Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was born on
Monday, the 12th of Rab'i-ul Awwal, 570 AD. A city in
the middle of a desert inhabited by people who traveled
vast distances to settle and prosper in their trade,
heart of the great caravan routes. The holy sanctuary
Ka’bah was filled with more than 360 idols, pilgrims and
visitors from distant places worshipped these idols. The
original pristine message of Abraham in the oneness of
God was lost and it was time for a messenger to bring
mankind from the worship of the creation to the worship
of the Creator, Almighty God.
His father died before his birth and his mother, Aminah
died when he was six years old. His uncle who was from
the respected tribe of Quraysh raised him. He was unable
to read or write, and remained so up until his death. As
he grew up, he became known as truthful, trustworthy,
generous, and sincere. He was so trustworthy that he was
addressed as such, Al-Ameen (The most Trustworthy).
The lawlessness rife among the Meccans, the sudden
outbursts of causeless and bloody quarrels among them,
and the immorality and skepticism of the Quraysh,
naturally caused feelings of pity and sorrow in him.
Such scenes of social misery and religious degradation
were characteristic of a depraved age.
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| Marriage |
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When Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was
twenty-five years old, he traveled to Syria working for
a noble and respected Quraysh widow named Khadijah.
Later, he married Khadijah who was forty years old,
almost fifteen years older than her husband, but in
spite of the disparity of age between them, most tender
devotion on both sides existed. This marriage gave him
the loving heart of a woman who was ever ready to
console him in his despair and to keep alive within him
the feeble, flickering flame of hope when no man
believed in him and the world appeared gloomy in his
eyes. She was the first person to accept Islam and
supported the prophet till she died at the age of sixty
five.
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First Revelation
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Muhammad was now approaching his fortieth year, and
his mind was ever engaged in profound contemplation and
reflection. Before him lay his country, bleeding and
torn by fratricidal wars and intolerable dissension's;
his people, sunk in barbarism, addicted to the
observation of rites and superstitions, were, with all
their desert virtues, lawless and cruel.
For years after his marriage, Muhammad had been
accustomed to secluding himself in a cave in Mount Hira,
a few miles from Mecca. To this cave he used to go for
prayer and meditation, sometimes alone and sometime with
his family. There, he often spent the whole nights in
deep thought and profound communion with the Unseen yet
All-Knowing Allah of the Universe. It was during one of
those retirements and in the still hours of the night,
that Angel Gabriel came to him to tell him that he was
chosen as the Messenger of Allah sent to reclaim a
fallen people to the knowledge and service of their
Almighty Lord.
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Al- Quran 96:1-5
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Proclaim! (or read!) in the name of thy Lord and
Cherisher, Who created- |
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Created man, out of a (mere) clot of congealed blood: |
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Proclaim! And thy Lord is Most Bountiful,- |
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Who taught (the use of) the pen,- |
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Taught man that which he knew not. |
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| Migration to
Medina |
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As soon as he began to recite the Quran and preach
the truth that Allah had revealed to him, he and his
small group of followers suffered persecution from
unbelievers. The hostile Quraysh prevented the Prophet
from offering his prayers at the Sacred House of the
Ka’bah; they pursued him wherever he went; they covered
him and his disciples with dirt and filth when engaged
in their devotions; they scattered thorns in the places
which he frequented for devotion and meditation.
Amidst all these trials the Prophet did not waver. He
was full of confidence in his mission, even when on
several occasions he was put in imminent danger. The
persecution grew so fierce that in the year 622 A.D.,
Allah gave them the command to emigrate. This emigration
from Mecca to the city of Medina, some 260 miles to the
north, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
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| His message
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The Prophet Muhammad was instructed to call to the
religion of "Islam" meaning “submission to the
will of God”.
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| Oneness of God : Al- Quran 112:1-4 |
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Say: He is God, the One and Only; |
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God, the Eternal, Absolute; |
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begetteth not, nor is He begotten; |
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And there is none like unto Him. |
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Al-
Quran 2:255
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God! There is no god but He, the Living, the
Self-subsisting, Eternal. |
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slumber can seize Him nor sleep. |
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His are all things in the heavens and on earth. |
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Who is there can intercede in His presence except as He
permitteth? |
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knoweth what (appeareth to His creatures as) before or
after or behind them. |
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Nor shall they compass aught of His knowledge except as
He willeth. |
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His Throne doth extend over the heavens and the earth,
and He feeleth no fatigue in guarding and preserving
them for He is the Most High, the Supreme (in glory).
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| No Compulsion in Religion Al- Quran 2:256 |
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Let there be no compulsion in religion: |
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Truth stands out clear from Error: |
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whoever rejects evil and believes in God hath grasped
the most trustworthy hand- hold, that never breaks. |
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And God heareth and knoweth all things. |
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| Return to Mecca |
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After several years, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on
him) and his followers were able to return to Mecca
where they forgave their enemies. Before Prophet
Muhammad (Peace be on him) died at the age of
sixty-three, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula
had become Muslim and within a century of his death,
Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as
China.
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| Spread of Islam
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Among the reasons for the rapid and peaceful spread
of Islam was the truth and clarity of its doctrine.
Islam calls for the faith in only One God, Who is the
only one worthy of worship.
The Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him) was a perfect
example of an honest, just, merciful, compassionate,
truthful, and brave human being. In all his actions and
dealings, he was ever mindful of Allah.
God made Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on him) as the
Prophet of the Prophets; Prophet Muhammad (Peace be on
him) is the last and final Messenger of Allah. Allah
says in Surah Al-Imran 3: 81
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Al- Quran 3:81
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Behold! God took the covenant of the prophets, saying:
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give you a Book and Wisdom; then comes to you an
apostle, confirming what is with you; do ye believe in
him and render him help." |
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God said: "Do ye agree, and take this my Covenant as
binding on you?" |
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They said: "We agree." |
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said: "Then bear witness, and I am with you among the
witnesses." |
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No distinction based on Race or Ethinicity
Al- Quran 49:13 |
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mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male
and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that
ye may know each other, not that ye may despise (each
other). |
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Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of God is
(he who is) the most righteous of you. |
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And God has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with
all things). |
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| Prayer for Mankind Al- Quran 2:286 |
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no soul doth God Place a burden greater than it can
bear. |
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gets every good that it earns, and it suffers every ill
that it earns. |
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(Pray:) "Our Lord! Condemn us not if we forget or fall
into error; our Lord! |
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Lay not on us a burden Like that which Thou didst lay on
those before us; |
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Our Lord! Lay not on us a burden greater than we have
strength to bear. |
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Blot out our sins, and grant us forgiveness. |
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Have mercy on us. |
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Thou art our Protector; |
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Help us against those who stand against faith."
Source: http://www.emuslim.com/LastProphet.asp |
