Lecture four

Lecture FiveAllahs preparation of the Prophet (saw) for his mission as Allahs Messenger to the worlds. Quick ReviewQuick review of the main facts concerning the Prophets background:

Social background: He was an orphan, who lost his mother & father. Father died before he was born. Was only child until 6 when his mother died. The death of his mother taught him that worldly life is short and temporary .Residence Raised in the houses of five people: his mother at birth; his first nurse Halima Al-Sadia, in the desert, from birth up to the age of four his mother from four until the age of six; his grandfather Abdul-Muttalib from six until the age of eight, after the death of his mother; and finally his uncle Abu-Taleb when he was eight years of age, after the death of his grandfather. This continuous mobility taught him seriousness, responsibility, flexibility and the ability to adapt to various situations. How?WorkHe worked as a shepherd between the ages of 8 and 15. What did shepherd teach him?

Then, he worked in trade between the ages of 15 and 35. In these twenty years, he learned to be a good judge of peoples characters.Out in the desert . . . Deserts are not cloudy, starts are brightnot a lot of buildings, not even trees. It is just you and the creator, so it fosters contemplation. Not much foodperson has great control over his hungerWe are people who do not eat until we feel hunger, and when we eat we dont satisfy ourselves gives hearty physique and mentality.

Financial statusAlthough he descended from one of the greatest Arab families, he was poor. This enabled him to mingle easily with both: the poor and the rich.Bahira the Monk! At age of 12 him & uncle Abu Talib on business journey to Syria. ReachedBusra (part of Syria) where they met a monk called Bahira (real name was Georges), who showed great kindness, and entertained them lavishly. He had never been in the habit of receiving or entertaining them before. He readily enough recognized the Prophet [saw] 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 curious !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 recognize him also by the seal of Prophet hood which is below his shoulder, like an apple. We have got to learn this from our books." He also asked Abu Talib to send the boy back to Makkah and not to take him to Syria for fear of the Jews. Abu Talib obeyed and sent him back to Makkah with some of his men servants.

[Ibn Hisham1/180-183; Za'd Al-Ma'ad 1/178His youth! Not much about this periodit was not know that he was a prophet at this time so ppl werent interested in taking notes about this period of his life until later when his Seerah was put together. So we have bits and pieces. Plus culture was an oral culture, and so later on when things were put into writing accounts by ppl on this period were taken down from memory and authenticated, so we have a few events.

The Prophet (saw) the activistHe participated in the social and political activities of his society. Sacrilegious WarsMuhammad [saw] at age of 15 took part in the sacrilegious wars which continued for 4 years with a considerable loss of life broke out between: Quraish and Banu Kinana on the one side Qais Ailan tribe on the other.

2 major tribes fighting for power in Makkah. It was fought in Makkah.

This was is called HARB AL FUJAR

Why given this name?Because fought during the sacred months--important for us to recognize that were some traditions that were practiced before Islam were carried on after Islam . Allah used this culture as neutral base culture.

So, it was within the sacred month when they were preparing for pilgrimage, and their trades were being made on the coastline, and the market were opening in Makkah. THU AL QIDAH, THU AL HIJJAH, MUHARAM, and RAJAB. Not permitted within these months to fight one anotherand this was to protect their business and interests and not for sacred reasons. Because in major market places, like UKHADH for instance between Taif and Makkah, and MAJANA and MUJAAZ were in Arafat.

People would come to market places, bring their good from all parts of Arabia. In these gatherings there would be debates. Poetry contests, in which poets would come and read their poetry to the people. MUALAQAAT Because of the poetry we have the MUALAQAAT like Amr ibn al Qais.

So, during these sacred monthswhen AL BARAA BIN QAIS AL KANANI killed URWAH ARRAHAAL AL HAWAZENEEwhen this happen Hawazen made the oath that they would take revenge from Banu Kinanah, [right from Quraysh] so a war broke out.

It lasted for four consecutive years, with intervals in between until a peace treaty was made. What is important about these warsset of battlesestablished power struggles in Makkah. Prophet (saw) participated, how? He picked up arrows and gave them to his uncles and they would shoot thembut that is the most that he participated in this.

[MOST AUTHENTIC reports say he was between 15-20 yrs old. No unanimous position on this when it came about] Peace treaty was established and as a result a confederacy was formed called HILF AL FUDHUL

Who was it formed between?Banu HashemBanu Al Mutalib. Banu Asad ibn Abdil UzzaBanu KilabBanu Mura If you look at genealogy, you will see the name of these tribes. It was to prevent wars like the sacrilegious war, and ensure justice and peace in Makkah. This taught the Prophet (saw) how to negotiate PEACE!

Prophet (saw) praised it. . . The Messenger of Allah [saw] shortly after he had been honored with the ministry of Prophet hood commented on it with very positive words: "I witnessed a confederacy in the house of Abdullah bin Jadaan. It was more appealing to me than herds of cattle. Even now in the period of Islam I would respond positively to attending such a meeting if I were invited."[Ibn Hisham 1/113,135]18How did it ORIGINALLY come about?A man from the Zubaid clan in Yemen came as a merchant to Makkah where he sold some commodities to Al-As bin Wail As-Sahmy. Al-As bin Wail evaded paying for the goods. He sought help from different clans in Quraish but they paid no heed to his earnest pleas. So what did he do? He resorted to a mountain top and began, at the top of his voice, to recite verses of complaint giving account of the injustices he sustained. [Mukhtasar Seerat-ur-Rasool, p.30,31]19His complaint was heard . . .Az-Zubair bin Abdul-Muttalib heard of him and made inquiries into the matter. Consequently, the parties to the aforesaid confederacy convened their meeting and managed to force Az-Zubaidys money out of Al- As bin Wail.

Educational backgroundHe was illiterate, which is a miracle in itself because he become the best teacher of humanity .

He acquired a great deal of experience from his dealings in society and his interaction with all the people around him. He did not isolate himself from.

The Prophet did not acquire his experience through an overnight miracle; but gradually obtained these experiences over several years. [Advice: participate in different social and political endeavorsbecome an activist because your Prophet was one} Prophets (saw) youthHow Allah (SWT) saved him from falling into the temptations that many youth fell intowhen the prophet (saw) one day wanted to go to a wedding and listen to the music there . . . His name started to become known . . . took on description . . . As the trustworthy one . . .

Takes on work with Khadija (raa): His uncle Abu-Taleb approached him to suggest that he would work for Khadijah, he accepted since his view of women had always been one of respect. Hence, no feeling of embarrassment stood between him and working for a woman or dealing with her as necessity demanded.

Khadija (raa) at the time . . .She was not married then, but had been married twice before. Noble woman from QurayshExtremely wealthy in Qurayahand since wealth was in the form of caravans it was not custom for women to travel with the caravans. So , she needed someone to lead her caravans to Syria during Summer period. So, she approached him and hired him to take her goods to Syria. Servant MAYSARAH . . . Her servant Maysara who accompanied him, to report back to his employer on the employees she sends out.

It was Maysarah who notices strange things going on! Maysarah notices that . . . During the noon hours, when desert sun was scorching and beating down on them, he saw clouds shading the Prophets (saw) head.

In Syria they stopped, and there was a tree they sat under. Nearby there was a hut in which there was a Christian monk who was described as some as NESTOR (NESTORIAN CHRISTIANtype not name). Prophet (saw) sat under this tree. Nestora asked . . . Who is that man sitting under the tree.

Maysarahsaid, He is from Quraysh, the guardians of the house in Makkah. Nestora then said, Nobody but a Prophet ever sat under this tree. This monk had literally planted himself next to this tree waiting for the Prophet (saw) to comewanted to see the signs in their Scripture. Nestora further asked . . . Maysarah told him about the shade in the noon hours.

Nestora then advised Maysarah : Dont leave him for his is indeed a Prophet.

Business in Makkah could not have been better . . . When they reached Syria and did businessthey did very well [Prophet sold all the goods actually before they reached Syria and then bought some goods from there and sold it on their way back so he doubled the profits.

Mayrasah also noticed, that a man came up to Prophet (saw) bargaining and asked him to swear by Al Laat and Al Uzza and the Prophet (saw) said, I never worshipped them for me to swear by them.

Khadiga astonished and gets report from Maysarah . . .Profits doubled and she sat with Maysarah to get the report of the business trip and he reported to her about the shade, about Nestora, about blessings on the journeyAbout his characterhis kindness, tolerance, honest How he did not curse, Was no involved in argumentation. Not swearing on the gods.

Khadija (raa) falls in love . . . Khadijah had rejected several marriage proposals by the elite of Quraysh who were attracted by either her beauty or her wealth.

On hearing about the Prophet (saw) from Maysarah, her admiration of him quickly turns into loveand she makes the first move . . .

Nafisah listen to Khadijas sighs . . . Khadijah opened her heart to one of her friends, Nafisah Bint Al-Munabbih, and admitted her admiration for Muhammad.

Nafisah offered to talk to him concerning marriage to Khadija (raa)

Nafisa works her magic. . . Being mature and eloquent, Nafisah went to Muhammad (saws).

Nafisah: Muhammad, are you married?

Muhammad: No

Nafisah: Why?

Muhammad: With this poverty, who would marry me?

Nafisah: Khadijah.

Muhammad: Would she accept me?

Nafisah: I will talk to her about it, give me a couple of days.

Two days later, she went back to him to inform him of Khadijahs approval and how highly she thought of him. She said, Khadijah said, And is there anyone like Muhammad.

So the arrangements are made by the family [his uncle to her uncle] of the Prophet (saw) for her dowry [20 camels]

Start of a 25 yr marriage . . . She was, then, forty years old and was considered as the best woman of her folk in lineage, fortune and wisdom. She was the first woman whom the Messenger of Allah [saw] married. He did not get married to any other until she had died. [Ibn Hisham 1/189; Fiqh As-Seerah p.59; TalqeehFahoom Ahl- al-Athar p.7]

35Children of Muhammad and Khadija. . . Khadijah bore all his children, except Ibrahim.

Their kids were: Al-Qasim, Zainab, Ruqaiyah, Umm Kulthum, Fatimah and Abdullah who was called Taiyib and Tahir. [Ibn Hisham 1/190,191; Fath Al-Bari 7/507]36Maturity matters . . . It is true that Khadijah was 15 years older than Muhammad nevertheless, the level of maturity of both characters, which is a main factor in determining whether a marriage can be successful, was extraordinary. Muhammads exemplary maturity was quite difficult to come by. Khadijah was mature enough never to make him feel inferior to her. Similar social level . . . Financially, Khadijah was much wealthier than Muhammad (SAWS) but this was not a problem since their social level was close. In fact, Muhammad (SAWS) was descended from the most honorable family in Quraysh.

HONORABLE FAMLY that time meant HONORABLE CHARACTERISTICSnot marrying into money! Financial responsibility. . . In any case, the husband is the one who should carry financial responsibility for the family. Thus, the successful merchant Muhammad (saws), who had even secured a partnership with another merchant named Al-Said Ibn Abi Al-Said, was the one who covered his familys expenses. This not only refutes a claim made by some Orientalists that he married Khadijah for her money. Lost their two sons . . .This great love and loyalty lasted 25 years but was interrupted by a very difficult event - the death of the two sons of the prophet. The Prophet learned again and again that life is not worth much. Through these events, Allah taught the Prophet that he should live for his goal, and not get distracted by life. One died at the age of three and the other at the age of four, at the age when parents are most attached to their children. REMINDER!!!!

Love lasted beyond death . . . It lasted for 25 years: 15 years prior to the prophetic call and 10 years after the prophetic call.

Twenty years after Khadijahs death, during the conquest of Makkah, in the midst of handing issues and dealing with ppl he saw an elderly lady coming towards him. He made room for her and asked everyone not to disturb them for an hour. The people saw him spreading his cloak for her to sit on, then talking and laughing with her, which aroused their curiosity to the extent that, when he returned, Aisha (raa) asked him who she was.

Muhammad: Khadijahs friend.

Aisha: What were you talking about?

Muhammad: We were remembering the good old days of Khadijah.

All except Fatimah died during his lifetime . . . All his sons died in their childhood and all the daughters except Fatimah died during his lifetime.

Fatimah died six months after his death. All his daughters witnessed Islam, embraced it, and emigrated to Madinah.

Other moments . . . After Khadijahs death and Muhammads (SAWS) marriage to Aisha, every time the Prophet heard a knock at the door similar to that of Khadijah, he used to wish that the visitor be her sister Hala.

Aisha said, Khadija Khadija Khadija ! Do you still remember that woman who was turned into dirt . . . Even after Allah has blessed you better than her . . .She believed in me when others didnt, she supported me Umar provides a tip . . . Omar Ibn Al-Khattab asked a man once whether he knew a particular person.

The man: Yes, I know him.

Omar: Have you dealt with him financially?

The man: No

Omar: Perhaps you saw him praying and nodding his head?

The man: Yes.

Omar: Then, you do not know him.

Prophets humanity . . . Prophets humanity reached out to all humankind, not only Muslims. This is something Muslims should learn from. They should look at how merciful the Prophet was to non-Muslims before Islam.

Was the Prophet sent for Muslims alone, or for every human? Of course he was sent for everyone. Thus, the Prophet has to go through experiences to show others how to be merciful for all mankind. Some Muslims limit their mercy only to Muslims, which is not how the Prophet was. Story of Zaid ibn Al Haretha . . .Happened before the prophet hood. There was a woman called Sada Bent Thalaba, who was Zaids mother. This woman went out with Zaid, who was eight then, to another village. The boy was kidnapped on the way and later sold in the market of Ukaz as a slave. A man called Hakim Ibn Hossam Ibn Khwayled, Khadijahs nephew, bought him. Zaid was given as a gift to Khadijah, who gave him to Prophet Muhammad (saw). The boy lived with the Prophet while his parents were looking for him. Then, one day, the father was told that his son lived in Prophet Muhammads (saw) house.

Collecting money to free his sonHe started gathering money to get his son back. The father then met with Prophet Muhammad (saw) and asked him to accept the money in return for his son. Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) told him that he had a better solution, which was to let the boy choose where he wanted to be [he realized that the boy was attached to him, so did not want to hurt him]. If the boy chose the father, then he could have him back and he wouldnt have to pay, but if he chose the Prophet, he would stay with them. What happened? Leadership . . .

The last step in preparing the Prophet for his mission was to test his leadership capabilities. He had to be able to solve disagreements between people and unify them. Also, it is crucial that before Islam, he would be recognized as an honorable person among his people. Essential? Why? Because after the prophet hood, it would be clear that the reason for them not following him was not because they didnt trust his honesty, but rather because of other interests. TODAY ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE PROPHET (saw) still seen . . .ALL PEOPLE SINCE HIS TIME TO THE END OF TIME ARE OF UMMAT MUHAMMAD (saw) . . .His leadership capabilities . . .The Prophet was now 35 years of age. Quraysh (the tribe of the Prophet) decided to rebuild the Kaba. People were scared to tear the Kaba down in order to rebuild it, because Abraha and his army had died trying to tear it down. So, Al-Waleed Ibn Al-Moghera, who was known for being brave, said he would do it. He said that since they were doing it for a good cause, Allah wouldnt harm them. This is an important point; Allah accepts good intentions even if you are not a Muslim. So, Al-Waleed started to tear down the Kaba and ran home to wait and see what happened. When they were sure that nothing would happen, they all started work.

Source of money had to be moral The Quraysh said that to rebuild the Kaba, they had to make sure that all the money used was licit, any illicit money was not acceptable (i.e. stealing for example; prostitution). This is another important point. [side notelying on welfare forms, copyright issues . . .]

Whatever flesh has grown from haramfrom immoral meansthe hellfire is its destination. Tribes collaborated efforts of building . . . Every tribe built a portion of the Kaba, as it was considered an honor to do so. After the building was done, it was time to place al-hajar al-aswad (the stone in the holy mosque, which is a stone from paradise) back into its place. Every tribe wanted to put al-hajar back in its place, and they couldnt agree who would do it. The issue got so complicated that one tribe said they would start a war if they were not the ones to move al-hajar.

Solution to the problemLuckily, the oldest among the chiefs Abu Omaiyah bin Mugheerah Al-Makhzumi made a proposal which was accepted by all. He said: "Let him, who enters the Sanctuary first of all, decide on the point." It was then Allahs Will had it that the Messenger of Allah [saw] should be the first to enter the Mosque. On seeing him, all the people on the scene, cried with one voice: "Al-Ameen (the trustworthy) has come. We are content to abide by his decision."

Prophets Solution . . . The people then asked the Prophet what they should do. The Prophet came up with an intelligent solution very quickly, as a leader should. He asked them to spread a cloak on the ground. He then picked up al-hajar and placed it on the cloak. Next, he asked a representative from each tribe to hold on to the cloak and they all moved with it to the Kaba, where he placed it in its position. He allowed them all to join in, which made them feel they each had accomplished something.Notes about the building of the KabahQuraish ran short of the licit money, they collected, so they eliminated six yards area on the northern side of Al-Kabah which is called Al- Hijr or Al-Hateem. They raised its door two meters from the level ground to let in only the people whom they desired.

When the structure was fifteen yards high they erected the roof which rested on six columns.Mission complete . . . After all this, Prophet Muhammad (saw) was ready to start receiving the message from Allah (SWT). He had been fully prepared for it in all aspects and the world was waiting for him to start his mission of fixing the world.