A Brief
Biography of the Life of
The Seal of Prophethood and Final Messenger of God
(Peace be upon him and his pure and
cleansed progeny)
He is Hadrat Muhammad upon whom be blessings and peace, who possesses a book and a
Shari'ah and in whom Muslims have placed their faith. The Prophet (sawas) was born
fifty-three years before the beginning of the hijra calendar in Mecca in the Hijaz amidst
the family of Banu Hashim of the Tribe of Quraysh, who were considered the most honoured
of the Arab families.
His father was called 'Abdallah
and his mother, Aminah. He lost both parents at the beginning of childhood and was placed
under the care of his paternal grandfather, 'Abd al-Mutalib, who also soon passed away. At
this time the Prophet (sawas)'s uncle, Abu Talib, took charge of him and became his
guardian, taking him into his own house. The Prophet (sawas) grew up in his uncle's house
and even before reaching the age of adolescence used to accompany his uncle on journeys by
caravan.
The Prophet (sawas) had not
received any schooling and therefore did not know how to read and write. Yet, after
reaching the age of maturity he became famous for his wisdom, courtesy, and
trust-worthiness. As a result of his sagacity and trustworthiness, one of the women of the
tribe of Quraysh, well-known for her wealth, appointed him as the custodian of her
possessions and left in his hands the task of conducting her commercial affairs.
The Prophet (sawas) once
journeyed to Damascus with her merchandise and as a result of the ability he displayed was
able to make an outstanding profit. Before long she asked to become his wife and the
Prophet (sawas) accepted her proposal. After the marriage, which occurred when he was.
twenty-five years old, the Prophet (sawas) began the life of a manager of his wife's
fortunes, until the age of forty, gaining meanwhile a widespread reputation for wisdom and
trustworthiness.
He refused, however, to worship
idols, as was the common religious practice of the Arabs of the Hijaz. And occasionally he
would make spiritual retreats (khalwah) in which he prayed and discoursed secretly with
God.
At the age of forty, in the cave
of Hira', in the mountains of the Tihamah region near Mecca, when he was in spiritual
retreat, he was chosen by God to become a prophet and was given the mission of propagating
the new religion. At that moment the first chapter of the Qur'an ("The
Blood-Clot" [Surah-i 'alaq]) was revealed to him. That very day he returned to his
house and on the way met his cousin, Ali ibn Abl Talib, who after hearing the account of
what had occurred declared his acceptance of the faith. After the Prophet entered the
house and told his wife of the revelation, she likewise accepted Islam.
The first time the Prophet
(sawas) invited people to accept his message he was faced with a distressing and painful
reaction. Of necessity he was forced henceforth to propagate his message in secret for
some time until he was ordered again by God to invite his very close relatives to accept
his message. But this call was also fruitless and no one heeded it except Ali ibn Abi
Talib, who in any case had already accepted the faith. (But in accordance with
documents-transmitted from the Household of the Prophet (sawas) and extant poems composed
by Abu Talib, the Followers of Ahlul Bayt believe that Abu Talib had also embraced Islam;
however, because he was the sole protector of the Prophet (sawas), he hid his faith from
the people in order to preserve the outward power he had with the Quraysh.)
After this period, according to
Divine instruction, the Prophet (sawas) began to propagate his mission openly. With the
beginning of open propagation the people of Mecca reacted most severely and inflicted the
most painful afflictions and tortures upon the Prophet (sawas) and the people who had
become newly converted to Islam. The severe treatment dealt out by the Quraysh reached
such a degree that a group of Muslims left their homes and belongings and migrated to
Abyssinia.
The Prophet (sawas) and his
uncle, Abu Talib, along with their relatives from the Banu Hashim, took refuge for three
years in the "mountain pass of Abu Talib," a fort in one of the valleys of
Mecca. No one had any dealings or transactions with them and they did not dare to leave
their place of refuge. The idol-worshipers of Mecca, although at the beginning they
considered inflicting all kinds of pressures and tortures such as striking and beating,
insult, ridicule and defamation on the Prophet, occasionally would also show kindness and
courtesy toward him in order to have him turn away from his mission. They would promise
him great sums of money or leadership and the rule of the tribe. But for the Prophet
(sawas) their promises and their threats only resulted in the intensification of his will
and determination to carry out his mission. Once, when they came to the Prophet (sawas)
promising him wealth and power, the Prophet (sawas) told them, using metaphorical
language, that if they were to put the sun in the palm of his right hand and the moon in
the palm of his left hand he would not turn away from obeying the unique God or refrain
from performing his mission.
About the tenth year of his
prophecy, when the Prophet (sawas) left the "mountain pass of Abu Talib," his
uncle Abu Talib, who was also his sole protector, died, as did also his devoted wife.
Henceforth there was no
protection for his life nor any place of refuge. Finally the idol-worshipers of Mecca
devised a secret plan to kill him. At night they surrounded his house from all sides with
the aim of forcing themselves in at the end of the night and cutting him to pieces while
he was in bed. But God, the Exalted, informed him of the plan and commanded him to leave
for Yathrib.
The Prophet (sawas) placed Ali in
place of himself in his bed and at night left the house under Divine protection, passing
amidst his enemies, and taking refuge in a cave near Mecca. After three days when his
enemies, having looked everywhere, gave up hope of capturing him and returned to Mecca, he
left the cave and set out for Yathrib. The people of Yathrib, whose leaders had already
accepted the message of the Prophet (sawas) and sworn allegiance to him, accepted him with
open arms and placed their lives and property at his disposal. In Yathrib for the first
time the Prophet (sawas) formed a small Islamic community and signed treaties with the
Jewish tribes in The Prophet (sawas) and around the city as well as with the powerful Arab
tribes of the region. He undertook the task of propagating the Islamic message and Yathrib
became famous as "Madinat al-rasul" (the city of the Prophet).
Islam began to grow and expand
from day to day. The Muslims, who in Mecca were caught in the mesh of the injustice and
inequity of the Quraysh, gradually left their homes and property and migrated to Medina,
revolving around the Prophet (sawas) like moths around a candle. This group became known
as the "immigrants" (muhajirun) in the same way that those who aided the Prophet
(sawas) in Yathrib gained the name of "helpers" ansar).
Islam was advancing rapidly but
at the same time the idol-worshipers of Quraysh, as well as the Jewish tribes of the
Hejaz, were unrestrained in their harassment of the Muslims. With the help of the
"hypocrites" (munafiqun) of Medina, who were amidst the community of Muslims and
who were not known for their holding any particular positions, they created new
misfortunes for the Muslims every day until finally the matter led to war.
Many battles took place between
the Muslims and the Arab polytheists and Jews, in most of which the Muslims were
victorious. There were altogether over eighty major and minor battles. In all the major
conflicts such as the battles of Badr, Uhud, Khandaq, Khaybar, Hunayn, etc., the Prophet
(sawas) was personally present on the battle scene. Also in all the major battles and many
minor ones, victory was gained especially through the efforts of Ali. He was the only
person who never turned away from any of these battles. In all the wars that occurred
during the ten years after the migration from Mecca to Medina less than two hundred
Muslims and less than a thousand infidels were killed.
As a result of the activity of
the Prophet (sawas) and the selfless effort of the muhajirun and ansar during this
ten-year period, Islam spread through the Arabian peninsula. There were also letters
written to kings of other countries such as Persia, Byzantine and Abyssinia inviting them
to accept Islam. During this time the Prophet lived in poverty and was proud of it. He
never spent a moment of his time in vain. Rather, his time was divided into three parts:
one spent for God, in worshipping and remembering Him; a part for himself and his
household and domestic needs; and a part for the people. During this part of his time he
was engaged in spreading and teaching Islam and its sciences, administrating to the needs
of Islamic society and removing whatever evils existed, providing for the needs of the
Muslims, strengthening domestic and foreign bonds, and similar matters.
After ten years of stay in Medina
the Prophet (sawas) fell ill and died after a few days of illness. According to existing
traditions the last words on his lips were advice concerning slaves and women.
The Prophet (sawas) and the Qur'an
It was demanded of the Prophet
(sawas), as it had been of other prophets, that he produce a miracle. The Prophet (sawas)
himself also confirmed the power of prophets to produce miracles as has been asserted
clearly by the Qur'an. Many miracles by the Prophet (sawas) have been recounted, the
transmission of some of which is certain and can be accepted The Prophet (sawas).
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