From what can be deduced
from the Quran, it can be concluded that all the prophets of God did
not bring a Shari'ah. Rather, five of them - Noah, Abraham, Moses,
Jesus, and the Prophet Muhammad - are "possessors of determination"
(ulu'l-'azim), those who have brought a Shari'ah. Other prophets
follow the Shari'ah of those who "possess determination." God has said
in the Quran, "He hath ordained for you that religion which He
commended unto Noah, and that which We inspire in thee (Muhammad), and
that which We commended unto Abraham and Moses and Jesus" (Quran,
XLII, 13). He has also said, "And when We exacted a covenant from the
Prophets, and from thee (O Muhammad) and from Noah and Abraham and
Moses and Jesus son of Mary, We took from them a solemn covenant"
(Quran, XXXIII,7 ).
The Prophecy of Muhammad
The last prophet of God
is Hadrat-i 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 was born fifty three years before the beginning if
the hegira calendar in Mecca in the Hijaz amidst the family of Bany
Hashim of the Tribe of Quraysh, who were considered the most honored
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-Muttalib, who also soon passed away. At this time the Prophet's
uncle, Abu Talib, took charge of him and became his guardian, taking
him into his own house. The Prophet 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 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 trustworthiness. 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 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 accepted her
proposal. After the marriage, which occurred when he was twenty-five
years old, the Prophet 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 Quran ("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 Abi 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 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 and extant poems composed by Abu Talib,
Shi'ites believe that Abu Talib had also embraced Islam ; however,
because he was the sole protector of the Prophet, 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 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 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 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-worshippers 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 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 promising him wealth and power, the Prophet 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 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-worshippers 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 placed Ali in place of himself in his bed and at night left
the house under the 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 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 formed a small Islamic community and signed treaties with the
Jewish tribes in 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 like moths around a candle. This group became known as the
"immigrants" (muhajirun) in the same way that those who aided the
Prophet in Yathrib gained the name of "helpers" (ansar).
Islam was advancing
rapidly but at the same time the idol-worshippers 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 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 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, Byzantinum 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 of 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 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.