Aminah bint Wahb, the mother of Muhammad (sas) was pregnant when she saw in a dream that an angel suggested the name Muhammad for her baby. She also saw a shining light come out of her body and spread to countries far and wide.1 With the time of the delivery approaching, aminah anxiously waited for the baby who would rejuvenate the memory of her late husband. Finally, on the 9th day of the Muslim calendar month of Rabi‘ul-Awwal, Monday, April 20th, 570 A.D.,2 on the day of Hajj, the blessed moment arrived for which the entire world had been anxiously waiting for thousands of years. The Chief of the Two Worlds and the Chief of Creations3 appeared in the world.
As soon as the news of the birth of his grandson reached ‘Abdul-Muttalib, he joyously went to aminah, held the baby in his hands and, performing a circuit of the Ka‘bah, expressed his gratitude to God. ‘Abdul-Muttalib named the baby Muhammad according to the dream of Aminah.
According to historians, an unusually large number of shooting stars were visible in the sky at the time of his birth.4 There was a raised birthmark on the back of Muhammad (sas) towards the left side, which became known as the Seal of the Prophet.5
It was customary among the nobles of Arabia to give their babies to respectable wet nurses in the villages for suckling. For the first few days, Muhammad (sas) was given under the care of a woman named Thuwaibah.6 However, later, a wet nurse named Halimah, of the Banu Sa‘d tribe7, took him permanently to her village. After two years, when the appointed time of fosterage was complete, Halimah brought the baby back to Makkah to return him to his mother. Considering the less than favourable climate of Makkah and the deep love of Halimah for the baby, Aminah agreed to send the baby back with Halimah on her insistence.
When Muhammad (sas) was four years old, an extraordinary incident took place that frightened Halimah. It is recorded in a tradition that all of a sudden two men clad in white garbs appeared, and laid down Muhammad (sas) on the ground, and cut open his chest. ‘Abdullah bin Harith, his foster brother, was playing with him when this incident took place. He ran back to his parents and narrated the event. The physical condition of Muhammad (sas) frightened Halimah and her husband Abu Kabshah.8 They immediately took Muhammad (sas) back to Makkah and handed him over to his mother Aminah.
It should be noted that some people mistakenly take this event in the physical sense. In reality, this was a spiritual experience, which was extended to the other children present at that time. On checking, Halimah and her husband found no incision marks on his chest.
Throughout his entire life, Muhammad (sas) never forgot Halimah’s four years of service. Once, when Halimah visited Muhammad (sas) during the time of a famine, he presented her with forty sheep and a camel. Even when Muhammad (sas) was granted prophethood, upon seeing Halimah from afar, he would get up saying, “My mother! My mother!” and spread his mantle for her to sit on. During the Battle of Hunain, when thousands of people of Banu Hawazin, the tribe of Halimah, were captured on the charge of treason and carnage and presented before Muhammad (sas), he set them free only because of his association with Halimah.9
Muhammad (sas) had barely spent two years in the company of his mother when she took him to Yathrib to see her relatives and friends. It is quite possible that the real purpose of the visit may have been to visit the grave of her late husband. After a month while returning, she fell sick and passed away, and was buried at a place called Al-Abwa‘. Muhammad (sas) was already deprived of the protection of his father; now he had lost the love of his mother as well.
Muhammad‘s maid Ummi Aiman, who was with them when his mother died, handed him over to his grandfather, ‘Abdul-Muttalib. ‘Abdul-Muttalib held Muhammad very dear, so much so that when he would perform the circuit of Ka‘bah, he would carry him on his shoulders. Besides Muhammad, no one—including his own children—dared to sit next to ‘Abdul-Muttalib while he was sitting on his special rug in the courtyard of the Ka‘bah.
Muhammad (sas) had barely stayed for two years in the guardianship of ‘Abdul-Muttalib, when he too passed away. Muhammad (sas) was so attached to ‘Abdul-Muttalib that when his casket was carried away, he walked along with tears continuously flowing down his cheeks. This was the third loss that he had to bear in the first eight years of his life.
According to the will of ‘Abdul-Muttalib, Muhammad’s paternal uncle, Abu Talib, was to be his guardian after his death. Abu Talib was so attached to him that he would often sleep next to him.
Muhammad (sas) was about 12 years old when Abu Talib decided to go to Syria with a trade caravan. Muhammad (sas) clung to his uncle and pleaded to go along. Abu Talib agreed as he did not want to break the heart of his nephew.
The caravan of Abu Talib reached Basrah, which is to the south of Syria. Bahira, a Christian monk, lived there who saw a vision that convinced him that the prophet whose advent was mentioned in the Divine scriptures was present in the caravan. He identified Muhammad (sas) and told Abu Talib to protect Muhammad (sas) from the evil designs of the Jews and the Christians.
In those days, the assets of the noble Arabian families consisted of camels, sheep, and goats, which were often tended by their children. After the return of Muhammad (sas) from Syria, his uncle sometimes asked him to graze his goats. In the time of his prophethood, Muhammad (sas) used to say that pasturing of goats was a tradition of the prophets, which probably meant that the task of prophets has similarities with the task of a shepherd in its nature. Allah, the Exalted, arranged for him to work as a shepherd from an early age; thus, symbolically preparing him for his role as a shepherd for the whole world.
When Muhammad (sas) was 15 years old (according to another tradition he was 20 years old), the combatant-natured people of Banu Hawazin and Banu Quraish started some skirmishes at the time of the ‘Ukaz fair over a trivial matter. Initially, the sensible ones from both sides made peace between them, but the truce did not last long, and gradually the situation deteriorated into war. This war is known by the name of Al-Fijar, which means the unlawful war as it was started in the sacred months in which there was a prohibition of war. In this war, the participation of Muhammad (sas) was restricted to handing arrows to his uncles.
Al-Fijar was just another example in a list of many that illustrated that the Arabs would fight and kill even for minor disagreements. It was after the Al-Fijar war that Zubair bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib and a few other compassionate people gathered the tribes to pledge to always protect the rights of the oppressed, uphold justice and stop all wrongdoing. This pledge was called Hilful-Fudul. There is disagreement as to the origin of the name. Some traditions say that the name was derived from Fadl, the name of a famous person who backed this pledge. Some people say that in Arabic, Fudul means “rights” (plural of Fadl), thus the name Hilful-Fudul. On one occasion during the time of his prophethood, Muhammad (sas) said that, “In the house of ‘Abdullah bin Jad‘an, I once partook in such an oath that even if I was called to it today, in the age of Islam, I would happily present myself saying, here I am to do thy undertaking.”
Muhammad (sas), now old enough to participate in business, formally started assisting his uncle, Abu Talib, in trade. He traveled to Syria, Yemen, and Bahrain on trading trips, and had the opportunity to travel in all directions around Arabia.10 Everyone who dealt with him on these journeys, including the people of Makkah, were united in his praise. An incident later in Muhammad’s life illustrates his reputation as a trader. When As-Sa’ib accepted Islam, a few people praised As-Sa’ib in the presence of Muhammad (sas). Muhammad (sas) agreed and said, “I know him better than you.” As-Sa’ib said, “Yes, Messenger of Allah. May my parents be sacrificed for you! You had business dealings with me, and you always conducted business with great honesty.”11
‘Abdullah bin Abi Al-Hamsa’ describes:
I dealt with him in a business transaction after which I owed the Prophet (sas) his remaining dues. I told the Prophet (sas) to wait at a certain place while I return shortly. However, I forgot and remembered after three days. When I returned to the meeting place, the Prophet (sas) was still there. The Prophet (sas) said nothing more to me than, ‘You have subjected me to an inconvenience as I have been waiting upon you for the past three days.’
Muhammad (sas), probably returned to the same place repeatedly and waited for many hours expecting the return of ‘Abdullah to ensure his business partner would not be put under any duress as a result of his absence. Once he stepped into the business world, his honesty, trustworthiness, straight talk, and truthfulness were so widely recognized that he came to be known by the name of Amin (the Trustworthy).
Khadijah (ra) bint Khuwailid was a noble and wealthy lady of Makkah; she earned the title Tahirah (the Pure) because of her noble character. After she became a widow, many chieftains sent her proposals but she rejected them all. Having learned about Muhammad’s honesty, trustworthiness, and other excellent attributes, and also personally having observed him at the time when she invested her money in trade through him, she sent a marriage proposal to Muhammad (sas). Muhammad (sas) after consulting his uncle, Abu Talib accepted it. At the time of this blessed marriage, Muhammad (sas) was exactly 25 years old, and Khadijah (ra) was 40 years old.
All the children of Muhammad (sas) were from Khadijah (ra) except Ibrahim, who was born to Mariyyah al-Qibtiyyah (ra). His three sons were Qasim12, Tahir, and Tayyab. In some traditions ‘Abdullah, a fourth son is also mentioned, though it is generally thought that ‘Abdullah was the second name given to Tayyab. Among his daughters were Zainab (ra), Ruqayyah (ra), Ummi Kulthum (ra), and Fatimah (ra). All the boys died young, and all the girls reached their youth and accepted his prophethood, but none of them had any children except Fatimah (ra) who was married to ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (ra).
According to historians, the Ka‘bah was partially damaged in those times. The Quraish being its custodians, were responsibile for the rebuilding of the Ka‘bah, but they were fearful of the idea of demolition. Finally, Walid bin Mughirah started the reconstruction and everyone later joined him. While demolishing, when they reached the foundation laid down by Abraham (as), they stopped there and started new construction over it. When it was time to place the Black Stone13 at its position, every tribe wanted to win this honour. A dispute arose and the construction work was halted for several days. Finally, at the suggestion of Abu Umayyah bin Mughirah, it was decided that whosoever would be the first to enter into the Ka‘bah the following day would be made the arbitrator of the dispute. The decree of God was such that Muhammad (sas) was the first one to arrive there the next day. On seeing him, everyone started cheering “Amin! Amin!” Muhammad (sas) made an amazing decision, he spread his mantle and placing the Black Stone on it with his own hands, asked the tribal chieftains to hold the corners of the mantle, and carry it to the place where the Black Stone was to be placed. When the Quraish reached the destination, Muhammad (sas) lifted the stone with his own blessed hands, and placed it in its position.14 Thus, he resolved this dangerous dispute with great wisdom.
According to historians, this event took place when Muhammad (sas) was 35 years old. Bukhari has a tradition related to the construction of the Ka‘bah that when Muhammad (sas) was gathering stones for the construction, his uncle ‘Abbas bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib told him to put his waist cloth over his shoulder to prevent being scraped by the stones. Muhammad (sas) obeyed his uncle, but since it bared parts of his body, he looked away in embarrassment and nervously tripped and fell down.
It seems that this event predates quite a bit the event of the placement of the Black Stone. We find out from the research of some historians that this incident dates back to the childhood of Muhammad (sas) as usually the construction work spanned many years because of the unavailability of the building material. But the incident of being the arbitrator for the placement of the Black Stone certainly happened later because he was given the title of Amin only after he became involved in business dealings.
Hakim bin Hizam was a nephew of Khadijah (ra). He went on a trading trip, and bought a slave whom he presented to Khadijah (ra) as a gift. Khadijah (ra) found the slave sharp and intelligent and presented him to Muhammad (sas). This was Zaid bin Harithah, who was very dear to Muhammad (sas) because of his loyalty. Zaid was so attached to Muhammad (sas) that when his father, Harithah, and uncle, Ka‘b, came to Makkah to take him back, he preferred to stay with Muhammad (sas). When Muhammad (sas) noticed the sentiments of Zaid, he hurried to the Ka‘bah and loudly announced the freeing of Zaid. As the Qur’anic prohibition regarding adopted sons had not been revealed yet, Muhammad (sas) made him his adopted son. Zaid came to be known by the name of Zaid bin Muhammad. However, after the prohibition, he was again known by the name of Zaid bin Harithah. But this did not result in any loss of love between the two; rather, his love of Muhammad (sas) continued to grow.
As mentioned before, after the death of ‘Abdul-Muttalib his family had weakened, and Abu Talib was going through grave hardship. Observing his challenges, Muhammad (sas) counselled with his other uncle ‘Abbas (ra) to adopt the sons of Abu Talib. ‘Abbas (ra) liked the idea and both approached Abu Talib. Abu Talib decided to keep Aqil with him since he dearly loved him, and agreed to give them the other two sons. Muhammad (sas) took ‘Ali (ra) into his guardianship and ‘Abbas (ra) took Ja‘far.
Now our narration has reached the time when Muhammad (sas) was a young man, therefore, it is appropriate to describe his blessed profile. He was of medium height, had a handsome body, fair but glowing red complexion, hair somewhat curled, big head, broad chest, fulsome hands and feet, broad palms, round face, high forehead and nose, black and bright eyes, and long eyebrows. He had a dignified walk, and talked with great calmness. His face was always reflective of his state of pleasure or grief.
Muhammad (sas) from his childhood distanced himself from participating in public gatherings. The state of the nation would make his heart cry, and he would pray to God, the Exalted, for their reformation. In those days, he was totally consumed day and night in worshipping Allah, the Exalted. He would take enough food with him to last many days to the Cave of Hira, which was three miles from Makkah, for the sake of worship. There is a tradition in Bukhari narrated by ‘A’ishah (ra) that this was the time when Muhammad (sas) started having abundant frequent true and blessed dreams, and this was the precursor of receiving revelation.
1 Ibni Hisham and Az-Zarqani.
2 The date determined by Mahmud Pasha al-Falaki Misri, a famous mathematician and space researcher of the 19th century. [Publisher]
3 Muhammad (sas), whose birth is mentioned here, is considered the apex of creation by Muslims and his advent was foretold by other religions as well. The Chief of the Two Worlds and the Chief of Creations were two titles of Muhammad (sas). [Publisher]
4 Az-Zarqani and Tarikhul-Khamis.
5 Az-Zarqani.
6 Thuwaibah was a slave of Muhammad’s paternal uncle, Abu Lahab.
7 Banu Sa‘d was a branch of Banu Hawazin.
8 He came to be well known by his nickname, Ibni Abi Kabshah because of this incident.
9 Ibni Sa‘d (Account of the Wet Nurse of Muhammad (sas)).
10 Nurun-Nibras and Musnad Ahmad, cited by Sirat Khatamun-Nabiyyin.
11 Sunan Abi Dawud.
12 Muhammad (sas) came to be known by the name of Abul Qasim (Father of Qasim) because of his son, Qasim.
13 The Black Stone is a revered stone affixed into one corner of the Ka‘bah. [Publisher]
14 Ibni Hisham, At-Tabari and others.