 |
CONGRUITIES AND INCONGRUITIES BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND THE QUR'AN |
 |
Birth
Muhammad, the last Messenger of God Almighty was born on April 20, 571 in Mecca. His father, 'Abd Allah, having died two months before Muhammad's opening his eyes to the world, Muhammad was, at first, under the care of his paternal grandfather, 'Abd al-Muttalib from the prestigious Hashim clan, who gave him the name Muhammad which meant 'Much Praised One', while his mother, Aminah, called him 'Ahmad' 'The one that praises God with His beautiful names and who thanks Him'. The ancestors of Muhammad go back as far as Ishmael and Abraham. This line was distinguished by special merits and endowed with perfect characteristics. « Allah did choose Adam and Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of 'Imran above all people, Offspring, one of the other: And Allah heareth and knoweth all things.» (Surah 3/33,34)
Childhood
Before he was sent to a wet nurse, his mother nursed him. Her wet mother was Havazin a desert dweller. She raised him as her own son with affection and kindness. The air of the desert was bracing and nature was far more beautiful. People spoke a language pure and unadulterated. God's Messenger was being prepared for his future mission both corporeally and spiritually. When he was four years old, Halimah the wet nurse took him to Mecca and gave him back to his mother. Muhammad remained by his mother until his sixth year when his mother died. Deprived of both of his parents, Muhammad came first under the care of his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, already 80; and upon the latter's death, of Abu Talib, the new head of the clan, who brought him up until he reached his eighth year.
Youth
Muhammad passed his youth, i.e. from his eighth to his twenty-fifth year, under the protection and care of his uncle. Abu Talip was not a rich man, but his honesty and magnanimity had earned the respect and praise of the community. The Meccans were engaged in commerce as the climate was not favorable for husbandry. God's Messenger joined his uncle's caravan when he was already twelve to Damascus and Yemen. On one of their journeys, they halted at a place called Busra, in the proximity of Damascus, where a priest, Bahira took a close interest in Muhammad. The answers he had received from Muhammad to his questions astounded him and came to the conclusion that he was destined to be the prophet expected, whose characteristics had been announced in many chapters of the Old and New Testaments; this, he had openly declared to his companions. Certain Christian authors claimed many years later that the future prophet had learned the divine law from this priest. Given the financial straits of his uncle, to contribute to the household expenses, Muhammad shepherded flocks, during which time he enjoyed the serenity of nature and imbibed God's presence in nature. As a matter of fact, nearly all the prophets before him had before their mission undertaken this profession.
Al-Amin, the trustworthy.
Muhammad engaged in commerce with his uncle when he was 25, had earned the nickname Al-Amin, and was renowned for his honesty, frankness and reliability. He always kept his promises and never told an untruth. He was admired for his courage, resoluteness and impartiality and for a firmness tempered by generosity. The Mecca people, who distrusted each other nearly in all matters, had found a common ground in him whenever they felt in a quandary. During the reconstruction work of the Kaaba, a disagreement had occurred about the identity of the person who would replace the Black Stone (the meteorite) Arabic Al-hajar Al-aswad, Muslim object of veneration, built into the eastern wall of the Kaaba and probably dating from the pre-Islamic religion of the Arabs. The problem was solved by Muhammad's ingenious intervention, as he suggested that it be placed in a cloth the extremities of which to be held by the prominent membes of the community.
Marriage
About 595, on one of his journeys, he took charge of the merchandise of a rich woman, Khadijah of the clan of Asad; she was so impressed her bu him that she offered him to marry her. She had married before and had two children by that marriage. The prominent members of the Meccan community had been their suitors. Muhammad used, at the time, to take, along with the slave Maysaray, their marketable goods loaded on camels, to the neighboring towns. When the wedding took place with the consent of both parties Muhammad was 25 and Khadijah 40. God's Messenger was happy and their conjugal life continued for 15 years until the death of her who had in the meantime born him 6 children. Polygamy was an accepted social institution at the time, yet, despite the great difference of age between them, Muhammad took no other women in marriage during the length of their matrimonial tie.
Muhammad's Progeny
From his marriage with Khadijah, Muhammad had had 6 children, two boys and four girls. The male children were Kaasım and Abd Allah, and the female ones were Zaynab, Rukiyya, Ummu Gulsum and Fatima. The boys died at an early age, while the daughters, with the exception of the latter, departed before their father. His youngest daughter, Fatima is said to have been the replica of his father who doted on her. He gave her in marriage to Ali, his nephew, whom he himself brought up as his own child. Of the said marriage two boys were born, namely, Hasan and Huseyin. The Prophet's family consisted, in a restricted sense, of Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Huseyin. With a view to seeing the spread of Islam, the Prophet married many other women. A son by the name of Ibrahim was born from his Egyptian spouse Maria but died at the age of two.
PROPHETHOOD AND THE MECCAN PERIOD