BIOGRAPHY OF PROPHET mohammed- pbuh
Prophet Muhammad (s) was born in 570 CE in Makkah Bakka, Baca, Mecca. His
father, Abdullah, died several weeks before his birth in Yathrib (Medinah) where
he went to visit his father's maternal relatives. His mother died while on the
return journey from Medinah at a place called ‘Abwa’ when he was six years old.
He was raised by his paternal grandfather 'Abd al Muttalib (Shaybah) until the
age of eight, and after his grandfather’s death by Abu Talib, his paternal
uncle. 'Abd al Muttalib's mother, Salma, was a native of Medinah and he was born
and raised as a young boy in Medinah before his uncle Muttalib brought him to
Makkah to succeed him. Many years before Muhammad's birth, 'Abd al Muttalib had
established himself as an influential leader of the Arab tribe ‘Quraish’ in
Makkah and took care of the Holy sanctuary ‘Ka’bah’. Makkah was a city state
well connected to the caravan routes to Syria and Egypt in the north and
northwest and Yemen in the south. Muhammad was a descendant of Prophet Ismail
through the lineage of his second son Kedar
Ka'bah is the first house
of worship built on earth for the worship of Allah, the One True God. It was
re-built (raised from the existing foundation) by Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham) and
Ismail (Ishmael). Allah is the proper name of the One True God, creator and
sustainer of the universe, who does not have a partner or associate, and He did
not beget nor was He begotten. Unlike the word god, the word Allah does not have
a plural or gender
Under the guardianship of Abu Talib, Muhammad (s) began to earn a living
as a businessman and a trader. At the age of twelve, he accompanied Abu Talib
with a merchant caravan as far as Bostra in Syria. Muhammad was popularly known
as al-Ameen for his unimpeachable character by the Makkans and visitors alike.
The title Al-Ameen means the Honest, the Reliable and the Trustworthy, and it
signified the highest standard of moral and public life
Upon hearing of Muhammad’s impressive credentials, Khadijah, a rich
merchant widow, asked Muhammad (s) to take some merchandise for trade to Syria.
Soon after this trip when he was twenty-five, Khadijah proposed marriage to
Muhammad through a relative. Muhammad accepted the proposal. At that time,
Khadijah was twice widowed and forty years old. Khadijah (ra) and Muhammad (s)
were the parents of six children - four daughters and two sons. His first son
Qasim died at the age of two. He was nicknamed Abul Qasim, meaning the father of
Qasim. His second son Abdullah died in infancy. Abdullah was also called
affectionately as ‘Tayyab’ and ‘Tahir’ because he was born after Muhammad’s
prophethood. The four daughters were: Zainab, Ruqayyah, Um Kulthum, and Fatimah
- ra
The Holy sanctuary Ka’bah was now filled with three hundred sixty idols.
The original, pristine message of Prophet Ibrahim was lost, and it was mixed
with superstitions and traditions of pilgrims and visitors from distant places,
who were used to idol worship and myths. In every generation, a small group of
men and women detested the pollution of Ka’bah and kept pure their practice of
the religion taught by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail. They used to spend some of
their time away from this polluted environment in retreats to nearby hills
Muhammad (s) was forty when, during his one of many retreats to Mount
Hira for meditation during the month of Ramadan, he received the first
revelation from the Archangel Jibril- Gabriel. On this first appearance, Gabriel
(as) said to Muhammad: "Iqraa," meaning Read or Recite. Muhammad replied, "I
cannot read," as he had not received any formal education and did not know how
to read or write. The Angel Gabriel then embraced him until he reached the limit
of his endurance and after releasing said: "Iqraa." Muhammad’s answer was the
same as before. Gabriel repeated the embrace for the third time, asked him to
repeat after him and said
"Recite in the name of your Lord who created!
He created man from that which clings. Recite; and thy Lord is most Bountiful,
He who has taught by the pen, taught man what he knew not."
These
revelations are the first five verses of Surah (chapter) 96 of the Qur’an. Thus
it was in the year 610 CE the revelation began
Muhammad (s) was terrified by the whole experience of the revelation and
fled the cave of Mt. Hira [Qur'an 81:19-29]. When he reached his home, tired and
frightened, he asked his wife:‘cover me, cover me,’ in a blanket. After his awe
had somewhat abated, his wife Khadijah asked him about the reason of his great
anxiety and fear. She then assured him by saying: "Allah (The One God) will not
let you down because you are kind to relatives, you speak only the truth, you
help the poor, the orphan and the needy, and you are an honest man. Khadijah
then consulted with her cousin Waraqa who was an old, saintly man possessing
knowledge of previous revelations and scriptures. Waraqa confirmed to her that
the visitor was none other than the Angel Gabriel who had come to Moses. He then
added that Muhammad is the expected Prophet. Khadijah accepted the revelation as
truth and was the first person to accept Islam. She supported her husband in
every hardship, most notably during the three-year ‘boycott’ of the Prophet’s
clan by the pagan Quraish. She died at the age of sixty-five in the month of
Ramadan soon after the lifting of the boycott in 620 CE
Gabriel (as) visited the Prophet as commanded by Allah revealing Ayat
(meaning signs, loosely referred to as verses) in Arabic over a period of
twenty-three years. The revelations that he received were sometimes a few
verses, a part of a chapter or the whole chapter. Some revelations came down in
response to an inquiry by the nonbelievers. The revealed verses were recorded on
a variety of available materials- leather, palm leaves, bark, shoulder bones of
animals, memorized as soon as they were revealed, and were recited in daily
prayers by Muslims [Qur'an 80:13-16]. Angel Gabriel taught the order and
arrangement of verses, and the Prophet instructed his several scribes to record
verses in that order [Qur'an 75:16-19 and 41:41-42]. Once a year, the Prophet
used to recite all the verses revealed to him up to that time to Gabriel to
authenticate the accuracy of recitation and the order of verses [Qur'an 17:106].
All the revealed verses (over a period of 23 years and ending in 632 CE) were
compiled in the book known as Qur’an. The name Qur’an appears in the revealed
verses. The Qur’an does not contain even a word from the Prophet. The Qur'an
speaks in the first person, i.e., Allah's commandments to His creation. Gabriel
also visited the Prophet throughout his mission informing and teaching him of
events and strategy as needed to help in the completion of the prophetic
mission. The Prophet’s sayings, actions, and approvals are recorded separately
in collections known as Hadith
The mission of Prophet Muhammad (s) was to restore the worship of the One
True God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, as taught by Prophet
Ibrahim and all Prophets of God, and to demonstrate and complete the laws of
moral, ethical, legal, and social conduct and all other matters of significance
for the humanity at large
The first few people who followed this message were: his cousin Ali, his
servant Zayd ibn Harithah, his friend Abu Bakr and his wife and daughters. They
accepted Islam by testifying that
There is no Deity (worthy of worship) except Allah The One True God and
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
Islam means peace by submission and obedience to the Will and Commandments of
God and those who accept Islam are called Muslims, meaning those who have
accepted the message of peace by submission to God
In the first three years of his mission forty people (men and women)
accepted Islam. This small group comprised of youth as well as older people from
a wide range of economic and social background. The Prophet was directed by a
recent revelation to start preaching Islam to everyone. He then began to recite
revelations to people in public and invite them to Islam. The Quraish, leaders
of Makkah, took his preaching with hostility. The most hostile and closest to
the prophet was his uncle Abu Lahab and his wife. Initially, they and other
leaders of Quraish tried to bribe him with money and power including an offer to
make him king if he were to abandon his message. When this did not work, they
tried to convince his uncle Abu Talib to accept the best young man of Makkah in
place of Muhammad and to allow them to kill Muhammad. His uncle tried to
persuade the Prophet to stop preaching but the Prophet said: "O uncle, if they
were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to stop me
from preaching Islam, I would never stop. I will keep preaching until Allah
makes Islam prevail or I die
The Quraish began to persecute Muslims by beating, torture and boycott of
their businesses. Those who were weak, poor or slaves were publicly tortured.
The first person to die by this means was a Muslim women by the name Umm Ammar
(the mother of Ammar Ibn Yasir). The Muslims from well-to-do families were
physically restrained in their homes with the condition that if they recant they
will be allowed freedom of movement. The Prophet was publicly ridiculed and
humiliated including frequent throwing of filth on him in the street and while
he prayed in the Ka’bah. In spite of great hardships and no apparent support,
the message of Islam kept all Muslims firm in their belief. The Prophet was
asked by God to be patient and to preach the message of Qur’an. He advised
Muslims to remain patient because he did not receive any revelation yet to
retaliate against their persecutors
When the persecution became unbearable for most Muslims, the Prophet
advised them in the fifth year of his mission (615 CE) to immigrate to Abyssinia
(modern Ethiopia) where Ashabah (Negus, a Christian) was the ruler. Eighty
people, not counting the small children, emigrated in small groups to avoid
detection. No sooner had they left the Arabian coastline, the leaders of Quraish
discovered their flight. They decided to not leave these Muslims in peace, and
immediately sent two of their envoys to Negus to bring all of them back.
However, Negus allowed them to stay under his protection after he investigated
Muslim belief and heard the revelations about Jesus and Mary (peace be upon them
both), which appears in Chapter 19, entitled Mary, of the Qur’an. The emigrants
were allowed freedom of worship in Abyssinia
The Quraish then made life even more difficult for the Prophet by
implementing total ban on contact with the Prophet’s family- Bani Hashim and
Muttalib.The ban lasted for three years without the desired effect. Just before
the ban was lifted, the Prophet was contacted by the leaders of Quraish to agree
to a compromise under which they should all practice both religions (i.e., Islam
and Idolatry). Upon hearing this, the Prophet recited a revelation (Chapter 109)
he had just received and which ends with the words: "... For you your religion
and for me mine." The ban was lifted when leaders of Quraish discovered that
their secret document on the terms of ban, which they had stored in Ka’bah, was
eaten by worms and all that was left were the opening words ‘In Your name, O
Allah.’ The effects of the three-year boycott left the Prophet with more
personal sorrow when he lost his beloved wife Khadijah (ra) and uncle Abu Talib
soon after the ban was lifted
After Khadijah's death in 620 CE, the Prophet married a widowed Muslim
woman, Sawdah (ra) who was fifty years old. She and her husband had immigrated
to Abyssinia in the early years of persecution. After her husband died, she came
back to Makkah and sought Prophet’s shelter. The Prophet, recognizing her
sacrifices for Islam, extended his shelter by marrying her. Later in the same
year, the Prophet upon receiving the divine command in a dream, after approval
of Sawdah, contracted marriage to A’ishah, the daughter of his dear companion
Abu Bakr. She joined the Prophet in Medinah, completing the marriage contract.
Sawdah and A’ishah (ra) were the only wives until he was fifty-six years old
After the death of his uncle Abu Talib, the Prophet went to Taif (about 50
miles east, southeast of Makkah) to seek their protection. They flatly refused
and mocked at him, and severely injured him by inciting their children to throw
stones at him. Gabriel (as) visited the Prophet here suggesting that the angels
were ready to destroy the town if he were to ask Allah for the punishment.
Nevertheless, the Prophet declined and prayed for future generations of Taif to
accept Islam.It was on the return journey from Taif that the verses from, Surah
Al Jinn Chapter 72, were revealed. It indicated that the Qur’an is a book of
guidance to both the Jinns and Humankind
Soon after the terrible disappointment at Ta’if, the prophet experienced the
events of al-Israa and al-Miraaj (621 CE). In the Al-Israa, Gabriel (as) took
the Prophet from the sacred Mosque near Ka’bah to the furthest (al-Aqsa) mosque
in Jerusalem in a very short time in the latter part of a night. Here, Prophet
Muhammad met with previous Prophets, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and others, and he
led them in prayer. After this, in Al-Miraj, the Prophet was taken up to heavens
to show the signs of God. It was on this journey that five daily prayers were
prescribed. He was then taken back to Ka’bah, the whole experience lasting a few
hours of a night. Upon hearing this, the people of Makkah mocked at him.
However, when his specific description of Jerusalem, other things on the way,
and the caravan that he saw on this journey including its expected arrival in
Makkah turned out to be true, the ridicule of the nonbelievers stopped. The
event of Israa and Miraaj is mentioned in the Qur’an - the first verse of
Chapter 17 entitled ‘The Children of Israel’
In 622 CE, the leaders of the Quraish decided to kill the Prophet and
they developed a plan in which one man was chosen from each of the Quraish
tribes and they were to attack the Prophet simultaneously. Gabriel informed the
Prophet of the plan and instructed him to leave Makkah immediately. The Prophet,
after making arrangements to return the properties entrusted to him by several
nonbelievers, left with Abu Bakr in the night he was to be assassinated. They
went south of Makkah to a mountain cave of Thawr [see Qur'an 9:40], and after
staying three nights they traveled north to Yathrib - Medinah about two hundred
fifty miles from Makkah. Upon discovery of his escape, the leaders of Quraish
put up a reward of one hundred camels on him, dead or alive. In spite of all
their best scouts and search parties, Allah protected the Prophet and he arrived
safely in Quba, a suburb of Medinah- Qur'an 28:85.This event is known as the
‘Hijra’ (migration) and the Islamic calendar begins with this event. The people
of Aws and Khazraj in Medinah greeted him with great enthusiasm in accordance
with their pledge made at Aqaba less than a year ago during the annual
pilgrimage. One by one those Muslims (men and women) of Makkah who were not
physically restrained, and who could make a secret exit, left for Medinah and
they left behind their properties and homes .
father, Abdullah, died several weeks before his birth in Yathrib (Medinah) where
he went to visit his father's maternal relatives. His mother died while on the
return journey from Medinah at a place called ‘Abwa’ when he was six years old.
He was raised by his paternal grandfather 'Abd al Muttalib (Shaybah) until the
age of eight, and after his grandfather’s death by Abu Talib, his paternal
uncle. 'Abd al Muttalib's mother, Salma, was a native of Medinah and he was born
and raised as a young boy in Medinah before his uncle Muttalib brought him to
Makkah to succeed him. Many years before Muhammad's birth, 'Abd al Muttalib had
established himself as an influential leader of the Arab tribe ‘Quraish’ in
Makkah and took care of the Holy sanctuary ‘Ka’bah’. Makkah was a city state
well connected to the caravan routes to Syria and Egypt in the north and
northwest and Yemen in the south. Muhammad was a descendant of Prophet Ismail
through the lineage of his second son Kedar
Ka'bah is the first house
of worship built on earth for the worship of Allah, the One True God. It was
re-built (raised from the existing foundation) by Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham) and
Ismail (Ishmael). Allah is the proper name of the One True God, creator and
sustainer of the universe, who does not have a partner or associate, and He did
not beget nor was He begotten. Unlike the word god, the word Allah does not have
a plural or gender
Under the guardianship of Abu Talib, Muhammad (s) began to earn a living
as a businessman and a trader. At the age of twelve, he accompanied Abu Talib
with a merchant caravan as far as Bostra in Syria. Muhammad was popularly known
as al-Ameen for his unimpeachable character by the Makkans and visitors alike.
The title Al-Ameen means the Honest, the Reliable and the Trustworthy, and it
signified the highest standard of moral and public life
Upon hearing of Muhammad’s impressive credentials, Khadijah, a rich
merchant widow, asked Muhammad (s) to take some merchandise for trade to Syria.
Soon after this trip when he was twenty-five, Khadijah proposed marriage to
Muhammad through a relative. Muhammad accepted the proposal. At that time,
Khadijah was twice widowed and forty years old. Khadijah (ra) and Muhammad (s)
were the parents of six children - four daughters and two sons. His first son
Qasim died at the age of two. He was nicknamed Abul Qasim, meaning the father of
Qasim. His second son Abdullah died in infancy. Abdullah was also called
affectionately as ‘Tayyab’ and ‘Tahir’ because he was born after Muhammad’s
prophethood. The four daughters were: Zainab, Ruqayyah, Um Kulthum, and Fatimah
- ra
The Holy sanctuary Ka’bah was now filled with three hundred sixty idols.
The original, pristine message of Prophet Ibrahim was lost, and it was mixed
with superstitions and traditions of pilgrims and visitors from distant places,
who were used to idol worship and myths. In every generation, a small group of
men and women detested the pollution of Ka’bah and kept pure their practice of
the religion taught by Prophets Ibrahim and Ismail. They used to spend some of
their time away from this polluted environment in retreats to nearby hills
Muhammad (s) was forty when, during his one of many retreats to Mount
Hira for meditation during the month of Ramadan, he received the first
revelation from the Archangel Jibril- Gabriel. On this first appearance, Gabriel
(as) said to Muhammad: "Iqraa," meaning Read or Recite. Muhammad replied, "I
cannot read," as he had not received any formal education and did not know how
to read or write. The Angel Gabriel then embraced him until he reached the limit
of his endurance and after releasing said: "Iqraa." Muhammad’s answer was the
same as before. Gabriel repeated the embrace for the third time, asked him to
repeat after him and said
"Recite in the name of your Lord who created!
He created man from that which clings. Recite; and thy Lord is most Bountiful,
He who has taught by the pen, taught man what he knew not."
These
revelations are the first five verses of Surah (chapter) 96 of the Qur’an. Thus
it was in the year 610 CE the revelation began
Muhammad (s) was terrified by the whole experience of the revelation and
fled the cave of Mt. Hira [Qur'an 81:19-29]. When he reached his home, tired and
frightened, he asked his wife:‘cover me, cover me,’ in a blanket. After his awe
had somewhat abated, his wife Khadijah asked him about the reason of his great
anxiety and fear. She then assured him by saying: "Allah (The One God) will not
let you down because you are kind to relatives, you speak only the truth, you
help the poor, the orphan and the needy, and you are an honest man. Khadijah
then consulted with her cousin Waraqa who was an old, saintly man possessing
knowledge of previous revelations and scriptures. Waraqa confirmed to her that
the visitor was none other than the Angel Gabriel who had come to Moses. He then
added that Muhammad is the expected Prophet. Khadijah accepted the revelation as
truth and was the first person to accept Islam. She supported her husband in
every hardship, most notably during the three-year ‘boycott’ of the Prophet’s
clan by the pagan Quraish. She died at the age of sixty-five in the month of
Ramadan soon after the lifting of the boycott in 620 CE
Gabriel (as) visited the Prophet as commanded by Allah revealing Ayat
(meaning signs, loosely referred to as verses) in Arabic over a period of
twenty-three years. The revelations that he received were sometimes a few
verses, a part of a chapter or the whole chapter. Some revelations came down in
response to an inquiry by the nonbelievers. The revealed verses were recorded on
a variety of available materials- leather, palm leaves, bark, shoulder bones of
animals, memorized as soon as they were revealed, and were recited in daily
prayers by Muslims [Qur'an 80:13-16]. Angel Gabriel taught the order and
arrangement of verses, and the Prophet instructed his several scribes to record
verses in that order [Qur'an 75:16-19 and 41:41-42]. Once a year, the Prophet
used to recite all the verses revealed to him up to that time to Gabriel to
authenticate the accuracy of recitation and the order of verses [Qur'an 17:106].
All the revealed verses (over a period of 23 years and ending in 632 CE) were
compiled in the book known as Qur’an. The name Qur’an appears in the revealed
verses. The Qur’an does not contain even a word from the Prophet. The Qur'an
speaks in the first person, i.e., Allah's commandments to His creation. Gabriel
also visited the Prophet throughout his mission informing and teaching him of
events and strategy as needed to help in the completion of the prophetic
mission. The Prophet’s sayings, actions, and approvals are recorded separately
in collections known as Hadith
The mission of Prophet Muhammad (s) was to restore the worship of the One
True God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, as taught by Prophet
Ibrahim and all Prophets of God, and to demonstrate and complete the laws of
moral, ethical, legal, and social conduct and all other matters of significance
for the humanity at large
The first few people who followed this message were: his cousin Ali, his
servant Zayd ibn Harithah, his friend Abu Bakr and his wife and daughters. They
accepted Islam by testifying that
There is no Deity (worthy of worship) except Allah The One True God and
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah
Islam means peace by submission and obedience to the Will and Commandments of
God and those who accept Islam are called Muslims, meaning those who have
accepted the message of peace by submission to God
In the first three years of his mission forty people (men and women)
accepted Islam. This small group comprised of youth as well as older people from
a wide range of economic and social background. The Prophet was directed by a
recent revelation to start preaching Islam to everyone. He then began to recite
revelations to people in public and invite them to Islam. The Quraish, leaders
of Makkah, took his preaching with hostility. The most hostile and closest to
the prophet was his uncle Abu Lahab and his wife. Initially, they and other
leaders of Quraish tried to bribe him with money and power including an offer to
make him king if he were to abandon his message. When this did not work, they
tried to convince his uncle Abu Talib to accept the best young man of Makkah in
place of Muhammad and to allow them to kill Muhammad. His uncle tried to
persuade the Prophet to stop preaching but the Prophet said: "O uncle, if they
were to put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to stop me
from preaching Islam, I would never stop. I will keep preaching until Allah
makes Islam prevail or I die
The Quraish began to persecute Muslims by beating, torture and boycott of
their businesses. Those who were weak, poor or slaves were publicly tortured.
The first person to die by this means was a Muslim women by the name Umm Ammar
(the mother of Ammar Ibn Yasir). The Muslims from well-to-do families were
physically restrained in their homes with the condition that if they recant they
will be allowed freedom of movement. The Prophet was publicly ridiculed and
humiliated including frequent throwing of filth on him in the street and while
he prayed in the Ka’bah. In spite of great hardships and no apparent support,
the message of Islam kept all Muslims firm in their belief. The Prophet was
asked by God to be patient and to preach the message of Qur’an. He advised
Muslims to remain patient because he did not receive any revelation yet to
retaliate against their persecutors
When the persecution became unbearable for most Muslims, the Prophet
advised them in the fifth year of his mission (615 CE) to immigrate to Abyssinia
(modern Ethiopia) where Ashabah (Negus, a Christian) was the ruler. Eighty
people, not counting the small children, emigrated in small groups to avoid
detection. No sooner had they left the Arabian coastline, the leaders of Quraish
discovered their flight. They decided to not leave these Muslims in peace, and
immediately sent two of their envoys to Negus to bring all of them back.
However, Negus allowed them to stay under his protection after he investigated
Muslim belief and heard the revelations about Jesus and Mary (peace be upon them
both), which appears in Chapter 19, entitled Mary, of the Qur’an. The emigrants
were allowed freedom of worship in Abyssinia
The Quraish then made life even more difficult for the Prophet by
implementing total ban on contact with the Prophet’s family- Bani Hashim and
Muttalib.The ban lasted for three years without the desired effect. Just before
the ban was lifted, the Prophet was contacted by the leaders of Quraish to agree
to a compromise under which they should all practice both religions (i.e., Islam
and Idolatry). Upon hearing this, the Prophet recited a revelation (Chapter 109)
he had just received and which ends with the words: "... For you your religion
and for me mine." The ban was lifted when leaders of Quraish discovered that
their secret document on the terms of ban, which they had stored in Ka’bah, was
eaten by worms and all that was left were the opening words ‘In Your name, O
Allah.’ The effects of the three-year boycott left the Prophet with more
personal sorrow when he lost his beloved wife Khadijah (ra) and uncle Abu Talib
soon after the ban was lifted
After Khadijah's death in 620 CE, the Prophet married a widowed Muslim
woman, Sawdah (ra) who was fifty years old. She and her husband had immigrated
to Abyssinia in the early years of persecution. After her husband died, she came
back to Makkah and sought Prophet’s shelter. The Prophet, recognizing her
sacrifices for Islam, extended his shelter by marrying her. Later in the same
year, the Prophet upon receiving the divine command in a dream, after approval
of Sawdah, contracted marriage to A’ishah, the daughter of his dear companion
Abu Bakr. She joined the Prophet in Medinah, completing the marriage contract.
Sawdah and A’ishah (ra) were the only wives until he was fifty-six years old
After the death of his uncle Abu Talib, the Prophet went to Taif (about 50
miles east, southeast of Makkah) to seek their protection. They flatly refused
and mocked at him, and severely injured him by inciting their children to throw
stones at him. Gabriel (as) visited the Prophet here suggesting that the angels
were ready to destroy the town if he were to ask Allah for the punishment.
Nevertheless, the Prophet declined and prayed for future generations of Taif to
accept Islam.It was on the return journey from Taif that the verses from, Surah
Al Jinn Chapter 72, were revealed. It indicated that the Qur’an is a book of
guidance to both the Jinns and Humankind
Soon after the terrible disappointment at Ta’if, the prophet experienced the
events of al-Israa and al-Miraaj (621 CE). In the Al-Israa, Gabriel (as) took
the Prophet from the sacred Mosque near Ka’bah to the furthest (al-Aqsa) mosque
in Jerusalem in a very short time in the latter part of a night. Here, Prophet
Muhammad met with previous Prophets, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and others, and he
led them in prayer. After this, in Al-Miraj, the Prophet was taken up to heavens
to show the signs of God. It was on this journey that five daily prayers were
prescribed. He was then taken back to Ka’bah, the whole experience lasting a few
hours of a night. Upon hearing this, the people of Makkah mocked at him.
However, when his specific description of Jerusalem, other things on the way,
and the caravan that he saw on this journey including its expected arrival in
Makkah turned out to be true, the ridicule of the nonbelievers stopped. The
event of Israa and Miraaj is mentioned in the Qur’an - the first verse of
Chapter 17 entitled ‘The Children of Israel’
In 622 CE, the leaders of the Quraish decided to kill the Prophet and
they developed a plan in which one man was chosen from each of the Quraish
tribes and they were to attack the Prophet simultaneously. Gabriel informed the
Prophet of the plan and instructed him to leave Makkah immediately. The Prophet,
after making arrangements to return the properties entrusted to him by several
nonbelievers, left with Abu Bakr in the night he was to be assassinated. They
went south of Makkah to a mountain cave of Thawr [see Qur'an 9:40], and after
staying three nights they traveled north to Yathrib - Medinah about two hundred
fifty miles from Makkah. Upon discovery of his escape, the leaders of Quraish
put up a reward of one hundred camels on him, dead or alive. In spite of all
their best scouts and search parties, Allah protected the Prophet and he arrived
safely in Quba, a suburb of Medinah- Qur'an 28:85.This event is known as the
‘Hijra’ (migration) and the Islamic calendar begins with this event. The people
of Aws and Khazraj in Medinah greeted him with great enthusiasm in accordance
with their pledge made at Aqaba less than a year ago during the annual
pilgrimage. One by one those Muslims (men and women) of Makkah who were not
physically restrained, and who could make a secret exit, left for Medinah and
they left behind their properties and homes .