Lineage, birth and childhood
Muhammad was son of Abdullah who was ultimately a descendant of Adam. While his mother Amina was pregnant she came across a divine message which said that she was bearing God’s messenger and was supposed to name him Muhammad. Muhammad’s father died shortly after his birth and he was brought up under the guidance of his grandfather, Abd-Muttalib who roped in foster mothers for the child. The boy Muhammad was then nurtured via humans who found him deserving enough for the futuristic role (Peters, 45). Muhhamad told about himself that his heart was deprecated of any black drop present in it and then he outweighed almost a thousand men. This event represented the amount of divine prudence vested in his soul which made him the messenger of God.
The divine prophesy
Soon after the death of Muhammad’s grandfather he was put under the care of his paternal uncle, Abu-Talib . On his trip to Syria, young Mohammad was acknowledged to be the divine messenger by a Christian monk named Bahira. Quran has explicitly mentioned that Jesus had also foretold that there will be a coming from a future prophet who will be founder of a religious community that will comprise of pious and diving knowledge (Peters, 47). The same prophesy is ratified in Moses’s fifth book named as Deuteronomy, which ratifies the incoming of God’s messenger who will be accompanied by saints.
Mohammad’s adolescence and the Marriage
God’s plan behind entire life of Muhammad was to set a role model in terms of ideal human nature and characteristics. Muhammad grew up with finest aspects of human nature and ideal human qualities like truthfulness, reliability, loftiness, nobility, and he was completely devoid of worldly filth , all because these traits were implanted by God himself in his son (Peters, 49). Khadija was a merchant woman who used to trade goods to Syria on profit sharing basis and she approached the prophet to help her in trading goods to Syria. When she became aware of his role as the messenger, she earnestly put across her proposal for marriage, Muhammad accepted it and they later had four children who embraced Islam and went to Madina.
The first revelation and Beginning as a messenger of God
The Quran believes that the initial revelation of God’s wish was made only to the messenger and then he was supposed to convey same to the rest. The initial signs of Apostleship came to Muhammad in terms of visions, extreme brightness in his sleep, he was pushed towards solitude so that he preferred being alone and he was later envisioned Gabriel in his human form who apprised him to be the messenger of God (Peters,51). Thus, the revelation of God was accepted by the messenger and he also committed to the complete propagation of God’s plan to all other ignorant people, irrespective of possible opposition and pains inflicted upon him.
Preaching and publication of Islam
Ali, Muhammad’s cousin was the first person who believed in the true message given by the prophet and he was the first person who embraced his religion and started practicing it. The Mecca rejected preferring to a newer version of Islam, as offered by the prophet and that too at the cost of rejecting the Islam of their forefathers. Muhammad was instructed by God to publish his religion to all others and to inspire all people to follow only those people who themselves followed the messenger. He was protected at all times by his paternal uncle who ensured that nothing would deter him from preaching the true message of God. Muhammad explained others that he sought no money or any honour but he accepted the God’s order to become an announcer of God’s wish and warn others against not following him (Peters,60).
Persecution, boycott and losses for the prophet
More people embraced Muhammad’s version of Islam and those from Quraysh tribes turned into his enemies who warned Abu Talib to stop his nephew or else to face a lethal war until one of the sides perished forever. As Muhammad’s preaching were taken as insult of earlier believers of Islam, the Quraysh tribesmen attacked the believers and compelled Muhammad to send them to Abyssinia. As more men started embracing the messenger’s religion, the Quarysh boycotted the followers’ by calling them impious and excluded them from any religious association with rest of clans (Peters ,64). By 619 C.E. Muhammad had lost his uncle, Abu talib (leader of his clan against malevolent Quarysh attacks) and his wife Khadija. All his sons died in infancy and four of his daughters survived. In spite of moral and emotional distress, Muhammad kept calling in for Arab tribes and projected himself as the true messenger (Peters ,68). Consequently, he was invited to Quatrib, an agricultural hub near Madina which was later named as the city of prophet. Owing to growing violence from Quarysh, Muhammad got a divine permission to fight to resist their opposition and his rationale behind the war was that God permitted him to protect any other believer to be seduced away from religion any more by the Quarish (Peters ,71).
Battles of Mecca, Badr wells and the Trench and Medina: the City of Prophet Muhammad
The Quarysh violence, led by Abu Jahl was rising in the land and Muhammad sought refuge in Medina where his followers and Jews worked hand in hand to build mosques. Thus, the city of Medina and the sheltered followers served as refuge for the prophet and his followers and he kept on propagating the essence of the God’s plan. In the meanwhile, the Quarish and followers’ army struck against each other at various other locations like Mecca, Badr wells and the trench (Peters ,74). However, the Jews and Muslims took stern stand against all the treacherous acts from the Quarysh and ensured that the holy land was safe for the prophet and his divine religion. In the meanwhile, Muhammad returned to Mecca with intent of not attacking the opposition but rather to do the religious pilgrimage, Umra (Peters ,85). After successful negotiations with the Quarysh, Muhammad returned to Madina and stayed there for the Rabi until first Shawwal and completed his pilgrimage (Peters ,88).
Last pilgrimage and death
After settling all the issues of opposition and inclusion of the idolaters into the Islam, Muhammad devised a team of qualified preachers whom he instructed to move across the world to preach the nuances of true God’s message via Islam and collect alms for livelihood (Peters ,92). By The beginning of 632 CE, Muhammad was convinced of the desired propagation levels of Islam and he set out for his final pilgrimage and during his course he taught the postulates of true pilgrimage and guided them to follow God’s true path (Peters ,94). Finally in June 632 CE Muhammad died after he apparently recovered from the serious illness for a day and was rather pleased to see that his intended message was successfully conveyed and thoroughly implemented across the followers of Islam (Peters ,96).
Works Cited
Peters, F.E. " A reader on classical Islam". Princeton University Press.Princeteon, New Jersey. Classic edition: 1994. 44-96. Print.
