Approaching the West — Page 214
The Holy Prophet Mu ḥ ammad Peace and blessings of All ā h be on him The greatest prophet ever to live, Mu ḥ ammad (peace and blessings of All ā h be on him), was born in 571 at Mecca in Arabia. The city of Mecca had grown around an ancient holy site rebuilt by Abraham and Ishmael (peace be on them), which came to be known as the Ka‘bah (literally meaning, ‘a cube’). His father had died a few months before his birth. His mother died when he was six years old. He was cared for by his grandfather ‘Abdul-Mu alib until he died two years later, his uncle, Ab ū ā lib, then became his guardian. In his teens he joined an organization whose members pledged to help the needy and the oppressed. Due to his honesty and consistent support of the oppressed, he came to be known as the Truthful and the Trustworthy. At age 25, he accepted a marriage proposal from a pious trader Khad ī jah (may God be pleased with her), 15 years senior to him. He preferred to spend his time in worship and meditation, retreating often to the cave of Ḥ ir ā for days at a time to pray in solitude. He received his first revelation in the cave of Ḥ ir ā when he was 40. His wife Khad ī jah, his close friend Ab ū Bakr, his cousin Al ī (may God be pleased with them), were some of the first people to accept his call to the religion of Islam that he was commanded to spread. His fervor to spread the anti-idolatry message of equity and goodwill met with extreme opposition and severe persecution of the faithful, his followers. To escape the persecution in Mecca, a group of Muslims immigrated to the Christian state of Abyssinia in 615. Meccans declared a boycott of the Muslims and segregated them outside Mecca for three years. The year 619 was one of great sorrow for Mu ḥ ammad (peace and blessings of All ā h be on him). His uncle and protector, Ab ū ā lib, and his wife, Khad ī jah (may God be pleased with her), who stood by him during the early years of his call, both died. While the resistance to Isl ā m in and around Mecca was relentless, he found acceptance to his message 250 miles to the north in Yathrib with a deputation from the town accepting Islam in 620. He migrated to Yathrib in 622 escaping Meccan persecution. Yathrib, today’s Medina in Arabia, came to be known as Mad ī natun-Nab ī , city of the prophet. Meccans followed the Muslims with swords to their new haven, were defeated in the Battle of Badr, but inflicted damage to the Muslims in the Battle of U ḥ ud. Muslims continued spreading the message of peace in spite of persecution and attacks culminating in the bloodless fall of Mecca to them in 630. Muhammad (peace and blessings of All ā h be on him) entered the city at the head of “10,000 saints” fulfilling the Biblical prophecy about the advent of a prophet among the Ishmaelite (Deuteronomy 33:2, 18:15). After Mu ḥ ammad (peace and blessings of All ā h be on him) passed away in 632, his long time companion, Ab ū Bakr, was elected to lead the Muslims until 634, followed by ‘Umar until 644, Uthm ā n until 656, and his cousin Al ī until 661 (may All ā h be pleased with them). Barely half a century had elapsed since the first revelation to Mu ḥ ammad (peace and blessings of All ā h be on him) and Islam had already made in-roads to the banks of the Indus River to the east and gained strength across North Africa to the west. (Reference: Words of Wisdom, Z ī rv ī , Mi ā n and A ḥ mad, 2000)