Muhammad was born in Makkah in the year 570, at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. Since his father died before his birth, and his mother shortly afterwards, he was raised by his uncle from the respected tribe of Quraysh. As he grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes.
The historians describe him as calm and meditative. Muhammad was of a deeply religious nature, and had long detested the decadence of his society. It became his habit to meditate from time to time in the Cave of Hira near the summit of Jaba al-Nur, the ‘Mountain of Light’ near Makkah.
HOW DID HE BECOME A PROPHET AND A MESSENGER OF GOD?
At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the Qur’an. As soon as he began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel, and to preach the truth which God had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution which grew so fierce that in the year 622 God gave them the command to emigrate.
This event, the Hijra, ‘migration’, in which they left Makkah for the city of Madinah some 260 miles to the north, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. After several years, the Prophet and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively. Before the Prophet died at the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia was Muslim, and within a century of his death Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China.
EXAMPLES OF THE PROPHET’S SAYINGS
The Prophet said:
“God has no mercy on one who has no mercy for others.”
“None of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.” “He who eats his fill while his neighbour goes without food is not a believer.” “The truthful and trusty businessman is associated with the prophets, the saints, and the martyrs.”
“Powerful is not he who knocks the other down, indeed powerful is he who controls himself in a fit of anger.”
“God does not judge according to your bodies and appearances but He scans your hearts and looks into your deeds.”
“A man walking along a path felt very thirsty. Reaching a well he descended into it, drank his fill and came up. Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick up mud to quench its thirst. The man saw that the dog was feeling the same thirst as he had felt so he went down into the well again and filled his shoe with water and gave the dog a drink. God forgave his sins for this action.”
The Prophet was asked: “Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals? He said, There is a reward for kindness to every living thing.”
–From the Hadith collections of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi and Bayhaqi
