by NO Copyrights — At this, Allah sent to the Prophet (pbuh) the following Surah: In the Name of Allah, The Beneficent, The Merciful. “The Power of Abu Lahab will perish, and he will
91 pages

451 KB – 91 Pages

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The Life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) In the name of Allah, the most Beneficent, the most Merciful A ll Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, the [One Who] Sustains the Heavens and Earths, Director of all that is created, who sent the Messengers (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon all of them) to rational beings, to guide them and explain the religious laws to them with clear proofs and undeniable arguments. I praise Him for all of His bounties. I ask Him to increase His Grace and Generosity. I bear witness that there is none worthy of worship except Allah alone, who has no partner, the One, Who Subdues, the Generous, the Forgiving. I bear witness that our leade r Muhammad is His servant and Messenger, His beloved and dear one, the best of all creation. He He was also sent with his guiding Sunnah that shows the way for th ose who seek guidance. Our leader Muhammad has been particularised with the characteristic of eloquent and pithy speech, and simplicity and ease in the religion. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, the other Prophets and Messengers, all of th eir families and the rest of the righteous. NO Copyrights !!! This book can be printed or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, without permission from the pu b- lisher for the sake of spreading the True teachings of Islam.

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The Life of the Prophet Muhammad ( Peace and blessing s of Allah be upon him ) 2 Index How It All Began .. .. 3 The Children of I shmael .. .. . 7 The Promise At Zamzam .. .. .. 9 The Elephant Refuses To Move. .. .. 11 The Prophet Is Born .. .. 13 A Time With Halimah .. .. 15 The Orphan’s Childhood .. .. . 1 7 The Prophet’s Marriage .. .. 1 9 The Coming of The Archangel Gabriel .. 22 The First Muslimsr .. .. . 2 4 The Troubles Begin .. .. 2 7 The King Who Believed .. .. .. 29 The Cruelty of Quraysh .. .. .. 3 2 The Year of Sorrow .. .. . 3 5 The Night Journey And The Ascent To Heaven . 37 .. .. .. 39 Al – Hijrah .. .. .. .. 41 Arrival In Yathrib .. .. 44 The Battle Of Badr .. .. .. 4 6 Uhud – Defeat Comes From Disobedience .. 50 The Battle Of The Trench .. .. 54 The Treaty Of Hudaybiyah .. .. .. 59 The Invitation .. .. 63 Entry Into Mecca. .. .. 68 The Lesson Of Pride At The Valley Of Hunayn .. 72 Tabuk – The Test Of Faith .. .. . 75 The Farewell Pilgrimage .. .. 78 .. .. . 82 GLOSSARY .. .. .. 84

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The Life of the Prophet Muhammad ( Peace and blessing s of Allah be upon him ) 3 How It All Began N early four thousand years a go, in the Sumerian town of Ur in the valley of the river Euphrates, lived a young man named Abraham. The people of Ur had once worshipped Allah but as time passed they forgot the true religion and started praying to idols, statues made of wood or clay and sometimes even of precious stones. Even as a small child Abraham could not understand how his people, and especially his father, could make these images with their own hands, call them gods, and then worship them. He had always refused to join his people when they paid respect to these statues. Instead he would leave the town and sit alone, thinking about the heavens and the world about him. He was sure his people were doing wrong and so alone he searched for the right way. One clear night as he sat stari ng at the sky he saw a beautiful shining star, so beautiful time, until suddenly it began to fade and then it disappeared. He turned away in disappointment saying: I love not things t hat set. ( Qur’an 6 .77) On another night Abraham was again looking at the sky and he saw the rising moon, so big and bright that he felt he could almost touch it. He thought to himself: This is my Lord. ( Qur’an 6 .78) But it was not long before the moon se t as well. Then he said, Unless my Lord guide me, I surely shall become one of the folk who are astray. ( Qur’an 6 .78) Abraham then saw the beauty and splendor of the sunrise and decided that the sun must be the biggest and most powerful thing in the univer se. But for the third time he was wrong, for the sun set at the end of the day. It was then that he realized that Allah is the Most Powerful, the Creator of the stars, the moon, the sun, the earth and of all living things. Suddenly he felt himself totally at peace, because he knew that he had found the Truth. When he said unto his father and his folk: What do you worship? They said: We worship idols, and are ever devoted to them. He said: Do they hear you when you cry? Or do they benefit or harm you? They said: Nay, but we found our fathers acting in this manner. He said: See now that which you worship, You and your forefathers! Lo! they are (all) an enemy to me, except the Lord of the Worlds. Who created me, and He guides me, And Who feeds me and waters me. And when I sicken, then He heals me. And Who causes me to die, then gives me lift (again) And Who, I ardently hope, will forgive me my sin on the Day of judgement. ( Qur’an 26 .70 – 82)

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The Life of the Prophet Muhammad ( Peace and blessing s of Allah be upon him ) 4 One day, while all the townspeople were out, Abraham angri ly smashed all the idols with his right hand except for one which was very large. When the people returned they were furious. They remembered the things Abraham had said about the idols. They had him brought forth before everyone and demanded, ‘Is it you who did this to our gods, 0 Abraham?’ Abraham replied, But this their chief did it. Ask them, if they are able to speak.’ The people exclaimed, ‘You know they do not speak.’ ‘Do you worship what you yourselves have carved when Allah created you and wha t you make?’ Abraham continued, ‘Do you worship instead of Allah that which cannot profit you at all, nor harm you?’ ( Qur’an 37 .95 – 6)( Qur’an 21 .66) Finally, Abraham warned them, Serve Allah, and keep your duty unto Him; that is better for you if you did b ut know. You serve instead of Allah only idols, and you only invent a lie. Lo! those whom you serve instead of Allah own no provision for you. So seek your provision from Allah, and serve Him, and give thanks unto Him, (for) unto Him you will be brought b ack.( Qur’an 29 . 16 – 17) The people of Ur decided to give Abraham the worst punishment they could find: he was to be burnt to death. On the chosen day all the people gathered in the centre of the city and even the King of Ur was there. Abraham was then placed inside a special building filled with wood. The wood was lit. Soon the fire became so strong that the people were pushed Qur’an 21 .69) The people waited until th e fire had completely died down, and it was then that they saw Abraham still sitting there as though nothing had happened! At that moment they were utterly confused. They were not, however, moved by the miracle that had just happened before their very eyes . Still Abraham tried to persuade his own dear father, who was named Azar, not to worship powerless, un – seeing, un – hearing statues. Abraham explained that special knowledge had come to him and implored his father, ‘So follow me and I will lead you on the right path. 0 my father! Don’t serve the Devil.’ But Azar would not listen. He threatened his son with stoning if he continued to reject the gods of Ur. He ordered Abraham to leave the city with these words: ‘Depart from me a long while.’ Abraham said, ‘Pe ace be upon you! I shall ask my Lord’s forgiveness for Qur’an 19 .43 – 7)

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The Life of the Prophet Muhammad ( Peace and blessing s of Allah be upon him ) 6 where and how to build it. It was to be erected by the well of Zamzam and built i n the shape of a cube. In its eastern corner was to be placed a black stone that had fallen to earth from heaven. An angel brought the stone to them from the nearby hill of Abu Qubays. Abraham and Ishmael worked hard to rebuild the Ka’bah and as they did s o they prayed to Allah to send a Prophet from among their descendants. And when Abraham and Ishmael were raising the foundations of the House, (Abraham prayed): ‘Our Lord! Receive this from us; Thou, only Thou, art the All – hearing, the All – knowing; Our Lor d! And make us submissive unto Thee and of our seed a nation submissive unto Thee, and show us our ways of worship, and turn toward us. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Relenting, the Merciful. Our Lord! And raise up in their midst a messenger from among them who shall recite unto them Thy revelations, and shall instruct them in the Scripture and in wisdom and shall make them grow. Lo! Thou, only Thou, art the Mighty, Wise. ( Qur’an 2 .127 – 9) When the Ka’bah was completed, Allah commanded Abraham to call mankind to pilgrimage to His Holy House. Abraham wondered how anyone could hear his call. Allah said, ‘You call and I will bring them.’ This was how the pilgrimage to the Ka’bah in Mecca was established and when Muslims make the pilgrimage today they continue to answer the age – old call of Abraham.

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The Life of the Prophet Muhammad ( Peace and blessing s of Allah be upon him ) 7 The Children of Ishmael O ver the years Ishmael’s children themselves had children. His descendants increased and formed tribes which spread out all over Arabia. One of these tribes was called Quraysh. Its people never moved away from Mecca and always lived near the Ka’bah. One of the duties of the leader of Quraysh was to look after those who came on pilgrimage to the Ka’bah. The, pilgrims would come from all over Arabia and it was a great honor to provide them with foo d and water. As time passed, however, the Arabs stopped worshipping Allah directly and started bringing idols back with them from the different countries they visited. These idols were placed at the Ka’bah, which was no longer regarded as the Sanctuary o f Allah, as Abraham had intended it. It was, however, still respected by the Arabs. Around this time the well of Zamzam disappeared beneath the sand. Also at this time, Qusayy, one of the leaders of Quraysh, became ruler over Mecca. He held the keys of the temple and had the right to give water to the pilgrims, to feed them, to take charge of meetings, and to hand out war banners before battle. It was also in his house that Quraysh settled their affairs. After Qusayy’s death, his son ‘Abdu Manaf, who had be come famous during his father’s lifetime, took over the leadership of Quraysh. After him came his son Hashim. It is said that Hashim was the first to begin the two great caravan journeys of Quraysh, one in the summer to Syria and the north, and one in the winter to Yemen and the south. As a result, Mecca grew rich and became a large and important centre of trade. One summer Hashim went north to buy goods to sell in Yemen. On his way he stopped in Yathrib to trade in the market and there he saw a beaut iful woman. She was Salma’, the daughter of ‘Amr ibn Zeid, who was from a much respected family. Hashim proposed marriage to her and was accepted because he was an honorable and distinguished man. In time, Salma’ gave birth to a beautiful son and as some of his hair was white they called him Shaybah, which in Arabic means grey – haired’. Mother and son stayed in the cooler, healthier climate of Yathrib, while Hashim returned to Mecca, but he would visit them each time he took his caravan to the north. During one of these journeys, however, Hashim became ill and died. Shaybah, a handsome, intelligent boy, grew up in his uncle’s house in Yathrib. He was proud of being the son of Hashim ibn ‘Abdi Manaf, the head of Quraysh, guardian of the Ka’bah a nd protector of the pilgrims, even though he had not known his father, who had died while Shaybah was very young.

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The Life of the Prophet Muhammad ( Peace and blessing s of Allah be upon him ) 8 At Hashim’s death his brother al – Muttalib took over his duties and responsibilities. He traveled to Yathrib to see his nephew, Shaybah, and d ecided that as the boy would one day inherit his father’s place, the time had come for him to live in Mecca. It was hard for Salma’, Shaybah’s mother, to let her son go with his uncle but she finally realized that it was for the best. Al – Muttalib returned to Mecca, entering the city at noon on his camel with Shaybah behind him. When the people of Mecca saw the – Muttalib’, ‘Abd’ being the Arabic for ‘slave’. Al – Muttalib told them that Shaybah was not a slave but his nephew who had come to live with them. From that day on, however, Shaybah was always affectionately called Abd al – Muttalib. On the death of al – Muttalib, who died in Yemen where he had gone to trade, ‘Abd al – Muttalib took his place. He became the most respected member of his family, loved and admired by all. He was, however, unlike those Arabs who had giv en up the teachings of Abraham.

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The Life of the Prophet Muhammad ( Peace and blessing s of Allah be upon him ) 9 The Promise At Zamzam T he well of Zamzam, which disappeared when the Arabs placed idols at the Ka’bah, remained buried under the sand. Thus, for many years the people of Quraysh had to fetch their water from far away. One day ‘Abd al – Muttalib was very tired from doing this and fell asleep next to the to dig up Zamzam. When he woke up he was puzzled because he did not know what Zamzam was, the well having disappeared many years before he was born. The next day he had the same dream, but this time he was told where to find the well. ‘Abd al – Muttalib had one son at that time, and together they began to – Muttalib made an oath to Allah that if one day he were to have ten sons to help him and stand by him, in return he would sacrifice one of them in Allah’s honor. A fter working for three days they finally found the well of Zamzam. Pilgrims have been drinking from it ever since. The years passed by and ‘Abd al – Muttalib did have ten sons. They grew into fine, strong men and the time came for him to keep his promise to Allah. He told his sons about the promise and they agreed that he had to sacrifice one of them To see which one it would be, they decided to draw lots, which was the custom of Quraysh when deciding important matters. ‘Abd al – Muttalib told each son to get a n arrow and write his own name upon it and then to bring it to him. This they did, after which he took them to the Ka’bah where there was a man whose special task it was to cast arrows and pick one from among them. This man solemnly proceeded to do this. O n the arrow he chose was written the name of ‘Abd Allah, the youngest and favorite son of ‘Abd al – Muttalib. Even so, the father took his son near the Ka’bah and prepared to sacrifice him. Many of the Quraysh leaders were present and they became very an gry because ‘Abd Allah was very young and much loved by everyone. They tried to think of a way to save his life. Someone suggested that the advice of a wise old woman who lived in Yathrib should be sought, and so ‘Abd al – Muttalib took his son and went to s ee if she could decide what to do. Some of the Meccans went with them and when they got there the woman asked, ‘What is the price of a man’s life?’ They told her, ‘Ten camels’, for at that time if one man killed another, his family would have to give ten camels to the dead man’s family in order to keep the peace among them. ‘Abd Allah and ten camels. If the camels were chosen, they were to be killed and the meat given to the poor. If ‘Ab d Allah was picked then ten more camels were to be added and the lots drawn again and again until they finally fell on the camels.

451 KB – 91 Pages