Early Activities In Medina

EARLY ACTIVITIES IN MEDINA

The Emigration constitutes a very important event which allowed Prophet Muhammad to fulfill his duties of Prophethood under more auspicious conditions and which enabled the spread of Islam. The greatest aim of the Last Prophet was to convey the message of the Qur’an, to teach the religion through his lived example and to increase the number of believers, thus enabling the transmission of the religion to future generations without alteration. To this end, he resolved to make specific arrangements and take certain precautions. Encouraging the believers to be perfected servants of God who have attained God’s approval and pleasure, he took measures aimed at ensuring the harmony and social solidarity among them, giving specific directions and advice. In this regard, the Prophet instructed the exchange of greetings, looking out for the poor, not neglecting relatives, and waking for prayer in the hours of the night when others were still asleep, promising paradise for those who did so.

 
There was first and foremost the need for a mosque that would constitute the center of the Muslim community. In the Makkan period, Muslims had very limited opportunity to come together for worship and listen to the Messenger. With the increase in the number of Muslims particularly after the First ‘Aqaba Allegiance, As’ad ibn Zurara commissioned the construction of a mosque, facing Jerusalem, at the site used for drying dates and where the Prophet’s Mosque would later be built. While the Muslims in Makka were yet unable to perform their Friday Prayers, those living in Madina were able to pray in congregation here. Upon entering Madina, Prophet Muhammad decided to build a mosque at the place at which his camel knelt and purchased the land belonging to the two orphan children Sahl and Suhayl for this purpose. During the construction lasting about seven months, the Prophet was a guest in the house of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari and here received a pledge of allegiance from the men, and at another house, a pledge of allegiance from the women. Being one of the two places of worship built by the Prophet himself (the other being Quba), the Prophet’s Mosque had three doors with its direction of prayer facing Jerusalem. Prayers were performed facing Jerusalem until the direction of prayer was changed towards the Ka’ba, in accordance with the verses revealed sixteen or seventeen months after the Emigration (2:149-150).
 
The Prophet’s Mosque was first and foremost a place of worship. However during the Age of Happiness, it was the center of virtually all the Prophet’s activities, principally education and teaching. The place where political and military developments were discussed and various decisions made, where the wounded were treated, where prisoners of war or offenders were held in custody, where war spoils were kept, where delegations of Muslim tribes, envoys and guests were hosted, where judicial cases were conducted, where marriages were announced or where various ceremonies held was again the Prophet’s Mosque. Prophet Muhammad fulfilled all the requirements of his duty of Prophethood in his mosque and in his house adjoining the mosque, and conveyed and taught the newly revealed Qur’anic verses here. Meanwhile, he commissioned the construction of the antechamber known as the Suffa --covered with branches of the date palm-- at the back of the Prophet’s Mosque for the accommodation of the dispossessed and those Companions seeking an education. Those taking shelter or studying here came to be known as the Ashab al-Suffa, or the Suffa Companions. Prophet Muhammad chose from among the Suffa Companions when establishing committees who would travel outside Madina for diplomatic purposes or to convey the message of Islam.
 
Immediately after the Emigration, the Prophet declared the Emigrants as a brother or sister of a Muslim from the Aws or Khazraj tribes. This arrangement of ‘Brotherhood’ provided significant opportunity for the unification of the Muslim society, as well the provision of material and moral support for the Emigrants who had left all their possessions in Makka. In line with the pledge that the Madinan Muslims made to the Prophet at ‘Aqaba, they accepted and embraced the Emigrants as their own siblings, sharing all the resources at their disposal as well as their homes with them. However much the Madinans wanted to share their property rights, together with their gardens of date palms and other assets with the Emigrants, the latter responded with gratitude for their noble gesture and did not accept their offer. The Prophet ultimately declared that property rights remained with the Madinans, while the Makkans could have a share of the produce in proportion to their effort and thus the profits earned through joint effort were shared. This display of solidarity and cooperation between the Madinan Muslims and the Emigrants was openly praised in the Qur’an, with the statement, “Those who have believed and emigrated (to the home of Islam), and striven hard with their wealth and persons in God's cause, and those who give refuge (to them) and help (them) – those (illustrious ones) are friends and protectors of one another (and can inherit from one another)” (8:72). The Madinan Muslims who welcomed the Makkan Emigrants and helped them came to be known as the Ansar (the Helpers). Following the establishment of such a brotherhood, inheritance provisions were deemed valid for a period of time (8:72); however, after the Battle of Badr, these were abolished and inheritance was restricted to blood relations only (8:75). By establishing this bond of brotherhood, the Prophet not only fulfilled the needs of the Emigrants who were in dire circumstances, but also enabled an understanding of brotherhood based on religion to supplant that which was based on tribe. Provisions on the order of cooperation, mutual support and counsel which remained outside the law of inheritance forever remained in force, and with the broadening of the institution in this sense, all believers were declared brothers (49:10).
 
Emigration to Madina continued for the period extending until the conquest of Makka. In the early years of the Madinan period, Prophet Muhammad mandated the emigration to Madina of all those who came to him from both Makka and the surrounds of Madina to pledge their allegiance. Furthermore, he would not approve of those having emigrated to Madina later leaving, and prayed to God for emigration that was both resolute and fruitful. Prophet Muhammad, with the complete sense of responsibility of being the Last Prophet, wanted to prepare the grounds for the religion that he conveyed to be learned by a large community through practice, to be transferred to succeeding generations in the most accurate way, and to be protected from alteration and destruction until the Last Day. And so, these efforts yielded fruit and the Muslims in Madina, whose strength increased with their growing number, achieved success in their political and military struggles against their enemies. When the victory of the Muslims was crowned with the eventual conquest of Makka, the Prophet, saying, “There is no emigration after the conquest of Makka,” (Tirmidhi, "Sirah", 33) lifted the compulsion for those having accepted Islam to emigrate to Madina, but insisted that they participate in battle when called to do so.
 
In the period of the Prophet’s emigration to Madina, there was no organized state in Madina, as was the case with the rest of the Hejaz region; every tribe lived under the rule of its own chieftain. Alongside the Aws and Khazraj tribes, there were also the three Jewish tribes of Banu Qaynuka, Banu Nadir, and the Banu Qurayza, whose exact time of arrival to the city is not known for certain. It is known that the Aws and Khazraj were in constant conflict with each other and that some Jews sided with the Aws, while the others sided with the Khazraj. There was no administrative structure encompassing all those living in the city. After ensuring the unity and cooperation among the Muslims by means of the brotherhood he established among them, the Prophet gathered representatives from the Jewish tribes, Arabs who had not yet accepted Islam and the Muslims at the house of Anas ibn Malik in order to discuss the way in which they could all live in the city in peace and security and deliberate upon the conditions needed to achieve this. Persuading all groups to form a single city state, Prophet Muhammad brought all the issues that were agreed upon therein together in the form of a written document. Included in this pact --referred to with words such as “book” and “page” in the sources, described as the “first written constitution” by some scholars, and whose text has reached our day—are such issues as ensuring internal peace, preventing potential external threat, determining a judicial authority to resolve legal conflict between individuals, and identifying certain economic obligations. Stipulated in particular, was the need for the Jews to be in cooperation with the Muslims when faced with external threats to Madina, and not ally with the Quraysh. It was also decided that financial matters such as military expenses, ransom and blood money would be covered by each group individually, that they would administer judicial authority independently, and that Prophet Muhammad himself would be the ultimate judicial authority in cases of dispute between members of different groups. Moreover, the freedom of religion and freedom of conscience of the Jews and the Muslims is also explicitly stated. At his time, in accordance with the article in the document asserting that, “The valley of Yathrib is a Sanctuary for the people of this Pact,”    Prophet Muhammad assigned Ka’b ibn Malik to determine and delineate the borders of Madina, with the Prophet’s Mosque being at the center. The political and military activities conducted thereafter were done so in conformity with these borders. The Prophet commissioned the construction of a market place for the Muslims in Madina and designated the Baqi vicinity as a cemetery. As such, he realized the very first city-plan that would later become a model in the Muslim world, with the mosque at the center and including the Emir’s residence, a market, graveyard, and neighborhood districts.
 
Another one of the arrangements of the first year of Emigration (622) was the recitation of the Call to Prayer in order to notify Muslims of the specific times for prayer. There are accounts which state that the Call to Prayer was legitimized in the second year of Emigration (623). Although the five daily prayers were made obligatory in the Makkan period, there had been no method determined to pronounce the prayer times up until the Prophet’s emigration to Madina. In point of fact, the conditions of the Makkan period were not conducive to this. In Madina, however, the Muslims encountered an environment in which they could openly perform their worship and their numbers had begun to increase with every passing day. Prophet Muhammad consulted with his Companions about what could be done in order to allow the Muslims to realize the time for prayer and make it to the mosque on time for worship. In the wake of the consultation where various opinions were put forth, no definite decision had been reached. In the meanwhile, according to narration, the Call to Prayer was taught to ‘Abd Allah ibn Zayd ibn Salaba in a dream, with him then informing the Prophet of what he saw. The Prophet asked ‘Abd Allah to teach these words to Bilal al-Habashi who had a sonorous voice; consequently climbing to the top of a tall house, Bilal al-Habashi recited the morning Call to Prayer. In this way, the Call to Prayer became the mark of Islam and the symbol of Muslim presence. It continues to be recited across the world at virtually all times of the day as the channel calling people to servanthood of the One God.

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The Emigration to Yathrib (Madina) 

After the second Aqabah pledge to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), he gave permission to his Companions to immigrate (hijrah) to Yathrib. The first ones to immigrate to this city were Amir ibn Rabia and his wife Leila bint Hasma; then the other companions began to leave Mecca in groups. It should be pointed out that there were a few companions who went from Mecca to Medina at earlier dates. These were Abu Salama al-Mahzumi and his wife Ummu Salama, who immigrated to Medina before the Aqabah pledges and Mus'ab ibn Umayr and Abdullah ibn Ummu Maktum, who were sent by the Prophet to Medina after the first Aqabah pledge in order to convey the message of Islam.

Generally the hijrah was performed secretly. This was because the Quraishi idolaters did not want the Muslims to leave Mecca and thus raised various difficulties, attempting to prevent the hijrah and even imprisoning some of the Muslims. For instance, when Abu Salama and his wife Ummu Salama returned to Mecca from Ethiopia and took their son Salama with them to go to Medina for hijrah, Ummu Salama's family did not let her leave. Subsequently, Abu Salama left his wife and son in Mecca and had to go to Mecca by himself. On the other hand, the family of Abu Salama took Salama from his mother in response to the things done by Ummu Salama's family. As a result of the deep sadness caused by the separation from both her husband and son, Ummu Salama shed tears for a year. Finally, her relatives showed mercy and allowed her to go to Medina and Abu Salama's family handed Salama over to his mother. Ummu Salama took her child with her and left Mecca to go to Medina. She reached Quba in the company of Uthman ibn Talha, whom she had met on the road and met Abu Salama there. Hisham ibn As had made preparations for the hijrah, but he was chained and imprisoned by his father, As ibn Wael, and by other idolaters.
Ayyas ibn Abu Rabi'a set out on the journey for hijrah and reached Quba, yet his brothers, Abu Jahil and Harith ibn Hisham, caught him on the way and persuaded him to return back to Mecca by telling him that his mother was in a wretched way due to his leaving, and then they imprisoned him in Mecca. Hisham ibn As and Ayyas ibn Abu Rabi'a escaped from the idolaters and managed to reach Medina in the 7th year of the hijrah (Gregorian 629). The people of Mecca had acquired information that Suhayb ibn Sinan ar-Rumi was going to perform the hijrah, and thus they did not pay back their debts and confiscated his property and personal effects. Suhayb could perform hijrah only after he had left all his wealth to the people of Mecca. At this point, the hijrah of Umar carries great importance. He circumambulated Kaaba and performed the salah twice and then set out on the journey after openly defying the idolaters.
After permission to perform hijrah had been granted most of the companions immigrated to Yathrib over a relatively brief period. Only the Prophet, his family Abu Bakr and his family families, Ali and his mother, and people who did not have the strength to perform the hijrah or who had been prevented from performing the hijrah remained. In the meantime, Abu Bakr repeatedly asked for permission to perform the hijrah from Prophet Muhammad and the Prophet always answered him with the following words: "Don't hurry! Allah Almighty will give you a companion."
Seeing that the Muslims who were performing hijrah to Yathrib were abandoning their houses, possessions and assets for their beliefs, the Quraishi idolaters began to worry that the Prophet might one day go there with his companions and pose a hazard and a threat against them. They gathered in Dar al-Nadwa to discuss what kind of a strategy they should follow. Sending the Prophet into exile or imprisoning him were suggestions that were put forward. On the proposal of Abu Jahil, it was eventually decided that the Prophet should be killed. To avoid a blood feud with the Hashimites, of whom the Prophet was a member, they decided that the Prophet would not be killed by one person, but by a group of people composed of one person from each tribe. The Prophet was informed of this assassination plot through a revelation, and he took action to counteract the attempt. He went to the Abu Bakr's house and began to prepare for hijrah with him. They hired Abdullah ibn Urayqit as a guide to show them the way. Although an idolater, Abdullah ibn Urayqit was a trustworthy and honest man. Abu Bakr gave the two camels that he had allocated for the hijrah beforehand to Abdullah ibn Urayqit and they agreed to meet at the skirts of Mount Thawr in three days time. The Prophet gave Ali the duty of preventing the idolaters from suspecting that he had departed and told him return those things that had been given to him in trust back to their owners. The Prophet and Abu Bakr set out at nighttime. They went to a cave in Mount Thawr and hid there. Abdullah, the son of Abu Bakr, spent his day in Mecca listening to what the Quraishis were saying and plotting about the Prophet and then reported what he had heard to the pair at their hideout under cover of night for three consecutive nights. Also Amr ibn Fuhayra, the shepherd of Abu Bakr's flock of sheep, brought them milk and food by walking his flock through the cave. Amr ibn Fuhayra performed hijrah with them later.
The Quraishi idolaters were surprised when they saw Ali instead of the Prophet in his house. They asked Ali where the Prophet and Abu Bakr were. Ali did not tell their hiding place to idolaters. In response to this they beat Ali, arrested him, but released him later on. The Quraishi idolaters tried to obtain information from Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr. Abu Jahil tortured Asma when he did not get the answer he wanted. The idolaters did not find the Prophet in Mecca. Realizing that Prophet Muhammad had left Mecca, the idolaters began to search the surroundings and sent messengers to nearby places. One day, they came near Mount Thawr. But on the order of Allah, the cave's entrance was covered with a cobweb. Seeing the cobwebs they thought that nobody could be in there and they turned back. At the moment when the idolaters were in front of the cave's entrance, Abu Bakr became alarmed that the idolaters would find them. The Prophet calmed Abu Bakr saying, "Grieve not; Allah is with us" (Al-Tauba 9/40). As was agreed upon before, Abdullah ibn Urayqit came to Mount Thawr with the camels after three days. They set out from Mount Thawr to Yathrib along the coast. Lest the Quraishi should find them, they took a different path toward their destination, instead of the well-known roads, and sometimes they preferred to go through steep mountain crossings or through the middle of the desert. The Quraishis applied many strategies to find the Prophet. They promised to give 100 camels to any person who could find them, but nobody could. Suraqah ibn Malik, who was a very good tracker, wanted to win the prize of a hundred camels. When the travelers came into sight, he realized he could capture them or kill them, but his horse fell to the ground, as a result of a miracle. Suraqah discontinued his tracking after that. A similar threat was experienced when they passed through the lands of the Aslam tribe. Buraydah ibn Husayb, the chief of the tribe, stooped the convoy. After a short talk with the Prophet, Buraydah ibn Husayb and his tribe accepted Islam and became Muslim. Buraydah accompanied the convoy until they left the lands of his tribe. When they came to the spot called Juhfah, Prophet Muhammad remembered the road to Mecca and felt sad with his longing for the city. In response to this, the following verse was revealed which stated that the Prophet would return to Mecca after defeating his enemies in the city where he experienced cruelty and from which he was forced to perform hijrah (Al-Qasas, 28/85). There were many positive developments during the hijrah. For instance, Abu Bakr and the Prophet stopped at the tent of Umm Mabad Atiqa bint Haled, a woman of Khuzaa, to buy something to eat. She had a ewe, but its udder had dried up owing to the drought. The Prophet wiped the sheep's udder with his hand and mentioning the name of Allah, he prayed that Umm Mabad might have a blessing in her ewe. It then flowed with milk. He gave Umm Mabad and the others the milk to drink first, until all of them were fully satisfied, then he drank knowing everyone was replete. He milked the ewe a second time and when the vessel was full, he left it with Umm Mabad. When Abu Mabad came back and his wife told him about the extraordinary happening and the angelic stranger, she described the Prophet in flowery language. Her remarks are mentioned in the hilya literature and still can be read today so far.
The news about the Prophet's departure from Mecca had already spread fast. The people in Yathrib became worried about Prophet Muhammad as he had not arrived yet. Eagerly expecting his arrival, people would go out after the morning prayer to the outskirts of the city, to Harra, and await his arrival until there was no more shade and the sun became unbearable. They were returning to their homes on the 8th of Rabi' al-awwal (September 20, 622), as they had on previous days, when a Jewish girl on the roof of a three-story house saw the approaching convoy. She realized that this convoy was the Prophet's convoy and she announced their coming by crying out loudly. Upon hearing this, the Muslims rushed to Harra to greet Prophet Muhammad. The Prophet stayed in Qulsum ibn Hidm's house, which was one-hour distance from Yathrib. He stayed in this town for several days, and he built a masjid there. In the meantime, Ali had returned the things to their owners as the Prophet had requested and had left Mecca, hiding by day and traveling by night, finally arriving in Quba and meeting the Prophet there. It is recounted that Ali's mother, Fatima bint Asad, Sawda bint Zam‘a, the wife of the Prophet, their daughters, Fatima and Ummu Qulsum, and Abu Bakr's family also came to Quba. Apart from this, it is stated that the families of the Prophet and Abu Bakr performed hijrah later with Zayd ibn Haritha and Abu Rafi who had come from Medina. The Prophet set out from Quba to Yathrib with his convoy on the 12th of Rabi' al-awwal (September 24, 622), a Friday. The Prophet stopped at the location of the Salim ibn Avf tribe in the Ranuna valley when it was time for the Friday prayer. He read his first Friday khutba (sermon) there and led the prayer. In his sermon he first praised Allah, then Muhammad asserted that people would certainly be judged in the afterlife, that everyone would be held accountable for the people who were working under them, and that nothing could help people after death except for the good deeds that they did on earth. He advised all people to prepare for the afterlife by competing with each other in terms of performing good deeds. The Prophet set out for Yathrib after the prayer, and he was welcomed with great enthusiasm by the people of the city. There was an atmosphere of celebration and festival in Medina, the like of which had never been seen before. People lined up on both sides of the road; men, women and children joyously greeted Prophet Muhammad. All the while, tambourines were being played and the following words were sung: "The moon shone on us from farewell hills / We must thank Allah as long as invitation to Him continues / O Messenger / We shall obey You / Welcome here, our city is honored by your arrival." The Prophet entered the city on his camel, Qaswa, greeting the people and thanking them. Everyone wanted the Prophet to stay in their house, but Muhammad said that he would stay wherever his camel came to rest. The camel came to stop in front of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari's (Khaled ibn Zayd) house. Now the Meccan period, a time of suffering and pain, had come to an end and a new period had begun in Islamic history. Yathrib was now known as Madinat ar-Rasul or al-Madina al-Munavvara, which means the city of the Prophet.
In the sources that relate the events connected to the exodus of Prophet Muhammad from Mecca, his arrival in Quba and his entry into Medina are given different dates. If one carefully examines the accounts, one can understand that the people of Mecca made the decision to assassinate the Prophet on September 9th, 622, a Thursday, that the Prophet learned about this situation, leaving the city and going to the cave of Thawr, that he stayed there from the 10 through 12 September, 622 within the cave, left the cave on Monday Rabi' al-awwal 1, (September 13th, 622) and arrived in Quba, and on Friday, Rabi' al-awwal 12 (September 24th, 622) finally entered Medina.
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AL- ISRA AND AL- MIRAAJ

ISRA AND MIRAAJ (THE NIGHT JOURNEY)

Following both the death of loved ones who were always of great support to him and the cruelties inflicted by the Ta’if townspeople, God honored Prophet Muhammad with the Ascension, allowing him to travel to the spiritual realms. One night, accompanied by Archangel Gabriel, the Prophet was taken from the Sacred Mosque in Makka to the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem; from there, he was raised to the great station known as Sidrat al-Muntaha, the highest point of any created being's rise and nearness to God. Thereafter, the Prophet was raised to God’s Presence, transcending space and time. This miracle served as an indication that Islam would now move beyond Makka, where it had been confined for the past ten years, and spread to distant lands and nations. Because during this spiritual journey, Prophet Muhammad had led the prayer before the souls of all the previous Prophets, some of whose followers remained in his day and at present. The first part of this journey is called the Night Journey (Isra) and is described in the seventeenth chapter of the Qur’an, which bears the same name. As for the Ascension (Mi’raj), it is described in the first verses of the chapter entitled al-Najm (53:1-18) and is confirmed through many Prophetic Traditions. That the Ascension occurred one year before the Emigration on the twenty-seventh night of the month of Rajab has been generally accepted.
The Ascension elevated the spirituality of the Prophet, consolidated the faith of the believers, and increased the hostility of the polytheists. When the Prophet related this incident to the Makkans, they denied it, dismissing it as fanciful and fabricated. Despite the fact that they received correct information in response to their questions regarding the exact whereabouts of a caravan returning to Makka from Jerusalem, they persisted in their denial. Even if the polytheists wanted to put Abu Bakr in an awkward position by mockingly relating the situation to him, he affirmed its veracity saying, “If Muhammad himself says this, then it must true,” and thus took on the title of al-Siddiq (Verifier of the Truth). The five daily prayers were enjoined on this night, the last verses of the Qur’anic chapter al-Baqara (2:285-286) were revealed on this night, and the forgiveness of all those who do not associate partners with God was proclaimed. The following principles commanded in the chapter relating directly to this night are significant in terms of demonstrating Islam's basic approach to certain issues:
 

1. To worship none other than God;
2. To treat one’s parents with the best of kindness;
3. To give relatives, the destitute, and travelers their due;
4. Not to be miserly or squander one’s wealth;
5. Not to kill children for fear of poverty;
6. Not to draw near to any unlawful sexual intercourse;
7. Not to kill;
8. Not to usurp the property of orphans;
9. To keep promises;
10. To be accurate in measurements;
11. Not to pursue that of which one has no knowledge;
12. Not to walk on the earth in self-conceit or arrogance (Al-Isra 17/22-39).

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Emigration to Abysynnia and the Boycott

 

 EMIGRATION TO ABYSSINIA

As Islam gradually spread in Makka, the attitudes of the Makkan polytheists towards the Muslims became even harsher and their verbal opposition was now joined with physical intervention. Experiencing utmost anguish and sorrow at the oppression and torture that his Companions suffered, but being unable to prevent these, the Prophet advised the Muslims to emigrate to Abyssinia where they could freely practice their religion and where they would be safe and secure. The Christian king of Abyssinia, the Negus Asham, was a just ruler who treated his subjects well. Indicating as such, the Prophet said: “Go to Abyssinia if you wish. For, therein is a ruler in whose land no one is oppressed. That land is one of fairness and justice. Stay there until God grants ease.” Upon this advice, a convoy of Muslims comprising eleven men and four women set out for Abyssinia from the port of Shuayba in the year 615. Included in the convoy were important names in Islamic history such as ‘Uthman and his wife, the Prophet’s daughter Ruqayya, Zubayr ibn ‘Awwam, Mus'ab ibn 'Umayr, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-'Awf, and Abu Salama and his wife Umm Salama. This incident, which bears importance as the first hijra, or emigration in Islam, also enabled Prophet Muhammad to make contact with Africa in the first years of his Prophethood. It became clear, from the reports of ‘Uthman who returned to Makka one year later that the Muslims had been well received there. For this reason, a second larger convoy emigrated to Abyssinia, under the leadership of Ja'far ibn Abi Talib. With this convoy, the number of people who emigrated to Abyssinia reached 108. In response to the increasing number of Muslim emigrants, the Quraysh sent a delegation to Abyssinia to request the return of the Makkans who had emigrated there. The Negus called representatives from the Muslims also, in order to hear claims from both sides.
Ja'far ibn Abi Talib spoke on behalf of the Abyssinian emigrants. His words are significant in terms of exemplifying the great transformation that Islam brought about in its first addressees. Ja’far told the Negus: “O King, we were a people in a state of ignorance and immorality, worshipping idols and eating carrion, committing all sorts of abomination and shameful deeds, breaking the ties of kinship, mistreating guests, and the strong among us exploited the weak. We remained in this state until God sent us a Prophet, one of our own people, whose lineage, truthfulness, trustworthiness, and integrity were well-known to us. He called us to worship God alone, and to renounce the stones and the idols which we and our ancestors used to worship besides God. He commanded us to speak the truth, to honor our promises, to be kind to our relations, to be helpful to our neighbors, to cease all forbidden acts, to abstain from bloodshed, to avoid obscenities and false witness, and not to appropriate an orphan’s property nor slander chaste women. We believed in him and what he brought to us from God.” After hearing both sides, the Negus refused the request of the Quraysh that the Muslims be returned.
The Muslims stayed in Ethiopia for quite some time. Thirty-three people from the Abyssinian emigrants returned to Makka in 620 after the end of the boycott which will be described later. Some of the remaining emigrants willingly left Abyssinia for Madina after the Emigration (Hijra), while the last group returned in the 7th year following the Emigration (628). In the meantime, while the Quraysh sent another delegation after the Battle of Badr to again request the return of the Muslims, the Negus once again rejected their demands. 
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THE BOYCOTT

The Quraysh decided to counteract the power of influence that the Prophet gained with Hamza and ‘Umar’s acceptance of Islam; stating that they would not abide by the existing ties of kinship and law with the Banu Hashim and the Banu Muttalib, they declared these two clans as enemies and forbade any communication, trade and any contract of marriage with them. They wrote up the terms of such a boycott and hung them on the wall of the Ka’ba. In the face of this social boycott, Abu Talib gathered his nephew and his nephew’s followers in the “Valley of Abu Talib” (Shi’bu Abi Talib) with the purpose of protecting them. The Prophet moved here from the House of Arqam where he had continued his efforts to convey Islam.
With the exception of Abu Lahab and his sons who chose to side with the polytheists, all members of the Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib, whether Muslim or not, were forced to move there and live under boycott for a period of up to three years (616-619). Khadija and Abu Talib exhausted all their wealth in these years of hardship. Outside of the pilgrimage season and the sacred months, it was not possible to engage in trade activities or leave for the purpose of buying or selling. On the days when trade was permitted, the polytheists would make things very difficult for them by increasing the prices. Finally, some right-minded individuals such as the son of Abu Talib’s sister Zuhayr ibn Umayya, and Hisham ibn ‘Amr, spoke to leading members of the Quraysh Mut'im ibn 'Adi and Zam’a ibn Aswad; after gaining both their support, they went to the Valley of Abu Talib and released those living there, thus putting an end to the boycott.
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The First revelation

THE FIRST REVELATION AND PROPHETHOOD

Prophet Muhammad was appointed as a Messenger by God when he was forty years old. After the reparation of the Ka’ba and his inserting the Black Stone back in its place, people began to notice that Muhammad tended towards thinking about God and seeking the ways of belief in and worship of Him. Not once showing any interest in the idols of the Makkans or those of the many other Arab tribes, he reached the conclusion of the futility of worshipping idols, by way of reason and conscience. It is quite possible that he was thinking along the same lines as the small number of Hanif who were trying to practice the monotheistic religion of Abraham. However, while experiencing the sorrow of no knowing what to do and how to do it, Muhammad began to take pleasure in withdrawing into solitude; as of the few years prior to his Prophethood, in the month of Ramadan, he began to retreat in the secluded cave of Mount Hira, as had done his grandfather ‘Abd al-Muttalib and other members of the Quraysh.

When Muhammad ran out of food, he would go to the city, help the poor, circumambulate the Ka’ba, take food from his home and return to the cave. From time to time, he would take Khadija with him. According to a narration from A'isha, during this period the Prophet began having "sadiq (true) dreams" and this period continued for six months; the dreams that he saw in this period became a reality one-by-one. There are also accounts in the sources that state that during this period, Prophet Muhammad heard voices greeting him with the words, "Peace be upon you O Messenger of God,” but when he turned around and looked to find no one there he would thus become quite anxious; authentic narrations state that these voices came from rocks and trees. Due to the above-mentioned incidents, some of them miraculous in nature, it is possible to say that this period constituted a phase of preparation for revelation.
In the year 610, during the last ten days of the month of Ramadan, when Prophet Muhammad was in the cave of Hira, Archangel Gabriel appeared to him; it is thought that this could have occurred on the twenty-seventh night and according to some accounts on a Monday. Gabriel informed Muhammad that God had assigned him as a Prophet. This first revelation was reported by Prophet Muhammad as follows: "That night Gabriel came to me and said ‘Read (Iqra’). I responded, ‘I am not of those who read'. Upon this, the angel took me; pressed me until it was almost too much to bear. Then he released me and said, ‘Read'. I again replied ‘I am not of those who read' He embraced me again firmly and said, ‘Read'. When I responded ‘What shall I read?' the angel embraced me till I had no more strength left and after releasing me the angel read these verses to me: ‘Recite in the Name of your God, Nourisher and Sustainer Who created man from a clot. Recite! And your God is the Most Generous Who taught by the pen, taught man that which he knew not" (Al'Alaq, 96:1-5). After this incident, Muhammad became anxious and fearful; he left Hira and went to his home, went to bed and told his wife Khadija to cover him. After Muhammad woke up, he told his wife what he had experienced. Khadija told Muhammad that she believed in him and reassured him by saying; "God will never disgrace you. You maintain good relations with your kin, you bear the burden of the weak, you help the poor and the needy, serve your guests generously, and assist those who are afflicted by calamity." Then she took Prophet Muhammad to Waraqa ibn Nawfal, her cousin. An old Christian Scholar well-versed in the Holy Bible, Waraqa listened to Muhammad and then told him that the being who came to him was the Angel of Revelation who was sent by God to all the Prophets. He then added: "They will call you a liar; they will treat you badly. They will wage a war against you and drive you out of this city. If I live to see those days, I will help you for the sake of Allah." After Waraqa complted his words, he leaned towards Muhammad and kissed him on the forehead. With the support of Khadija and the explanations of Waraqa, the Prophet returned to his home feeling much relieved.

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Marriage and life before prophethood

His Marriage to Khadijah

When he returned to Makkah, Khadijah noticed, in her money, more profits and blessings than she used to. Her hireling also told her of Muhammad’s good manners, honesty, deep thought, sincerity and faith. She realized that she homed at her target. Many prominent men had asked for her hand in marriage but she always spurned their advances. She disclosed her wish to her friend Nafisa, daughter of Maniya, who immediately went to Muhammad [pbuh] and broke the good news to him. He agreed and requested his uncles to go to Khadijah’s uncle and talk on this issue. Subsequently, they were married. The marriage contract was witnessed by Bani Hashim and the heads of Mudar. This took place after the Prophet’s return from Syria. He gave her twenty camels as dowry. 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 Allâh [pbuh] married. He did not get married to any other until she had died. [Ibn Hisham 1/189; Fiqh As-Seerah p.59; Talqeeh Fahoom Ahl-al-Athar p.7]

Khadijah bore all his children, except Ibrahim: Al-Qasim, Zainab, Ruqaiyah, Umm Kulthum, Fatimah and ‘Abdullah who was called Taiyib and Tahir. 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. [Ibn Hisham 1/190,191; Fath Al-Bari 7/507]

Rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah and the Arbitration Issue

When the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] was thirty five, Quraish started rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah. That was because it was a low building of white stones no more than 6.30 metres high, from the days of Ishmael. It was also roofless and that gave the thieves easy access to its treasures inside. It was also exposed to the wearing factors of nature — because it was built a long time ago — that weakened and cracked its walls. Five years before Prophethood, there was a great flood in Makkah that swept towards Al-Ka‘bah and almost demolished it. Quraish was obliged to rebuild it to safeguard its holiness and position. The chiefs of Quraish decided to use only licit money in rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah, so all money that derived from harlotry, usury or unjust practices was excluded. They were, at first, too awed to knock down the wall, but Al-Waleed bin Al-Mugheerah Al-Mukhzumi started the work. Seeing that no harm had happened to him, the others participated in demolishing the walls until they reached the basis laid by Abraham. When they started rebuilding its walls, they divided the work among the tribes. Each tribe was responsible for rebuilding a part of it. The tribes collected stones and started work. The man who laid the stones was a Roman mason called Baqum. The work went on in harmony till the time came to put the sacred Black Stone in its proper place. Then strife broke out among the chiefs, and lasted for four or five days, each contesting for the honour of placing the stone in its position. Daggers were on the point of being drawn and great bloodshed seemed imminent. Luckily, 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 Allâh’s Will that the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] 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.” Calm and self-possessed, Muhammad [pbuh] received the commission and at once resolved upon an expedient which was to conciliate them all. He asked for a mantle which he spread on the ground and placed the stone in its center. He then asked the representatives of the different clans among them, to lift the stone all together. When it had reached the proper place, Muhammad [pbuh] laid it in the proper position with his own hands. This is how a very tense situation was eased and a grave danger averted by the wisdom of the Prophet [pbuh].

Quraish ran short of the licit money, they collected, so they eliminated six yards area on the northern side of Al-Ka‘bah 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.

When the building of Al-Ka‘bah had finished, it assumed a square form fifteen meters high. The side with the Black Stone and the one opposite were ten meters long each. The Black Stone was 1.50 meter from the circumambulation level ground. The two other sides were twelve metres long each. The door was two meters high from the level ground. A building structure of 0.25 meter high and 0.30 meter wide on the average surrounded Al-Ka‘bah. It was called Ash-Shadherwan, originally an integral part of the Sacred Sanctuary, but Quraish left it out. [Bukhari 1/215; Fiqh As-Seerah p.62-63; Ibn Hisham 2/192-197]

A Rapid Review of Muhammad’s Biography before Commissioning of the Prophethood

Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] was, in his youth, a combination of the best social attributes. He was an exemplary man of weighty mind and faultless insight. He was favoured with intelligence, originality of thought and accurate choice of the means leading to accurate goals. His long silence helped favourably in his habit of meditation and deep investigation into the truth. His vivid mind and pure nature were helpfully instrumental in assimilating and comprehending ways of life and people, individual and community-wise. He shunned superstitious practices but took an active part in constructive and useful dealings, otherwise, he would have recourse to his self-consecrated solitude. He kept himself aloof from drinking wine, eating meat slaughtered on stone altars, or attending idolatrous festivals. He held the idols in extreme aversion and most abhorrence. He could never tolerate someone swearing by Al-Lat and Al-‘Uzza. Allâh’s providence, no doubts, detached him from all abominable or evil practices. Even when he tried to obey his instinct to enjoy some life pleasures or follow some irrespectable traditions, Allâh’s providence intervened to curb any lapse in this course. Ibn Al-Atheer reported Muhammad [pbuh] as saying: “I have never tried to do what my people do except for two times. Every time Allâh intervened and checked me from doing so and I never did that again. Once I told my fellow-shepherd to take care of my sheep when we were in the upper part of Makkah. I wanted to go down to Makkah and entertain myself as the young men did. I went down to the first house of Makkah where I heard music. I entered and asked: ‘What is this?’ Someone answered: ‘It is a wedding party.’ I sat down and listened but soon went into deep sleep. I was awakened by the heat of the sun. I went back to my fellow-shepherd and told him of what had happened to me. I have never tried it again.”

Al-Bukhari reported on the authority of Jabir bin ‘Abdullah that he said: “While the people were rebuilding Al-Ka‘bah, the Prophet Muhammad [pbuh] went with ‘Abbas to carry some stones. ‘Abbas said: ‘Put your loincloth round your neck to protect you from the stones.’ (As he did that) the Prophet [pbuh] fell to the ground and his eyes turned skyward. Later on he woke up and shouted: ‘My loincloth… my loincloth.’ He wrapped himself in his loincloth.” In another report: “His loins were never seen afterwards.” [Bukhari Chapter: The Building of Al-Ka'bah, 1/540]

The authorities agree in ascribing to the youth of Muhammad [pbuh] modesty of deportment, virtuous behaviour and graceful manners. He proved himself to be the ideal of manhood, and to possess a spotless character. He was the most obliging to his compatriots, the most honest in his talk and the mildest in temper. He was the most gentle-hearted, chaste, hospitable and always impressed people by his piety-inspiring countenance. He was the most truthful and the best to keep covenant. His fellow-citizens, by common consent, gave him the title of Al-‘Ameen (trustworthy). The Mother of believers, Khadijah [R], once said: He unites uterine relations, he helps the poor and the needy, he entertains the guests and endures hardships in the path of truthfulness. [Bukhari 1/3]

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Birth and Childhood

His Birth

Muhammad [pbuh], the Master of Prophets, was born in Bani Hashim lane in Makkah on Monday morning, the ninth of Rabi‘ Al-Awwal, the same year of the Elephant Event, and forty years of the reign of Kisra (Khosru Nushirwan), i.e. the twentieth or twenty-second of April, 571 A.D., according to the scholar Muhammad Sulaimân Al-Mansourpuri, and the astrologer Mahmûd Pasha. [Muhadarat Tareekh Al-Umam Al-Islamiyah 1/62; Rahmat-ul-lil'alameen 1/38,39]

Ibn Sa‘d reported that Muhammad’s mother said: “When he was born, there was a light that issued out of my pudendum and lit the palaces of Syria.” Ahmad reported on the authority of ‘Arbadh bin Sariya something similar to this. [Mukhtasar Seerat-ur-Rasool, p.12; Tabaqat Ibn Sa'd 1/63]

It was but controversially reported that significant precursors accompanied his birth: fourteen galleries of Kisra’s palace cracked and rolled down, the Magians’ sacred fire died down and some churches on Lake Sawa sank down and collapsed. [Reported by Al-Baihaqi, but Al-Ghazali didn't approve it - see Fiqh-us-Seerah p.46]

His mother immediately sent someone to inform his grandfather ‘Abdul-Muttalib of the happy event. Happily he came to her, carried him to Al-Ka‘bah, prayed to Allâh and thanked Him. ‘Abdul-Muttalib called the baby Muhammad, a name not then common among the Arabs. He circumcised him on his seventh day as was the custom of the Arabs. [Ibn Hisham 1/159,160; Zad Al-Ma'ad 1/18; Muhadarat Tareekh Al-Umam Al-Islamiyah 1/62]

The first woman who suckled him after his mother was Thuyebah, the concubine of Abu Lahab, with her son, Masrouh. She had suckled Hamzah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib before and later Abu Salamah bin ‘Abd Al-Asad Al-Makhzumi. [Talqeeh Furoom Ahl-al-Athar p.4; Mukhtasar Seerat-ur-Rasool p.13]

Babyhood

It was the general custom of the Arabs living in towns to send their children away to bedouin wet nurses so that they might grow up in the free and healthy surroundings of the desert whereby they would develop a robust frame and acquire the pure speech and manners of the bedouins, who were noted both for chastity of their language and for being free from those vices which usually develop in sedentary societies.

The Prophet [pbuh] was later entrusted to Haleemah bint Abi Dhuaib from Bani Sa‘d bin Bakr. Her husband was Al-Harith bin ‘Abdul ‘Uzza called Abi Kabshah, from the same tribe.

Muhammad [pbuh] had several foster brothers and sisters, ‘Abdullah bin Al-Harith, Aneesah bint Al-Harith, Hudhafah or Judhamah bint Al-Harith (known as Ash-Shayma’), and she used to nurse the Prophet [pbuh] and Abu Sufyan bin Al-Harith bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet’s cousin. Hamzah bin ‘Abdul-Muttalib, the Prophet’s uncle, was suckled by the same two wet nurses, Thuyeba and Haleemah As-Sa‘diyah, who suckled the Prophet [pbuh]. [Za'd Al-Ma'ad 1/19]

Traditions delightfully relate how Haleemah and the whole of her household were favoured by successive strokes of good fortune while the baby Muhammad [pbuh] lived under her care. Ibn Ishaq states that Haleemah narrated that she along with her husband and a suckling babe, set out from her village in the company of some women of her clan in quest of children to suckle. She said:

It was a year of drought and famine and we had nothing to eat. I rode on a brown she-ass. We also had with us an old she-camel. By Allâh we could not get even a drop of milk. We could not have a wink of sleep during the night for the child kept crying on account of hunger. There was not enough milk in my breast and even the she-camel had nothing to feed him. We used to constantly pray for rain and immediate relief. At length we reached Makkah looking for children to suckle. Not even a single woman amongst us accepted the Messenger of Allâh [pbuh] offered to her. As soon as they were told that he was an orphan, they refused him. We had fixed our eyes on the reward that we would get from the child’s father. An orphan! What are his grandfather and mother likely to do? So we spurned him because of that. Every woman who came with me got a suckling and when we were about to depart, I said to my husband: “By Allâh, I do not like to go back along with the other women without any baby. I should go to that orphan and I must take him.” He said, “There is no harm in doing so and perhaps Allâh might bless us through him.” So I went and took him because there was simply no other alternative left for me but to take him. When I lifted him in my arms and returned to my place I put him on my breast and to my great surprise, I found enough milk in it. He drank to his heart’s content, and so did his foster brother and then both of them went to sleep although my baby had not been able to sleep the previous night. My husband then went to the she-camel to milk it and, to his astonishment, he found plenty of milk in it. He milked it and we drank to our fill, and enjoyed a sound sleep during the night. The next morning, my husband said: “By Allâh Haleemah, you must understand that you have been able to get a blessed child.” And I replied: “By the grace of Allâh, I hope so.”

The tradition is explicit on the point that Haleemah’s return journey and her subsequent life, as long as the Prophet [pbuh] stayed with her, was encircled with a halo of good fortune. The donkey that she rode when she came to Makkah was lean and almost foundered; it recovered speed much to the amazement of Haleemah’s fellow travellers. By the time they reached the encampments in the country of the clan of Sa‘d, they found the scales of fortune turned in their favour. The barren land sprouted forth luxuriant grass and beasts came back to them satisfied and full of milk. Muhammad [pbuh] stayed with Haleemah for two years until he was weaned as Haleemah said:

We then took him back to his mother requesting her earnestly to have him stay with us and benefit by the good fortune and blessings he had brought us. We persisted in our request which we substantiated by our anxiety over the child catching a certain infection peculiar to Makkah.[Ibn Hisham 1/162-164] At last, we were granted our wish and the Prophet [pbuh] stayed with us until he was four or five years of age.

When, as related by Anas in Sahih Muslim, Gabriel came down and ripped his chest open and took out the heart. He then extracted a blood-clot out of it and said: “That was the part of Satan in thee.” And then he washed it with the water of Zamzam in a gold basin. After that the heart was joined together and restored to its place. The boys and playmates came running to his mother, i.e. his nurse, and said: “Verily, Muhammad [pbuh] has been murdered.” They all rushed towards him and found him all right only his face was white. [Muslim 1/92]
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