A brief biography of Last Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)

 

Birth:

The Last Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was born in Makkah on Monday, 9th Rabi-ul-Awal at the time of early dawn. However, there are disagreements regarding the date of birth of the prophet. His father, Abdullah, belonged to a well-known family of Quraish. He left his child an orphan even before his birth. His mother, Bibi Amina, belonged to another renowned tribe of Arab, the Banu Hashim. Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was the only child of his parents.

Bibi Amina handed him over to Halima Sadia, the foster mother of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). She took care of the prophet for 4 years in total and then returned him to his mother. Sadly, her mother also passed away during her return journey to Makkah when her child was only 6. Thereafter, Abdul Mutalib looked after his grandson for 2 years. Abu Talib, the uncle of Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), took over the responsibility of raising him after the death of Abdul Mutalib.

Marriage:

Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was known over the Arab for his honesty and truthiness. He was called Sadiq (truthful) and Amin (trustworthy). A lady, Hazrat Khadija, was looking for an honest man who could help her with her business. She came to know about the honest man, Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). She was greatly impressed by his fair dealings with her, so she sent a wedding proposal to him. At the time of marriage, she was 40, and Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was 25.

Children: 

He had four daughters named: Zainab, Ruqaiyah, Umme Kalsoom, and Fatimah. He also had two sons from Khadija: Qasim and Abdullah. He had another son, Ibrahim, from his wife Maria. But his sons died at very young ages. Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) married eleven times during his life. Among them, Bibi Aisha, daughter of AbuBakr, was most beloved to him.

First Wahi:

Once, Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was praising Allah in the cave of Thawr, when an angel, Gabriel, came to him. He was 40 at that time. Gabriel asked the Prophet to read. "I don't know how to read.", he said as he was an 'Ummi'. At the third time, Gabriel embraced him tightly and told him to read. Then he started the recitation of this ayah.

Read with the Name of Allah, Who has created (everything). He created man from a clot of blood. Read, and your Lord is Most Generous, Who taught man (reading and writing) by the pen, Who taught man (all that) which he did not know. Or Who imparted to mankind the whole knowledge that he was not aware of before.

He made his way to home where his wife Hazrat Khadija consoled him with beautiful words. 

Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) was fed up with the evils of the people around him but didn't know the way to obstruct them from their cruel deeds. But then they had the responsibility to guide them towards the true God, Allah. 

Hazrat Khadija was the first to accept Islam. Hazrat AbuBakr was first among men and Hazrat Ali accepted Islam first among children. Hazrat Ziad Bin Haritha was the first slave to accept Islam. 

Sacrifices of  Prophet and oppressions by the people of Quraysh:

Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) started inviting people towards Islam. But he had to face a lot of oppression from his own people. Preaching Islam was a challenging task that could only be done by him. When Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) declared his prophecy, his closer relatives became his worst enemies.

In the starting years of Nabuwah, Prophet along with Zaid-Bin -Haritha traveled to Ta'if. He expected that they would accept the call of Islam. On the contrary, they treated him viciously and set evil people behind him to stone him. Our beloved Prophet got injured. Even in such an outrageous condition, he didn't curse them but prayed for their guidance. Gabriel asked his permission to crush the people of Ta'if between two mountains. But that great man declined that he had a hope that their progeny would worship Allah.

Miraj:

The event of Miraj has great significance. It took place in the tenth year after Nabuwat. Gabriel seated Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) on Buraaq. He reached Masjid ul Aqsa in Jerusalem within minutes. There, he led Salah, followed by all the other prophets. Thereafter, he ascended to different skies where he met different prophets. Then he went to Sidra-tu-Muntaha (throne of Allah) and communicated with Allah. He also visited the heavens and hell. Only our Prophet has been blessed with this honor among all the prophets. Hazrat AbuBakr was the first to believe in the incident, so-called Sadeeq (the truthful).

Migration:

When the oppression of enemies exceeded the limit, Allah commanded his Prophet to leave Makkah. So he migrated to Medina with his companion at the age of 53. It happened when the people of Quraysh were planning a murder against their well-wisher. But Allah miraculously failed all of their struggles one by one. He spent 13 years in Makkah after his prophecy. These years were full of trials for him. The people of Quraysh didn't miss any opportunity to harm the messenger of Allah. But certainly, Allah is the best planner.

Even before his migration, Islam had already spread in Madinah. The people of Medina warmly welcomed the prophet and his companions. They supported them in every aspect. Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) established a relationship of Brotherhood between emigrants and the natives. And these were the days of the rise of Islam.

Battle of Badr:

At 2 A. D, the first battle took place at Badr against the opponents of Islam and is called the Battle of Badr. It is of prime importance in the history of Islam. The reason is the miraculous victory of Muslims despite of their small number and lack of resources.

Battle of Uhud:

The Battle of Uhad took place at 3A.H. Muslims had to lose many lives due to disregard for the commands of the prophet. Even his tooth broke due to which his mubarak face became red with blood. 

Conquer of Makkah:

Eventually, the power of infidels was broken when Makkah was conquered in 8A.D. Everyone was expecting that the prophet would take revenge on the captives for their cruel deeds. It was a great demonstration of his compassion that he forgave everyone. Many of them accepted Islam after that incident.

Last advice of Prophet (Hija tu Wida):

Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) performed the first and last Hajj of his life on 10 A. H with over a hundred thousand Sahabah where he delivered his concluding message to people. He advised them of the following.

• Be good to your women.
• All Muslims are brothers. The life and wealth of one Muslim are prohibited for others.
• Hold steadfast to the book of Allah.
• Every man is the progeny of Adam. Adam was created with dust. No man holds virtue over other men except for his taqwa.

Departure of Prophet towards Allah:

Thereafter, Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) fell ill. On Monday, 12th Rabi-ul-Awal, such a great man departed from this mortal world and reunited with his true lord.

The last Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) lived a dignified life. He is the most successful man ever in the history of this world. He brought the greatest revolution in a short span of only 23 years. It is assuredly his triumph success that billions of people are following his footsteps today, even after 1400 years. His life is a beacon for all people in the world.