Early life of the Prophet Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم )

By the time Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم )  was twenty-five he was famous for his honesty. He was respected by everyone, even the elders of Mecca. The purity of his nature increased with the years. It seemed he had an inner knowledge that other people did not have. He believed in one God-Creator of the world-and he worshipped Him with all his heart and with all his soul. Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم )  was the finest of his people, the most kind, truthful and reliable person in Mecca. He was known among Quraysh as al-Amin (the trustworthy) because of his good qualities.

Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) became a trader

As a young man, Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) worked as a trader between the cities of Mecca and Damascus, and earned a great reputation in the process. Having heard of the reputation of Muhammad, Lady Khadijah, one of the noblest of the Quraysh (a clan), on one occasion commissioned him to take charge of some of her trading business between the two cities. Lady Khadijah sent one of her servants, Maysarah, along with him to keep an eye on him and report back to her. Having seen his performance in the business, and the returns he had produced as well as his honesty, Lady Khadijah put Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) in charge of her business.

Muhammad's(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) marriage to Lady Khadijah

Later, Lady Khadijah made the marriage proposal to Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ).

Many men wanted to marry her because of her respect in the society, but she did not like any. When she met Muhammad, she thought he was very special. She sent a friend to ask Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم )  why he was not married. Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) said that it was because he had no money, to which the friend replied: 'Supposing a rich, beautiful and noble lady agreed to marry you?' Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) wanted to know who that could be. The friend told him it was Khadijah.

Their life together, however, was not without some sadness. They were blessed with six children, two sons and four daughters. Sadly their first born, a son called Qasim, died shortly before his second birthday, and their last child, also a son, only lived for a short time. Happily, their four daughters survived.

Prophet's(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) adopted son

Zaid was a slave given to Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) by his wife Khadeejah. One day Zaid's father and uncle came to Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) to request the release of Zaid. Muhammad readily granted Zaid his freedom. But Zaid refused to part from Muhammad. Seeing this, Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) promptly took Zaid with him to the court-yard of the Ka'bah and proclaimed Zaid as his own son before the people of Makkah.

Rebuilding of Kaba (The House of God which was first built by Prophet Abraham)

His wisdom benefited many people. One such time was when Quraysh decided to rebuild the Kabah. Each tribe brought stones and they built the Kabah up until they reached the place where the Black Stone was to be set. They then began to argue about who should have the honor of carrying the Black Stone and lifting it to its place in one of the corners of the Kabah.

They almost came to blow but fortunately one of the men offered a solution. He suggested that they should be guided by the first person to enter the place of worship. They all agreed and as Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) was the first to enter everyone was pleased, because they all trusted him. They told him the cause of the argument and he asked them to bring a large cloak. They did as he suggested, and after spreading the cloak on the ground he placed the black stone in the centre of it. Then he asked a man from each tribe to hold one edge of the cloak and together to raise it to the height where the stone should be see. When this was done, he took the stone off the cloak and put it into place himself. This story shows how all Quraysh respected and trusted Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) and how, by his wisdom and good sense, he was able to keep the peace.

Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) worshipped in Cave Hira

When Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) reached the age of thirty-three, he developed a tendency to be alone and in deep thought. In the years that followed, he began to experience a Divine feeling and was drawn more towards the contemplation of the Creator, Allah.

Muhammad disliked the worship of idols and he denounced 'polytheism' (worship of more than one God). He abstained from eating food that had been offerings to the idols.

As Muhammad's(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) age neared forty years, he desired to be lonely and in solitude grew ever stronger. He avoided all worldly contacts and began to retire to the quite of the cave of Hira which was about five kilometers from Makkah. The cave was only three meters by two meters in size. During his visits to the cave he took with him only a meager supply of bread and water. 

He was always engaged in prayer and contemplation of the Greatness of Allah. Seven years passed in this manner.

Angel Gabriel visited Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) in Cave Hira

When Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) was forty years old, the angel Gabriel appeared in the cave of Hira and said: 'Read, in the name of Allah who created (everything). He created man from a clot of blood. Read, your Lord is Great who taught you but virtue of the pen that which you did not know'. The angel Gabriel then disappeared. 

This Divine incident so affected Prophet Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) that he hurried home where he asked his beloved wife Khadeejah to cover him with a blanket. When he had calmed down sufficiently, he related the incident to his wife who comforted him with words of praise, wisdom and encouragement. 

When Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم ) said he was afraid for his life, Khadeejah consoled him with the words: 'No, no. On the contrary, you should feel happy. God will never forsake you because you have been loving, helpful, truthful, and you possess the sublime character which no other man possesses, and you are 'just'. 

Khadeejah took Prophet Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) to her cousin Waraqah-bin-Nawfal, who at once confirmed the signs of prophethood in Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) and he stressed that the Prophet would be persecuted by his own people.

After this granting of apostleship, Prophet Muhammad(صلى الله عليه وسلم ) began to preach Islam. The first man to become a Muslim was his closest friend Abu Bakr and first women was his wife Khadeejah.