Muhammad (pbuh) was an illiterate but wise and well-respected
man who was born in Makkah in the year 570 C.E., at a time when
Christianity was not yet fully established in Europe. His first
years were marked by the deaths of his parents. Since his father
died before his birth, his uncle, Abu Talib, from the respected
tribe of Quraysh, raised him. As Muhammad (pbuh) grew up, he became
known for his truthfulness, generosity and sincerity, so that
he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes.
His reputation and personal qualities also led to his marriage,
at the age of twenty-five, to Khadijah, a widow whom he had assisted
in business. Thenceforth, he became an important and trusted citizen
of Makkah. Historians describe him as calm and meditative.
Muhammad (pbuh) never felt fully content to be part of a society
whose values he considered to be devoid of true religious significance.
It became his habit to retreat from time to time to the cave of
Hira', to meditate near the summit of Jabal al-Nur, the "Mountain
of Light", near Makkah.
At the age of 40, while engaged in one such meditative retreat,
Muhammad (pbuh) received his first revelation from God through
the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for twenty-three
years, is known as the Qur'an, the faithful recording of the entire
revelation of God. The first revelation read:
"Recite:
In the name of your Lord Who created man from a clot (of blood).
Recite: Your Lord is Most Noble, Who taught by the pen, taught
man what he did not know." [96:1-5]
It was this reality that he gradually and steadily came to learn
and believe, until he fully realized that it is the truth.
His first convert was Khadijah, whose support and companionship
provided necessary reassurance and strength. He also won the support
of some of his relatives and friends. Three basic themes of the
early message were the majesty of the one, unique God, the futility
of idol worship, the threat of judgment, and the necessity of
faith, compassion and morality in human affairs. All these themes
represented an attack on the crass materialism and idolatry prevalent
in Makkah at the time. So when he began to proclaim the message
to others the Makkans rejected him. He and his small group of
followers suffered bitter persecution, which grew so fierce that
in the year 622 C.E., God gave them the command to emigrate. This
event, the Hijrah (migration), in which they left Makkah for the
city of Madinah, some 260 miles to the north, marked the beginning
of a new era and thus the beginning of the Muslim calendar. During
his suffering, Muhammad (pbuh) drew comfort from the knowledge
revealed to him about other prophets, such as Abraham, Joseph,
and Moses, each of whom had also been persecuted and tested.
After several years and some significant battles, the Prophet
and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave
their enemies and established Islam definitively. By the time
the Prophet died, at the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia
had accepted Islam, and within a century of his death, Islam had
spread as far west as Spain and as far east as China. It was clear
that the message was not limited to Arabs; it was for the whole
of humanity.