EARLY LIFE OF THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH (PBUH)
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"Indeed, O Mankind! In the Messenger of Allah, you have the best example to follow" 33 (21)
It was the 27th night of the month of Ramadhan in the year 612, when on the hilltop of a mountain called Hira, about 3km. Outside Makkah, the new world order was ushered with the command of "Iqra" to a man named Mohammad, which means "the most praised one". May Allah bless him forever and ever. He has benefited and influenced humanity more than anyone else in the entire history of mankind (2,4). It was his practice for years to come to this place in the month of Ramadhan every year for meditation and worship of Allah, besides whom there is no other god. At midnight, when there was silence all around, and a clear star-lit sky, he received the first revelation from the Creator of the worlds. It said:
"Read!
In the Name of your Creator, Who has created (everything)" Created man with Alaq (i.e. process of joining the sperm of the father with the mother's egg), Read! And your Lord is most Bounteous; Who teaches by the Pen; Teaches man that he knows not.....
Thus began the greatest movement in human history the theme of which became the "Read, Read, and Read civilization geared to universal literacy based upon the pen, and the book. Those were the times of great upheaval, degradation, and chaos all over the world. People, as per predictions in different religions, were waiting for the Savior According to British historian J. H. Denison (3):
"In the fifth and sixth centuries, the civilized world stood on the verge of chaos. The old cultures that had made civilization possible had broken down, and nothing had been found adequate to take their place. It was a time fraught with tragedy. Civilization stood tottering, rotten to the core... It was among these people that the man Mohammad was born, who was to unite the whole known world" (3).
In those days Arabs, though claimed many prophets in the past, had forgotten their message and replaced idolatry in place of the pure monotheism taught by Prophet Ibrahim (PBUH). People in Makkah were the high priests of idolatry, downgraded morally to the lowest ebb. They were crude, uncivilized, proud, and mostly illiterate people guided by their tropical traditions. They regarded man's greatness in his power to torture others. Each tribe had its god at the altar of which sometimes they even performed human sacrifice. The birth of a daughter was considered a disgrace for the family, and the infant child was often buried alive. There was no concept of the rule of law and human rights. The society was a sort of tribal democracy to suit their tribal interests. Inter-tribal disputes, some of which had lasted for centuries, took a large toll of lives. Slavery was practiced in its worst forms and "might is right" was the accepted social principle.
They had no religion but customs followed by their forefathers. Self-interest, family, and tribe decided their code of life.
If they tried to surpass each other in hospitality or bravery, it was also for the sake of their tribal pride only. Otherwise, the weak had no dignity and no rights in that society. Women were a readily exchangeable commodity. They were heavy drunkards with little idea of personal hygiene. They had some concept of a Supreme Being up there in the skies but considered His role unimportant in their daily life. They did not believe in life after death and considered the life of this world the only life (1,7,9).
At that time the known world was ruled by two superpowers; the Eastern Roman or Byzantine Empire to the west and north of Arabia and the Persian Empire to the east. The great civilization of the Southern peninsula having declined long before, Arabia was now a wild desert of little significance to the rest of the world, living in the darkest period of its history.
In this era of ignorance, darkness, and chaos, Allah Subhana-Hu, out of His immense Mercy for mankind sent Mohammad (PBUH) with the light of Revelation, named "Al-Quran", with the mission to enlighten the world with the light of Allah. In twenty-three years of great struggle, trials, and frustrations, with the power of faith in Allah, and immense patience with which he faced brutal persecution at the hands of the enemies of Islam, he changed the course of world history, molded it with his own hands and set the current of events to the greatest benefit of all the living beings. Through him, mankind rediscovered their Creator and their self. In less than half a century, his followers changed the world forever. Even a man like Thomas Carlyle, who was a jealous Christian missionary of the 20th century, acknowledged, "He has exercised the greatest influence upon the human race" (5). According to Michael H. Hart, a non-Muslim American historian, "He ranks number one among the hundred most influential persons in history"
He started his work at the mature age of forty in Makkah, the historic and central city of Arabia, which housed the famous Bait-Ullah, built by Ibrahim, his great grandfather, about 2800 years before him, for the worship of one God. It now had 360 idols, one for every day of the year. When he preached them against idolatry, saying "There is no god but one Allah", chiefs of Makkah joined hands with priests and opposed him bitterly. In spite of all this opposition, in a span of 23 years, the prophet of Allah unified the Arabian Peninsula into a nation of Islam, speaking a standardized language, following one legal system, and obeying the One God according to the revealed code of life, known as Holy Quran. To this day, it is the fastest-growing religion of Mankind.
In the social sciences, his most remarkable achievement was that he gave Man the status of the most honored creature of God in the entire universe, His Vicegerent on earth, the very reason for the creation of everything. He dignified labor, by working with his own hands, and as a true leader of mankind he set the example by practicing what he preached. He destroyed false notions of pride as he himself worked side by side with other Muslims and made the peasant and the king kneel together in worship before Allah alone, and proclaim, "God alone is great".
Even before he received God's Revelation, he was a remarkable individual, altogether different from his contemporaries. He had never indulged himself in any of the widespread vices of that period. Makkans regarded him as a strange man, who never told a lie, broke a promise, or deceived anyone. Although averse to their way of life, he loved his people very much. He was the protector of the oppressed and loving uncle of the children playing in the streets of Makkah. Everyone loved him. He was a very handsome, robust, quiet, but all the time a smiling young man, an embodiment of best manners
truthfulness, and honesty. Out of respect, they called him not by his name but by the titles As-Sadiq, "The Most Truthful One", and Al-Ameen, "The Most Trustworthy One". Even after the declaration of prophethood, when a whole lot of Makkan chiefs were his enemies, they will but acknowledge "We don't mean you are a liar but we don't like your preaching".
A Hindu scholar K.S. Rama Krishna Rao in his book Nammad, the Prophet of Islam", Pub. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
When he (Mohammad PBUH) appeared, Arabia was a desert - nothing. Out of nothing of the desert, a new world was fashioned by the mighty spirit of Mohammad - a new life, a new culture, a new civilization, a new kingdom that extended from Morocco to India and influenced the thought and life of three continents-Asia, Africa and Europe"
The personality of Muhammad is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What dramatic succession of picturesque scenes? There is Muhammad, the Prophet. There is Muhammad, the Warrior, Muhammad, the Businessman, Muhammad, the Statesman; Muhammad, the Orator; Muhammad the Reformer; Muhammad, the Refuge of Orphans: Muhammad, the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad, the Emancipator of women, Muhammad, the Judge: Muhammad the Saint. All in all these
magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is like a hero.
Orphanhood is the extreme of helplessness and his life
upon this earth began with it. Kingship is the height of the
material power and his life ended with it. From an orphan boy, to
a persecuted refugee, then to an overlord spiritual as well
temporal of a whole nation and arbiter of its destinies, with all
its trials and temptations, with all its vicissitudes and changes, its
lights and shades, its ups and downs, its terror and splendor, he
has stood the fire of the world and come out unscathed to serve
as a model in every phase of life. His achievements are not limited
to one aspect of life, but cover the whole field of human
conditions.
If, for instance, greatness consists in the purification of a nation, steeped in barbarism and immersed in absolute moral darkness, that dynamic personality who has transformed, refined, and uplifted the entire nation, sunk low as the Arabs were, and made them the torch. -bearers of civilizations and learning, has every claim to that greatness. If greatness lies in unifying the discordant elements of society by the ties of brotherhood and charity, the Prophet of the desert has every title to this distinction. If greatness consists in reforming those wrapped in degrading superstition and pernicious practices of every kind, the Prophet of Islam has wiped out superstitions and irrational fear from the hearts of millions.
If it lies in displaying high morals, Muhammad has been admitted by friends and foes as Al-Amin, and As-Sadiq, the Trustworthy and Truthful.
If a conqueror is a great man, here is a person who rose from a helpless orphan and a humble creature to be the ruler of
Arabia, the equal of Khusros and Caesars', founded a great empire that has survived all these 14 centuries.
If the devotion that a leader commands is the criterion of greatness, the Prophet's name even today exerts a magic charm over millions of souls, spread all over the world.
"He had not studied philosophy in the school of Athens or Rome, Persia, India or China, yet he could proclaim the highest truths of eternal value to mankind. Unlettered himself, he could yet speak with an eloquence and fervor that moved men to tears. Of ecstasy. Born an orphan and blessed with no worldly goods. He had studied at no military academy; yet he could organize his forces against tremendous odds and gained victories through the moral forces which he marshaled (14).
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