Muhammad's birth is said to have been in the Year of the Elephant, which is pointing out to the invasion from Yemen, where an elephant was brought along in order to smash the most holy structure in Islam, the Ka'Ba (570 AC).
The Ka'Ba, a rectangular building made of bricks, is situated in Mecca, the most holy city in Islam, revered from being the first place created on earth, as well as the place where Ibrahim together with his son Isma'il built the centre of Islam. Mecca is in Saudi Arabia, 80km from the Red Sea Coast around a natural well.
Muhammad's family belonged to the clan of Hashim, a branch of the Quraysh Tribe. While the Quraysh was dominating Mecca, the Hashimis had little but religious prestige connected to the shrine of Ka'Ba, at that time non-Muslim. As his father died before he was born, and her mother when he was 6, Muhammad, during two years, was in the care of his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib. Then he went under the care of his uncle Abu Talib, until he reached mature age.
At a very young age, Muhammad started working with the caravans. It was while working as a trader, that he came to know the widow (and divorcee) Khadija, who was the owner of the caravan company where Muhammad was employed. At the age of 25 he married Khadija, then 40. Even if Khadija had children of her former marriages, she got 7 children with Muhammad.
Khadija died in 619 AC, and soon Muhammad remarried. Unlike in his marriage with Khadija, he chose to have several wives, 9 is reported. Some of these wives who were widows represented for him ways of knotting closer relations with powerful people in the society.
In the year 621, at the age of 51years old, Mohammad flew on a magical Winged -Horse which he called Burak, which literally means White Horse but seen as "Thunder-Lightning."
The story of the ascension began when Mohammad fell asleep on a carpet at his cousin's place and became an inspirational source of different "Stories of the 1001 Nights of Arabia" involving "Magic Carpet Rides."
Mohammad had gone to rest at dusk. He slept deeply on the carpet of his cousin, Mutem ibn Adi. Suddenly, the silence was broken and a voice as clear as a trumpet called: "Awake, you sleeper, awake!" And he saw in front of him, dazzling in Darkness the shinning archangel Gabriel who was inviting him to follow him outside. Before the door stood a Horse as dazzling as Gabriel. It had wings, glittering wings of an immense eagle. The archangel presented the Horse to him, saying that it was the White Horse of Abraham. The Horse whinnied and allowed Mohammad to vault on his back. Then, drinking the Wind, the Horse galloped to the streets and as the Horse came to the walls of the sleeping city, the Horse spread its wings and soared into the starry Night.
First of all, they went to the summit of Mount Sinai, at the very place where GOD had given the stone tablets to Moses. Then, they flew on and went to Bethlehem at the exact place where JESUS was born. And finally, they went to Heaven, or into a Holy Temple in Heaven, where Mohammad met with many of the Holy Land's previous Horsemen ... Adam, Noah, Enoch, Moses, Isaac, Elijah, and JESUS. And they spoke and told him: "O you the first, because you will be the first mortal who, on Resurrection Day, will come out of the grave; and the last, because you are the seal and the last prophet. You are a gatherer of men in the meaning that it belongs to you gather everyone for the Resurrection and as such the whole community will resurrect."
In Islam it is believed that there were a total of 25 Prophets instructed by GOD to warn the community against evil and urge them to follow GOD. JESUS is the result of a virgin birth in Islam as in Christianity, and is regarded as a Prophet like the others, and as the MESSIAH as well. Here is the complete list of Prophets: Adam, Enoch, Noah, Heber, Shelah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Jethro, Moses Aaron, David, Solomon, Job, Elijah, Ezekiel, Elisha, Jonah, Zechariah, John the Baptist, JESUS, Muhammad.
So this is basically the dream. Anyway, Mohammad was a very intelligent man who loved discussing about dreams and interpreting them and became very frustrated when he encountered leaders of the Christian Church who had a negative attitude in regards to dreams. He said, that GOD created the dream not only as a means of guidance and instruction, but as a window on the World of the Unseen.
Mohammad also said, "He who does not believe in the true dream of the Winged Horse, does not believe in the Holy Spirit of GOD, does not believe in GOD, nor in any of His Horsemen, nor in the Day of Resurrection and Recognition, nor in the existence of the everlasting spiritual Kingdom of God, and will be left alone."
