There is probably no one in history whose life story has been recorded in the most minute detail and who has been intrigued and researched as much as the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). He undoubtedly has an exceptional place among all creation. As the poet said:
Muhammad is certainly a human being, but he is not an ordinary human being .
Muhammad is among people like ruby among stones.
It is like a ruby among stones, a pearl in the seas, and the brightest star in the sky.
The closer we are to the Sultan of the Worlds, the more we can be among those illuminated by His light. In order to be close to the Glorious Messenger, it is necessary to first know him and his blessed biography. Undoubtedly, the life of the Messenger of Allah, who brought happiness in both worlds to humanity, is the most worthy life to be read, learned, and taken as a model. By learning his biography, our lives will be enriched, blessed, and will find their true meaning. We honor our lines with his biography and wish you a pleasant reading.
- Birth
According to general opinion, the Messenger of Allah was born in Mecca on Monday, the 12th of the month of Rabi’ul-Awwal, fifty or fifty-five days after the Incident of the Elephant. According to astronomy scholar Mahmud Pasha al-Falaki , the birth of the Prophet was on Monday, the 9th of Rabi’ul-Awwal, April 20, 571, while Muhammad Hamidullah , based on the widespread practice of nasi among Arabs, said that it was the 12th of Rabi’ul-Awwal, the 53rd year before the hijra.
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) belonged to the Adnan Arabs, who were called Ismailis after the son of the Prophet Ibrahim (pbuh). Although the family tree of the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) is reliable up to Adnan, the family tree after Adnan is not considered very reliable. The grandfathers of the Prophet were highly respected people in Mecca. Especially one of his grandfathers, Qusay, had a special place in the eyes of the Quraysh. Because he had driven the Khuzaa people out of Mecca and had ensured that the Quraysh living in the mountainous regions settled in Mecca. His father, Abdullah, was also a person admired among his peers.
One of the things we learn from our sources about him is the story of his sacrifice by his father Abdulmuttalib . For this reason, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said, “ I am the child of two sacrifices ,” referring to both the Prophet Ismail (pbuh) and his father Abdullah. The Prophet’s mother, Amina, was the daughter of Wahb b. Abdulmanaf, who belonged to the Banu Zuhra branch of the Quraysh tribe. When she was pregnant, her husband Abdullah went to Medina for trade purposes and lost his life, Amina gave birth to the Prophet as an orphan. She sent a message to Abdulmuttalib to give him the good news of the birth of the master of the universe, and Abdulmuttalib organized a feast in his grandson’s honor and named him Muhammad there.
It can be said that Hz. Amina could not breastfeed the Messenger of Allah for long, considering that she gave him to Abu Lahab’s slave girl Suwayba to breastfeed. In Islamic historical sources, there are some extraordinary events mentioned during the period from the conception of Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) to his birth. While some of this information may have some truth to it, there are some reasons such as the fact that the information in question is mostly found in later works, which raises questions about its authenticity. The Messenger of Allah, as a human prophet, has presented us with an extraordinary life and an example. Therefore, there is no need to glorify him by different means or to show him differently than he is.
- Childhood and Youth
Following the common Arab practice of giving newborn babies to a wet nurse from a Bedouin tribe so that they could grow up in the healthy environment of the desert and learn fluent Arabic, the Prophet was given to Halima bint Abu Zueyb, who belonged to the Sa’d b. Bakr branch of the Hawazin tribe. The Messenger of Allah lived with his wet nurse Halima, his father Haris, and his wet siblings Abdullah, Üneyse and Şeyma for two years.
When he was brought to his family at the end of two years, his mother Amina, according to one narration, thought that the desert air was good for her son, and according to another narration, she found it appropriate for him to stay in the desert because there was a plague epidemic in Mecca that year. Our sources state that Hz. Muhammad (pbuh) continued to stay with his wet nurse until he was four or five years old, and during this time, he brought abundance and prosperity to Hz. Halima’s house, and that the extraordinary event called ” Shakk-ı Sadr ” occurred while he was playing with his wet sister Shayma.
When he was six years old, Hz. Muhammad set out to Medina with his mother to visit his father’s grave, and on the way back, he lost his mother Amina in a place called Abwa. The Messenger of Allah, who was completely orphaned, was now under the protection of his grandfather Abdulmuttalib. After losing his grandfather a short while later, Hz. Muhammad was taken in by his uncle Abu Talib, who protected and looked after him.
His uncle Abu Talib and his wife embraced the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) with love and showed him more care than they did their own children. In order to support his uncle financially, the Prophet Muhammad began to herd his and others’ sheep. Abu Talib, who was involved in commercial activities like other Meccans, joined a trade caravan going to Syria, taking with him Muhammad, who was nine or twelve years old. There are narrations that the Prophet met with the priest Bahira in Busra during this journey , but the validity of these narrations is a debatable issue.
There are several accounts of the youth of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). One of these is that he participated in the fourth Fijar War with his uncles and participated in the Hilf al-Fudûl that was formed as a result of the war . The Prophet praised the Hilf al-Fudûl that was organized to stop the moral degeneration in society and to protect those who were wronged, even after his prophethood, and said that he would attend such a meeting without hesitation if he were invited again. One of the things we learn from the information we have about the Prophet Muhammad’s youth is that he was engaged in trade like his other uncle Abu Talib. Receiving offers to go on commercial trips, Prophet Muhammad thus had the opportunity to see different geographies such as Abyssinia and Yemen . The Prophet’s marriage to our mother Hazrat Khadijah also took place on the occasion of these commercial trips.
Hazrat Khadija, a wealthy and noble merchant, made a trade agreement with Muhammad (pbuh) upon his recommendation, who was known for his reliability in trade. As a result of the agreement, Hazrat Muhammad (pbuh) returned from his journey with his assistant Maysara with profit and Maysara spoke highly of Muhammad (pbuh), which further increased Hazrat Khadija’s trust in him.
Thereupon, either personally or through a friend, Hazrat Khadija proposed to the Holy Prophet. Although it is well-known that the Holy Prophet was 25 years old when they got married and Hazrat Khadija was 40, there are also narrations that she was 28 years old, and some researchers believe that this is more accurate. The Holy Prophet and Hazrat Khadija, who moved into Hazrat Khadija’s house after their marriage, had daughters named Zeynab, Rukayya, Ummu Kulthum and Fatima, and sons named Qasim and Abdullah.
The mother of all the children of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), who is known by the nickname Abu’l Qasim because she was his first child, except for Ibrahim, is Khadijah. However, there is a confusion in the narrations regarding the number of the male children of the Messenger of Allah from Khadijah. While Qasim’s nickname was Tahir, Abdullah’s nickname was Tayyip. However, in some narrations, Abdullah, Tahir and Tayyip are mentioned as the same child, which creates a disagreement regarding the number of children. There is no disagreement regarding the female children.
- Being Remembered as Muhammad the Trustworthy
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), who had been involved in trade since his youth, had gained a reputation for his reliability in both his business life and his daily life. So much so that the Meccans attributed to him the title of Emin, meaning someone who is trustworthy, keeps his word and does not betray, and he began to be called Muhammad al-Amin. Indeed, our mother, Hazrat Khadijah, was also very impressed by his business ethics and reliability and made him a marriage proposal. When he was thirty-five years old, the reason why the Meccans were happy at the arrival of the Prophet Muhammad during their discussions on replacing the Black Stone in the Kaaba was related to the feeling of trust they had in him .
The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) clearly demonstrated his intelligence and problem-solving skills by advising the Arabs, who were in disagreement about placing the Black Stone in the Kaaba, to put a stone on a piece of cloth and to hold one end of each tribe. The fact that many people left their property to the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) clearly showed that he was a trustworthy person. In the speech that the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) gave to the Meccans while inviting them to Allah’s religion, the answer they gave to the question ” If I told you that there is an enemy force behind that mountain, would you believe it? ” was ” Yes, we did not witness you lying ,” which revealed his reputation in the Meccan society before his prophethood.
- The Coming of the First Revelation and the Beginning of the Communiqué
Before Islam, the majority of the Meccan society accepted idols as gods and engaged in some immoral behaviors. However, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not approve of the current state of society, did not show interest in idols like most people in Mecca, and stayed away from obeying them. He probably thought like the Hanifs, who were a small number in the society, regarding religion, but he did not know how to worship. He was in the agony of not being able to find his Lord and the right path.
A few years before his prophethood, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) would take some provisions with him during the month of Ramadan, just like his grandfather Abdulmuttalib and some Quraysh did, and retreat to Mount Hira, spend time there and meditate. When his provisions ran out, he would go to the city, help the poor, circumambulate the Kaaba, and retreat to Mount Hira again. During this period, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) would also see some true dreams, and the events he saw in his dreams would come true. In fact, our mother Aisha said that prophethood came to her through true dreams. In fact, both true dreams and his life in seclusion were related to his preparation for prophethood by Allah Almighty.
While the Messenger of Allah was living a solitary life on Mount Hira in the month of Ramadan in 610, Gabriel (pbuh) came to him and said, “ Read! ” When he replied, “I cannot read,” he said again , “ Read! ” This happened three times and then Gabriel (pbuh) revealed the first five verses of the chapter of Al-Alaq, which begin with, “ Read in the name of your Lord, the Creator! ” The Prophet was deeply shaken by this event and immediately went home to Khadijah. In fear and panic, he said, “ Cover me, cover me .” When the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) told Khadijah about his experiences, she said:
Do not be afraid, I believe that Allah will never make you feel ashamed or sad. Because you look after your relatives, tell the truth, help the helpless, help the poor, host guests, and stand by those who are wronged.
He calmed him down by saying, “O Muhammad! I am a prophet!” Then, his wife took him to his uncle’s son, Varaka ibn Nawfal, who knew the Torah and the Bible well. Varaka ibn Nawfal gave the Prophet the good news that he was the awaited prophet and said that his people would mistreat him as had happened to previous prophets, and that if he were alive, they would stand by him.
After the first revelation, the Prophet was waiting for the time when Gabriel (pbuh) would come again. However, after the first five verses of the Alaq Sura, no revelation came for a while. Different figures are given for how long this period, known as the Fetretü’l-revelation , lasted. Although it is said to be about three months, there are those who extend this period up to three years. This period, during which the revelation was interrupted, ended with the first verses of the Muddaththir Sura, and the Prophet began to invite people to the religion of Allah.
The first part of the invitation was carried out secretly, as if the Prophet was trying to create a core group that would be sincerely attached to him. During the period of the secret invitation, the Prophet would gather the Muslims in the house of Erkam b. Abu’l Erkam, who had embraced Islam at a young age, and would carry out the preaching activities there. When the invitation began to be made openly, the Messenger of Allah first began to preach with his close relatives, while his uncle Abu Lahab angrily opposed him, and Abu Talib, although not a Muslim, took him under his protection.
- He never gives up on his cause no matter what happens.
At the beginning of the preaching , the Prophet did not encounter any major reactions. However, when the divine commands clashed with the interests of the Meccan society, they began to worry about this new religion brought by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). They tried to prevent the Prophet from explaining Islam in various ways. However, the Messenger of Allah was not afraid of them for a moment, did not give up, and did not let go of the torch of God.
The Meccan polytheists went to Abu Talib, who had taken the Prophet Muhammad under his protection, several times and asked him to talk to his nephew Muhammad (pbuh) in order to persuade him to give up this cause. When Abu Talib went to the Prophet and told him about the situation, the Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said:
Even if they put the sun in my right hand and the moon in my left hand to make me give up this job, nothing would change.
By saying this, he was rejecting the worldly benefits offered by the Meccans and clearly showing the nobility of his cause and his devotion to it. Despite all the torment, threats and cruelty inflicted on him, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) did not give up his message and continued to call people to the right path and salvation under all circumstances. He was not afraid of the polytheists who wanted to kill him during his migration and challenged the polytheists by expanding the circle of invitation in Medina incredibly.
- Being an ExemplaryManager
The exemplary example of the Messenger of Allah was not limited to religious life only. He was undoubtedly the most beautiful example for humanity in the worldly sphere as well. His sole guidance is in a dimension that encompasses the whole of life. The Prophet Muhammad was an excellent preacher as well as an unparalleled administrator. The Prophet’s political function became more apparent with the migration to Medina. However, he also took many important steps as the political leader of the Muslims during the Mecca period.
Of course, the fact that the oppressive environment in Mecca did not allow Muslims to organize constituted a major obstacle to the Prophet Muhammad fully realizing his leadership qualities. However, with the migration to Medina and the laying of the foundations of the Islamic state, the Messenger of Allah took his place on the stage of history as the ruler of the Medina society and displayed the most exceptional statesmanship that world history could ever see.
In his politics, the value he gave to people comes to the forefront. Because when he migrated to Medina, he did not follow an isolating policy that ignored the other inhabitants of the city, the Jews and the polytheist Arabs, but accepted them as part of the society and recorded their freedom of religion and life with the Medina Document. The Messenger of Allah never displayed a hateful, oppressive, cruel administration, and spoke to people with the language of love.
His style of governance was never one that would destroy or devastate the other; he showed respect to people and always tried to win people over. For example, when Hakem b. Keysan was taken prisoner, he did not allow those who wanted to kill Hakem and conveyed the message to Hakem, and eventually Hakem became a Muslim. The Prophet, who was an exemplary leader, ensured that the dominant political structure in the Arabian Peninsula changed with his superior virtues. With his governance, tribal hostilities and social injustices were replaced by love and brotherhood.
The Prophet, who made a great transformation in society, abolished all privileges among people and gave women the value they deserved. The Messenger of Allah, who displayed a fair administration in every aspect, also gave importance to merit. He paid attention to the fact that the people he assigned were competent in the given job. He did not give tasks to people he thought would not be able to handle a job, even if they requested it. In fact, he rejected the requests of the companions Abu Dharr al-Ghifari and his uncle because they were not suitable for the job. One of the issues that the Prophet paid attention to in his administration was consultation. The Messenger of Allah never thought of himself as the sole authority and always consulted his companions in the decisions he would make. So much so that, as seen in the Battle of Uhud, he sometimes adhered to consultation even when it did not agree with his own opinion.
- Being a Military Genius
During the Meccan period, Muslims remained a weak and passive community due to the pressures of the Quraysh polytheists. However, with the migration to Medina, they were given permission by the Quran to fight the polytheists with the provision of the necessary conditions. In this process, which began with the expeditions carried out to follow the Quraysh caravans, a new one was added to the duties of the Prophet. It can be said that the Prophet was a complete military genius in terms of war strategy, commandership and organization. He commanded the wars he entered with great success and skill. The Messenger of Allah, who had all the qualities that an ideal commander should have, acted strategically in wars and tried to wear down the enemy psychologically, and from time to time he aimed to break their resistance by launching sudden raids.
When they reached Mecca for the conquest, the Prophet asked each person to light a fire, causing the polytheists to worry about the number of Muslims. Again, his attempt to show his target as the opposite direction while preparing for the conquest of Mecca can be explained by his military genius. His setting the enemy sides against each other in the Battle of the Trench in order to break the power of the other side is also his military skill. However, the point we need to emphasize regarding the military activities of the Prophet is that all these strategies we mentioned were not aimed at gaining material benefit, but at the aim of glorifying the religion of Allah. A second point is that the aim of the Messenger of Allah, who was a mercy to the worlds, was never to shed blood. Indeed, war is not a primary situation in Islam, but the final point after all means have been used.
The Messenger of Allah first made every effort to establish peace and did not resort to war unless he had to. He tried to wear down his enemies with sudden attacks, thus trying to persuade them to make peace. Despite trying all means, when war was inevitable, he displayed an unprecedented war ethic. He gave his army a law of war that was beyond its time by advising them not to touch women or children, not to torture any living being and not to harm nature.
- Being an Exemplary Head of the Family
The blessed home of the Prophet was undoubtedly the happiest home ever established or ever to be established. In addition to possessing tremendous political and military insight, he also had an exemplary family life. In a society where women were not valued and were looked down upon, the Messenger of Allah gave women the respect they deserved, and ensured that they existed in society as separate individuals, not as property or slaves owned by men. As the head of the family, he did not adopt an oppressive, absolute authoritarian attitude towards his wives, and always showed them value.
The best of you is the one who is best to his wives. I am the best of you to his wives.
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) approached his wives with love and affection, and behaved kindly and delicately. Contrary to the society where women were judged and treated negatively, he did not behave hurtfully towards his wives or humiliate them. He opposed the violation of women’s rights, their oppression and humiliation, and reminded them that they were entrusted to him by Allah, and wanted them to be given the value they deserve.
He did not refrain from showing the value he gave to his wives with his words. Because it is known that he addressed his wives in a nice way that they would like. At this point, he addressed Hz. Aisha as Uwaysh (little Aisha), Aish and Humeyra, which she liked, as an expression of love. He would joke with his wives, spend time with them and show interest in them. In fact, Hz. Aisha narrated narrations that she competed with him. The Hz. Prophet, who always valued his wives, sought their opinions and consulted them when necessary.
His wives said that the compassion of the Messenger of Allah towards them and the smile on his face never diminished for a moment. The Prophet always treated his wives with compassion, did not hurt them even when they made mistakes, showed patience and approached them with tolerance. The Prophet, who refrained from even saying a hurtful word to his wives, never scolded them or used violence against them. Because he forbade violence against women by saying, “Women are equal to men, their likes and their perfect partners. Do not beat your wives.”
The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) treated his children with the same love and compassion as he did his wives and did not mistreat them. In a society where girls were buried alive, the Prophet who valued his daughters would stand up when his daughter Fatima came to him, hold her hand and kiss her. He had also cried at Rukayya’s grave when she passed away. The Prophet of Allah (pbuh) had the same compassion for his grandchildren, carried them on his back during prayers, joked with them and played games with them.
- Good Morality
The beautiful morality and exemplary personality of the Prophet Muhammad has been the best model for all humanity for centuries. His morality, as our mother Hazrat Aisha stated, was the morality of the Quran. In addition to conveying the teachings of the Quran regarding worship and transactions to his ummah, the Messenger of Allah embodied its moral principles by living them himself. While he exhibited the most perfect example of beautiful morality throughout his prophethood, he was also a person remembered for his exemplary life before prophethood.
He was not inclined to the evils that were widespread in society during his youth, and was known for his honesty, trustworthiness, and good morals. Because the Meccan polytheists, who knew Muhammad (pbuh) for his honesty before his prophethood, could never accuse him of lying about the religion he brought, and they turned away from Islam, putting forward different excuses. They had to openly state that he did not lie and that he always acted honestly.
Even his fierce enemies could not deny the good character of the Messenger of Allah. Abu Sufyan, one of the enemies who troubled him the most, did not refrain from praising the Prophet in his conversation with the Byzantine Emperor Heraclius. There are references to the good character of the Prophet in the Quran itself. The Quran clearly stated that he was on good character and that he was sent to complete good character.
With his mercy, compassion, honesty, justice, generosity, kindness and the value he gave to people, the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is the most perfect personality that humanity could ever see. Hazrat Ali summarized his morality with the following sentences:
The Prophet Muhammad was cheerful, good-natured, and kind-hearted. He would never behave rudely or harshly. No bad words would come out of his mouth. He would never blame anyone or break their heart.
The Prophet Muhammad, who was an example of good morals, advised believers to have good characteristics and ordered them to stay away from bad habits. He said to his ummah: ” The most perfect believer is the one with the best morals. ”
- Death
In the year 10 AH, the Prophet set out to perform his first and last pilgrimage, the Farewell Pilgrimage, with his wives and daughter Fatima. The Prophet set out on the 26th of Dhul-Qa’dah and delivered his famous Farewell Sermon to his companions in Arafat on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah. Abu Bakr understood from this speech that the Messenger of Allah was saying goodbye and was very sad. After returning to Medina after the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet’s health deteriorated.
When his illness worsened, the Messenger of Allah left the duty of the prayer leader to Hz. Abu Bakr. The Prophet, who spent his last days in Hz. Aisha’s house, felt well one day when he came to the mosque and Hz. Abu Bakr wanted to step back from the mihrab and give the place to the Messenger of Allah, but the Prophet did not accept this and prayed behind Hz. Abu Bakr. The Prophet then went back to his bed, his condition worsened and on 13 Rabi’ul-awwal 11 (June 8, 632) he said “ Maa’rrefîkıâlâya ” (to the most sublime friend) and passed away. His death certainly caused a great shock and indescribable sadness among the Muslims. After his death, a deep longing and yearning remained in the hearts of the honorable companions. Just like the longing and yearning in the hearts of humanity for 14 centuries…
The Family Tree of the Prophet : Muhammad b. Abdullah b. Abdulmuttalib (Shayba) b. Hashim (Amr) b. Abdulmanaf (Mughirah) b. Qusay (Zeyd) b. Kilab b. Murra b. Ka’b b. Luey b. Ghalib b. Fihr (Quraysh) b. Malik b. Nadr (Qays) b. Kinana b. Khuzayma b. Mudrike (Amir) b. Ilyas b. Mudar b. Nizar b. Ma’ad b. Adnan b. Üd(or Üded) b. Muqawwim b. Nahur b. Tayrah b. Ya’rubb. Yashjub b. Nabit b. Ismail b. Ibrahim b. Tarih (Azer) b. Nahur b. Sarugh b. Ra’ub b. Falih b. Ayber b. Shalih b. İrfahşaz b. Sam b. Nuh b. Lemk b. Mettuşelah b. Ahnûh (Idris(?)) b. Yerd b. Mehlîl b. Kaynen b. Yâneş b. Şîs b. Adam.
Şakk-ı Sadr: This is the incident that represents the Prophet’s chest being split open by Gabriel while he was with his wet nurse, his heart being taken out, washed and put back in its place. There are also those who say that this incident happened before the Miraj event.
Nesi’: The Arabs’ adaptation of the lunar calendar to the solar calendar in order to change the places of the sacred months and to ensure that the hajj is performed in a fixed season.
Adnanites: One of the two major Arab communities. The lineage of the other major Arab branch, the Qahtanites, is traced back to Shem, the son of Prophet Noah, while the Adnanites are attributed to Adnan, one of the children of Prophet Ismail from his marriage with the Jurhum women of the Qahtanite branch. They are also called Arab-ı Müsta’ribe, meaning those who later became Arabs.