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When it comes to folks from long ago who became famous due to their deeds, like say starting a global religion that would one day have billions of followers, we rarely know their birthdays. That’s because back then, when you were born a nobody, the day mom squeezed your big head out of her small orifice wasn’t worth marking on a calendar. That goes for you too, Jesus.
--On This Day in History Shit Went Down: June 8, 632--
Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, was born a nobody. That is why we can only approximate that he arrived slimy and squalling—just like everyone else does—around the year 570 in Mecca.
Today, Christianity has 2.4 billion followers, and Islam 1.9 billion. Both achieved that because devotees actively sought converts; they wanted to spread the word. This was done via myriad methods, including dispatching missionaries andby the sword. If you’re unaware, “by the sword” means telling a conquered people “You’re gonna pray to our god now or [looks toward sharp implement of death with an unsubtle gesture].” Such a strategy was common for Christianity and Islam alike.
And that’s not entirely bad. Hear me out.
I mean, it sucks for the people getting conquered, but from a long-term historical perspective, for all the fuckery committed, religion has been a binding force for humanity through the creation of shared mythology. It has the power to turn several small warring tribes into a cohesive nation capable of great things. Then those nations can fight other nations, but I’m getting away from the point.
The point is Muhammad unified a divided people. He began to have visions around the age of 40 and proclaimed there was a single god that people must submit to. The polytheists were not fans, but Muhammad won converts. And as his following grew, so too did the threat he represented to the status quo. Eventually, there was war, because my god is better than your gods, and vice versa.
Muhammad died on June 8, 632, at approximately 62. The succession did not go smoothly. Some favored Ali, Muhammad’s cousin/son-in-law. Other’s preferred Muhammad’s friend Abu, who ended up being confirmed as caliph—the chief Muslim religious and civil leader. But Ali’s supporters didn’t just accept that. Abu’s much larger following would eventually be called Sunni Muslims, and Ali’s followers Shia Muslims. War eventually followed, creating the Sunni-Shia split in the religion that has never been mended.
Today, Shia make up 10-15% of world Muslims, with most living in Iran. There have been extended times of peace between the two groups, but just like with Protestants vs. Catholics, there have been bloody conflicts. Most recently, the Sunni-dominated Iraq warred with Shia Iran for most of the 1980s, resulting in approximately one million deaths.
Get the book ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY SH!T WENT DOWN.