15 centuries ago, a child was born in the geographical center of the world who grew to become one of the most influential people in history. It was 570 of the Common Era; a noble widow of humble means gave birth to a resplendent boy in the great Arabian city of Mecca. He was named Muhammad, the immensely praised one, traditionally according to a sublime dream revealed to his mother.
He was orphaned at a most tender age. His father ‘Abdullah passed away six months before his birth and his mother Aminah died seven years after. These hardships fostered early the virtues of self-reliance, reflection and steadfastness.
As a youth Muhammad exhibited modesty and purity in manners, rare among the people of his time. Endowed with a refined mind and delicate taste, reserved and meditative, he lived much within himself. The ponderings of his heart supplied occupation for leisure hours spent by others in rude amusements. The fair character and honorable bearing of the righteous youth won the admiration of his fellow citizens. He was awarded the titles Al-Ameen, the Faithful, and Al-Saadiq, the Truthful. Respected and dignified, he lived a quiet and simple life.
He joined a confederacy of young men who pledged to suppress violence, defend the oppressed and help anyone who sought justice; a mission he continued to uphold till the day of his death.
At age 25, he married Khadijah, a rich widow 15 years his senior, but maintained his moderate and reclusive life giving away to the destitute virtually all the wealth she had gifted him upon wedlock. Despite the disparity of age between them, the union proved one of singular love and tranquility. She fully appreciated his noble genius and commanding mind.
He was often sought out as an impartial arbitrator. Once, he was summoned to resolve a fiery dispute about who would have the honor of replacing the sacred black stone in the newly refurbished Ka’abah. Muhammad calmly took off his mantle and placed the black stone upon it. He advised the leaders of every clan to take hold of the cloth altogether and lift up the stone simultaneously. Utilizing his wisdom, he peacefully averted bloodshed between Meccan tribes.
In his fortieth year Muhammad received his first message from God. He was shaken by the power of the revelation and rushed home trembling. It was his nurturing wife Khadijah who admiringly reassured him:
“I have known you to look after the requirements of the needy and share their miseries. You are a person who carried the burdens of those whose backs are broken under the load of affliction. You are restoring the virtues which have disappeared from the earth. You are kind and considerate to relations and observe the very best conduct. You are true and always have been. How could God ever let you go to waste? I sincerely believe in what you have experienced.”
The immaculate qualities of Muhammad convinced his wife that he was a true Divine Prophet, realizing it was impossible for a man of his caliber to be false.
The Meccans, who once adored him, now manipulated every means to hinder his calling. Trying persuasion, treaties, bribes and threats, even offering him a tempting kingship over them, Muhammad yet courageously replied:
"Should they array against me and put the sun in my right hand, and the moon in my left, as long as God commands me, I will not renounce my purpose."
He was an embodiment of one whose purpose in life was to serve. The foremost exemplar of a believer whose hallmark is manifested in the following verse of the Holy Qur’an:
“You are the best people raised for the good of all mankind; you enjoin goodness and forbid evil and believe in Allah…” (Chapter 3 verse 111).
Similarly, a well known saying of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is; “The leader of a people is the one who serves them.” This is who Muhammad, the servant and Messenger of God, essentially was.
During the pre-Islamic era he was gifted with a slave named Zayd. Contrary to custom, Muhammad freed him and treated him as a beloved son. After learning Zayd could be found in Mecca, his biological father traveled from Persia to ask Muhammad if his son could return home. "Of course”, agreed Muhammad, “but why not ask him yourself? He is a free man; I do not compel him to stay just as I will not force him to leave." Zayd’s father begged his son to go back with him to his family, but he politely refused passionately responding: "If the choice is mine, I will not return, because I have discovered a man who is dearer to me than my own father, mother, and everyone else in the world." Delighted, Muhammad took them outside and officially proclaimed: "I declare Zayd to be my adopted son."
Throughout his life he shared every adversity faced by fellow Muslims. During the Battle of the Ditch he suffered from hunger more intensely than anyone else. When portions were allotted in digging the ditch, he was no exception and gladly did his part. His companions often became overwhelmed seeing him in a burdened state, but the Holy Founder of Islam emphasized that he is a servant before being a Messenger of God.
He upheld rights indiscriminately, respected sensitivities and honored his guests.
In a time when women occupied no status in society he advocated their lofty worth like no one else, which is why he is hailed as the liberator of women. One of his most famous sayings, which our mothers love to remind us about, is; “Paradise lies under the feet of your mother.”
It was this fatherly affection that won him the hearts, minds and souls of the whole of Arabia and beyond. He transformed them from corrupt Bedouins buried deep in the earth into enlightened beings capable of soaring to the highest pinnacles of spiritual advancement.
In his renowned Farewell Address Prophet Muhammad boldly directed all peoples for all times, regardless of their faith, race, or social status. He exclaimed:
“The life, property and honor of every human being are sacred. To take any person’s life or property, or to attack their honor, is unjust and wrong. O people, you have certain rights over your women, but your women also have rights over you. Be ever mindful of the duty you owe to Allah in respect of your wives. Treat them well and be gentle towards them for they are your partners and committed helpers. Provide for them food, clothing and shelter according to your own standard of living. When you married, God appointed you the trustees and protectors of their rights. As regards to those under your authority, make sure that you feed them with such food as you eat yourselves; and clothe them with what you yourselves wear. They are God's creation just as you are. To give them pain or trouble can never be right. Allah, the Exalted, has made you brethren one to another, so be not divided. An Arab has no preference over a non-Arab, nor is a non-Arab above an Arab; nor is a white to be preferred to a dark, nor a dark to a white. All men, to whichever nation or tribe they may belong, and whatever station in life they may hold, are equal. No one has any right of superiority to claim over another. You are as one body. The most honorable among you is the one who is most righteous.”
This was the unlettered Messenger, Muhammad (God’s choicest peace, blessings and grace be upon him); the chosen one; persecuted; boycotted; hounded out of Taif; forced out of Mecca with a price on his head; pursued viciously even in Medina; challenged by force, and besieged. He was yet faithful, steadfast, and dutiful in service to God and His creation whether rejected or accepted, in tribulation and triumph proclaiming his beloved Lord as his undying strength.
His reality has been long distorted by the unreal legends built by his adversaries. I hope and pray that all of you will study the intriguing life of Muhammad, the servant and Messenger of God, coming to understand and appreciate why billions across the globe love him so very dearly.
This was just a drop’s worth of the ocean that is Prophet Muhammad’s life in utter contrast with the behavior of some present day so called Muslims.
Get the facts straight about Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) by visiting http://www.muhammadfactcheck.org/. To obtain your free copy of (1) the Holy Quran, (2) the book Life of Muhammad, and/or (3) The Muslim Sunrise Magazine simply visit http://www.muslimsforpeace.org/holy-prophet/ and fill out the request form on the right.
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