Description
The Prophet Muhammad was born after his father’s death, and his mother passed away shortly after his birth. He grew up an orphan, raised in the wealthy household of his grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib, though he himself was not rich and possessed little wealth. At the age of twenty-five, he married Khadija, who was older than him, though not yet forty. She owned no money, as women in her time were not permitted to own property. He had no children with her or any other woman, as he was infertile. He was not sent as a prophet at the age of forty, and he only saw angels twice in his life.
He did not herd sheep as a child, nor was he skilled in medicine, philosophy, or any other worldly science. No miracles were performed through him, he did not possess knowledge of the unseen, and no miracles occurred. His chest was not opened as a child, and no donkey or tree spoke to him as an adult. He knew nothing of religion before his prophethood, and his time in the cave was after his prophethood, not before. Neither he nor anyone else knew that he would be a messenger of God. There were no distinguishing marks on him, and he was not born circumcised or with his umbilical cord cut.
He did not tremble or panic when he saw the angel on the horizon, nor did he rush to Khadija to be wrapped up, nor did a phantom named Waraqa ibn Nawfal appear to reassure him that he would be a messenger of God. His mission was not foretold by all the jinn and human devils—the soothsayers of Arabia, the monks of the Jews and Christians, the Magi, and the sorcerers of India.
His camel did not kneel at the site where his mosque was later built, nor was his mosque built in Medina on the ruins of an ancient cemetery. He did not kill 600-900 Jews in cold blood, nor did he kill anyone in cold blood or treacherously. He did not cut off the hands and feet of those who stole his camels and leave them to die in the desert because he had neither camels nor wealth. He did not take women captive or concubines, and he did not marry more than two women in Medina, nor did he marry ten or twenty.
Although he was illiterate, he brought the greatest book known to humankind, an eternal book surpassing all miracles, addressed to all people in every time and place. It will remain as long as humanity exists, and there will be no need for a messenger to come after him, nor a Mahdi, because no messenger will bring anything more than what the Quran already contains.
This is Muhammad, the Messenger of God, as narrated in the Quran, which differs from the fictionalized version of him found in traditional texts.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet.