The Messenger of God MUHAMMAD

THE TORAH AND THE PSALMS

A Companion once asked God's Messenger to talk about himself. He said: "I am the one for whose coming Abraham prayed and of whom Jesus gave glad tidings." This alludes to the following Qur'anic verses:

     (Abraham prayed):"Our Lord, raise up in their midst a Messenger from among them who shall recite unto them Your signs, and teach them the Book and Wisdom, and purify them. Verily you are the All-Mighty, the All-Wise." (2:129)

      When Jesus, son of Mary, said: "O children of Israel! I am indeed a Messenger of God to you, confirming that which was (revealed) before me in the Torah, and bringing good tidings of a Messenger who shall come after me, whose name is Ahmad (the Praised One)." (61:6)

The Messenger of God was expected. All preceding Prophets spoke of and predicted his coming. The Qur'an (3:38) specifially states that God made a covenant with the Prophets that they would believe in and help the Messenger who would come after them and confirm the Messenger that they brought.

      The current versions of the Torah, the Gospel, and the Psalms still contain verses alluding to Prophet Muhammad, and even to his Companions. The late Husayn Jisri found 114 such allusions and quoted them in his Risalat al-Hamidiya. We cite a examples here, beginning with: The Lord came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran (Deuteronomy 33:2)

       This refers to the Prophethood of Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad, respectively. Sinai s where Prophet Moses spoke to God and received the Torah. Seir, a place in Palestine, is where Prophet Jesus received Divine Revelation. Paran is where God manifested Himself to humanity for the last time through His Revelation to Prophet Muhammad.

      Paran is a mountain range in Makka. İt is mentioned in the Torah (Genesis 21:19-21) as the desert area where Hagar was left by her husband Abraham to live with her son Ishmael. The Zamzam well so is located there. As stated in the Qur'an (14:35-37), Abraham left Hagar and Ishmael in the valley of Makka, which was then an uninhabited place between the mountain ranges of Paran.

     It is because of such explicit predictions in the Torah that he Jews were expecting the Last Prophet and knew that he would appear in Makka.

     The verse of Deuteronomy, according to the Arabic version published n London(1994), continues: He came with myriads of holy ones; in his right hand was an axe of fire with two edges. This refers to the promised Prophet, who would have many Companions of the highest degree of sainthood and would be allowed - even ordered- to fight his enemies.

      The following verses also promise his coming:

      The lord said to me(Moses):"What they say is good. I will raise up for them a Prophet like you among their brothers; I will put My words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him. If anyone  does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My name, I will Myself call him to account. (Deuteronomy 18:17-19)

       It is clear from these verses that a Prophet like you among their brothers means a Prophet from Ishmael's line, for Ishmael is the brother ıf Isaac, the forefather of the Children of Israel. The only Prophet who came after Moses and resembled him in many ways (e.g., bringing a new law and waging war against his enemies) is Prophet Muhammad. The Qur'an points to this: We have sent to you a Messenger as a witness over you, even as we wnt sent to Pharaoh a Messenger (73:15).

   'Abd Allah ibn 'Amr, an ascetic warned by the Prophe not to neglect sleeping with his wife and to fast only on alternate days, is reported to have said:" It was common knowledge to the communities of previous religions that God would send a Prophet to humanity as a bearer of good tidings and a warner. I personally read in the Torah these verses about him:

     We have sent you, O Prophet, to humanity as a bearer of good tidings and a warner, and as a support and refuge for the common folk. You are My servant and Messenger. I have called you Mutawakkil (the one who puts his trust in God). He is not one rude, repelling and angry, and shouting in the streets. He does repel evil with evil; instead, he excuses and forgives. God will not make him die before He guides through him the deviating nation to the right path by declaring there is no deity but God."

       This report was confirmed by 'Abd Allah ibn Salam and Ka'b al-Akhbar, the most learned scholars of the Jewish community at the time of the Prophet. They later converted to İslam.

       We also read about Muhammad in the Psalms of David:

       he will rule from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the Earth. The desert tribes will bow before him, and his enemies will lick the dust. The kings of Tarsish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba  will present gifts to him. All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him, for he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity o the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight. Long may be he live! May gold from Sheba be given to him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long. Let corn abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. May his name endure for ever, may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed. (Psalms 72:8-17)

THE PROPHET'S LİFE BEFORE HİS PROPETHOOD      

       Prophet Muhammad was brought up in God's sight and care. His father 'Abd Allah died before he was born, which meant that he had to put all his trust in God and submit completely, to Him. He visited his father's tomb in Madina years later, cried his heart out, and on his return said : "I wept for my father and entreated God to forgive him. "      

      With the death of his father, God deprived him of all human support an directed him to the realization that there is  no deity but God, Who has no partners.

      His grandfather and uncle protected him to some extent, but he came to percieve that his real guardian was God. Behind every phenomenon and every cause and effect, he could discern the hand of the Single Creator of the universe and of causes. The Oneness of God would be manifested to him in the light of Divine Unity. That is, he would be tested in this world of wisdom, where material causes and means have a part in every attainment, and so would have to use necessary material causes and means and take all necessary measures to attain anything. He would have to depend wholly on his Lord and Him for any help, thereby demonstrating that only God creates the result and gives success.

      As a result of his father's death, he came to be called the "Matchless Orphan Pearl". In references to this, God addressed him years later.

      "Your Lord shall give you, and you shall be satisfied. Did He not find you an orphan and shelter you?... Did He not find you needy and suffice you? As for the orphan, do not oppress him, and as for beggar, scold him not. (93:5-6, 8-10)

      The Matcless Orphan Pearl also lost his mother, Amina, at an early age. When she died in Abwa at age 25 or 26 on her way back from visiting her husband's tomb in Madina, Muhammad was only 6 years old. Thus, he learned the pain of having no father or mother. Indeed, he would learn and suffer everything, for he was sent to teach everything to humanity and to be an example in every respect.

      His grandfather 'Abd al- Muattalib, a respected Makkan elder, undertook his protection. For this reason, God saved 'Abd al-Muttalib from misfortune. He embraced his beloved grandson, and always offered him the seat of honor in his house. 

       He felt that Muhammad would grow up to save humanity. Muhammad was so noble and well-mannered that his grandfather anticipated his Prophethood. He was not the first of his forefathers to do so, however: Ka'b İbn Luayy, who some consider a Prophet, predicted that the Last Messenger would be raised from his own progeny. He mentioned him by name:

       Suddenly Prophet Muhammad will appear;

        He will give tidings, and is truthful in his tidings.

        'Abd al-Muttalib, whom even the great army of Abraha could not bring to tears, wept bitterly when he took to his deathbed. When his son Abu Talib asked what was wrong, he replied: "I'm weeping because I'll no longer be able to embrace Muhammad," and added: "I'm afraid something might happen to my Matchless Pearl. I entrust him to you."

        Abu Talib assumed Muhammad' protection and, in return, his son 'Ali would be blessed with being the father of Muhammad's progeny.  After Prophethood, the Messenger of God said to 'Ali:"Every other Prophet's progeny descented from himself, but my progeny will descend from you." 'Ali would be the father and the greatest saint untill the Last Day, as the representative of the Prophet's sainthood. This is Abu Talib's reward for helping Muhammad. 

       Abu Talib proptected Muhammad with great care. Ibn Ishaq, among other historians and biograhers, relate that he took his nephew to Syria in a trade caravan when he was 10 or 12 years old. They stopped near Damascus and left him, as he was the youngest, to watchthe caravan. From his nearby  monastery, the Christian monk Bahira was onserving the caravan. He was expecting the arrival of the Last Prophet, and so always studied people. He noticed that a cloud followed the caravan, stopping and starting when it did so, so that ona of its members would be shaded. He thought: "This is a special characteristic of Prophets. The expected Prophet must be in that caravan.

      When the caravan stopped near his monastery, Bahira invited its members over for a meal. Noticing the cloud still hovering over the caravan, he asked Abu Talib if someone had been left behind. Abu Talib answered that they had left a young boy to watch over their things. The monk asked them to fetch him. When Muhammad came, Bahira took Abu Talib to one side and asked him about his relationship with the boy. "He is my son," Abu Talib answered, but Bahira tok Abu Talib disputed this, saying: "He can't be your son. According to our books, his father must have died before his birth." Then added: "Let me give you this advice. Take this boy back immediately. The Jews are envious. If they recognize him, they'll harm him." Abu Talib made an excuse to the other caravan members and returned to Makka with his nephew.

      Prophet Muhammad made a second journey when he was 25 years old, with the trade caravan of Khadija, a respected widow he would later marry. On the journey, he encountered Bahira once more. The monk was very pleased with his second meeting, and told him: "You will be a Prophet, the Last Prophet. I wish that God would allow me to live to see you raised as a Prophet. I would follow you,  carry your shoes and protect you against your enemies!"

        A major event of Muhammad's early life was the fijar (sacrilegious) war that occurred during his later teens. This was the fourth war that violated the sanctity of the sacred months (Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, Muharram, and Rajab) and the sacred territory of Makka.  İts immediate cause was two men's jealousy and animosity. One belonged to the Banu Kinanah (a confederate of the Quraysh tribe) and the other to the Qays-'Aylan (an important clan of the Hawazin tribe). The future Prophet, who would end all injustice and lawlessness, helped his unvle Zubayr ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, who represented Banu Hashim in the war, gather the arrows shot by the enemy.

      Another important event was his presence at the meeting that resulted in the hilf al-fudul (the allience of the virtuous). This league against injustice was sponsored mainly by the Banu Hashim and the Banu al-Muttalib tribes. It was formed to ensure that foreign merchants would no longer be deprived of their rights, as happened when the Qurayshi 'As ibn Wa'il usurped a Yemeni merchant's goods. The Yemeni appealed to the Qurayshi leaders for help, but they ignored him.

     When the Banu Hashim, Muhammad's clan, heard of this, they decided to form the hilf al-fudul and force the return of the merchant's money. They also took an oath that whenever someoen in Makka, whether citizen or stranger, suffered an injustice, they would offer their support until justice was done, Muhammad was so impressed with its noble objectives that he would say long after: "I attended the conclusion of an agreement at 'Abd Allah ibn Jud'an's house. I would not exchange it for the best material gain. If someone appeals to it in İslam, I would respond.

      Muhammad's childhood and youth were a prelude to his Prophethood. Besides his other exalted and laudable characteristics, everyone agreed upon his truthfulness and trustworthiness. He never lied, cheated, broke his word, or participated in pagan rituals. He was called "the Truthful, Trustworthy Man" even by his bitterest enemies.People would say:

      "If you have to travel and need someone to look after your wife, entrust her to Muhammad without hesitation, for he will not even glance at her face. If you want to entrust your wealth for safeguarding, entrust it to this trustworthy, honest man, for he will never touch it. If you look for someone who never tells a lie and never breaks his word, go directly to Muhammad, because whatever he says is true."

     Those who knew him from his childhood immediately believed in his Prophethood: Abu Bakr, 'Uthman, Tlha, zubayr, Abu Dharr, and Yasir, among others. When 'Ammar told his father that he believed, the latter responded: "If Muhammad says that God is One, it is true. He never lies."

     In the early days of his Prophethood, Prophet Muhammad once summoned the Qurayshis to the foot of Abu Qubays hill. He asked them : "Would you belive me if told you an enemy host waiting behind this hill to attack you?" Everyone answered that they would, even his uncle Abu Lahab, who would become his bitterest enemy.

    When humanity was in dire need of someoneto destroy unbelief and breathe new life into the world, God raised Muhammad to stop all forms of wickedness. İn the words of Ahmad shawky:

              The sun of guidance was born,

          and the entire universe was illumined.

            A smile appeared on the lips of time,

                   and his praises were sung.

    When he appeared on the horizon of Madina years later, the pure, innocent children of that illumined city would sing:

 The "full moon" rose upon us from the hills of Wada',

So it is incumbent upon us to thank God so long as

Those who pray and entreat Him continue to do so.

THE DARK PERİOD OF IGNORANCE

     Every period of history characterized by associating partners with God, whether by worshipping idols, deifying individuals, or attributing creativity to nature and material causes, is wholly dark. When belief in God's Unity is removed from people's hearts, their minds and souls darken, standards cahnge, and things and the world are judged from false points of view. The Qur'an defines this moral, spiritual, social, and even economic and scientific state as ignorance(jahiliyya):

"Or like darkness on a deep sea obescure,covered by a wave, above which is a wave, above which is a cloud. Layers of darkness one upon the other. When he holds out hand, well-nigh he cannot see it. And he for whom God has assigned no light, for him there is no light(24:40)"

      I do not like describing falsehood. Besides, it is wrong to do so where truth may be described. In the words of God: What is there, after truth, but misguidance? (10:32). However, to clarify the subject, I will say a few words about the pre-İslamic era, known as the Age of Ignorance.

     Prophet Muhammad appeared at a time when people had lost their knowledge of the true religion and had reverted to wordshipping idols of stones, earth, bread, and even cheese. As stated in the Qur'an:

"They were serving, apart from God, what hurts them not, neither profits them, and they say: 'These are our intercessors with God'. " (10-18)

     They were so degraded in thought and morals taht, as reported by Abu Dharr al-Ghifari, they would cut their idols into pieces and eat them. the only excuse offered was that they were following in the steps of tehir forefathers:

"When it is said to them: 'Follow what God has sent down,' they say : 'No. We follow that wherein we found our fathers'. "

     They also buried their daughters alive:

"When any of them is given the god tidings of a girl, his face is darkened and he chokes inwardly, as he hides himself from the poeple because of the evil of the goodtidings that have been given to him, whether he shall preserve her in humiliation, or trample her into the dust. (16:58-59)

     Women were despised, not only in pre-İslamic Arabia but also in the Roman and Sassanid lands. The Qur'an openly declares that men will be questioned concerning this: When the female(infant) buried alive is questioned - for what crime was she killed? (81:8-9)

      After Muhammad had declared his Prophethood, a Companion told him what he had done with his daughter:

"O Messenger of God, I had a daughter. One day I told her mothers to dress her, for I was taking her to her uncle. My poor wife knew what this meant, but could do nothing but obey and weep. She dressed the girl, who was very happy that she was going to see her uncle. I took her near a well, and told her to look down into it. While she was rolling down, she was shouting: 'Daddy, Daddy!'

        As he was recounting this, the Prophet sobbed as if he had lost one of his nearest kinsfolk.

        Hearts had become hard. Every day a pit was dug  in the desert for an innocent girl to be buried. Human beings were wore brutal and cruel than hyenas. The powerful crushed the weak. Brutality was taken for humanity, cruelty received approval, the bloodthirsty were exalted, bloodshed was considered a virtue, and adultery and fornication were more common than legal marriage. The family structure had been destroyed.

        This dark period was followed by İslam. In addition to eradicating all other evils, God declared in the Qur'an : Do not slay your children because of the fear of poverty. We provide for you and for them (6:151)