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Muhammed ... The Prophet of God
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10-09-2007 1:02am#1
Much has been written about the Prophet Muhammad "peace be upon him", from in-depth biographies by Muslim scholars and non-Muslim researchers to sayings upon sayings of others.
Muhammad ibn Abdullah was born in Mecca in the year 569 CE. Since his father died before his birth and his mother died shortly thereafter, he was raised by his uncle who was from the respected tribe of Quraysh. He was illiterate, unable to read or write, and remained so till his death. As he grew up, he became known as truthful, honest, trustworthy, generous, and sincere. He earned his living as a trader and was known by his people as "Al-Amin," the trustworthy one. Muhammad was very religious, and he had always detested the decadence and idolatry of his society.
At the age of forty, Muhammad received his first revelation from God through the Angel Gabriel. The revelations continued for twenty-three years, and they are collectively known as the Quran. He began denounce the idolatry of the Arabic society and to preach Islam which calls for faith in only one God, Who is the only one worthy of worship.
Muhammad was first ordered to instruct his immediate family on Islam, but eventually it was revealed to him that he should begin delivering the message to all of mankind. In the next 20 years of his life, he communicated the message of Allah to his people, and set an example for how each human being should lead his or her life. This is especially valuable since Muhammad is the last Prophet of Allah.
As soon as he began to recite the Quran and to preach the truth which God had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered persecution from unbelievers. The persecution grew so fierce that in the year 622 God gave them the command to emigrate. This emigration from Makkah to the city of Madinah, some 260 miles to the north, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
After several years, Muhammad and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies. Before Muhammad died, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula had become Muslim, and within a century of his death, Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China.
The Prophet Muhammad was a perfect example of an honest, just, merciful, compassionate, truthful, and brave human being. Though he was a man, he was far removed from all evil characteristics and strove solely for the sake of God and His reward in the Hereafter. In all his actions and dealings, he was ever mindful and fearful of God.
If we compare the life of Muhammad before his mission as a prophet and his life after he began his mission as a prophet, we will conclude that it is beyond reason to think that Muhammad was a false prophet, who claimed prophethood to attain material gains, greatness, glory, or power.
Before his mission as a prophet, Muhammad had no financial worries. As a successful and reputed merchant, Muhammad drew a satisfactory and comfortable income. After his mission as a prophet and because of it, he became worse off materially. As Aisha, Muhammad’s wife, reported, the Prophet’s household would sometimes pass two months without lighting a fire to cook a meal, surviving only on dates and water, and camel milk given to them as a gift by their neighbors. She said the simple bed on which the Prophet slept was merely a "mattress made of leather stuffed with the fiber of the date-palm tree.” Sahl Ibn Sa’ad, one of Muhammad’s companions, said, “The Prophet of Allah did not see bread made from fine flour from the time Allah sent him (as a prophet) until he died.” Amr Ibn Al-Hareth, one of Muhammad’s companions, said that when the Prophet died, he left neither money nor anything else except his white riding mule, his arms, and a piece of land which he left to charity.
Muhammad lived this hard life till he died although the Muslim treasury was at his disposal, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula was Muslim before he died, and the Muslims were victorious after eighteen years of his mission.
Also, despite his responsibilities as a prophet, a teacher, a statesman, and a judge, Muhammad used to milk his goat, mend his clothes, repair his shoes, help with the household work, and visit poor people when they got sick. He also helped his companions with the physical labor of digging a trench around their city. His life was an amazing model of simplicity and humbleness.
Muhammad’s followers loved him, respected him, and trusted him to an amazing extent. Yet he continued to emphasize that deification should be directed to God and not to him personally. Anas, one of Muhammad’s companions, said that there was no person whom they loved more than the Prophet Muhammad , yet when he came to them, they did not stand up for him because he hated their standing up for him, as other people do with their great people.
Long before there was any prospect of success for Islam and at the outset of a long and painful era of torture, suffering, and persecution of Muhammad and his followers, he received an interesting offer. An envoy of the pagan leaders, Otba, came to him saying, “...If you want money, we will collect enough money for you so that you will be the richest one of us. If you want leadership, we will take you as our leader and never decide on any matter without your approval. If you want a kingdom, we will crown you king over us...” Only one concession was required from Muhammad in return for that, to give up calling people to Islam and worshipping God alone without any partner. Wouldn’t this offer be tempting to one pursuing worldly benefit? Was Muhammad hesitant when the offer was made? Did he turn it down as a bargaining strategy leaving the door open for a better offer?
The following was his answer: {In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful} And he recited to Otba the verses of the Quran 41:1-38:
{A revelation from (God), the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful; a Book whereof the verses are explained in detail; a Quran in Arabic, for people who know, giving good news and warning, yet most of them turn away, so they do not listen...} (Quran, 41:2-4)
On another occasion and in response to his uncle’s plea to stop calling people to Islam, Muhammad’s answer was as decisive and sincere: {I swear by the name of God, O Uncle, that if they place the sun in my right-hand and the moon in my left-hand in return for giving up this matter (calling people to Islam), I will never desist until either God makes it triumph or I perish defending it.}
Finally in the year 632 at the age of sixty-three, Muhammad died a natural death in the beloved city to which he and his followers had emigrated, Madinah, Al-Munawarah.
Some Examples of the Prophet Muhammad’s Sayings:
"The believers, in their love, mercy, and kindness to one another are like a body: if any part of it is ill, the whole body shares its sleeplessness and fever." [Muslim and Bukhari]
"The most perfect of the believers in faith are the best of them in morals. And the best among them are those who are best to their wives." [Ahmad]
"None of you believes (completely) until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself." [Muslim and Bukhari]
"The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Show mercy to those on earth, and God will show mercy to you." [At-Tirmithi and Abu Dawud]
"Smiling at your brother is charity..."
[At-Tirmithi]
"A good word is charity." [Muslim and Bukhari]
"Whoever believes in God and the Last Day (the Day of Judgment) should do good to his neighbor." [Muslim and Bukhari]
"God does not judge you according to your appearance and your wealth, but He looks at your hearts and looks into your deeds." [Muslim]
"Pay the worker his wage before his sweat dries." [Ibn Majah]
"A man walking along a path felt very thirsty. Reaching a well, he descended into it, drank his fill, and came up. Then he saw a dog with its tongue hanging out, trying to lick up mud to quench its thirst. The man said, 'This dog is feeling the same thirst that I felt.' So he went down into the well again, filled his shoe with water, and gave the dog a drink. So, God thanked him and forgave his sins." The Prophet was asked, "Messenger of God, are we rewarded for kindness towards animals?" He said: "There is a reward for kindness to every living animal or human." [Muslim and Bukhari]
source of the article:
www.think-deeply.com0
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