The Mission of Prophet Muhammad God’S Peace Be Upon Him

The Mission of Prophet Muhammad God’s peace be upon him

Moin Qazi Notion Press

This book has been published in good faith that the work of the author is original. All efforts have been taken to make the material error-free. However, the author and the publisher disclaim the responsibility.

No part of this book may be used, reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. In loving memory of my uncle Qazi Syed Shahabuddin The Messenger of God is an excellent model for those of you who put your hope in God and the Last Day and remember Him often. (Q33:21) Say, [O Muhammad], “If you should love Allah, then follow me, [so] Allah will love you and forgive you your sins.” (Q3:31) Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but (he is) the Messenger of Allah, and the Seal of the Prophets. (Q33:40) But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith, until they make you (O Muhammad) judge in all disputes between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decisions, and accept (them) with full submission. (Q4:65) Contents

1. Timeline of Prophet Muhammad’s life 1 2. Introduction 2 3. Biography 6 4. The final Vicegerent 20 5. The uniqueness of the Prophet’s mission 27 6. Predestination: The role of fate 32 7. A model ruler 43 8. The Quranic pattern of life 49 9. A living Quran 61 10. The last sermon of the Prophet 87 11. The Medina Charter 90 12. Vignettes from the life of Prophet Muhammad 96 13. The Prophet through the global lens 142

Timeline of Prophet Muhammad’s life

570 - Born in the town of Mecca. His name (Abu al- Qasim Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn Abd Manaf ibn Qusai ibn Kilab) derives from the Arabic verb hamada, meaning ‘to praise, to glorify’. 575 - Orphaned upon the death of his mother and placed in the protection of his paternal grandfather, then his uncle. 595 - Marries Khadijah - an older, wealthy widow. They had six children. 610 - Receives first revelation during the month of Ramadan. 613 - Took his message public; these would later become the Quran, Islam’s sacred scripture. 622 - Emigrates with his followers from Mecca to Yathrib, soon to become known as Medina. 624 - The start of three major battles with the Meccans - the Battle of Badr (victory), 625 - the Battle of Uhud (defeat), and 627 - the Battle of the Trench (victory). 628 - The two sides signed a treaty recognising the Muslims as a new force in Arabia. Meccan allies breached the treaty a year later. 629 - Orders first raid into Christian lands at Muta (defeat). 630 - Conquers Mecca (along with other tribes). 631 - Consolidated most of the Arabian Peninsula under Islam. 632 - Returned to Mecca to perform a pilgrimage. 632 - Dies in Medina after a brief illness. He is buried in the mosque of Medina. Introduction

Let me glorify the family of Muhammad, for they are my light and the source of my devotion They are my most exalted support, theirs is the lofty assistance they are the power of piety and the sun of my destination. Leave me the love of Husayn and his grandfather, from their exalted station I witness all spiritual realities. Do you reproach me for love, although love is grace; if the longing heart tastes it, it will not wander... I am not removed from their love because I know my Lord through them, for they are the source of my acquaintance with him... (Sheikh Abdel-Salam Al-Hilwani, Sufis, Mystics, and Saints in Modern Egypt) The lavender of the sun begins to grow deeper as the slowly rising sun spreads a golden calm on the endless stretch of the sandy dunes. The heat of the sun, direct and relentless, bakes the plains, blanching everything around. Far across the vast expanse of the desert, the misty landscape dissolves into the hills as silence is struck in the air around. A cloud of dust, eddied up into the air by the kick of a band of horsemen, grows into a wispy golden fog as it catches the luminescent rays of the sun. The landscape is barren and haunted; but in the nearby city, life bustles with activity. Amidst the shanties in which the poor dwell, the land is embossed with palatial mansions of rich merchants and a curia of hills around the city. There rises in the deeper hinterland a wall of mountains, polished clean by the unrelenting sun Moin Qazi 3

The band of people in the desert slowly mounts their horses as they prepare for a mission which, in the years to come, is to transform the lives and thoughts of millions of people. The band has a teaching to offer to the city folks who, far from listening to them, start persecuting their leader so much as to compel them to leave the city. The year is 622 A.D., the country Arabia, the city Mecca and the leader of the band, Muhammad. It was a small event for the Meccan people who, in fact, felt a sense of exalted joy at the sight of the band leaving them because they had come to regard its mission and work as a threat to their life and existence. But for the future historian, a poignant drama was unfolding on the arid borders of the city. The event was to blaze the mission in its full glory in the short span of its initiation and become the torchlight of a great revolution. As the hot ball of the sun began to climb over the horizon the band began to move out. In the process a great milestone was set. The migration of Muhammad, peace be upon him, from Mecca came to be known as Hijra (Emigration) and marked the first year of Islam. Muhammad, one-time caravan leader and trader turned religious leader, was leading his followers to the city of Yathrib, to be called Medina, city of the Prophet. The Hijra was neither an abandonment of Mecca nor the forgetting of where one had come from. It was the tenacious determination to rise up from oppression, with the intention of returning eventually to redeem even the oppressor. This Muhammad would accomplish at the end of his life through his triumphant return home. But before he could liberate Mecca, he had to move to the city where the Muslim community would become established. The advent of Islam was becoming clearly visible, and it was to be nurtured and nourished into a dynamic 4 The Mission of Prophet Muhammad and composite philosophy in the peace loving city of Medina who’s humble and pious inhabitants had invited Muhammad (peace be upon him) to preach the message among them. The seeds which were to flower into full bloom in Medina were sown twelve years back in the silent cave called Ghar-i-Hira (Mount Hira) in a Meccan suburb where Muhammad proclaimed the religion of Islam and began reviving the teachings of Abraham. It was during the month of Ramadan, the ninth in the Islamic calendar, that Muhammad received the divine call and was chosen as the Messenger of Allah. During Ramadan, Muhammad (peace be upon him) used to retire for prayers and contemplation to his retreat in Ghar-i-Hira in the Jabal-i-Nur (Mountain of Light). It was in the fortieth year, the fifth consecutive year since his annual retreats that one night, while in deep meditation, Angel Gabriel appeared to him and said: “Read!” Amazed and frightened Muhammad replied, “I do not know how to read.” The Angel Gabriel roused him from his bed with the stern command: “Proclaim!” Rubbing his eyes, the startled Muhammad gasped, “But what shall I proclaim?” Suddenly his throat tightened as though the angel were choking him. Again came the command: “Proclaim!” And again the terrified Muhammad felt the choking grip. “Proclaim!” ordered the angel for a third time. “Proclaim! (or Read!) In the name of thy Lord and cherisher who created - created man out of a mute clot of congealed blood. Proclaim! And thy Lord is most beautiful. He who taught (the use of) the pen, taught man that which he knew not.” With these words began in the year 610 A.D., the revelation of the Quran to the prophet. The revelations continued during the 23 years of his prophet hood ending shortly before his death in 632 A.D. with the verse: “This Moin Qazi 5 day have I perfected your religion for you, completed my favour upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” Biography

Noble birth and pure lineage The Prophet was born on Monday, 12 Rabi’ al-Awwal, in the Year of the Elephant (57O C.E.). His ancestry can be traced back to Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). His full name is Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abdu’l- Muttalib ibn Hashim ibn ‘Abd Manaf ibn Qusayy ibn Kilab ibn Murrah ibn Ka’b ibn Lu’ayy ibn Ghalib ibn Fihr ibn Malik ibn an-Nadr ibn Kinanah ibn Khuzaymah ibn Mudrikah ibn Ilyas ibn Mudar ibn Nizar ibn Ma’add ibn ‘Adnan. The lineage of Adnan goes back to Ismail, the son of the Abraham (peace be upon both of them).

Babyhood Muhammad was of noble blood, and it was the custom for children of higher social standing to have a wet nurse. A Bedouin woman named Halima had the great fortune of being entrusted with his care. She took him into the harsh desert to live with her people. For such a young child it was a challenging environment. But it was here that Muhammad would develop his first close connection with nature, and spend most of his time in solitude, contemplating the world around him. It was also at this time that, according to tradition, two angels appeared to Muhammad in the guise of men, opened his breast, and purified his heart with snow. This episode, which exemplifies the Islamic belief that God purified his Prophet and protected him from sin, was also described by Muhammad: “There came unto me two men, clothed in white, with a gold basin full of snow. Then they laid upon me, and, splitting open my breast, they brought forth my Moin Qazi 7 heart. This likewise they split open and took from it a black clot which they cast away. Then they washed my heart and my breast with the snow.” (Martin Lings, Muhammad: His Life, Based on the Earliest Sources, 1991). Muhammad then repeated the verse, found in the hadith, “Satan toucheth every son of Adam the day his mother beareth him, save only Mary and her son.” Amazed by this event and also noticing a mole on Muhammad’s back (later identified in the traditional sources as the sign of prophecy), Halīmah and her husband, Ḥārith, took the boy back to Mecca He returned to his mother, Amina, who took him to visit his father’s grave, but on the return journey she fell dangerously ill. Muhammad was barely six years old when he faced the loss of another parent. Later his own experience would help him to encourage compassion for orphans, emphasizing repeatedly to his companions that kindness shown to parentless children would grant them Paradise.

The shepherd and the businessman Utterly orphaned, he was brought up by his grandfather Abdul Muttaalib, who also died two years later. He was then placed in the care of Abū Talib, Muhammad’s uncle and the father of Ali, Muhammad’s cousin. Later in life Muhammad would repay this kindness by taking Ali into his household and giving his daughter Fatimah to him in marriage. As a young boy, Muhammad earned his living as a shepherd, a role he was later to speak about with fondness: “All the prophets of God were shepherds.” Later he would become renowned for his honest dealings with people in business and trade.

The husband A wealthy businesswoman named Khadijah requested Muhammad’s expertise in negotiating a business venture for 8 The Mission of Prophet Muhammad her. When she heard of how he had secured more than she expected, she was impressed and made enquiries about his character. On hearing the accounts of his noble character, she sent a proposal to the 25 year old man. Khadijah was a widow, some fifteen years older than Muhammad, and had children from two previous marriages; she was intelligent, independent and kind. Muhammad accepted her offer. Khadijah and Muhammad’s marriage was a happy and harmonious one: they consulted, supported and cared for each other in equal measure. She was his first love, the first he turned to for support, and the first to acknowledge his prophet hood. They had four daughters together who they cherished, and two sons, but they tragically died in infancy.

Physical features Muhammad grew into a young man of unusual physical beauty as well as generosity of character. His sense of fairness and justice were so revered that the people of Mecca often went to him for arbitration and knew him as al-Amīn, ‘the Trusted One’. His striking appearance is the subject of countless poems in various Islamic languages. Muhammad, according to Alī, was neither tall nor lanky nor short and stocky, but of medium height. His hair was neither crispy curled nor straight but moderately wavy. He was not overweight and his face was not plump. He had a round face. His complexion was white, tinged with redness. He had big black eyes with long lashes. His brows were heavy and his shoulders broad. He had soft skin, with fine hair covering the line from mid chest to navel. The palms of his hands and the soles of his feet were firmly padded. He walked with a firm gait, as if striding downhill. On his back between his shoulders lay the Seal of Prophet hood [a mole], for he was the last of the prophets. (Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti, The Name & the Named: The Divine Attributes of God, 2000) Moin Qazi 9

Trials and challenges Muhammad first preached his message to the members of his family, then to a few friends, and finally, three years after the advent of the Revelation, to the public at large. The first to accept Muhammad’s call to become Muslims were Khadijah; ʿAlī; Zayd ibn al-Ḥārith, who was like a son to the Prophet; and Abū Bakr, a venerable member of the Meccan community who was a close friend of the Prophet. This small group was the centre from which Islam grew in ever-wider circles. Besides his family and friends, a number of prominent Meccans embraced Islam. However, most influential figures and families rejected his call, especially those prominent in trade. Even within his family there were sceptics. Although Muhammad gained the support of many of the Banū Hāshim, his uncle Abū Lahab, a major leader of the Quraysh, remained adamantly opposed to Islam and Muhammad’s mission. These naysayers feared that the new religion, based on the oneness of God and unequivocally opposed to idolatry, would destroy the favoured position of the Kabah as the centre of the religious cults of various Arab tribes and hence jeopardise the commerce that accompanied the pilgrimage to Mecca to worship idols kept in or on the Kabah. As Muhammad’s message spread, opposition to him grew and was led by ʿAmr ibn Hishām, dubbed Abū Jahl (Father of Ignorance) by the early Muslims. Abū Jahl even had some early converts tortured, which resulted in the death of one of them named Summayyah. Muhammad himself, unharmed because of the protection of his family and especially his uncle Abū Ṭālib, then gave permission to a number of early disciples to migrate temporarily to Abyssinia, where the country’s monarch, Negus, received them with kindness and generosity. They joined Muhammad later in Medina. 10 The Mission of Prophet Muhammad

Meanwhile in Mecca, life for Muhammad and the early Muslims was becoming ever more difficult and dangerous as the result of extreme pressure exerted upon them by the Quraysh rulers of the city. Even the conversions of leaders of the Meccan community, such as ʿUmar al-Khaṭṭāb and ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān, did not diminish the severe difficulties encountered by Muhammad in his later years in Mecca. In 619 Muhammad was greatly saddened by the death of two people who were especially close to him - Khadijah and his uncle Abū Ṭālib. Not only was Khadījah his devoted wife of 25 years and the mother of his children, but she was also his friend and counsellor. Only after her death did Muhammad marry other women, mostly as a means of creating alliances with various families and tribes. The exception was the daughter of Abū Bakr, ʿĀʾishah, who was betrothed to the Prophet when she was very young and in whose arms he would die in Medina. Later in the year, the death of Abū Ṭālib, Muhammad’s protector, created a much more difficult situation for him and for the young Islamic community in Mecca. These deaths, combined with Muhammad’s lack of success in propagating the message of Islam in the city of sṬāʾ if, severely tested his determination and resolve.

Night journey Every Prophet has his miracle, and it is said that the Quran was Muhammad’s miracle. Yet the Night Journey joins the many miraculous stories about prophets before him – of Jesus’ birth, of Jonah and the Whale, of Moses’ parting of the Red Sea. Two years after the death of Khadijah, one evening Muhammad fell asleep by the Kabah and was awoken by the angel Gabriel who showed him a white, winged horse. They both mounted and began the journey to Jerusalem The Mission of Prophet Muhammad God’s peace be upon him