Life of Holy Prophet at Makkah

 Early Meccan period

Muhammad Ibn Abd Allah (Peace be upon him) born in the city of Mecca in the Year of the Elephant. The observance of the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad is celebrated on the 12^th day of Rabi’ al-Awwal, the third month in the Islamic calendar on Monday. 

The birth of the Messenger of God took place during the reign of Kisra Anusharwan in the year when Abrahah al-Ashram Abu Yaksum marched against Mecca with the Abyssinians, bringing with him the elephant, having the intention of demolishing the House of God.

Muhammad born into the clan of Banu Hashim within the tribe of Quraysh in Mecca. Muhammad’s father, Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib (born c. 546 AD / 76 BH), died shortly before his birth. According to Ibn Ishaq, his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib named him “Muhammad”, a name quite unknown at that time in the Arabian peninsula.

The Quraysh was the most powerful tribe in Mecca and had considerable influence in the surrounding area. Most of its members were worshippers of the traditional Arabian pantheons.

Aminah, the mother of the Prophet Muhammad, dies when he was 6 years old. She was a member of the Banu Zuhrah clan in the tribe of Quraysh who claimed descent from Ibrahim (pbuh) through his son Ismail (pbuh).

Abd al-Muttalib, the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad, dies. Muhammad was eight years old His father was Hashim ibn Abd Manaf (464-497), the progenitor of the distinguished Hashim clan of the Quraysh tribe of Mecca. They claimed descent from Ibrahim and Ismail. Abd al-Muttalib supplied pilgrims to the Ka’bah with food and water from the well Zamzam, the so called offices Siqaya and Rifada (Food & Beverages). This tradition was established by his the great-grandfather Qusai ibn Kilab ibn Murrah (died 400-480).

Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib (born c. 539), brother of Abd Allah, Muhammad’s father, became guardian of Muhammad after the death of his father Abd al-Muttalib. Leader of the Banu Hashim, he inherited the offices of siqaya and rifada. Abu Talib was the father of Ali Ibn Abi Talib.

583 (39 BH) Muhammad, age 12, accompanied his uncle Abu Talib during trading journeys to Syria. In one of them, his prophetic status was discovered by Bahira, a Christian monk of Busra al-Sham (southern Syria), who, after taking one look at Muhammad, pulled off his shirt to reveal the “seal of prophecy” (khatam an-nubuwwah) between Muhammad’s shoulder blades that the monk recognized from ancient manuscripts. Ahmad Ibn Yahya al-Baladhuri (died 892), one of the most eminent Middle Eastern historians of his age, tells the following story in his Ansab al-A shraf (“Genealogies of the Nobles”): «When the Prophet of God (peace be upon him) had reached the age of twelve, Abu Talib once had to depart to Syria for trade. The Prophet of God (peace be upon him) had a close bond with him […] Then one of the learned monks, whom hey called ‘Bahira’, saw him while a cloud gave him shade. He said to Abu Talib: ‘how is he related to you?’ He answered: ‘he is my nephew’. He said: ‘did you not see how the cloud gives him shade and moves with him?’ By God, he is a noble prophet and I reckon that he is the one who was announced by Jesus. His time has drawn near and it is your duty to protect him’. The Abu Talib sent him back to Mecca. The story of Muhammad’s encounter with Bahira, or “Sergius the Monk” to the Latin West, is found also in the works of the early Muslim historians Ibn Hisham, Muhammad Ibn Sa’d al-Baghdadi, and Muhammad ibn Jarir al-Tabari. Bahira derives from the Syriac bhira, meaning “tested (by God) and approved”.

591 (31 BH) Muhammad joined a pact of chivalry (futuwwah) for the establishment of justice and the protection of the weak and the oppressed made by certain notables of the Quraysh like Abd Allah ibn Judan, the chief of the clan of Taym and cousin of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. Az-Zubayr ibn Abd al-Muttalib, chief of the Hashim Clan brought the young Muhammad that took part of the pact. The oath was called Hilf al-Fudul (League of the Virtuous). Muhammad was chosen because his absolute truthfulness, trustworthiness and integrity, his sense of justice and compassion for the poor, oppressed and downtrodden. Al-Amin, the Trustworthy, the Honest, al-Sadiq, the Truthful, were the titles on everybody’s lips for Muhammad, which means itself the Praised One. The Islamic idea and practice of the Futuwwah (lit. “youth” and by extension, “nobleheartness”) starts with this oath of Muhammad.

Khadija (born c. 555) was daughter of a caravan merchant, Khuwaylid ibn Asad (died c. 585) and member of the tribe of Quraysh. She was a widow with considerable wealth. Khadija did not travel with her trade caravans; she employed others to trade on her behalf for a commission. By this time Khadija needed an agent for a transaction in Syria. Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib recommended her cousin Muhammad ibn Abd Allah. Khadija was so pleased with the young man’s honesty and success on this trip to Syria that she married him when she was aged 40 and he aged 25. Many wealthy Quraysh men had already asked for her hand in marriage, but all had been refused. While she remained alive during 24 years, Muhammad did not take any other wives. Khadija bore the Prophet six children: two sons, Abd Allah and al-Qasim, both o whom died very young, and four daughters, Fatima, Ruqayya, Umm Kulthum and Zaynab. Khadija was also known by the names Amirat-Quraysh (“Princess of Quraysh”), al-Tahira (“The Pure One”) and Khadija Al-Kubra (“the Great”).(14)

 The Ka’bah (lit. “cube”) named the “Holy House” (al-bayt al-haram) and the “Ancient House” (al-bayt al-atiq) was originally constructed by Adam as a sanctuary to Allah and after his death by his son Seth. When the time came, it was rebuilt by Ibrahim and his son Ismail and later by the descendents of Noah.

Period of the Meccan revelations

610 (12 BH) Muhammad struggled to make sense of humanity’s relationships with God and with one other. He found the paganism with which he had been brought up inadequate, and he was disturbed by the selfishness and immorality he saw in his own town of Mecca. Clearly Muhammad had also learned much about Judaism and Christianity during his trading expeditions.

Muhammad was troubled by the inequities of polytheists of Mecca, with the existence of the poor and those without adequate care. He used to retire himself to a cave on the slopes of Mount Hira near Mecca, also called “The Mountain of Light” (Jabal al-Nur), to think about this injustice and calamities. When he reached the age of forty, one night at Mount Hira, Muhammad received the first revelation of the Qur’an via the Archangel Jibril, the first five verses of Surat al-Alaq. The title of the 96^th sura of the Qur’an means “The Blood Clot”. The title refers to the 2^nd verse which describes the God’s creation of man from clotted blood: “Recite! In the name of your Lord, who creates: Creates humanity from a clot. Recite! For your Lord is most generous, Who teaches by the calamus (pen), teaches humanity what it knows not.”

The voice of the Archangel Jibril said to him: “O Muhammad! You are the Messenger of Allah and I am Jibril!”(18)

After this experience, Muhammad returned home very confused and greatly doubted his designation, but Khadija and her cousin, Waraqa ibn Nawfal, believed firmly that he had been contact by an angel of God. The second revelation Muhammad receive was the beginning of the surah named Al-Qalam (The Calamus): “By the calamus, and what they write, You are not, by God’s favour, possessed, In fact, you have and endless reward and a powerful inner strength.” (68:1-3)

Waraqa ibn Nawfal was familiar with the Scriptures and recognized Muhammad’s experience for what it was. Waraqah said: “O my nephew! What did you see?” When Muhammad told him what had happened to him, Waraqah replied: “This is Namus (meaning Gabriel) that Allah sent to Moses.

The first four converts to Islam were: Khadija bint Khuwaylid (First Muslim and first female convert), Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (First male to convert to Islam); Zayd ibn Harithah and Ali ibn Abi Talib, the son of Abu Talib and cousin of Muhammad. Muhammad asked: “Will they drive me out?” Waraqah answered in the affirmative and said: “Anyone who came with something similar to what you have brought was treated with hostility; and if I should be alive until that day, then I would support you strongly.” A few days later Waraqah died.

According to the Qur’an, the Qiblah (the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays) originally faced the al-Haram al-Sharjf (Noble Sanctuary) in al-Quds (Jerusalem. The Muslims had this Qiblah during 13 years, from 610 until 623.

Beginning of public preaching of Monotheism. One day Muhammad climbed Mount al-Safa in Mecca (now located in the Masjid al-Haram), and called out the tribal chiefs. After receiving assurances that the chiefs, who reportedly never heard Muhammad tell lies, would believe him, he declared the Oneness of God. Later Muhammad organized dinners in which he conveyed and advocated the substance of his message. At these events, Muhammad met fierce opposition from one of his uncles, Abu Lahab.

Reactionary opposition arose to Muhammad’s speeches. According to Ibn Sa’d al-Baghdadi,(26) the opposition in Mecca started when Muhammad delivered verses that “spoke shamefully of the idols they (the Meccans) worshiped and mentioned the perdition of their fathers who died in disbelief.” So, as the ranks of Muhammad’s followers swelled, he became a threat to the local tribes and the rulers of the city, whose wealth rested upon the Ka’bah, the focal point of Meccan religious life, which Muhammad threatened to overthrow. Muhammad’s denunciation of the Meccan traditional religion was especially offensive to his own tribe, the Quraysh, as they were the guardians of the Ka’bah, home of 360 idols. So, a fierce persecution starts against Muhammad and his Muslim fellows, those who only submit to Allah and practises the faith of Islam, the Monotheism of Adam, Noah, Ibrahim, Moses, Joseph, David, Jesus and all the True Prophets of the Only One God. (Peace be upon them).

The persecution of the Quraysh tribe pushed to Muslims to sought refuge in the Christian Kingdom of Aksum, present-day Ethiopia and Eritrea (formerly referred to as Abyssinia). The Prophet Muhammad said of Abyssinia that it was “a land of sincerity in religion”. Before the Hijrah, some eighty Muslims (not counting the small children), including the Prophet’s daughter Ruqayyah bint Muhammad and her husband Uthman ibn Affan,(27) emigrated to Abyssinia, where were received by the Negus called Armah (in Arabic, Al-Najashi) and given refuge. The leader of the emigrants was Ja’far ibn Abi Talib. All events that took place during this emigration are reported by Ibn Ishaq.

Muhammad suffers several attempts on his life during this time of darkness. One such attempt was made by Uqba who tried to strangled Muhammad with a garment, until he was pushed away by Abu Bakr al-Siddiq. Uqbah was one the neighbors of Muhammad. Yet he assaulted Muhammad verbally and physically as he was preaching monotheism. One day, when Muhammad was praying in the courtyard of the Ka’bah, Uqba brought the waste of a slaughtered camel (intestines, blood, dung, etc.) upon the suggestion of other Quraysh leaders who were gathered there, and placed it upon Muhammad’s back while he was in prostration. They laughed so much so that they fell on each other. Muhammad remained in that position due to the weight, unable to lift his head from prostration until his daughter Fatima came and removed it. On another incident, Uqba spat on Muhammad’s face at the incitement of his friend Ubay ibn Khalaf, another fierce enemy of Islam.

In another attempt, Abu Jahl, one of the tribal leaders, attempted a pre-planned murder, as he tried to smash Muhammad in the head with a rock.

Hamza ibn Abd al-Muttalib accepts Islam and the guidance of Prophet Muhammad. He was Muhammad’s foster-brother: they had both been suckled by the slave Thuwaybah. It was traditionally alleged that Hamza was four years older than Muhammad. The Shafiite scholar Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (1372-1449) writes: “Hamza was born two to four years before Muhammad.”(38) “Hamza’s Islam was complete, and he followed the Apostle’s commands. When he became a Muslim, the Quraysh recognised that the Apostle had become strong, and had found a protector in Hamza, and so they abandoned some of their ways of harassing him.

Also in this same year, Umar Ibn al-Khattab converted to Islam one year after the Migration to Abyssinia. After reciting the quranic verses that were: “Verily, I am Allah: there is no God but Me; so serve Me (only and establish regular prayer for My remembrance” (20: l4). Umar then went to Muhammad and accepted Islam in front of him and his companions (sahaba). Umar was 33 years old when he accepted Islam. He was an expert Islamic jurist known for his pious and just nature, which earned him the epithet Al-Faruq (“the one who distinguishes between right and wrong”).(43)

Meccan boycott of the Hashemites. The Meccan boycott of the Hashemites was against the clan of Muhammad, the Banu Hashim, declared by the leaders of Banu Makhzum and Banu Abd-Shams, two important clans of Quraysh. According to tradition, the boycott was carried out in order to put pressure on Banu Hashim members to withdraw their protection from Muhammad. The terms imposed on Banu Hashim are reported by Ibn Ishaq. Al-Bukhari writes: «The Quraysh gathered together to confer and decided to draw up a document in which they undertook not to marry women from Banu Hashim and the Banu al-Muttalib, or to give them women in marriage, or to sell anything to them or buy anything from them. They drew up a written contract to that effect and solemnly pledged themselves to observe it. They then hung up the document in the interior of the Ka’bah to make it even more binding upon themselves. When Quraysh did this, the Banu Hashim and the Banu al-Muttalib joined with Abu Talib, went with him to his valley and gathered round him there; but Abu Lahab Abd al Uzza b. Abd al-Muttalib left the Banu Hashim and went with the Quraysh supporting them against Abu Talib. This state of affairs continued for two or three years, until the two clans were exhausted, since nothing reached any of them except what was sent secretly by those of the Quraysh who wished to maintain relations with them.»

Prophet Muhammad in this very same year, had to face the death of his beloved wife, Khadijah (Radi Allahu anha – May Allah be pleased with her) and his dear uncle, Abu Talib.

Muhammad’s visit to Ta’if: The Hardest Day in the Life of Allah’s Messenger. The death, in the same year, of the Prophet’s wife Khadijah and his uncle Abu Talib magnified the Prophet’s sorrows and doubled his feelings of estrangement and alienation and filled his heart with pain. Moreover, it left him and his followers politically isolated in Mecca, without support. The tribe of Quraysh seize this opportunity to increase their abuses and tighten their grips on the Muslims. Abu Lahab succeeded Abu Talib as the leader of the Prophet’s clan Banu Hashim, and he harbored the bitterest hatred for Islam and the Prophet. He used to go up to the Prophet during the pilgrimage and in the marketplace and throw dirt and stones upon him, calling him a liar and warning people against following him. Mecca became unbearable. Prophet Muhammad had to seek support from outside of Mecca. He first headed for the neighboring town of Ta’if, looking for this support. The people of Ta’if ordered their children to throw rocks and stones at Prophet Muhammad to drive them out of the city. The rocks that were thrown at him by the children caused him to bleed seriously, so much that his feet became stuck to his shoes by the drying blood. Later Muhammad said: “The day of Taif was worse for me than the day of Uhud; that was the most difficult point of my life.”

Night Journey and Ascension (Al-Isra wal-Mi’raj). The night journey (al-isra) was that made by the Prophet Muhammad thought the air, mounted on al-Buraq, in the company of Archangel Jibril, from Masjid al-Haram at Mecca to the Farthest Mosque or Masjid al-Aqsa at Jerusalem; thence he made the Ascension (al-M’iraj) through the Seven Heavens, borne by Jibril and entered Allah’s presence. The Night Journey and Ascension are celebrated in the Islamic World on the 27^th day of the Islamic month of Rajab.

Muhammad married his second wife, Sawda bint Zam’a (died 674) in Ramadan in the tenth year after his prophethood (in April/May 620). Sawda bint Zam’a, had been the first woman to immigrate to Abyssinia in the way of Allah. Her husband had died and she was living with her aged father, Zam’a ibn Qays, from the Amir ibn Luayy clan of the Quraysh, until her marriage with Muhammad.

The First Treaty of Aqabah (a place between Mina and Mecca). Members of the al-Aws and al-Khazraj tribes of Yathrib (Medina), who were Yemenite migrants (Arab Qahtani), converted to Islam and negotiated with Muhammad with the aim of making him leader of their strife-ridden tribal community. Among this group, ten people were from al-Khazraj and two others from al-Aws. This showed that these two groups had set their quarrel aside and showed interest in coming under the banner of Islam. They swore that they would not associate anybody with God, steal, engage themselves in adultery, kill their own children, accuse one another, and they would obey the Holy Prophet in performing good deeds.