Prophets Life and
Mission as a Messenger
Mission as a Messenger
The jahilliya (ignorant) society where he was born and raised
The Prophet ﷺ never committed any sin because he was divinely protected. If we read about his life we would realize that he always had divine protection that kept him from even going near a sin, forget committing them. The society that he was born in was referred to as the jahilliya (ignorant) society. These were ignorant times in which many vices were prevalent, which were in fact accepted as practices and culture. Not much honesty, exploitation of the lower income class by the rich and influential, ill treatment of the slaves, women exploited and abused children especially new born females were buried alive, idol worshiping and businesses associated with their worshiping, wine drinking, adultery, etc. Keeping this in mind, he would always seclude himself in a cave far away from the city in a mountain called Hira and would meditate and remember his Creator and would feel at peace in meditation. The solace that he found was the best way Allah ﷻ chose for him to remain aloof from the ignorance of his people and society and ponder over higher realities. In fact even when he was conducting his daily business among them his attitude was always pure and humble to such an extent that he was always referred to with the title Al Ameen (Trustworthy & Honest) and As Sadiq (Truthful) and was hardly addressed by his actual name ‘Muhammad’. Instances when the Prophet ﷺ was divinely protected Ibn Al-Atheer reported Muhammad ﷺ as saying: “I have never tried to do what my people do except for two times. Every time Allah intervened and checked me from doing so and I never did that again. Once I told my fellow-shepherd to take care of my sheep when we were in the upper part of Makkah. I wanted to go down to Makkah and entertain myself as the young men did. I went down to the first house of Makkah where I heard music. I entered and asked, ‘What is this?’ Someone answered: ‘It is a wedding party.’ I sat down and listened but soon went into deep sleep. I was awakened by the heat of the sun. I went back to my fellow-shepherd and told him of what had happened to me. I have never tried it again.” [1]. Thus, this incident shows how Allah ﷻ prevented him from doing something even as simple as an enjoyment around music because Allah ﷻ blocked any path for him that had the possibility of leading towards an evil. Imam Muslim recorded on the authority of Jabir bin Abdullah (r.a) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) was carrying along with them (his people) stones for the Kaabah and there was a waist wrapper around him. His uncle, Abbas, said to him, “0 son of my brother! If you take off the lower garment and place it on the shoulders underneath the stones, it would be better. He (the Holy Prophet) took it off, placed it on his shoulder, and fell down unconscious. He (the narrator) said: Never was he seen naked after that day.”[2] This incident also informs us that Allah ﷻ divinely protected him by making him unconscious so that any wrong act that goes against the nature such as the habit of exposing one’s private parts does not become accepted in his heart. In the days of jahilliya people would allow themselves to take off their waist wrapper and unveil their bottom parts to work. Therefore, this was his only time he did and was the last one. He never lied in his entire life In authentic traditions of the Prophet, his enemies including the sworn enemy named Abu Lahab, for whom Surah Lahab (chapter 111) of the Quran was revealed admitted that the Prophet had never lied in his life. In the earliest part of his preaching Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gathered the people of his family and tribe and warned them about Allah’s message. Right at that moment, they all confirmed his truthfulness and trustworthiness before he had even delivered the message: Narrated Ibn Abbas (r.a) “when the Verse:-- 'And warn your tribe of near kindred.' (Al Quran 26:214) was revealed. Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) went out, and when he had ascended As-Safa Mountain, he shouted, "O Sabahah!" The people said, "Who is that?" "Then they gathered around him, whereupon he said, "Do you see? If I inform you that cavalrymen are proceeding up the side of this mountain, will you believe me?" They said, "We have never heard you telling a lie." Then he said, "I am a plain warner to you of a coming severe punishment."”[3] When the Prophet publicly declared the message of Allah ﷻ, he was forty years old. The disbelievers confirmed that he had never lied. In fact, he was called As-Sadiq (Truthful One) and Ameen (Trustworthy One). Since he never lied before delivering the message, how could he have done after receiving the message especially when it came to the words of His Creator? The cause of this natural protection that would suddenly become effective whenever he attempted anything different from a pure way of life was due to a special incident that happened in his childhood years. Divinely purified from his childhood During his child hood days when living with his wet nurse, Sahih Muslim reported on the authority of Anas (r.a) that Gabriel came down and ripped Prophet Muhammad’s chest open and took out the heart. He then extracted a blood-clot out of it and said: “That was the part of Satan in you.” Then he washed it with the water of Zamzam in a gold basin. After that, the heart was joined together and restored to its place. The boys and playmates came running to his mother, i.e. his wet nurse, and said, “Verily, Muhammad (Peace be upon him) has been murdered.” They all rushed towards him and found him all right only his face was white. (Al Raheeq Al Maktum) It is due to the removal this one dot of satan’s trace that purified his heart and Allah ﷻ through His divine assistance always kept him on the path of righteousness till Allah ﷻ decided to send revelations to him. Therefore, Prophet Muhammad’s life was always sinless even before he was chosen as the final Messenger of Allah ﷻ. In fact even his lineage, birth and conception was something that Allah ﷻ kept it pure and there is much reported about his life that tells us this. His miraculous conception The following is an account of the conception of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ after the marriage of his honored parents that informs us how Allah ﷻ destined to make the birth of prophet happen only through a pious and a faithful channel. The famous Shafi Imam and Hadith expert Imam Al Qastallani mentions this event in his work al-Mawahib al-laduniyya bi al-minah al-Muhammadiyya[4]: Prophet Muhammad's father Abdullah (r.a) and his grandfather Abdul Mutallib passed by a Jewish soothsayer named Fatima. When she looked at the face of Abdullah (r), who was then the most handsome man in Quraish, she said, “I will give you the same number of camels which were sacrificed for you if you have intercourse with me now.” She said this because of the light of prophethood that she saw in his face, and she was hoping that she would conceive this honorable prophet. Abdullah (r) replied, “Regarding haram, death is better, And I don’t see any halal in sight, And about what you are asking for, An honorable one must protect his honor and religion.” The next day, Abdul Muttalib brought him to meet Wahab ibn Abd Manaaf, who was the chief of Bani Zuhra, their master in lineage and origin. Abdul Muttalib married Abdullah (r) to Wahab’s daughter, Aamina (r), who was then the best woman in Quraish, both in lineage and birth. They became husband and wife on Monday, one of the days of Mina, at the mountain pass of Abu Talib, and she conceived the Prophet. The next day, Abdullah (r) went out and passed by the (same soothsayer) woman who proposed to him earlier. He asked her, “Why don’t you offer me what you offered me yesterday?” She replied, “The light that you were carrying yesterday has left you; therefore I have no need for you today. I was hoping to have that light in me, but Allah willed it to be put elsewhere.”[4] The above event recorded by Al-Qastallani informs us that had Allah not decided to protect the purity of his Prophet’s birth, the Jewish soothsayer would have conceived him through an immoral act with his father Abdullah (r.a). However, Allah willed him to be conceived in the womb of a pious woman, Amina bint Wahab (r.a) and kept Abdullah, his father, also protected through light of faith. Therefore, there is evidence from Islamic traditions that parents of the Prophet were blessed in this world and will be in the hereafter inshA’Allah[5] References: [1] Al-Raheeq Al-Maktum – By Safiur Rahman Al Mubarakpuri - Biography on Prophet Muhammad [2] Sahih Muslims - Book 3, Hadith 671 [3] Sahih Al Bukhari - Vol. 6, Book 60, Hadith 495 [4] al-Mawahib al-laduniyya bi al-minah al-Muhammadiyya (The Divinely-Granted Gifts in the Form of the Muhammadan Grants) - ), Part Two, The Conception of the Beloved Prophet- Translated by Shaykh Gibril Haddad – As-Sunnah Foundation of America [5] InshA’Allah means If Allah (swt) wills
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AuthorZaid Shaw Archives
September 2019
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