Prophet Muhammad's Biography (Part 4)

Muhammad's Early Occupation.

Muhammad (pbuh) had no particular job at his early youth, but it was reported that he worked as a shepherd for Bani Sa'd and in Makkah for a wage.
At the age of 25 he went to Syria as a merchant for Khadija (R.a).
Ibn Ishaq reported that:

 Khadija (r.a). daughter of Khuwailid was a business-woman of great honor and fortunate. she used to employ men to do her business for a certain percentage of profits.

The Quraish were merchants, so when Khadija was informed of Muhammad (pbuh), his truthful words, great honesty and kind manners, she sent for him, She offered him money to go to Syria and do her business, and she would give him a higher rate than the others. She would also send her servant, maisarah, with him, He agreed and went with her servant to Syria for trade.

His Marriage to Khadija.

When he returned to makkah, Khadija (R.A) noticed in her money more profits and blessings than she was accustomed to. Her servant also told her of Muhammad's good manners, honesty, deep thought, sincerity and faith.
She realized that she homed at her target. Many prominent men had asked  for her hand in marriage but she always refused their advances. She disclosed her wish to her friend Nafisa, daughter of Muniya, who immediately went to Muhammad (pbuh) to in for him.

He agreed and requested his uncles to go to khadija's uncle to discuss the matter. subsequently, they were married. The marriage agreement was witnessed by Bani Hashim and the heads of Mudar. This took place after the Prophet's return from Syria. He gave her twenty camels as a dowry, she was then 40 years old and was considered the best of women lineage, fortune and wisdom. She was the first woman Allah's Messenger (pbuh) married. He did not get married to any other until she passed away.

With the exception of Ibrahim, Khadija (r.a) bore all of his children; Al-Qasim, Zainab,Rugaiyah, Umm Kulthum, Fatimah and 'Abdullah who was called Taiyib and Tahir.. All his sons died in their childhood and all the daughters except Fatimah died during his lifetime. Fatimah (r.a) died 6 months after his death. All his daughters witnessed Islam, embraced it, and emigrated to Madinah. [Ibn Hisham 1/190,191; Fath Al-Bari 7/507] {mospagebreak}


to be continued soon inshaalah.

*Context was taken from the revised Edition of of Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtumi's The Sealed Nectar.

ok thats it for this post. Till next time Peace be unto you!
Salaam

Prophet Muhammad's Biography (Part 3)

To His Compassionate Grandfather.

After his mother's death 'Abdul-Muttalib (his grandfather) brought the boy to Makkah.He had warm passions towards the boy, his orphan grandson, whose recent disaster ( his mother's death) added more to pains of the past.
'Abdul-Muttalib was more passionate with his grandson than with his own children. He never left the boy as prey to loneliness, but always preferred him to his own children.

Ibn Hisham reported:

A mattress was put in the shade of Al-Ka'bah for 'Abdul-Muttalib. His children used to sit around that mattress in honor to their father, but Muhammad (pbuh) used to sit on it. His uncles would take him back, but if  'Abdul-Muttalib was present, he would say: "Leave my grandson. I swear by Allah that this boy will hold a significant position".He used to seat the boy on his mattress, pat his back and was always pleased with what the boy did. [ Ibn Hisham 1/168. Talqih Fuhum Ahlil-Athar P7]

When Muhammad (Pbuh) was 8 years 2 months and 10 days old, his grandfather 'Abdul-Muttalib passed away in makkah. The charge of the Prophet (pbuh) was now passed on to his uncle Abu Talib, who was the brother of the Prophet's father.

Abu Talib took the responsibilty of his nephew in the best way. He put him with his children and preferred him to them. He singled the boy out with great respect and high esteem. Abu Talib remained for 40 years cherishing his nephew and extending all possible protection and support to him.

His relation with the others were determined in the light of the treatment they showed to the Prophet (pbuh).

Ibn 'Asakir reported on the authority of Jalhamah bin 'Arfutah who said:

 " I came to Makkah when it was a rainless year, so Quraish said; ' O Abu Talib, the valley has become leafless and the children are hungry. let us go and pray for rainfall'. 

Abu Tali went to Al-Ka'bah with a young boy who was as beautiful as the sun, and a black cloud was over his head. Abu Talib and the boy stood by the wall of Al-Ka'bah and prayed for rain.

Immediately the clouds from all directions gathered and rain fell heavily and caused the flow of springs and growth of plants in the town and the country". [Mukhtasar Seerat-ur-Rasool p.15,16]

Bahirah, The Monk 

When Allah's Messenger (pbuh) was 12 years old (and they say 2 months and 10 days). He went with his uncle Abu Talib on a trade jouney to Syria.
When they reached Busra, there was a monk named Bahirah (they say his name was Georges), who came out to meet them, and although he had not met them before, he readily recognized the Prophet (pbuh) and said while taking his hand:

" This is the Master of all humans.Allah will send him with a Message which will be a mercy to all beings",  

Abu Talib asked: "How do you know that?" 

He replied: "when you appeared from the direction of 'Aqabah, all stones and trees prostrated themselves. which they never do except for a Prophet. I can also recognize him by the Seal of Prophethood which is below his shoulder, like an apple.We have found this in our books".

He also asked Abu Talib to send the boy back to Makkah and not take him to Syria for fear of the Romans and jews.Abu Talib obeyed and sent him back with some of his men servants. [Ibn Hisham 1/180-183; Za'd Al-Ma'ad 1/17]

to be continued soon inshaalah.

*Context was taken from the revised Edition of of Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtumi's The Sealed Nectar.

ok thats it for this post. Till next time Peace be unto you!
Salaam

Prophet Muhammad's Biography (Part 2- His Childhood)

Childhood










It was the general custom of the Arabs living in towns to send their children away to bedouin wet nurses so that they might grow up in free and healthy surroundings of the desert. Thereby they would develop a strong body and acquire the pure speech and manners of bedouins, who were noted both for chastity of their language and for being free from those vices which usually develop in inactive societies.

The Prophet (P.B.U.H) was later entrusted to Halimah Bint Abi Dhuaib from Bani Sa'd bin Bakr. The Prophet had several foster brothers and sisters. Tradtions delightfully relate how Halimah and the whole of her household were favored by successive strokes of good fortune while the baby Muhammad (pbuh) lived under her care.
Ibn Ishaq states that Halimah narrated that

she along with her husband and a suckling baby, set out from her village in the company of some women from Banu Sa'd bin Bakr in quest of children to suckle. she said:  It was a year of drought and famine and we had nothing to eat. I rode on brown mule, We also had with us an old she-camel. By Allah, we could not get even a drop of milk. We could not have a wink of sleep during the night for the child kept crying because of hunger. There was not enough milk in my breast and even the she-camel had nothing to feed him. we used to constantly pray for rain and immediate relief. At Length we reached Makkah looking for children to suckle. Not even a single woman among us accepted Allah's Messenger offered to them because he was an orphan.

Every woman who came with me got a suckling and when we were about to depart I said to my husband " By Allah, i do not like to go back along with the other women without a baby, i should go to that orphan and i must take him". he said "there's no harm in doing so and perhaps Allah might bless us through him".

So i went and took him, when i lifted him in my arms and returned to my place, i put him on my breast and to my surprise there was enough milk in it. he drank to his heart content and so did his foster brother (who was not able to sleep the previous night). My husband went to milk the she-camel who had plenty of milk in it. he milked it and we drank to our fill and enjoy a sound sleep that night.my husband next morning said "By Allah! O Halimah, you must understand you have gotten a blessed child" and i replied: "by the grace of Allah, i hope so".

Tradition is clear on the point that Halimah's return journey and her subsequent life as long as the Prophet (PBUH) stayed with her, was encircled with a halo  of good fortune.
Muhammed stayed with Halimah for two years until he was weaned as Halimah said:

We then took him back to his mother earnestly requesting her to have him stay with us and so we may benefit from the good fortune and blessings he brought us. we persisted in our request, expressing our anxiety over the child catching a certain infection peculiar to Makkah. At last, we were granted our wish and the Prophet (pbuh) stayed with us untill we returned with him. 
[Ibn Hisham 1/162-164]

The Prophet stayed with them untill he was about 4 or 5 years old. [ Ibn Hisham 1/162-164]
then as related by Anas (r.a) in Sahih Muslim;

Gabriel (A.S) came down, opened his chest and took out the heart, he then extracted a blood-clot out of it and said "that was the part of Satan in thee" And then he washed it with the water of Zamzam in a gold basin. After that the heart was joined together and restored to its place. the boys and playmates came running to his mother (Halimah) and said "Verily, Muhammad has been murdered". They all rushed towards him and found him to be all right and that only his face was white/bright. And Anas (r.a) said "I have seen the mark that was left on his chest" [Sahih Muslim 1/92]

BACK TO HIS PASSIONATE MOTHER

After this event, Halimah was worried about the boy and returned him to his mother with whom he stayed until he was 6. [ Talgih Fuhum Ahlil-Athar. p.7. Ibn  Hisham 1/168]

In respect of the memory of her late husband, Aminah (Prophet's mum) decided to visit his grave in Yathrib  (Madinah). She set out to cover a journey of 500KM with her orphan boy, her father in-law ('Abdul Muttalib) and a woman servant (Umm Aiman). She spent a month there and then made her way back to Makkah. On the route, she suffered a severe illness and died in Abwa on the road between Makkah and Madinah. [ Ibn Hisham 1/168]

to be continued soon inshaalah.

*Context was taken from the revised Edition of of Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtumi's The Sealed Nectar.

ok thats it for this post. Till next time Peace be unto you!
Salaam

Prophet Muhammad's Biography (Part 1- His Birth)

His Birth
Muhammad (PBUH) the Master Of Prophets, was born in the Bani Hashim section of Makkah on Monday morning, the 9th of Rabi'u-awwal, the same year of the Elephant incident. (40 years into Kisra's reign)

Ibn Sa'ad reported that Muhammad's mother said: "When he was born, there was a light that issued out of my pudendum and lit the palace of Syria". Ahmed and Ad-Darimi reported something similar to this. [Mukhtasar Seerat-ur-Rasool, p.12; Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd 1/63]
It was reported that significant signs accompanied hid birth; 14 balconies of Kisra's Palace collapsed, the Magians' (wizard) sacred fire went out and some churches on ake Sawa sank down and collapsed. this was recorded by At-Tabari, Al-Baihaqi and others, but none of the chains of narration are confirmed. 

His Mother immediately sent someone to inform his grandfather 'Abdul-Muttalib of the happy event. Happily he came to her, carried him to Al-Ka'bah, prayed to Allah and thanked Him. [Ibn Hashim 1/159-160; Ibn Sa'd 1/103, At-Tabari 2/156-157]

'Abdul-Muttalib called the baby Muhammad, a name not then common among the arabs. he Circumcised him on his seventh day as was the custom of the Arabs. [Ibn Hisham 1/159,160; Zad Al-Ma'ad 1/18; Muhadarat Tareekh Al-Umam Al-Islamiyah 1/62]

The first woman who suckled him after his mother was Thuwaibah, the freed slave of Abu Lahab, with her son, Masruh. She had suckled Hamzah bin 'Abdul-Muttalib before and later Abu Salamah bin 'Absul-Asad Al-Makhzumi. [Talqeeh Furoom Ahl-al-Athar p.4; Mukhtasar Seerat-ur-Rasool p.13]

to be continued soon inshaalah.

*Context was taken from the revised Edition of of Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtumi's The Sealed Nectar.

ok thats it for this post. Till next time Peace be unto you!
Salaam