Brief life-sketch of
Holy Prophet Muhammad
by Maulana Muhammad Ali
Contents
1 : Life before prophethood
2 : Preaches at Makka
3: At Madina — the beginning of the battles
4: At Madina — The battles
5: The conquest of Makka
6: Islam spreads through Arabia — End of Holy Prophet's
life
7: Amazing transformation brought about by Holy Prophet
8: Marriages of Holy Prophet and wars
9: Qualities and character of the Holy Prophet
1. Life before Prophethood
It was in the year 571 of the Christian era that Prophet Muhammad was born, on the 12th
of the lunar month Rabi' I. He came of the noblest family of Arabia, the Quraish, who
were held in the highest esteem, being guardians of the Sacred House at Makka, the
Ka'ba, the spiritual centre of the whole of Arabia.
At the time of his birth Arabia was steeped deep in the worst form of idolatry that has
ever prevailed in any country. The Ka'ba itself was full of idols, and every household
had, in addition, its own idols. Unhewn stones, trees and heaps of sand were also
worshipped. In spite this vast and deep-rooted idolatry, the Arabs were, as Bosworth
Smith remarks, materialistic. "Eat and drink is," as he says, "the epicurean tone of the
majority of the poems that have come down to us." There was practically no faith in the
life after death, no feeling of responsibility for one's actions. The Arabs, however,
believed in demons, and diseases were attributed to the influence of evil spirits.
Ignorance prevailed among the high as well as the low, so much so that the noblest of
men could boast of his ignorance. There was no moral code, and vice was rampant. The
sexual relations were loose obscene poems and songs were recited in public assemblies
There was no punishment for adultery, nor any moral sanction against it. Prostitution had
nothing dishonourable about it, so that leading men could keep brothels. Women were "in
the most degraded position, worse even than that in which they were under the laws of
Manu in Hindustan." Woman was looked upon as a mere chattel. Instead of having any
right to inheritance of property, her own person formed part of the inheritance, and the
heir could dispose of her as he liked, even if he did not care to take her as a wife. There
was no settled government, no law in the land, and might was practically right.
The Arabs belonged to one race and spoke one language, yet they were the most
disunited people. Tribe made war on tribe, and family on family, on the most trivial
excuse. The strong among them trampled upon the rights of the weak, and the weak could
not get their wrongs redressed. The widow and the orphan were quite helpless and slaves
were treated most cruelly.
Amongst this people was born Muhammad, an orphan from his birth, who lost even his
mother when six years old. He came of the noblest family of the Quraish, yet, like the rest
of his countrymen, he was not taught reading and writing. He tended sheep for some
time, and the noblest of the Arabs had no contempt for that occupation, but in his youth
he was chiefly occupied in trade. It was, however, his high morals that distinguished him
from the first from all his compatriots. The Holy Quran, which contains the most
trustworthy account of the Prophet's life, says that he was the "possessor of sublime
morals." [68:4]
Leading generally a reserved life, he had for friends only those men whose moral
greatness was admitted by all. His truthfulness is testified in the clearest words [6:33].
His bitterest opponents were challenged to point out a single black spot on his character
during the forty years that he had passed among them before he received the Divine call
[10:16]. It was in his youth that, on account of his pure and unsoiled character and his
love for truth and honesty, he won from his compatriots the title of al-Amin, or the
Faithful.
Living in a country in which idol-worship was the basis of the everyday life of the
community, Muhammad hated idolatry from his childhood, and the Holy Quran is again
our authority for the statement that he never bent his forehead before an idol [109:4].
Even Sir William Muir bears testimony to the purity of his character in his youth:
"Our authorities all agree in ascribing to the youth of Muhammad a modesty of
deportment and purity of manners rare among the Makkans."
And again:
"Endowed with a refined mind and delicate taste, reserved and meditative, he lived much
within himself, and the pondering of his heart no doubt supplied occupation for leisure
hours spent by others of a low stamp in rude sports and profligacy. The fair character
and honourable bearings of the unobtrusive youth won the approbation of his fellow-
citizens: and by common consent he received the title of al-Amin the Faithful"
Though he lived in a city in which drinking orgies were only too common, never did a
drop of wine touch his lips. Even Abu Bakr, the most intimate friend of Muhammad's
youth, never tasted wine. The society at Makka found pleasure in gambling, yet never did
Muhammad take part in any such pastime. He lived among a people who were addicted
to war as they were addicted to wine, yet he had no liking for either.
To quote Muir again, "though now nearly twenty years of age he had not acquired the
love of arms." Perforce, he had to take part on one occasion in the famous sacrilegious
war that continued for four years between the Quraish and the Hawazin, yet he did no
more than gather up arrows that came from the enemy and hand them over to his uncles.
He did not even take to trading for love of wealth but simply out of regard for his uncle
Abu Talib, whom he loved to help. Thus says Muir:
"Muhammad was never covetous of wealth, or at any period of his career energetic in the
pursuit of riches for their own sake. If left to himself, he would probably have preferred
the quiet and repose of his present life to the bustle and cares of a mercantile journey. He
would not spontaneously have contemplated such an expedition. But when the proposal
was made, his generous soul at once felt the necessity of doing all that was possible to
relieve his uncle and he cheerfully responded to the call"
Above all, his earlier life was marked by that rare characteristic, rarest of all in Arabia at
the time, love of the poor, the orphan, the widow, the weak, the helpless and the slave.
Before he had affluence of means, he was one of the members who took an oath to stand
by the oppressed and formed themselves into a league as champions of the injured. When
at twenty-five he married a wealthy widow, Khadija, he spent freely for the help of the
poor.
No slave came into the household but was set free by him. He had acquired such a fame
for helping the poor that when, after the Call, the Quraish demanded him of Abu Talib to
put him to death, the old chief refused and praised him in a poem as the "Protector of the
orphans and the widows." Earlier than this when Muhammad received the Call, and was
diffident whether he would be able to achieve the grand object of reforming his
countrymen, his wife, Khadija, comforted him, saying that God would not disgrace him
because he bore the burden of those who were weary and helped the poor and gave relief
to those who were in distress and honoured the guest and loved his kinsmen [Bukhari,
1:1].
To these great qualities was added his anxiety for a fallen humanity. The Quran refers to
it repeatedly [9:128, 18:6, 26:3, 35:8]. As years went on, the gross idolatry of the Arabs
and their evil ways pressed the more heavily on his heart, and he spent hours in solitude
in the neighbouring mountains.
2. Preaches at Makka
Still later, he repaired for days to a cave at the foot of Mount Hira, and it was here that
the Divine light shone on him in its full resplendence. At first, he was in doubt whether
he would be able to perform the great task, but his anxiety soon gave place to absolute
faith that truth would ultimately triumph, and he set to work with a strength of will and an
inflexibility of purpose which could not be shaken by the severest opposition of the
whole of Arabia. From the very first his message was for all, for the Arab as well as the
non-Arab, for the idolaters as well as the Jews, the Christians and the Magi. Nor was it
limited to the town of Makka, for Makka was the centre to which men and women
flocked in thousands every year from all parts of Arabia, and through this assemblage the
Prophet's message reached the most distant corners of Arabia. His wife, Khadija, was the
first to believe in him, and she was followed by others who were either his most intimate
friends or closely related to him. As Muir remarks:
"It is strongly corroborative of Muhammad's sincerity that the earliest converts to Islam
were not only of upright character, but his own bosom friends and people of his
household, who, intimately acquainted with his Private life could not fail otherwise to
have detected those discrepancies which ever more or less exist between the professions
of the hypocritical deceiver abroad and his actions at home."
His first revelations laid stress on the great power and majesty of the Divine Being and on
the inevitability of the judgment.
The Quraish mocked at first, treated him contemptuously and called him a madman. In
spite of this he went on gaining adherents by twos and threes, until within four years - the
number reached forty and persecution grew bitter. At first the slaves were tortured. Bilal,
a Negro by birth, when made to lie on the burning sands under the Arabian midday sun
continued to cry, "One, One," to the bewilderment of his persecutors. But the fire of
persecution once kindled could not be confined. Converts of high birth were made to
suffer along with the poorer followers. The Prophet himself did not escape the cruelties
of the persecutors. The Muslims could not gather together or say their prayers in a public
place. Still Muhammad went on gaining new adherents, and his opponents became
severer in their persecution, so much so that some of the humbler converts were put to
death in a most brutal manner.
The Prophet's tender heart melted at the sight of this brutal treatment of innocent men and
women, and in spite of the fact that he would be left alone amongst exasperated
opponents, he advised the small band of his followers to betake themselves to a place of
safety. Eleven men and women left Makka in the fifth year of the Hijra, and migrated to
Abyssinia. Thither they were followed by a deputation of their opponents that petitioned
the ruler of Abyssinia for their extradition. The Muslim case was put by their leader
before the king as follows:
O King ! We were an ignorant people, given to idolatry. We used to eat corpses
even of animals that died a natural death, and to do all sorts of disgraceful things.
We did not make good our obligations to our relations, and we ill-treated our
neighbours. The strong among us would thrive at the expense of the weak, till at
last Allah raised a Prophet for our reformation. His descent, his righteousness,
his integrity and his virtue are well known to us. He called us to the worship of
Allah, and bade us give up idolatry and stone-worship. He enjoined on us to tell
the truth, to make good our trust, to have regard for our kith and kin, and to do
good to our neighbours. He taught us to shun everything foul and to avoid
bloodshed. He forbade all sorts of indecent things, telling lies and
misappropriating orphans' belongings. So we believed in him, followed him and
acted up to his teachings. Thereupon our people began to do us wrong, to subject
us to tortures, thinking that we might abjure our faith and revert to idolatry.
When, however, their cruelties exceeded all bounds, we came to seek an asylum in
your country.
The Negus was deeply touched by this statement and by a recitation from the Holy
Quran, and refused to deliver the Muslims to their enemies. More Muslims went to
Abyssinia next year, until the total reached 101, excluding children. The Quraish tried
their utmost to check this tide of emigration, but in vain. Soon they became exasperated
beyond all measure at the Prophet and the little band of Muslims that remained with him
at Makka. Not being able to prevail upon Abu Talib, the head of the Hashimites (the
Prophet's family), to hand the Prophet over to them to end his life, and failing to tempt
the Prophet by offering him kingship, wealth and beauty, they at last entered into a league
and shut up the Hashimites and the Muslims in a small quarter, where they suffered the
utmost privations for three long years, being allowed liberty of action only during the
time of pilgrimage. These three years were the years of the hardest suffering for the
Muslims, and Islam itself made little progress during this time.
Released at last from this imprisonment, the Prophet, though facing disappointment on all
sides, had still as much faith in the triumph of the truth as ever. If Makka was now quite
deaf to his preaching, he would turn elsewhere. He went to Ta'if, another great city of
Arabia. Here, however, he found the ground even harder than at Makka. He was not
allowed to stay in Ta'if after ten days, and as he walked back he was pelted with stones.
Dripping with blood and not even allowed by his persecutors to take rest, he at last
returned to Makka, a sadder man than when he had left it. But if men did not listen to
him, yet would he open his heart to God who was always ready to listen, and he prayed to
Him thus when coming back from Ta'if:
O my God ! To Thee I complain of the feebleness of my strength and of my lack of
resourcefulness and of my insignificance in the eyes of people. Thou art the most
Merciful of the merciful, Thou art the Lord of the weak. To whom wilt Thou entrust me, to
an unsympathetic foe who would sullenly frown at me, or to a close friend to whom Thou
hast given control over my affair? Not in the least do I care for anything except that I
may have Thy protection. In the light of Thy face do I seek shelter, in the light which
illumines the heaven and dispels all sorts of darkness, and which controls all affairs in
this world as well as in the Hereafter. May it never be that I should incur Thy wrath or
that Thou shouldst be displeased with me. There is no strength, nor power, but in Thee.
He feels that no man lends his ear to his message, yet his faith in the goodness of God
and in the ultimate triumph of his cause is as unshaken as ever. To him God is all in all
and the opposition of the whole world is as nothing. With marvellous calmness he
undergoes the severest hardships which he has to suffer for working for the good of the
very people who take pleasure in inflicting on him the cruellest tortures. All these, he
says, are insignificant so long as he enjoys the pleasure of God. What a firm faith in God,
what a cheerful resignation to His supreme will, what an unalloyed spiritual happiness !
Three years more passed away at Makka amidst the most trying circumstances. In the
meanwhile Islam took root in Madina and spread fast. As the thirteenth year of the Call
drew to a close, seventy-five Muslims (including two women) from Madina came to
perform a pilgrimage and swore allegiance to the Prophet, affirming that if he chose to go
to Madina, they would defend him against his enemies just as they defended their own
children and wives. Then it was that the Muslim exodus to Madina commenced.
The Prophet chose to remain alone amidst an enemy that was growing more and more
exasperated, and to see his followers safe at the new centre. This shows the depth of his
love and concern for his followers. He was anxious more for their safety than for his own.
Within two months, about 150 Muslims left Makka and there remained only the Prophet
with two of his closest friends. The psychological moment had now arrived for his
enemies to deal the final blow. Individual efforts had hitherto been made to do away with
the Prophet, but they had failed. If the final blow was not struck immediately, the Prophet
might escape to Madina and get beyond their reach. A big conference of all the tribes was
held and a final decision taken. A youth from each clan was to be selected, and all these
were to fall upon the Prophet at one and the same time, so that no particular clan should
be held accountable for the murder.
The Prophet's house was besieged by these blood thirsty youths as soon as it was dark,
but, undaunted and having his faith in Divine protection, the Prophet passed through
them unnoticed. In the dark of the night, with only one companion, he made his way
through the streets of Makka to the bare and rugged hills outside, and a hiding-place was
ultimately found in a cave known as Thaur. When morning appeared, the enemy saw the
failure of their plan and the whole countryside was scoured. One party reached the very
mouth of the cave. Through a crevice, Abu Bakr saw the enemy at the mouth and
grieved. " Do not grieve, for Allah is with us," said the Prophet. The more helpless he
became, the stronger grew his faith in God. And surely some invisible power saved him
throughout his life every time that the enemy's hand was on him. After three days the
Prophet and his companion started for Madina.
It was not the Prophet alone who bore all the hard trials so willingly at Makka for thirteen
years; those who accepted him bore persecutions with the same willing heart. The new
life to which the Prophet had awakened them has drawn words of praise from Sir William
Muir:
The believers bore persecutions with a patient and tolerant spirit. One hundred
men and women, rather than abjure their precious faith, had abandoned home
and sought refuge, till the storm should, be overpast, in Abyssinian exile. And now
again a still larger number, with the Prophet himself, were emigrating from their
fondly loved city with its Sacred Temple, to them the holiest spot on earth, and
fleeing to Medina. There, the same marvellous charm had within two or three
years been preparing for them a brotherhood ready to defend the Prophet and his
followers with their blood. Jewish truth had long sounded in the ears of the men
of Medina; but it was not until they heard the spirit-stirring strains of the Arabian
Prophet that they too awoke from their slumber and sprang suddenly into a new
and earnest life.
3. At Madina — the beginning of the battles
The Prophet reached Madina on the 12th of Rabi' I, corresponding to June 28, 622 of the
Christian Era. The first thing that he did on reaching Madina was to construct a mosque,
now famous as the Prophet's Mosque. Here prayers to God were offered five times daily
in a free atmosphere for the first time in the history of Islam. He next turned to
establishing a brotherhood of the Muslims. Those who had fled from Makka, called
Muhajirs (Refugees), had left all their property behind. So, to provide shelter for them,
every refugee was bound in a bond of brotherhood with one of the residents of Madina,
called Ansar (Helpers).
The third important matter to which the Prophet turned his attention was to establish
friendly relations between the various tribes living in Madina. Among these were three
Jewish clans, and a pact was concluded with them as well. The main terms of this pact
were as follows:
- 1.TheMuslims and the Jews shall live as one people.
- 2.Eachone of the parties shall keep to its own faith.
- 3.Inthe event of a war with a third party, each shall be bound to come to the
assistance of the other, provided the party at war were not the aggressors.
- 4.Inthe event of an attack on Madina, both shall join hands to defend it.
- 5.Peaceshall be made after consultation with each other.
- 6.Madinashall be regarded as sacred by both, all bloodshed being forbidden
therein.
- 7.TheProphet shall be the final court of appeal in cases of dispute.
This agreement with the Jews shows that the Prophet had an apprehension that the
exasperated Quraish who were foiled in their attempt to put an end to his life at Makka
would now attack Madina.
We have seen that when the Muslims fled to Abyssinia, the Quraish tried all the means in
their power to have them expelled from there. How could they see Islam prosper so near
home at Madina, an important city only 270 miles distant and on the trade route to Syria.
Muhammad had already received an intimation from on High that he would have to carry
on a war to save Islam from utter annihilation. The sword, he was told, would be taken up
against him and he would have to fight to save the small community of Islam from
destruction at the hands of a powerful enemy who was determined to uproot Islam from
the soil of Arabia.
Temperamentally the Prophet Muhammad was not inclined to war; he had not once
handled the sword in actual fighting up to the fifty-fifth year of his age, and this in a
country where, owing to constant internecine warfare, fighting had become a vocation of
the people. The religion which he preached, Islam (lit. peace or submission), was a
religion of peace, laying stress on prayer to God and the service of humanity, and he was
required to preach this religion; to deliver the message, not to enforce it on others:
"The truth is from your Lord, so, whoever will, let him believe, and whoever will, let him
disbelieve. [18:29]
We have shown man the way, he may be thankful or he may be unthankful.[76:3]
And in still plainer words; it was laid down:
There is no compulsion in religion. [2:256]
But war was being forced on him, and it was his duty, he was told, to defend his
oppressed community who had twice fled their homes from the persecutions of a cruel
enemy to a distant place:
Permission to fight is given to those upon whom war is made; because they are
oppressed, and Allah is well able to help them. [22:39]
Why were they expelled from their homes ? Why was war made on them ? What was
their offence ?
Those who have been expelled from their homes without a just cause,except that they say,
Our Lord is Allah. [22:40]
To worship Allah, to say that Allah is our Lord, to bow before Him, was an offence in
this land; the punishment for which was that the men who worshipped God, and the
places where He was worshipped, should be destroyed. So the Muslims were required to
defend all houses of worship, whether they belonged to the Jews or the Christians or their
own community:
And had there not been Allah's repelling some people by means of others, cloisters and
churches and synagogues and mosques in which Allah's name is remembered most,
would certainly have been pulled down. [22:40]
These three statements follow one another in the Divine revelation to the Prophet. In a
later revelation he was further told that he should by no means resort to an aggressive
war. It was in defence only that he was allowed to take up the sword:
And fight in the way of Allah with those who fight with you, and do not exceed this limit,
for Allah does not love those who exceed the limits.[2:190]
There was no question of converting anyone to Islam by force; it was the enemy that
wanted to turn back the Muslims by force from Islam:
And they will not cease fighting with you until they turn you back from your religion if
they can. [2:217]
Religion was a matter between God and His servants and no one had a right to compel
anyone to adopt a particular religion, and the Prophet had thus to fight for the noble cause
of the liberty of man:
And fight with them until there is no persecution and religion is held for Allah. But if they
give up persecution, then there should be no hostility except against the oppressors.
[2:193]
If the Prophet was required to cease fighting when the enemy ceased to persecute on
account of religion, he was also required to cease fighting if the enemy offered peace
even though he might be gaining time only to renew his attack:
And if they incline to peace, do thou also incline to it and trust in Allah; He is the
Hearing, the Knowing. And if they intend to deceive thee, then surely Allah is sufficient
for thee. [8:61,62]
It was in these circumstances and on these conditions that the Prophet was allowed to
fight. He had not up to this time trained a single man for fighting; he had no army at all.
He had a small community of followers trained only in praying to God, and even they
could not be forced to fight. To carry on the war, even though single-handed, was his
duty:
Fight then in Allah's way; this is not imposed on thee except in relation to thyself, and
rouse the believers to ardour; maybe Allah will restrain the fighting of those who
disbelieve, and Allah is strongest in power and strongest to punish (offenders). [4:84]
4. At Madina — The battles
Small detachments of the Quraish used to go out on marauding expeditions and scour the
country right up to the outskirts of Madina. The situation called for vigilance on the part
of the Prophet. Reconnaissance parties were sent out by him to keep an eye on enemy
movements and to approach certain tribes to secure their alliance or neutrality. One such
party sent out with express orders to gather information about the Quraish movements
accidentally killed a member of the Quraish, Ibn Hadzrami by name. The usual practice
in Arabia in such cases was to demand blood-money. But the Quraish wanted a pretext to
rouse the populace against the Muslims, and Ibn Hadzram's murder furnished it. Another
pretext was furnished by a Quraish caravan coming from Syria just at this time. Knowing
that the Muslims were still very weak, the Quraish thought that 1,000 men would be
sufficient to annihilate them, and with this army they marched on Madina in the month of
Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, in the second year of the Prophet's Flight.
When news of this reached Madina, the Prophet made hurried preparations to meet them,
but could gather only a force of 313 Muslims. The two forces met at Badr, a distance of
three days journey from Madina and ten days from Makka; on the one side being 1,000
veteran warriors with whom fighting had been a life-long profession, armed with every
weapon of warfare of the time, and on the other only 313 ill-equipped men, including raw
youths and men advanced in age. The Prophet saw this and in deep anxiety passed the
night praying to God in a small hut:
"O Allah ! Shouldst Thou suffer this small band of believers to perish this day, no one
will be left on earth to worship Thee and carry Thy message to the world. O Living One !
O Subsisting One by whom all subsist ! I cry to Thee for Thy mercy."
The unexpected happened. Almost all the Quraish chiefs, the ringleaders of the campaign
against Islam, were slain in action. Seeing their chiefs fall, the rank and file were seized
with confusion and took to flight. Seventy fell and an equal number were taken prisoners.
There were fourteen casualties on the Muslim side.
The Quraish defeat at Badr was an ignominy which they could not leave unavenged. An
army of 3,000 strong, with warriors like Khalid among them, marched on Madina next
year, Shawwal, 3 A.H. The Muslims could muster no more than 700 men, and marched
out of Madina to meet the enemy at the foot of Uhud, only three miles from the city. The
Muslims fought desperately and seven of the enemy's flagbearers fell one after another.
Utter confusion seized the Quraish. They took to flight and the Muslims pursued them,
but just at this time Khalid saw that the Muslim archers had left their rear undefended by
vacating a certain position to join in the pursuit, and wheeling round at the head of his
200 cavalry attacked the Muslims from behind. Seeing this, the fleeing Quraish army also
turned back, and the handful of Muslims, in disorder on account of the pursuit, were thus
pressed on both sides.
The position was so precarious that the whole Muslim army was now in danger of being
annihilated. The Prophet, braving the danger of himself becoming the target of the
enemy's attack, called out aloud to his men to rally round him:
"To me, O servants of Allah ! I am the Messenger; of Allah."
This was a signal to the enemy to direct their attack to this particular point. The Muslims
saw this and, cutting their way through the enemy ranks, mustered strongly round the
Prophet. But in this attempt they sustained serious losses, and Musab ibn Umair, who
resembled the Prophet, being killed, the news spread like wildfire that the Prophet had
been killed. Still the Muslims did not lose heart."Let us fight on for the cause for which
the Prophet fought," said one of them. By this time, the Prophet had sustained serious
wounds and had fallen down, but the position had become secure both for the army and
for the Prophet himself who was surrounded on all sides by devoted friends. Here closing
their ranks on elevated ground with the mountain protecting their retreat, they again made
the enemy feel their strength. The Quraish retired from the field and took their way back
to Makka. When some one entreated the Prophet to pray for the destruction of his
enemies, he raised his hands, saying:
"O Allah ! Forgive my-people: for they do not know."
Though they had this time inflicted severe losses on the Muslims, the Quraish knew that
even this attack on Madina had proved abortive. Therefore after returning from Uhud,
they tried to raise the Jews and the Bedouin tribes against the Muslims, and in this they
were successful. The Jews, the Bedouins and the Quraish all combined to deal a crushing
blow to Islam. A large army of 100,000 was gathered in the fifth year of the Flight. The
Muslims, unable to meet these hosts in the open field, fortified themselves in Madina by
digging a ditch on the side which was unprotected. The Prophet himself participated in
digging the ditch like an ordinary labourer. Covered with dust and with the fear of
annihilation lurking in their minds, they yet sang in happy chorus:
O Allah ! Had it not been for Thy mercy, we would not have been guided aright; Nor
would we have given alms, nor would we have prayed to Thee. Send down tranquillity
upon us and establish our steps in battle, For they are risen against us and they wish to
pervert us by force But we refuse, but we refuse.
The huge force at last reached Madina. It was an hour of consternation for the Muslims.
The Holy Quran thus depicts the anguish and perplexity of the moment:
When they came upon you from above you and from below you, and when the eyes turned
dull and the hearts rose up to the throats, and some of you began to entertain diverse
thoughts about Allah. There the believers were sorely tried and shaken with a severe
shaking." [33:10]
Amid this seeming scene of dread and terror, the hearts of the Muslims were full of faith:
And when the believers saw the Allies, they said: This is what Allah and His Messenger
promised us, and Allah and His Messenger spoke the truth; and it only increased them in
faith and submission. [33:32]
During a full month of siege the Muslims stood firm. Arrows and stones came in terrible
showers but they could not break through the defence. Attacks were made and repulsed in
quick succession. The siege became wearisome to the besieging army, which also began
to run short of provisions. The elements of nature ultimately came to the help of the brave
Muslim defence. A storm raged one night which blew down the tents of the besiegers.
There was confusion among the Allies and they took to flight during the night, to the
great joy and thanksgiving of the Muslims.
5. The conquest of Makka
The Quraish now lost all hope of being able to crush the Muslims. About a year after this,
the Prophet with about 1400 companions (Islam was gaining ground in spite of the wars)
undertook a journey to Makka to perform the lesser pilgrimage, but finding that the
Quraish were prepared to offer armed resistance to his entry into Makka, even though it
was simply with the object of performing a religious obligation, he had to stop at about
nine miles from the sacred city, at a place called Hudaibiya. Emissaries were sent to find
a peaceful solution, but they were maltreated, and at last a man of the high position of
Uthman, deputed to negotiate, was arrested by the Quraish. The situation was critical; the
Muslim envoy had been taken into custody and there was a rumour that he had been
murdered. The Muslims were unarmed except for sheathed swords, which they carried as
a necessity when journeying in a country like Arabia, but they, were determined not to
turn their backs. The Prophet took pledge from them, and they pledged afresh one and all,
that they would fight to the last man in defence of the Prophet, whom the enemy wanted
to put to death. This pledge is known as Bai'a al-Ridzwan (Pledge of Divine Pleasure) in
the history of Islam.
This resolve on the part of the Muslims brought the Quraish to their senses and a truce
was at last drawn up to last for a period of ten years, with the following conditions among
others:
- 1.TheMuslims shall return without performing a pilgrimage, for which they may
come back the following year.
- 2.Shouldany of the Makkans go over to Madina, the Muslims shall hand him
over to the Makkans, but if any of the Muslims go over to Makka, the Quraish are
under no obligation to return him to the Muslims,
- 3.TheArab tribes are at liberty to enter into alliance with which ever party they
choose.
It can easily be seen what a heavy price the Prophet was willing to pay for the sake of
peace; he had agreed not to give shelter to those who were persecuted for accepting
Islam, while his own men were free to join the unbelievers and find shelter in Makka.
The moral force drawing the people to Islam was so great that while not a single Muslim
went back to Makka where he could find a sure shelter, scores of Makkans embraced
Islam, and finding the doors of Madina closed to them, settled themselves at Is, a place
subject neither to the authority of the Prophet, nor to that of the Quraish. Islam was
spreading in spite of the sword.
After returning from Hudaibiya, the Prophet made arrangements to send the message of
Islam to all people, Christians as well as Magians, living on the borders of Arabia. He
wrote letters to the sovereigns of the neighbouring kingdoms, the Emperor of Rome,
Chosroes II of Persia, the king of Egypt, the Negus of Abyssinia and certain Arab chiefs,
inviting them to Islam. The letter to the Roman Emperor was worded as follows:
In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful From Muhammad, the servant of Allah
and His Messenger, to Heracleus, the chief of the Romans.
Peace be with him who follows the guidance.
After this, I invite thee with invitation to Islam. Become a Muslim and thou wilt be in
peace -- Allah will give thee a double reward; but if thou turnest away, on thee will be
the sin of thy subjects.
And, O followers of the Book ! Come to an equitable proposition between us and you that
we shall not serve any but Allah, and that we shall not associate aught with Him and that
some of us shall not take others for lords besides Allah; but if they turn back, then say:
Bear witness that we are Muslims. [Bukhari 1:1]
Of the rulers addressed the Negus accepted Islam; the king of Egypt sent some presents
in reply; the Roman Emperor was impressed but his generals were averse; while
Chosroes tore up the letter and sent orders to the governor of Yemen to arrest the
Prophet. When the governor's soldiers reached Madina for the execution of the orders, the
Prophet told them that Chosroes was himself dead and no more the king of Persia. They
went back with this report to the governor of Yemen, and it was found that Chosroes II
had actually been murdered by his own son on the very night indicated by the Prophet.
This event led to the governor's conversion to Islam, and ultimately to Yemen's throwing
off the yoke of Persia.
The truce of Hudaibiya had hardly been in force for two years when the Banu Bakr, an
ally of the Quraish, attacked the Khuza'a, an ally of the Muslims, with the help of the
Quraish. The Prophet thereupon sent word to the Quraish that they should either pay
blood-money for those slain from among the Khuza'a or dissociate themselves from the
Banu Bakr, or, in the last resort, declare the truce of Hudaibiya to be null and void. The
Quraish did not agree to either of the first two proposals, and the result was the
annulment of the truce. The Prophet thereupon ordered an attack on Makka in the closing
months of the eighth year of the Plight.
The two years during which the truce remained in force had brought such large numbers
over to Islam that the Prophet now marched on Makka with 10,000 men under his flag.
The Makkans were unable to make any preparations to meet the attack. At Marr al-
Zahran, a day's journey from Makka, the Quraish leader, Abu Sufyan, sued for pardon,
and though he was the arch-offender who had left no stone unturned to annihilate Islam,
free pardon was granted to him by the Prophet.
The conquest of Makka was practically bloodless. The Quraish were unable to meet this
force and the Prophet declared a general amnesty, guaranteeing safety to all those who
entered Abu Sufyan's house, or closed the doors of their own houses or entered the sacred
precincts of the Ka'ba. Conversion to Islam formed no part of the conditions which
guaranteed security of life and property. There were strict orders to the advancing army
that there should be no bloodshed. There were only about a score of casualties due to
Ikrima, son of Abu Jabl, attacking a party of the Muslim forces under Khalid, who was
now a Muslim.
Makka having thus been entered, the first thing that the Prophet did was to clear the
Ka'ba of the idols. He then addressed the assembled Quraish who had been guilty of most
heinous offences against the Muslims. They were standing before him now as culprits
who had persecuted Muslims, inflicted on them the severest tortures, put many of them to
death and ultimately expelled them from Makka. They had not even allowed the Muslims
to live a peaceful life at their new home in Madina, but had attacked that city thrice with
large forces which they knew the Muslims had no means to meet.
It was these men who were now at the Prophet's mercy, and addressing them, he put to
them the question:
"What treatment do you expect from me?"
They knew al-Amin of old; they knew Muhammad had a generous heart within his breast.
"Thou art a noble brother, the son of a noble brother, " was their unhesitating reply. But
the treatment Muhammad accorded them exceeded even their own expectations "This
day," he said in the words of Joseph to his brothers, "there is no reproof against
you."[12:92]
They were yet unbelievers, but mark the magnanimity of that great soul who would not
even reproach them for their evil deeds, who let them go even without taking a pledge
from them for the future. Here was a practical proof of that laudable precept Love thine
enemy. Not only was Makka conquered, but with it were conquered also the hearts of the
bitterest foes of Islam.
They now saw with their own eyes how the combined forces of opposition offered by the
whole country had proved an utter failure against the mighty truth which came from the
lips of a man who had stood alone in the midst of all opposition. The righteousness of the
cause was now only too clear to them and men and women came forward spontaneously
to embrace the faith. There was not a single instance of conversion by force.
Those that still adhered to the old religion were treated in the same spirit of friendliness
as the members of the brotherhood. Even a hostile critic has to admit:
"Although the city had cheerfully accepted his authority, all its inhabitants had not yet
embraced the new religion nor formally acknowledged his prophetical claim. Perhaps he
intended to follow the course he had pursued at Madina and leave the conversion of the
people to be gradually accomplished without compulsion. ... [Sir William Muir]
6. Islam spreads throughout Arabia —
End of Holy Prophet's life
The fall of Makka was a signal to the whole of Arabia. In fact, the Quraish were
generally at the bottom of all organized opposition. With the sole exception of the battle
of Hunain, which had to be undertaken against the Hawazin immediately after the
conquest of Makka, regular warfare between the Muslims and the non-Muslims in the
whole of Arabia now came to an end, and even at Hunain, the unbelieving Makkans
fought on the side of the Muslims.
Islam was now free from trouble from within, but the Christian power on the north
viewed its strength with a jealous eye, and persistent news as to preparations of the
Roman Empire to attack Arabia could not be ignored. Accordingly, an expedition of
30,000 men was led by the Prophet personally to the northern frontier in the ninth year of
the Flight. When he reached Tabuk, however, he found that his march had a restraining
effect on the enemy, and there being no hostile force in the field, the Prophet returned
without either attacking the Romans or declaring war against them. In fact, the Prophet
always observed the Quranic injunction to fight only with those who took up the sword
first to fight against the Muslims.
After the return from Tabuk, peace was apparently established in the peninsula, but the
Islamic territory was infested with hordes of marauders belonging to the tribes that had
entered into agreement with the Muslim state, but had little respect for their treaties:
Those with whom thou makest an agreement, then they break their agreement every time
and then have no regard for their obligations." [8:56]
These people had become a menace to the security of life and property, and accordingly,
towards the end of the ninth year of the Hijra, the Prophet sent Ali to make an important
declaration of immunity regarding such agreements at the annual pilgrimage at Makka.
This declaration is contained in the opening verses of the chapter entitled The Immunity:
"This is a declaration of immunity by Allah and His Messenger towards those of the
idolaters with whom you made an agreement." [9:1]
By idolaters were meant the idolaters spoken of in the previous chapter, already referred
to, "those with whom Thou makest an agreement then they break their agreement every
time." This is made clear in the next few verses by making an exception in favour of
those who had not violated their treaties:
Except those of the idolaters with whom you made an agreement then they have not failed
you in anything and have not aided any one against you, so fulfil their agreement to the
end of their term, for Allah loves those who have regard for their obligations. [9:4]
And again:
How can there be an agreement for the idolaters with Allah and His Messenger, except
those with whom you made an agreement at the Sacred Mosque; so as long as they are
true to you be true to them, for Allah loves those who have regard for their obligations.
How can it be ! For if they prevail against you, they will not pay regard in your case to
ties of relationship, nor those of their covenant; they please you with their mouths while
their hearts do not consent and most of them are transgressors.... They do not pay regard
to ties of relationship nor those of covenant in the case of a believer, and these are they
who exceed the limits. [9:7-10]
The idolaters concerned met Ali with the retort: "O Ali ! Deliver this message to thy
cousin (i.e. the Prophet) that we have thrown the agreements behind our backs, and there
is no agreement between him and us except smiting with spears and striking with
swords." The result of the Prophet's firm attitude was that such tribes surrendered, and a
settled condition of peace prevailed throughout the peninsula.
This declaration of immunity towards the violators is sometimes misunderstood as
meaning an abrogation of the conditions of war laid down at the beginning: "Fight with
those who fight with you and do not exceed this limit." As a matter of fact, the condition
laid down remained effective to the end. The Prophet's return from Tabuk without
attacking either the Roman territory or the territory of any other tribe is a dear evidence
of this. And even after the declaration of immunity, the Muslims were required to fight
with those who attacked them first:
What ! Will you not fight a people who broke their oaths and aimed at the expulsion of
the Messenger and attacked you first? [9:13]
Deputations which had already started coming to the Prophet in the ninth year of the
Flight to learn the truth about Islam now became more abundant. People came from
different corners from all over Arabia and embraced Islam of their own free will. As soon
as peace was established, Islam spread be leaps and bounds, and the tenth year of the
Flight witnessed the conversion of the whole of Arabia to Islam, including some
Christian tribes. It was not only a conversion in the sense that idolatry was given up for
the purest monotheism from one end of the vast peninsula to the other; it was a
reformation in all spheres of life. The whole course of life of an entire nation was
changed - ignorance, superstition and barbarism giving place to the spread of knowledge
and to a rational outlook in all aspects of life.
At the end of the tenth year of the Hijra, the Prophet set out to perform the pilgrimage to
Makka. As the whole of Arabia was now Muslim, there was not a single idolater in the
huge concourse of 124,000 pilgrims assembled at Makka from all corners of the country.
The very spot where the Prophet was only twenty years ago a rejected person, to whose
word no one was willing to lend his ear, was now the scene of marvellous devotion to
him. To whichever side he turned his eye, he saw hosts of devoted friends who
recognized him both as their temporal as well as their spiritual head. An inspiring
manifestation of Divine power to him as well as to those who had assembled there.
It was here on the ninth day of Dhul Hijja, the day of the assembling of the pilgrims at
Mount Arafat, that he received a revelation from on High which sent a thrill of joy
through the vast gathering:
This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favour to you and
chosen for you al-Islam as a religion. [5:3]
Obviously the Prophet perceived that the message of the perfection of religion meant his
approaching end. Here he delivered the following sermon - Islam's sermon on the Mount
to the whole of Arabia through representatives of tribes coming from every quarter:
O people ! Lend an attentive ear to my words, for I know not whether I shall ever
hereafter have the opportunity to meet you here.
I apprise you that your lives, your properties and your honour must be as sacred to one
another as this sacred day in this sacred month in this sacred town. Let those present
take this message to those absent.
You are about to meet your Lord Who will call you to account for your deeds....
O people ! This day Satan has despaired of re-establishing his power in this land of
yours. But should you obey him even in what may seem to you a trifling matter, it will be
a source of pleasure for him. So you must beware of him in the matter of your faith.
O my people ! You have certain rights over your wives and so have your wives over
you.... They are the trust of Allah in your hands. So you must treat them with all kindness
... And as regards your slaves, see that you give them to eat of what you yourselves eat
and clothe them with what you clothe yourselves.
O people ! Listen to what I say and take it to heart. You must know that every Muslim is
the brother of another Muslim. You are all equal, and members of one brotherhood. It is
forbidden to any of you to take from his brother save what he should willingly give. Do
not do injustice to your people. ........
Then the Prophet cried at the top of his voice:
O Allah ! I have delivered Thy message,
and the valley resounded with the words:...
Aye ! That thou hast.
This is known as the Prophet's Farewell pilgrimage. A little while after his return to
Madina, he fell ill. At first he went to the mosque to lead the prayers even during his
illness, but later on he became too weak and appointed Abu Bakr to lead the prayers.
After about twelve days' illness, on the 12th of Rabi' I on a Monday in the 11th year of
the Flight, at the age of sixty-three, he commended his soul to his Maker, his last words
being:
Blessed companionship on High.
7. Amazing transformation brought about by the Holy
Prophet
The most outstanding characteristic of the life of the Prophet is the amazing success
which he achieved. The transformation wrought within the short space of less than a
quarter of a century is in fact unparalleled in the history of the world. There is not a
single reformer who brought about such an entire change in the lives of a whole nation
inhabiting such a vast country. None, in fact, found his people at such a depth of
degradation as the Prophet found the Arabs, and no one raised them materially, morally
and spiritually to the height to which he raised them. So deep-rooted was their idolatry,
so powerful the bonds of their superstitions and their usages that the propagandic efforts
of the Jews and the Christians, carried on for hundreds of years one after the other, with
the material power of the kingdoms at their back, could not bring about the least change
in their condition. The indigenous Arab movement of the Hanifs proved an even greater
failure. All these attempts at form left the Arabs as a nation as ignorant of the principles
of religion and morality as they ever were.
Twenty-three years work of the Prophet, however, quite metamorphosed them. Worship
of idols and of all objects other than God, whether in heaven or on earth, was now
considered to be a disgrace to humanity. No trace of an idol was left throughout the
whole of Arabia. The whole nation awakened to a sense of the true dignity of manhood
and realized the folly of falling prostrate before things which man was made to rule and
before powers which he was required to conquer. Superstition gave place to a rational
religion. The Arab was not only cleansed of deep-rooted vice and bare-faced immorality;
he was further inspired with a burning desire for the best and noblest deeds in the service
of, no country and nation, but, what is far higher than that, humanity. Old customs which
involved injustice to the weak and the oppressed were all swept away, as if by a
magician's wand, and just and reasonable laws took their place. Drunkenness, to which
Arabia was addicted from time immemorial, disappeared so entirely that the very goblets
and vessels which were used for drinking and keeping wine could no more be found.
Gambling was quite unknown, and the loose relations of the sexes gave place to the
highest regard for chastity. The Arab who prided himself on ignorance became the lover
of knowledge, drinking deep at every fountain of learning to which he could get access.
And greatest of all, from an Arabia, the various elements of which were so constantly at
war with each other that the whole country was about to perish, was indeed on:
"the brink of a pit of fire," [3:102]
as the Holy Quran so tersely puts it - from these jarring and warring elements, the
Prophet welded together a nation, a united nation full of life and vigour, before whose
onward march the greatest kingdoms of the world crumbled as if they were but toys
before the reality of the new faith. No man ever; breathed such a new life on such a wide
scale a life affecting all branches of human activity; a transformation of the individual, of
the family, of the society, of the nation, of the country, an awakening, material as well as
moral, intellectual as well as spiritual. Here are a few testimonies from non-Muslim
writers:
"The prospects of Arabia before Muhammad were as unfavourable to religious reform as
they were to political union or national regeneration. The foundation of Arab faith was a
deep-rooted idolatry which, for centuries, had stood proof, with no palpable symptom of
decay, against every attempt at evangelization from Egypt and Syria." --- Sir William
Muir.
"During the youth of Muhammad, the aspect of the Peninsula was strongly conservative;
perhaps never at any previous time was reform more hopeless." Ibid.
"Causes are sometime conjured up to account for results produced by an agent apparently
inadequate to correct them. Muhammad arose, and forthwith the Arabs were aroused to a
new and spiritual faith; hence the conclusion that Arabia was fermenting for the change,
and prepared to adopt it. To us calmly reviewing the past, pre-Islamite history belies the
assumption." Ibid.
"From time beyond memory Makka and the whole Peninsula had been steeped in
spiritual torpor. The slight and transient influences of Judaism, Christianity, or
philosophical enquiry upon the Arab mind had been but as the ruffling here and there of
the surface of a quiet lake; all remained still and motionless below. The people were sunk
in superstition, cruelty and vice ... Their religion was a gross idolatry; and their faith, the
dark superstitious dread of unseen things ... Thirteen years before the Hijra, Makka lay
lifeless in this debased state. What a change had these thirteen years now produced ...
Jewish truth had long sounded in the ears of the men of Madina; but it was not until they
heard the spirit-stirring strains of the Arabian Prophet that they too awoke from their
slumber, and sprang suddenly into a new and earnest life." --- Sir William Muir.
"And yet we may truly say that no history can boast events that strike the imagination in a
more lively manner or can be more surprising in themselves, than those we meet with in
the life of the first Mussalmans; whether we consider the Great Chief, or his ministers,
the most illustrious of men; or whether we take an account of the manners of the several
countries he conquered; or observe the courage, virtue and sentiments that equally
prevailed among his generals and soldiers." --- Life of Muhammad, by Count of
Boulainvilliers.
"A more disunited people it would be hard to find, till, suddenly, the miracle took place.
A man arose who, by his personality and by his claim to direct Divine guidance, actually
brought about the impossible, namely, the union of all these warring factions." --- Ins and
Outs of Mesopotamia.
"Never has a people been led more rapidly to civilization, such as it was, than were the
Arabs through Islam." --- New Researches, by Hirschfeld.
"Such then, very briefly, was the condition of the Arabs, social and religious, when, to
use an expression of Voltaire, . . . 'the turn of Arabia came'; when the hour had already
struck for the most complete, the most sudden and the most extraordinary revolution that
had ever come over any nation upon earth." --- Bosworth Smith.
"Of all the religious personalities of the world, Muhammad was the most successful." ---
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition.
8. Marriages of Holy Prophet and wars
The man who brought about the most thorough transformation of a nation within twenty
years; who, alone and unaided, swept away vice and immorality from a whole country
where the most strenuous efforts of a powerful missionary nation had hopelessly failed;
who by his personal example purified the lives of vast numbers of humanity; could such a
man himself be in the grip of sin An impure man could not consistently preach virtue;
how could he take others by the hand, and free them from the bondage of sin, and inspire
his very soldiers and generals with sentiments of virtue Could a man who himself groped
in the dark lead others to light? Yet the Prophet — this great deliverer of humanity from
the bondage of sin — is called sinful because at a certain stage in his life he had more
wives than one.
Whatever may be the views on polygamy of the modern world, there is not the least
doubt that plurality of wives is met with in the lives of the great religious personages who
by a consensus of opinion led lives of transcendent purity. Abraham, who is held in
reverence by more than half the world up to this day, had more wives than one. Similar
was the case with Jacob, Moses and David among the Israelites, and with some of the
famous revered sages of the Hindus. Yet it is true that these great sages were not led to a
polygamous life by sensual desires. Purity in all respects is the outstanding characteristic
of their lives, and this fact alone is sufficient to condemn the attempt to defame them on
the basis of their resorting to polygamy. What was their object in doing so, it is difficult
to say at the present day, as their histories are generally enveloped in darkness, but as the
life of the Prophet can be read in the full light of history, we will take his case in detail.
The life of the Prophet may be divided into four periods so far as his domestic life is
concerned. Up to twenty-five he led a celibate life; from twenty-five to fifty-four he lived
in a married state with one wife; from fifty-four to sixty he contracted several marriages;
and lastly, from sixty till his death he did not contract any new marriage. The most
important period to determine whether the Prophet was a slave to his passions is the
period of celibacy. If he had not been a complete master of his passions, he could not
have led an exceptionally chaste and pure life, which won him the title of al-Amin, to the
age of twenty-five in a hot country like Arabia where development must necessarily take
place early and passions are generally stronger. His worst enemies could not point to a
single blot on his character when challenged later. According to Muir, all authorities
agree “in ascribing to the youth of Muhammad a modesty of deportment and purity of
manners rare among the people of Makka”.
Now, youth is the time when passions run riot, and the man who is able to control his
passions in youth, and that in celibacy, cannot possibly be conceived as falling a prey to
lust in his old age. Thus the first period of his life, his celibacy up to twenty-five years of
age, is conclusive proof that the could never fall a prey to his passions. It should be noted
in this connection that in Arab society at the time there was no moral sanction against an
immoral life, so that it cannot be said that he was kept back from an evil course by the
moral force of society. Profligacy, on the other hand, was the order of the day; and it was
among people who prided themselves on loose sexual relations that the Prophet led a life
of transcendent purity, and therefore all the more credit is due to his purity of character.
Take now the next period, the period of a monogamous married life. When twenty-five
years of age, Muhammad married a widow, Khadija, fifteen years his senior, and led a
life of the utmost devotion with her till she died, when he was fifty years of age.
Polygamy was the rule in Arabia at the time; and the wife had not cause of complaint, nor
did she ever grumble, if the husband brought in a second or third wife. The Prophet
belonged to the noblest family of the Quraish and his marriage with Khadija had enriched
him; and if he had chosen to marry another wife, it would have been quite easy for him.
But he led a monogamous life of the utmost devotion to his wife during all that time.
When Khadija died, he married a very elderly lady, Sauda, whose only recommendation
for the honour was that she was the widow of a faithful companion of his who had to flee
to Abyssinia from the persecution of the Quraish. The main part of his life, from twenty-
five to fifty-four, was thus an example for his followers that monogamy was the rule in
married life.
Now comes the third period. Of all his wives A’isha was the only one whom he married
as a virgin. Her father, Abu Bakr, the closest friend of the Prophet had offered her to him
when he suffered the great bereavement of losing both his wife and his uncle Abu Talib.
The girl was one possessing exceptional qualities, and both Abu Bakr and the Prophet
saw in her the great woman of the future who was best suited to perform the duties of the
wife of a teacher who was to be a perfect exemplar for mankind. So the Prophet accepted
her; but apparently she had not yet reached the age of puberty, and her marriage was
consummated towards the close of the second year of the Flight.
In the second year of the Flight began the series of battles with the Quraish and the other
Arab tribes, which appreciably reduced the number of males, the bread-winners of the
family. These battles continued up to the eighth year of the Flight, and it was during this
time that the Prophet contracted all the marriages which appear objectionable to the
modern mind, but which neither friend nor foe looked upon with disapprobation at the
time. A Christian writer says:
It would be remembered, however, that most of Muhammad’s marriages may be
explained at least as much by his pity for the forlorn condition of the persons concerned,
as by other motives. They were almost all of them widows who were not remarkable
either for their beauty or their wealth, but quite the reverse.
Let us look the facts straight in the face. The Prophet had now in his house a young and
beautiful wife in A’isha. None of the other wives whom he married later compared with
her either in youth or beauty. Surely then it was not attraction for beauty that led to these
marriages. We have already seen that from his youth till his old age the Prophet remained
a complete master of his passions. The man who could live in celibacy up to twenty-five
and still have the reputation of a spotless character, who up to fifty-four lived with a
single wife and this notwithstanding the fact that polygamy was more the rule than the
exception at the time and that a polygamous connection was not in the least objectionable
— such a man could not be said to have changed all of a sudden after fifty-five when old
age generally soothes the passions even of those who cannot control their passions in
youth. No other motive than compassion for the ladies who were given this honour can be
attached to these marriages. If there had been any less honourable motive, his choice
would have fallen on others than widows, and under the Arab custom a man in his
position could have plenty of youthful virgins.
I have said that change for the worse could not come over a man who had led an
undoubtedly spotless life until he reached fifty-five. If the beauty of women could not
excite his passions in youth and lead him away from the path of rectitude, how could it
lead him away in old age? And what were the circumstances in which he lived in Madina
during these years? It was not a life of ease and luxury that he was leading at the time; it
was a life of hardness, because it was at this very time that he had to carry on a life-or-
death struggle with the enemies of Islam. Huge armies came to crush him and the small
band of Muslims at Madina. The whole of Arabia was aflame against him. He was not
secure for a minute. Battles had to be fought in quick succession. Expeditions had to be
arranged and sent. “Prophet of God! We are tired of being in arms day and night,” his
companions would say to him; and he had to console them by telling them that the time
would come when a traveller would be able to go from one end of the country to the other
without having any arms. The Jews and the Christians were his enemies along with the
idolaters. His best friends were falling sometimes in battle and sometimes by treachery. Is
it possible for a man to lead a life of ease and luxury under such circumstances? Even if a
man had the mind to lead a life of self-indulgence, which the Prophet according to all
available evidence had not, this was not the opportune time for it. In such circumstances
of warfare, with enemies within Madina and enemies all around it, with the number of
Muslims being insignificantly small in comparison with the enemy, with news of assaults
by the overwhelming numbers on all sides, even a profligate’s life would be changed, to
say nothing of a man of avowed purity of character, which no temptation could shake,
turning into a profligate.
If the Prophet’s days during this period were passed so strenuously, how did he pass the
nights? He had a number of lawful wives, but he did not spend his nights in enjoyment
with them. There is clearest evidence on record in the Holy Quran as well as Hadith that
he passed half, and sometimes even two-thirds, of the night in prayers and in reciting the
Holy Quran while standing in prayer. He would stand so long that his feet would get
swollen. Could such a man be said to be taking wives for self-indulgence when the
minutest details of his life as available to show us conclusively that it was a strenuous life
furthest away from indulgence of any kind?
Let us now consider another point. Was any change really witnessed in the latter part of
his life when he became the ruler of a state?
“In the shepherd of the desert, in the Syrian trader, in the solitary of Mount Hira, in the
reformer in the minority of one, in the exile of the Persian Chosroes and the Greek
Heraclius, we can still trace a substantial unity. I doubt whether any other man, whose
external conditions changed so much, ever himself changed less to meet them: the
accidents are changed, the essence seems to me to be the same in all” — Bosworth
Smith.
From the cradle to the grave the Prophet passed through a diversity of circumstances — a
diversity which can hardly be met with in the life of a single man. Orphanhood is the
extreme of helplessness, while kingship is the height of power. From being an orphan he
climbed to the summit of royal glory, but that did not bring about the slightest change in
his way of living. He lived on exactly the same kind of humble food, wore the same
simple dress, and in all particulars led the same simple life as he led in the state of
orphanhood. It is hard to give up the kingly throne and lead the life of a hermit, but it is
harder still that one should wield the royal sceptre yet at the same time lead a hermit’s
life, that one should possess power and wealth yet spend it solely to promote the welfare
of others, that one should ever have the most alluring attractions before one’s eyes yet
should never for one moment be captivated by them.
When the Prophet actually became the ruler of a state, the furniture of his house was
composed of a coarse matting of palm leaves for his bed and an earthen jug for water.
Some nights he would go without food. For days no fire would be lighted in his house to
prepare food, the whole family living on mere dates. There was no lack of means to live a
life of ease and comfort. The public treasury was at his disposal. The well-to-do among
his followers, who did not shrink from sacrificing their lives for his sake, would have
been only too glad to provide him with every comfort of life, should he choose to avail
himself of it. But worldly things carried little weight in his estimation. No mundane
craving could ever prevail over him, neither in times of indigence nor of plenty. Just as he
spurned wealth, power and beauty which the Quraish offered him when he was yet in a
state of utmost helplessness, so did he remain indifferent to them when God granted him
all these things out of His grace.
Not only did he himself live the simple life of a labourer, but he did not even allow
wealth to have any attraction for his wives. Shortly after their immigration into Madina,
the condition of the Muslims had changed, and they carried on a prosperous trade. Their
conquests, later on, went further to add to the comforts of life which the Muslims
enjoyed. A quite human desire crept into the hearts of the Prophet’s wives that, like other
Muslim families, they too should avail themselves of their share of comforts.
Accordingly, they approached the Prophet in a body to prevail upon him to allow them
their legitimate share of worldly comforts. Thereupon came the Divine injunction:
“O Prophet ! Say to thy wives, If you desire this world's life and its ornature, come, I will
give you a provision and allow you to depart a goodly departing. And if you desire Allah
and His Messenger and the latter abode, then surely Allah has prepared for the doers of
good among you a mighty reward.” [33:28,29]
Thus they were offered two alternatives. They might either have worldly finery, or
remain in the Prophet’s household Should they decide to have the former, they would
have plenty of what they wanted, but would forthwith forfeit the honour of being the
Prophet’s wives. Is this the reply of a sensual man? Such a man would have done
everything to satisfy the whim of the objects of his affection. Nay, he would himself have
desired that his wives should wear the most beautiful dress and live in comfort. No doubt
the Prophet cherished great love for his wives. He had immense regard for the rights of
women and was the champion of their cause. But when his wives came to him with what
was apparently a quite legitimate demand to have more finery and ornaments, they were
coldly told that if they would have these things they were not fit to live in the Prophet’s
house. This shows beyond a shadow of doubt how free the Prophet’s mind was of all base
and sensual thoughts. He was prepared to divorce all his wives rather than yield to what
he regarded as unworthy of his wives — an inclination towards worldly things. It shows
conclusively that the object of his marriages was anything but self-indulgence.
Let us consider once more the historical facts which led the Prophet to take a number of
wives within the short space of five years from the third year of Hijra to the seventh,
while before that he passed nearly thirty years of his life in a monogamous state. This
period coincides exactly with the period during which incessant war was carried on
between the Muslims and the non-Muslims. The circle of Muslim brotherhood was at the
time very narrow. The perpetual state of war created disparity between the male and the
female elements of society. Husbands having fallen on the field of battle, their widows
had to be provided for. But bread and butter was not the only provision needed in such
cases. Sex-inclination is implanted in human nature, and the statesman who neglects the
sex requirements leads society to moral corruption, ending ultimately in the ruin of the
whole nation. A reformer with whom morals were all in all could not content himself
with making provision merely for the maintenance of the widows. The Prophet was
anxious for their chastity to a far greater extent than their physical needs. It became
therefore necessary allow polygamy. This is the reason that he himself took so many
women for his wives during the period when war was raging. Nearly all his wives were
widows. If self-indulgence were the motive, the choice would not have fallen on widows.
It would have been an enviable privilege for any Muslim to be the father-in-law of the
Prophet. But the object was a noble one — the protection of the widows of his friends. In
polygamy alone lay the safety of the Muslim society.
We now come to the fourth period. With the conquest of Makka in 8 A.H., internal
warfare came practically to an end. Disturbances there were, but, on the whole, peace had
been established in the country and normal conditions were restored. From the eighth
year of the Flight to the end of his life we again find that the Prophet did not contract any
new marriage. What is the evidence of the facts then The Prophet added to the number of
his wives only during the time that he had to live in a state of warfare, when the number
of males was reduced and many women would have been left without protection and
without a home if the difficulty had not been solved by permitting a limited polygamy.
Before the Prophet had to enter on a defensive war, he lived in idle company of a single
wife, and when war ended, he contracted no new marriage. This sets all doubts at rest as
to the motive of the Prophet. In all the marriages which he contracted during the war,
there was some ulterior moral end in view. There arose situations in his life under which
he could not consistently, with the moral and religious mission of his life, help taking
more wives than one. In that, he only showed compassion to the weaker sex.
Living in a country in which polygamy was the rule, the Prophet had no liking for
polygamy. He passed the prime of his life, up to fifty-four years of age, as the husband of
a single wife, thus showing that the union of one man and one woman was the rule under
normal conditions. But when abnormal conditions arose, he did not, like a sentimentalist,
shirk his duty. He saw that the chastity of woman was at stake if polygamy was not
allowed, and for the sake of a higher interest he permitted polygamy as an exception to
meet exceptional circumstances.
Exactly thus he had to revert to war, though by disposition he was averse to it. Full forty
years before the Call, he had been living in a land where the sword was wielded as freely
as a stick elsewhere, where fighting and feuds were the order of the day, where men
would fly at each other’s throats, like wild animals, where there was no chance of
survival for one who could not use the sword, yet not once during these forty years did he
deal a blow at an enemy. The same was the case with him for fourteen years after the
Call.
That he was peace-loving by nature is shown by the clear injunctions relating to peace in
the Holy Quran:
“And if they incline to peace, do thou also incline to it and trust in Allah ... And if they
intend to deceive thee, then surely Allah is sufficient for thee.” [8:61,62]
The Prophet’s acceptance of the truce of Hudaibiya, though its conditions were
humiliating for the Muslims, who were ready to lay down their lives one and all rather
than accept those terms, is also a clear proof of his peace-loving nature. But when duty
called him to take the field to save his community, he did not hesitate to take up the
sword against an overwhelming majority. He acted as a sagacious general in all fields of
battle and behaved like a brave soldier when opportunity demanded. He knew how to
disperse an enemy in time before it had gained sufficient strength to deal a severe blow at
the Muslims. And once, in the battle of Hunain, when his army was in flight owing to the
severe onslaught of the enemy’s archers, he was all alone advancing towards the enemy
forces, till his soldiers rallied round him. By disposition he had no inclination for war, yet
circumstances arose which dragged him into the field of battle, and he then displayed the
wisdom of a general and the bravery of a soldier. So by disposition he was not inclined to
polygamy, living a celibate life of unexampled purity up to twenty-five years of age and a
married life of a monogamous husband up to fifty-four, but when duty called him to take
more women under his shelter, he answered the call of duty.
9. Qualities and character of the Holy Prophet
Brief as this treatment of the Prophet's life is, it would be incomplete without a few words
as to his manners and morals. When his wife, A'isha, the most privy to his secrets, was
questioned about his morals, her reply was, "His morals are the Quran." In other words,
the highest morals that were depicted in the Holy Quran were possessed by him.
Simplicity and sincerity are the keynotes of the Prophet's character. He would do all sorts
of things with his own hands. He would milk his own goats, patch his own clothes and
mend his own shoes. In person would he dust the house, and he would tie his camel and
look after it personally. No work was too low for him. He worked like a labourer in the
construction of the mosque, and again in digging a ditch round Madina. In person would
he do shopping, not only for his own household but also for his neighbours or for helpless
women. He never despised any work, however humble, notwithstanding the dignity of his
position as Prophet and King. He thus demonstrated through personal example that man's
calling does not really determine his nobleness or his meanness.
His actions and movements were characterized by homely simplicity. He did not like his
companions to stand up on his arrival. Once he forbade them, saying, "Do not stand up
for me as do the non-Arabs;" and added that he was a humble creature of God, eating as
others eat and sitting as others sit. When a certain man wanted to kiss his hand, he
withdrew it remarking that that was the behaviour of the non-Arabs to wards their kings.
Even if a slave sent him an invitation he accepted it. He would take his meals in the
company of all classes of people, even of slaves. When seated among people, there was
nothing about him to make him conspicuous.
The Prophet had a deep love for his friends. While shaking hands with them, he would
never be the first to withdraw his hand. He met everybody with a smiling face. A report
from Jarir ibn Abdullah says that he never saw the Prophet but with a smile on his face.
He would talk freely, never putting on artificial reserve to give himself an air of
superiority. He would take up children in arms and nurse them. He disliked backbiting
and forbade his visitors to talk ill of any of his friends. He would ever take the lead in
greeting his friends and shaking hands with them.
The Prophet's generosity even towards his enemies stands unique in the annals of the
world. Abdullah ibn Ubayy, the head of the hypocrites, was a sworn enemy of Islam, and
his days and nights were spent in plotting mischief against the Muslims. Yet at his death,
the Prophet prayed to the Lord to forgive him and even granted his own shirt to enshroud
his body. The Makkans, who had all along subjected him and his friends to the most
barbarous tortures, were not only awarded a general amnesty but were let off even
without a reproof. Twenty long years of persecutions and warfare were absolutely
forgiven and forgotten. "The magnanimity with which Muhammad treated a people who
had so long hated and rejected him is worthy of all admiration," says Muir. The fact is
that no other example is met with in history of such magnanimous forgiveness of
inveterate enemies, who had shed innocent blood, who had shown no pity for helpless
men, women and children, who had exerted themselves to their utmost to kill the Prophet
and to annihilate the Muslims. The prisoners of war were almost always set free even
without demanding a ransom. It was only in the case of the prisoners of Badr that ransom
was demanded; after that, hundreds of prisoners and in one case, in the battle with
Hawazin, as many as six thousand, were released without taking a penny as ransom. At
the battle of Uhud, when he was wounded and fell, down, a comrade asked him to curse
his persecutors. His reply was: I have not been sent to curse but as an inviter to good and
mercy. O Lord ! guide my people, for they know not." Once a Bedouin pulled him and
threw his wrap round his neck. When asked why he should not be repaid in the same
coin, he pleaded that he (the Prophet) never returned evil for evil.
In the administration of justice, the Prophet was scrupulously even-handed. Muslims and
non-Muslims, friend and foe, were all alike in his eyes. Even before the Call, his
impartiality his honesty and integrity were of household fame, and people would bring
their disputes to him to settle. At Madina, tie Jews and the idolaters both accepted him as
the arbitrator in all their disputes. Notwithstanding the deep-rooted malice of Jews
against Islam, when a case between a Jew and a Muslim came up before him, he decreed
in favour of the Jew, regardless of the fact that the Muslim, nay, even perhaps the whole
of his tribe, might thereby be alienated. In his dealings with his worst enemies he was
always true to the Quranic injunction which says:
"Let not hatred of a people incite you not to act equitably; act equitably, that is nearer to
piety." [5:8]
On his deathbed, immediately before he breathed his last, he had it Publicly announced:
"If I owe anything to anybody, it may be claimed; if I have offended anybody, he may
have his revenge."
In his dealings with others he never placed himself on a higher pedestal. Once while he
held the position of a king at Madina, a Jew whom he owed some money came up to him
and began to-abuse him. Umar was enraged, but the Prophet rebuked him, saying:
"It would have been meet for thee to have advised both of us - me, the debtor to repay the
debt with gratitude, and him, the creditor, to demand it in a more becoming manner."
And he paid the Jew more than his due. On another occasion when he was out in the
wood with his friends, the time for preparation of food came. Everybody was allotted a
piece of work, he himself going out to pick up fuel. Spiritual and temporal overlord
though he was, he would yet do his share of work like an ordinary man. In his treatment
of his servants, he observed the same principle of equality. A report from Anas says that
during the ten years that he was in the Prophet's service at Madina, where he ultimately
became the master of the whole of Arabia, he was not once scolded by him. He never
kept anybody in slavery. As soon as he got a slave, he set him free.
In charity the Prophet was simply unapproached. He never gave a flat refusal to a beggar.
He would feed the hungry, himself going without food. He never kept any money in his
possession. While on his deathbed, he sent for whatever there was in his house and
distributed it among the poor. Even for the dumb creatures of God his heart overflowed
with mercy. He spoke of one who drew water from a well to quench the thirst of a dog as
having earned paradise with this act of kindness. He spoke of a deceased woman that she
was undergoing punishment because she would tie up her cat and keep it hungry. Form
his earliest days he had a deep sympathy for widows and orphans, the poor and the
helpless. He would ever stand by the oppressed. He vindicated the rights of women over
men, of slaves over their masters, of the ruled over the rulers, and of the subjects over the
king. Negro slaves were accorded the same position of honour as the Quraish leaders. He
was the champion of the oppressed and the ill-treated ones. He was very fond of children,
and while walking along he would pat and stroke those whom he met on the way.
Without fail would he visit the sick to enquire after their health and console them. He
would also accompany a funeral.
Humble and meek in the highest degree, he had yet the courage of the bravest of men.
Never for a moment did he harbour fear of his enemies. Even when plots to take his life
were being hatched in Makka, he moved about fearlessly day and night. He told all his
companions to emigrate from Makka, himself remaining almost alone among infuriated
enemies. With his pursuers at the mouth of the cave in which he had hidden himself, he
could yet console his companion, saying, "Allah is with us." On the field of Uhud when
the whole of his army fell into a trap, he shouted aloud, regardless of all danger to his
own person, to rally the confused soldiers. In the battle of Hunain when the Muslim rank
and file took to flight, he advanced alone towards the enemy, calling aloud, "I am the
Prophet." When one night a raid was suspected, he was the first to reconnoitre the
outskirts of Madina, riding his horse without saddling it. On a certain journey, while
resting under a tree all alone, an enemy came upon him, and unsheathing his sword
shouted out: " Who can save thee now from my hands?" Calmly the Prophet replied,
"Allah." And the next moment the same sword was in the Prophet's hand who put to his
enemy the same question, on which he assumed a tone of abject humility, and the Prophet
let him go.
The Prophet's integrity and sincerity were of universal fame throughout Arabia. His worst
enemies had often to confess that he had never told a lie. When he once pledged his
word, he kept it under the most trying conditions and even at a heavy lost. He faithfully
observed the truce made at Hudaibiya, though he had to refuse shelter to Muslims
escaping from the persecution of the Makkans. His biographers are all at one in their
admiration of his unflinching fortitude and unswerving steadfastness. Despair and
despondency were unknown to him. Hemmed in as he was on all sides by a gloomy
prospect and severe opposition, his faith in the ultimate triumph of the truth was never for
one moment shaken.
THE END