Biography of the prophet Muhammed

Biography of the prophet Muhammed

Prophet
Muhammad (s) was born in 570 CE in Makkah (Bakka, Baca, Mecca). His
father, Abdullah, died several weeks before his birth in Yathrib
(Medinah) where he went to visit his father's maternal relatives. His
mother died while on the return journey from Medinah at a place called
‘Abwa’ when he was six years old. He was raised by his paternal
grandfather 'Abd al Muttalib (Shaybah) until the age of eight, and
after his grandfather’s death by Abu Talib, his paternal uncle. 'Abd al
Muttalib's mother, Salma, was a native of Medinah and he was born and
raised as a young boy in Medinah before his uncle Muttalib brought him
to Makkah to succeed him. Many years before Muhammad's birth, 'Abd al
Muttalib had established himself as an influential leader of the Arab
tribe ‘Quraish’ in Makkah and took care of the Holy sanctuary ‘Ka’bah’.
Makkah was a city state well connected to the caravan routes to Syria
and Egypt in the north and northwest and Yemen in the south. Muhammad
was a descendant of prophet Ismail through the lineage of his second son Kedar.
Ka'bah
is the first house of worship built on earth for the worship of Allah,
the One True God. It was re-built (raised from the existing foundation)
by Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham) and Ismail (Ishmael). Allah is the proper
name of the One True God, creator and sustainer of the universe, who
does not have a partner or associate, and He did not beget nor was He
begotten. Unlike the word god, the word Allah does not have a plural or
gender.
Under
the guardianship of Abu Talib, Muhammad (s) began to earn a living as a
businessman and a trader. At the age of twelve, he accompanied Abu
Talib with a merchant caravan as far as Bostra in Syria. Muhammad was
popularly known as ‘al-Ameen’ for his unimpeachable character by the
Makkans and visitors alike. The title Al-Ameen means the Honest, the
Reliable and the Trustworthy, and it signified the highest standard of
moral and public life.
Upon
hearing of Muhammad’s impressive credentials, Khadijah, a rich merchant
widow, asked Muhammad (s) to take some merchandise for trade to Syria.
Soon after this trip when he was twenty-five, Khadijah proposed
marriage to Muhammad through a relative. Muhammad accepted the
proposal. At that time, Khadijah was twice widowed and forty years old.
Khadijah (ra) and Muhammad (s) were the parents of six children - four
daughters and two sons. His first son Qasim died at the age of two. He
was nicknamed Abul Qasim, meaning the father of Qasim. His second son
Abdullah died in infancy. Abdullah was also called affectionately as
‘Tayyab’ and ‘Tahir’ because he was born after Muhammad’s prophethood.
The four daughters were: Zainab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum, and Fatimah
(ra).
The Holy sanctuary Ka’bah was now filled with three hundred sixty idols. The original, pristine message of prophet
Ibrahim was lost, and it was mixed with superstitions and traditions of
pilgrims and visitors from distant places, who were used to idol
worship and myths. In every generation, a small group of men and women
detested the pollution of Ka’bah and kept pure their practice of the
religion taught by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail. They used to spend some
of their time away from this polluted environment in retreats to nearby
hills.
Muhammad
(s) was forty when, during his one of many retreats to Mount Hira for
meditation during the month of Ramadan, he received the first
revelation from the Archangel Jibril (Gabriel). On this first
appearance, Gabriel (as) said to Muhammad: "Iqraa," meaning Read or
Recite. Muhammad replied, "I cannot read," as he had not received any
formal education and did not know how to read or write. The Angel
Gabriel then embraced him until he reached the limit of his endurance
and after releasing said: "Iqraa." Muhammad’s answer was the same as
before. Gabriel repeated the embrace for the third time, asked him to
repeat after him and said:

"Recite
in the name of your Lord who created! He created man from that which
clings. Recite; and thy Lord is most Bountiful, He who has taught by
the pen, taught man what he knew not."

These
revelations are the first five verses of Surah (chapter) 96 of the
Qur’an. Thus it was in the year 610 CE the revelation began.
Muhammad
(s) was terrified by the whole experience of the revelation and fled
the cave of Mt. Hira [Qur'an 81:19-29]. When he reached his home, tired
and frightened, he asked his wife: ‘cover me, cover me,’ in a blanket.
After his awe had somewhat abated, his wife Khadijah asked him about
the reason of his great anxiety and fear. She then assured him by
saying: "Allah (The One God) will not let you down because you are kind
to relatives, you speak only the truth, you help the poor, the orphan
and the needy, and you are an honest man. Khadijah then consulted with
her cousin Waraqa who was an old, saintly man possessing knowledge of
previous revelations and scriptures. Waraqa confirmed to her that the
visitor was none other than the Angel Gabriel who had come to Moses. He
then added that Muhammad is the expected Prophet. Khadijah accepted the
revelation as truth and was the first person to accept Islam. She
supported her husband in every hardship, most notably during the
three-year ‘boycott’ of the Prophet’s clan by the pagan Quraish. She
died at the age of sixty-five in the month of Ramadan soon after the
lifting of the boycott in 620 CE.
Gabriel (as) visited the prophet
as commanded by Allah revealing Ayat (meaning signs, loosely referred
to as verses) in Arabic over a period of twenty-three years. The
revelations that he received were sometimes a few verses, a part of a
chapter or the whole chapter. Some revelations came down in response to
an inquiry by the nonbelievers. The revealed verses were recorded on a
variety of available materials (leather, palm leaves, bark, shoulder
bones of animals), memorized as soon as they were revealed, and were
recited in daily prayers by Muslims [Qur'an 80:13-16]. Angel Gabriel
taught the order and arrangement of verses, and the prophet instructed his several scribes to record verses in that order [Qur'an 75:16-19 and 41:41-42]. Once a year, the prophet
used to recite all the verses revealed to him up to that time to
Gabriel to authenticate the accuracy of recitation and the order of
verses [Qur'an 17:106]. All the revealed verses (over a period of 23
years and ending in 632 CE) were compiled in the book known as Qur’an.
The name Qur’an appears in the revealed verses. The Qur’an does not
contain even a word from the Prophet. The Qur'an speaks in the first
person, i.e., Allah's commandments to His creation. Gabriel also
visited the prophet
throughout his mission informing and teaching him of events and
strategy as needed to help in the completion of the prophetic mission.
The Prophet’s sayings, actions, and approvals are recorded separately
in collections known as Hadith.
The mission of prophet Muhammad (s) was to restore the worship of the One True God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, as taught by prophet
Ibrahim and all Prophets of God, and to demonstrate and complete the
laws of moral, ethical, legal, and social conduct and all other matters
of significance for the humanity at large.
The
first few people who followed this message were: his cousin Ali, his
servant Zayd ibn Harithah, his friend Abu Bakr and his wife and
daughters. They accepted Islam by testifying that:

"There is no Deity (worthy of worship) except Allah (The One True God) and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

Islam
means peace by submission and obedience to the Will and Commandments of
God and those who accept Islam are called Muslims, meaning those who
have accepted the message of peace by submission to God.
In
the first three years of his mission forty people (men and women)
accepted Islam. This small group comprised of youth as well as older
people from a wide range of economic and social background. The prophet
was directed by a recent revelation to start preaching Islam to
everyone. He then began to recite revelations to people in public and
invite them to Islam. The Quraish, leaders of Makkah, took his
preaching with hostility. The most hostile and closest to the prophet
was his uncle Abu Lahab and his wife. Initially, they and other leaders
of Quraish tried to bribe him with money and power including an offer
to make him king if he were to abandon his message. When this did not
work, they tried to convince his uncle Abu Talib to accept the best
young man of Makkah in place of Muhammad and to allow them to kill
Muhammad. His uncle tried to persuade the prophet to stop preaching but the prophet
said: "O uncle, if they were to put the sun in my right hand and the
moon in my left hand to stop me from preaching Islam, I would never
stop. I will keep preaching until Allah makes Islam prevail or I die."
The
Quraish began to persecute Muslims by beating, torture and boycott of
their businesses. Those who were weak, poor or slaves were publicly
tortured. The first person to die by this means was a Muslim women by
the name Umm Ammar (the mother of Ammar Ibn Yasir). The Muslims from
well-to-do families were physically restrained in their homes with the
condition that if they recant they will be allowed freedom of movement.
The prophet
was publicly ridiculed and humiliated including frequent throwing of
filth on him in the street and while he prayed in the Ka’bah. In spite
of great hardships and no apparent support, the message of Islam kept
all Muslims firm in their belief. The prophet
was asked by God to be patient and to preach the message of Qur’an. He
advised Muslims to remain patient because he did not receive any
revelation yet to retaliate against their persecutors. [Persecution]
When the persecution became unbearable for most Muslims, the prophet
advised them in the fifth year of his mission (615 CE) to emigrate to
Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia) where Ashabah (Negus, a Christian) was the
ruler. Eighty people, not counting the small children, emigrated in
small groups to avoid detection. No sooner had they left the Arabian
coastline, the leaders of Quraish discovered their flight. They decided
to not leave these Muslims in peace, and immediately sent two of their
envoys to Negus to bring all of them back. However, Negus allowed them
to stay under his protection after he investigated Muslim belief and
heard the revelations about Jesus and Mary (peace be upon them both),
which appears in Chapter 19, entitled Mary, of the Qur’an. The
emigrants were allowed freedom of worship in Abyssinia.
The Quraish then made life even more difficult for the prophet
by implementing total ban on contact with the Prophet’s family (Bani
Hashim and Muttalib). The ban lasted for three years without the
desired effect. Just before the ban was lifted, the prophet
was contacted by the leaders of Quraish to agree to a compromise under
which they should all practice both religions (i.e., Islam and
Idolatry). Upon hearing this, the prophet
recited a revelation (Chapter 109) he had just received and which ends
with the words: "... For you your religion and for me mine." The ban
was lifted when leaders of Quraish discovered that their secret
document on the terms of ban, which they had stored in Ka’bah, was
eaten by worms and all that was left were the opening words ‘In Your
name, O Allah.’ The effects of the three-year boycott left the prophet with more personal sorrow when he lost his beloved wife Khadijah (ra) and uncle Abu Talib soon after the ban was lifted.
After Khadijah's death in 620 CE, the prophet
married a widowed Muslim woman, Sawdah (ra) who was fifty years old.
She and her husband had emigrated to Abyssinia in the early years of
persecution. After her husband died, she came back to Makkah and sought
Prophet’s shelter. The Prophet, recognizing her sacrifices for Islam,
extended his shelter by marrying her. Later in the same year, the prophet
upon receiving the divine command in a dream, after approval of Sawdah,
contracted marriage to A’ishah, the daughter of his dear companion Abu
Bakr. She joined the prophet in Medinah, completing the marriage contract. Sawdah and A’ishah (ra) were the only wives until he was fifty-six years old.
After the death of his uncle Abu Talib, the prophet
went to Taif (about 50 miles east, southeast of Makkah) to seek their
protection. They flatly refused and mocked at him, and severely injured
him by inciting their children to throw stones at him. Gabriel (as)
visited the prophet here suggesting that the angels were ready to destroy the town if he were to ask Allah for the punishment. Nevertheless, the prophet
declined and prayed for future generations of Taif to accept Islam
[Taif]. It was on the return journey from Taif that the verses from
Surah Al Jinn (Chapter 72) were revealed. It indicated that the Qur’an
is a book of guidance to both the Jinns and Humankind.
Soon after the terrible disappointment at Ta’if, the prophet experienced the events of al-Israa and al-Miraaj (621 CE). In the Al-Israa, Gabriel (as) took the prophet from the sacred Mosque near Ka’bahJerusalem in a very short time in the latter part of a night. Here, prophet
Muhammad met with previous Prophets (Abraham, Moses, Jesus and others)
and he led them in prayer. After this, in Al-Miraj, the prophet
was taken up to heavens to show the signs of God [More... The Dome of
the Rock]. It was on this journey that five daily prayers were
prescribed. He was then taken back to Ka’bah, the whole experience
lasting a few hours of a night. Upon hearing this, the people of Makkah
mocked at him. However, when his specific description of Jerusalem,
other things on the way, and the caravan that he saw on this journey
including its expected arrival in Makkah turned out to be true, the
ridicule of the nonbelievers stopped. The event of Israa and Miraaj is
mentioned in the Qur’an - the first verse of Chapter 17 entitled ‘The
Children of Israel.’ to the furthest (al-Aqsa) mosque in
In 622 CE, the leaders of the Quraish decided to kill the prophet and they developed a plan in which one man was chosen from each of the Quraish tribes and they were to attack the prophet simultaneously. Gabriel informed the prophet
of the plan and instructed him to leave Makkah immediately. The
Prophet, after making arrangements to return the properties entrusted
to him by several nonbelievers, left with Abu Bakr in the night he was
to be assassinated. They went south of Makkah to a mountain cave of
Thawr [see Qur'an 9:40], and after staying three nights they traveled
north to Yathrib (Medinah) about two hundred fifty miles from Makkah.
Upon discovery of his escape, the leaders of Quraish put up a reward of
one hundred camels on him, dead or alive. In spite of all their best
scouts and search parties, Allah protected the prophet
and he arrived safely in Quba, a suburb of Medinah [Qur'an 28:85]. This
event is known as the ‘Hijra’ (migration) and the Islamic calendar
begins with this event. The people of Aws and Khazraj in Medinah
greeted him with great enthusiasm in accordance with their pledge made
at Aqaba less than a year ago during the
annual pilgrimage. One by one those Muslims (men and women) of Makkah
who were not physically restrained, and who could make a secret exit,
left for Medinah leaving behind their properties and homes.
To insure the peace and tranquility, the prophet
proposed a treaty defining terms of conduct for all inhabitants of
Medinah. It was ratified by all - Muslims, non-Muslim Arabs and Jews.
After his emigration to Medinah, the enemies of Islam increased their
assault from all sides. The Battles of Badr, Uhud and Allies (Trench)
were fought near or around Medinah. In these battles until the year 627
CE, the nonbelievers with encouragement from Jews and other Arabian
tribes attacked the prophet
and Muslim community. The Muslims while defending their city and
religion lost many men, which resulted in many widowed Muslim women and
numerous orphaned children. In these circumstances, prophet
Muhammad (s) married several women during fifty-sixth year up to the
sixtieth year of his life. He did not contract any marriage in the last
three years of his life, following the revelation limiting the number
of wives up to a maximum of four. This is the first time in the history
of revealed scriptures that a limit on the number of wives was imposed
and the terms of conduct were specified. The prophet
was instructed not to divorce any of his wives after this revelation
[Qur'an 33:52]. All of the ladies he took as wives were either widowed
or divorced, except A’ishah.
The prophet married Umm Salamah (ra) in 626 CE. Her husband had died of wounds inflicted in the Battle of Uhud (625 CE). When the prophet
asked her for marriage, she replied: "O Messenger of God, I suffer from
three shortcomings. I am a very jealous woman, and I am afraid this
might cause me to do things that you dislike. Secondly, I am an old
woman. Finally, I have many children." The prophet
answered: "Regarding your jealousy, I pray to God to remove it from
you. As for your age, we are similar in age. As for the children, your
children are mine." Thus it was that she agreed to marry the Prophet.
The Prophet’s marriage contract with Umm Habibah (ra) was solemnized,
by proxy, by Negus, King of Abyssinia, in 628 CE.
Two
of his wives, Juwayriah and Safiyah, were prisoners of war. Both
belonged to the family of the chief of their tribes and were set free
by the Prophet; they then gladly accepted Islam and were pleased to
become the Prophet’s wives. The Prophet’s marriages provided security
to women who would have otherwise remained unmarried, unprotected, or
felt humiliated. His marriages were also a means of transmitting
important teachings of Islam. The Prophet's wives, called the "Mothers
of the Believers,"[Qur'an Surah 33, Verse 6 and the last part of Verse
53] showed themselves as examples of proper Muslim womanhood. All his
wives, especially 'Aishah, transmitted many ahadith (sayings, deeds,
and actions) from prophet Muhammad (s).
A year after the Battle of Allies (Trench), the prophet
and fifteen hundred of his companions left for Makkah to perform the
annual pilgrimage (628 CE). They were barred from approaching the city
at Hudaybiyah, where after some negotiations a treaty was signed
allowing for them to come next year. This treaty facilitated exchange
of ideas among the people of the whole region without interference.
Many delegations from all regions of Arabia came to the prophet to investigate the teachings of Islam, and a large number of people accepted Islam within a couple of years. The prophet
sent many of his companions (who memorized the Qur'an by heart) to new
communities to instruct them about the practice of Islam. More than
fifty of them were murdered by non-believers.
A few weeks after Hudaybiyah the prophet
sent letters to several kings and rulers (including the two superpowers
- Byzantines and Persians) inviting them to Islam. Negus, the king of
Abyssinia, and the Ruler of Bahrain accepted Islam, and Emperor
Heraclius acknowledged Muhammad’s Prophethood. Among rulers who
accepted Islam but without any initiative from the prophet was Chakrawati Farmas, a Hindu King of Malabar (located on the southwest coast of India).
About
two years later at the end of 629 CE, the Quraish violated the terms of
the Treaty of Hudaybiyah by helping Banu Bakr in the surprise attack on
Bani Khuza’ah who were allied with the Prophet. Some of Bani Khuzah’s
men escaped and took shelter in Makkah and they sought redress.
However, the leaders of Quraish did nothing. They then sent a message
to the prophet for help.
The
Prophet, after confirming all the reports of the attack and subsequent
events, marched to Makkah with an army consisting of three thousand
Muslims of Medinah and Muslims from other Arab communities that joined
him on the way totaling ten thousand Muslims. Before entering the city
he sent word to citizens of Makkah that anyone who remained in his
home, or in Abu Sufyan’s home, or in the Ka’bah would be safe. The army
entered Makkah without fighting and the prophet went directly to the Ka’bah. He magnified Allah for the triumphant entry in the Holy city. The prophet
pointed at each idol with a stick he had in his hand and said, "Truth
has come and Falsehood will neither start nor will it reappear" [Qur'an
17:81]. And one by one the idols fell down. The Ka’bah was then
cleansed by the removal of all three hundred sixty idols, and it was
restored to its pristine status for the worship of One True God (as
built by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail).
The
people of the city expected general slaughter in view of their
persecution and torture of Muslims for the past twenty years. While
standing by the Ka'bah, the prophet
(s) promised clemency for the Makkans, stating: "O Quraish, what do you
think that I am about to do with you?" They replied, "Good. You are a
noble brother, son of a noble brother." The prophet forgave them all saying:

"I will treat you as prophet Yousuf (Joseph) treated his brothers. There is no reproach against you. Go to your homes, and you are all free."

The prophet also declared:

Allah
made Makkah holy the day He created heavens and earth, and it is the
holy of holies until the Resurrection Day. It is not lawful for anyone
who believes in Allah and the last day to shed blood therein, nor to
cut down trees therein. It was not lawful to anyone before me and it
will not be lawful to anyone after me.

The
people of Makkah then accepted Islam including the staunch enemies of
the Prophet. A few of the staunchest enemies and military commanders
had fled Makkah after his entry. However, when they received the
Prophet’s assurance of no retaliation and no compulsion in religion,
they came back and gradually the message of Islam won their hearts.
Within a year (630 CE), almost all Arabia accepted Islam. Among the
Prophet’s close companions were Muslims from such diverse background as
Persia, Abyssinia, Syria and Rome. Several prominent Jewish Rabbis,
Christian bishop and clergymen accepted Islam after discussions with
the Prophet.
One night in March 630 CE, Angel Gabriel visited the prophet and addressed him as: "O father of Ibrahim." A few hours later, the prophet received the news of the birth of his son from his wife Mariah, and the prophet
named him Ibrahim. He was the only child born after the six children
from Prophet’s first wife Khadijah. Ibrahim died when he was ten months
old. On the day of Ibrahim's death, there was an eclipse of the sun.
When some people began to attribute it to the Prophet's bereavement, he
said: "The sun and the moon are two signs of the signs of God. Their
light is not dimmed for any man's death. If you see them eclipsed, you
should pray until they be clear."
The
great change in Arabia alarmed the two superpowers, Byzantines and
Persians. Their Governors, particularly the Byzantines, reacted with
threats to attack Medinah. Instead of waiting, the prophet
sent a small army to defend the northmost border of Arabia. In the
remaining life of the Prophet, all of the major battles were fought on
the northern front. The prophet
did not have a standing army. Whenever he received a threat, he called
the Muslims and discussed with them the situation and gathered
volunteers to fight any aggression.
The prophet
performed his first and last pilgrimage in 632 CE. One hundred
twenty-thousand men and women performed pilgrimage that year with him.
The prophet received the last revelation during this pilgrimage. Two months later, prophet
Muhammad (s) fell ill and after several days died on Monday, 12 Rabi
al-Awwal, the eleventh year after Hijra (June 8, 632 CE) in Medinah. He
is buried in the same place where he died.
Prophet
Muhammad lived a most simple, austere and modest life. He and his
family used to go without cooked meal several days at a time, relying
only on dates, dried bread and water. During the day he was the busiest
man, as he performed his duties in many roles all at once as head of
state, chief justice, commander-in-chief, arbitrator, instructor and
family man. He was the most devoted man at night. He used to spend one-
to two-thirds of every night in prayer and meditation. The Prophet's
possession consisted of mats, blankets, jugs and other simple things
even when he was the virtual ruler of Arabia. He left nothing to be
inherited except a white mule (a gift from Muqawqis), few ammunition
and a piece of land that he had made a gift during his life time. Among
his last words were: "We the community of Prophets are not inherited.
Whatever we leave is for charity."
Muhammad
(s) was a man and a messenger of Allah (The One God). He is the last of
the prophetsQur’an mentions twenty-five Prophets by name and provides a
great insight of their mission, struggle and their communities. The
Qur’an exonerates prophets from charges leveled against them in
previous scriptures. The Qur’an also mentions four previously revealed
scriptures: Suhoof (Pages) of Ibrahim (Abraham), Taurat ('Torah') as
revealed to prophet Moses, Zuboor ('Psalms') as revealed to prophet David, and Injeel ('Evangel') as revealed to prophet
Jesus (pbuh). Islam requires belief in all prophets and revealed
scriptures (original, non-corrupted) as part of the Articles of Faith.
Muhammad (s) is greatly respected as the model of Qur’anic behavior.
Muslims mention his name by adding "peace be upon him," a phrase used
with the name of all prophets [e.g., Qur'an Surah 37: verses 79, 109,
120 and 130; also 33:56]. All sincere Muslims try to follow the Qur’an
and the Prophet’s example to minute details. The account of every
aspect of his life has been preserved (numerous daily accounts
including his family life). prophet
Muhammad (s) has served as an example for all Muslims in all periods to
modern times. He will remain a model example for all of humanity. [Qur'an 33:40] sent by Allah to guide man to the right path; Adam was the first Prophet. The
At the end of his mission, the prophet
was blessed with several hundred thousand followers (men and women) of
Islam. Thousands prayed with him at the mosque and listened to his
sermon. Hundreds of sincere Muslims would find every opportunity to be
with him following five daily prayers and at other times. They used to
seek his advice for their everyday problems, and listened attentively
to the interpretation and application of revealed verses to their
situation. They followed the message of the Qur’an and the Messenger of
Allah with utmost sincerity, and supported him with every thing they
had. The most excellent among them are Abu Bakr, 'Umar, 'Uthman, Ali,
Talha, Zubair, 'Abdur Rahman ibn Auf, S'ad bin Abi Waqqas, S'ad bin
Zaid, Abu 'Ubeidah, Hasan, Hussain, and several dozen others. They
faithfully carried the message of Islam after the Prophet, and within
ninety years the light of Islam reached Spain, North Africa, the
Caucasus, northwest China and India

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