Who
Is the Prophet Muhammad Rasulullah
Muhammad
was born in Makkah in the year 570. 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 raised
illiterate, unable to read or write, and remained so till his death.
His people, before his mission as a prophet, were ignorant of science
and most of them were illiterate. As he grew up, he became known to
be truthful, honest, trustworthy, generous, and sincere. He was so
trustworthy that they called him the Trustworthy.1 Muhammad was very
religious, and he had long 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.
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, at the age of sixty-three, 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. Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread of
Islam was the truth and clarity of its doctrine. Islam calls for
faith in only one God, Who is the only one worthy of worship.
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. Moreover, in all
his actions and dealings, he was ever mindful and fearful of God.
Birth
Of Prophet Muhammad Rasulullah
It
was in the midst of such conditions and environments that Muhammad
was born in 569 after Christ. His father, 'Abdullah had died some
weeks earlier, and it was his grandfather who took him in charge.
According to the prevailing custom, the child was entrusted to a
Bedouin foster-mother, with whom he passed several years in the
desert. All biographers state that the infant prophet sucked only one
breast of his foster-mother, leaving the other for the sustenance of
his foster-brother. When the child was brought back home, his mother,
Aminah, took him to his maternal uncles at Madinah to visit the tomb
of 'Abdullah. During the return journey, he lost his mother who died
a sudden death. At Mecca, another bereavement awaited him, in the
death of his affectionate grandfather. Subjected to such privations,
he was at the age of eight, consigned at last to the care of his
uncle, Abu-Talib, a man who was generous of nature but always short
of resources and hardly able to provide for his family.
Young
Muhammad had therefore to start immediately to earn his livelihood;
he served as a shepherd boy to some neighbors. At the age of ten he
accompanied his uncle to Syria when he was leading a caravan there.
No other travels of Abu-Talib are mentioned, but there are references
to his having set up a shop in Mecca. (Ibn Qutaibah, Ma'arif). It is
possible that Muhammad helped him in this enterprise also.
By
the time he was twenty-five, Muhammad had become well known in the
city for the integrity of his disposition and the honesty of his
character. A rich widow, Khadijah, took him in her employ and
consigned to him her goods to be taken for sale to Syria. Delighted
with the unusual profits she obtained as also by the personal charms
of her agent, she offered him her hand. According to divergent
reports, she was either 28 or 40 years of age at that time, (medical
reasons prefer the age of 28 since she gave birth to five more
children). The union proved happy. Later, we see him sometimes in the
fair of Hubashah (Yemen), and at least once in the country of the
'Abd al-Qais (Bahrain-Oman), as mentioned by Ibn Hanbal. There is
every reason to believe that this refers to the great fair of Daba
(Oman), where, according to Ibn al-Kalbi (cf. Ibn Habib, Muhabbar),
the traders of China, of Hind and Sind (India, Pakistan), of Persia,
of the East and the West assembled every year, traveling both by land
and sea. There is also mention of a commercial partner of Muhammad at
Mecca. This person, Sa'ib by name reports: "We relayed each
other; if Muhammad led the caravan, he did not enter his house on his
return to Mecca without clearing accounts with me; and if I led the
caravan, he would on my return enquire about my welfare and speak
nothing about his own capital entrusted to me."
| 1.
When
was the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) born?
|
| He
was born on Monday, 12th Rabi Al Awwal, April 22nd, 571 AC. |
| 2.
Where
was the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) born?
|
| In
Makkah
|
| 3.
What
is the name of the Prophet's father?
|
| Abdullah
Ibn Abdul Muttalib.
|
| 4.
What
is the name of the Prophet's mother?
|
| Aminah
Bint Wahhab Ibn Abd Manaf Ibn Zahrah. |
| 5.
When
and where did his (prophet's) father die?
|
| He
died in Madina before Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) was born. |
| 6.
What
is the name of the Prophet's grandfather?
|
| Abdul
Muttalib.
|
| 7.
What
was his granfather's position?
|
| He
was the chief of his clan Bani Hashim.
|
| 8.
What
is the Prophet's (p.b.u.h.) lineage up to his fifth ancestor?
|
| He
is Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul Muttalib Ibn Hashim Ibn Abd
Manaf Ibn Qusai Ibn Kilab.
|
| 9.
Who
suckled the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.)?
|
| First
Thuyeba, the freed slave girl of his uncle Abdul Uzza known as
Abu Lahab, then Haleema Bint Abu Dhuaib, best known as Haleema Al
Sadiyah.
|
| 10.
Who
named the Prophet Muhammad (p.b.u.h.)?
|
| Abdul
Muttalib.
|
| 11.
What
did Muhammad's (p.b.u.h.) mother name him?
|
| Ahmad.
|
| 12.
Why
did she (the Prophet's mother) choose this name?
|
| Because
she saw an angel in a dream calling the new-born baby Ahmad.
|
| 13.
How
old was Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) when his mother died?
|
| Six
years old.
|
| 14.
Where
did his mother take him?
|
| She
took him to Yathrib (Madinah) to visit her relatives.
|
| 15.
Where
did his mother die?
|
| On
her way back to Makkah, she died at Abwa and was buried there. |
| 16.
Who
brought Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) back to Makkah?
|
| His
father’s slave girl, Umm Aiman (May Allah be pleased with her). |
| 17.
Who
took the charge of his care?
|
| His
grandfather Abdul Muttalib. |
| 18.
How
long did The Prophet's grandfather take care of the Prophet
Muhammad?
|
| For
two years.
|
| 19.
How
was his (Abdul Muttalib's) behavior with Muhammad (p.b.u.h.)?
|
| He
loved him very much and preferred him to his own sons.
|
| 20.
What
did Abdul Muttalib foretell about his grandson?
|
| That
he would hold a prestigious position. |
| 21.
Who
took care of the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) after the death of Abdul
Muttalib?
|
His
uncle Abu Talib.
|
| 22.
How
old was Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) when his grandfather Abdul Muttalib
died?
|
| About
eight years old. |
| 23.
When
did Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) travel to Syria and with whom? |
| He
went to Syria with his uncle Abu Talib when he was twelve years
old. |
| 24.
Who
was Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her)?
|
| She
was a wealthy merchant of Makkah. |
| 25.
Why
did she (Khadijah) want to marry Muhammad (p.b.u.h.)?
|
| Because
of his truthfulness and good conduct.
|
| 26.
When
did she (Khadijah) marry Muhammad (p.b.u.h.)?
|
| When
she was 40 years old.
|
| 27.
How
old was Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) at the time of the marriage?
|
| He
was 25. |
| 28.
What
did he (the Prophet) give her (Khadijah) as Mahr (dowry)?
|
| Twenty
camels.
|
| 29.
Was
Khadijah (May Allah be pleased with her) a widow?
|
| Yes.
The Prophet (p.b.u.h.) was her third husband. |
| 30.
How
was Muhammad (p.b.u.h.) known in the society?
|
| He
was known as Al Ameen (trustworthy) and Al Sadiq (truthful). |
| 31.
Did
he get any sort of education?
|
| No,
he didnt get any formal education from the society,
rather he was taught by Almighty Allah. |
| 32.
What
should one say when the Prophet's (p.b.u.h.) name is mentioned?
|
| One
should say صلى
الله عليه وسلم (May
the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
|
| 33.
How
many times is the name of Muhammad mentioned in the Holy Quran?
|
| Four
times. |
| 34.
What
are the names of the Prophet’s (p.b.u.h.) uncles?
|
| They
are: Harith, Zubair, Abu Talib, Hamzah (May Allah be pleased with
him), Abu Lahab, Ghidaq, Maqwam, Safar and Abbas (May Allah be
pleased with him).
|
| 35.
In
the New Testament by what name was the Prophet (p.b.u.h.)
mentioned?
|
| By
the name of Paraclete.
|
| 36.
What
is Kabah?
|
| It
is the oldest house of worship on the earth. |
| 37.
Who
built it?
|
| The
Prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismael (May Allah be pleased with
them). |
| 38.
How
did Quraish arrange rebuilding of Kabah?
|
| They
divided the work among various tribes. Each tribe was responsible
for rebuilding a part of it.
|
| 39.
Who
laid the stones?
|
| A
Byzantine mason called Baqum. |
40.
Where
did the Prophet (p.b.u.h.) go into seclusion?
|
| To
the Cave of Hira. |
