Problem: What can we say about the Prophet Muhammad as a "spiritual hero"?
We are now in the Middle Ages (also called the Medieval period which just means "Middle Period") -- this is the middle period of 1000 years between the Ancient Era of the Ancient Greeks and the Ancient Romans (that ended in the 400's CE with the "fall" of Rome) -- and the Modern World that begins maybe with the Renaissance in the 1300's CE or 1400's CE. This thousand year period often depicted as a period of religious European knights and religious Islamic fighters (sometimes engaged in holy war), but there is so much of our modern world that comes out of the so-called "dark ages" (which will lead into the time before the Renaissance, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment dealt with in the Western Civilization II course).
1.) Discuss how Muhammad (570 - 632 CE) was a kind of spiritual hero who went through amazing struggles in his life to become the founder of Islam, the 2nd biggest religion in the world today (although the Muslims might argue it was Allah who found Muhammad). What do you think were the biggest challenges Muhammad overcame in his life (or his little community of Muslims known as the umma had to overcome) that are an example of "spiritual heroism"?