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Brief Biography


of the Prophet


The Situation of the Arabs before the (Mohammedan) Mission


Paganism was the prevailing religion of the Arabs. Their era was branded the Era of Ignorance due to this pagan religion that was opposed to the true faith. Allaat, Al-Uzza, Manat and Hubal were their most prominent idols. However, there were some Arabs that embraced Judaism, Christianity, and Magianism. There were also some that remained adherent to the Hanafiyyah (Islamic monotheism), the religion of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).


As regards to economic life, inhabitants of the desert absolutely relied on livestock that was based on animal husbandry. In the cities, agriculture and commerce were the mainstay of economic life. Prior to the advent of Islam, Makkah became the greatest commercial city in the Arabian Peninsula, although, there was architectural civilization in various places like Madinah and Taif.


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Regarding the social aspect, oppression was the order of the day. The weak had no right, girls were buried alive, honors were desecrated, the strong usurped the right of the weak, multiplicity of wives was common and knew no limits, adultery and fornication were widespread, warfare was pervasive and impending for the slightest reason, even amongst persons belonging to same tribe.


That was a quick glimpse on the reality of the Arabian Peninsula before the advent of Islam.


Son of the two that were to


be sacrificed


The tribe of Quraish used to brag and contend with Abdul Muttalib, grandfather of the prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in offspring and wealth. So, he made a vow that if Allah grants him ten sons he would sacrifice one of them as a way of gaining proximity to the idols. He achieved what he wanted and was granted ten sons, one of whom was called Abdullah the father of the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon


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him). When Abdul Muttalib wanted to execute his vow, he casted lots among his sons and Abdullah was drawn. As he went to sacrifice him, people obstructed his way to prevent him, so that such act does not develop to an established practice in the future. They agreed to cast lots between Abdullah and ten camels as a means of ransoming his life. The lots were casted but Abdullah was still drawn. Thus, they doubled the number of camels but he was drawn again. In this way, they continued to increase the number of camels and Abdullah was being drawn each time, until the number attained a hundred when the camels were drawn. Abdul Muttalib sacrificed the camels and ransomed his son Abdullah.


Abdullah was the most beloved of Abdul Muttalib's sons particularly after the redemption. When Abdullah grew up, his father chose a girl for him from the tribe of Zuhrah called Aminah bint Wahb and married her to him. Aminah took in and three months later, Abdullah went out in a business caravan trip to Sham (Great Syria). On their way back, he became sick and stayed with


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his maternal aunts in Madinah among the tribe of An-Najjar, where he died and was buried.


The months of pregnancy came over and on Monday, the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was born in the year 571AD, which is known as the Year of the Elephant. However, there is no verified appointment of the day and month in which he was born. Some say, he was born on the ninth of Rabi’ul Awwal and some on the twelfth. Yet, others say he was born in the month of Ramadan or so.


Episode of the Elephant


Abrahah, the Abyssinian, was the deputy governor of Negus in Yemen. He noticed that Arabs were performing pilgrimage to the Ka’bah, glorifying it and coming to it in multitudes from various distant places. Consequently, he built a mighty church in Sana'a to divert Arab pilgrims to it. A man from the tribe of Kinanah (one of the Arabian tribes) heard of this, went into the church by night, and stained its walls with feces. When Abrahah learnt of that, he became outraged and prepared a


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massive army of sixty thousand men with nine elephants, and marched with them to Makkah to demolish the Ka’bah. He chose one of the largest elephants for himself to ride. When he arrived close to Makkah, he geared up and prepared his army to enter Makkah, but the elephant knelt down and refused to proceed. Whenever they directed it to other directions, it would move fast but when they turned it towards the direction of Ka’bah, it would kneel down. While they were in this state, Allah sent upon them birds, in flocks, striking them with little stones of clay baked in the Hellfire, each bird carrying three stones like chickpeas, one on its beak and two in its talons. When they struck any of them, that person’s organs would begin to disintegrate and fall apart until he would die. They took to their heels, and as they fled they would fall to the ground. As for Abrahah, Allah sent upon him a disease that made his fingers fall off. He did not arrive at Sana'a until he had sustained a lot of injuries, and then he died. The tribe of Quraish were scattered in the mountain passes. They took refuge in the mountains for fear of their lives. When this calamity had befallen the army of Abrahah, they returned to their homes safe and sound. This


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incident occurred fifty days prior to the birth of Prophet Muhammad (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).


Fostering of the Prophet (PBUH)


When the prophet was born, Thuwaibah, maid of his uncle Abu Lahab, breastfed him. She had previously breastfed his uncle Hamzah bin Abdul-Muttalib (May Allah be pleased with him). That is why he became a foster-brother to the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). It was the custom of the Arabs to seek foster mothers for their children from among the Bedouins, because in the desert they had the means of sound physical growth and development, so the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was taken to another foster mother. During the period when the Prophet Muhammad (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was born, a group of Bedouin women from the tribe of Banu Sa’d arrived in search for children to breastfeed. They went around to various houses but they all ignored the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) because he was an orphan from a poor home, and they feared they


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would not be paid adequately by his family. Halimah As-Sa’diyyah was one of those women who ignored him. She went around to most of the houses but she could not get a child from a rich home that paid high wages. She was in need of a good wage to lessen the hardships of life and abject poverty, especially since that was the year of the drought. Therefore, she thought of returning to the house of Aminah to get the orphan child and little wage. Halimah had arrived to Makkah with her husband on a scrawny donkey that was slow in movement. On their journey back home, she found that while carrying the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), the donkey was running so fast that it was beating all the others. This amazed her travel companions. Halimah also stated that she barely had any breast milk, and her child was always crying out of hunger. But when she breastfed the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), the milk gushed in abundance. She further speaks about the aridity of her land in the dwellings of Banu Sa’d, which having gotten the pleasure to breastfeed this child, produced crops and grazed her sheep. In fact, her condition


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transformed absolutely from misery and poverty to bliss and affluence.


Muhammad (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) spent two years under the care of Halimah, who was so keen to care for him, perceiving internally the supernatural things and circumstances that surrounded this child. When the two years were over, Halimah had to bring him back to his mother and grandfather in Makkah. However, due to the blessings she noticed in him (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) which had transformed her life, Halimah insisted that he be allowed to remain with her for another period, and Aminah agreed. Halimah happily took him back to the dwellings of Banu Sa’d again in high ecstasy and out-and-out delight.


Splitting of the Chest


One day, when Muhammad (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was about four years old, playing away from the tents with his foster-brother, the son of Halimah As-Sa’diyyah, Halimah’s son came running, with signs of fear on his face. He asked his mother to save his


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brother. Halimah asked him what the matter was, and he replied: "I saw two men dressed in white who took my Quraishi brother, laid him down, and opened his chest". Before, he could conclude his narration, Halimah was already running towards Muhammad (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and found him standing still in his place and pale. She asked him in a hankering mood, what happened to him. He replied that he was fine, and narrated to her that two men dressed in white took him, opened his chest, extracted his heart, removed a black clot of blood from it, casted it away, and then washed his heart with rose water, and returned it back to the abdomen. Then, they rubbed their hands on his chest, left the place and disappeared. Halimah brought Muhammad back to the tent. At dawn of the next day, she took him to his mother in Makkah. Aminah was surprised that Halimah returned with the child before the appointed time despite her original enthusiasm to keep him. She enquired about the reason, and she told her of the incident of the splitting of the chest.


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Aminah took her orphaned child to Madinah to visit his maternal aunts in the dwellings of Banu An-Najjar. They stayed there for days, and on their way back to Makkah, she passed away in a place called Al-Abwa and was buried there. At this point, Muhammad bade farewell to his mother at the age of six.


His grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib, undertook the responsibility to care of him, support him, show love to him, and make him feel at home. When he was eight, his grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib, passed away. Muhammad (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was then cared for by his uncle Abu Talib, despite his large number of children and scarce means. His uncle and his wife both treated him as one of their own children. The orphan child was so fond of his uncle, and it was under this atmosphere that his early development began. He was raised upon truthfulness and honesty, which later became the nicknames by which he was identified. When it was said that “the honest” or “the truthful” man had arrived, it was understood that Muhammad (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had arrived.


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When he has grown up a bit, he earned his living and began to rely upon himself with respect to life’s affairs. He, (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) began the trip of work and earning. He worked as a herdsman for some people of Quraish for a small amount of money.


He partook in a business trip to Sham (Great Syria), in which Khadijah bint Khuwailid invested a great amount of money. Khadijah was a wealthy widow. She had an agent and bondsman called Maisarah, whom she entrusted with her business. With the blessing and honesty of the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), Khadijah's business thrived in a way she had never experienced before. She asked her bondsman Maisarah of the reason behind this tremendous prosperity. He informed her that Muhammad bin Abdullah had taken charge of the process of supply and sales. People turned to him in multitudes, which led to immense profit that did not involve oppression. Khadijah gave a listening ear to her bondsman Maisarah and learned about Muhammad bin Abdullah.


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She became strongly fascinated by him and desired to be married to him. She sent one of her relatives to seek his interest in this issue. The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) by this time was twenty-five years old. When the woman came offering him to marry Khadijah, he accepted and was pleased with it. They were pleased with each other, and Muhammad began managing the financial affairs of Khadijah. He proved his competence and ability. Years passed by and Khadijah gave birth to several children: shed had four girls named Zainab, Ruqayyah, Ummu Kulthum and Fatimah, and two boys named Al-Qasim and Abdullah. Both of her boys died at infancy.


Prophethood


While approaching the age of forty, the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) frequently went into seclusion in the cave of Hira in a mountain close to Makkah from the east. He would spend successive days and nights there, worshipping Allah. Having attained the age of forty and while he was in the cave, on the twenty-first night of Ramadan, Angel Jibreel (Gabriel) came to him and said, read! He replied,


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I cannot read (i.e. I do not know how to read).” He repeated the command three times. On the third time he said to him,


اقْرَأْْ بِْاسْمِ رَْبِّكَاْلَّذِيخَْلَقَْ *ْخَْلَقَ اْلْْنْسَانَ مِْنْ عَْلَ قْ *ْاْقْرَأْ وَْرَبُّكَْ 


الَْْكْرَ مْ*ْ اْلَّذِيعَْلَّمَ بِْالْقَلَمِْ*ْعَْلَّمَ اْلْْنْسَانَ مَْا لََْْ يَْعْلَمْْ  ]العلق:ْ 1 -ْ 5 ]


“Read! In the Name of your Lord, Who has created (all that exists). He has created man from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read! And your Lord is the Most Generous. He Who taught (the use of) the pen; He taught man that which he knew not.” [Al-Alaq: 1-5].


Then he left him. The Messenger of Allah could not bear remaining in the cave of Hira anymore. So he returned home to his wife Khadijah trembling, and said, "Wrap me up! Wrap me up!" He was wrapped up in garments until his fear disappeared. After that, he told her everything what had happened. He said, “I fear that something may happen to me.” Khadijah replied, "Never! By Allah, Allah will never disgrace you. You keep good relations with your


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kith and kin, help the poor and the destitute who cannot rely on themselves, you serve your guests generously, and you assist those who have been struck by calamities ".


After a short period, he resumed going to the cave to carry on his worship therein. When he finished worshipping and came out of the cave to return to Makkah, he saw from the middle of the valley, Angel Jibreel sitting on a chair between the heaven and earth. The following verses were revealed:


ا اْ لْ  يَُُّّيَا أَْ دَّثِّ رْ *ْ قمْ فَْأَنْذِرْْ *ْْْ وَرَبَّكَفَْكَبِّّْ *ْ يَْابَكَفَْطَهِّرْْ وَثِ *ْْ


وَالرُّجْزَ فَْاهْ جرْْ  ]لدثر:ْ 1 -ْ 5 ]


“O you wrapped up (in the mantle)! Arise and warn! And your Lord magnify! And your garments purify! And keep away from ar-rujz (the idols)!” [Al-Muddatthir: 1-5]. Then, the revelation continued one after the other.


When the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) began his mission, the virtuous wife answered the call to faith, testified that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah


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(Monotheism) and that her noble husband is the prophet and messenger of Allah. Thus, she became the first to embrace Islam. The messenger of Allah informed his bosom friend Abu Bakr about Islam and he believed and testified it to be true without hesitation. As a token of keeping faith with his uncle Abu Talib, who took care of him and sustained him after the death of his mother and grandfather, the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), took one of his children, Ali, to raise him and spend on him. It was in this atmosphere that Ali opened his heart and embraced Islam. Later, Zaid bin Harithah, who was Khadijah’s slave, joined them.


The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) continued his propagation in secrecy. The Muslims used to conceal their Islam, because if any of them was discovered, he would be subjected to the severest type of punishment by the unbelievers of Quraish , in order to deter him away from Islam.


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Open Propagation


When the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) had spent three years in individual secret propagation, Allah the Most High, revealed:


.ْ فَاصْدَعْ بِْمَ يَْْنِ اْ لشِْْكِ تؤْمَ ر وَْأَعْرِضْعَْ  ]الحجر: 94 ]


“Therefore, proclaim openly that which you are commanded, and turn away from the polytheists.” [Al-Hijr: 94]


One day, the Messenger of Allah ascended mount As-Safa and called out to the people of Makkah. Many people gathered before him including Abu Lahab, who was one of the most avowed enemies of Allah and His Messenger. When they had gathered, he said: “What would you think if I were to inform you that the enemy is behind the mountain, preparing to attack you? Would you believe me?” They said, “We do not know you except for truthfulness and trustworthiness.” Then he said, “I am a warner for you before the coming of a severe punishment.” The Messenger continued to invite them to the path of Allah and to shun their


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practice of idol worshipping. Abu Lahab rose from the midst of the people and said, (to the Prophet) "May your hands perish. Is it for this purpose you have gathered us?" Then Allah revealed on his account a chapter of the Noble Qur'an that would be recited until the Day of Judgment:


دَا أَْبِِ لَََْ بوَْتَبَّْ  تَبَّتْيَْ *ْ مَْا أَْغْنَى عَْنْ ه مَْا ل ه وَْمَا كَْسَبَْ*ْْ


سَيَصْلََ نَْاراً ذَْاتَلَََْ بْ*ْ وَْامْرَأَ ت ه حَََّْالَةَ اْلحَطَبِْ*ْ فِِْ جِْيدِهَا حَْبْلٌْ


مِنْ مَْسَ دْ  ]السد:ْ 1 -ْْ 5 ]


“May the hands of Abu Lahab be ruined, and ruined is he! His wealth and his children will not profit him. He will be burnt in a Fire of blazing flames! His wife shall carry the (crackling) wood - as fuel! In her neck is a twisted rope of masad (palm fiber).” [Al-Masad: 1-5]


The Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) carried on his propagation, and began doing it openly in public gatherings. He used to pray at the Ka’bah, visit


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the assemblies of people, and go to Quraish in their markets to invite them to Islam. He faced a lot of harm. The persecution of the unbelievers to those who accepted the faith was intensified, including what we know of what happened to Yasir, Sumayyah, and their son Ammar. The parents died as martyrs out of the severe torture. Thus, Summayyah became the first female martyr in Islam. Bilal bin Rabah, the Abyssinian, suffered severe torture under Umayyah bin Khalaf and Abu Jahl. Bilal embraced Islam at the hands of Abu Bakr. When his master Umayyah bin Khalaf learnt of that, he used all means of torture in order for him to revert to disbelief, but he refused and adhered strictly to Islam. Umayyah would take him to the outskirts of Makkah, shackled in chains and place a heavy rock on his chest after having stretched him on the blazing sand. Then he and his followers would assail upon him the strikes of the cane, but Bilal would keep repeating, "Only One God, Only One God". While he was in this situation, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) passed by him, bought him from Umayyah, and set him free for the sake of Allah.


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Wisdom demanded that under such persecution, the Messenger of Allah (praise and peace be upon him) should prevent Muslims from proclaiming Islam openly. Therefore, he used to assemble with them secretly. This is because if he assembled with them openly, the polytheists and idolaters would hinder him from the teachings and guidance he wanted to convey to them. That would also lead to a confrontation and collision between both parties. It is well-known that a collision might lead to the demolition and extirpation of Muslims, owing to their scarce numbers and scarce equipment. Therefore, it was part of sagacity to conceal themselves. As for the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), he was propagating Islam openly and observing his worship before the polytheists despite the harm he was receiving from the disbelievers of Quraish.


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Migration to Abyssinia


When the persecution of anyone discovered to have embraced Islam, particularly the weak among them, continued at the hands of the polytheists, the noble Companions (sahabah) asked the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to allow them to migrate with their faith to Negus at Abyssinia, where they would find security especially that many Muslims were afraid of their lives and families, if they continue to live under the Quraish, and he permitted them to migrate. That was in the fifth year of his mission. About seventy Muslims migrated with their families, including Uthman bin Affan and his wife Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Quraish strove to tarnish their image and put an end to their stay in Abyssinia. They sent gifts to the King demanding him to hand the Muslims back to them saying that Muslims speak ill of Jesus Christ (peace be on him) and his mother. When the Negus asked them of that, they explained to him what the Noble Qur'an says


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about Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). They clarified the truth to him, and recited Surah Maryam for him. After listening to them, he granted them security and refused to hand them back to Quraish, and announced his Islam.


In the month of Ramadan of the same year, the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) went out to the people in the Sacred Precincts (Al-Haram) and began to recite Surah An-Najm. There was a large assembly of people from Quraish who did not believe. They had never heard of the word of Allah before this point, due to their perpetual manner of exhorting one another not to listen to the messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). When he surprised them with the recitation of this chapter and the divine picturesque speech resonated in their ears, every one of them remained listening to it and having nothing else occurring to their minds, until he recited the verse:


ج دوا لِْلَِِّّ وَْاعْ ب دوا . فَاسْ  ]لنجم: 62 ]


“So prostrate to Allah and worship [Him].” – [An-Najm: 62]


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He prostrated and they could not help but prostrate with him.


Quraish continued to fight the propagation of the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), using various methods, including torture, persecution, threats, and causing enmity. However, this only caused more adherence to the religion of Islam and an increase in the number of believers.


Here, they are using a novel method to combat Islam when they drafted a letter, unanimously signed it, and hung it up inside the Ka’bah. It was an agreement to absolutely excommunicate the Muslims and Banu Hashim. They decided that no business shall be conducted with them, no marriages, no collaborations, and no transactions. The Muslims were compelled to depart from Makkah and went to some of its mountain passes known as the mountain pass of Abu Talib. There, they suffered severely and underwent various kinds of hunger and hardships. The capable ones among them spent most of their wealth, to the extent that Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) spent all her wealth. Diseases spread among them, and most


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of them were on the verge of starvation. However, they withstood the circumstances, and persevered. None of them denounced their faith, despite the fact that the siege lasted for three years. Thereupon, a man among the prominent men of Quraysh, who had some relation with Banu Hashim went and breached the terms of the covenant, and announced that to the public. When they brought out the pact, they found that termites had eaten it, and nothing remained of it except the statement “In Your name, O Allah.” The crisis was over, and Muslims and Banu Hashim returned to Makkah. However, the Quraish maintained their oppressive stance towards the Muslims.


The Year of Sorrow


A serious sickness began getting its way into Abu Talib's body, the uncle of the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) leaving him bedridden. Suddenly, he began undergoing the agonies of death and the Messenger of Allah stood beside his head, imploring him to him to say, "La Ilaaha Illallaah" – “there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah”, before death overtook him. The bad


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company of Quraish , headed by Abu Jahl, who were with him, prevented him from proclaiming these words, saying, "Would you forsake the religion of your forefathers and ancestors?" "Would you reject the religion of Abdul Muttalib?" They continued to pressure him until he passed away upon polytheism. The prophet's grief over his uncle was intensified for having died as an unbeliever.


About two months later, Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her) passed away and the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) grieved deeply over her. This time around, the persecution of his people was severe, particularly after the death of his uncle Abu Talib and his wife Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her).


The Messenger of Allah in Taif


The tribe of Quraish persisted in their tyranny, high-handedness and indignation to the Muslims. The messenger of Allah thought of going to Taif perchance Allah would guide them to Islam. The trip to Taif was not an easy one owing to the strenuous trip because of the high mountains


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surrounding it. However, the reception he got from the people of Taif was very disgusting, as they did not listen to him. Rather, they drove him away and incited the youth against him, who casted stones on him and wounded him on his heels. When he was on his way to Makkah, feeling very glooming and dispirited, Angel Jibreel (May Allah be pleased with him) approached him with the angel of mountains and called upon him saying, “Indeed, Allah has sent you the angel in charge of the mountains to order him to do to them whatever you wish.” Then the angel of the mountains called him and said, “O Muhammad, if you wish I will bring together the two mountains that stand opposite to each other at the extremities of Makkah to crush them in between.”


But the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said, “I rather hope that Allah will raise from among their descendants people as will worship Allah alone, and will not ascribe partners to Him (in worship).”


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This is out of his prodigious patience, tolerance and profound compassion for his people, despite the severe oppression he had suffered from them.


Splitting of the Moon


The polytheist used many arguments against the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). From these arguments, was that they demanded miracles from him to prove his mission as a messenger. They demanded this several times. Once, they asked him to split the moon into two. He asked his Lord to do that and he showed them the moon split into two. The Quraysh people witnessed this sign clearly, but nonetheless, they did not. Rather, they said, “Muhammad has bewitched us.” A man among them then said, “If he has bewitched you, then he cannot bewitch all people. So wait for the arrival of the frequent travelers.” When some travelers arrived, they asked them (if they saw the moon split), and they replied, “Yes, we have seen it.” Despite this, the Quraish stayed upon their disbelief.


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Al-Israa’ and Al-Mi'raaj


Al-Israa’ and al-Mi’raaj means the night journey (al-israa’) to Masjid al-Aqsaa and the ascension (al-mi’raaj) to the Heavens. Due to the bad experience in Taif, the death of Abu Talib and Khadijah (may Allah be pleased with her), and the intensification of Quraish's persecution of the Muslims, the messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was filled with worries. As a result, consolation came to this noble Prophet from his Lord. On one night, while the messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) was sleeping, Jibreel came to him riding on Al-Buraq, an animal that looks like the horse, having two wings and fast in running like the lightening. Jibreel took him on the animal and rode to Jerusalem in Palestine (Bait Al-Maqdis) and from there ascended with him to the heaven. There, he saw many of the signs of his Lord, the five daily obligatory prayers were spelt out and he returned on the same night to Makkah Al-Mukarramah with a cheerful mind and firm certainty. In this regard, Allah the Most High says,


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ى بِْعَبْدِهِ لَْيْلًً مِْنَ اْلَسْجِدِ اْلحَرَامِ إِْلََْ . سَْْ سبْحَانَ اْلَّذِي أَْ


الَسْجِدِ اْلَْقْصََاْلَّذِي بَْارَكْنَا حَْوْلَ ه لِْن رِيَ ه مِْنْ آَْيَاتِنَا إِْنَّه هوَْ


السَّمِي ع اْلبَصِ يرْ  }الإسراء: 1 }


“Glorified (and Exalted) be He Who took His slave (Muhammad) for a journey by night from the Inviolable Place of Worship (Al-Masjid-Al-Haram at Makkah) to the farthest mosque (in Jerusalem), the neighborhood whereof We have blessed, in order that We might show him of Our signs. Verily, He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer.” [Al-Isra: 1].


When he rose in the morning, he went to the Ka’bah and began informing the people of what happened to him. The unbelievers only increased in their belying and mockery of him. As a challenge, some people asked him to describe Jerusalem for them. He began describing it perfectly for them. The polytheists were not sufficed by these enquiries but they demanded for further evidence. Then the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) told


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them, “I met a caravan coming towards Makkah and he described the caravan, told them of the number of camels and the time it would arrive.” The messenger of Allah told the truth but the unbelievers remained in disbelief, obstinacy and denial. In the morning of the day of Isra, Jibreel came to the Messenger of Allah and taught him how to observe the five daily obligatory prayers and their appointed times because prayer before then used to be two rak’ahs only in the morning and two rak’ahs in the evening.


At this period, the Messenger of Allah restricted his propagation to people coming to Makkah when the Quraish had persisted in their reluctance to accept the truth. The Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) would meet people in their own places and homes, offer them Islam and explain it to them. His uncle Abu Lahab used to go behind him and caution people from listening to him and his message. Once upon a time, he came to a group of six persons from Madinah, invited them to Islam and they listened to him and unanimously agreed to follow and believe in him. The people of Madinah used to hear from


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the Jews that a prophet would be raised and his advent was imminent. When he preached to them, they knew that he was the prophet that was being mentioned by the Jews and they hurried to proclaim Islam, saying to themselves, the Jews should not precede you in this. The following year, twelve men arrived from Madinah and assembled with the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and he taught them Islam. When they returned to Madinah, he sent Mus’ab bin Umair to teach them the Qur’an and explain to them the rulings of Islam. Mus’ab was able to influence the community of Madinah, by the grace of Allah. When he returned to Makkah a year later, he had with him seventy-two men and two women. They met with the prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and pledged to support his faith and take charge of his affair and then they returned to Madinah.


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The New Headquarter of


Islamic Propagation


Madinah became a secure asylum for truth and its followers. Muslims began to migrate to Madinah, but Quraysh were determined to prevent them from migrating. As a result, some Muslims suffered various kinds of torture and persecution. They would migrate secretly out of fear of the Quraysh. As for Abu Bakr As-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), he used to seek permission from the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to migrate but he would say to him, “Do not be in a hurry, perhaps Allah would give you a companion,” until the majority of Muslims migrated.


The Quraysh went mad when they realized that the Muslims were assembling in Madinah. They harbored fears of the superiority of Muhammad and his Message. They sought counsel with one another and agreed to murder the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Abu Jahl said, “I think we should


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give a strong young man from each tribe a sword, and when they have surrounded him, they would all strike him at the same time so that his blood would be dispersed among the tribes, and Banu Hashim would not have the power to prosecute all the people.” Allah the Most High and Glorified, revealed this conspiracy to His noble Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Having gotten permission from Allah, he agreed with Abu Bakr to migrate. In the night, the Prophet asked Ali bin Abi Talib to sleep in his place to make it seem to the people that he was still at home.


The conspirators came, besieged the house, saw Ali on the bed and thought that he was Muhammad. They waited for him to come out, so that they can attack him. However, the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) passed in between them, while they surrounded the house, and casted sand on their heads. Allah seized their eyesight and they could not see or feel him. He met Abu Bakr, and they left towards Madinah, and hid in the cave of Thawr. The young men of Quraish continued waiting until dawn. When Ali


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stood up from the Prophet's bed, they were disappointed. They asked him of the whereabouts of the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), but he did not reply to them. They beat him, but to no avail.


Following this, the Quraish sent people in all directions in quest for him and dedicated an award of one hundred camels for anyone that would bring him dead or alive. Searchers reached to the mouth of the cave where the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his companion were hibernating to the extent that if any of them should look under his feet, he would have discovered them. Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) was afraid for the Messenger of Allah (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). So he said to him, “O Abu Bakr! What do you think of two, their third being Allah? Do not grieve. Verily, Allah is with us.” However, the people did not see them. The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) and his companion stayed in the cave for three days, and then moved to Madinah. The path was long, and the intensity of the sun


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was high. The following day in the evening, they passed by the tent of a woman called Ummu Ma’bad and requested for food and drink. They couldn’t get anything except for a thin goat, which didn’t have the strength to graze due to its weakness, and did not have not a drop of milk. The Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) approached it and rubbed his hands on its udder, and it began to gush abundantly with milk. He milked it and filled up a large vessel. Ummu Ma’bad stood astounded by what she had observed. They all drank to their fill. Then he milked it again, filled the vessel, left it for Ummu Ma’bad, and they carried on their journey.


The inhabitants of Madinah were awaiting the arrival of the prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him). Every day, they would anticipate his arrival outside the city. The day he arrived, they approached him with great delight and welcome. He stayed in Quba on the outskirts of Madinah for four days, established the Mosque of Quba, which is the first and foremost mosque built in Islam.


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On the fifth day, he moved to Madinah. Many of the Ansaar wanted to have the honour of hosting him. They took hold of the reign of his camel but he would thank them and say to them, “Leave it for it is commanded.” When the camel arrived where Allah had commanded, it knelt down, but the Prophet did not dismount it. Then it rose and moved forward a little, turned around, returned and knelt down at the initial spot again. Then, he dismounted it. That was the spot of the Prophet’s Masjid. The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) settled with Abu Ayyub Al-Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him).


As for Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), he stayed three days in Makkah after the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), returning the trusts which were under the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to their owners. Thereafter, he left for Madinah and met with the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) in Quba.


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The Prophet in Madinah


The Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) established his masjid on the spot where his camel knelt, after having bought the land from its owners. He established brotherhood between the Muhajiroon (his Companions that came with him from Makkah) and the Ansaar (those who helped him among the people of Madinah). He gave each of the Ansaar a brother among the Muhajiroon, who he would share his wealth with. The Muhajiroon and Ansaar began working together, and the bonds of brotherhood between them became firm and strong.


The Quraysh had ties with the Jews of Madinah. They tried to agitate instability and sedition in Madinah through the Jews and threatened the Muslims that they would get rid of them. This shows the extent of the danger the Muslims faced internally and externally. The danger increased to the extent that the Companions of the Prophet could not spend one night without having their swords handy. It was under these severe circumstances that Allah revealed the permission


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to fight. The Messenger of Allah began preparing military missions to survey the movements of the enemy. They would obstruct their business caravans in order to put pressure on them, make them feel the strength of Muslims, surrender, and allow them the freedom to practice and call to their faith. The Prophet also held pacts and alliances with some tribes.


The Battle of Badr


The Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) intended to obstruct one of the Quraysh business caravans coming from Sham. He went out with three hundred and thirteen men, who only had two horses and seventy camels. Quraysh’s caravan, led by Abu Sufyan and forty men, was composed of a thousand camels. Abu Sufyan learned of the plan of the Muslims. So he sent a message to Makkah informing them and seeking reinforcement. He took another path so that the Muslims would not reach them. As for the Quraysh, they were already out with an army of one thousand fighters. A messenger from Abu Sufyan came to them informing them that the caravan was still theirs (i.e. they did not lose it to the Muslims),


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and requested them to go back to Makkah. Abu Jahl refused to return, and they continued to advance.


When the Messenger of Allah learned that the Quraysh was advancing with an army, he consulted with his Companions. They all agreed to meet and fight Quraish . In the morning of the seventeenth day of Ramadan, two years after the migration to Madinah, both parties met and fought fiercely. The battle ended with the victory of Muslims, who had fourteen martyrs. As regards to the Quraish , they lost seventy men and another seventy were taken as captives. During the battle, Ruqayyah, the daughter of the Prophet and wife of Uthman bin ‘Affan (may Allah be pleased with him) died. Her husband had remained behind with her in Madinah, and did not partake in the battle based on the demand of the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) for him to stay back and tend to his sick wife. After the battle, the Prophet (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) married ‘Uthman to his second daughter, Umm Kulthum. He was nicknamed Dhun-


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Nurain, (the one with the two lights), because he married two of the Prophet's daughters.


After the battle of Badr, the Muslims returned to Madinah cheerful with the victory of Allah, along with their captives and spoils. Some of the captives ransomed themselves, some were set free without any ransom, while some others ransomed themselves by teaching ten of the Muslim children how to read and write.


The Battle of Uhud


This battle occurred between the Muslims and the non-Muslims of Makkah a year after the battle of Badr, where the polytheists were determined to avenge for their defeat in the battle of Badr. They went out with three thousand fighters, and the Muslims confronted them with about seven hundred men. At the beginning of the battle, the Muslims were victorious over the polytheists, who had fled for Makkah. However, they returned and swooped down the Muslims from the mountainside, when the archers breached the plan drawn for them by the Messenger of Allah (May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) as they descended


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