|
A
GLIMPSE OF THE PROPHET’S LIFE
BEFORE HIS PROPHETHOOD
Prophet
Muhammad was, from his birth, brought up in the sight and under
the care of God
The
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, was, from his
birth, brought up in the sight and under the care of God. He was
deprived of his father while still in his mother‘s womb. He
had to put all his trust in God and completely submit himself to
Him. He visited his father’s tomb in Madina years later, cried
his heart out, and on his return, said: I wept for my father and
entreated God to forgive him.
With
the death of his father, God deprived him of all human support
and directed him to the realization that there is no deity but
God; He has no partners whatsoever.
He
had to put all his trust in God. He was able to enjoy the
protection of his grandfather and uncle to some extent, but he
came to perceive that his real guardian was God. Behind every
phenomenon and every cause and effect, he could discern the ‘hand’
of the Single Creator of the universe and of ‘causes.’ The
Oneness of God would be manifested to him in the light of Divine
Unity.
As
a result of his father’s death, he was an orphan. He was like
a matchless “orphan pearl.” In reference to this, God
addressed him years later:
Your
Lord shall give you, and you shall be satisfied. Did He
not find you an orphan and shelter you?... Did He not find
you needy and suffice you? As for the orphan, do not
oppress him, and as for the beggar, scold him not. (al-Duha’,
93:5-6, 8-10)
The
future Prophet not only lost his father, he lost also his
mother, Amina, at an early age. When she died in the village of
Abwa at age 25 or 26 on her way back from visiting her husband’s
tomb in Madina, Muhammad was only six years old. Thus, he
learned the pain of being left without father and mother.
Indeed, there would be nothing he would not learn and no
suffering he would not have to bear, since he was sent to teach
everything to mankind and to be an example in every respect.
When
Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, lost his parents, his
grandfather, ‘Abd al-Muttalib, a respected elder of Makka,
protected him. For this reason, God saved ‘Abd al- Muttalib
from all forms of misfortune. He embraced his beloved grandson,
and always offered him the seat of honor in his house. He felt
that his grandson would grow up to save humankind. Muhammad,
upon him be peace and blessings, was so noble and well-mannered
that his grandfather anticipated his Prophethood. He was not the
first of his noble forefathers to do so. Ka’b ibn Luayy, who
is thought by some to also be a Prophet, had predicted that the
Last Messenger would be raised up from his own progeny. He
mentioned him by name:
Suddenly
the Prophet Muhammad will appear;
He
will give tidings and is truthful in his tidings.
The
honorable grandfather of Muhammad, upon him be peace and
blessings, whom even the great army of Abraha could not bring to
tears, wept bitterly when he took to his deathbed. His son, Abu
Talib, came to him and asked why he was weeping. The answer
came: ‘I am weeping because I will no longer be able to
embrace Muhammad’. He added: ‘I am afraid something might
happen to my Matchless Pearl. I entrust him to you for
safekeeping.’
Abu
Talib’s protection
Abu
Talib assumed Muhammad’s protection and, in return, his son,
‘Ali, would be blessed with being the father of the Prophet
Muhammad’s progeny. After Prophethood, the Messenger of God
said to ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him: The progeny of
every other Prophet descended from himself, but my progeny is to
be descended from you. ‘Ali would be the father and the
greatest of all saints to come until the Last Day as the
representatives of the Prophet’s sainthood. This is the reward
given to Abu Talib for helping Muhammad, upon him be peace and
blessings.
Trade
caravans
Abu
Talib protected Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, with
utmost care. As related by historians and biographers such as
Ibn Ishaq, Abu Talib took his nephew to Syria in a trade
caravan, when he was ten or twelve years old. They stopped
somewhere near Damascus and left him, as he was the youngest
among them, to watch over the caravan. The caravan was being
carefully observed by a monk from his nearby monastery, one who
had been expecting the arrival of the Last Prophet, upon him be
peace and blessings. The monk, named Bahira, had seen a cloud
following the caravan, stopping when the caravan stopped,
starting when the caravan started to shade one amongst them.1
‘This is a special characteristic of Prophets. The expected
Prophet must be in that caravan,’ he thought.
When
the caravan stopped near his monastery, Bahira sent for the
tradesmen and invited them for a meal. He noticed the cloud was
still hovering over the caravan. Bahira asked Abu Talib if
someone was left behind. Abu Talib answered that there was only
a young boy, whom they had left to watch over their things. The
monk asked them to fetch him. When Muhammad came, Bahira took
Abu Talib to one side and asked him about his relationship with
the boy. ‘He is my son,’ Abu Talib answered, but Bahira
disputed this, saying: ‘He cannot be your son. According to
our books, his father must have died before his birth.’ Then
he added: ‘Let me give you this advice. Take this boy back
immediately. The Jews are envious. If they recognize him, they
will harm him.’ Abu Talib made an excuse to the other members
of the caravan and returned to Makka with his nephew.2
The
Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, made a second
journey when he was twenty-five years old, this time with the
trade caravan of Khadija, a respected widow he would later
marry. On the journey, he encountered Bahira once more. The monk
was very pleased with this second meeting, and told Muhammad,
upon him be peace: ‘You will be a Prophet, the Last Prophet. I
wish that God would allow me to live to see you raised as a
Prophet. I would follow you, carry your shoes and protect you
against your enemies!’
Sacrilegious
war and formation of a league against injustice
Another
major event in the early life of Muhammad, upon him be peace and
blessings, was the Fijar or Sacrilegious war which took place
during his later teens. The Fijar war which he witnessed was the
fourth one during which the sanctity of the sacred months (Dhu’l-Qa‘dah,
Dhu’l-Hijjah, Muharram, Rajab) and the sacred territory of
Makka was violated. The cause of the war, which took place
between the Quraysh and their confederates of Banu Kinana on the
one side and the Hawazin on the other, was quite trivial: a
spirit of jealousy and animosity was ignited between two men,
(one belonging to the Kinana and the other to the Qays-‘Aylan
(an important clan of the Hawazin). The future Prophet, who was
to come to put an end to all kinds of injustice and lawlessness,
only helped his uncle Zubayr ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib, who
represented Banu Hashim in the war, gather up the arrows
discharged by the enemy.
Another
important event worthy of mention with respect to the future
Prophet’s youth is that he was present in the meeting which
resulted in the formation of Hilf al-Fudul (the alliance of the
virtuous). Hilf al-Fudul was a kind of league against injustice.
It was sponsored mainly by Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib. The
immediate reason for forming this alliance was an injustice
suffered by a merchant from the Yemen. The Qurayshite ‘As ibn
Wa’il had usurped his goods. The Yemeni in vain sought the
help of the Qurayshite leaders. When Banu Hashim, the clan of
the Prophet, heard this, they called a meeting which resulted in
the formation of Hilf al-Fudul, and of course the return of the
money to the Yemeni merchant. An oath was taken by the members
of this assembly that whenever they found someone in Makka
whether he be a citizen of it or a stranger visiting it to whom
injustice had been done, they would stand by him against his
oppressor until the wrong had been redressed. Muhammad, upon him
be peace and blessings, was so impressed by its noble objectives
that he would say long after: I attended at the house of ‘Adbullah
ibn Jud‘an the conclusion of an agreement which I would not
exchange for the best of material gains, and if someone appeals
to it in Islam I would respond.
Muhammad’s
childhood and youth were a prelude to his Prophethood
Muhammad’s
childhood and youth were a prelude to his Prophethood. Besides
his other exalted, laudable characteristics, everyone agreed
upon his truthfulness and trustworthiness. He never lied, never
cheated and never broke his word. He did not participate in jahiliya,
even for a second. He was called ‘the Truthful, Trustworthy
Man’ even by his bitterest enemies.
People
would say of him: ‘If you go on a journey and need someone to
whose safeguarding you will entrust your wife, you can entrust
her to Muhammad without hesitation. He will not take even a
momentary glance at her face. If you want to entrust your wealth
for safeguarding, entrust it to this trustworthy, honest man. He
will never touch it. If you look for someone who never tells a
lie and never breaks his word, go directly to Muhammad, upon him
be peace and blessings, because whatever he says is true.’
Those
who knew him from his childhood immediately believed in him when
he declared his Prophethood. Among them were Abu Bakr, ‘Uthman,
Talha, Zubayr, Abu Dharr, and Yasir. When ‘Ammar told his
father, Yasir, that he believed in Muhammad, upon him be peace
and blessings, the latter responded to him, saying: ‘If
Muhammad says that God is One, it is true. He never lies.’
In
the early days of his Prophethood, the Prophet Muhammad, upon
him be peace and blessings, once summoned the people of the
Quraysh to gather at the foot of the hill of Abu Qubays and
asked them: Would you believe me if I told you an enemy host was
waiting behind this hill to attack you? ‘Yes, we would believe
you,’ all of them answered, including even his red-haired
uncle, Abu Lahab, his most bitter and inflamed enemy.3
When
mankind were in dire need of someone to destroy the order of
unbelief and breathe a new life into the world, God raised
Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, to stop all forms of
wickedness. In the words of Ahmad Shawky:
The
sun of guidance was born
and
the entire universe was illumined.
A
smile appeared on the lips of time
and
his praises were sung.
When
he appeared on the horizon of Madina years later, the pure,
innocent children of that illumined city would sing his praises
as follows:
The
‘full moon’ rose upon us from the hills of Wada’,
So
it is incumbent upon us to thank God so long as
Those
who pray and entreat Him continue to do so.4
1
Busiri, in his famous Qasidah al-Bur’a (Eulogy of Bur’a)
mentions this incident, saying: ‘A cloud hovers over his head
and protects him from the sun’.)
2. Ibn Hisham, Sira, 1.191)
3. Bukhari, Tafsir, 1.111; Muslim, Iman, 355.
4. Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, 3.241.
|
|
