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His Life |
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To insure the peace and tranquility, the
Prophet proposed a treaty
defining terms of conduct for all inhabitants of Medinah. It was ratified by
all - Muslims, non-Muslim Arabs and Jews. After his emigration to Medinah,
the enemies of Islam increased their assault from all sides. The Battles of
Badr, Uhud and Allies (Trench) were fought near or around Medinah. In these
battles until the year 627 CE, the nonbelievers with encouragement from Jews
and other Arabian tribes attacked the Prophet and Muslim community. The
Muslims while defending their city and religion lost many men, which resulted
in many widowed Muslim women and numerous orphaned children. In these
circumstances, Prophet Muhammad (s) married several women during fifty-sixth
year up to the sixtieth year of his life. He did not contract any marriage in
the last three years of his life, following the revelation limiting the
number of wives up to a maximum of four. This is the first time in the
history of revealed scriptures that a limit on the number of wives was
imposed and the terms of conduct were specified. The Prophet was instructed
not to divorce any of his wives after this revelation [Qur'an 33:52]. All of
the ladies he took as wives were either widowed or divorced, except A’ishah. The Prophet married Umm
Salamah (ra) in 626 CE. Her husband had died of wounds inflicted in the
Battle of Uhud (625 CE). When the Prophet asked her for marriage, she
replied: "O Messenger of God, I suffer from three shortcomings. I am a
very jealous woman, and I am afraid this might cause me to do things that you
dislike. Secondly, I am an old woman. Finally, I have many children."
The Prophet answered: "Regarding your jealousy, I pray to God to remove
it from you. As for your age, we are similar in age. As for the children,
your children are mine." Thus it was that she agreed to marry the
Prophet. The Prophet’s marriage contract with Umm Habibah
(ra) was solemnized, by proxy, by Negus, King of Abyssinia, in 628 CE. Two of his wives,
Juwayriah and Safiyah, were prisoners of war. Both belonged to the family of
the chief of their tribes and were set free by the Prophet; they then gladly
accepted Islam and were pleased to become the Prophet’s wives. The Prophet’s
marriages provided security to women who would have otherwise remained
unmarried, unprotected, or felt humiliated. His marriages were also a means
of transmitting important teachings of Islam. The Prophet's wives, called the
"Mothers of the Believers,"[Qur'an Surah 33, Verse 6 and the last
part of Verse 53] showed themselves as examples of proper Muslim womanhood.
All his wives, especially 'Aishah, transmitted many ahadith (sayings, deeds,
and actions) from Prophet Muhammad (s). A year after the Battle
of Allies (Trench), the Prophet and fifteen hundred of his companions left
for Makkah to perform the annual pilgrimage (628 CE). They were barred from
approaching the city at Hudaybiyah, where after some negotiations a treaty was
signed allowing for them to come next year. This treaty facilitated exchange
of ideas among the people of the whole region without interference. Many
delegations from all regions of Arabia came to the Prophet to investigate the
teachings of Islam, and a large number of people accepted Islam within a
couple of years. The Prophet sent many of his companions (who memorized the
Qur'an by heart) to new communities to instruct them about the practice of
Islam. More than fifty of them were murdered by non-believers. A few weeks after
Hudaybiyah the Prophet sent letters to several
kings and rulers (including the two superpowers - Byzantines and
Persians) inviting them to Islam. Negus, the king of
Abyssinia, and the Ruler of Bahrain accepted Islam, and Emperor
Heraclius acknowledged Muhammad’s Prophethood. Among rulers who
accepted Islam but without any initiative from the Prophet was Chakrawati Farmas, a
Hindu King of Malabar (located on the southwest coast of India). About two years later
at the end of 629 CE, the Quraish violated the terms of the Treaty of
Hudaybiyah by helping Banu Bakr in the surprise attack on Bani Khuza’ah
who were allied with the Prophet. Some of Bani Khuzah’s men escaped and took
shelter in Makkah and they sought redress. However, the leaders of Quraish
did nothing. They then sent a message to the Prophet for help. The Prophet, after
confirming all the reports of the attack and subsequent events, marched to
Makkah with an army consisting of three thousand Muslims of Medinah and
Muslims from other Arab communities that joined him on the way totaling ten thousand
Muslims. Before entering the city he sent word to citizens of Makkah
that anyone who remained in his home, or in Abu Sufyan’s home, or in the
Ka’bah would be safe. The army entered Makkah without fighting and the
Prophet went directly to the Ka’bah. He magnified Allah for the triumphant
entry in the Holy city. The Prophet pointed at each idol with a stick he had
in his hand and said, "Truth has come and Falsehood will neither start
nor will it reappear" [Qur'an 17:81]. And one by one the idols fell
down. The Ka’bah was then cleansed by the removal of all three hundred sixty
idols, and it was restored to its pristine status for the worship of One True
God (as built by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail). The people of the city
expected general slaughter in view of their persecution and torture of
Muslims for the past twenty years. While standing by the Ka'bah, the Prophet
(s) promised clemency for the Makkans, stating: "O Quraish, what do you
think that I am about to do with you?" They replied, "Good. You are
a noble brother, son of a noble brother." The Prophet forgave them
all saying: "I will treat you
as Prophet Yousuf (Joseph) treated his brothers. There is no reproach against
you. Go to your homes, and you are all free." The Prophet also
declared: Allah made Makkah holy
the day He created heavens and earth, and it is the holy of holies until the
Resurrection Day. It is not lawful for anyone who believes in Allah and the
last day to shed blood therein, nor to cut down trees therein. It was not
lawful to anyone before me and it will not be lawful to anyone after me. The people of Makkah
then accepted Islam including the staunch enemies of the Prophet. A few of
the staunchest enemies and military commanders had fled Makkah after his
entry. However, when they received the Prophet’s assurance of no retaliation
and no compulsion in religion, they came back and gradually the message of
Islam won their hearts. Within a year (630 CE), almost all Arabia accepted
Islam. Among the Prophet’s close companions were Muslims from such diverse
background as Persia,
Abyssinia, Syria and Rome. Several prominent Jewish Rabbis, Christian bishop
and clergymen accepted Islam after discussions with the Prophet. One night in March 630
CE, Angel Gabriel visited the Prophet and addressed him as: “O father of
Ibrahim." A few hours later, the Prophet received the news of the birth
of his son from his wife Mariah, and
the Prophet named him Ibrahim. He was the only child born after the six
children from Prophet’s first wife Khadijah. Ibrahim died when he was ten
months old. On the day of Ibrahim's death, there was an eclipse of the sun.
When some people began to attribute it to the Prophet's bereavement, he said:
"The sun and the moon are two signs of the signs of God. Their light is
not dimmed for any man's death. If you see them eclipsed, you should pray
until they be clear." The great change in
Arabia alarmed the two superpowers, Byzantines and Persians. Their
Governors, particularly the Byzantines, reacted with threats to attack
Medinah. Instead of waiting, the prophet sent a small army to defend the
northmost border of Arabia. In the remaining life of the Prophet, all of the
major battles were fought on the northern front. The Prophet did not have a
standing army. Whenever he received a threat, he called the Muslims and
discussed with them the situation and gathered volunteers to fight any
aggression. The Prophet performed
his first and last
pilgrimage in 632 CE. One hundred twenty-thousand men and women
performed pilgrimage that year with him. The Prophet received the last
revelation during this pilgrimage. Two months later, Prophet Muhammad (s)
fell ill and after several days died on Monday,
12 Rabi al-Awwal, the eleventh year after Hijra (June 8, 632 CE) in Medinah.
He is buried in the same place where he died. |