Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Muhammad (Pbuh) was born in Makkah, Arabia, on 12 Rabi’ Al Awal . His mother, Aminah was the daughter of Wahb Ibn Abdu Manaf of the Zahrah family. His father, Abdullah, was the son of Abdul Muttalib. His ancestors can be traced to the noble house of Ishmael, the son of Prophet Ibrahim (as). The Prophet’s father died before he was born, and His mother took care of Him till the age of six. By the time He turned six, His mother too passed away. His grandfather Abdul Muttalib took tender care of the orphaned child.
His uncle had lost most of his wealth, and the Prophet helped him by taking care of his flocks. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) mostly led a solitary life. He was sad when he saw the sudden outbursts of bloody quarrels among the people of Makkah. The people didn’t care about the law. The Prophet’s heart grieved when he saw the misery of other people, and such scenes were a daily occurrence in Makkah during that time When the Prophet was twenty-five years old, he travelled once again to Syria. And it was here that He met the love of His life- Khadija
Khadija was one of the most beautiful and noblewomen around, and she was from a very wealthy family. But she was a widow.
In spite of being a widow, many wealthy and prominent men in the society asked her hand in marriage But she rejected them all, as she had lost the desire to marry again. It was only until Prophet Muhammad (saw) entered her life. Khadija was looking for someone honest who could conduct business for her. It was then that she got introduced to the Prophet She learned that even though He was an orphan and poor, He came from a noble family. This man was of impeccable moral character, and widely known as the most honest man around.
The Prophet soon started working for her, and set out for His first business trip, followed by a servant After they came back, she asked her servant about Prophet’s conduct The servant amazed her by his report! “This young man is the kindest I have ever seen,” He said. “He never treated me harshly, as many others do!” “And when we were travelling in the desert under the scorching sun, there was always a cloud following us, providing us the shade!” Not only that, this new employee proved to be a very good businessman as well! First, he sold the merchandise she gave to Him. Then with the profits, he bought other merchandise, and resold them again, thus making double profits!! Khadija fell deeply in love with the Prophet. Even though He was 15 years younger, she resolved to marry this man.
The next day, she sent his sister to this young man “Why are you not married yet” she asked Him “For lack of means” He answered “What if I were to offer you a wife of nobility and beauty, will you be interested?” she asked “Who is it” He replied When she mentioned her sister, the young man chuckled in amazement How could I marry her? She has turned down the noblest men in the city. They were much wealthier and prominent than this poor shepherd!” But the sister replied, "Don’t you worry, I will take care of it!” Not long after, the Prophet married Khadija (a).
It was the beginning of one of the most loving, happiest, and sacred marriages in all human history! This marriage gave Him the loving heart of a woman, who consoled Him and kept alive within Him, a flickering flame of hope when no man believed in Him. The Prophet lived a wealthy life for many years after that.
When the Prophet reached the age of 35, he settled by his judgement a grave dispute, which threatened to plunge Arabia into a fresh series of war It was the time for rebuilding the Ka’ba. Every tribe who had gathered there wanted the honour of raising the black stone, the holiest relic. The leaders and men of each tribe fought among themselves claim the honour. Then a senior citizen intervened and he said to the people “You will listen to the first man who enters through that gate” The people agreed, and waited patiently looking at the gate The first man to enter the gate was none other than Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), the Al-Ameen!!
The different tribes sought his advice, and after they finished, the Prophet ordered “Place the stone on a cloth. Each tribe shall have the honour of lifting the stone by holding a part of the cloth!” The people happily agreed to this idea. The stone was thus placed, and the rebuilding of the House was completed without further interruption! It was during this time that Usman, Ibn Huwairith arrived in Makkah. He tried to tempt the people of Makkah by using Byzantine Gold and tried to turn the territory dependent on the Roman government. But his attempts failed because the Prophet intervened and warned the people of Makkah
The Prophet always helped the poor and needy as well. It is said that when his uncle, Abu Talib, fell into bad times, the Prophet cleared all his debts using his personal wealth. The Prophet also undertook the education of his uncle’s son “Ali”,
and brought him up. A year later, he adopted ‘Akil, another one of his Uncle’s son.
In the last episode, we saw how Prophet Muhammad (saw) got orphaned as a child, and how His uncle Abu Talib, brought him up The Prophet then married Khadija (a), and eventually settled in Makkah. The Prophet from His humble beginnings had now become wealthy, and quite respected. Khadija (RA) gave birth to three sons and four daughters But none of the male children survived, they all died in childhood itself
The Prophet loved Ali very much, and he found consolation in Him It was during this time that a group of Arab plunderers captured Zayd, a young boy, from the arms of his mother. These plunderers then sold the boy as a slave in the market of ‘Ukaz Zayd was bought by a relative of Khadija, and He gave him as a gift to her. Khadija in turn gave the boy to the Prophet as a gift. The Prophet became very attached to Zayd, to whom He referred as Al-Habib, which means ‘the beloved’ Zayd considered the Prophet to be His mentor, and followed His ways.
The boy had a spiritual mind and good morals of the Prophet. In the meantime, Zayd’s parents were still grieving the loss of their son. They prayed on a daily basis that their beloved son would be returned to them One day, the parents of Zayd visited Makkah to perform the pilgrimage. It was here that they spotted Zayd, and with great relief, they rushed towards him. When his father came to know about this wonderful news, He loaded his bags with gold and approached Muhammad. The father thought that He can purchase his son back from His owner. Zayd’s father met the Prophet and asked Him to release his boy Then the Prophet asked him “Who is this person, whose release you are demanding?”
“Your slave Zayd Ibn Haritha” replied the father “Shall I show you a way by which you can get your son back, without paying the gold” The father was surprised, and he asked, “What is this way you are talking about?” “I will call him here in front of you. If he wishes to go with you, then he is free to do so. You can take him gladly, and I will take no payment from you” “But” the Prophet continued “If he prefers to stay with me, then I will not force him to go with you” Zayd’s father agreed, and they called the boy
The Prophet then explained the choices he had and asked him to make a decision. “I will stay with you,” the boy said immediately. His father was shocked to hear this! Then he asked him “Don’t you want to stay with your parent? Or do you prefer to remain as a slave?” “Father,” said the boy “I am deeply moved by the qualities of this man, and by the way, he treats me with love and affection. I can never leave him and live anywhere else.” The Prophet’s heart swelled when he heard this. He led Zayd to the centre of the town, and He proclaimed loudly “This is my son, and we inherit each other” As a result, Zayd bin Haritha was renamed Zayd bin Muhammad as it was customary during those days!
This cordial relationship lasted till his last breath. Prophet Muhammad (saw) was approaching the age of forty. He was very sad looking at the condition of his people. His country was torn into wars, and his people were sunk in barbarism. They were addicted to superstitions and idol worshipping. The people were always fighting with each other. The Prophet had a habit of secluding himself in a cave on Mount Hira, just a few miles from Mecca.
He used to pray and meditate inside this cave, most of the time alone. Here he often spent the nights in deep thought and profound communion with the All-Knowing Allah of the universe. It was during one of these nights when no one was near him, that an angel appeared before Him!! The Prophet was amazed by the sight of the angel! He couldn’t believe His eyes!! The Angel then asked the Prophet to read!
But how could the Prophet read, when he had never gone to school? “I am not a reader,” He said to the angel. Then suddenly, the angel took hold of him, and squeezed him tightly! The angel said again “Read” “I am not a reader, the Prophet cried again!” The angel then squeezed the Prophet so hard, that he thought that he would faint! And he said “Read! In the Name of Your Lord and cherished, who created man, out of a clot of congealed blood. Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous, Who has taught writing by the pen- taught man which he knew not”
The Prophet repeated the words with a trembling heart! Perplexed by his experience, Prophet made His way home. As soon as He entered his house, He said to His wife “Wrap me up! Wrap me up!” He was trembling as He said this, and She wrapped Him up in a towel until his fear was gone. He explained to his wife what had happened.
When He finished, He asked Her if she thought He had gone mad! “Allah forbid!” She replied “He will surely not let such a thing happen, for you speak the truth, you are faithful in trust, you assist your fellow men” Then She went to her cousin Warawa Ibn Naufal, who was old and blind. But He knew the scriptures quite well, he had translated them into Arabic. When she told him about what happened to her husband, he cried out “Holy! Holy! This is the Holy Spirit that came to Moses! He will be the Prophet for His people! Tell him this and ask Him to be brave at heart!
The Prophet continued to receive revelations for the remainder of His life. It was memorized and written down by His companions on sheepskins The Prophet knew that the people had to hear the message from God. So, He started preaching to the people what God told him. For the first few years of His mission, the Prophet preached to His family and close friends. The first woman to convert was His wife Khadija (RA). And the first bondsman was His servant- Zayd! His old friend Abu Bakr, was the first adult free male to convert. Many years later, the Prophet said this about him “I have never called anyone to Islam who was not at first hesitant, except Abu Bakr. Later, the Prophet received the command to preach openly.
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