"And from among you there should be a group inviting to good and bidding  what is right and forbidding what is wrong,..."
                                                         Holy Qur'an (3:104)

         "Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exmplar..."
                                                        Holy Qur'an (33:21)
 

         INTRODUCTION

         Abridging the life of the Messenger of Allah Muhammad bin Abdullah (s.a.w.) in a  small book is by no means an easy task, for his life is, actually spread over thick  volumes than can never be condensed to a few pages. The life of the chosen  Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.) is great, dazzling and matchless. In it converges the
manifestations of victory and strength, submission and piety, ups and downs, heroism and pains. Concisely, in part one of this book, the reader will be acquainted with the life of the great Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) at Mecca, both before being chosen to  prophethood and after. In part two we will shed light on the Prophet's life at   Medinah where he managed the Muslims' political and social affairs and laid the  foundations of the first Islamic state. There his life took a new turn as he and his followers had to engage in military struggle with the idolators. In part three we will study the glorious personality of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), his social life, his traditions, his life among the members of his family and the ummah as well as the legacy of his dynamic thought.
 
 

         To Allah we look for success and help.
This page is divided into two categories
                1.   PROPHET'S LIFE BEFORE HIS PROPHETHOOD
                2.  RISE TO PROPHETHOOD
 

         THE BLESSED BIRTH

         Amidst that tumultuous environment of pre-Islamic Arabia, filled with all   manifestations of misguidance, perversion and oppression, Muhammad bin  Abdullah bin Abdul-Muttalib (s.a.w.) was born.   For some divine purpose, he did not see his father who had passed away while  returning from Syria with a     caravan. Muhammad (s.a.w.) was, at that time, only an  embryo in the womb of his mother Aminah daughter of Wahab, may Allah be pleased with her.(1)

 His blessed birth took place in the month of Rabi'ul-Awwal(2) one month or more after the annihiation of the army headed by the elephants which went out to attack the Holy Ka'ba(3). The story is recorded in one whole surah (chapter) in the Qur'an called al-Fil. Thuwaibah, the woman servant of Abu Lahab, suckled him for a few days with her baby Masrooh before the arrival of the wet-nurses from the  deserts. It was a long- established habit for the people of Mecca to leave their
babies in the care of the desert's wet-nurses so that they were brought up brave eloquent and in touch with the realities of desert life. As was expected, 10 wet-nurses from the tribe of Sa'd bin Bakr, arrived at Mecca and everyone of them  found a baby to take care of except Halimah, daughter of Abu Dhu'aib Abdullah.  Muhammad (s.a.w.) was offered to her, but due to his being an orphan, which  meant little profit for her, she was reluctant to take him.

 Being uncertain about what to do, she consulted her husband, who was with her. "I  hate to return empty-handed", she told him, "But there is no baby left to me except this orphan." Her husband advised her to take him, for Allah may bless him. No  sooner did she place the nipple of her breast into the baby's mouth, her milk began to flow abundantly. Before that her own baby was always half-hungry because of the scarcity of his mother's milk.

The blessedness of the Prophet began to spread all over the neighborhood. The verdure of the meadows greatly increased, as before the area was waterless and
 barren. Two years later, Halimah had weaned the baby and brought him back to Mecca to  visit his mother and relatives. She told them bow the baby was blessed, and how her life was changed after taking him. Then she returned, accompanied by the baby, to the neighborhood.
 

         DIVINE FOSTERAGE OF THE PROPHET

    The interesting point in the early years life of the Prophet (s.a.w) for whoever wants  to study his life, is the fact that Allah adopted him, not only in maintaining his health,  preparing him for the great role he was to have later.  The books written about the life of the Prophet (s.a.w.) are filled with events that  corroborate the fact that he was under the direct care of Allah and this enabled him  to shoulder the future responsibility of prophethood.

 One major trace of the divine care for the Prophet (s.a.w.) was that he was, from  early age, a monotheist. He used to unequivocally proclaim his hostility to the
  idols(6). He used to perform hajj without eating the meat which was slaughtered at the feet of the idols. He would to mention the name of Allah before having his
  food'(7) and praise Allah when he finished. Muhammad, He was widely known  among Arabs to be upright and virtuous. He would keep his word, and for that he
  was known as "the truthful and the faithful".
 

         UNDER THE GUARDIANSHIP OF HIS GRANDFATHER

The Prophet was five years old when Halimah al-Sa'diyyah brought him back to his  family in Mecca. Abdul-Muttalib, his grandfather, showered him with care and
fatherly love. He ate with him, spoke with him kindly, sat on his bed, and provided him with special attention and warmth.  It was not out of sentiment that abdul-Muttalib cared so much for Muhammad  (s.a.w) as the son of his deceased son Abdullah, but because he felt deeply that he  would be a prominently great man in the future. It was for this reason that he would  ask his son Abu-Talib, and Umm-Ayman to look after him and provide him with   whatever he needed.

At the age of six, his mother Aminah, took him with her, accompanied by  Umm-Ayman, to visit his uncles from the tribe of Uday bin al-Najjar in Madinah.        After one month they decided to return to Mecca. But, en route to Mecca, his  mother, Aminah, passed away. She was laid to rest at al-Abwa', a village halfway
between Mecca and Madinah. Umm-Ayman resumed the journey alone, and in  Mecca she was devoted to him as his mother was, while his grandfather looked
after him as if he were his son. But, it was not long before Abdul-Muttalib died. The Prophet was, at the time, eight years old.
 

         UNDER THE CARE OF ABU TALIB

 Abu Talib,(8) his uncle, took him and treated him very kindly. He even gave him  precedence over his sons. Muhammad (s.a.w.) would sleep in the bed of his uncle,
  sit next to him, eat with him, and go out with him.
 

         ADULTHOOD

 As soon as he came of age, Muhammad (s.a.w.) began to work to earn his living.  First, he became a shepherd. Jabir bin Abdullah, may Allah be pleased with him,
related that he was with the Prophet (s.a.w.) with other Muslims, picking al- Kabath (a kind of fruit). The Prophet (s.a.w.) said:

         "Pluck the black ones. They are sweetest. I used to gather it while
         pasturing my sheep".

         "You were pasturing the sheep, O Messenger of Allah?", we asked him.

         "Yes", he replied, "every prophet was at sometime a shepherd".(9)

 Allah, the Most High, was able to spare His Prophet (s.a.w.) the tiresome task of   working. He willed to set the Prophet (s.a.w.) as an example for the people so that  nobody would rely on anybody else for earning his living.   Islam stressed the importance of work. The Prophet (s.a.w.) is reported to have  said:

         "Cursed be who throws his burdens on other people".(10)

         "Worship is of seventy kinds, the best of which is earning one's living
         righteously".

         "An excellent help to guard against evil is wealth."(11)
 

         MARRIAGE

At the age of twenty-five he went to Syria on a mercantile mission on behalf of Khadij ah the daughter of Khuwailid, may Allah be pleased with her. Khadijah was
the best among the women of Quraish. She was the richest, the noblest and the  most beautiful among them. She was called "the chaste", and the mistress of
Quraish. She would hire men to work in trade for her in return for a fixed percentage of the profit.When the Prophet (s.a.w.) became to be widely known for his faithfulness and the    smoothness of his manners, she offered him money to go to Syria and promised  him a good share in the profits, more than any share given to any man before him.
 He set out for Syria, leading a big caravan. Maisarah, her slave, went with him.  They sold articles and bought merchandise and returned with profuse sums of
 money. Fascinated by the Prophet, Maisarah began to tell Khadijah of his  attributes. She was attracted to him, for his high-mindedness, righteousness,
 faithfulness and kindness and decided that he would be her husband. She preferred  him to the rich dignitaries of the Quraish who promised her immeasurably great   riches. For that purpose, she sent Nafisah the daughter of Munabbih to talk to him  about it.

         "What makes you refrain from getting married?", Nafisah asked him. "I have no
         money", he replied.

         "If you were given that, and were asked to marry a beautiful, rich, honest and noble
         woman, would you accept the offer? "

         "What is the name of the woman?" "Khadijah!". "How could I manage it?"

         "Leave everything to me", she promised him.

The Prophet (s.a.w.) then sent his uncle Abu Talib(12), to ask Khadijah's hand to  marriage. As her father was dead by then, Abu Talib broached the subject to her
uncle. Both parties agreed, and so the marriage took place. The Prophet (s.a.w.) was twenty-five years old, at the time. As for Khadijah, historians have disagreed
about ,her age. But they agreed that they got married(13) after the Prophet's  (s.a.w.) return from Syria. The newlyweds moved to the house of Khadijah, and achieved the most perfect union, perfumed with love, loyalty and mercy. Amid hardships and troubles, she helped him, encouraged him and alleviated his worries.

Apart from her love for him, she was a chaste women with deep insight, she managed their affairs patiently and skillfully. She was, furthermore, the first ever to believe in his message.(14) For the sake of  his call, she spent all her riches. He loved her as she loved him. He did not marry  any other women until after she died.
Whenever he remembered her, he praised her and mentioned her good deeds to  his wives, so much so that 'A'ishah' said: "I never felt envious of any of the
Prophet's wives, except of Khadijah, whom I did not see."   She, further, added: "Whenever the Messenger of Allah slaughtered a sheep, he ordered his attendants to distribute the meat among the friends of Khadijah. One day I made him angry by saying mockingly 'Khadijah!', he said to me: 'I was given her love by Allah'" (15)

         A'ishah also reported: "The Messenger of Allah would hardly leave the house
         without mentioning Khadijah in good words. One day he mentioning her and so I
         felt deeply envious and blurted out; she was nothing but an old woman. Allah has
         replaced her with better than her.'

         "No by Allah," he said indignantly; "Allah did not replace her with those who
         better than her, she had faith in me when the people rejected my call. She
         believed me when the people charged me with falsehood. She consoled me
         with her wealth when the people deprived me theirs, and Allah gave me, by
         her sons and daughters."(16)

 Diligence and toil were characteristics of his life from an early age. His marriage  with Khadijah, may Allah be pleased with her, gave his life some rest and comfort.
The kindness and true love Khadijah showered on the Prophet (s.a.w.) compensated him for the fatherly love and motherly kindness which he was deprived of, during childhood. During that phase of his blessed life, the first signs of prophethood began to surface. It was for this reason that he was preparing himself by restoring to the cave of Hira during certain days. He would remain there, worshipping and mediating for  a whole month every year. He would remain there far away from the pre-Islamic perversions and the corrupt city atmosphere. Muhammad was on the threshold of bearing the divine message.

 He went on with his meditations and worship till he became 40 years old. Then, the  holy revelation shone on his soul and heart delivering the first statement of the seal of divine messages:

         "Read in the name of your Lord Who created..."

                                                         Holy Qur'an (96:1)

         SOCIAL STATUS

 Prior to his rise to prophethood, during the previous 1520 years, his social status was high. He was known to be well-mannered, high-minded, truthful and
 trustworthy.  The power was clearly mainfested during the rebuilding of the Holy Ka'ba. After it  caught fire, the Ka'ba was flooded with sweeping torrents. Great damage was done and the tribe of Quraish made their minds to rebuild it, al-Walid bin  al-Mughirah, accompanied by a number of the Quraishis, went to Jidda and bought the timber of a ship that had wrecked on its shore. The wood was bought to make the roof of the Ka'ba. A carpenter, Baqum by name and a slave of Sa'id bin al-Aws, was charged with rebuilding the Ka'ba.  All the clans of the Quraish took part in the process. But, finally, when the time  came to put the black stone in its place a difference arose among them over who  should win the honour of putting it in its place. Every clan of the Quraish eagerly  wanted to do that.

The difference grew to a .quarrel and had not Abu Umayyah bin al- Mughirah, the  eldest among them, suggested the first one to enter the Ka'ba from the door of Bani Shaibah arbitute on the matter the situation would have gotten out of hands. They imptiently awaited the man. Before long Muhammad (s.a.w.) came into the
Ka'ba. Upon seeing him, they unanimously agreed, " This is the trustworthy. We accept him as the arbitrator. This is Muhammad." When they told him of the
problem he ordered them to bring him a piece of cloth. He spread it on their ground, then placed the Black stone on it. "Let every group hold the cloth then         carry it up," lie told them. He, then, carried it, with his blessed, and restored the stone to its place.
 

         PACT OF AL-FUDUL

Shortly after the tragical war of al-Fujjar a pact was signed between the warring  Arab tribes.(17) The agreement did achieve a victory for the wronged parties. All
the sides agreed on the principle of warding off wrongs, and cooperating to back  what was right and defend the oppressed The Prophet (s.a.w.) praised the pact in  these words:

         "If I were given red camels, I would not have been more pleased than to be
         a participant in their pact at the house of ibn Jada'an.(18) The tribes of
         Hushim, Zahrah and Taym agreed forever to be on the side of the
         oppressed. If I were invited now, I would respond affirmatively. It was the
         pact of al-Fudul."(19)
 
 

         Never was the Prophet (s.a.w) surprised when Jibril (the angel Gabriel) revealed to   him the first divine statement. His life went through many stages so that he would be  prepared to bear the divine message. From the early part of his life, His Lord  nurtured him kindly and closely as he was the future Prophet. To this fact, Imam Ali  (a.s.) referred him his sermon named al-Qasi'a. as well as Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) in a  statement reported from him.

 The Prophet (s.a.w.) began to spend more time in the cave of Hira' for worship  and meditation. Those devotions in the cave of Hira', located at the top of Mt. Hira'
 northeast of Makka, was a manifestation of preparing him for the heavy task awaiting him. The longest period he would remain in the cave was a whole month,
 and that would be the month of Ramadhan.    During other months, he would spend whole nights there. He began to hear the   voice, and see the light, and have dreams that were to come to pass exactly as he    saw them in the world of dreams.(20)
 

         THE PROPHET AND MESSENGER

         At the age of forty, Jibril (a.s.) descended to reveal to him the seal of messages  beginning with the first divine verses:

         "Read in the name of your Lord Who created. He created man from a clot.
         Read and your Lord is Most Honourable, Who taught (to write) with the
         pen, Taught man what he knew not..."

                                                       Holy Qur'an (96:1-5)

 It was so great, so majestic and so glorious an experience to receive the revelation,  that he felt a little tired, and so he lay down on his bed to have some rest. During  these critical moments Jibril appeared to him for the second time:

         "O you who are clothed! Arise and warn, And your Lord garments do
         purify, And uncleanness do shun,..."
                                                        Holy Qur'an (73:1-5)

         Thus, Allah ordered His Prophet to carry His message to all people.

         KINDS OF REVELATION

It is interesting to note how the message was revealed to the Prophet (s.a.w.).  Allah mentions the manifestations of the holy revelation in the following verses:

         "And it is not for any mortal that Allah should speak to him except by   revelation or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger and revealing  by His permission what He pleases; Surely He is High, Wise. And thus did  We reveal to you an inspired book by Our command. You did not know   what the Book was, nor (what) the faith (was), but We made it a light,  guiding thereby whom We please of Our servants; and most surely you  show the way to the right path.

                                                    Holy Qur'an (42:51-52)9

         In this respect, we understand from the Qur'anic texts and the holy sunna that Allah  revealed to the Prophet (s.a.w.) His message in many ways.
One way was that Allah, the Most Exalted and High, would reveal to him, directly  and without any other means, the truth. It is said that this kind of revelation was the most majestic and so moving that his mule would sink to the ground(21), and that  his forehead would break into sweast even if it is . was bitterly cold.(22)
Another way was that Allah would send a messenger to His Prophet. He would  appear in his angelic shape, or in the shap of a human being. Another method was the true vision, for the Prophets never saw false dreams.  Whatever they saw in their dreams they saw in reality, because of the immense spiritual powers they had, through which they perceived the truth during sleep and  wakefulness. That was in addition to the divine inspiration and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.