BIOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY PROPHET

BIOGRAPHY OF THE HOLY PROPHET

The Holy Prophet was a direct descendant of Hazrat Ismail, the eldest son of Hazrat Ibrahim. Hazrat Ismail had twelve sons. One of them had settled permanently in Hejaz-Arabia. One of his descendants, Fihr, Known by the title of Quraish, was a famous personality of his time. His descendants, Qussai, had the custody of the key of Ka’abah. He was responsible for entertaining pilgrims.

Qussai’s grandson, Hashim, from whom the Holy Prophet’s traces his descent, was the richest and the most important of Qussai’s descendants. Hashim and his brothers organized and dispatched trade caravans, and established trade links with foreign countries.
With the passage of time the Prophet’s grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, became very prominent among the Quraish. Three incidents of his life are very important. The restoration of the fountain of Zamzam; the dialogue with Abrahah, the Christian Viceroy of Yemen who had come with a large army to destroy the Ka’abah in 570 A.D.; and the bringing up of his orphan grandson Muhammad, the last Prophet of Allah.

His son, Abdullah, who was the father of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was married to Aminah, daughter of Wahab, who belonged to a noble and illustrious family. On his return journey from a business tour to Syria, he stopped at Yasrib, where here ill and died. By way of inheritance he left a few camels, goats and a slave girl named Umme-e-Aiman.

After the death of Abdullah, Hazrat Muhammad was born to Aminah at Makkah on 12th of Rabi-ul-Awwal 571 A.D. Abdul Muttalib named him Muhammad. The name being uncommon and unknown among the Quraish, somebody questioned Abdul Muttalib about it. In reply he said:
“I have named him Muhammad so that his name may be praised on the earth and in the

heavens.”

Conditions of Arabia at the time of the birth of the Holy Prophet At the time of the Prophet’s birth, the world had completely forgotten the message of the Creator and was lost in the wilderness of polytheism. Arabia was steeped in the worst form of idolatry. The Ka’abah was full of idols and every household had it’s own idol. Stones and trees were also worshipped. There was no belief in life after death and so feeling of responsibility of one’s actions. There was no moral code. Drinking, gambling and other vices were common. Widows and orphans were quite helpless and slaves were treated most cruelly. Women were looked upon as property without having any right to inheritance. They were treated as articles of trade. They could be bought or sold at will. A man could marry and keep as many women as he could afford. When a man died, his son inherited his wives. Stepmothers could be made legal wives.
There was no settled government and no law in the land. The affairs of each tribe were governed by it’s own chief. There were rivalries among them and people would fight for generations on the slightest excuse.
Side by side, Arabs had the qualities of heroism, love for liberty, hospitality and eloquence.
This period is known as the "Age of Ignorance" in Arab history.

Birth and Upbringing It was among these people that Prophet Muhammad was born. In those days there was a custom among the Arabs to give their suckling infants in charge of Bedouin women, who would take them into the desert, and return them to the parents after a few years. The Holy Prophet was given in charge of Halima Saadia. She loved Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) very much and the Prophet always had the highest regard for her. He used to call her my mother.
At the age six, Halima Saadia brought him back to his mother who took him to Yasrib to visit the grave of is father Abdullah and also to meet her relatives. During her return journey from Yasrib, Aminah died and was buried at Abwa. Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) was brought back to Makkah by Umme-e-Aiman.
Abdul Muttalib then took over the charge of his grandson. He showered on him all his love and affection. Unfortunately, this also could not last for a long time as Abdul Muttalib died when the Holy Prophet was only eight years old. Then Abu Talib, an uncle of the Holy Prophet, took over the responsibility of bringing him up as his son.
When he was nine years old, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) began to show signs of an intelligent and inquisitive mind. He loved solitude and would not indulge in playful activities with children of his age.
At the age of twelve he accompanied Abu Talib on a mercantile journey to Syria. After his return from Syria, he used to spend long hours in solitary meditations and speak less to the people. His honesty, truthfulness and righteousness impressed the people to such an extent that they gave him the title of Al-Sadiq, the “Truthful” and Al-Amin, the ‘Trustworthy.”

Harb-ul-Fijar Between the years 580 and 590 A.D., the sacrilegious war or Harb-ul-Fijar broke out between the Quraish and Banu Hawazin tribe that lasted for nearly ten years. The Holy Prophet, though only a young boy at that time, also accompanied his uncles. Theses wars were called sacrilegious because they were fought during the sacred month when fighting was forbidden.

Truce of Al-Fazul Shortly after thee war, when the notables of Makkah saw the effects of these disastrous wares, they formed a league called Halful-Fuzul with the object of maintaining peace in the region. Also for suppressing any violence and injustice and for upholding the rights of the week, the poor and the destitute.

Marriage to Khadija At that time lived in Makkah, a wealthy and respectable widow, Khadija, daughter of Khuwalid, who was the great grandson of Qussai. She was very impressed by the honesty and goodness of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). She was forty years old and twice widowed. She had two sons and a daughter from her previous husbands. On account of her exceptional character, she was known as Tahira, the pious one.
She requested Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) to take her merchandise to Syria against a share in the profits. She also sent her slave Maisara with him. He accordingly undertook the second journey to Syria and returned with good profits. Maisara also spoke of his fair dealings to Hazrat Khadija. She was so pleased that she herself made an offer of marriage to him.
Abu Talib accepted the proposal on behalf of the Holy Prophet and shortly, thereafter, he married Hazrat Khadija. At that time he was twenty-five and she was forty. The union proved successful. They had two sons and four daughters. Both the sons died in infancy. Of the daughters, only the youngest, Hazrat Fatima survived the Holy Prophet.
Hazrat Khadija was the Prophet’s only wife till her death at the age of sixty-five in the 10th year of Prophet hood. The Holy Prophet always retained his love for her. She was buried in Makkah.

Fixing of Black Stone (Hajr-al-Aswad)
The Ka’abah is situated at the lowest part in the valley of Faran and was always flooded by rainwater. The people of Makkah tried various methods to stop this flooding. But all their efforts failed and the building was damaged by floods. They therefore, decided to rebuild it. The task of rebuilding the Ka’abah was divided among the leading families of Makkah and the work was completed in harmony, without any dispute. But when the time came to pace the Black Stone or Hajr-al-Aswad in it’s proper place, a dispute arose among the chiefs of Makkah. Everyone wanted the honor of placing the Holy Stone in its proper place. There was fear of bloodshed. But then a proposal came from a wise, old man who said that the first person to enter the Ka’abah the following morning, should decide the issue. All accepted his suggestion.
Next morning, the first person to enter the Ka’abah was Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh), who at that time was thirty-five years old. The people of Makkah agreed to accept his decision.
He asked the leaders of the different families of Quraish to hold the four corners or sheet of cloth that he spread on the ground. Then he placed the Black Stone in the middle of the sheet and asked them to lift it up together. When the sheet reached the proper height, he lifted the Black Stone and laid it in its place with his own hands. Thus, an explosive situation was resolved peacefully by the wisdom and foresight of Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh).


Prophet hood As he grew older, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) felt disturbed at the corrupt society around him. He could not believe the polytheistic ideas of the pagans of Makkah, and often thought of God of his forefathers Ibrahim and Ismail.
A few years before the conferment of prophet hood, he became more and more fond of solitude. He started retiring for days with a supply of dates, oatmeal and water into a nearby cave in a mountain, known as Hira. There he pondered and meditated over the condition of his people. These spells of loneliness and meditation became more frequently as he approached the age of forty.
One day, as usual, he was at the mount of Hira, when the Angel, Jibrael appeared before him and asked him to read. This was so sudden and unexpected that startled by the strange voice, he said, “I cannot read.”
The angel repeated his request and gave the same answer. The third time the angel said:
“Read in the name of thy Lord and Cheshire; who created – Created man, out of a clot of congealed blood: Read! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful, He, who taught (the use) of pen – Taught man that which he knew not.”
This was the first revelation and the beginning of Prophet hood for Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh). He was then forty years old, After that experience mission he came home a bit shaken at his selection for this great and noble mission. He narrated the whole incident to Hazrat Khadija. She comforted him and assured him that no harm could come to a man of his nature and that Allah would protect him from all evils. Then she took him to her cousin Warqa Bin Naufil, was a scholarly person and had embraced Christianity.
After hearing what had happened to her husband at the mount of Hira, he said that it was the Angel Jibrael who had always brought revelations to previous messengers of God. He also informed that his enemies would force the new prophet out of the city.