A Brief
History of the Prophet's Life |
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LINEAGE |
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The
oldest and noblest tribe in the whole of Arabia was Banu Hashim.
They were the descendants of Ibrahim through his son Isma'il. The
Arabs respected and loved them for their goodness, knowledge and
bravery.
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'ABD AL-MUTTALIB |
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'Abd al-Muttalib
was the chieftain of Banu Hashim and he was also the Guardian of the
Ka'bah. Among his ten sons, 'Abdullah was the father of the Holy
Prophet.
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MUHAMMAD |
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In Mecca,
baby boy Muhammad was born on 17th Rabi' al-Awwal, 570 AD.His father
'Abdullah, son of 'Abd al-Muttalib, died before he was born and when
he was six, he lost his loving mother Aminah bint Wahab.His
Grandfather, 'Abd al-Muttalib, took the responsibility of bringing
up the orphan. At the age of ten, he was berefted of his venerable
grandfather.On his deathbed, he appointed his son Abu Talib as the
guardian of Muhammad.Gentle, soft spoken, tall and handsome boy,
Muhammad, accompanied the trading caravans of Abu Talib, across the
deserts, giving him deep insight into nature and man.
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KHADIJAH |
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The
wealthy noble widowed lady Khadijah, looking for a manager for her
rich merchantile caravans, selects Muhammad, the Trustee. Able and
fair dealing,Muhammad is a tremendous success. Khadijah already an
admirer, made him an offer of marriage. Muhammad was twenty five and
Khadijah forty. In spite of this disparity in age, the marriage
proved to be a very happy one.
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THE
PROPHET |
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Lover of
nature and quite worrried about human sufferings, Muhammad very
often retired to Mount Hira' for meditations. One night, Laylat al-Qadr
(the Night of Majesty) a voice addressing him, commanded "Recite in
the name of thy Lord." Deeply excited by the strange phenomena of
Divine Visitation,Muhammad hurried home to his wife, Khadijah, who
listened to him attentively and said that "I bear witness that you
are the Apostle of God." After an interval, the voice from heaven
spoke again "O thou shrouded in thy mantle, arise, and warn, and
magnify thy Lord."
This was a signal for him to start preaching the gospel of truth of
One God. In the beginning Muhammad invited only those near him, to
accept the new Faith. The first to embrace Islam among women was
Khadijah and among men 'Ali. Soon after, Zayd ibn al-Harithah became
a convert to the new Faith.
For three long years, he laboured quietly to wean his people from
the worship of idols and drew only thirty followers. Muhammad then
decided to appeal publicly to the Quraysh to give up idol worship
and embrace Islam.The new Faith, is simple without complications,
practical and useful for everyday life. It commands to believe and
do good, keep up prayer and pay the poorrate, two orders giving four
principles of a successful way of life.Almost ten years of hard work
and preaching, in spite of all persecution,produced over a hundred
followers, physical cruelties and social boycott made life
unbearable in Mecca. The Holy Prophet of Islam advised his
followers, to seek refuge in the to seek refuge in the neighbouring
country of Ethiopia. Eighty eight men and eighteen women sailed to
the hospitable shores of the Negus, under the leadership of Ja'far
at-Tayyar (brother of 'Ali) and the cousin of the Holy Prophet.
several times the chieftains came to Abu Talib saying, "We respect
your age and rank, but we have no further patience with your nephew.
Stop him or we shall fight you." Abu Talib asked Muhammad for his
decision.With tears in his eyes, the Apostle firmly replied, "O my
uncle! If they place the sun on my right hand and the moon on my
left, to force me to renounce my mission, I will not desist until
God manifests His cause or I perish in the attempt."
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TRAGEDIES |
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In a
period of troubles, trials and tribulations two major tragedies
afflicted Muhammad. First the venerable guardian uncle Abu Talib
died and shortly afterwards his noble wife Khadijah died, leaving
behind her daughter Fatimah (peace be on her) - the only child she
had from the Holy Prophet - the daughter who looked after her father
so much so that the prophet called her Umm Abiha (the mother of her
father).
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MUSLIM
ERA |
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With the
death of the old patriarch Abu Talib, the Meccans planned to
assassinate the prophet. Under Divine guidance, he asked 'Ali to
sleep in his bed and Muhammad put his green garment on 'Ali. While
the murderes mistook 'Ali for muhammad, the Holy Prophet of Islam
escaped to Medina.
The Muslim era of Hijrah (Emigration) is named after this incident
and dated from 17th Rabi' al-Awwwal, 622 AD.
From the time he came to Medina, he was the grandest figure upon
whom the light of history has ever shone. We shall now see him as
the King of men, the ruler of human hearts, chief law-giver and
supreme judge.The Preacher who went without bread, was mightier than
the mightiest sovereigns of the earth. No emperor with his tiaras
was obeyed, as this man in a cloak of his own clothing.
He laid the foundation of the Muslim commonwealth and drew up a
charter which has been acknowledged as the work of highest
statemanship, a master-mind not only of his age, but of all ages.
Unlike the Arabs, the Prophet, had never wielded a weapon, but now
he was forced to defend Islam by force of arms. Commencing from the
battle of Badr,a series of eighty battles had to be fought, which
the infant commmunity defended successfully.
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UHUD |
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Next
year, Abu Sufyan, the famous long-lived enemy of Islam, again
attacked the Muslims at Uhud. Hamzah, the first flag-bearer of Islam
and uncle of the Prophet, was killed in action. In spite of strict
instructions from the Prophet, a few Muslim soldiers deserted their
post,when victory was in sight. This changed the course of the
battle. Khalid ibn al-Walid attacked the Prophet and the grave
situation was saved by the timely arrival of 'Ali. The enemies ran
away and the issue was decided. Muhammad was deeply grieved at the
death of Hamzah.
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HUDAYBIYYAH |
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The
Muslims had been in self exile for six years and began to feel a
keen yearning for their homeland, Mecca. The Prophet desired to
perform a pilgrimage to Ka'bah. When he forsook his home town he was
weak, but when he wanted to return, he was strong. He did not use
his strength to force an entry into the sacred city. Finding the
Quraysh hostile, Muhammad entered into a treaty Known as the Peace
of Hudaybiyyah, appearing not very advantageous to the Muslims, but
which revealed the Islamic character of moderation and magnanimity.
For the strong to excercise restraint and toleration is true
courage. Having reached upto the door of their birth place with
hearts over-flowing with impatient longing to enter it, the Muslims
retraced their steps peacefully to Medina, under the terms of the
treaty, which allowed them to perform the pilgrimage next year.
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MECCA |
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In The
8th year AH, the idolators violated the peace of Hudaybiyyah by
attacking the Muslims. The enemies were defeated and Mecca was
conquered.The Prophet who fled from Mecca as a fugitive, now
returned home as a mighty conqueror. The Rahmatun lil 'Alamin (mercy
unto all beings, i.e., the Prophet) entered the city with his head
bowed low in thankfulness to the Almighty (Allah) and ordered a
general amnesty, instead of the mass massacre of those who
persecuted him and his followers.
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WIVES |
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A great
number of Muslim soldiers were killed in battles at Badr,
Uhud,Khaybar, Hunayn and other places, leaving behind young wives
and children. The serious problem of taking care of the widows and
orphans, threatened to break up the moral fabric of the Muslim
Society. Muhammad decided to marry these widows and set an example
for his followers to do likewise.
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LAST
PILGRIMAGE |
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Under the
Divine intuition of his approaching end, Muhammad prepared to make
the farewell pilgrimage to Mecca.Before completing all the
ceremonies of Hajj, he addressed a huge multitude from the top of
mount 'Arafat on 8th Dhi al-hijjah, 11 AH,in words which shall ever
ring and live in the atmosphere.
After finishing the hajj the Holy Prophet started for Medina. On his
way, at Ghadir Khumm the Voice from Heaven cried: "O Apostle!
deliver what has been revealed to you from your Lord; and if you do
it not, then you have not delivered His message and Allah will
protect you from the people, surely Allah will not guide the
unbelieving people. (5:67) Muhammad immediately ordered Bilal to
recall the Muslims, who had gone ahead,who were behind and who were
proceeding to their homes at the junction, to assemble. The famous
Sunni mutakallim and commentator, Fakhr ad-Din ar-Razi in his At-Tafsir
al-Kabir, vol. 12, pp. 49-50, writes that the Prophet took 'Ali by
the hand and said: "Whoever whose mawla (master) I am, 'Ali is his
master. O Allah! Love him who loves 'Ali, and be the enemy of the
enemy of 'Ali; help him who helps 'Ali, and forsake him who forsakes
'Ali."
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DEATH |
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On
Muhammad's return to Medina, he got busy settling the organization
of the provinces and the tribes which had adopted Islam. His
strength rapidly failed and the poison (administered at Khaybar by a
Jewess) took its deadly toll. So ended the life dedicated to the
service of God and humanity from first to last, on 28th Safar, 11
AH.
The humble Preacher had risen to be the ruler of Arabia. The Prophet
of Islam not only inspired reverence, but love owing to his
humility,nobility, purity, austerity, refinement and devotion to
duty.
The Master inspired all who came into contact with him. He shared
his scanty food; he began his meals in the Name of Allah and
finished them uttering thanks;he loved the poor and respected them;
he would visit the sick and comfort the heart broken; he treated his
bitterest enemies with clemency and forbearance,but the offenders
against society were administered justice; his intellectual mind was
remarkably progressive and he said that man could not exist without
contant efforts.
There is no god but One God and Muhammad is the Apostle of God,
peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his descendants. |
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