(PBUH)
Muhammad
(pbuh)
was an illiterate but wise and well-respected man who was born in
Makkah in the year 570 C.E., at a time when Christianity was not
yet fully established in Europe. His first years were marked by
the deaths of his parents. Since his father died before his
birth, his uncle, Abu Talib, from the respected tribe of Quraysh,
raised him. As Muhammad (pbuh) grew up, he became known for his
truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought
after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. His reputation
and personal qualities also led to his marriage, at the age of
twenty-five, to Khadijah, a widow whom he had assisted in
business. Thenceforth, he became an important and trusted citizen
of Makkah. Historians describe him as calm and meditative.
Muhammad (pbuh) never
felt fully content to be part of a society whose values he
considered to be devoid of true religious significance. It became
his habit to retreat from time to time to the cave of Hira', to
meditate near the summit of Jabal al-Nur, the "Mountain of
Light", near Makkah.
At the age of 40,
while engaged in one such meditative retreat, Muhammad (pbuh) received
his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel. This
revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as
the Qur'an, the faithful recording of the entire revelation of
God. The first revelation read:
"Recite: In the name of your Lord Who created man from a clot (of blood). Recite: Your Lord is Most Noble, Who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know." [96:1-5]
It was this reality
that he gradually and steadily came to learn and believe, until
he fully realized that it is the truth.
His
first convert was Khadijah, whose support and companionship
provided necessary reassurance and strength. He also won the
support of some of his relatives and friends. Three basic themes
of the early message were the majesty of the one, unique God, the
futility of idol worship, the threat of judgment, and the
necessity of faith, compassion and morality in human affairs. All
these themes represented an attack on the crass materialism and
idolatry prevalent in Makkah at the time. So when he began to
proclaim the message to others the Makkans rejected him. He and
his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution, which
grew so fierce that in the year 622 C.E., God gave them the
command to emigrate. This event, the Hijrah (migration), in which
they left Makkah for the city of Madinah, some 260 miles to the
north, marked the beginning of a new era and thus the beginning
of the Muslim calendar. During his suffering, Muhammad (pbuh) drew
comfort from the knowledge revealed to him about other prophets,
such as Abraham, Joseph, and Moses, each of whom had also been
persecuted and tested.
After several years and
some significant battles, the Prophet and his followers were able
to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies and
established Islam definitively. By the time the Prophet died, at
the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia had accepted Islam, and
within a century of his death, Islam had spread as far west as
Spain and as far east as China. It was clear that the message was
not limited to Arabs; it was for the whole of humanity.
The
Prophet's sayings (Hadith), are also believed to be
revelation. The number of sayings collected by his followers and
scholars is about 10,000. Some typical examples of his sayings
are as follows:
" To pursue knowledge is obligatory on every believing (man and woman)." [Ibn Majah]
"Removing a harmful thing from the road is charity." [Bukhari, Muslim]
"Those who do not show tenderness and love cannot expect to have tenderness shown to them." [Bukhari]"Adore Allah (God) as though you see Him; even if you do not see Him, He nonetheless sees you." {Bukhari, Muslim]
Although Muhammad is deeply loved, revered and
emulated by Muslims as God's final messenger, he is not an object
of worship.
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