Child story Muhammad
Orphan meets the Monk
The Prophet Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, made a second
journey when he was twenty-five years old, this time with the trade
caravan of Khadija, a respected widow he would later marry. On the
journey, he encountered Bahira once more. The monk was very pleased
with this second meeting, and told Muhammad, upon him be peace: "You
will be a Prophet, the Last Prophet. I wish that God would allow me to live
to see you raised as a Prophet. I would follow you, carry your shoes and
protect you against your enemies"
Sacrilegious war and formation of a league against injustice.
Another major event in the early life of Muhammad, upon him be peace
and blessings, was the Fijar or Sacrilegious war which took place
during his later teens. The Fijar war which he witnessed was the
fourth one during which the sanctity of the sacred months
(Dhul-Qadah, Dhu l-Hijjah, Muharram, Rajab) and the sacred
territory of Makka was violated. The cause of the war, which took
place between the Quraysh and their confederates of Banu Kinana on
the one side and the Hawazin on the other, was quite trivial: a
spirit of jealousy and animosity was ignited between two men, (one
belonging to the Kinana and the other to the Qays- Aylan (an
important clan of the Hawazin). The future Prophet, who was to come
to put an end to all kinds of injustice and lawlessness, only helped
his uncle Zubayr ibn Abd al-Muttalib, who represented Banu Hashim
in the war, gather up the arrows discharged by the enemy.
Prophet in his youth was present in the meeting which resulted
in the formation of Hilf al-Fudul (the alliance of the virtuous).
Hilf al-Fudul was a kind of league against injustice. It was
sponsored mainly by Banu Hashim and Banu al-Muttalib. The immediate
reason for forming this alliance was an injustice suffered by a
merchant from the Yemen. The Qurayshite As ibn Wail had usurped
his goods. The Yemeni in vain sought the help of the Qurayshite
leaders. When Banu Hashim, the clan of the Prophet, heard this, they
called a meeting which resulted in the formation of Hilf al-Fudul,
and of course the return of the money to the Yemeni merchant. An
oath was taken by the members of this assembly that whenever they
found someone in Makka whether he be a citizen of it or a stranger
visiting it to whom injustice had been done, they would stand by him
against his oppressor until the wrong had been redressed. Muhammad,
upon him be peace and blessings, was so impressed by its noble
objectives that he would say long after: I attended at the house of
Adbullah ibn Judan the conclusion of an agreement which I would
not exchange for the best of material gains, and if someone appeals
to it in Islam I would respond.
Muhammad's childhood and youth were a prelude to his Prophethood
Muhammad's childhood and youth were a prelude to his Prophethood.
Besides his other exalted, laudable characteristics, everyone agreed
upon his truthfulness and trustworthiness. He never lied, never
cheated and never broke his word. He did not participate in
jahiliyya, even for a second. He was called 'the Truthful,
Trustworthy Man' even by his bitterest enemies.
People would say of him: 'If you go on a journey
and need someone to whose safeguarding you will entrust your wife, you can
entrust her to Muhammad without hesitation. He will not take even a
momentary glance at her face. If you want to entrust your wealth for
safeguarding, entrust it to this trustworthy, honest man. He will never
touch it. If you look for someone who never tells a lie and never breaks his
word, go directly to Muhammad, upon him be peace and blessings, because
what-ever he says is true.'
Those who knew him from his childhood immediately believed in him
when he declared his Prophethood. Among them were Abu Bakr, Uthman,
Talha, Zubayr, Abu Dharr, and Yasir. When 'Ammar told his father,
Yasir, that he believed in Muhammad, upon him be peace and
blessings, the latter responded to him, saying: 'If Muhammad says
that God is One, it is true. He never lies.'
In the early days of his Prophethood, the Prophet Muhammad, upon him
be peace and blessings, once summoned the people of the Quraysh to
gather at the foot of the hill of Abu Qubays and asked them: Would
you believe me if I told you an enemy host was waiting behind this
hill to attack you?'Yes, we would believe you,'all of them answered,
including even his red-haired uncle, Abu Lahab, his most bitter and inflamed
enemy.
When mankind were in dire need of someone to destroy the order of
unbelief and breathe a new life into the world, God raised Muhammad,
upon him be peace and blessings, to stop all forms of wickedness. In
the words of Ahmad Shawky:
The sun of guidance was born
and the entire universe was illumined.
A smile appeared on the lips of time
and his praises were sung.
When he appeared on the horizon of Madina years later, the pure,
innocent children of that illumined city would sing his praises as
follows:
The full moon rose upon us from the hills of Wada,
So it is incumbent upon us to thank God so long as
Those who pray and entreat Him continue to do so.
1 Busiri, in his famous Qasidah al-Bura (Eulogy of Bura) mentions
this incident, saying: A cloud hovers over his head and protects
him from the sun.)
2. Ibn Hisham, Sira, 1.191)
3. Bukhari, Tafsir, 1.111; Muslim, Iman, 355.
4. Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya, 3.241.
continued from Orpan story page
Spritual Healing
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