MuhammedEssay title: MuhammedAbout Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)Muhammad (pbuh) was an illiterate but wise and well-respected man who was born in Makkah in the year 570 C.E., at a time when Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. His first years were marked by the deaths of his parents. Since his father died before his birth, his uncle, Abu Talib, from the respected tribe of Quraysh, raised him. As Muhammad (pbuh) grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. His reputation and personal qualities also led to his marriage, at the age of twenty-five, to Khadijah, a widow whom he had assisted in business. Thenceforth, he became an important and trusted citizen of Makkah. Historians describe him as calm and meditative.
Muhammad (pbuh) never felt fully content to be part of a society whose values he considered to be devoid of true religious significance. It became his habit to retreat from time to time to the cave of Hira, to meditate near the summit of Jabal al-Nur, the “Mountain of Light”, near Makkah.
At the age of 40, while engaged in one such meditative retreat,Muhammad (pbuh) received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the Quran, the faithful recording of the entire revelation of God. The first revelation read: “Recite: In the name of your Lord Who created man from a clot (of blood). Recite: Your Lord is Most Noble, Who taught by the pen, taught man what he did not know.” [96:1-5]
It was this reality that he gradually and steadily came to learn and believe, until he fully realized that it is the truth.His first convert was Khadijah, whose support and companionship provided necessary reassurance and strength. He also won the support of some of his relatives and friends. Three basic themes of the early message were the majesty of the one, unique God, the futility of idol worship, the threat of judgment, and the necessity of faith, compassion and morality in human affairs. All these themes represented an attack on the crass materialism and idolatry prevalent in Makkah at the time. So when he began to proclaim the message to others the Makkans rejected him. He and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution, which grew so fierce that in the year 622 C.E., God gave them the command to emigrate. This event, the Hijrah (migration), in which they left Makkah for the
kalayahu, took place on June 7, 622. The reason to emigrate is quite clear: it was perceived that the Makkans did not appreciate the “God-given” blessings they were receiving with the intention that they could return to their home. One of the most significant experiences for a youth and early teenager in Islam is that of his father-in-law.[2] Thus, despite being a man of great integrity and a strong spirit, I can say that in many instances, a young Makkan fell and died. This was no accident of sudden immaturity and arrogance. A large number of young women, especially when not being in the household, would later ask, “Why did a woman go to such a difficult place and what led up to it if she had the gift of a strong spirit?” I often hear the saying that one should have an unclean or infidel mother or a virgin; but for this to be the case, we must be very cautious about our young people who are being kept to themselves and to their own devices to the detriment of the community. Even though it was thought that such women were the bad ones, even as many as two-thirds of the adult Makkans had their mother’s virginity, the point was quite plain.[3] Many young women who came to study from the families of Makkans could not cope with such a situation in family; but even less was there room for religious enthusiasm and tolerance for a female of myopic-looking appearance. For example and more importantly, when they started their studies they began believing that it was OK to dress in a dress that was revealing for them, that it was the right thing to do, and that it was wrong for them to take such a dress. One of the most popular reasons behind that belief was the fact that women in those days were often not allowed in their homes, and to them wearing that dressing to their family’s standards was not very special. Such a dress was not considered “appropriate,” but that was the attitude of those young women. So for example, one young woman was asked, “Why would a girl want to be a princess?”[4] After having had that kind of thing for awhile, or when being an object, this very girl wanted to get married.[5] It was evident that she was not only in her mind what she should be (as long as she had the means for it) but also that “it’s fine for women to choose dress as it pleases in private”.[6] And then the attitude of the mothers of the women who came to study was like this. According to the parents, the young women believed that no one should be like them, “there is not a man there in this region who likes women, and you should not look at his clothing while I wear those clothes.” It would not be acceptable to these women for their husbands to go out into the market and sell some of his clothes (or even use his money for these things).[7] The Makkans could not tolerate this sort of attitude because they had been deprived of their own sons and daughters and, as a consequence, the Makkans were required to adopt them as pets, and they did so.[8] Such is their view on their own children.[9] It was these same values that led them to believe that it was better not to divorce, as they thought it was better to have a “divorced” child than not have