Muhammad the Prophet

Publishers

PREFACE

The idea of writing an exhaustive life history of the Holy Founder of Islam has ever been present in my mind since I took up the work of translating the Holy Qur’an into English about fifteen years ago but, owing to various other engagements, I was not able to give it a practical shape. The short sketch that is now being presented is by no means a fulfilment of that idea. It is but a very brief and hurried account of a life which is full of the noblest lessons for humanity, a mere bird’s-eye view of the greatest transformation which has been wrought in the history of man. I do not know if I shall live long enough to attempt the more laborious work of presenting that ennobling story in all its details; for the present I offer this humble tribute to the memory of him who devoted his whole life to the service of humanity.

I believe, as every Muslim does, that every nation had its superman, the luminary who gave it light, the reformer who inspired it with noble ideas, the Prophet who raised it morally. But Muhammad, may peace and the blessings of God be upon him, is par excellence THE PROPHET, because he is the Prophet not of one nation but of all the nations of the world, because it was he who declared belief in all the prophets of the world as an essential of the faith he preached and thus laid down the basis of a lasting peace among different nations, because he is the greatest of all reformers, having brought about a transformation unparalleled either before or after him and, lastly, because he is the most successful of all the prophets and religious personalities. ¹

Every man ought to be judged by what he does, and the Holy Prophet Muhammad accomplished within twenty years what centuries of the labours of Jewish and Christian reformers could not accomplish, notwithstanding the temporal power at their back. He swept away centuries-old idolatry, superstition, credulity, ignorance, prostitution, gambling, drinking, oppression of the weak, internecine war and a hundred other evils from a whole country. History cannot show any other reformer who wrought so wonderful and complete a transformation on so large a scale within so short a time. Never was reform more hopeless than at the advent of the Prophet, as Muir has remarked, and never was it more complete than when he departed. In the words of Carlyle, it was a birth from darkness into light. A life so great cannot be devoid of potentialities as great for the future; it cannot but inspire into any heart the noblest ideas of the service of humanity. If there is any one trait of his character which is more marked than another, it is his care of the orphan and the widow, his support of the weak and the helpless, his love of labour and work for the distressed. It is the life of a man who lived for God and who died for God. If ever man on this earth found God, if ever man devoted his life to God’s service with a good and great motive, it is certain that the Prophet of Arabia was that man. (Leonard).

The original work was written by me in Urdu, and the English rendering now being presented to the public is the result of the labour of love of Maulvi Muhammad Ya‘qub Khan, Imam of the Mosque at Woking who did this work in addition to his duties as a Muslim preacher at Woking. My sincerest thanks are due to him, as well as to Khwajah Kamal al-Din, head of the Woking Muslim Mission, who afforded every facility to M. Muhammad Ya‘qub Khan for completing his task. And I place the manuscript in the hands of Maulana Sadr-ud-Din, who is now propagating Islam in Germany, as I did in the case of the English Translation of the Holy Qur’an for supervising the work through the press and for its revision and the correction of proofs.

Ahmadiyyah Buildings,

Lahore

August 25, 1923 — Muhammad ‘Ali

PREFACE TO THE REVISED EDITION

Every man ought to be judged by what he does, and Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) accomplished within twenty years what centuries of the labours of other reformers could not accomplish, notwithstanding the temporal power at their back. He swept away centuries-old idolatry, superstition, credulity, ignorance, prostitution, gambling, drinking, oppression of the weak, internecine war and a hundred other evils from a whole country. History cannot show any other reformer who wrought so wonderful and complete a transformation on so large a scale within so short a time. Never was reform more hopeless than at the advent of Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and never was it more complete than when he departed.

"If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the three criteria of human genius — writes the distinguished French writer Alphonse de Lamartine in his Histoire de la Turquo (1854) — who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad?" The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one third of the then inhabited world, and more than that, he moved altars, gods, religions, ideas, beliefs and souls. On the basis of a Book, every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality which blended together peoples of every tongue and of every race. He has left us, as the indelible characteristic of this Muslim nationality, the hatred of false gods and the passion for the One and Immaterial God. This avenging patriotism against the profanation of Heaven formed the virtue of the followers of Muhammad; the conquest of one-third of the earth to his dogma was his miracle; or rather it was not the miracle of a man but that of reason. The idea of the unity of God, proclaimed amidst the exhaustion of fabulous theogonies, was in itself such a miracle that upon its utterance from his lips it destroyed all the ancient temples of idols and set on fire one-third of the world. His life, his meditations, his heroic revilings against the superstitions of his country, and his boldness in defying the furies of idolatry, his firmness in enduring them for fifteen years at Mecca, his acceptance of the role of public scorn and almost of being a victim of his fellow country-men: all these and, finally, his light, his incessant preaching, his wars against odds, his faith in his success and his superhuman serenity in misfortune, his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death; all these attest not to an imposture but to a firm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was twofold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God; the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words.

Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator; warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask: Is there any man greater than he?

A life so great cannot be devoid of potentialities as great for the future. It is the life of a man who lived for God and died for God. It cannot but inspire into any heart the noblest ideas of the service of humanity.

In the present revised edition, besides some minor alteration, some chapters have been combined under one heading.

Mumtaz Ahmad Faruqui

CHAPTER I

THE DARK AGE

Certainly the first house appointed for men is the one at Makkah, blessed and a guidance for the nations — 3:96.

The Arabian Peninsula

The land known as Jazirat al-‘Arab, or the Arabian Peninsula, occupies a central position in the hemisphere comprising the continents of Asia, Africa and Europe. It forms the heart, so to speak, of the Old World. This is the country that gave birth to Muhammad (may peace and blessings of God be upon him), the last of the great religious reformers to found a religion. The Indian Ocean washes its coast on the south, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea on the west. To the east lie the Persian Gulf, the Tigris and the Euphrates, the latter two rivers traversing its northern part as well. According to ancient historians and geographers, it comprises within its boundaries the strip of land known as ‘Iraq (Mesopotamia) as well as Arabian Syria. The map of the modern world, however, does not show these forming an integral part of Arabia. Leaving them aside, the country yet covers an area of twelve hundred thousand square miles. About a third of this is covered by sandy deserts, the largest being the one known as al-Dahna’, lying in the middle of the southern part. There are practically no rivers worthy of mention in the country. Small streams, however, are met with here and there. Some of these lose themselves in the desert sands, while others wind their way to the sea. From south to north runs a chain of mountains known as Jabal al-Sarat, the highest peak of which is eight thousand feet. Dates are the main produce. In ancient days, Arabia was famous for its gold, silver, precious stones and spices. Of the animals found here, the camel is the most valuable and useful, while the Arab horse has no match in the world for beauty, stamina and mettle.

‘Iraq and Syria

As a matter of fact, ‘Iraq and Arabian Syria form an integral part of Arabia, though modern political distribution shows them as distinct from the mainland. Of these, ‘Iraq stretches adjacent to Iran. The towns of Basrah and Kufah, which long remained centres of Islamic learning, were founded here during the caliphate of ‘Umar the Great. Arabian Syria lies to the north, extending right up to Aleppo. Arab geographers have, therefore, shown the Euphrates as the northern boundary of Arabia. In this part lies Mount Sinai, where Moses received Divine revelation. The Amalekites once had a mighty kingdom here.

Hijaz

Arabia Proper is subdivided into a number of parts. Of these Hijaz is the province in which the sacred land of Haram is situated. The Haram (sacred or forbidden territory) is so called because from time immemorial the place has been held in the highest veneration, and every kind of warfare is forbidden therein. It is within the precincts of the Haram that the sacred house of Ka‘bah stands. The Torah, sacred book of the Jews, speaks of Hijaz by the name of Paran. Its chief towns are Makkah, Madinah and Ta’if. This province extends along the Red Sea in a rectangular strip. Jeddah and Yenbo are its two main sea-ports, where pilgrims for Makkah and Madinah respectively land. On the east, Hijaz is bounded by the province of Najd and, on the south, by Asir, part of Yaman.

Yaman

The second main province is Yaman, which lies in the south of the Peninsula. Hadzramaut and Ahqaf form parts of this province. It is the most fertile tract in the country and has consequently been the most civilized. Even to-day relics of some most magnificent buildings are met with here. Huge embankments were once constructed here to control the springs of water from the mountains and utilize them for purposes of irrigation. The most famous of these was Ma’arib, the destruction of which is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.² Yaman was, moreover, the centre of the trade in minerals, precious stones and spices for which Arabia was once so famous. The mighty empire of ‘Ad, of which the Qur’an speaks³, was established here. This particular area is known as Ahqaf. Hadzramaut is that part of Yaman which lies in the extreme south, along the shore of the Indian Ocean. Sana is the capital of the province and Aden its chief port. To the north of Sana lies Najran, where Christianity had spread before the advent of lslam. The well known Christian delegation, that waited upon the Holy Prophet and which was allowed to stay in the Prophet’s Mosque, came from this place. To the north of Najran lies ‘Asir.

Najd

The third great part of Arabia is Najd, which extends from Jabal al-Sarat eastward across the interior of the country. It is a rich and fertile plateau, some three to four thousand feet above sea-level. Here lived the clan of Ghatafan, for whose chastisement the Holy Prophet had once to lead an expedition. The desert bounds it on three sides, while in its south lies Yamamah. The Banu Hanifah, of which tribe came Musailimah, the impostor, lived here.

‘Uman

In the south-east of Arabia, and along the coast of the Gulf of ‘Uman, stretches the tract of land known as ‘Uman. Its capital is Masqat, where a nominally independent Sultan has now been established. To the north of ‘Uman lies the port known as Bahrain also called al-Ahsa, famous for its pearls. Close by is Hirah, once a kingdom.

Hijr

Hijr, the home of the Thamud, among whom Salih was raised as a prophet, is another place of note. It lies to the north of Madinah. On his march to Tabuk, the Holy Prophet happened to pass by this place. To the west of Hijr lies Madyan, the home of the prophet Shu‘aib. To the north of Madinah is Khaibar, once the strong-hold of the Jews.

Makkah and Ka‘bah

The three chief towns of Hijaz, as previously mentioned, are Makkah, Madinah and Ta’if. Ta’if owes its fame to the fact that, situated as it is at the foot of the mountains, it is cool and rich in verdure, with innumerable springs of water and abundance of fruit. It lies to the east of Makkah and is the general summer resort of the Hijaz nobility. But the most famous towns of Hijaz are Makkah and Madinah. Makkah is also known as Umm al-Qura (Mother of Towns). On all four sides it is enclosed by mountains. Its present population numbers fifty thousand. From days of hoary antiquity it has been the spiritual and religious capital of Arabia, for here stands the sacred House of God, known as Ka‘bah, which has been the resort of pilgrims from every corner of Arabia from prehistoric days. Sir William Muir thus comments on the antiquity of the House in his Life of Muhammad: A very high antiquity must be assigned to the main features of the religion of Mecca … Diodorus Siculus, writing about half a century before our era, says of that part of Arabia washed by the Red Sea, ‘there is in this country a temple greatly revered by all the Arabs’. These words must refer to the holy house of Mecca, for we know of no other which ever commanded the universal homage of Arabia… Tradition represents the Ka‘bah as from time immemorial the scene of pilgrimage from all quarters of Arabia: from Yaman, Hadzramaut, and the shores of the Persian Gulf, from the desert of Syria, and from the distant environs of Hirah and Mesopotamia, men yearly flocked to Mecca. So extensive a homage must have had its beginning in an extremely remote age.

To establish the antiquity of the Ka‘bah, Muir has drawn upon historical facts and oral traditions. The Qur’an also points to the same. It speaks of the Ka‘bah as the first house appointed for men;⁴ in other words, the first house on the face of the earth assigned to the worship of God. The rays of Divine revelation emanated first of all from this place. And it is a remarkable coincidence that this same place enjoys the distinction of giving birth to the last of the prophets. Makkah owes its importance to this house. As early as 2,500 years B.C., it was a halting-station for caravans plying between Yaman and Syria. The Qur’an also confirms that the sacred house was in existence before Abraham.⁵ When leaving his son Ishmael there, the great patriarch prayed: Our Lord, I have settled a part of my offspring in a valley unproductive of fruit near Thy Sacred House…⁶ These words show that the Ka‘bah was there even at that remote date.

Madinah

Madinah was originally called Yathrib. Later, when it was adopted by the Holy Prophet as his residence, it came to be known as Madinat al-Nabi (the Prophet’s Town), which was gradually contracted into al-Madinah. This, too, is an ancient town. Historical evidence suggests its foundation as early as 1600 B.C. It was originally inhabited by the Amalekites, after whom came the Jews, the Aus and the Khazraj. When the Holy Prophet came to settle here, these three peoples formed the population of the town. It was the latter two who, later, came to be known by the name of Ansar (Helpers). In the fourteenth year of his mission, the Holy Prophet emigrated from Makkah to Madinah where he spent the remaining days of his life. Here it was that he breathed his last, and here stands his tomb to this day. Madinah lies 270 miles to the north of Makkah and, unlike the latter, is not barren. Besides rich cultivation, it has an abundance of fruit-bearing trees. In winter it is comparatively cooler than Makkah.

Arabian races

The ‘Ad, Thamud, Tasm and Jadis are the most ancient races of Arabia, as far as can be traced, the first two having been spoken of in the Qur’an. These aboriginal races are known as the Baidah (ancient Arabs). The destruction of the tribe of Noah was followed by the rise of ‘Ad, whose settlements spread far and wide beyond the limits of Arabia. Historical evidence proves their domination over Arabia, Egypt, and many other places. On the fall of this race, the Thamud rose to power.

Then came the rise of the Banu Qahtan, whose homeland was Yaman. In their days, they too attained to great power and ascendancy. The Aus and the Khazraj were the offshoots of this tribe. All these races are known as the ‘Aribah (pure Arabs).

Ishmael and his progeny

Last of all came Ishmael, whose progeny goes by the name of Musta‘ribah (naturalized Arabs). In obedience to a divine behest, he was left by his father, Abraham, along with his mother Hajirah, at the place, where stands the Ka‘bah.⁷ There is little truth in the belief that they were banished by Abraham at the instance of his second wife, Sarah. The idea is emphatically repudiated in a saying of the Holy Prophet which says that on Hajirah’s question whether Abraham was leaving them there in obedience to a Divine behest, the Patriarch replied in the affirmative. The account given in the Qur’an also leads to the same conclusion. Later, father and son reconstructed, at the Divine injunction, the Sacred House of Ka‘bah which, it seems was in a dilapidated condition.⁸ This done, together they addressed the Lord with a prayer which the Qur’an reports in these words: Our Lord, raise up in them a Messenger from among them…⁹ This prayer found fulfilment in the person of the Holy Prophet Muhammad. For this reason the Holy Prophet is reported as saying: I am the prayer of my father Abraham. Ishmael’s progeny multiplied and ramified into numerous tribes. One of these is known as the Quraish which is descended from Nadzr. This tribe was later subdivided into a number of clans, the Holy Prophet being a scion of one of these, known as the Banu Hashim.

Time of ignorance

The period preceding the advent of the Holy Prophet has been designated as the Dark Age. The Qur’an gives it the name al-Jahiliyyah, (Ignorance or the time of Ignorance).¹⁰ The picture drawn in the verse corruption has appeared in the land and sea…¹¹ portrays the fallen state of Arab idolaters, Jews, Christians and followers of other religions alike. It avers that corruption was rampant throughout the world. This does not, however, imply that the world had never witnessed a better state of things; but whatever civilization and moral awakening had ever sprung up anywhere through the various prophets sent from time to time among different peoples had by that time utterly disappeared in consequence of the lapse of long ages. Every nation of the world had at the time fallen into a state of decrepitude. These words found utterance through the mouth of one who was, no doubt, quite illiterate. He had had no opportunity of going round the world to study the condition of different countries; nor had he the benefit of the publicity systems of today that might have acquainted him with the state of the world at that time. Nevertheless, a reference to the pages of history corroborates the truth of the assertion in a striking manner. Barring the fact that Europe had a mighty Empire towards its south-east — the Christian Empire of Rome — it was sunk in barbarism. Asia, of all the continents of the world, had once been the nursery of civilization. But a study of the various countries of this cradle of philosophies and religions shows that here, as elsewhere, rank immorality was the order of the day. India, once the centre of ancient Eastern culture, presented the same horrid picture. Foul, base and heinous things were attributed even to those whom the people regarded as their gods. Evil had taken so great a hold on them, that even the virtuous were painted in dark colours. Persia and China, too, were in the same plight. This no doubt was due to the fact that centuries had elapsed since the advent of former teachers; and whatever reformation had been previously brought about had become gradually weak and finally extinct. The Qur’an says that time was prolonged for them, so their hearts hardened…¹²

A modern writer, J.H. Denison, who has studied the different systems of religion and the civilizations that grew up therefrom has come to exactly the same conclusion in his Emotion as the Basis of Civilization: "In the fifth and the sixth centuries, the civilized world stood on the verge of chaos. The old emotional cultures that had made civilization possible … had broken down and nothing had been found adequate to take their place … It seemed then that the great civilization that it had taken four thousand years to construct was on the verge of disintegration and that mankind was likely to return to that condition of barbarism where every tribe and sect was against the next, and law and order were unknown… The new sanctions created by Christianity were working division and destruction instead of unity and order … Civilization like a gigantic tree whose foliage had over-reached the world… stood tottering… rotted to the core… It was among these people that the man¹³ was born who was to unite the whole known world of east and south."

Christianity in a decrepit state

Jesus was the prophet most proximate to the Holy Prophet Muhammad in point of time. One would have naturally expected amongst Christians some relics of virtue and morality. But what was the state of Christianity at the time? Let us quote Christian writers themselves on the point. Drawing a picture of those days, a bishop says that the heavenly kingdom was utterly upset, and a state of veritable hell had been established on the earth, in consequence of inner corruption. Sir William Muir writes to the same effect: Moreover, the Christianity of the seventh century was itself decrepit and corrupt. It was disabled by contending schisms, and had substituted the puerilities of superstition for the pure and expansive faith of the early ages.

This is a picture of Christianity concerning its general state. Belief in the Oneness of God had disappeared long since. The doctrine of Trinity had given rise to numerous complications. Diverse schisms and sects vied one another in the exercise of their ingenuities in the disentanglement of the riddle how man became God or how three made one and vice versa. This led to the production of a mass of polemical works, taking man far from the true purpose of religion. Gibbon, commenting on the event of the famous library at Alexandria having been set on fire by intolerant Christians, makes a significant observation in this connection: But if the ponderous mass of Arian and Monophysite controversy was indeed consumed in the public baths, a philosopher may allow, with a smile, that it was ultimately devoted to the benefit of mankind. The general evils — drinking, gambling and adultery — were in full swing even in those days. Dozy quotes