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THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD’S
LIFE PRIOR TO HIS MESSENGERSHIP
PROMISED HIS PROPHETHOOD
The
extraordinary events took place on the night of his birth.
For example, most of the idols at the Ka‘ba toppled
over; the palace of the Sassanid Emperor shook and
cracked, and its fourteen pinnacles collapsed; the small
lake of Sawa in Persia sank into the earth, and the fire
which was worshipped by the Magians at Istakhrabad and had
been lit continually for a thousand years was
extinguished. Together with these events, the different
character he displayed even in his childhood and the
meaningful signs men of insight observed on him meant that
he would undertake a great mission in future.
During
the period of his life prior to his Prophethood, he
opposed injustices in his community and joined
organizations like the Hilf al-Fudul, which was
established to defend the helpless and restore usurped
rights to their owners.
Although
of honorable descent, he never lived in luxuries and grew
up as an orphan under the protection of first his
grandfather and then his uncle. Although he may have
earned some money by the trade he did before and after his
marriage, he used to spend whatever he had to support the
orphans, widows and the poor and therefore never lived a
wealthy life and did not have powerful backing.
Despite
the moral corruption in his community, he lived an
extraordinarily chaste and perfectly disciplined life,
without never falling into dissipated ways. During his
childhood, he intended only twice to attend wedding
ceremonies but on both occasions sleep overpowered him
half-way. When he was 25 years old, he married Khadija, a
respected widow fifteen years older than himself and never
married again until her death 25 years later. Those who
knew him said that he was as shy as a young girl when
asked for in marriage.
Muhammad’s
childhood and youth were a prelude to his Prophethood.
Besides his other exalted, laudable characteristics,
everyone agreed upon his truthfulness and trustworthiness
Muhammad’s
childhood and youth were a prelude to his Prophethood.
Besides his other exalted, laudable characteristics,
everyone agreed upon his truthfulness and trustworthiness.
He never lied, never cheated and never broke his word. He
was called ‘the Trustworthy’ even by his bitterest
enemies.
People
would say of him: ‘If you go on a journey and need
someone to whose safeguarding you will entrust your family
and belongings, you can entrust them to Muhammad without
hesitation.’ The Ka‘ba had been partly ruined by rain
and resultant floods. The Quraysh restored it. The moment
came when the Black Stone had to be put back in its place.
It would be an honor for the individual or clan who did
that since the Black Stone was revered for its sanctity.
In order to prevent a clash which was about to ensue
between the clans to acquire that honor, they all agreed
on the arbitration of Muhammad. He asked them to fetch a
piece of cloth, which he spread on the ground. Putting the
Black Stone on it, he told the chiefs of the clans to take
each a corner of the cloth. In this way the Stone was
raised to the required height and then he took it himself
and put it in its place. Thanks to his wisdom, the danger
of a war between the clans was averted.
Muhammad
learned from no one during his whole lifetime and was
never influenced by the written culture of the time.
Muhammad
was unlettered. He learned from no one during his whole
lifetime and was never influenced by the written culture
of the time. Towards his fortieth year, he used to retreat
to the cave of Hira.’ This unlettered man came out of
the cave with a new, wholly authentic message to heal all
the wounds of humanity and challenged all the literary
geniuses to produce a like of his message. This alone is
enough to show that he is a Prophet sent by God to guide
humanity to truth.
No
one among his enemies dared to accuse him of lying or
cheating.
No
one among his enemies dared to accuse him of lying or
cheating. In order to prevent the spread of his Message,
they only labeled him sometimes as a poet, sometimes as a
sorcerer or magician and sometimes as an insane one. There
were times when, in order not to accept his Message, they
put forward false pretexts, saying: ‘If only this Quran
had been sent down to one of the great men of the two
cities (Makka and Ta’if)?’
It
is inconceivable that a man of forty who, until then, was
never witnessed to tell a single lie and to cheat, and to
display any moral and intellectual imperfection, would
completely change, suddenly and unexpectedly, and begin to
cheat everyone and continue to do so without being
discovered. As prior to his Prophethood, no one, including
his bitterest enemies, ever accused him of lying and
cheating, so also after it, though they uttered different
slanders about him, they could not help but confess his
truthfulness. If they had ever witnessed any dishonest act
by him, or if, to answer his challenges, they had been
able to produce the like of a single chapter of the Quran,
in order to discredit him or stop him preaching his
message, they would not have felt obliged to wage war on
him. However, after years of futile resistance caused by
low and selfish motives, even his most bitterest enemies
like Safwan ibn Umayya, Abu Sufyan ibn Harb, ‘Amr ibn
al-‘As, Ikrima ibn Abi Jahl and others, finally accepted
the truthfulness of his message.
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