Muhammad the trustworthy

IN the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

MUHAMMAD (pbuh) returned to live with his mother in Mecca when he was about three years old. Three years later, Aminah decided to take her son to visit his uncles in Yathrib. She told her maid, Barakah, to prepare everything they would need for the long journey, and then they joined one of the caravans going there. They stayed in Yathrib a month and Muhammad (pbuh) enjoyed the visit with his cousins. The climate there was very pleasant and he learned to swim and to fly a kite. On their way back to Mecca, however, Aminah became ill and died. She was buried in the village at al-Abwa not far from Yathrib.

Muhammad (pbuh) returned to Mecca with his mother’s maid. He was now six years old and had lost both his father and mother. He was then adopted by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib, who loved him dearly and kept him by his side at all times. It was the custom of ‘Abd al-Muttalib to sit on a blanket near the Kabah. There he was always surrounded by people who had come to speak to him. No one was allowed to sit on the blanket with him, however, except his grandson Muhammad (pbuh), which shows how close they were to each other. Many times ‘Abd al-Muttalib was heard to say: “This boy will be very important one day.”

Two years later, ‘Abd al-Muttalib became ill and Muhammad (pbuh) stayed by him constantly. ‘Abd al-Muttalib told his son, Abu Talib, to adopt Muhammad (pbuh) after his death, which he did. Abu Talib had many children of his own, but Muhammad (pbuh) immediately became part of his family and the favourite child. The time came for Quraysh to prepare a caravan to go to Syria. Abu Talib was going with them and he took Muhammad (pbuh) along. It was Mohammed’s first journey to the north. After days of travel, the caravan arrived at a place near Syria where the Romans used to come to trade with the Arabs. Near this marketplace lived a monk called Bahira’. His cell had been used by generations of monks before him and contained ancient manuscripts.
Bahira’ saw the caravan in the distance and was amazed to see that over it was a large white cloud. It was the only cloud in a clear blue sky and it appeared to be shading one of the travellers. The monk was even more surprised to see that the cloud seemed to follow the caravan but disappeared when the person it was shading sat down under a tree.

Bahira’ knew from the scriptures that a prophet was expected to come after Jesus and it had been his wish to see this prophet before he died.

Realising that what he had just seen was a miracle, he began to think that his wish might, after all, come true. The monk sent an invitation to the Meccans to come and eat with him.

The Arabs were surprised because they often passed by and Bahira’ had never invited them before. When the group was all together for the meal, the monk said, “Is this everyone?‟ “No,” someone said, “a boy was left watching the camels.” Bahira’ insisted that the boy should join them. The boy was Muhammad (pbuh). When he arrived, Bahira’ said nothing, but watched him all through the meal. He noticed many things about his appearance which fitted the description in the old manuscripts. Later on, he took him aside and asked Muhammad (pbuh) many questions. He soon found out how he felt about the idols in the Ka’bah. When Bahira’ tried to make him swear by them, as the Arabs used to do, Muhammad (pbuh) said, “There is nothing in this world that I hate more.” They talked together about Allah and about Mohammed’s life and family. What was said made Bahira’ certain that this was indeed the prophet who would follow Jesus. Then the monk went to Abu Talib and asked him how he was related to Muhammad (pbuh). Abu Talib told him that Muhammad (pbuh) was his son. Bahira’ replied that this could not be so because the boy was destined to grow up an orphan, and he ordered Abu Talib to watch over Muhammad (pbuh) with great care. There are many stories told about Muhammad’s youth. Some tell of how he used to take the family’s sheep to graze and was always kind to them.

While they grazed, he would sit thinking about the mysteries of nature. Unlike those around him, he never worshipped the idols and never swore by them.

He also wondered why people were always struggling for power and money, and this saddened him and made him feel lonely, but he kept his feelings to himself. He was a quiet, thoughtful boy, and rarely played with other boys of his age. On one occasion, however, Muhammad (pbuh) went with some of the boys to a wedding in Mecca. When he reached the house, he heard the sounds of music and dancing but just as he was about to enter, he suddenly felt tired and, sitting down, fell asleep. He didn’t wake up until late the next morning and thus missed the celebrations. In this way, Allah prevented him from doing anything foolish for He was keeping Muhammad (pbuh) for something much more important.

By the time Muhammad (pbuh) was 25, he was famous for his honesty. He was respected by everyone, even the elders of Mecca. The purity of his nature increased with the years. It seemed he had an inner knowledge that other people did not have. He believed in one God—Creator of the world—and he worshipped Him with all his heart and with all his soul. Muhammad (pbuh) was the finest of his people, the most kind, truthful and reliable person in Mecca. He was known among Quraysh as ‘the trustworthy’ (al-Amin) because of the good qualities Allah had given him. He spent many quiet hours in a cave in Mount Hira, not far from Mecca, thinking about Allah. Among Quraysh was a respected and wealthy woman named Khadijah. She was involved in trade and on hearing of Muhammad’s reputation, sent for him and asked him to take her goods and trade with them in Syria. Muhammad (pbuh) agreed and left for Syria with one of Khadijah’s caravans. With him went her slave, Maysarah, and they spent a great deal of time talking together.

Maysarah soon came to admire Muhammad (pbuh). He thought he was quite different from all the other men of Quraysh. Two unusual events took place during this journey which puzzled Maysarah very much. The first happened when they stopped to rest near the lonely home of a monk. Muhammad (pbuh) sat under a tree while Maysarah was busy with some work. The monk came up to Maysarah and asked, “Who is the man resting under the tree?” “One of Quraysh, the people who guard the Ka’bah,” said Maysarah. “No one but a prophet is sitting beneath this tree,” replied the monk. The second event occurred on the journey back to Mecca. It happened at noon, when the sun is at its hottest. Maysarah was riding behind Muhammad (pbuh) and as the sun grew hotter, he saw two angels appear above Muhammad (pbuh) and shield him from the sun’s harmful rays. The trading was very successful and Muhammad (pbuh) made more profit for Khadijah than she had ever received before.
When they arrived back in Mecca, Maysarah told Khadijah everything about the trip and what he had noticed about Muhammad’s character and behaviour.
Khadijah was a widow in her 40s and as well as being rich and highly respected, she was also very beautiful. Many men wanted to marry her but none of them suited her. When she met Muhammad (pbuh), however, she thought he was very special. She sent a friend to ask Muhammad (pbuh) why he was not married. Muhammad (pbuh) said that it was because he had no money, to which the friend replied: “Supposing a rich, beautiful and noble lady agreed to marry you?” Muhammad (pbuh) wanted to know who that could be. The friend told him it was Khadijah. Muhammad (pbuh) was very happy, because he greatly respected Khadijah. He went with his uncles, Abu Talib and Hamzah, to Khadijah’s uncle, and asked his permission to marry her. The uncle gave his permission and soon after, Muhammad (pbuh) and Khadijah were married.
Their marriage was a joyful one and Muhammad (pbuh) and Khadijah were well suited. Their life together, however, was not without some sadness. They were blessed with six children, two sons and four daughters. Sadly, their firstborn, a son called Qasim, died shortly before his second birthday, and their last child, also a son, only lived for a short time. Happily, their four daughters—Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum, and Fatimah—all survived.
For a few years, Muhammad (pbuh) lived a calm and quiet life as a merchant in Mecca. His wisdom benefited many people. One such time was when Quraysh decided to rebuild the Ka’bah. It was a difficult decision for them because they had to knock it down before rebuilding it and the people were afraid that Allah might be angry with them for knocking down His sanctuary. At last, one of the wise old men of Quraysh decided to begin, then everybody followed him. They worked until they reached down to the first foundation that Abraham had built. As soon as they began to remove the stones of this foundation, however, the whole of Mecca began to shake.
They were so afraid that they decided to leave these stones where they were and build on top of them. Each tribe brought stones and they built the Ka’bah up until they reached the place where the black stone was to be set. They then began to argue about who should have the honour of carrying the black stone and lifting it to its place in one of the corners of the Ka’bah.
They almost came to blows but fortunately, one of the men offered a solution. He suggested that they should be guided by the first person to enter the place of worship. They all agreed and as Muhammad (pbuh) was the first to enter, everyone was pleased, because they all trusted him.

They told him the cause of the argument and he asked them to bring a large cloak. They did as he asked, and after spreading the cloak on the ground, he placed the black stone in the centre of it. Then he asked a man from each tribe to hold one edge of the cloak and together to raise it to the height where the stone should be. When this was done, he took the stone off the cloak and put it into place himself. This story shows how all Quraysh respected and trusted Muhammad (pbuh) and how, by his wisdom and good sense, he was able to keep the peace.

Courtesy: Ar-Raheeq AlMakhtum (The Sealed Nectar) – Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri.