The Life of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) - 2

Twenty years before prophethood, Muhammad, may peace be upon him, participated in the Alliance. Twenty years after the prophethood he said, “I was present at the house of Abdullah bin Jud‘an at the time of the Alliance. I will not go back on it, even if I were to be given hundred red camels. Even after Islam has been established, I shall still be in favour of such treaty.’

During that period, there were other social treaties as well. Banu Abd al-Dar and his colleagues once gathered in the precincts of Kabah and vowed that they would not leave each other in time of need and they would not hand over anyone to other groups. Muhammad, may peace be upon him, did not rescind these treaties. However, he supported them. He even said that such treaties of mutual understanding and reconciliation have been further strengthened after the advent of Islam. Before the prophethood, Muhammad, may peace be upon him, was engaged in trading. Abdullah bin Abi al-Hamsa said:

“I had transacted some business with Muhammad, may peace be upon him, in those days and owed him money. I asked him to wait till I brought the required sum. When I reached home, I completely forgot about it. I remembered three days later and rushed to the spot where I had left Muhammad, may peace be upon him. He was there waiting for me.”

He did not upbraid me. All he said was ‘You caused me a great deal of inconvenience. I have been waiting for you here for the last three days.’ (Ibn Ishaq)

Abdullah bin Saib said that during the days of Ignorance, he was a partner in trade with Muhammad, may peace be upon him. Much later he went to Madinah and met him. Muhammad, may peace be upon him, said, “Do you recognise me?” He said, “Indeed, you were my partner in trade. And what a wonderful partner you were! You never indulged in deceit or quarrels.”

Even before his prophethood, Muhammad used to shun polytheism, idolatry and rude behaviour. During his second journey to Syria, a dispute arose between Muhammad and a man in the course of a transaction. The man said:

“I will accept your words if you swear in the names of Lat and Uzza. (The two of three main idols worshipped in Makkah, mentioned in the Quran 53:19-20). 

Muhammad replied:

‘I have never sworn in the name of Lat or Uzza till today. Whenever I come by chance upon Lat or Uzza, I avoid them and carry on.”

With reference to such incidents, Ibn Hisham has rightly concluded that:

“The Messenger of God entered his adulthood as if God was protecting and watching over him. And He kept him safe from the evils of the time because, He wanted to confer on him honour and prophethood. Thus he reached a position of supremacy over all the men of his tribe. Of all of them, he was the best behaved. He was the noblest among them by his lineage and was the best neighbour. He was unparalleled in forbearance. He was honest in what he said, and the most trustworthy. He refrained from misconduct. Ultimately, he began to be called Al-Amin (the trustworthy) in Makkah.” (Sirat Ibn Hisham)

With his marriage with the wealthy Khadijah, Muhammad had access to all her wealth and property, he could expand his business as much as he desired. He had every opportunity to lead a successful and comfortable life. But with the passing of years he became less and less interested in business and devoted more and more of his time to the search of truth by means of reflection and meditation, instead of trying to establish himself in his society he took to the desert. He would often go to mount Hira, three miles from Makkah. He stayed there in the cave lost in thoughts for hours. When his supply of food and water were exhausted, he returned home for provisions and went back to the solitude of nature for prayer and meditations. He sought answers to the mysteries of life. What is man’s true role in life? What does the Lord require of us, as His servants? From where man comes and where will he go after death? It was to find answers to these perplexing questions that he betook himself to the stillness of the desert. With all these questions in mind, worldly gain and loss, comfort and distress did not concern him. He urgently wanted the answer to these important questions of truth. For nothing less than the truth could satisfy his soul. This phase of Muhammad’s life is referred to in the Quran in this verse.

“Did He not find you wandering and guide you?” (93:7).

He spent the whole of the month of Ramadan in the Cave of Hira. Finally after spending six long months in the cave, God turned in mercy to His Prophet, to guide him to the path of truth. At the age of 40, on February 12, 610 A.D., the Prophet was sitting all alone in his Cave. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in human form, bringing the first message from God. These words form part of the beginning of the ninety sixth chapter of the Quran. The Prophet’s quest had finally been rewarded. God granted him guidance and chose him as His Prophet. 

 The angel said to him “Read.”

The Prophet replied, “I do not know how to read.”

Then Muhammad felt that his body was being squeezed hard. Then the angel released him and repeated the same command. Again Muhammad replied that he did not know how to recite. Then the angel again squeezed him and then released him for the third time and said: Read!”

Then a change came over him and he was able to repeat the divine words. Then Gabriel revealed to him the chapter Al-Alaq.

“Recite in the name of your Lord, who created; who created man from a clot of blood; Recite, and your Lord is the most Gracious. It is He who has taught man by the pen that which he did not know.” (96:1-5)

Muhammad recited these verses repeating them after the angel. Then he found that these words were written on his heart (Ibn Ishaq).

The Prophet trembled in fear of what he had seen and heard in the cave. The revelation was totally a new experience for him. He set off for his house immediately after the disappearance of the angel.

On reaching home the Prophet asked Khadijah to wrap him in blankets. He was shivering from high fever. When he calmed down, he related the whole incident to her.

 Khadijah, being very kind and understanding tried her best to assure him.

She said:

“By Him who dominates Khadijah’s soul, I pray and I hope that you will be the Prophet of this nation. By God, He will not let you down. You are kind to your relations. You speak the truth, you help the poor and bear their burden, you honour guests and help those in distress. Surely God will never let you fail.”

Khadijah then suggested that they should go and consult her cousin Waraqa ibn Nawfal, who had become a Christian hermit.

Waraqa heard the whole account from Muhammad and said:

“I am sure the angel that descended on Moses has descended on you. You will be abused, and you will be pursued. I wish I could be alive to give you my support when your people will turn you out.”

“Will they turn me out?” The Prophet found this difficult to believe. Waraqa replied that people have always turned against those who are recipients of God’s messages.

The Prophet’s wife Khadijah was the first convert to Islam. When the news of Muhammad’s prophethood reached a freed slave, Zayd who was 30 years of age, and his cousin Ali, who was about eleven, both declared their faith in Islam. Abu Bakr, the Prophet’s friend from childhood, was out of town. On his return he heard of the new experience of the Prophet. People said to him that his friend had taken leave of his senses, believing that angels brought him messages from God. But Abu Bakr trusted the Prophet completely. Not for one moment did he doubt his veracity. He immediately went to meet the Prophet to find out the truth for himself. Abu Bakr asked the Prophet whether an angel had really descended upon him from God and had given him a message. The Prophet said “Yes,” and without a moment’s hesitation Abu Bakr professed his faith. He did not require any arguments to be convinced that he was telling the truth.

This small group of the Faithful were the first believers of Islam. In the first stage, the Prophet was asked to spread the message of Islam quietly to avoid arousing any hostility. Abu Bakr, being an influential merchant, was able to bring some of his friends, also rich merchants, into the fold of Islam. But the majority of the conversions took place among the weak and the poor. 

The Life Of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w)

THE Prophet of Islam, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, was born in Makkah in 570 A.D. in the tribe of Quraysh and died at the age of 63 in 632 A.D. in Madinah. The year of his birth is known among the Arabs as the year of the Elephant (Aam al-Fil) referring to the campaign of Abraham, an Abyssinian ruler, who had come to Makkah to destroy Kabah. Makkah was then inhabited mainly by the tribe of Quraysh. In those times, this tribe enjoyed great prestige all over Arabia and the neighbouring countries, for Makkah was a flourishing trade and religious centre.

Muhammad was still in his mother’s womb when his father, Abdullah, died. After his birth, Amine, his mother, sent the baby to Abdul Mutely, his grandfather, who was in Kabah at that time. The grandfather was overjoyed at the news, for he loved Abdullah, Muhammad’s father, very much. The grandfather gave him the name “Muhammad”, meaning “the praised one.” As was the practice of the Makkah nobility, he was handed over to a wet nurse, Kalimah al-Sadly, who belonged to the Banu Sad tribe. This custom is still practiced among Makkah aristocracy.

Kalimah nursed Muhammad for two years and a few months. She said that when he stayed with them, her family received all kinds of unaccustomed blessings. Having nursed so many children before, she noticed something ‘different’ or ‘extraordinary’ about the infant Muhammad. These observations are recorded in detail by some biographers such as Al-Walid, Ibn Ishaq and Ibn Hisham.

Two years later, after the child had been weaned, Kalimah brought him back to his mother. But Makkah at that time was stricken with an epidemic, so Amine asked her to take him back to live in the pure air of the desert.

Thus Muhammad remained in the charge of Kalimah until the age of five. He learned Arabic in its purest form from this tribe. Muhammad used to tell his companions, “I am the most Arab among you, for I am of the tribe of Quraysh and I have been brought up among the tribe of Banu Sad bin Bakr.

Muhammad returned to his mother after five years of desert life. Then Amine took him to Madinah to meet her uncles, the Banu al-Ajar. She was accompanied by Umm Layman, her servant, on that trip. After a stay of a month in Bathrobe, Amine was on her way back to Makkah, when passing through a village called Abash, she fell ill and died there. She was buried in Abash. It fell to Umm Layman to bring Muhammad back to Makkah.

Therefore, the orphan Muhammad was taken care of by his grandfather Abdul Mutely, chief of the clan of Banu Hashim. He looked after him with great affection. As leader of the Quraysh, he used to sit on a cushion in Kabah, whenever Muhammad joined him, he was allowed to sit on that cushion. If anyone tried to stop him, his grandfather would say, “Leave him alone. By God, he is very important.” (Ibn Hisham) Abdul Mutely died when Muhammad was eight years old.  Now the guardianship of Muhammad passed to Abu Talib, his uncle, who was a merchant. Once when Abu Talib was preparing to go to Syria on a trading journey, Muhammad expressed a keen desire to accompany him. Though he was very young to undertake such a difficult journey, Abu Talib was so full of affection for him that he could not refuse, and agreed to take him on the journey.

Their trade caravan halted in the city of Bursa in Syria. There was a Christian monk by the name of Bah rah living there in a monastery. He had read in the ancient books about the emergence of an Arab prophet. He recognised in Muhammad the signs of prophethood. He knew at once that he was the boy who had been destined to become the last of the prophets.

The monk invited the whole caravan to his monastery and asked Abu Talib, “In what way are you related to this child?” He said, “He is my son.” Bah rah said, “It cannot be. His father should not be alive.” Then Abu Talib informed him that his father was no longer alive. Bah rah advised him to return with his nephew immediately and to protect him from enemies. He said, “By God, if he is recognised, he will surely be harmed.”

Ibn Ishaq writes, “Muhammad entered his adulthood as if God Himself was protecting him from the widespread evils of the period of ignorance.” By this time he was well-known in Makkah for his good morals, gentle disposition and sincerity. In fact, he was called Al-Amin (trustworthy) and As-Sadiq (truthful) by his compatriots.  When Muhammad was twenty-five, a rich 40-year old widow, Khadijah bent Khuwaylid of the Quraysh tribe, entrusted him with the management of her business. She used to employ men to engage in trading on her behalf, and rewarded them with a share of the profits. Muhammad was so honest in all his dealings that she was deeply impressed by his virtues and expressed her desire to marry him. After consultations with his uncle, Muhammad accepted the proposal of marriage. Khadijah became his first wife and during her lifetime he had no other wife. With the exception of Ibrahim, who died in infancy, all his children were born to Khadijah. All his sons died in infancy. Of the daughters, Ruqaiyyah, Zaynab, Umm Kulthum and Fatimah lived long enough to accept Islam and migrate to Madinah with the Prophet.

When Muhammad was twenty-five, the Quraysh decided to rebuild the Kabah after a sudden flood had shaken its foundations and cracked its walls. The old structure was demolished and the new construction began. When the walls rose from the ground and the time came to place the famous Black Stone (Hajr al-Aswad) in its place on the east wall, a dispute arose among the clans as to who would have the honour of laying it in place. Each clan wanted to have the honour of placing the stone for itself. This dispute almost led to a civil war. No peaceful solution seemed possible.

At this critical juncture Abu Umayyah, son of Mughirah al- Makhzumi said to the Makkans, “Put it off till tomorrow, the man who enters the Kabah first of all in the morning will be our arbitrator in this dispute.” Everybody liked the idea. Men from different tribes ran to the Kabah before dawn next morning. Each one tried to be the first to enter the House of God. But the first one to pass through the gate was Muhammad. On seeing him they all said, “There goes al-Amin. We shall agree with his verdict.” Then he was asked to give his decision on the matter. He took a sheet of cloth and spread it on the ground, and placed the Black Stone in the middle of it and then he asked the chiefs of all tribes to hold different ends of the sheet and lift it up. They carried the stone to the site of construction. Then Muhammad picked up the stone from the sheet and set it in place. Thus a bloody clash was averted and the dispute resolved to everybody’s satisfaction.

The life of Muhammad, may peace be upon him, before prophethood has been recorded in detail in several books. However, the following events are worth mentioning. A covenant known as the Alliance of Fudul (Hilf al-Fudul) had been entered into by three men, Fadal bin Fadalah, Fadal bin Vida and Fadal bin Harith. This was to ensure that no oppressor ever lived in Makkah. (Sirat ibn Hisham)

This Alliance ceased to exist after the death of its architects. Muhammad was 15 years of age when a civil war broke out involving the tribes of Quraysh and Qais. It is known as the Fijar War. In view of the widespread disturbances some people thought of reviving the Alliance of Fudul, to restore tribal harmony and ensure peaceful co-existence. It happened that a trader from Yemen sold some of his goods to Aaas bin Wail, but he was not paid in full. He composed couplets narrating his misfortune and pleading for justice. This touched the pride of the Makkans, who gathered at the house of Abdullah bin Jud‘an at the instance of Zubayr ibn Abd al Muttalib.

After consultations, it was decreed that the Alliance of Fudul should be renewed. Everyone agreed to support the cause of the oppressed, whether or not they belonged to Makkah. They also resolved to force the oppressor to give the oppressed their rightful dues. 

Islam 312: How To Become A Muslim? (Understanding Islam - 2)

The Five Pillars of Islam:

After my shahada - which I said infront of my friend and the Mallam who took her Quran lessons (professing it in public wasn't really necessary, my friend's family knew, and within minutes, all of our classmates knew about it... So, thank you mobile phones and Instant Messanging! :D) - I went on to learn about the five pillars of Islam... Thats what you learn after the shahada.

The most important thing to learn immediately after the shahada is the five daily prayers (Salat is the second of the Five Pillars of Islam) and to perfect this, one will have to learn the ablution (wushu).

Salat:

In Islam, performing Salat is obligatory for everyone. Salat is performed five times each day, every day and it is the only single Pillar of Islam that is required to be done the most (in comparison to fasting (Sawm) and the paying of Zakat (alms or charity).

Qur'an: Al-Baqarah 2:238 - "Guard strictly your prayers, especially the Middle Prayer; and stand before Allah devoutly."

Qur'an: Ta Ha 20:14 - Verily, I am Allah: there is no god but I: so serve you Me (only), and establish regular prayer for celebrating My praise.

But there is a problem here, how do you pray in arabic when you CAN'T even speak Arabic?!

Well, in my case, the Mallam wrote each step down on a piece of paper - along with the arabic words to say with it - and he gave it to me to practice. And with the help of my friends, I started to practice it. It wasn't all that hard for me because I learn languages easily. But for those who don't learn new languages too easily, I suggest you write down the things you are supposed to say (adhan, surah al - Fatiha (and e.g., Qul Huwa Allahu) and your tashahud) on a piece of paper and place it infront of you (on the ground), then as you pray, you'll be reading from the paper (it is allowed for you to learn this way, but you have to be very serious about it, you have to memorise Surah Al- Fatiha as quickly as possible, then you can learn the tashahud with time).

As you progress in your studies, you should also endeavour to memorise short chapters from the Qur'an (the last chapters of the Qur'an are the shortest), and you should read a translated Quran (in your language) to gain more understanding of the religion. You should also have a translation of the chapters you choose to memorise because it is pointless to memorise just the words and not know the meanings. 

It is very important that you understand what you are memorising and reciting. Memorising hasn't been very easy for me because I cannot attend an Islamiyya. Learning and memorising alone isn't easy, sometimes you need someone who will continue to push you, and when that someone isn't there, there is always a big chance of saying: "I'll just learn it tomorrow". From my experience, "tomorrow" could eventually turn into three days or a week or more.

So, What Changes Come With Reverting To Islam?

Everything about your life will change for the better!

For me, what I experienced - and what I still continue to experience even to this minute - is peace! I felt a sudden rush of peace! It was as though after I returned home and took the obligatory bath after the shahada, I washed away all my worries - I had a lot of them then - and peace took over! And this is one of the things that endear me to Islam, because even when I am facing things I would otherwise get unnecessarily worried about, I remain calm. Why? Well, I just have the belief that God is in control, so I don't have anything to worry about! I know that God is not deaf, and He is not blind, and he watches over everything and everyone, and I know that he knows what I am going through, so there is no need for me to get worried!

Instead, I go out and work hard to get myself out of whatever situation I find myself, and I leave the rest for Allah. I know He will make a way for me as long as I work hard enough to get myself out of my situation.

Well, here are a few things that you'll have to change in your life once you become a Muslim:

Alcohol:

A big percentage of the world all consume alcohol, and they consume it everywhere. They consume it at parties, they consume it in clubs, they consume it in the living-room at home, they consume it while eating, and they give a whole lot of reasons for this!

Some say they take it because it is good for the heart

Some say they take it because it calms them down and soothes their nerves

Some say they can't help but take it 

Some take it because of peer pressure

Whatever the reason, we all know - or should know (for those who are ignorant about it) - that alcohol is t good. Alcohol kills!... Okay, it might not cause you health damages immediately, but while you're driving-drunk, you could have am accident! And with time, it does damages to your liver a d your overall health!

In Islam, consuming alcohol is NOT allowed, it isn't allowed for you to use recreational drugs and intoxicants either.

Gambling:

Gambling is not permitted in Islam (lotto, slot machines, etc).

Like alcohol, gambling is not good for you. Gambling can be very addictive, and of you are not careful, it could destroy your life. After years of gambling away your finances, you might find yourself having to mortgage your house or other properties to offset bills you accrued from gambling! And after you become homeless, you will begin to steal to manage this addiction. 

To stop these two things - alcohol and gambling - you have to make the decision from deep down inside you, you shouldn't just voice it out. You have to ACT on it!

Pork:

The eating of pork is not permitted in Islam.

Reasons for why pork shouldn't be eaten aren't given in both the Quran or the bible, so I don't really know why it is prohibited, but I think it is because pigs are generally dirty animals. Not because they roll around in dirt alone, but because worms also find their way into their bodies (because of the dirt). And you may think the pork you're eating has been cleaned thoroughly, but you never know, you might be eating the residue of a worm. Yuck!

If anyone knows the reason why pork is prohibited, please, enlighten me.

You cannot and should not expect things to go smoothly for you, there will always be turbulences, and sometimes, you might get discouraged, but you should remember this: "nothing good comes easy!". And this isn't just the usual things we consider to be "good things", it is HEAVEN we are talking about here! It isn't going to be a temporary thing, it will be permanent!

The best thing to do after the shahada is to take things easy. Don't rush into anything, don't attempt to memorise Al-Baqara because you think you can, or because you want to impress anyone. You are not in this world to impress anyone, you're here to impress God. You should take little steps in your journey to understanding the religion, take things one at a time. Learn to pray, then memorise some chapters of the Qur'an, then you can browse the Internet for blogs like this one and learn more about Islam, then you can return to memorising the chapters of the Quran again!

I wish you luck on your journey! And you shouldn't allow anyone discourage you from being a Muslim, be determined about what you want to do and keep to it. Even if you're discouraged, keep moving forward. Sometimes you might miss a few prayers, but there is nothing to be worried about. God doesn't give us more than we can handle. If you miss a few prayers or do so etching wrong, he will be more than willing to forgive you... Remember, He is Oft-Forgiving!

Islam 312: How To Become A Muslim? (Understanding Islam - 1)

Transliteration: "Ashadu an la ilaha illa (A)llah, wa ashadu anna Muhammadan rasulu (A)llah."

English: I bear witness that (or I testify that) there is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.

After openly declaring the Islamic Creed (The Shahada) what next? What changes? What does the above statement encompass? How much does your life change?

It is required that you recite the shahada, because it is only after you recite it that you truly become a Muslim (we are all born Muslims). The shahada is the first of the five pillars of islam, this goes to show you that it is very important. But you don't just say the shahada and expect everything to be well with you instantly, there are changes you have to make in your life for you to become a COMPLETE MUSLIM.

The Shahada:

The shahada can be recited privately, but it is preferred that the revert recite it publicly. This is so that all can know that he or she is now a Muslim, and so that all can rejoice with him or her.

I am also a muslim convert; I reverted when I was eighteen, and I didn't do it because of peer pressure or because someone was forcing me I to it. I reverted because I wanted to, because I just felt that was the right thing for me to do. And when it finally happened, it all seemed like a dream to me... I don't know how to explain it, but I believe there are certain things that are MEANT to happen (things that have already been ordained by God). And I believe that when the time comes for those things to manifest, nothing can stop them from happening. Well, my reversion was one of them.

I reverted because I did believe that Allah has no partner. I was a Christian, but I was never really satisfied with the religion. I always felt as if there was something missing. And being an African - we are very religious here - I was in church almost every Sunday, but still, I felt like so etching was missing (I started feeling this since I was fourteen - it was during this period I really started to read about religion and I found that Christianity wasn't really doing it for me. There was something missing. Something didn't just feel right.

As I grew, I began to realise that what my church preached made Jesus equal to God, and some churches - till this day - even preach that God came to earth in form of Jesus, so they pray and worship Jesus. This seemed preposterous to me, and ever since I began to come up with questions that had no answers, I started to reduce my attendance in church, and whenever I was forced to go - by my mother or my aunts - I would always be waiting for the time to leave. Whenever we stood up to say the closing prayer, I always fel so relieved. It was at this point I knew that something was wrong.

God is not Jesus, and Jesus is not God. God was not born, neither does he give birth to... And now that I have researched into what is really meant by "Jesus is God's only begotten son", I believe that it doesn't really mean that God bore Jesus, I believe that it means Jesus is God's creation, and (correct me if I'm wrong) he probably took part (whether actively or passively) in the creation of the things that we see as the world today. And so that is why he is referred to as God's only begotten son. 

My father is a catholic, and I also felt like something was wrong about the scary statue of Jesus crucified on a cross. The last time I was in a catholic church was when I was just five years old, but I still remember how uneasy I was about "Jesus" staring at me. I tasted the communion (i think thats what they call the thing they feed the congregation) only once, and ever since then I have never been to a catholic church. 

As I grew the trinity also didn't seem normal to me, it was intriguing and interesting at first, but a few months before I became a muslim, when I was with a catholic family and they were reciting some of the prayers they usually recite, I noticed something. Something didn't seem right about the way they said their prayers! It is either they pray to Mary, or they pray to Jesus, or they pray to one of the so-called saints! I mean, am I worshiping Mary, Jesus or a saint?  I should be worshipping God shouldn't I? So, why do I have to involve Jesus or Mary in it? Praying to either of those three people means I can as well pray to Moses, Abraham, and David! They were all close to God and they were messengers of God in one way or a other!

(More About The Trinity: Refer to the Good News Bible [2nd Edition 1994] (The Bible Societies / HarperCollins) on the Son of God - Matthew 3:17, Matthew 14:33, Luke 1:32 & 35, Luke 4:3, Luke 8:28 and so on. There are many more than these. See Wikipedia for a comprehensive list of Verses in the Holy Bible.)

In the next article, we'll talk about the five pillars of Islam and more about the path to becoming a Muslim...