These are the first words of the reveleation received by the Prophet Muhammad (s) who, at the age of 40 years, withdrew into a cave in the desert in order to reflect about the burning questions of his time and to find access to God's guidance through prayer and fasting.

Muhammad (s) had grown up as an orphan in the home of his uncle Abu Talib in Mecca that was both a place of pilgrimage and a commercial city situated at the junction of the most important contemporary caravan routes linking it with all known parts of the world. His uncle had taught him business and given him the possibility to gain first experiences on business journeys, but at the same time, the young man had watched, with a keen sense for right and wrong, the deep gap between rich and poor that was even deepened by ignorance, superstition and degrading practices under the guise of religious privileges, and together with like-minded friends, he finally founded an alliance to promote the rights of the poor and weak. At the age of 25, he was employed by the rich widow Khadîja who had succeeded, in opposition to contemporary usage, to conduct her own business after her husband's death. Being impressed by her young employee's competence and honesty and having discovered his commitment for the poor as matching her own commitment for which she had already spent much money and energy, she arranged to get married with him although she was much older than him.

Khadîja was the first person to comfort and encourage Muhammad (s) when he came home after his first experience of revelation, deeply shaken. During the first time afterwards, he talked about his call and tast only with close members of his family. Among his first followers besides Khadîja, there was his cousin Ali, hardly more than a child who lived in his household, Zaid, the liberated slave, as well as his faithful friend Abu Bakr. However, the news spread quickly, especially among the poor, the slaves and the young people, and quite a number of them joined him because the revealed texts gave them food for thought and hope. They pointed to the liberating faith in God's unity in contrast to the oppressing multitude of deities and religious authorities; they reminded of God's loving care and invited to gratefulness; they admonished people to lead a responsible life in God's presence that would prove to be full of blessings; they warned against selfishness and godlessness. Islâm, Surrender to God, was to be the foundation for justice and peace.

Three years later, the Prophet (s) was told to preach in public. He therefore addressed the citiy elders, many of them relatives of his, and was confronted with ridicule and rejection. Accepting God's unity and leaving idolatry would have meant to give up privileges and prestige, and social justice or at least honesty in business would have meant less profit. Both was out of question for them. When the influential men in the city eventually realized that the new movement was to be taken serious, they resorted to reprisals and attacks especially against the weaker followers of the Prophtet (s) who, in the meantime, had moved to a house offered to him to teach his message systematically to men and women. A community of brothers and sisters grew together consisting of people from different social backgrounds who studied and prayed together and supported each other, the rich among them sharing their property with the poorer ones or using it to buy the freedom of slaves mistreated by their masters, and the influential ones among them offering protection to the weaker ones. In the texts revealed during this time, there are numerous hints at the experiences of earlier prophets and their communities, e.g. the conflict between Abraham and his idolatrous father, the story of Noah and the ark, the rescue of little Moses and the exodus of the Children of Israel from Egypt, the experiences of Mary and the work of Jesus, but also the stories of non-Biblical prophets like Hud and Saleh, all of them sent to humankind with the same message and confronted with similar hostilities. In the centre there are the principles of personal ethics that are the foundation of a social life in justice and peace as well as warnings against the destructive effects of misused power. Some texts contain words of comfort and encouragement addressed directly to the Prophet (s) because, motivated by the love for his fellow human beings, he not only suffers personally from their rejection but from the awareness that they cause each other so much injustice, pain and suffering.

When the persecutions increased, the Prophet (s) sent a group of his followers to Abyssinia where they were offered protection by the Christian emperor. From this time, we have the first eye witness reports of a Christian-Muslim dialogue while we know only little about the individual Christians in Mecca apart from the fact that Khadîja's cousin Waraqa bin Nawfal, a Christian scholar and ascetic, is said to have translated Biblical scriptures to Arabic. In this case, Umm Salama, a courageous woman who later on, after her husband's death, became the Prophet's wife, informs us about the negotiations of the emigrants with the emperor himself who then rejects the application by the representatives of the Meccan city council to hand the emigrants over to them. From other sources we learn more about their life in exile.

In the meantime, the situation in Mecca escalated. The council members decided to boycot the Muslims and their clans. The boycot lasted for a couple of years, but due to the patience of the Muslims and the secret resistance from the side of some young people from influential families, the desired effect was not achieved and was finally ended without the expected result. However, Khadîja and Abu Talib never recovered from the privation they had suffered and died soon afterwards.

In the meantime, representatives fom the city of Yathrib situated in an oasis about 400 km north of Mecca had offered shelter and protection to the Prophet (s) and his followers. This was linked with the hope that the Prophet (s) would be able to mediate in a feud between the tribal groups within the city that had lasted for several generations, the reasons for which had long been forgotten, nothing but a doubtful sense of honour remaining as a motivating force behind the war that had exhausted the population. The Muslims accepted the offer and emigrated to Yathrib just before the Meccan council members could realize their plan to get rid of the Prophet (s) by killing him.

The Prophet (s) really did succeed in integrating the different tribes and clans in the city, both Arab and Jewish as well as the group of immigrants, with each other. On the personal level, brotherhood was established between the heads of families from Mecca and Yathrib, and the Prophet (s) enjoined the groups of the immigrants and helpers to exchange knowledge and skills in order to five a new economic foundation to all of them, because the people of Yathrib were mainly farmers and craftsmen, while the people from Mecca brought in their experience in business. On the political level, the city state Madînat an-Nabî (City State of the Prophet) was founded. The treaty on which it was based aimed at a cooperation of the tribal groups while maintaining their variety, that is, their represetatives decided about their common concerns, especially in the fields of foreign and defense policy, in mutual consultation while the individual tribes kept their internal legal and cultural autonomy as well as - where the Jewish tribes were concerned - their religious identity. This kind of living together in variety is pointed out in the Qur'an where the founding fathers of the world religions like Moses and Jesus are explicitely mentioned as God's messengers and Biblical scriptures are explicitely confirmed as binding for Jews and Christians while Muslims are enjoined to keep neighbourly relations with these "People of the Scripture" and to build up on common grounds. In spite of all setbacks, this principle of living together in variety has continued in Muslim history and is taken into consideration even in modern Muslim constitutions and debates about an Islamic state.

Life in the city state demanded a number of concrete practical considerations that were partly conditioned by the new situation and responsibility in an independent community, partly by social changes brought about by a new Muslim self-understanding. One of the first important projects was the construction of a mosque as a place of regular congregational prayers and meetings. Congregational prayer and especially the Friday prayer became an established part of life in Medina, and people were called to prayer by a human voice which was considered the most beautiful sound for that purpose. Bilal whose freedom from slavery had been bought before his cruel master had been able to torture him to death is well-known as the first person to call people to prayer. At the same time, the mosque was a place of studying and teaching. The Prophet (s) declared "the acqusition of knowledge a religious duty for every male and female Muslim", and even after the establishment of schools and colleges many mosques have remained centres of knowledge even today. The mosque was also used as a temporary shelter for poor and homeless people - even in Muslim countries today the poor are fed in the immediate vicinity of a mosque - and, whenever this was necessary, it was used as a hospital. In Medina at the time of the Prophet (s), the mosque was the meeting place for consultations and negotiations where foreign ambassadors were received. His private rooms opened into the mosque so that he was there to lead prayers, to teach, to decide disputes and to be accessible for everyone.

A number of regilations in the economic and social fields are worth mentioning. In order to offer an efficient help to the poor, the Prophet (s) did not stop at enjoining the believers to give charity as it had been self-evident even before the emigration but fixed a certain minimum as a religious duty, Zakat that was collected like a tax so that the poor could be taken care of by means of this funds. However, he took care that this possibility was not misused. Many Muslims know the story of a young strong man who asked the Prophet (s) for financial aid but instead was sent to cut wood, with the remark that even this kind of work was better than asking for help unnecessarily.

On the other hand, usury, speculation and gambling was forbidden in order to promote economic justice. Business contracts were to be concluded in writing and in the presence of witnesses. A special concern of the Prophet's was to protect orphans and other inexperienced persons from being exploited and to promote the liberation and integration of slaves.

The new understanding of the human and social status of men and women was followed by new regulations in family law. According to the Qur'an, men and women have the same value before God, and the same ethical values and religious obligation are valid for both. Both are commanded to be active in society, promoting what is good and preventing what is evil. Family duties are to be shared justly by husband and wife. Decisions of the Prophet (s) that have been transmitted to us show that he used to draw practical conclusions from these basic principles. Apart from his admonition to parents to give special care to a good education for their daughters, he made sure that girls were not married off against their will and that women were protected against arbitrariness from the side of their families especially in connection with a divorce. The new concept of a Muslim women caused a trend, among men, to have one wife only; however, a limited possibility for polygamy remained in order to handle social problems after a war when it was a matter of giving a new home to orphans and widows. The Prophet's own marriages permit some insights into the activities of contemporary Muslim women and give orientation for many modern legal issues. In principle, women were given the right to make independent decisions concerning their own property and income, to get a dowry from their husbands, to inherit, and to be active in public life.

Besides the fundamental spiritual, theological and ethical teachings, the passages that were revealed in Medina contain quite a number of individual rules and socio-political principles. The more it is important to understand them in the context of their historical background because otherwise the perspective is missing, and misunderstandings can occur by unjustified generalizations and interpretations that are beside the point. The example of the Prophet (s) himself who interpreted and implemented these texts is an essential key. When we therefore talk about the Sources of Islamic law, we mention, besides the Qur'ân, the Sunna (life example of the Prophet (s)) as well as rational methods and consensus that help us to understand those two primary sources and translate them into our own era.

However, the Prophet (s) soon had to struggle with external and internal tensions and conflicts. The internal conflicts started with certain individuals among the Arabs as well as the Jews of Medina who, for economic and political reasons of their own, subsequently disagreed with the peace agreement and the city constitution. Some of the Arabs had converted to Islam for opportunist reasons and were now surprised to see that Medina was not a question of a new power game but of real brotherhood and justice. Consequently they started to intrigate until they ended up conspiring with the external enemies. Dealing with internal dangers like that has always been a problem for any human society. It did not make things easier for the Prophet (s) to be part of the agreements and not to be in a position "above" the law. He succeeded, however, to protect some of the tribes that had been part in the treason from the cruel punishment demanded by their own legal system.

Among the external conflicts there were the wars with the Meccans who had appropriated the goods and valuables that the Muslims had been forced to leve behind at emigration, and who saw Medina as a potential competitor and a threat for their business connections with Syria. After the battles of Badr and Uhud as well as the battle of the trench named after a trench the Muslims dug in order to protect Medina from the attacks by the Meccans and their allies, a peace treaty was concluded at Hudaibiya that contained unfavourable conditions for the Muslims but centered on ten years of non-aggression and a possibility for the Muslims to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca. The treaty was soon broken from the Meccan side. But in the meantime, the situation had changed in such a way that the Muslims were able to take over the city without fighting. The Prophet (s) declarde a general amnesty for all those who had committed crimes against the Muslims. We can see from the relevant passages in the Qur'an that Muslims are permitted to defend themselves and others in the framework of certain conditions and limits. Thus, people who are not involved in the war like women, children and elderly people, must not be killed, and the offer of peace by the enemy is to be accepted. Besides, the Qur'an does point out that generosity and the readiness to forgive can change an enemie's mind. Fairness and generosity remained self evident characteristics of Muslim fighters for a long time in history, whatever the other circumstances were to be. While, later on, ambitious leaders combined idealism and selfish motives in the name of Islam, Muslims, on the other hand, waged many a war to protect the intererests of Jewish and Christian communities exposed to persecution and oppression.

During all those years, the revealed texts were carefully collected, both in writing and in the memory of the faithful people. The latter was one of the requirements for ritual prayer in which passages from the Qur'an are recited from memory. The written documents were arranged according to the directions of the Prophet (s) and checked regularly, and lectures and study sessions were based on them. Quite a number of men and women knew the whole text of the Qur'an by heart and were able to explain it, among them Aisha, one of the Prophet's wives who had got married with him after emigration and who was one of the most important scholars of her generation, as well as his cousin Ali who, in the meantime, had got married with his daughter Fatima and who was one of his immediate spiritual heirs.

Muslims are connected with the Prophet Muhammad (s) in love and great respect and express this in various ways. In the course of time, legends have come into existence, and songs and poems have been written that are often recited, especially on his birthday (even though the exact date cannot be reconstructed).

One example is the following song by Yunus Emre from the 13th century.

I an inspired dream one night	I saw Muhammad.
In the clear mirror of my heart	I saw Muhammad.
The angels were standing in attention,	dressed in green robes.
They said, "Oh Muhammad!" - Thus	I saw Muhammad.
Muhammad passed me the cup;	at once I was intoxicated!
Such a mercy came from God - once	I saw Muhammad.
I was a drop and became an ocean;	I found healing for my suffering.
Today I have been consecrated by fate:	I saw Muhammad.

and a song from Bengal says,

I shall never again find
a merciful friend like you ...
You are a friend of God,
helmsman to the distant shores of truth -
without you, we would
never be able to see
the world on that shore ...

Prompted by the verse of the Qur'an,

Muslims usually pray for blessings on the Prophet (s) and his near and dear ones and feel connected with him. The following is part of the five daily ritual prayers.

God, grant Muhammad and his near and dear ones grace,
just as You have granted grace to Abraham and his near and dear ones,
and bless Muhammad and his near and dear ones,
just as You have blessed Abraham and his near and dear ones.

Besides the testimony for God's unity, the Islamic creed contains the testimony for Muhammad (s) as God's messenger. Besides the Qur'an, the Sunna, the Propet's life example, is fundamental for all Muslims. His person and the Qur'an are closely linked with each other. They make God's light visible.

That is why some clarifying words about the theological position of the Prophet (s) in Islam might be appropriate for inter-religious dialogue.

In spite of all love and reverence it remains important that Muhammad (s) is a human being with a human biography and human emotions, and he is sent to human beings that that have been charged with the responsibility for this creation and in whose potential God manifests Himselv in a very special way. The Qur'an puts it this way,

the words Ra'ûf, sympathetic, and Rahîm, merciful, together with the definite article, are two of God's most beautiful names: (ar-Ra'ûf, the Sympathetic, ar-Rahîm, the Merciful).

Muhammad (s) is certainly a hunique human being, but on the other hand he belongs to the group of prophets, messengers and men and women who are near to God (awliya' Allah), believing and acting like them. This is expressed in an important verse that is recited frequently:

Therefore, the term "Muhammadans" for Muslims is inappropriate. Muhammad's posiiton in Islam is not the same as Christ's in Christianity or Buddha's in Buddhism. As we can see from the aforementioned verse, it is one of the requirements of our religion to consider the other messnegers of God and the other holy scriptures as well.

The Prophet (s) is neither super-human nor a father-figure. In Surah 33:41-48 we are told,

The term "Seal of the Prophets" is understood by Muslims to mean that Muhammad (s) is the last of God's messengers who brought a comprehensive message of this kind. There are three aspects connected with this statement:

1. The Qur'an as a revealed scripture has been preserved unchanged as it had been written down and collected according to the Prophet's instructions (reports about the Prophet's statements and actions, accounts of his biography, commentaries etc. are separate genres of literature). It confirms earlier holy scriptures, clearly points out God's unity, reminds once more of the essential ethical principles and laws necessary for individual and social life and, moreover, suggests perspectives for the coexistence in multiplicity - especially religious multiplicity.
2. Thus, the Qur'an does adress its contemporaries, but beyond that, it speaks to people of other ages who have access to information and possibilities of encounter that transcend their immediate horizon and interests. Now it is rather a task for the intellect to recognize potentials and limitations and to arrange one's relations with fellow human beings, other creatur es and the Creator in a responsible manner. That is why the knowledgable people of this age are called "heirs of the Prophets", and they have " a task similar to that of the prophets of the Children of Israel."
3. Muhammad (s) is a messenger who is accessible in history. There are detailed eye witness descriptions of his character and behaviour. He was kind to children, fair with business partners, helpful against the weak and the needy, respectful against elders, loving and gentle with his wives, clear and consistent in his views and teachings, profound in his prayers, attentive against his interlocutors, forgiving and broadminded against his enemies, generous when giving, and friendly against neighbours including those belonging to other religions. He was a human being that we can observe in various situations of life: as an orphan, as a young man committed to social justice, as a businessman, as a searching and inquiring person, as a traveller, as a huband and father, as a teacher, judge and political leader, as a person who confronts challenges and problems and is open for others, a man with his love for God and his fellow human beings whom we can rightly expect to understand us.

To my understanding, "Seal of the Prophets" means something else as well. With both his teachings and his personality, Muhammad (s) enables me to see earlier messengers of God (like Moses, Jesus etc.) and teachers of humankind in a clearer and more lively light, both the Biblical prophetic personalities and wise and enlightened men and women teachers of other religions. This again gives me a better understanding of the God-consciousness of people from other religious traditions and their paths, insights and inspirations.

I pray for God's blessings for His Prophet Muhammad and his faithful and pure family members and his sincere companions as well as for all other prophets and messengers, all those who have been witnesses for God in life and death, all truthful men and women who are close to God, and all righteous servants of God.