Before the birth of the great Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Saw), the people of this world forgot the laws imposed by Allah the ideals of the prophets and Rasuls. They were involved in all kinds of heinous misdeeds and crimes. Their behaviour was barbarous and against humanity. For that reason, the age was known as Ayyame jahiliyyat (the age of darkness). At that time, there was no security of life, property, reputation and privacy of people. Peace, discipline and regularity were altogether absent.
Genocide, terrorism, robbery, fighting, burying female child alive,gambling, drinding, taking interest, adultery etc. were the regular activities of the people of those days. Making hundreds of idols, worshipping them and praying to them for help were their religion. In the house of Kaba they established 360 idols. In a word, they were deeply involved in crimes and unrighteousness. In those extremely adverse days of the humanity of the world Almighty Allah sent His favorite friends, the greatest man of all ages, the blessings of the world (Rahamatulli-A’lameen), Hazrat Muhammad (Saw) as a herald of peace. He was sent to show the derailed and absent-minded people the right and just way.
Childhood
The great Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Saw) was born in 570 A.D. in the Quraish tribe in Arabia. His father’s name was Abdullah and his mother’s name was Amina. His father had died before he was born.
The child Muhammad was a true embodiment of justice. He sucked milk from one breast of his foster mother Halima and left the other for his foster-brother Abdullah. After rearing the child with motherly affection for five years, halima gave him back to his mother Amina. When he was six years old, his mother Amina died. Our beloved Prophet became orphan losing both his father and mother. Boyhood
Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (Saw) was being brought up in the house of his grand-father Abdul Mutalib. But at the age of eight, he lost his grand-father too. Then he was being brought up under the affectionate care of his uncle Abu Talib. Young Muhammad (Saw) was active. He did not like to live the life of a parasite of anyone. He helped the insolvent family of AbuTalib In many ways. For extra earnings he tended sheep. He was an ideal to the ahapherd boys. He always kept good relationship with the pther shepherds. Once he went to Syria for business with his uncle. On the way, they met a clearly boy and predicted that he would be the Prophet of the last era of the world.
After returning from Syria the boy Muhammad (Saw) observed the horror of the battle of fijar. That fight took place in a forbidden month. Not only that the Qais tribe imposed the war on the Quraish illegally. So it was called Harbul Fijar or illegal war. That war continued for five years. In it, Muhammad (Saw) did not take part directly, but he saw its horrible atrocities. At this, he got terrible shock. He became restless hearing the groan of the wounded. The man, who would be the pioneer of the peaceful religion Islam, could not tolerate that unrest. So, uniting the peace-loving enthusiastic youths, he formed ‘Hilful Fuzul’ (Shanti Sangha). Nursing the sick, preventing the oppressors, helping the o[[ressed, establishing peace and order and maintaining peace among the tribes were the functions of that peace organization (Shanti Sangha).
It is really astonishing that the united nations of the modern world is indebted to that youth organization “Hilful Fuzul”. But the difference is that while the youth organization could sincerely materialize their policies, the U.N.O. of today cannot do so.
Being moved at his manners and behaviour, Ama’natdari, truthfulness etc. the Arabs called him, ‘Al-Amin’ (trustworthy). After he become the Prophet, even those who were his deadly enemies could never say that he was a liar or untrustworthy. Hearing about the young Prophet Muhammad’s (Saw) honesty, truthfulness and decent character, Khadija (R), a wealthy and educated widow of Makka, entrusted him with the responsibility of her own business. Taking the respectation. While conducting the business of Khadija, Hazrat Muhammad (Saw) established such an instance of honesty as it was an ideal for the youths of all ages. On that journey, to observe and test the character of the Prophet Muhammad (Saw), Khadija sent with him (the Prophet) her reliable employee Mysara.
Being moved with the report of Mysara about honesty, reliability and activeness of Prophet Mohammad (Saw) Khadija (R) proposed to him for marriage. Taking the consent of his uncle, Abu Talib, he married Khadija. At that time he was twenty five years old and Khadeja was forty. After the marrage Prophet Muhammad (Saw) become the owner of huge property because of the curtesy and cordiality of Khadija (R). but not having spent that wealth for his own pomp and comfort, he spent it for the benefit and service of the distressed and sick people. When the tribes were about to quarrel among themselves for getting the rare honour of placing the Hajre-Aswad in the house of Ka’ba, it was decided that they would abide by the decision of that person who would enter the house of Ka’ba first in the next morning. In the next morning when the Prophet Muhammad (Saw) entered the house of Ka’ba before others, everybody cried out in one voice. “Look there, the Al-Amin has come, we are all pleased with him, we also trust him”. Nobody gave any objection in hos case. He settled the quarrel peacefully by his prudence. Thus they escaped an inevitable bloodshed.
Peace and order is established if neutrality is maintained in settling disputes. Thus so many inevitable conflicts can avoided.
Attainment of the Nabuwat
One night while Prophet Muhammad (Saw) was in meditation, jibrail (A) came to him with Wahy (a message from Allah), and he attained the Nabuwat. At that time, he was forty years old. Returning home he told Khadija (R): “cover me with clothes. Cover me with clothes”. He disclosed everything to khadija (R) and said : “I am afraid of losing my life.” Then Khadija (R) consoled him by saying: “No, this cannot be. I swear by the name of allah that He will never put you to disgrace. Because you behave well with your kith and kin, you manage food, clothing and lodging for the distressed and the weak. You enable the destitute and the people in want to earn their living. You serve the guests and help people in the time natural calamities.” From this statement of Khadija (R) it is clear that Prophet Muhammad (Saw) exercised with deep sincerity and devotion the excellent human virtues and engaged himself in the service of humanity before Nabuwat.
Invitation to Iman
According to the dictates of Allah, Prophet Muhammad (Saw) at first began to invite his near relative to have Iman (faith) in Allah. At first Prophet Muhammad (Sm) secretly invited people to Islam. After that when Allah ordered him to invite people popenly to Islam, he began to do so. At that, the idolators began to oppose him. They troured him in various ways. When they tired to tempt him with leadership and wealth, he said: “if you gave me the sun in one hand and the moon in another, yet nothing will dissuade me from preaching this truth, remarkable sacrifice, firmness and restraint became prominent.
The death of Khadija (R) and Abu Talib
In the tenth year of his Nabuwat, Prophet Muhammad (Saw) lost his beloved wife and affectionate uncle. So he become overwhelmed with grief. Inspite of his intolerable sorrows and pain and a lot of troures in the hands of the kafirs, he continued preaching the religion. He then went to taif to invite the Kafirs, he continued preaching the religion. He then went to Taif to invite the people there to accept ZDeen Islam. The people of that place did not accept Islam, rather they made his holy boky bloody by pelting him with stones. Even in that tense moment Prophet Muhammad (Saw) did not curse the people of Taif. He begged pardon for them to Almighty Allah. Nowhere such an instance of forgiveness can be found in the history of the world.
When the Prophet (Saw) was suffering from unbounded sorrows and pain because of unlimited tortures given by the Kafirs of Makka and the ill-treatment of the inhabitants of Taif, Almighty Allah took him close to Him. He went to Mi’raj. In that Mi’raj he was thankful getting chance to go to the nearness of Allah.
Hijrat
Because of the extreme hostility of the Quraish of Makka the act of preching and the spreading of Islam were hindered. Then according to the instruction of Allah, the Prophet (Saw) decided to migrate (Hizrat) from Makka to Madina. When the kafirs of Makka saw that the Muslims were leaving Makka one by one making Makka empty of the Muslims they thought that the Prophet (Saw) would also leaving the country as soon he got a chance. So, all the tribes unitedly decided to kill him. According to the decision,
One night they surrounded the house of the Prophet (Saw). They were waiting to kill him every carly in the morning. But dueto the miraculous power of Allah, the Prophet (Sm) accompanied by Abu Badr (R) managed to befool them and started for Madina. To repay the Ama’nats (the property in his custody) he kept Hazrat Ali (R) in his house. Entering into the room of the Prophet (Saw) when the kafirs saw Hazrat Ali (R) lying on the bed, they became very furious. But they left ashamed seeing the trustworthiness as a custodian (Ama’natdari) of the Prophet (Saw). They could not think that the enemy, whom they were try to kill, was so great and generous. After going a little distance, the Prophet (Saw) and Abu Bakar siddiq (R) took shelter in a cave of the mountain Sawor of Makka. The Kafirs were looking for them. They almost came near the mouth of cave Abu Bakar (R) became a bit worried. The Prophet (Saw) said: “Abu Bakar, don’t worry. Allah is with us.” The Prophet (Saw) had profound confidence and faith in Allah. In all activities of life, he relied on the mercy of Allah. Almighty Allah saved him if there was any danger.
The Prophet (Saw) reached Madina on the 24th September, 622 A.D by migration (Hizrat). All sorts of people, both young and old, accepted the Prophet (Saw) with earnest eagerness and love. Their joy knew no bounds. Being happy at the Prophet’s coming in their midst, the girls of Madina sang:
Tala’al Badru Alaina………………
“Behold, the moon is there
On the outskirts of the sky,
The burn of it has spread over
The whole world we ply.”
Coming to Madina,Prophet Muhammad (Saw) sigged the sigh of relief. He bound the muhajirs and the ansars with the tie of fratermity. If the Muslims of the present time come forward to help their distressed Muslim brothers giveng up the destructive actions of killing them, the Muslim world would become the abode of peace and prosperity even today.
