leaves Mecca for Medina: the Hejira, from which Muslims count their years. The book then says he spread his religion by war, took Mecca, and died in Medina in 632. It describes prayer five times a day toward Mecca, the muezzin's call, the pilgrimage, the Great Mosque and the Kaaba, and the caliphs who came after him.
The lesson, step by step
Set the scene
Find Mecca and Medina again. Say: Last time, Mohammed was a trusted trader who spent weeks praying in a cave. Today he begins to preach.
Read the chapter
Read from section III to the end of the chapter. It begins:
When Mohammed returned home after the angel had first spoken to him, he told his wife of what he had seen and heard.
Tell it back
Prompts:
- Who were the first to believe, and how did most people in Mecca react?
- Why did Mohammed leave Mecca, and where did he go?
- What does a muezzin do?
- What does every Muslim hope to do at least once in life?
The Hejira
Read this:
It was in the year of our Lord 622 that Mohammed fled from Mecca.
SayHejira means flight, or leaving. Muslims count their years from it, just as the book counts years from the birth of Christ. So there are two calendars, both still used today.
The book's 1904 view
Section IV begins: "Mohammed thought that it was right to spread his religion by force." Say: That is the book's short, one-sided summary. Muslims and historians today tell the story of these years in much more detail and in different ways. We can notice when a book only shows one side.
Talk it over
Read the muezzin's call as the book gives it:
Come to prayer, come to prayer. There is no god but God. He giveth life, and he dieth not. I praise his perfection. God is great.
Ask: Muslims all over the world turn toward Mecca when they pray. What does it mean to millions of people to face the same place?
Remember it
Add to the timeline: "622 The Hejira" and "632 Mohammed dies in Medina."
SayThe pilgrimage to Mecca is called the Hajj. Millions of Muslims make it every year.
Afterwards
Ask your child to explain to someone else what the Hejira was and why the year 622 matters.
Tip
The book's last paragraph mentions the old story that the coffin floated in the air; the book itself calls it a fable made up by enemies. You can skip it or use it to talk about rumors.
Answers to the book's problems
Khadijah, then members of his family, then some poor people and slaves; most people in Mecca laughed at him or called him a dreamer, and his own tribe threatened to kill him. His wife and uncle had died, he had few friends left in Mecca, and many people in Medina believed and invited him. A muezzin calls people to prayer from the minaret of a mosque. Every Muslim is bound to make the pilgrimage to Mecca at least once.
Worked out for this site from the scan. If a number in your copy differs, trust the book.