Q: Write an account of the Prophet Muhammad’s life from his
birth until he received
revelation.
Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) was born in the “Year of the Elephants”, 570
AD, Monday 12th Rabi-ul-Awwal, in the clan Banu Hashim of Tribe Quraish
at Makkah. The Prophet’s father had died before his birth.
Prophet (S.A.W) was sent to the desert (as it was the custom of Arabia) to
live with a wet nurse
Halima Sa’adia of Banu Saad. Prophet said later “Verily I am the most
perfect Arab amongst
you, my decent is from Quraish and my tongue is the tongue of
Banu Saad”.
Bibi Haleema narrated that they had good fortune with the arrival of the
Prophet (pbuh) in their household, and asked Bibi Amina to let him stay
with them another two years. During this time the angel Jibril came to
clean the Prophet’s heart while he was playing with his friends. Halima
then returned him to his mother.
Prophet Muhammad’s mother died when he was aged 6 at Abwa when she
was returning from a trip to Yathrib to visit family. He (S.A.W) was brought
back by Umm-e-Aiman, a slave girl of Bibi Amina. His grandfather Abdul
Muttalib looked after him for the next two years. “Did He not find you
an orphan and give you shelter” (Surah Ibrahim)
After Hazrat Abdul Mutallib died the Prophet (pbuh), aged eight, came
under the care of his
uncle Abu Talib. Abu Talib would take the Prophet (pbuh) on trade
journeys with him. It was during on these journeys to Syria that at Basra a
monk named Bahir told Abu Talib that, “return with this boy and guard
him against the hatred of the Jews, for a great career awaits your
nephew”.
The Prophet (P.B.U.H) worked as a shepherd in his teens. He was of
peaceful nature and enjoyed solitude.
At the age of 15 a sacrilegious war broke out “Harb-al-Fijar” between
Quraish and Hawazin tribes. Prophet (S.A.W) did not directly participate in
the war but picked up arrows for his uncles.
After the war, he was very pleased on the formation of “Half-ul-Fudul”
and reported later “I was
present in the house of Abdullah bin Judan at so excellent a pact
that I would not exchange
my part in it for a herd of red camels. And if now in Islam I would
be summoned onto it I
would gladly respond”
In his youth he was a tradesman and was given the title of “Al-Sadiq” and
“Al-Amin” for his
honesty and integrity. Hazrat Saad is reported to have said, “I was a
partner of Muhammad in Business. I always found him very
honest in his dealings. He never picked quarrels, nor made any
false statements”
He was employed by Bibi Khadija a rich and noble lady of Quraish to go on
a trade journey to
Syria. After the Prophet (P.B.U.H) returned with profits, her servant,
Maysara, spoke about his good character, Khadija sent a marriage
proposal to him which he accepted after consulting his uncle.
They had six children together.
At the age of 35 he helped resolve the issue of the fixing of the black
stone, this prevented the
Makkan tribes from fighting with each other.
At age of 40 in year 610 AD the angel Jibril came to the cave of Hira where
Prophet used to
meditate for days. The first revelation “Read! In the name of your
Lord, who created, created
man out of a clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And your Lord is
most bountiful, He who
taught by the pen, Taught man what he did not know” marked the
beginning of Prophethood and a new religion which was to spread
in Makkah, Arabia and more than half the world soon.