ISSUE NO 4: MUHAMMED (SAW)

MUHAMMED:

The Greatest Figure Upon Whom The Light Of History Has Shone 

LINEAGE: 

The oldest and noblest tribe in the whole of Arabia was Banu Hashim. They were the descendants of the prophet Ibrahim through his son Isma'il. The Arabs respected and loved them for their goodness, knowledge and bravery.
Abd al-Muttalib was the chieftain of Banu Hashim and he was also the Guardian of the Ka'bah. Among his ten sons, Abdullah was the father of the Holy Prophet. In Mecca, baby boy Muhammad was born on 17th Rabi' al-Awwal, 570 AD. His father Abdullah, son of Abd al-Muttalib, died before he was born and when he was six, he lost his loving mother Aminah bint Wahab. His Grandfather, Abd al-Muttalib, took the responsibility of bringing up the orphan. At the age of ten, he was bereft of his venerable grandfather. On his deathbed, he appointed his son Abu Talib as the guardian of Muhammad. Gentle, soft-spoken, tall and handsome boy, Muhammad, accompanied the trading caravans of Abu Talib, across the deserts, giving him deep insight into nature and man.

THE PROPHET:

Lover of nature and quite worried about human sufferings, Muhammad very often retired to Mount Hira’ for meditations. One night, Laylat al-Qadr (the Night of Majesty), a voice addressing him, commanded "Recite in the name of thy Lord." Deeply excited by the phenomena of Divine Visitation, Muhammad hurried home to his wife, Khadijah (AS), who listened to him attentively and said "I bear witness that you are the Apostle of God." After an interval, the voice from heaven spoke again "O thou shrouded in thy mantle, arise, and warn, and glorify thy Lord." This was a signal for him to start preaching the gospel of truth of One God. In the beginning Muhammad invited only those near to him to the new Faith. The first to embrace Islam among women was Khadijah and among men was his cousin Ali (AS) and Zayd ibn al-Harithah.
For three long years, he laboured quietly to wean his people from the worship of idols and drew only thirty followers. Muhammad then appealed publicly to Quraysh to give up idol worship and to embrace Islam. The new Faith, is simple, practical and useful for everyday life. It commands to believe and do good, keep up prayer and pay the poor rate; four principles of a successful way of life. Almost ten years of hard work and preaching, in spite of all persecution, produced over a hundred followers, physical cruelties and social boycott made life unbearable in Mecca. The Holy Prophet of Islam advised his followers to seek refuge in the neighbouring country of Ethiopia. They sailed to the hospitable shores of the Negus, under the leadership of Ja'far at-Tayyar (brother of Ali) and the cousin of the Holy Prophet. Several times the chieftains came to Abu Talib saying, "We respect your age and rank, but we have no further patience with your nephew. Stop him or we shall fight you." Abu Talib asked Muhammad for his decision. With tears in his eyes, the Apostle firmly replied, "O my uncle! If they place the sun on my right hand and the moon on my left, to force me to renounce my mission, I will not desist until God manifests His cause or I perish in the attempt."

THE ISLAMIC ERA:

With the death of the old patriarch Abu Talib, the Meccans planned to assassinate the prophet. Under Divine guidance, he asked Ali to sleep in his bed and Muhammad put his green garment on Ali. While the murders mistook Ali for Muhammad, the Holy Prophet of Islam escaped to Medina. The Muslim era of Hijrah (emigration) is named after this incident and dated from 17th Rabi' al-Awwal, 622 AD. In Medina, He was the King of men, the ruler of human hearts, chief law-giver and supreme judge. The Preacher who went without bread but was mightier than the mightiest sovereigns of the earth. No emperor with his crown was obeyed as this man in a cloak of his own clothing.
In The 8th year AH, the idolaters violated the peace of Hudaybiyyah by attacking the Muslims. The enemies were defeated and Mecca was conquered. The Prophet who fled from Mecca as a fugitive, now returned home as a mighty conqueror. The Rahmatun lil 'Alamin (mercy unto all beings, i.e., the Prophet) entered the city with his head bowed low in thankfulness to the Almighty (Allah) and ordered a general amnesty, instead of the mass massacre of those who persecuted him and his followers.

THE LAST PILGRIMAGE:

Under the Divine intuition of his approaching end, Muhammad prepared to make the farewell pilgrimage to Mecca. Before completing all the ceremonies of Hajj, he addressed a huge multitude from the top of Mount Arafat on the 8th of Dhi al-Hijjah, 11 AH, in words which shall ever ring and live in the Islamic atmosphere. The Master inspired all who came into contact with him. He shared his scanty food; he began his meals in the Name of Allah and finished them uttering thanks; he loved the poor and respected them; he would visit the sick and comfort the heart-broken; he treated his bitterest enemies with clemency and forbearance, but the offenders against society were administered justice; his intellectual mind was remarkably progressive.
There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Apostle of God, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him and his descendants.

Sayings of the Holy Prophet of Islam (SAW)

- Acquire knowledge, because he who acquires it in the way of the Lord, performs an act of piety; who speaks of it praises the Lord; who seeks it adores God, who dispenses instruction in it bestows alms, and who imparts it to its fitting objects, performs an act of devotion to God.

- He is not strong and powerful, who throws people down, but he is strong who withholds himself from anger.

- Deal gently with people, and be not harsh; cheer them and condemn not

- Much silence and a good disposition; there are no two deeds better than these.

- He, who keeps his mind focused entirely upon himself, cannot grow large, strong and beautiful in character.

Prepared by: Maha Ali

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