Muhammad (saw) – The Perfect Man — Page 40
CHAPTER 3 The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa 's Love for God and Sensitivity for His Oneness 40 remember God in complete solitude. This was a manner of worship adopted by the Quraish in those times. After completing his meditation, the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa would make a circuit of the Ka‘bah before proceeding home. It was during such a meditation in the month of Rama da n that the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa received his first revelation. 5 At the time there were only a few people in Makkah who believed in One God and remained steadfast upon the faith of Ibr a h i m as. One notable person among them was Zaid bin ‘Amr. The Holy Prophet Muhammad sa met him once in Baldah, a village near Makkah. The idolaters offered the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa some food but he refused to eat it. The same food was then offered to Zaid who refused it as well, holding that he would not eat their food since they slaughtered their animals after invoking the names of idols. He only ate meat which had been slaughtered in All a h's name and regarded animals slaughtered by the Quraish as forbidden. He said, when it was God who had created the goat and the grass, why then should the Quraish invoke the name of the idols when slaughtering it. 6 The first revelation received by the Holy Prophet Muhammad sa was based on the Unity and Oneness of God. He hesitated on the word "Iqra’" (Read!), but he responded spontaneously when it was said, اِﻗْﺮَا ْ ﺑِﺎﺳْﻢ ِ رَﺑِّک َ اﻟَّﺬِی ْ ﺧَﻠَﻖ "Read in the