1. PROPHET MUHAMMAD (570 BC - 632 BC)

The fall of my choice to the Prophet Muhammad in the first order Hundred list of influential people in the world may be surprised as the reader and may be marks of others. But I stick to my convictions, he was the Prophet Muhammad was the only man in history who managed to achieve success, great success judging from the size of both religious and secular spheres.


Origin of a simple family, Muhammad uphold and propagate one of the world's largest religion, Islam. And at the same time appears as a tough leader, genuine, and effective. Today thirteen centuries after his death, his influence was still strong and deep and rooted.

Most of the people listed in this book is a lucky creature was born and raised in centers of human civilization, high berkultur and where political turnover of nations. Muhammad was born in the year 570 AD, the city of Mecca, in the little southern Arabian Peninsula, a place that time is the most backward regions in the world, far from the center of commerce, art and science. Became an orphan at the age of six years, grew up in a situation about a simple and humble. Islamic sources say that Muhamnmad an illiterate. New economic situation began to improve at the age of twenty-five years old when he married a widow to be. However, until nearly forty years of age barely visible clues as human keluarbiasaannya.



Generally, the Arabs at that time did not embrace a particular religion but a pagan city of Mecca in a small number of adherents, followers of Judaism and Christianity, and their chances of Muhammad for the first time I heard about the existence of one Almighty God, who set the whole of nature. When he was forty years old, Muhammad believed that God Almighty is to say something to him and chose to become a true propagator of faith.

During the three years to spread the religion of Muhammad is only limited to close friends and relatives. When we enter the new year 613 he began to appear in public. Once he got little by little followers, ruler of Mecca looked at as a dangerous, mischief maker. In 622 years, worried about his safety, Muhammad moved to Medina, a city north of Mecca is 200 miles. In the city he was offered a position of political power is quite convincing.

Events migrate is an important turning point for the life of the Prophet. In Mecca he was difficult to obtain a small number of followers, and followers in Medina grew so fast in tempo he can gain influence that makes it a real power holders. In the following years as the followers of Muhammad grew like mushrooms, a series of battles broke out between Mektah and Medina. This war ended in 630 with Muhammad's victory at the party, returned to Mecca as conqueror. The remaining two and a half years of his life he witnessed extraordinary progress in terms of rapid Arab tribes embraced Islam. And when Muhammad died in 632, he was sure he was as effective authority throughout the south of the Arabian Peninsula.

Bedewi tribes had hereditary tradition as warriors strong and courageous. But their number is not much and always tempted divisions and confront each other with each other. That's why they can not beat the army of the kingdoms established in the agricultural areas in the northern hemisphere. But, was Muhammad's first person in history, thanks to a strong sense of trust to the oneness of God, a small Arab armies were able to do an amazing series of conquests in human history. In the northeast of Arabia stood the New Persian Empire Sassanids broad. In northwestern Arabia stood Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire with Constantinople as its center.

Judging from the number and size of angle, certainly not Arabs would be able to deal with it. However, in the field of battle, the Arab armies burning zeal with lightning strokes can conquer Mesopotamia, Syria, and Palestine. 642 In Egypt captured from the Byzantine Empire's grasp, and meanwhile the Persian army got beat in a very decisive battle in the year 637 Qadisiya Nehavend and in 642 years.

But large-scale conquest - under the leadership of the Prophet's companions and his successor Abu Bakr and Umar ibn al-Khattab - did not show signs stop right there. In the year 711, Arab armies had swept North Africa to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. From there they turned north and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and confront the Spanish Visigothic kingdom.

At first glance one should think that the Muslims would be cleared away all the Christians of Europe. But in the year 732, in the famous battle and terrible in Tours, a Muslim army that had advanced into the center of France in the end was beaten by the Franks. Even so, only in tempo battle secuwil century, the people of this Bedewi-imbued with the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, has established a empirium stretching from the Indian border to the white sand Atlantic Ocean beach, the largest ever empirium known human history. And wherever conquest by Muslim armies, always followed by a rushing-into bondongnya Islamic adherents.

Apparently, not all the region's conquest is permanent. Persian people, though still loyal follower of Islamic religion, regained its independence from Arab hands. And in Spain, after over seven centuries of warfare finally held back by the Christians. Meanwhile, Mesopotamia and Egypt two birthplaces of ancient cultures, remain in the hands of Arabs as well as throughout the north coast of Africa. Islamic religion, of course, continue to spread from one century to another century, far from conquered regions. Generally millions of Muslims scattered in Africa, Central Asia, especially Pakistan and India to the north and Indonesia. In Indonesia, the new Islamic religion is a unifying factor. In the Indian subcontinent, almost the opposite: the new religion was a major cause of the break.

Is the influence of the Prophet Muhammad the most basic to the history of mankind? Like other religions, too, Islam had an enormous influence on its adherents. That is why the spreader-spreader in the world's great religions can all be places in this book. If measured by the number, the number of adherents of Christianity twice the size of the followers of Islam, by itself arises what is the reason the question mark Prophet Muhammad's order to place higher than the Prophet Jesus in the list. There are two main reasons that so hold me. First, Muhammad played a far more important role in the development of Islam than the role of the Prophet Jesus to Christianity. Even Prophet Isa responsible for the basic teachings of Christian morals and ethics (to a certain extent different from Judaism), St.. Paul is the main disseminator of Christian theology, penyebarnya figure, and author of the bulk of the Old Testament.

Instead Muhammad was not only responsible for the theology of Islam but it also points to the ethical and moral. Moreover, he "scribe" the Holy Quran, a collection of revelations to Muhammad that he believed came directly from God. A large part of this revelation assiduously copied during Muhammad was still alive and then collected in a form that does not tergoyangkan not long after he died. Al-Quran is thus closely related to the views of Muhammad and his teachings because he relies on God's revelation. In contrast, none of which was so detailed collection of teachings of Jesus, which still can be found in the present. Since the Al-Quran for the Muslims to some extent as important as the gospel for the Christians, the influence of Muhammad through the Quran teramatlah magnitude. Possible influence of Muhammad in Islam is greater than the influence of Jesus and St. Paul in the Christian world combined. Measured from the corner of the eye alone religion, seems to influence Muhammad Isa equivalent in the history of humanity.

Furthermore (unlike Jesus) Muhammad is not only religious leaders but also leaders of the world. The fact is, as the driving force of the motion made conquests of the Arabs, the influence of political leadership is in the forefront at all times.

Of various historical events, one might say it could happen without the leadership of someone special who headed them. For example, the colonies in South America might be able to free themselves from Spanish colonialism even if Simon Bolivar had never existed in the world. But, this example does not apply to the motion made conquests of the Arabs. There was no similar incidents before Muhammad, and there was no reason to deny that the conquest might occur and succeed without Muhammad. The only similarities in terms of conquests in human history in the 13th century partly because of the influence terpokok Genghis Khan. This conquest, although wider scope than what the Arab nations, it is not able to prove the establishment, and now the only areas occupied by the Mongols was the same area before the time of Genghis Khan

This clearly shows a large difference with the conquest by the Arabs. Extending from Iraq to Morocco, the chain stretches a united Arab nation, not just thanks to Islamic belief but also from the Department of Arabic, history and culture. The central position of Al-Quran among the Muslim and written in Arabic, is a likely reason why the Arabic language is not divided into dialects that berantarakan. If not, may be already be happening in the century L3. Arab differences and divisions in some countries would happen, of course, and in fact it is, but splits the partial that do not necessarily make us negligent that their union is still tangible. But both Iran and Indonesia are both populous Muslim country, and both oil producers, are not joined in the attitude of the oil embargo in the winter of 1973 to 1974. On the other hand goods is not a coincidence that all the Arab countries, exclusively Arab country, which take the oil embargo.

So, can we see, the conquest of Arabs carried out in the 7th century continue to play an important role in the history of mankind today. In terms that I considered a matchless combination of aspects of religion and secular aspects inherent in the influence of Muhammad, so I think Muhammad was a private in the sense that the most influential man in human history.




-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------
Hundred Most Influential People in History
Michael H. Hart, 1978
Translation H. Mahbub Djunaidi, 1982
PT. Dunia Pustaka Jaya
Jln. Kramat II, No. 31A
Jakarta Pusat