The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, belonged to the tribe of Quraish, the leading tribe of Mecca which was a principal town of Arabia. The Quraish were descendants of the Prophet Ibrahim, may peace be upon him, through his son, the Prophet Ishmael, may peace be upon him.
The Ka’aba was rebuilt by the Prophet Ibrahim, may peace be upon him, and his son the Prophet Ishmael, may peace be upon him, some 2,600 years before the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Arabia at the Time of His Birth
At the time of the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, the whole world seemed to be passing through a period of extreme moral and religious decline. The conditions in Arabia were specially worse. The Arabs suffered from extreme moral vices such as drinking, gambling, and brutal deeds during frequent and endless fights due to tribal rivalries.
Although the Arabs believed in a Supreme God and in the Prophethood of Prophet Ibrahim, may peace be upon him, yet they worshipped many other gods in the form of idols. They had installed some 360 idols in the Ka’aba itself where the Arabs from all over Arabia used to come for their annual pilgrimage. They, however, possessed some good qualities such as hospitality, sense of honour, bravery and love for poetry.
Women enjoyed little status in the Arab society. Certain families had the savage custom of burying alive their baby girls. Slavery was common among them and the condition of slaves was full of misery and extreme hardships. It was among such people that the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was born.
Abraha’s Invasion of Mecca
In the year 570 AD, some time before the birth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, Abraha, Ethiopia’s viceroy in Yemen, led an expedition against Mecca with the intention of destroying the Ka’aba. But his expedition completely failed. A large part of his army, which rode on elephants, was destroyed by an epidemic.
This year (570 AD) is known as the Year of the Elephant and the incident is mentioned in the Holy Qur’an, Chapter 105, verses 1-6.
Birth and Childhood
The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was born in Mecca in 570 AD. His father, Abdullah, died some time before his birth. His mother’s name was Amina. The young Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was brought up under the care of his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, the chief of Mecca. He entrusted him to the care of a wet nurse whose name was Haleema. This was the custom in Mecca. His mother died when he was about six years old, and just 2 years later, his grandfather also passed away.
Then the young Muhammad may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, passed his childhood under the care of his uncle, Abu Talib. He already had a large family to support, and was by no means a rich man, yet he accorded great care and love to his little nephew. Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, behaved in a calm, obedient and friendly manner in his years of upbringing.
Youth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
As the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, grew to manhood, he won great respect for his excellent conduct. Soon he was known among his fellow Meccans as Al-Ameen meaning “the Trustee” and as-Sadiq meaning “the Truthful”. He used to assist his uncle in his day-to-day life, and when he was 12 years of age, accompanied him in a trade caravan to Syria.
He always tried to refrain from taking part in the quarrels of others, but was ever ready to help put an end to such quarrels. As a result of this, he became an active member of the famous association in which members undertook a pledge called Hilful-Fudhool, to help the oppressed people and to resolve their rights.
Marriage to Hadhrat Khadija
May Allah be pleased with her Hadhrat Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, a rich widow of Mecca, on hearing Muhammad’s fame as a honest young man, employed him as her trade agent. In this capacity, he led some trade caravans to Syria and brought back considerable profits. Hadhrat Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, was much impressed and made a proposal of marriage to the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, which was accepted. He was twenty-five when he married Hadhrat Khadija, may Allah be pleased with her, who was forty and had been twice widowed. She placed all her wealth at her husband’s disposal. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, distributed a significant part of her wealth among the poor and chose a life of austerity for himself and his wife.
Rebuilding the Ka’aba
When the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, was about 25 years old, the Quraish decided to rebuild the Ka’aba. When the time came to replace the sacred Black Stone in its position, all the four leading families of the Quraish began to dispute as to who would have the honour to lift the Black Stone.
It was the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who managed to resolve this dangerous dispute. He spread out his cloak on the ground and placed the Black Stone on it. He then invited all the leading members of the Quraish to lift the cloak and carry the stone to its new place. The Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, then lifted the stone and placed it in position.