Story of Prophet Muhammed
Birth and Rearing
Muhammad was born in Makkah on Rabi` Awwal 12, 570 CE. His father died before his birth. The infant Muhammad was handed to a Bedouin wet nurse to be brought up by her in the healthy atmosphere of the desert. At the age of five, Muhammad returned to the care of his mother, Aminah bint Wahb, but she died a year later. Muhammad then went to his paternal grandfather, `Abdul Muttalib. He died when Muhammad was eight, and the boy was then brought up by his uncle Abu Talib. At the age of twelve, he accompanied his uncle in a merchant’s caravan to Syria.
As a Young Man
Muhammad was content to work as a shepherd, but his uncle Abu Talib desired
something better for him and obtained him employment with a rich widow,
Khadijah bint Khuwaylid ibn Asad. Thus Muhammad found himself at the age of
25 in charge of a caravan conveying merchandise to Syria. On his return,
Khadijah was so pleased with his successful management of her business and
was so attracted by his noble character that she sent her sister to offer
the young man Khadijah’s hand. Muhammad had felt drawn to Khadijah, and so
matters were soon arranged. Their 26 years of married life were singularly
happy. Muhammad continued to work as a merchant. His fairness further
enhanced his reputation as “Al-Amin” (The Trustworthy). He continued to take
an ever-increasing interest in public affairs and to exert himself in the
service of the poor, the helpless, and the weak.
In the Cave
Whenever the iniquities of his people oppressed him, Muhammad retired
to the solitude of a cave in Mount Hira’ outside Makkah. There his soul
tried to peer into the mysteries of creation, of life and death, of good and
evil, to find order out of chaos. Solitude became a passion with him, and
every year he would retire to the cave for the whole month of Ramadan to
mediate.
First Revelation
It was on one of these occasions, when he was 40 years of age, that
Muhammad received the call. One night, while lying absorbed in his thoughts
in the solitude of the cave, Muhammad was commanded by a mighty voice to go
forth and preach. Muhammad rose trembling and hastened home to seek rest and
solace in Khadijah’s tender care, and she calmed and comforted him. She
later consulted her kinsman, Waraqah ibn Nawfal. He declared that the
heavenly message that had come to Moses had now come to Muhammad, and that
he was chosen as a prophet of Allah.
First Converts
Khadijah was the first to accept the truth of Islam. Muhammad then
communicated his experience to his cousin `Ali, his adopted son Zayd, and
his intimate friend Abu Bakr. The Prophet began by preaching his mission
secretly first among his intimate friends, then among the members of his own
tribe, and thereafter publicly in the city and suburbs. The Quraysh tribe
were the guardians of the Ka`bah, which was a source of great prestige and
profit to their city, Makkah. They were, therefore, seriously alarmed and
became actively hostile towards Muhammad.
Hijrah to Abyssinia
The fury of the people of Makkah knew no bounds. Muhammad was
subjected to insults, to personal violence, and to the bitterest
persecution, and his converts were most relentlessly oppressed, persecuted,
and tortured. Therefore, in the fifth year of his mission, Muhammad advised
them to leave the country and seek refuge from the persecution of the
idolaters among the Christian people of Abyssinia. Muhammad and a few
stalwart followers remained in Makkah and suffered untold misery and
oppression, but still their number continued to increase.
The Boycott
The Quraysh outlawed Muhammad and asked his clan to forgo their right
to avenge his blood. The proud clansmen refused to give up the right at the
bidding of the people of Makkah, who thereupon boycotted them. After three
years, the ban was lifted. A year later, Muhammad lost his uncle Abu Talib
and his wife Khadijah. The death of Abu Talib removed the last check on the
Makkans’ violence. Persecution grew ever fiercer, and Muhammad sought refuge
in the neighboring city of Ta’if, where he was met with great hostility and
barely escaped with his life.
Hijrah to Madinah
Muhammad took council with his Makkan followers, and it was decided
that they should immigrate to Madinah. They left gradually and
unobtrusively, Muhammad remaining to the last. Their departure was soon
discovered by the Quraysh, who decided to slay Muhammad before he, too,
escaped. They, therefore, cast lots and chose forty men, one from each clan,
who took a solemn vow to kill Muhammad. They were to strike simultaneously
so that the murder could not be avenged on any one clan. But on the night
they were to kill him, Muhammad left Makkah with Abu Bakr. Muhammad was now
free to preach, and his followers increased rapidly. The Muslims could now
worship freely and live according to the laws of Allah. But the people of
Makkah were not going to allow Muhammad’s movement to take root in Madinah.
They organized three great expeditions against the city, but all were beaten
back.
Treaty of Hudaybiyah
Eventually the Makkans and Muslims concluded the Treaty of Hudaybiyah
to maintain peace and to observe neutrality in their conflicts with third
parties. According to the treaty, the Muslims were to return to Madinah that
year without performing the pilgrimage, but they could come to do that the
following year when the Quraysh would vacate the city for them for three
days.
Back in Makkah
It was not until AH 8 that the Muslims were able to put an end to this
war by gaining a bloodless victory over Makkah when the Makkans violated the
terms of their treaty. The people of Makkah, who had relentlessly oppressed
Muhammad and his followers for 21 years, expected dire vengeance, but
in the hour of their defeat, they were treated with the greatest
magnanimity. “Go, you are free!” were the words with which Muhammad gave
them general amnesty. The Prophet removed all the idols in and around the
Ka`bah, saying, [The Truth has come and falsehood vanished] (Al-Israa’: 81)
and the Muslim call to prayer was heard in this ancient sanctuary.
His Death
In AH 10, Muhammad went to Makkah as a pilgrim, and he felt it was for
the last time because the revelation he received there included the verse
[This day have I perfected your religion for you…] (Al-Ma’idah: 3). On his
return to Madinah, he fell ill of a mortal fever. It lasted for 15 days, but
he continued to lead the prayers until 3 days before his death, when he
deputed Abu Bakr. At early dawn on the last day of his earthly life,
Muhammad came out from his room beside the mosque and joined the public
prayers, but later in the day he died. The end came peacefully; murmuring of
pardon and the company of the righteous in Paradise, the Prophet of Islam
breathed his last, at the age of 63, on Rabi` Awwal 12, AH 11. After his
death, his followers faithfully carried the message of Islam, and within 90
years, the light of Islam reached Spain, North Africa, the Caucasus, China,
and India.