Birth of Light
A brief account of the life of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)
Until the advent of Islam, people all over the world were in great
poverty as to thought, opinions, individual and social attitudes. The
world was troubled and submerged with polytheism and idolatry. The fire
of corruption was flaming. Superstitions and false views ruled the world
in the name of religion. Many worshipped idols, fire, cows and stars.
Tribal fights and disputes were very common. The Arabian peninsula was
suffering from social, economic, political and other crisis, up to a
point where Arabs were facing extinction because of their ignorance and
the power of their oppressive neighbors. Allah (S) describes them in the
Koran as "…They had been in the abyss of ignorance and misguidance."
(62:2) while in Nahjul-balagah, Imam Ali (AS) describes the social
condition of the Arabs in pre-Islam days in the following way, "…society
was in such a corrupt state that no true form of religion was followed.
Convictions and beliefs about truth and justice were disrespected; basic
principles of life had become very divergent; commands of Allah were set
at naught; a way out of this vicious chaos seemed impossible and the
road to the realm of Allah appeared closed". It seems that people were
in desperate need of the emergence of a heavenly personality who would
bear on his capable shoulders the heavy burden of guiding mankind.
Leading them away from decay.
It was under these circumstances that the promised deliverer Mohammad
(P) came into this world. He (P) was born at dawn on Friday, the
seventeenth day of Rabi'al-Awwal, 53 years before the migration (Hijra),
in the city of Mecca. He was born an orphan, his father having died a
few months before his birth. His mother died when he was about six years
old, and his grandfather, who was his loving and devoted guardian, died
when he was eight years old. He then passed into the care of his uncle
(brother of his father) Abu Talib. But Allah was the true guardian as he
says "Did he not find thee an orphan and take thee under his
protection?…" (93:6). The birth of this most noble messenger was to
generate a new energy and inexhaustible vitality in mankind. He appeared
at a time much needed by society.
At one period of his youth, Mohammad (P) tended sheep and goats upon the
neighboring hills and valleys of Mecca. On one occasion, he undertook a
journey to Syria for the purpose of trade with his Uncle Abu Talib. He
was twelve years old at the time. As Muhammad (P) acquired fair
knowledge and experience of business, and was well spoken of by persons
who happened to come in touch with him, some traders engaged him as
their representative to conduct important business affairs on their
behalf. Muhammad (P) so successfully executed these trusts that people
respected him and awarded him the title "Amin" (trustworthy).
Muhammad (P) went through his youth in an environment polluted with sin,
in a dirty society, but this couldn't affect him the least bit, he was
far removed from men and their corruption, he engaged in supplication
and armed himself with the weapon of faith. In the course of time Allah
(S) was preparing Muhammad (P) by developing his spiritual personality
in order to be able to accept the divine message. Mohammad (P) would
resort to a cave where he would cultivate his thoughts and meditate,
evaluating the creation of universe and man.
At the age of forty, Mohammad (P) was prepared to undertake the task of
prophethood. One night, while in the cave worshipping, the heavenly
message descended upon him (P) ordering him to recite. This was nothing
other than revelation.
The prophet of Islam had the vision and belief of a world leader, and he
surely was the one most qualified for the position at the time and for
times to come. Muhammad (P) called upon people to believe in Allah (S),
the one and only God. Ali Ibn Abi Taleb (AS) was the first man to accept
the new religion while Khadijah (RA), the Prophet's wife was the first
woman.
Mohammad (P) showed extraordinary powers of leadership and political
sense and began to refashion the state of humanity.
The course of Muhammad's life underwent many obstacles with varying
degrees of hardships. The nature of a human lacking completeness, or the
strive for completeness, tends to drive the individual towards rejection
of truth. This was evident in Mohammad's (P) time as individuals and
tribes had attempted to lure him to give up his spirituality and his God
(SW). But our Prophet was not going to give up the realm of Allah (SW),
and no one was going to stop him from achieving his goal. They tried to
bribe him with extensive amounts of wealth, but he had replied on one
occasion "…Even if you put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my
left, I would never leave the matter I am pursuing". And this tradition
reflects in a contrasting way and to a certain extent the degree of
faith in him, and also the value of the path he was preaching for. We
all know the significance of the sun and the moon and their relations to
life on earth, without them life would be meaningless.
Chiefs of the lands resorted to threaten, torment and torture the
prophet (P). Noting that physical torture had resulted in martyrdom of a
number of the early faithful Muslims.
The severe conditions imposed on the prophet (P) had led him to seek
exile to achieve the divine goal. This necessitated his migration to a
calm environment after the first thirteen years of hardship and torment.
Many events and episodes were to follow with plots to kill him (P). The
fact was most of the unfaithful were to remain that way, and persist on
the material world. But for those that welcomed the message, even though
they were few and weak, they had persisted and helped in the shaping of
the new society and the spread of the divine message.
Opposition to the prophet continued and he lead the increasingly growing
Muslims into battles against the evil ones. Mohammad (P) showed that he
is a master strategist in war affairs. The prophet had so much of an
effect as a leader ( and this was due to his strong faith and closeness
to Allah (SW) ) that a new era of eradication of evil was born. Jihad in
the name of Allah and martyrdom became, to the faithful a door to
paradise and eternal bliss. This was the energy in their hearts and the
enthusiasm to meet their creator - the pleasure that would reach
infinity, that was the driving force behind the success of Islam.
As time progressed, the last Prophet of Allah's (SW) mission approached
its fulfillment. Until one day he said to the people who were at that
stage of time, a hundred thousand, "this day I perfected your religion
for you and completed my favours unto you and have chosen Islam as your
faith" (5:4). This being a revelation, indicated that his mission had
been fulfilled. Soon after that, the prophet fell ill and passed away
ending a life that has stood unmatched in every respect in human
history.
Indeed humanity owes very much of its civilization nowadays to the
leadership of the Prophet (P), as his super character had left an
enduring impact upon a large mass of mankind.
"Allah sends down his blessings on the prophet, and his angels
constantly invoke blessings on him, do, you O believers, also invoke
Allah's blessings on him and offer him the salutation of peace" (33:57). |