“Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him): A Short Biography”
by Rakibul Islam
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the last and the most important prophet in Islam. He was born in 570 AD to Abdullah ibn Abdul-Mutallib, a member of the Qurayish tribe in Makkah (Mecca). He lived with his mother and grandfather until they both died. He was eventually placed under the care of his uncle Abu Talib. His tribe, the Qurayish, controlled the city of Makkah, which at the time was a major commercial center and a pilgrimage destination due to the Kaaba, a small building holding idols of Arabian gods. As Muhammad (PBUH) grew up, he became known for his trustworthiness and honesty, earning the nickname “Al-Amin.”
Once he reached adulthood, Muhammad (PBUH) followed in his uncle’s footsteps and became a merchant. He was a reliable trader along the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean routes. At 25, he married a powerful merchant widow, Khadija, who was actually 15 years older than him and his employer. There are conflicting reports on the number of children they had, ranging from a single daughter to six children (two sons and four daughters). As he continued his trading business, he would regularly hike to the cave of Hira, upon a mountain outside Makkah, to pray and meditate during the month of Ramadan.
At the age of 40, while praying in the cave of Hira, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Muhammad (PBUH) and said, “Proclaim! in the name of thy Lord and Cherisher, Who created- Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,- He Who taught (the use of) the pen,- Taught man that which he knew not.” Muhammad (PBUH) repeated the words, and thus Islam and the Holy Qur’an were born (these verses are 96:1-96:5). Over the next 23 years, Gabriel would appear frequently to give more verses to Muhammad (PBUH) to complete the Qur’an. Returning his message to Makkah, the first person to join him was Khadija, followed by a Christian cousin, Waraqah ibn Nawfal. He preached not a rejection of Christianity and Judaism, but a reformation of them to what Allah (God) originally intended.
As could be expected, Muhammad’s (PBUH) message was not taken seriously by the people of Makkah. Most people mocked him or ignored him.; however, people did begin to join Islam. As the numbers grew, the Muslims became a threat to the ruling Qurayish tribe. The leaders were especially afraid of Muhammad’s (PBUH) intentions to convert the Kaaba into a mosque and eliminate the commerce from pilgrims. The leaders tried to negotiate with him, offering him concessions in return for abandoning his faith, but Muhammad (PBUH) refused all offers. As a result, he and his followers became pariahs in Makkah, constantly harassed and attacked by other citizens. Some of them fled to Aksum, a kingdom in Ethiopia, and formed a colony there.
In 619, Khadija and Abu Talib passed away; this was known as one of the saddest times in Muhammad’s (PBUH) life. He would later marry Aisha, the daughter of his closest friend Abu Bakr. The next year, he would experience the Isra and Meraj, a journey to the Al-Aqsa Mosque (Temple Mount) in Jerusalem followed by a tour through both Heaven and Hell and discussions with many former prophets. Not much is known about this journey, as many are not even sure whether it was a spiritual or a physical journey.
Persecutions increased in Makkah, to the point where it was unsafe for the Muslims to stay in the city. In what is known as the Hijra, Muhammad (PBUH) and the Muslims fled Makkah in 622 AD for Yathrib, a small city with numerous Muslim converts. There, Muhammad (PBUH) settled a long-standing feud between two Arab factions, and the city became completely Muslim and renamed Medina. However, Muhammad (PBUH) was unable to bring the Jews living in the city to Islam, as they refused to believe in him as a prophet and would not ally with him. With this as a possible reason, the qibla (the place Muslims pray towards) was changed from Jerusalem and the Temple Mount to Makkah and the Kaaba. With all of Medina now Muslim, relations with Makkah quickly deteriorated, and war broke out in 624 AD.
With his allies from the areas around Medina, Muhammad (PBUH) led the Muslims in clashes and battles with Meccan forces. The battle of Badr in 624 AD solidified his divinity, as the Muslims defeated the much larger Meccan forces. The Meccans would continue sending attackers at Medina for the next 3 years, but they could never break through to the city. This increased Muhammad’s (PBUH) stature, and more tribes and cities came under the Muslims’ control.
In 628, Gabriel revealed that Muhammad (PBUH) would make a pilgrimage to Makkah to perform what would be the first Hajj. He took a large group of companions to Makkah in peace, but the guards refused to let him enter the city. As a result, Muhammad (PBUH) and the leaders of Makkah signed the Treaty of Hudaybiyya, calling for him to postpone his pilgrimage for a year, and a ten-year peace. While many Muslims were unhappy with the terms, Allah revealed a new verse claiming the treaty as a victory. This quickly became apparent as the Islamic community doubled in size during the peace period. Muhammad (PBUH) also sent letters to leaders of multiple empires, asking them to convert to Islam. It is not known how successful these letters were.
In 630, the tribe of Khuz’aah, which was friendly with the Muslims, was attacked by the Banu Bakr tribe. As the attack was made with the help of the Meccans, Muhammad (PBUH) demanded from them either blood-money, an end to their relations with the Banu Bakr tribe, or an end to the Treaty of Hudaybiyya. The Meccans chose to end the treaty, and conflict broke out again. However, the leaders of Makkah quickly realized that the Muslim force was too strong, and offered to reapply the treaty. Muhammad (PBUH) refused, and later that year completed the conquest of Makkah, destroying the idols in the Kaaba and remaking it as a mosque. Most of the Meccans converted to Islam, as did most of the remaining people in the Arabian Peninsula. Muhammad (PBUH) now controlled the entire peninsula, though instead of a central government he ruled through personal connections and agreements with tribes.
Unfortunately, Muhammad (PBUH) did not make it to see how far the Islamic Empire would grow. He made one last Khutba (sermon) at his first and only Hajj. The Khutbatul Wada’ (The Farewell Sermon) was delivered to over 120,000 pilgrims congregating on the plain of Arafat. Not much later he fell gravely ill, becoming very weak. On June 8, 632 AD, Muhammad (PBUH) died in his adopted city of Medina. He is buried in the Mosque of the Prophet in Medina.
The legacy of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is a lengthy one. He was the last and most important of the prophets of Islam, a religion that stretches over the entire world. Over 1.4 billion people directly follow him and his teachings. In addition, followers of the Druze, Baha’i and Sikh faiths recognize him as an important figure. He was well-known throughout his life as an honest, trustworthy, and merciful man who, much like Jesus many years before him, forgave people regardless of their transgressions against him and his people. As the first follower of Islam, Muhammad (PBUH) remains one of the most important figures in religious and world history.
