Allah has sent many of his chosen men to teach people to worship Him alone and not to associate partners in worshipping Him. These men are called prophets. The first prophet was Adam who was also the first man. He and his descendants worshipped Allah alone until a generation after him worshipped others gods other than Allah. This generation is where Allah sent Noah to them. After Noah more prophets were hailed by Allah to deliver the message in different times and places such as Abraham in Iraq, Moses in Egypt and Jesus in Palestine. The last of these prophets was a man born in Mekkah in what is now known as Saudi Arabia. His name is Muhammad and he is the last prophet.
He was born on 570 CE from a well-respected Arab family in Mecca which is already a trade and religious center by that time. His father died before he was even born while his mother died when he was 6 years old. His paternal grandfather Abdul Muttalib took care of him after that. When his grandfather died, his uncle Abu Talib adopted him. Prophet Muhammad was known to his countrymen as Al Amin, meaning the Trustworthy even before becoming a prophet.
Prophet Muhammad’s integrity, however, made him keep himself away from the decadence of the Arab society of that time that is filled with vice and idolatry so it became his custom to contemplate in a cave called Hira. In the year 610 CE, in the same cave, he received the first revelation and his Prophethood began. Archangel Gabriel himself delivered the message.
His first encounter with Angel Gabriel filled him with horror. Angel Gabriel appeared to him and told him to recite but he promptly replied that he does not know how to read. Prophet Muhammad’s inability to read and write is proof that he did not make up or compose the Quran out of his own, but it is instead a revelation from the Lord of Mankind.
This first meeting with Angel Gabriel led to the revelation of the first verses of the Quran. He is filled with unbelief as he fled from the scene but his wife comforted him and brought him to her cousin Waraqah who was a Christian and is knowledgeable in the scriptures and told him that the one who visited him is none other than Angel Gabriel who is tasked in delivering the message to the prophets. Prophet Muhammad’s message is the same message as that of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and all the other prophets.
At first, his message was not well received by his own people who were followers of a pagan religion of worshipping different idols. The only few people who believed in him are his wife, his best friend, a nephew and some from among the poor people and slaves in Mecca. After a few years, some prominent people from Mecca embraced Islam also such as Omar bin Al Khattab and his uncle Hamzah bin Abdul Muttalib which led to them enjoying some form of honor and protection.
The Muslims however remained unwelcome and persecution continued. They have been insulted and beaten, Bilal, an Ethiopian slave would be bound under the hot desert sun and a heavy stone will be put on his chest to make him renounce his faith. Some of his followers are even killed. Sumayya, a slave woman is considered to be the first Muslim martyr. This persecution led to the migration of some of his companions to Ethiopia in 614 CE.
Adding insult to injury, the pagans of Mecca tried to persuade Prophet Muhammad by offering him kingship and other worldly offers as if to bribe him but Prophet Muhammad promptly denied all these as his message is beyond all forms of material or worldly gains which intensified the religious persecution.
It is surprising to note that some Non-Muslims supported Prophet Muhammad and protected him especially his uncle Abu Talib. His uncle and some Non-Muslim relatives even suffered with Prophet Muhammad when they were subjected to a boycott where they cannot sell or buy anything while being confined to a small valley in Mecca. They chose to remain by their beloved relative despite the religious difference in order to protect him with their lives. This boycott was only lifted when Non-Muslims in Mecca protested and they eventually found out that the document ordering this have been eaten by insects rendering it null and void.
In 620 CE, his beloved uncle and beloved wife died. In the same year, he travelled to a nearby city Taif but was met with the same amount of hostility and he was force to flee from it while he is bleeding when he was stoned by the people. Prophet Muhammad, however, was honored by Allah to have the miracle of being able to travel to Jerusalem and to the heavens meeting the prophets, seeing scenes from the unseen and talking to Allah Himself.
An order to finally migrate to Madinah was given in 623 CE. Upon migrating to Madinah he built a Muslim government and invited more people towards Islam. His enemies in Mecca which asked the assistance of the other Arab tribes battled against Muslims. The first battle between the Muslims and the pagan Meccans is in the Battle of Badr in 624 CE where 300 Muslims fought against more than 1000 well-armed pagan army. These battles resulted in Muslim triumphs which lead to the eventual conquest of Mecca where prophet Muhammad showed his magnanimity by granting amnesty to the people of Mecca who used to oppress him and the Muslims. This event led to more people entering Islam.
Prophet Muhammad died in 633 CE and left an enduring legacy which made him The Most Influential Person in the World. He literally left the world a better place by bringing about changes especially on human rights, rules of war, abolition of slavery, female rights and others.
