In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful 570 CE Prophet Muhammad’s Peace and Blessing Be Upon Him Birth Muhammad (PBUH) was born in the year 570in the town of Mecca, a town in the desert of western Arabia. His namederives from the Arabic verb hamada, meaning “to praise, to glorify.” Hewas the first and only son of Abd Allah bin Al-Muttalib and Amina. AbdAllah died before Muhammad’s birth and Muhammad was raised by his motherAmina. 575 CE Muhammad (PBUH) Becomes an Orphan When Muhammad (PBUH) was five orsix his mother took him to, an oasis town a few hundred miles north ofMecca, to stay with relatives .On the return journey, Amina took ill anddied. Halima, his nurse, returned to Mecca with the orphaned boy andplaced him in the protection of his paternal grandfather, AbdulAl-Muttalib. In this man’s care, Muhammad learned the rudiments ofstatecraft. Mecca was Arabia’s most important pilgrimage center andAbdul Al-Muttalib was the most respected leader. He controlled importantpilgrimage concessions and frequently presided over Mecca’s Council ofElders. 578 CE Muhammad (PBUH) in Mecca in Care of an Uncle Muhammad’s (PBUH) grandfather died in 578,Muhammad (PBUH), aged about eight, passed into the care of a paternaluncle, Abu Talib. Muhammad grew up in the older man’s home and remainedunder Abu Talib’s protection for many years. Quotation from the Qur’an:“Did God not find you an orphan and give you shelter and care? And Hefound you wandering, and gave you guidance. And he found you in need,and made you independent” (93:6-8). 580-594 CE Muhammad’s (PBUH) Teens When young boy, Muhammad (PBUH)worked as a shepherd to earn a living. In his teens he sometimestraveled with Abu Talib, who was a merchant, accompanying caravans totrade centers. On at least one occasion, he is said to have traveled asfar north as Syria. Older merchants recognized his character andnicknamed him El–Amin, the one you can trust. 594CE Muhammad (PBUH) Acts as Caravan for Wealthy Tradeswomen, Khadija In his early twenties,Muhammad (PBUH) entered the service of a wealthy Meccan merchant, awidow named Khadija. Muhammad carried her goods to the north andreturned with a profit. 595-609CE Muhammad’s (PBUH) Marriage and Family Life Impressed by Muhammad’s (PBUH) honesty and character, Khadija eventually proposed marriage. They were wed in about 595.He was twenty-five. She was nearly forty.Six children were born tothem, two sons who both died in infancy, and four daughters. Meccaprospered too, becoming a well–off trading center in the hands of anelite group of clan leaders who were mostly successful traders 610CE Muhammad (PBUH) Receives First Revelation Mecca’s new materialism andits traditional idolatry disturbed Muhammad. He began making longretreats to a mountain cave outside town. There, he fasted andmeditated. On one occasion, Muhammad was visited by an overpoweringpresence and instructed to recite words of such beauty and force that heand others gradually attributed them to God. It was several yearsbefore he dared to talk about it outside his family. 613 CE Muhammad (PBUH) takes this Message Public After several similarexperiences, Muhammad (PBUH) finally began to reveal the messages he wasreceiving to his tribe. These were gathered verse by verse and laterwould become the Qur’an, Islam’s sacred scripture. In the next decade,Muhammad and his followers were first belittled and ridiculed, thenpersecuted and physically attacked for departing from traditionalMecca’s tribal ways. 622 CE Muhammad (PBUH) and the Muslim Emigrate to Medina In 622,Muhammad and his few hundred followers left Mecca and traveled toYathrib, the oasis town where his father was buried. The leaders therewere suffering through a civil war, and they had invited this man wellknown for his wisdom to act as their mediator. Yathrib soon became knownas Medina, the City of the Prophet. Muhammad (PBUH) remained here forthe next six years, building the first Muslim community and graduallygathering more and more people to his side. 625-628 CE Military period The Meccans did not take Muhammad’s (PBUH) new success lightly. In March, 628,a treaty was signed between Muhammad’s (PBUH) tribe and Madina, whichrecognized the Muslims as a new force in Arabia and gave them freedom tomove throughout Arabia. 630 CE The Conquest for Mecca By now, the balance of powerhad shifted radically away from once-powerful Mecca, towardMuhammad (PBUH) and the Muslims. In January, 630, they marched on Mecca and were joined by tribe after tribe along the way. They entered Mecca without bloodshed. 630-632 CE Muhammad’s final Years Muhammad (PBUH) returned to live in Medina. In March, 632, he returned to Mecca one last time to perform a pilgrimage, and tens of thousands of Muslims joined him.After the pilgrimage, he returned to Medina. Three months later on June 8, 632he died there, after a brief illness. He is buried in the mosque inMedina. Within a hundred years Muhammad’s teaching and way of life hadspread from the remote corners of Arabia as far east as Indo-China andas far west as Morocco, France and Spain.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 08:46:40 +0000
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