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From
the Cradle to the Call
The year 570 A.C., in Arab history, is called
the year of the Elephant. This is in memory of
the defeat and disgrace of Abraha, the
Christian ruler of Yemen, near Mecca. Now
Abraha's invasion was designed to destroy the
Ka'ba; but Allah brought his plot to naught.
Some forty days after the event was born
Muhammad (peace be upon him) son of Abdullah,
son of Abdul Muttalib, of the noble Meccan
clan of Hashim. The father had died before the
birth of the child. The mother of the orphan
was gentle Amina, daughter of Wahb of the
Zuhra tribe of Medina.
The old grandfather was delighted to see the
orphan child, the very image of his beloved
Abdullah. He took him to the Ka'ba to offer
his thanks and to invoke a blessing on the
child. On the seventh day he invited the
Quraish to the aqiqa feast. The quests
had a hearty meal. They had a generous host.
"And what do you call your child, old
chief?" "Muhammad" (peace be
upon him) "Novel and strange! A new name!
Why do you prefer it to the other well-known
names of your forbears?" "I wish my
child to be highly praised the world
over." And never was a name so famous.
"Did we not exalt thy fame?" says
the Qur'an. The Prophet's name is cried, from
every mosque in the world, five times a day. A
prayer blessing him at the mention of his
name, leaps to the lips of a Muslim as
naturally as a remark about the weather.
It was a custom among the Meccan noble
families to send their children to the country
to be nursed in the pure desert air, and to
learn the pure Bedouin dialect. halima of the
tribe of Banu Sa'ad was the nurse of the
child. She would bring the child every six
months or so to see his people. The child was
weaned at two but the nurse was asked to
continue in charge for three years more. The
child, gentle and affectionate by nature, had
a very happy time with the children of Halima.
Later, he looked upon them as his own kin and
had a life-long regard for the family. Once,
some years after the Call, Halima visited her
foster-child. As soon as she appeared the
Prophet stood up to greet her. He spread his
own cloak for her to sit upon. A similar
honour was shown to the foster-ssiter when she
appeared among the prisoners of war after the
battle of Honain. The Prophet invited the
foster-sister to stay with him. She chose to
return to her tribe and he sent her away with
all the marks of respect and honour.
The child was not to enjoy maternal affection
for long. When he was six he was taken by his
mother to Medina. She went to visit grave of
her husband. On the return journey she died at
Abwa and was buried there. He was too soon
deprived of motherly tenderness but the
sentimen lived on in him. His grateful heart
always cherished the memory of those who had
shown him even the least kindness. It is
reported that the Prophet, in his fifties,
visited the grave of his mother. His eyes
filled with tears. This also moved those with
him to tears. He remembered his gentle mother
on another memorable occasion. A stranger paid
him a visit. As he saw the Prophet's face,
where majesty and gentleness kept company, he
began to tremble. "Be comforted, man, I
am no king I am the son of a Quraish woman who
used to eat dried meat."
His guardian now was the grand-father. Two
years later the grand old man was gathered to
his fathers. It was a very sad loss: bathed in
tears the child followed the bier of the
grandfather.
The child was next looked after by his uncle
Abu Talib, in response to the dying wishes of
Abdul Muttalib. Abu Talib, a true Arab, was
specially kind to his nephew. The child was
equally devoted to his rich man and the
Prophet had to look after his sheep and goats.
At tweleve the Prophet went with his uncle on
a trading journey to Syria.
Muhammad grew up to be a handsome and noble
young man. From early life he had had nothing
to do with the evil customs around him. He was
modest and retiring; but he influenced all
those who had to deal with him. Everybody was
impressed by his sincerity. They called him Al-Amin,
the Trustworthy.
He had also gained reputation as one skilled
in the management of affairs. Because of this
reputation he was requested by Khadija, a rich
and noble widow of Mecca, to undertake a
trading journey to Syria as her agent. Her
slave Maisra also went with the caravan.
Maisra was greatly impressed by the wisdom,
skill and integrity of the Prophet. It was a
very successful business trip. Maisra gave a
glowing account of the whole affair to his
mistress. he spoke very highly of the Prophet.
Now Khadija had been approached by several
notables of Mecca with a request for marriage
with her. She had refused all such offers. But
when she came to know of the wisdom and
sincerity of the Prophet she herself sent a
message to the Prophet offering her hand. Her
woman friend who called upon the Prophet found
out that he held back on account of his
poverty. The woman assured him on that score.
Khadija wanted to marry him, not his wealth.
Poverty should be no hindrance in the matter.
The proposal was then placed before Abu Talib.
He gave his blessing to the union and the
marriage was solemnized. The Prophet was then
twenty-five.
In spite of inequality in age, Khadija was
fifteen years his senior, the marriage turned
out to be a most happy and blessed one. As
long as Khadija lived - their marriage lasted
26 years - the Prophet had no other wife. Even
after her death he fondly cherished her
memory. He would send presents to her women
friends. His remembrance of her was so tender
and grateful that Ayesha felt jealous of her.
She confessed that she was never so jelous of
a living co-wife. The Prophet was an ideal
husband.
The Prophet had three sons and four daughters
by Khadija. The sons died in infancy. One of
them was Qasim and the Prophet is called
Abu-al-Qasim for the reason. Of the four
daughters, two were married - one after the
death of the other - to Uthman, the third
Caliph. The youngest, the most well-known of
all, Fatima, was married to Ali, the fourth
Caliph. She died six months after her father.
She is the mother of the noble Imams Hasan and
Husain, held in such high esteem by Muslims.
The marriage made the Prophet a rich man.
Khadija willingly placed her wealth at his
disposal. The Prophet who was to teach that
worldliness is the root of all evil was never
a lover of money. He spent freely and helped
the needy, the orphans, and the widows.
Khadija had a number of slaves. She presented
them to the Prophet. He, lifelong friend of
slaves, liberated all of them.
The Prophet's life was a succession of acts of
kindness and of love. One of his acts arising
out of his duty is very memorable indeed. He
was a very zealous member of a society formed
to help the weak and the suffering against the
strong and the cruel. The members had pledged
themselves to make good the loss of a sufferer
if they could not get redress from the tyrant.
After the Call, a stranger asked the Prophet
to help him against Abu Jahl, the bitterest
enemy of the Prophet. bu Jahl owed the
stranger a sum of money which he had refused
to pay. When other came to know of the matter
they, out of mischief, sent him to the
Prophet. They thought they would injure the
Prophet. He would not dare go to his enemy.
Even if he did go Abu Jahl would rudely insult
him. The Prophet got ready the moment the
appeal for help was made. He took the stranger
to the house of Abu Jahl, knocked at the door
and waited. When Abu Jahl saw the Prophet and
his creditor he was surprised. He at once paid
the debt. His friends later reproved Abu Jahl
for meekly doing as the Prophet had asked him
to do. This was his excuse: "I could not
help it. As I saw the Prohet standing at my
door, I also saw two wild camels standing on
each side, ready to attack." Evidently he
had been overawed by the noble courace of the
Prophet.
Another remarkeable even before the Call shows
that the Prophet was indeed good. The Ka'ba
had been badly damaged and the Meccans thought
of rebuilding it. All tribes took part in the
holy work. They did work well together. But a
dispute arose over the Black Stone. Only one
person could have the honour of placing it in
position. And everyone wanted to be that
person. It might have led to a long bitter
war, so natural to a fiery people. Luckily a
wise old man hit upon a good idea. "Let
him who enters at the gate of the Haram
the earliest tomorrow decide among us."
All agreed. The Prophet happened to enter at
the gate, first of all, the next morning. All
were delighted to see him. "The Al-Amin
is here. He is the right judge. Very
good!" That is how he was greeted as he
appeared on the scene. Rich in saving common
sense as he was he at once made up his mind
what to do. He spread his mantle on the ground
and himself placed the Black Stone upon it. He
then called upon the disputing chiefs to share
the honour of lifting the Stone to position by
holding the corners of the mental. He next
laid the Stone in position with his own hands.
His wisdom saved the Meccans from a disaster.
The greatest blessing of his happy marriage
with Khadija was that the Prophet had the
necessary leisure, so dear to his heart, for
meditation and reflection. He would betake
himself to the cave of Hira and would stay
there all alone for days on end. This place, a
short distance from Mecca, is now called the
Mount of Light. It was here that he received
the Divine Light.
At last the time arrived for the sone of
Abdullah to be made the Prophet. On a night in
Ramzan he saw a mighty vision - no less a
being than Gabriel himself, the cheif angel.
"Read", said the Presence. "I
cannot read." It was again said,
"Read" He said, "I cannot
read." A more terrible command the third
time was "Read." "What may I
read?" was the response this time. It was
then revealed:
Read: In the name of thy Lord
Who createth, createth man from a clot.
Read: And thy Lord is the most Bounteous,
Who teacheth by the pen,
Teacheth man that which he knew not
....(96, 1-5)
When the message had been delivered to him by
the angel the words remained imprinted on his
heart. As he came out of the cave to the
hillside the heard the same grand voice
saying: "O muhammad, you are Allah's
messenger, and I am Gabriel." Turn
wherever he might he was under the same spell.
After a while however he was something like
his normal self again. He was now full of awe
and fear and hastened home to his wife. The
Prophet says a good wife is a husband's best
treasure. Khadija was more than a treasure:
she comforted him, she believed in him. I
can't say what is going to happen to me. I may
come to some harm." "Be of good
cheer, dear husband, and be comforted. You are
kind to the helpless, a patron of the widow
and the orphan. You never return evil for
evil. You respect the guest. You are true and
trustworthy. God will keep you and bless
you."
She then took him to her cousin Warqa bin
Naufal. Now Waraqa had long been a seeker
after God. He was Christian by faith and was
well read in the sacred books of the Jews and
the Christians. He was very old, weak and
blind. His face lighted up when he heared the
story. "Holy, holy, the great angel has
visited you: the same who had visited both
Moses and Jesus. You are the promised
one." he then went on to say, "Would
that I might be alive when you are exiled by
your people." The Prophet asked in
surprise if his kin could be so unkind.
"That is what has happened to every
prophet of old at the hands of his own
people." Soon after this Waraqa died. He
did not live long enough to profit by the
company of the Prophet, but his heart was
content. He had met the Prophet of Islam.
The son of Abdullah was not the bearer of a
great message for his people, for man. Final
success was hinted at in the Divine phrase
"and thy Lord is the Most
Bounteous." But that was far ahead. Let
us see how long and hard the path was, how
nobly he trod it and what a splendid success
awaited him at the end.
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