Prophet
Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH)
Muhammad (PBUH) returned to live with his mother in Mecca
when he was about three years old. Three years later Hazrat
Aminah decided to take her son to visit his uncles in Yasrub.
She told her maid, Barakah, to prepare everything they would
need for the long journey, and then they joined one of the
caravans going there. They stayed in Yasrub a month and
Muhammad (PBUH) enjoyed the visit with his cousins. The
climate there was very pleasant and he learned to swim and
to fly a kite. On their way back to Mecca, however, Hazrrat
Aminah became ill and died. She was buried in the village at
al-Abwa not far from Yasrub. Muhammad (PBUH) returned sadly
to Mecca with his mother's maid He was now six years old and
had lost both his father and mother. He was then adopted by
his grandfather, ‘Abd al-Muttalib, who loved him dearly
and kept him by his side at all times. It was the custom of
'Abd al-Muttalib to sit on a blanket near the Ka’bah.
There he was always surrounded by people who had come to
speak to him. No one was allowed to sit on the blanket with
him, however, except his grandson Muhammad (PBUH), which
shows how close they were to each other. Many times 'Abd al-Muttalib
was heard to say: 'This boy will be very important one day.'
Two years later 'Abd al-Muttalib became ill and Muhammad (PBUH)
stayed by him constantly. 'Abd al-Muttalib told his son, Abu
Talib, to adopt Muhammad (PBUH) after his death, which he
did. Abu Talib had many children of his own, but Muhammad (PBUH)
immediately became part of his family and the favorite
child. The time came for Quraysh to prepare a caravan to go
to Syria. Abu Talib was going with them and he took Muhammad
(PBUH) along. It was Muhammad's first journey to the north.
After days of travel, the caravan arrived at a place near
Syria where the Romans used to come to trade with the Arabs.
Near this marketplace lived a monk called Bahira’. His
cell had been used by generations of monks before him and
contained ancient manuscripts. Bahira' saw the caravan in
the distance and was amazed to see that over it was a large
white cloud. It was the only cloud in a clear blue sky and
it appeared to be shading one of the travelers. The monk was
even more surprised to see that the cloud seemed to follow
the caravan but disappeared when the person it was shading
sat down under a tree. Bahira’ knew from the scriptures
that a prophet was expected to come after Jesus and it had
been his wish to see this prophet before he died. Realizing
that what he had just seen was a miracle, he began to think
that his wish might, after all, come true. The monk sent an
invitation to the Meccans to come and eat with him. The
Arabs were surprised because they often passed by and Bahira’
had never invited them before. When the group was all
together for the meal, the monk said, 'Is this everyone?’
'No', someone said, 'a boy was left watching the camels.
Bahira’ insisted that the boy should join them. The boy
was Muhammad (pbuh). When he arrived Bahira’ said nothing,
but watched him all through the meal. He noticed many things
about his appearance which fitted the description in the old
manuscripts. Later on he took him aside and asked Muhammad (PBUH)
many questions. He soon found out how he felt about the
idols in the Ka'bah. When Bahira tried to make him swear by
them, as the Arabs used to do, Muhammad (PBUH) said, 'There
is nothing in this world that I hate more'. They talked
together about Allah, and about Muhammad's life and family.
What was said made Bahira certain that this was indeed the
Prophet who would follow Jesus. Then the monk went to Abu
Talib and asked him how he was related to Muhammad (pbuh).
Abu Talib told him that Muhammad (PBUH) was his son. Bahira
replied that this could not be so because the boy was
destined to grow up an orphan, and he ordered Abu Talib to
watch over Muhammad (PBUH) with great care. There are many
stories told about Muhammad's youth. Some tell of how he
used to take the family's sheep to graze and was always kind
to them. While they grazed he would sit thinking about the
mysteries of nature. Unlike those around him, he never
worshipped the idols and never swore by them. He also
wondered why people were always struggling for power and
money, and this saddened him and made him feel lonely, but
he kept his feelings to himself. He was a quiet, thoughtful
boy, and rarely played with other boys of his age. On one
occasion, however, Muhammad (PBUH) went with some of the
boys to a wedding in Mecca. When he reached the house he
heard the sounds of music and dancing but just as he was
about to enter he suddenly felt tired and, sitting down,
fell asleep. He didn't wake up until late the next morning
and thus missed the celebrations. In this way Allah
prevented him from doing anything foolish for He was keeping
Muhammad (PBUH) for something much more important.
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