Muhammad the orphan.
Initially, after his birth, Thuwaybah, the freed slave-girl of Abu Lahab Ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib, suckled him for seven days. She had suckled Hamzah the uncle of the Prophet also. Thus, both Masruh Ibn Thuwaybah and Hamzah were his foster brothers. According to the custom of the Arab nobles, on the eighth day he was entrusted to lady Haleemah of the Banu Sa'd clan of the Hawaazin tribe to suckle him and bring him up. The nobles of Arabia would entrust their babies to bedouin women so that they would become healthy and strong in the open and free climate of the desert. Besides this, it would help develop eloquent speech, because the language of the bedouins was more pure, graceful and eloquent than those living in urban areas.
Haleemah Sa'diyyah would come to Makkah twice a year to show him to his mother and grandfather. Haleemah Sa'diyyah suckled him for two years and he remained with her for four years altogether. His mother summoned him to Makkah at the end of four years. According to some narrations, he remained with Banu Sa'd for five years. He was five years of age, when he was out grazing goats along with his foster brother and sisters and other boys of the same age when the event of the opening up of his chest occurred.
According to a narration of Seerat Ibn Hisham, Haleemah bint Abu Dhuayb relates this event in these words: "One day both of my children came fearfully to me and said that two cleanly dressed persons seized our Qurayshi brother and split open his chest. I went to the spot along with my husband (Haarith Ibn 'Abdul-'Uzzaa) and saw that he was sitting there with a pallid face. Upon inquiry, he stated that two cleanly dressed persons came to him, laid him down with his face up, took out his heart, and extracted something from it." Yet, Haleemah found no trace of any injury or spot of blood. Having thought that a Jinn had affected the boy, she brought him to Makkah without loss of time and related the whole event to his mother. His mother, instead of being afraid of what had happened, spoke with all the confidence at her command that her son would achieve a very distinctive place in the world, and would surely remain safe from all calamities. She related that when he was in her womb, she heard many things from the angels and noticed many uncommon happenings. Imaam Muslim reports from Anas Ibn Maalik that one day when he was playing with the boys of Makkah, Jibreel (Gabriel) came to him, split his chest, took out a black spot from it, and said: "This was the portion of Satan." Following that, he washed his heart in a tray of gold with Zamzam water and then replaced it.
After this event, Haleemah was worried about the boy and returned him to his mother with whom he stayed until he was six.
In respect and memory of her late husband, Aaminah – the Prophet's mother - decided to visit his grave in Yathrib (Madeenah). She set out to cover a journey of 500 kilometers with her orphan boy, woman servant Umm Ayman and father-in-law ‘Abdul-Muttalib. She spent a month there and then started her way back to Makkah. On the way, she had a severe illness and died in Abwa on the road between Makkah and Madeenah.
To His Compassionate Grandfather:
‘Abdul-Muttalib brought the boy to Makkah. He had warm feelings towards the boy, his orphan grandson, whose recent disaster (his mother’s death) added more to the pains of the past. ‘Abdul-Muttalib was more passionate with his grandson than with his own children. He never left the boy a prey to loneliness, and always preferred him to his own children. Ibn Hishaam reported: "A mattress was put in the shade of Al-Ka‘bah for ‘Abdul-Muttalib. His children used to sit around that mattress in honour of their father, but Muhammad used to sit on it. His uncles would pull him back, but if ‘Abdul-Muttalib was present, he would say: 'Leave my grandson. I swear by Allaah that this boy will hold a significant position.' He used to seat the boy on his mattress, pat his back and was always pleased with what the boy did."
The Death of 'Abdul-Muttalib
When Muhammad was eight years, two months and ten days old, his grandfather 'Abdul-Muttalib passed away in Makkah. When 'Abdul-Muttalib's funeral procession was proceeding, he joined it with tearful eyes. However, 'Abdul-Muttalib had entrusted him to his son Abu Taalib before his death, stressing the utmost care and protection for the boy. Despite having several other sons, 'Abdul-Muttalib was wise enough to give him to the care of Abu Taalib because he and 'Abdullaah, the father of the boy, were born of the same mother. The assessment of 'Abdul-Muttalib came true and the nephew became Abu Taalib's favourite.
Support of Abu Taalib
Abu Taalib took special care of his nephew and held him dearer than his own sons. He made him sleep on his own bed. He singled the boy out with great respect and high esteem. Abu Taalib remained for forty years cherishing his nephew and extending all possible protection and support to him. His relations with the others were determined in the light of the treatment they showed to the Prophet . Ibn ‘Asaakir reported on the authority of Jalhamah Ibn ‘Arfootah who said: "I came to Makkah when it was a rainless year, so Quraysh said: ‘O Abu Taalib! The valley has become leafless and the children hungry, let us go and pray for rainfall.’ Abu Taalib went to the Ka‘bah with a young boy who was as beautiful as the sun and a dark cloud was over his head. Abu Taalib and the boy stood by the wall of the Ka‘bah and prayed for rain. Immediately, clouds from all directions gathered and rain fell heavily and caused the flow of springs and growth of plants in the town and the country.
He passed his childhood days in a manner quite strange for the Arabian society. Instead of playing with children of his age group, he felt disgusted in their company and preferred to be in solitude. Allaah the Almighty had kept him aloof from every kind of debasement and immorality. A few boys of Quraysh forced him to enjoy a marriage celebration where there was dancing and music. However, as he reached the spot, he was overtaken by sleep and kept sleeping the whole night, only to get up when the assembly had dispersed at the end of the celebration. He was, thus, saved from the undesirable and forbidden activities of the marriage ceremony.
He was perhaps seven years old when the Quraysh started rebuilding the Ka'bah, which had suffered damage from a flood. During the construction work, he joined the party of workers and helped them by carrying stones and giving them to the masons. He was wearing an Izaar (waist sheet) which was causing him some trouble doing the work. The nakedness of a boy of seven was not then considered something improper. So, his uncle Al-'Abbaas grabbed hold of the waist sheet and pulled it so violently that he became naked. He grew shameful to the extent that he fell down unconscious. At last, the people felt the gravity of the situation and put his waist sheet back on, after which he recovered.
First Journey to Syria
The Prophet was twelve years old when Abu Taalib planned to go with a merchant caravan to Syria leaving him behind in Makkah. But he was so used to the company of Abu Taalib that he could not bear separation from his uncle. Abu Taalib felt moved and agreed to take him to Syria. When they reached Busrah (which was a part of Syria in the vicinity of Howran under the Roman domain), they met a monk called Baheerah (his real name was Georges), who showed great kindness and entertained them lavishly. He had never been in the habit of receiving or entertaining them before. He readily enough recognised the Prophet and said while taking his hand: "This is the master of all humans. Allaah will send him with a Message which will be a mercy to all beings." Abu Taalib asked: "How do you know that?" He replied: "When you appeared from the direction of ‘Aqabah, all stones and trees prostrated themselves, which they never do except for a Prophet. I can recognise him also by the seal of Prophethood, which is below his shoulder, like an apple. We have learnt this from our books." He also asked Abu Taalib to send the boy back to Makkah and not to take him to Syria for fear of the Jews. Abu Taalib obeyed and sent him back to Makkah with some of his men servants.
Harb Al-Fijaar (The Sacrilegious Wars), First Participation in Battle
A great fair was regularly held at 'Ukaath. This fair would organise a number of programs including horse races, wrestling, demonstrations of the art of combat and poetic competitions. All the tribes of Arabia were highly belligerent by nature and drew swords against one another at the smallest incident.
Once, in the course of the fair at 'Ukaath, the Hawaazin and Quraysh tribes challenged each other due to a slight provocation. At the outset, some wise and sober people stood in the way and put the matter right. Nevertheless, some mischief-mongers worsened the situation, which led to a large-scale fighting and killing on both sides. The war was known as Harb Al-Fijaar because it took place in the month of Dhul-Qa'dah when fighting was altogether forbidden. Muhammad was hardly fifteen when the ‘sacrilegious’ wars started - which continued with varying fortunes and considerable loss of human life for a number of years. This war was based on a series of four wars in which the first three were small and the fourth war happened to be more fierce than the preceding one as all the tribes of Qays joined the Hawaazin tribe while all the tribes of Kinaanah came to the help of the Quraysh. Thus, this war developed to become a war between the Qays and Kinaanah tribes. The fourth and last war was so terrible that some of the chieftains had their feet chained so they would be unable to flee from the battlefield.
The Prophet joined this fourth war for the first time armed with weapons. Among Banu Kinaanah, every tribe had a commander. Zubayr Ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib, an uncle of the Prophet led the Quraysh while Harb Ibn Umayyah was the commander of all the troops of Banu Kinaanah. Muhammad was entrusted with the service of picking up the arrows for his uncles. However, he was saved from combat action. At the outset Banu Hawaazin seemed to be dominating, but in the end, Banu Kinaanah turned the tables against the Banu Qays and the war ended with a peace treaty.
Al-Fudool Confederacy:
At the conclusion of these wars when peace was restored, people felt the need for forming a confederacy at Makkah for suppressing violence and injustice, and vindicating the rights of the weak and the destitute. Representatives of Banu Haashim, Banu Al-Muttalib, Asad Ibn ‘Abd Al-‘Uzzaa, Zahrah Ibn Kilaab and Taym Ibn Murrah were called to meet in the habitation of an honourable elderly man called ‘Abdullaah Ibn Jada‘aan At-Taymi to enter into a confederacy that would provide for the abovementioned terms.
During his prophethood, the Prophet commented on it with very positive words: "I witnessed a confederacy in the house of ‘Abdullaah Ibn Jada‘aan. It was more appealing to me than herds of cattle. Even now in the period of Islam, I would respond positively to attending such a meeting if I were invited."
