Chapter7 - The First Muslim

 

Chapter 6

The First Muslim.

“And the foremost is the foremost: these are they who are drawn nigh in Allah”

(Al Quran 56:10-11)

In the chapter entitled “The Divine Call” I have mentioned how the word of Allah SWT was first revealed to Rasulullah ﷺ. After the revelation, in the cave of Hira, he was sure of his mission but he did not yet preach it openly. Rasulullah ﷺ taught first among the intimate circle of family and friends. The one who embraced first was his wife, Saidatuna Khadijah (رضي الله عنه). She was the first woman to embrace Islam and there is some controversy as to who was the first man to do so. Imam Abu Hanifa writes:

“Among men Sayidina Abu Bakr (رضي الله عنه), among children ‘Ali and among women is Saidatuna Khadijah(رضي الله عنه)  was the first to embrace Islam. This is not a satisfactory statement for it differentiates between men, women, and children. The question is who the first man was to embraced Islam. The author of Seerah Halabi writes: “There were three in the history of all religions who do not believe in any other god, but the real God, the first was Hizqiel, who accepted the faith and religion of Moses; the second “Habib Najjar”, an inhabitant of Antakya, was the first to embrace the religion of Jesus. When he went to preach.  The third person was Ali, who was at the age of ten.” Imam Termizi writes, “Muhammad was made Prophet on Monday, and on Tuesday Ali said his prayers with him” Some of the prejudiced, who was unwilling that Ali should have this distinction of being the first to embrace Islam, object that as he was a mere child his conversion could hardly be considered complete and valid. This argument is very weak for the validity of an action does not require the maturity of the person acting, as the Quran says, “So they (Moses and his companion) went on until they met a boy; the companion slew him and Moses said;

“Have you slain an innocent person otherwise than for manslaughter? Certainly, you have done an evil thing”

(Quran: 18:74)

Jesus Christ was made Prophet in his early childhood in his early childhood and said; “Surely I am a servant of Allah SWT; He Has given me the Book and made me a Prophet; and dutiful to my mother, and He has made me blessed wherever I may be and He has made me blessed wherever I may be, and He has enjoined on me prayer and poor-rate so long and poor-rate so long as I live

(The Quran: 19, 30-32)

Here we are that people who are placed with people of rank and dignity, even if they are mere children. This is clearly evident in the case of Jesus Christ, and it must be accepted that “Ali was the first Muslim, in spite of his having embraced Islam when in his early teens. Mr. Dermenghem in his life of Mahomet  (London 1930), shows the unflinching nature of the belief of his wife Khadijah.

“Muhammad had given up men’s companionship more and more. In the solitudes of Mount Hira, he found greater and greater satisfaction. Spending a whole week at a time there with a few scanty provisions, his spirit gloried in fasting, in vigils, and in search for a defined idea. He hardly knew whether it was day or night, whether he dreamed or watched. For hours at a time, he remained to kneel in the darkness or lying in the sun, or he strode with long steps on the stony tracks. When he walked, it seemed as if voices came out of the rocks; when he struck a stone, it answered him. And the stones everywhere under that fiery sun seemed to greet him as ‘God’s Apostle’.

 “On his return the good Khadijah was troubled to see him so silently elated. Sometimes he appeared to lose all consciousness of what was going on around him and lay inert on the ground, his breathing hardly perceptible. Then he would sleep, his breast rising and falling regularly with peaceful slumber. But his respiration would grow more rapid; he would pant; dream; enormous human being as huge as the heaven over the earth and covering the horizon would then approach, rush towards him with extended arms ready to seize him…. Muhammad would wake with a start, his body covered with sweat; Khadijah would wipe his forehead and question him gently but anxiously in a voice she tried to calm. He would remain silent or evade her questions, or he would answer in words she did not understand.

“At the end of six months Muhammad’s body suffered; he grew thin, his step became jerky, his hair and beard unkempt, his eye strange. He felt hopeless. Had he become one of those madmen such as he had often met – a pathetic demoniac, a hideous plaything of the power of darkness? Was he one of those poets inspired by jinn?- for measured phrases often burst unconsciously from his tongue? He felt hopeless; for he had a horror of poets, playthings of every wind, who said what they did not do.

“ I am afraid of becoming mad,” he decided to say one day to the gentle Khadijah when he could no longer bear the weight. “I see all the signs of madness in myself. Who would have believed that I would become a poet, or possessed by a jinn? I by no chance speak of it to anyone.”

“Khadijah wished for his confidence. She hoped and she doubted; but when she was so worried herself, how could she reassure him?  But she was a woman made to give consolation and comfort; she possessed the tender firmness of a virtuous wife and a devoted mother and gave this man, younger than herself, the fullest love. In her devotion she was almost subconsciously pleased to find this strong man, she admired her husband, weak and ill. How could she help to reassure him?

“O Abul Qassim. Are you not the ‘Al Amin – for so you are called –the sincere, the trustworthy, the truthful man? How can Allah allow you to be deceived when you do not deceive? Are you not a pious, sober, charitable, hospitable man? Have you not respected your parents, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, helped the traveler, and protected the weak? It is not possible that you are the plaything of lying demons and malicious jinns?

“What, then, is this being who seeks me out again and again? What is this being who has not told me his name and from whom I cannot escape? Muhammad was again seized with anguish. He trembled, his face grew red and then pale; his ears hummed, his eyes dilated. A strange presence had intruded itself.

“There he is!! It is he!! He is coming.

“And yet he was awake and neither asleep nor dreaming and the strange being was approaching.

He was there;

“Khadijah had an inspiration;

“Come to me,” she said to her husband. \Get under my cloak. Muhammad did so. He was like a child on his mother’s breast, hunting protection from all the world’s dangers. Khadijah covered him with her veal, let down her hair; she seated him on her knees, embraced him closely, and hid him against her flesh under her dark hair.

“Well? She asked. ‘Is he still there?

“I did see nor feel him anymore. He is gone.”

“Then he is not a lewd jinn, nor yet a demon; for he respects women’s chastity. It can only be an angel of God.”

“Ramadan came. Muhammad increased his solitary watches in the passes of Mount Hira. Days passed; the crescent moon grew round, resplendent, then Muhammad was as sleep in a cave. Suddenly the mysterious being that had visited him before appeared, holding a piece of silk in his hand covered with writing.

“Iqra’, he said to Muhammad: “Read”

“I do not know how to read”

“The being again threw himself upon Muhammad to stifle him.

“Read” he repeated for the third time.

“What shall I read?”

“Read, said the being, letting him go.

“Read, in the name of thy Lord,, Who hath created all things:

Who hath created man of congealed blood?

Read, by thy most beneficent Lord Who taught the use of the pen;

Who teacheth man that which he knoweth not?’

 (The Quran 96:1-5)

  Waraqah, a cousin of Khadijah was the next to believe in the Holy Prophet. He was a very old man, bedridden and blind. Khadijah had often heard him speak of the “Promised Prophet” of whose advent Jesus Christ had spoken. When Waraqah heard of Khadijah of the revelation received by Muhammad in the cave of Hira, he at once proclaimed him the “Promised Prophet”. Unfortunately, he died shortly afterward, during the Cessation period, without having had the opportunity of formally declaring his faith.

 Abu Bakr, a Makkan, was the next to embrace Islam. The Holy Prophet and he were intimate friends long before the Holy Prophet received the Divine Call, but no sooner was he made aware of Muhammad’s claims to the prophet hood than he publicly declared that he believed him to be the Prophet of God, and embraced Islam, thus being among the first men to do so.

Sayidina Zaid bin Harithah ra, a liberated slave of the Holy Prophet, was the next. He was deeply attached to the holy Prophet, and when he was the first given his freedom, and had been told Muhammad to go back with his father to his own home, and he refuses to do so.

Thus we see that the Holy Prophet’s wife Khadijah, his friend Abu Bakr, his cousin ‘Ali

And his liberated slave Zaid bin Harithah. These four who knew his life most intimately were the earliest believers and the first to embrace Islam. Abu Bakr, whose faith in the Prophet was as true and sincere as Khadijah was so profoundly convinced that Muhammad was the promised Prophet that immediately on embracing Islam he started preaching the faith to others. Soon prominent men like Sayidina Usman ibn Affan ra, Sayidina Zubair bin Awam ra, Sayidina Abdul Rahman Auf ra, Saad ibn Waqqas ra, and  Sayidina Talha ibn Ubaidah ra, became Muslim also Yasir, his wife Saidatuna Summayyah binti Khayat ra, Sayidina Bilal ibn Rabbah ra, Sayidina Abdullah bin Mas’ud ra, Sayidina Ammar bin Yasir ra, and Sayidina Khabab bin Arat ra, who were of humbler position, and Arqam, who later gave his house to the holy Prophet for the purpose of his mission. One by one people began to follow him and within three years are some forty converts in all. These steady signs of progress of Islam angered and alarm the Makkan and they did their best to oppose it; but the Muslims, in spite of all opposition, grew rapidly in numbers. As the faith spread, men of position from among the Quraish became converts too, Hamzah, an uncle of the Prophet, among them. He was a man of great importance and proved a pillar of strength to Islam. He has always been fond of Muhammad and the story of his conversion is a remarkable one. It is said that one day Abu Jahl, an uncle of the Prophet, who was bitterly opposed to the teachings of Muhammad, had met him and was ill-treating the Prophet most cruelly. A maid belonging to the house of Hamzah, happening to pass by, was shocked to see this and at once reported the matter to her master. When Hamzah heard this, deeply attached as he was, he was both grieved and indignant and made up his mind there and then himself to join the new fate, and aid and defend the brave little army of Muslims to the utmost of his powers.

Another remarkable conversion of a great man of position was that of ‘Saiyidina Omar Ibni Al Khattab RA. He was a man of position, greatly esteemed among the Quraish, but also well-known and feared for his uncontrollable temper. From the very beginning, he was bitterly against Islam, and as he heard daily that more and more were embracing the new faith, he was so enraged that one day he decided to kill Rasulullah ﷺ, who, he said was the cause of all trouble. So taking his sword he made straight for the house of Rasulullah ﷺ. At this time he was unaware that his own sister Fatimah Binti Al Khattab and her husband had become Muslims.

On his way to Rasulullah ﷺ’s house he met a man (Naim Ibn Abdullah RA) who had recently embraced Islam. Seeing the sword in ‘Omar’s hand this man asked him where he was going. Omar replied; “To kill Muhammad.” Naim ibn Abdullah RA thereupon informed him that his own sister and brother-in-law had embraced Islam. On hearing this, ‘Omar’s anger knew no bounds, and he decided to deal with his own relations first before putting an end to Rasulullah ﷺ. On reaching the house he heard one of them reciting the Al Quran, and this to him was the last straw. He entered her house with rage .and seizing his brother in law thrashed him unmercifully

While his sister in her efforts to interpose was her-self injured. ‘Omar, then snatching the chapters of the Quran, began reading the verses, and soon the truth and beauty of their set him thinking. Seeing him thus pensive Naim Ibn Abdullah RA took the opportunity of reasoning with him and soon the proud ‘Omar Al Khattab joined the fold of Islam. He proceeded to the house of Al Arqam where Rasulullah ﷺ and his companions were taking shelter. Rasulullah ﷺ met him at the door and ‘Omar Ibn Al Khattab proclaimed his faith to Rasulullah ﷺ in these words; “O! Apostle of Allah, I declare faith in Allah and His Rasul”.

The House of Al Arqam (Darul Arqam)

  (Please read until the end of this chapter, The House of Al Arqam, the secret meeting place during early Islam. Have more insight about several events that took placed during the time of early Muslim persecution and oppression, so with the glory that took place then.)

All this time the Muslims were compelled to carry out their religious activities in secret in the House of Arqam; for they were as yet too few in number to face their numerous opponents. But after the conversion of two such important persons as “Sayidina Omar ibn Al Khattab ra, and Sayidina Hamzah ibn Abi Talib ra, they were able with their help to carry on their work publicly and say their prayers in the sacred house of Kaabah. Most of the early converts were from the poor class, except for the few men of wealth and positions whom we have just mentioned. These poor people were forced to undergo many hardships; for they had nobody to protect them and no money. The slaves who turned into Muslims were put to the most awful tortures. Abu Bakar was one of the rich ones who was a great help to Islam at that time, he spent much of his wealth in buying slaves from their cruel masters and setting them free.

The hatred of the Quraish against the holy Prophet (Rasulullah ﷺ) and his followers leaped up to its highest point when it was learned that Saiyidina Hamzah Ibn Abdul Mutalib and Saiyidina Umar Ibn Al Khattab had embraced Islam, for Saiyidina Umar was the chief of the Bani ‘Adi tribe. Soon afterward, a wealthy merchant belonging to the important family of Taim ibn Murra embraced Islam. He was a man of clear judgment as well as energetic, honest, and amenable, and a great favorite among the people. After his conversion, five others belonging to important families followed in their footsteps. Rasulullah ﷺ and his followers would preach to strangers coming to the city on pilgrimage and on business.  But even this Quraish sought to prevent. When people began to arrive in the city they would post themselves at strategic points, and tell the strangers to have nothing to do with Muhammad (Rasulullah ﷺ) as he was a magician and not to be trusted. This, in a way, helped the Rasulullah ﷺ for the strangers returning to their homes spread the tales that were told about him, and many came to see and hear the man who risked his life in telling the whole of Arabia to give up the worship of their forefathers and follow the new religion that he preached.

The Story of Darul Al Arqam during early Islam in Makkah.

This area, at the foot of Mount Safa is the approximate area where Daarul Arqam (The house of Arqam (رضي الله عنه)) was located. It was here in the initial period of Islam that the Prophet (ﷺ) secretly preached Islam.

Arqam (رضي الله عنه)

• The house belonged to a Sahabi named Arqam bin Abil Arqam (رضي الله عنه). He had several houses on his property, and he donated this one as a secret center for propagation. It was situated at the northern base of Mount Safa, with at least one door hidden from the view of its neighbors.
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• Arqam (رضي الله عنه) was only 12-16 years old when he embraced Islam which he kept secret. The house was an inheritance from his father. He was from Bani Makhzum, the same tribe headed by Abu Jahal

The first ‘Madressa’ in Islam

• For some time after the Prophet (ﷺ) proclaimed his Prophethood, the Muslims gathered here to perform salah and to learn about Islam without fear of torture or persecution. As it was a short walk away from the Kaaba and its bustling crowds, the pagans who lived nearby did not take notice of the many people who used to gather here. It effectively became the first Madressa (Islamic school) in Islam.

Quran revelations

• Many verses of the Quran were revealed here and it was also here that many verses of the Quran were first taught by the Prophet (ﷺ).
• It was here that the following verse from Surah al-Anfal was revealed: 
• “O Prophet, Allah is sufficient for you, and for those who follow you among the believers.” [8:64]

The conversion of Umar bin Khattab (رضي الله عنه)

• Many people embraced Islam at Daarul Arqam including Ammar bin Yasir and Suhayb bin Sinan (رضي الله عنهم) who embraced Islam together. Hamza (رضي الله عنه) also embraced Islam here, followed a few days later by Umar (رضي الله عنه).
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• When Umar (رضي الله عنه) wanted to take his Shahadah (declaration of the faith of Islam) he asked Khabbab (رضي الله عنه) where he would find the Prophet (ﷺ). Upon hearing of his desire to accept Islam, Khabbab (رضي الله عنه) exclaimed: “Umar, I have hope that Allah hath chosen thee through the prayers of His Prophet, whom yesterday I heard pray: ‘O Allah, strengthen Islam with Abu Hakam (Abu Jahal) the son of Hisham or with Umar the son of Khattab!”. “O Khabbab,” said Umar, “where will Muhammad now be, that I may go to him and enter Islam?” 
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• Khabbab (رضي الله عنه) told him that he was at the house of Arqam near the Safa Gate with many of his companions.
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• Umar went to Safa, knocked at the door of the house, and said who he was. The Sahabah had been warned that he was coming but they were struck by the subdued tone of his voice. One of the companions went to the door and looked through a chink and came back in some dismay. 
• “O Messenger of Allah,” he said, “it is indeed Umar and he is girt with his sword”. “Let him come in,” said Hamza (رضي الله عنه). “if he has come with good intent, we will give him a wealth of good; and if his intent be evil, we will slay him with his own sword.” 
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• The Prophet (ﷺ) agreed that he should be admitted and, advancing to meet him, he seized him by the belt and pulled him into the middle of the room saying, 
• “What has brought thee here, O son of Khattab? I cannot see thee desisting until Allah sent down some calamities upon thee”. “O Messenger of Allah,” said Umar, “I have come to thee that I may declare my faith in Allah, and in His Messenger and in what he has brought from Allah”. “Allahu-Akbar!,” said the Prophet,
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• In such a way that every man and woman in the house knew that Umar had entered Islam, and they all rejoiced.
• Because the valor and courage of Umar (رضي الله عنه) were acknowledged by all, it was after his conversion to Islam that the Muslims started performing salah in the open and Islam was propagated in public.

Chapter 6- THE PROPHETHOOD OF MUHAMMAD ﷺ.

 

THE PROPHETHOOD OF MUHAMMAD ﷺ.

“Certainly you have in the Apostle of Kind an excellent exemplar”

(Quran 33;41)

I believe no one could deny that the spiritual advancement of mankind or the perfection of the human soul has from time immemorial been dependent on the instructions of Allah through His Prophets, who bring certain qualities, each of the best and perfect in itself. Allah could have chosen to send angels as instructors, but knowing that for human beings a human being is the best guide and teacher:

 “He raised human beings at a different time to Prophet Hood, to preach His word to mankind”

(Quran 6:8,9)

Muslims believed that Muhammad is the last Prophet, that is to say, after whom another claimant to Prophethood cannot come. This belief is based not only upon the verses of the Quran but also upon actual facts to be met within the life of the Rasulullahﷺ.

Teaching and example are essential for a Rasulullahﷺ also two further things were most necessary: first that what Rasulullahﷺ teaches should be perfect and complete and sufficient for all time to come. Which also comes with a complete code of morals and teaching to preach to the world.  Secondly, that Rasulullahﷺ himself by his practice should set a perfect example for the guidance of mankind.

The Quran speaks in its earlier revelations of the perfect morals of Rasulullahﷺ. For example, it says:

 “ Most surely you conform (yourself) to sublime morality”

(Quran: 68:4)

Allah also says;

“So he attained completion and he is in the highest part of the horizon”

(Quran: 33:6-7)

The hadiths say: “ I was made Prophet to perfect the highest morals”

Two things were needed to perfect the morals and the Quran says Rasulullahﷺ possessed them. The following will make the statement plainer.  It is easy for a man to be lowly and humble when he is poor, but these qualities can only be said to manifest themselves in perfection when he continues humbly after he has become great and powerful. 

Or let us take the case of charity. A person who is poor can also be charitable after attaining wealth, by spending freely on charities. This will mean that he has shown the quality of charitableness to perfection. The same is true of forgiveness; when a man has not the power to punish one who harms him, he is compelled of necessity to overlook the offense and forgive as the safest course: but the completeness of the quality is seen in a person who is powerful and well able to deal harshly with offenders, but forgives freely those who have done their utmost to harm him.

There have been cases when a person has been perfect in one moral quality only to such an extent that other qualities have eclipsed thereby, for example, a man may become so charitable and forgiving as to lose the quality of being just. This height of perfection in the Holy Rasulullahﷺ is an accepted fact such as even an enemy cannot deny or refute. The presence of all the moral qualities postulates that a person to display them must have passed through every sort and condition of experience in the course of his life, and not even hardened critics can deny such was the case with Rasulullahﷺ . Rasulullahﷺ  was the only Rasulullahﷺ who followed all the principles he preached to others... 

Every ordinance in the Quran he himself obeyed. Rasulullahﷺ is the one and true example of this rule, that what a teaches to the world, he must practice himself. We often have to listen to sermons and lectures by persons who do have not the faintest intention of practicing what they preach. Mere lip-teaching does prove that a person possesses moral virtues. He must first convert his words into action as did the Islamic prophet who taught the world patience and forbearance because he himself faced the hardest trial of life. A child was born after the death of his father.  His mother died within the next few years. Rasulullahﷺ spends his childhood life of innocent and perfection.

 At maturity, he held all desires of the flesh at bay. From his birth to his demise, he passed through many difficult ordeals. At every step, he was tried but was never found wanting. When he proclaimed his mission as a Prophet, it proved one of the hardest trials of all. The whole nation turned against him. Rasulullahﷺ was absolutely alone and helpless. The perfection of helplessness is seen in the event known as “Hijrah”, when alone, save for a single friend, he had to leave his native town of Makkah. 

When he hid in the cave and escaped to Madinah, where his helper and associate and the Jews entered into treaty relations. Then came the tortures days of the war; on all sides, the Arabs gathered to kill him but in the end, Rasulullahﷺ prevailed over them and became their king.  In Madinah, he was King, Judge. Magistrate, general, peacemaker, and lawgiver, and in all these capacities he was perfect.

Again, let us emphasize that the great thing to remember is that all moral qualities are of the highest degree of perfection. Rasulullahﷺ knew not what is it to be avaricious; even his enemies admit that all his life though he had no desire for wealth.  It had no value for him. Once the Quraish offered him all the wealth in the land, but he refuses even to consider the offer. Even after Rasulullahﷺ becomes the leader of an Islamic state and a rightful owner of a government, he cares nothing for it and continues to live the same life of poverty in solitude.

The holy Rasulullahﷺ expressed this quality in still greater perfection by living a life of poverty in solitude.

The Quality of forgiveness is expressed in perfection making no distinction between friend and enemy. When it came to forgiving he forgave all. In the battle of Uhud, certain Muslims failed to obey his instruction, with disastrous results, but the holy Rasulullahﷺ did not do court-martial or even reprimanded them. Rasulullahﷺ simply forgave them. His example of forgiving enemies takes his sublimes form on the occasion of the conquest of Makkah. The Makkans had been bitterest enemies since the day he was raised to Prophet Hood. 

They did all in their power to crush Islam. Many times attempted to kill Rasulullahﷺ. However, when Rasulullahﷺ entered Makkah as a conqueror, forgave the chiefs when presented as captives a general amnesty. Arabia lay at his feet and Makkah was at his mercy. Rasulullahﷺ could have beheaded everyone had he wished to and he would have been justified in doing so. Though they have been his greatest enemies and most cruel of tormenters. But, unlike many Hebrew Prophets, who severely punished their enemies for lesser offenses. The Holy Rasulullahﷺ freely forgave them. When they were all standing humble before him, awaiting punishments he said to them:

“There shall be no reproach against you, you are free”

The Arab chief; Utbah had been one of the greatest of the offenders and the chief instigator of cruel persecution to which Rasulullahﷺ and his companions had been subjected, for many years. Utbah’s daughter, Hindun, was a great enemy of Rasulullahﷺ as her father. Once in hatred, she chews the liver of  Saiyidina Hamzah ibn Abd Muttalib, Rasulullahﷺ’s uncle, when he was slain in battle; later, when she was obliged to come before Rasulullahﷺ she covered her face with a veil so that Holy Rasulullahﷺ might not recognize her. 

Surprisingly the holy Rasulullahﷺ single her out at once and forgave her. Abu Sufyan was another who had done his best to harm the Holy Rasulullahﷺ was so afraid that would send others to intercede for him, but the dear Rasulullahﷺ bade him have no fear and not only forgave him but declared that anyone who took refuge in his house would be safe.  

At the of Makkah another enemy of holy Rasulullahﷺ, Habbar Ibnu ‘l-Aswad, who was responsible for the death of the daughter of Rasulullahﷺ, was about to escape from Makkah to Persia. However, knowing the compassionate nature of the enemy he decided to throw himself on his mercy. Approaching Rasulullahﷺ he confessed his wrongs and prayed for mercy. Rasulullahﷺ freely forgave him. These instances stated above and many others, prove that Rasulullahﷺ expressed the quality of forgiveness to perfection.

In Rasulullahﷺ are found the perfection of all qualities and morals. With lowliness and humility he was brave, so brave that with his companions lying dead around Rasulullahﷺ, he prayed to Allah SWT to guide the enemy to the right path. His example of justice set by him is equally high. Once there was a dispute between a Jew and a Muslim, and on hearing the case he gave the just judgment, which is in favor of the Jew.

Rasulullahﷺ reliance on Allah SWT was such that he never concerned himself about personal safety, but at the same time, his caution never relaxed, and on the slightest news of trouble, he would always send men at once to deal with it. So intense was the love of Allah SWT that he would spend whole nights standing in Prayer before Allah SWT. Rasulullahﷺ had the well-being of others so much at his heart that often he used to do the marketing for the old and feeble.

The study of his life reveals that all these qualities and morals were combined in him to the highest degree of perfection. Thus, Rasulullahﷺ becomes the sole exemplar for all generations to come.

Chapter 5 - Heavenly Divine Call

 

Heavenly  Divine Call

(611 A.C)

    “Read in the name of your Lord, He created the man from a clot. Read and your Lord is most honorable. Who taught to write with the pen, taught man what he knew not”

(The Quran 96: 1:4)

Not long before he attained the age of forty, Muhammad began to see visions, most of them while in the cave of Hira, and during this time he became more and more reserved and spent many solitary hours in deep meditation. He retired more frequently than ever to the cave of Hira, where he would spend days and nights in prayer, and contemplation. 

On a certain night during the month of Ramadhan, an angel appeared to him with a scroll, saying “Read this” Muhammad said, “I do not know how to read.” The angel embraced him and again asked him to read. Three times the request was repeated and each time Rasulullahﷺ cried, “I do not know how to read.” The angel then read out the verses and assured Rasulullah ﷺ that although he was unable to read, if he attempted it in the name of Allah he would succeed.

At this moment of time, Rasulullahﷺ was made aware that he was chosen to be the Reformer of the World, Sometime elapse before a second visit. Some say it was a period of two to three years, but the version narrated by Ibnu Abbas ra, who states it was only for a short period, is more to be reliable according to historical evidence.

It was a huge and staggering kind of responsibility, but Muhammad did not fear nor lose heart. When Allah commanded Moses to reform a nation, he was not able to do it by himself and despair cried to Allah, “Give me a helper”.

But Rasulullahﷺ despaired not, nor asked for a helper. Rasulullahﷺ relied only on the help of Allah SWT, to assist him in this great task. After the first appearance of the angel in the cave of Hira, when it was made known to Rasulullahﷺ that he was to be the world Reformer, some time elapsed before a second visit. Some say it was a period of two or three years, but the version of Ibnu Abbas, who states it was only a short period, is more to be relied on according to historical evidence.

No ordinary human being can ever know the strange phenomenon of divine Inspiration, during which the whole body is possessed by Divine Power. When the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Rasulullahﷺ) first underwent this experience he perspired profusely, his whole body became heavy, his limb turned icy cold and he trembled from head to foot. Shivering and shaking he went home and his wife Saidatuna Khadijah ra wrapped him up, and he told her what happened, she implored him not to fear and assured him, that Allah Rabbul Jalalluh will never let him see the humiliation of failure. 

Verily you show due regard for blood ties, carry the burden of the infirm, practice virtues that are absolutely extinct, entertain guests and stand by what is righteous in the face of calamities. “Rasulullahﷺ received Divine Inspiration many times, and each time it was accompanied by the same sensations – profuse perspiration, and heaviness of the whole body.

Chapter 4 - The first 40 years of Muhammad’s life.

 

Youth and the first 40 years of Muhammad’s life.

“I have lived a lifetime among you before it”

(Quran  10:16)

The Events that Took Place Before the Assignment of Prophethood.

Here we retell some examples mentioned in trustable sources out of the many wondrous incidences that happened before and during the Prophet’s birth in relation to his coming to the world as well as events that took place before he was appointed as a prophet during his childhood and youth.

1)  At the night when Muhammad was born, both his mother and those with her, the mother of Uthman Ibn As and the mother of Abdurrahman Ibn Awf, saw a great light about which they all said: “We saw such a light during his birth that this light illuminated for us the east and the west.” 

2)  That night, most of the idols in the Kaaba were turned over. 

3)  The famous palace of Chosroes, the king of Persia at that time, quaked and was damaged on the night the Prophet was born and its fourteen towers collapsed. 

4) The Lake of Sawa, which was deemed holy by Zoroastrians, sank into the ground on the night the Prophet was born. 

5)  The fire that had been kept ablaze for a thousand years in Istahrabad and that was worshipped by Zoroastrians went out on the night of the Prophet’s birth. 

As the events we have mentioned above point out, the person that had just come to the Earth (PBUH) would abolish fire worshipping, demolish the palace of the Persians, and forbid sanctifying things without Allah’s permission.

6) The famous event of the Elephant happened fifty-two days before the Prophet’s birth and was the reason for the revelation of the Chapter of Al-Fil in the Qur’an. In order to destroy the Kaabah, Abraha, the governor of Yemen, which was part of the Kingdom of Abyssinia, set out for Mecca with a great elephant called Mahmud at the front. When they got closer to Mecca, the elephant could no longer walk. They could not make it walk. Afterward, the birds of ‘Ababil rained stones on the army and swept them away. This event is well-known and it is elaborated in history books. It is one of the proofs of Muhammad’s prophethood (PBUH). This is because close to his birth, his beloved hometown, and the direction he turns to, the holy Kaaba in Mecca, was saved from Abraha’s destruction in a wondrous and miraculous way. 

7)  As is narrated by Halimatun Saadiah, the Prophet’s nursing mother, and her husband, while Allah’s Messenger was with his nursing mother in his childhood, they saw that many times a patch of cloud made a shade for the Prophet so that he would not be disturbed by the sun. They told that event to others and it became trustable and known by many people.

8)Furthermore, when he was en route for Damascus at the age of twelve, with Priest Bakhira’s words, he saw a patch of cloud make a shade for Allah’s Messenger and showed it to others in the caravan.

9)Again before the duty of prophethood was assigned, when Allah’s Messenger came back from business together with Khadijah’s servant Maysara, Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) saw two angels above the Prophet’s head making a shade like a cloud. She told it to Maysara, who replied: “I saw the same thing during the whole journey.” 

10)Asis recounted in trustable sources, before the duty of prophethood was assigned, Allah’s Messenger once sat under a tree. Though the ground was dry and barren before he sat, it became green. The branches of the tree bent above his head and made him a shade. 

11)After his mother’s death (SaiyidahAminah), Allah’s Messenger first stayed with his grandfather, and when his grandfather died, he started staying with his uncle Abu Talib. During meals, if Abu Talib and his children ate with the Prophet, they would be full up. Whenever he was absent in the meal, they would not be full. That event is both renowned and trustable. 

12)Ummu Ayman, his nanny who looked after him in his childhood, said: “Never did Allah’s Messenger complain about hunger or thirst. Neither in his childhood nor when he was an adult…” 

13) Starting from the time he went to her nursing mother Halima and during the time he stayed with her, her property and her goats’ milk increased much in contrast to the others in her tribe. Those events are also both well-known and there is no doubt about their truth. 

14)Flies would not disturb the Prophet by perching on his blessed body or clothes. Furthermore, in some sources, it is stated that Sayyid Abdulqadir Gilani, coming from the Prophet’s descent, had the same quality of not being disturbed by flies. 

15)After Allah’s Messenger honored the world, especially on the night of his birth, there was an increase in star-fallings. This is a sign that devils and jinn were forbidden to eavesdrop on the unknown in the heavens. As the Prophet came with revelation from Allah, surely it was necessary to block the flimsy news of the unknown given by oracles and jinn mixed with lies and fabrication so that no doubt would be cast on the revelation and what they told would not resemble it. Indeed, soothsaying was quite common before the prophethood was given. After the Qur’an was revealed, the Quran put an end to it. Furthermore, many oracles grasped belief, as their heralds among jinn could not carry out their duty after the Qur’an was revealed, and thus the oracles had no source anymore.

Muhammad nurtured in a pure environment of Bani Saadah

In conclusion: Before his prophethood, there were many events that attested to the cause of Allah’s Messenger and that showed that he would be the Prophet. Such a person as him, would

•     spiritually lead the world [18],

•     change the spiritual shape of the world,

•     make the world a field for the hereafter,

•     proclaim the values of the world’s creatures,

•     guide the jinn and humanity to eternal bliss,

•     save the mortals by explaining the true nature of death which appears to be an eternal death sentence,

•     solve the mysteries intriguing the whole of humanity by expounding the wisdom behind the creation of the world,

•     know and get others to know the aims of the Creator of the Universe, and by knowing that Creator, make Him known by others.

Obviously, even before such a person came to the world, everything, every sort of creature and living being would look forward to his coming, yearn to welcome him, applaud his coming and let others know if their Creator informs them. As is seen in the examples given above and in other sections, every kind of creature shows his miracles in the best fashion and attests to his cause of prophethood with the tongues of miracles.

A notable circumstance touching the youth time of Rasulullah ﷺ is to be found in the fact that although his guardians soon took the utmost care in his upbringing, the question of education passed over entirely. These are no fault of theirs and they cannot be blamed for it. For it was not the custom in those days among those people to educate one’s children. 

Especially these are true within the upper class. The Quraish for example regarded reading and writing as tasks for menials only. It was, therefore, a great wonder to the world when it came to realize later the enormous depth of learning, scholarship, and philosophy to which Rasulullah ﷺ had obtained.  According to the custom of the day, Rasulullah ﷺ learned the business and visited all places with which Arabs had business relations. 

Even at an early age his integrity and truthfulness won him fame in Makkah and soon earned the title “Al Amin” (The Trustworthy). Anyone who had dealings with him in any connection always spoke of him with praise and respect.  It is said that once when the Sacred House of Makkah was to be reconstructed, the Quraish undertook to do the work, but presently a dispute arose as to who should be given the privilege of laying the “Black Stone” (Hajar Aswad). 

Probably his could have ended in an inter-tribal feud and general bloodshed – such being the spirit of the age- had not an old man advised them to refer the whole matter to an arbitrator. Whoever, he said should be the first to enter or appear at the Kaabah, the next day should act as a judge and settle the dispute. This was agreed to, and on the morrow and through the satisfaction of all it was Muhammad who was the first to appear and all welcomed him with one voice, exclaiming, “Here is the trustworthy: “Here is the trustworthy!! Here is the trustworthy!!. Muhammad's (Rasulullah ﷺ) great tact and understanding of the situation soon settled the dispute and all ended peacefully.

In appearance, Muhammad was pleasant yet imposing. He was of medium height and build. He had a large head and a round face, and his forehead was broad. He has dark eyes and is full of light with long lashes. His beard was dark and thick and his body with the fair in color. His whole appearance was comely and attractive. His bearing was dignified and his manners charming. So charming that he won the hearts of all with whom he came in contact. Visitors were always impressed by his personal charm. Everyone loved and admired him because of these sterling personal qualities.

The world says, Religion and morality the major essence of purity of life may not be within the duration of a youthful age. Where being youthful fulfill the urge towards all form of vices and diversion from the real purpose of life. But, Rasulullah ﷺ the best of creation of Allah, having the strongest character is he who shall pass an unimpeachable and crystal life even amid the temptations and follies of youth.

A just man bows his head in reverence when he studies the youth of Rasulullah ﷺ. His youth was perfect, sinless, and shining. I do not think any other such example can be found in the annals of the world. Fourteen hundred years ago, during the youth of Rasulullah ﷺ, ignorance and crime were in Arabia as righteousness and peace elsewhere. The people were debauchees and adulterers. Prostitution was the fashion of the day. Rape, seduction, and fornication were common while wine was the ordinary drink of the people.  

There were brothels and bars without numbers. For the Arabs were a proud race, proud even with sins. Boasting that they led immoral and shameful lives.  In such surroundings and amongst such people to keep one’s youth pure and perfect is an achievement a little short of miraculous. Every day of his youth of Muhammad is displayed before the world in much detail as are the latter days of his life. 

There is no one, even his greatest enemy, who can say that the youth of Muhammad was not good and pure. He kept himself aloof from all undesirable people and functions; he had very few friends, being of a reserved and contemplative nature. Few followed his teachings and later on became Muslim. While other young men spent their youthful age in vices. Muhammad is seeking only ways and means to save Arabia from the pitiable state into which it had fallen.

When Muhammad was twenty-five years of age, a rich widow Khadijah by name entrusted him with the management of her business. Muhammad(Rasulullah ﷺ) is known for his honesty in managing any business dealing entrusted to him. Khadijah begged him to marry her. Muhammad (Rasulullah ﷺ) did not give her any immediate answer but first went to his uncle Abu Talib to obtain his consent. Muhammad was given consent by his beloved uncle. 

When Muhammad married her he was, has been said a twenty-five years man and she was forty years of age. The marriage is indeed a happy union, being blessed with four daughters and a son. Khadijah was a great help and comfort to Muhammad. Muhammad's (Rasulullah ﷺ) devotion to her with true love and sincerity; where she willingly shares her wealth for charitable activity.

At the time of his call for prophethood, he was very depressed and weighed down with responsibility, fearing that he would not be able to fulfill the task. A task that is very significant to change the whole beings of the universe to only worship Allah the one and only god.  Khadijah cheered him with such words as:

 “God will never let thee see the humiliation of failures …” and the like.

All who came in contact with Rasulullah ﷺ were devoted to his call; Rasulullah ﷺ showed great kindness and sympathy to the poor and helpless. He showed his kindness to the orphans and widows. Always do his utmost to help them. The slaves loved him and would rather remain to be a slave to him, rather be freed.  Muhammad was kind and loving to all. He abhorred fighting and bloodshed. At the “Battle of “Fijar”, he did nothing more than help his uncle by supplying him with arrows from time to time. From his very childhood, he detested idol-worshipping. During his youth, he often when to the cave “Hira” and prayed for hours to God to pity the fallen state of the Arabs and show them the way to the right path.

Muhammad (Rasulullah ﷺ) was forty years of age when the messenger of Allah SWT came to him to reveal the Word of Allah SWT and announce that he was the chosen Prophet of Allah SWT.