Prophet Muhammad's Life

Prophet Muhammad's Life

Mohammad was born in 570 A.D in the city of Makkah. The name Mohammad itself means "Higly Praised". He was the only son of Abdullah bin Al-Muttalib and Amina Bint Wahb. His father, Abdullah, died before his birth and his mother, Amina, died when he was only six. Mohammad's parental grandfather, Abdul Al Muttalib, the most respected leader of Makkah, took care of him until he died when Mohammad was eight. He then remained in the protection of his uncle, Abu Talib, for many years. God, the Almighty, reminds Mohammed of his blessing in the Holy Quran, "Did God not find you an orphan and give you shelter and care? And he found you wandering, and gave you guidance. And he found you in need, and made you independent." (93:6-8)

At the age of twelve, Mohammad started working as a trader. Soon he became very famous because of his loyalty and reliability. He was widely known as the "Trustworthy". When he was twenty-five, Khadijah, a forty-year-old rich merchant widow proposed to him. He accepted the proposal after considering the advice of his uncle. In spite of so quickly becoming rich, famous and powerful, Mohammad never indulged himself in the mundane world.
At that time, the Arabs believed that God has entrusted His duties to various gods, goddesses and idols. For this purpose, there were more than 360 idols in the Holy Kaaba. Mohammad disliked the worshipping of idols. He was influenced by the Hanefites, a group of people who rejected idol worshipping. He spent much of his time at Mt. Hera praying to God. It was in 610 A.D at Mt. Hera when angel Gabriel appeared and revealed to him the message of God. Khadijah was the first one to accept this message. Even those people who denied his message considered him to be honest and reliable. As Prophet Mohammad started proclaiming the concept of believing in one God, the people started getting against him. After the death of Khadijah and Abu Talib in 619 A.D, the people of Makkah plotted to kill Mohammad on various occasion. He sought refuge to protect his life.
Prophet Mohammad kept on proclaiming the word of God. In a few years, the city of Makkah was conquered without a single bloodshed. Prophet Mohammad set up an example of amnesty and forgiveness by pardoning everyone. He declared, "No blame will there be on you today. Go, you are free." He proclaimed, "I trample under my feet all distinctions between man and man, all hatred between man and man." He pardoned his worst foes. He even forgave those who killed his beloved uncle, Hamazah, ripped his body apart, and chewed a piece of his liver. Soon, the message of God spread all over the world. Mohammad died at the age of 63 in the city of Medina.

Quotes on Mohammad

Mohammad leads the list of the world's most influential persons in the book The 100 by Michael Hart. He praises Mohmmad by saying that "He was the only man in the history was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels."

Professor K.S. Ramakrishna writes in his book Muhammad the Prophet of Islam that "The personality of Mohammad! It is most difficult to get into the truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes. There is Mohammad the Prophet, there is Mohammad the General; Mohammad the King; Mohammad the Warrior; Mohammad the Businessman; Mohammad the Preacher; Mohammad the Philosopher; Mohammad the Statesman; Mohammad the Orator; Mohammad the reformer; Mohammad the Refuge of orphans; Mohammad the Protector of slaves; Mohammad the Emancipator of women; Mohammad the Law-giver; Mohammad the Judge; Mohammad the Saint. And in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is like, a Hero."
And Diwan Chand Sharma wrote in The Prophets of the East "Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him."
R. Bosworth-Smith praises the life of Mohammad in his book Mohammed & Mohammedanism by stating that , "Head of the state as well as the Church, he was Caesar and Pope in one; but, he was pope without the pope's claims, and Caesar without the legions of Caesar, without a standing army, without a bodyguard, without a palace, without a fixed revenue. If ever any man had the right to say that he ruled by a Right Divine, it was Mohammad, for he had all the power without instruments and without its support. He cared not for dressing of power. The simplicity of his private life was in keeping with his public life."
Professor K.S. Ramakrishna writes in his book Muhammad the Prophet of Islam that "He (Mohammad) had not studied philosophy in the school of Athens of Rome, Persia, India, or China. Yet, He could proclaim the highest truths of eternal value to mankind. Illiterate himself, he could yet speak with an eloquence and fervor which moved men to tears, to tears of ecstasy. Born an orphan blessed with no worldly goods, he was loved by all. He had studied at no military academy; yet he could organize his forces against tremendous odds and gained victories through the moral forces which he marshaled. Gifted men with genius for preaching are rare. Descartes included the perfect preacher among the rarest kind in the world."
George Bernard Shaw, a famous writer and non-Muslim says about Mohammad in his book The Genuine Islam that, "He must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness."