Early life of Prophet.
The Prophet, , grew up as an orphan but Allaah The Almighty gave him refuge. He was also poor, but Allaah The Almighty made him self-sufficient. His father, ‘Abdullaah, died before his birth and Thuwaybah (Abu Lahab’s bondwoman) then breastfed him for a few days. [Al-Bukhaari] Haleemah As-Sa‘diyyah then took him to the desert to live with the tribe of Banu Sa‘d, where she breastfed him for about four years.
It was during this period that his chest was split open while he was once playing with some boys there. In a Hadeeth on the authority of Anas he said, “Jibreel [Gabriel] came to him while he was playing with these boys. He took him, threw him to the ground, split open his chest and took out his heart. He then extracted a clinging clot out of it, and said, ‘This is the devil’s portion of you.’ Then he washed it with the water of Zamzam in a golden basin. After that, his heart was restored to its place. The boys went running to his mother [i.e. his nursemaid] and said, ‘Muhammad has been murdered.’ Everyone rushed out towards him to find that he was alright, except that his face was pale.” Anas added, “I would later see the mark of the suture in his chest.”[Muslim]
After this grave incident, Haleemah As-Sa‘diyyah feared for him and therefore returned him to his mother, Aaminah bint Wahb.
Later, his mother took him with her on a visit to his maternal uncles in Madeenah, but she died while she was returning to Makkah at a place between Makkah and Madeenah known as Al-Abwaa’. At that time, the Prophet, , was six years, three months and ten days old. [Muslim]
When his mother died, his grandfather, ‘Abdul Muttalib, took care of him, but he died when the Prophet, , was only eight years old. Before his death, ‘Abdul Muttalib asked his son, Abu Taalib, an uncle of the Prophet, , to take care of Muhammad, . Abu Taalib took care of the Muhammad, , perfectly and gave him the finest support when Allaah The Almighty commissioned him as His Messenger, despite the fact that he continued with his Shirk (polytheism)until he died. Hence, Allaah The Exalted lightened his torment in Hell because of the intercession of the Prophet, . In this regard, the Prophet, , said: “He is in a shallow fire, and had it not been for me, he would have been inthe lowest depths [of Hell]." In another narration, he, , said: “Perhaps my intercession will be helpful to him on the Day of Judgment so that he maybe put in a shallow fire reaching only up to his ankles and causing his brain to boil."[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Abu Taalib was very kind to the Prophet, , so when he once went on a business journey to Ash-Shaam (greater Syria), he took Muhammad, , who was twelve years old at the time, as there was nobody to care of him in his absence. During the journey, Abu Taalib and his companions saw many signs that made his uncle take more care of him.
In a Hadeeth on the authority of Abu Moosa Al-Ash‘ari who said,
Abu Taalib once went to Ash-Shaam accompanied by the Prophet alongwith some of the Qurayshi leaders. When they were near an area where a monk lived, they dismountedand untied their baggage, and the monk came out to them. He would never do this whenever anyone passed his way. While they were untying their baggage,the monk began to walk among them until he reached the Messenger of Allaah . He took him by the hand and said, ‘This is the Master of the Worlds. This is theMessenger of the Lord of the Worlds whom Allaah will send as a mercy to theworlds.’ Some of the Qurayshi leaders asked him how he knew this. He replied, ‘When youcame over that hill, not a tree or a stone failed to bow in prostration, and they prostratethemselves only to a prophet. I have recognized him by the Seal of Prophethood, like an apple,below the end of his shoulder-blade.
It was also mentioned in this Hadeeth that a cloud shaded the Prophet, , alone and that the shade of a tree inclined over him. In addition, the monk adjured his uncle to send him backto Makkah in the fear of the Jews hurting him if they saw him, and so his uncle sent him back to Makkah. [At-Tirmithi, Al-Albaani - Saheeh]
Later, Khadeejah bint Khuwaylid sent him on a business journey in the company of her slave Maysarah. Khadeejah’s trade yielded large profits and Maysarah witnessed magnificent occasions with the Prophet, on this journey. When they returned to Makkah, Maysarah told Khadeejah about what he had seen of Muhammad, , and she therefore wanted to marry this extraordinary man. Allaah The Almighty bestowed this unimaginable goodness on this great woman. The Prophet, , married her when he was twenty-five years and she was forty years old.
Since his early childhood, Allaah The Almighty protected the Prophet, , from the taints and impurities of the pre-Islamic era. He never glorified an idol nor attended any of the scenes of Shirk. He would reject their invitations to attend these scenes, and Allaah The Almighty protected him against ever attending them. He never drank alcohol or committed adultery. He was aware that the peoples beliefs were false, thus he never associated partners with Allaah The Almighty or attended any of their idle gatherings.
He never committed any of the evil and immoral acts that were rampant in his society. It was customary among the people of the Prophet, , to associate and invoke others with Allaah The Exalted. Additionally, murder, injustice, adultery, exchanging wives, collective and individual adultery, allowing the widow to marry the first man who would come to her, and violating honor, property and lives were also customary among his people with no one available to protest. Furthermore, baby girls were buried alive for fear of poverty or shame, and gambling and drinking alcohol were sources of pride during the pre-Islamic era. This does not mean that the whole Arab society was committing these evil acts and crimes, but the lack of objection proves that these were socially acceptable actions. However, the Prophet, , never committed any of these evil practices as he was perfectly refined by his Lord.
The fine morals of the Prophet, , were known to his people who called him ‘Muhammad Al-Ameen’ (Muhammad the Trustworthy) [Ahmad, Al-Albaani - Hasan]
When the Prophet, , was thirty-five years old, the Quraysh rebuilt the Ka‘bah. When the time came to place the sacred Black Stone back in its proper place, strife emerged among the members of the Quraysh tribe because each one wanted to have that honor for himself. Fortunately, they agreed that the first one to enter the area where they were would put the sacred Stone in its place. The Messenger of Allaah, , happened to be the first to enter. On seeing him, they were all delighted and cried, “Al-Ameen [the trustworthy] has come!” They agreed to abide by whatever his decision would be. Calm and self-possessed, Muhammad, , asked for a mantle which he spread on the ground and placed the stone in its centre. He then asked the representatives of the different tribes among them to lift the stone all together. When they had reached the proper place, he laid it in its proper position with his own hands.
After that, Allaah The Almighty endeared to the Prophet, , seclusion and isolation from people, so that he could to worship Him. He would stay in seclusion in the cave of Hiraa’ worshipping Allaah The Almighty in accordance with the religion of Ibraaheem (Abraham) .
When he reached the age of forty, Allaah The Almighty honored him with Prophethood, and there is no disagreement that his Bi‘thah (mission as a prophet) started on a Monday. It was said that this was on the eighth of Rabee‘ Al-’Awwal, forty-one years after the Year of the Elephant, and this is the opinion of the majority of scholars.
Jibreel came to him in the cave of Hiraa’ and said, “Recite.” “I cannot recite,” he, , replied. The Prophet, , then described what happened next, saying: “Then he took me and squeezed me tightly, then let me go and repeated the order to ‘Recite.’ ‘I cannot recite,’ I said, and once again, he squeezed me until I was exhausted, then said, ‘Recite.’ I said, ‘I cannot recite.’ He squeezed me for a third time, then let me go, and said (What means):{Recite in the Name of your Lord Who created - Created man from a clinging substance. Recite, and your Lord Is the Most Generous - Who taught by the pen - Taught man that which he knew not.}” [Quran 96:1-5]
On receiving this revelation, Muhammad, , became a prophet. He went back to his wife, Khadeejah, trembling with fear, and said: “Cover me! Cover me!” His family covered him until he was no longer afraid. He told Khadeejah about what had happened to him in the cave. She tried to soothe him, and she reassured him saying, “By Allaah, Allaah will never fail you. You maintain the ties of kinship, help the poor and the destitute, serve the guest generously, and assist the distressed.” [Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
Then, Allaah The Almighty sent him as a Messenger to all humans and Jinn with the revelation of Soorah Al-Muddathir. The Prophet, , said about this: “While I was walking, I heard a voice coming from the sky. I looked up and found it was the same angel who had visited me in the cave of Hiraa’. He was sitting on a chair between the earth and the sky. I was terrified of him. I went home saying, ‘Cover me! Cover me!’ Then, Allaah the Almighty revealed to me the following verses [which mean]: {O you who covers himself [with a garment]! Arise and warn. And your Lord glorify. And your clothing purify. And uncleanliness avoid.} [Quran 74:1-5] After this, the divine revelation began coming more frequently and regularly.” [Al-Bukhaari] On receiving the revelation of this chapter, Muhammad, , became a Messenger.
After this, the Prophet, , began calling to Allaah The Almighty secretly, and the first to embrace Islam were Khadeejah and then ‘Ali, Zayd ibn Haarithah and Abu Bakr . Later, people began embracing Islam one after another until it became widespread in Makkah.
Allaah The Almighty then commanded Muhammad, , to begin openly declaring his call, Saying (what means): {And warn, [O Muhammad], your closest kindred. And lower your wing to those who follow you of the believers. And if they disobey you, then say, “Indeed, I am disassociated from what you are doing.”}[Quran 26: 214-216]
Therefore, the Messenger of Allaah, , ascended Mount As-Safa and started calling: “O Banu Fihr! O Banu ‘Adiyy [two sects of the Quraysh].”Many people gathered. The Prophet, , said: “If I were to tell you that there were some horsemen in the valley planning to raid you, would you believe me?” They said, “Yes. We have never seen you lie.” He said, “I am a warner to you before a severe torment.”[Al-Bukhaari and Muslim]
The disbelieving leaders of the Quraysh and their supporters declared war on the Prophet, , but none of them dared to accuse him of lying or any other improper attribute. Allaah The Almighty Says (what means): {We Know that you, [O Muhammad], are saddened by what they say. And indeed, they do not call you untruthful, but it is the Verses of Allaah that the wrongdoers reject.}[Quran 6:33]
The Prophet, , had lived for forty years among his people. Had they known that he had a single evil attribute, they would certainly have used it to defame him before the people. Therefore they found that ‘sorcerer’ and ‘soothsayer’ were the best qualities that they could attribute to him, arguing that his call separated parents and children, a brother from his brother and a husband from his wife. They also accused him of insanity because he was against their Shirk and because he called to worshipping Allaah The Almighty alone.
He pursued his call in the seasons of pilgrimage and in the markets. He also went to At-Taa’if and some of the Jinn embraced Islam when he was returning from At-Taa’if to Makkah. In At-Taa’if, the Prophet, , suffered great harm but showed patience, seeking the reward of his Lord.
Then, he was taken at night to Bayt Al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) and was taken up to the highest heaven on the journey that is known as the Israa’ and Mi‘raaj, which was the Prophet's nightjourney to Al-Aqsa mosque and the upper heavens. Before this journey, Jibreel and washed it with Zamzam water. Then, he brought a [Al-Bukhaari] basin full of wisdom and faith, and having poured its contents into his chest, hesealed it. Then, he took his hand and ascended with him first to the nearest heaven. came, split open the chest of the Prophet,
Al-Haafith ibn Hajar mentioned that the chest of the Prophet, , was split open three times. The first time was the incident when he was a young boy at Banu Sa‘d, the second was at the time of his Bi‘thah and the third was before him ascending to the heavens. He said,
Splitting the chest of the Prophet open upon his Bi‘thah was authenticated through a Hadeeth that was narrated by Abu Nu‘aym in Dalaa’il An-Nubuwwah. The first time the splitting of the chest of the Prophet occurred implied something that did not happen in the two other times. Muslim narrated that Jibreel ‘Then extracted a clinging clot out of it, and said, ‘This is the This first time took place when he was a child, and hence he grew up as perfect as possible in terms of protection against the cunning of the devil. Then, his chest was split open upon his Bi‘thah as an additional honor, so that he could receive the revelation with a strong and perfectly pure heart. Then, his chest was split open for the third time upon ascending to the heavens to be ready for the private communication with Allaah The Almighty. Probably, the rationale behind this third time was to perfect the washing of his heart, as proven in his Sunnah.
On the night of Israa’ and Mi‘raaj, the Prophet, , reached a place where he heard the creaking of the pens above the seventh heaven. The five daily prayers were ordained during this journey and he led the prophets, may Allaah exalt their mention, in prayer performing two Rak‘ahs (units of prayer). Then, he returned to Makkah before morning.
The Messenger of Allaah, , continued with his call to worship Allaah The Almighty alone. He remained worshipping in Makkah for three years praying before the Hijrah (emigration). When the hostile acts of Quraysh against the Prophet, , became too severe to be endured, Allaah The Exalted gave him permission to migrate from Makkah to Madeenah. He received the rest of the Islamic Laws there during the ten years that followed the Hijrah, as previously mentioned.
In other articles, we shall speak about the patience of the Prophet, , his endurance, Jihaad, farewell pilgrimage, return to Madeenah and, finally, his death after Allaah The Almighty completed the religion through him.
