The Best Topic about the Prophet Muhammad
The Birth and Upbringing of Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was born in Mecca on a Monday, on the second of Rabi' al-Awwal. Some say it was on the tenth or the twelfth of the month. This occurred in the Year of the Elephant, though some say it was several years after that year. The father of the Prophet Muhammad passed away while he was still in the mother of the Prophet Muhammad's womb, though some say he died months after Muhammad's birth or a year or two years later. However, it is widely accepted that his father died before his birth.
His grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, performed the 'Aqiqah (sacrifice) for him when he was born and named him Muhammad. The name and lineage of the Prophet is: Abu al-Qasim, Muhammad ibn Abdullah, ibn Abdul Muttalib, ibn Hashim, ibn Abd Manaf, ibn Qusai, ibn Kilab, ibn Murrah, ibn Ka'b, ibn Lu'ayy, ibn Ghalib, ibn Fihr, ibn Malik, ibn al-Nadr, ibn Kinana, ibn Khuzayma, ibn Mudrika, ibn Ilyas, ibn Mudar, ibn Nizar, ibn Ma'ad, ibn Adnan.
Prophet Muhammad, the Generous with His Wet Nurse
Thuwaybah, the freed slave of Abu Lahab, was the first wet nurse of the Messenger of Allah; peace be upon him. Then Lady Halimah al-Sa'diyah nursed him. Lady Halimah came with a group seeking nurslings from Mecca in exchange for money. The lands of Banu Sa'd, where Halimah resided, were suffering from drought, and its inhabitants were experiencing poverty and scarcity of money and food. The people of Mecca desired to send their children to the desert so they could gain eloquence and strengthen their bodies in the harsh environment.
Since the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was an orphan, the wet nurses were reluctant to take him. However, Lady Halimah did not find any other child and took him to a nurse. She found great blessings during his stay with them, to the extent that blessings descended upon them even on their journey.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, grew up in the lands of Banu Sa'd much faster than those of his age. He stayed in those lands until he was five years old. When the incident of the chest opening occurred, Halimah feared for him and returned him to his mother.
Prophet Muhammad in His Mother's House
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, returned to his mother's house, who was overjoyed by his arrival and delighted to have him by her side. She took care of him, worked on his upbringing, and was assisted in this task by his foster mother, Umm Ayman. When Aminah bint Wahb, the mother of the Prophet, peace be upon him, noticed the physical and intellectual strength of her son, and his superiority over his peers, she decided to take him on a journey.
This journey was to the lands of her relatives, the Banu Adi ibn Najjar, in Medina so that the Messenger of Allah could meet his uncles and locate his father's grave. Umm Ayman was accompanying her on this journey. They stayed there for a month. On the way back, Aminah passed away in an area called "Abwa" and was buried there. Thus, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, returned as an orphan, deprived of both his father and mother.
The Noble Prophet in His Grandfather's House
Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Messenger of Allah, took charge of caring for him after the death of his mother. The Prophet's foster mother, Umm Ayman, shared in caring for him and worked on his upbringing. Abdul Muttalib had a special affection for the Messenger of Allah; peace be upon him. He treated him with exceptional kindness, recognizing his uniqueness and his future significance. It is mentioned in historical accounts that Abdul Muttalib had a special place near the Kaaba where he sat, and his sons would sit beside him, but no one would approach his bedding.
One day, while the Prophet, peace be upon him, was still young, he was sitting in his grandfather's place. His uncles attempted to move him from there, but Abdul Muttalib prevented them and kept the Prophet seated beside him. He showed him a tenderness and affection that he did not display to any of his other sons. When Abdul Muttalib felt his end was near, he entrusted the Prophet to his son Abu Talib. Abdul Muttalib passed away when the Prophet was eight years old.
The Noble Prophet in His Uncle's House
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, moved from his grandfather's guardianship to his uncle's care. Abu Talib was very poor and had many dependents, but he was the brother of Abdullah, the father of the Prophet, from both his mother and father. This was why Abdul Muttalib chose him to care for the Prophet. Abu Talib showed great love to his nephew and treated him kindly. The Prophet loved his uncle Abu Talib very much.
Due to Abu Talib's deep love for the Prophet, he could not find peace unless the Prophet was beside him. Therefore, he constantly accompanied him, slept beside him, and would not eat until the Prophet, peace be upon him, was present. Abu Talib even traveled with him on his trade journeys to Syria.
The Prophet's Marriage to Khadijah
When the Prophet, peace be upon him, reached adulthood, he wanted to assist his uncle, so he engaged in trade. He traded for Lady Khadijah bint Khuwaylid, a woman from the nobility of the Quraysh who traded with her wealth. When she saw the exemplary character of the Prophet, she desired to marry him. This was because she had heard from a Jewish man that a prophet would appear in Mecca and recognized these signs in the Prophet.
Lady Khadijah was a woman in her forties who had been previously married and had children. She had refused marriage proposals after the death of her husband. Although the nobles of Quraysh had proposed to her, she had turned them down as she was not interested in marriage. Until she saw the Prophet, she sent word to him through some of her close associates that if he proposed to her for marriage, she would accept.
At that time, the Prophet was twenty-five years old, peace be upon him. His uncle, Abu Talib, proposed to her on behalf of his nephew, and they were married. Lady Khadijah was the Prophet's best wife; may Allah be pleased with her.
The Mission of the Noble Prophet
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was sent when he was forty years old. While he was in the Cave of Hira, Gabriel (peace be upon him) came to him, and the chapter Al-Alaq (The Clot) was revealed to him at that moment. This event inspired great reverence in the heart of the Messenger of Allah.
He returned to his wife Khadijah, who reassured him and comforted him, saying, "No, by Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute, serve your guests generously, and assist the deserving calamity-afflicted ones." His call went through several stages.
The Secret Call
Six months after the beginning of revelation, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was commanded to call people to Islam. The verse was revealed: "Arise and warn!" (Quran 74:2). Thus, the Messenger of Allah began inviting his companions to Islam. This stage was characterized by secrecy; the Messenger of Allah was invited to the principles of faith and worshipped in the valleys away from the eyes of the disbelievers of Mecca. This stage lasted for two and a half years, and the house of Al-Arqam became the gathering place for Muslims during this period.
The Public Call
The secret stage ended, and the public call began. The beginning of this stage followed the revelation of the verse: "And warn your nearest kindred." (Quran 26:214). The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, went out and climbed Mount Safa. He called the people of Mecca, saying, "If I were to tell you that there were horsemen emerging from the foot of this mountain, would you believe me?" They said, "We have never experienced any lie from you." He said, "Then indeed, I am a warner to you before a severe punishment." Abu Lahab said, "Perish you! Is it for this you have gathered us?" Then he stood, and the verse was revealed: "May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined and ruined is he." (Quran 111:1-2). This loud call marked the beginning of that stage.
The Reaction of Quraysh to the Mission
Quraysh opposed the call of the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. They harassed him and his companions deliberately. They resorted to violence to end the call. When that did not yield any result, they turned to other forms of opposition. They would gather and consult among themselves to decide how to ridicule the call of the Messenger of Allah and what to say about the truth he brought.
However, this does not mean that all of Quraysh and the people of Mecca held the same stance. There were other attitudes displayed:
Several people from Mecca embraced Islam, including Uthman ibn Affan, Umar ibn al-Khattab, Hamza ibn Abdul-Muttalib, may Allah be pleased with them, and many others. Abu Talib's defense of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and his standing by his side despite not embracing Islam.
The Noble Prophetic Migration
After thirteen years of calling to Islam in Mecca, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was commanded to migrate to Medina. He migrated, accompanied by his companion Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. May Allah be pleased with him. At that time, the Prophet was 53 years old. The migration marked a turning point in Islamic history and marked the beginning of the establishment of the Islamic State.
Building the Islamic State by the Prophet
Since the arrival of the noble Prophet to Medina, he began laying the foundations for the establishment of the Islamic state. The following are some of the actions undertaken by the Messenger of Allah in Medina from the time of his arrival until his passing:
- Building the Mosque.
- Establishing brotherhood between the Migrants (Muhajireen) and the Helpers (Ansar).
- Drafting the Charter that defined the relationship between the Muslims and the Jews in Medina.
- Commanding and leading the armies for expeditions and battles, including:
- The Battle of Badr.
- The Battle of Uhud.
- The Battle of the Trench (Al-Khandaq).
- The Expedition of Khaybar.
- The Battle of Mu'tah.
- The Conquest of Mecca.
- The Expedition of Tabuk.
Wives of Prophet Muhammad
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, married the eleventh woman. The following are the names of the Prophet's wives; peace and blessings be upon him:
- Khadijah bint Khuwaylid: He married her before the prophethood and did not marry anyone else during her lifetime.
- Sawda bint Zam'a: The prophet married her after the death of Khadijah and before Aisha.
- Aisha bint Abi Bakr: He married her in the second year of Hijrah, and she was the only virgin he married.
- Hafsa bint Umar ibn al-Khattab: He married her in the third year of Hijrah.
- Zaynab bint Khuzayma ibn al-Harith al-Hilaliyya: He married her in the third year of Hijrah.
- Zaynab bint Jahsh: She was his paternal cousin, and he married her in the fifth year of Hijrah.
- Umm Habiba: She was Ramla bint Abi Sufyan, and he married her in the sixth year of Hijrah.
- Umm Salama: She was Hind bint Abi Umayya ibn al-Mughira al-Makhzumiyya, and he married her in the fourth year of Hijrah.
- Maymuna bint al-Harith: He married her in the seventh year of Hijrah.
- Safiyya bint Huyayy ibn Akhtab: Her father was one of the leaders of the Jews, and she was taken as a captive during the Battle of Khaybar. The Messenger of Allah married her in the seventh year of Hijrah.
- Juwayriyya bint al-Harith: He married her in the fifth year of Hijrah.
Sons and Daughters of the Prophet
The Prophet Muhammad - peace be upon him - had three sons and four daughters. All of them were from Lady Khadijah, except for Ibrahim, whose mother was Maria the Copt. Here are the names of the Prophet Muhammad's children:
Sons:
Daughters:
- Zainab.
- Ruqayyah, also known as Dhāt al-Hayratain (the one with two Migrations).
- Umm Kulthum.
- Fatimah, also known as Az-Zahra and Al-Batul.
The Death of the Prophet Muhammad
The Prophet Muhammad - peace be upon him - passed away on the 13th of Rabi' al-Awwal, in the year 11 AH (After Hijra). He was 63 years old according to the lunar calendar. Before his passing, the Prophet Muhammad fell ill. After the death of the Prophet Muhammad, he was washed by a group of companions, including Ali ibn Abi Talib and Al-Abbas - may Allah be pleased with them. The Prophet was buried in the chamber of Lady Aisha - may Allah be pleased with her.
