Ten Things About Prophet Muhammad - Essay Sample

Introduction

Prophet Muhammad, who was born in 570 AD in Mecca in Saudi Arabiaand died in 632 AD is a critical figure in Islam. The Muslimsbelieve that he is the last of the 25 prophets as well as the last messenger Allah sent to humankind. He was born on 12th of Rabiul Awwal, and many Muslims in the world celebrate it. The prophet had exemplary personality and is known for his humility despite the high ranking status that makes him an indisputable leader among the Muslims (Siddiqi, 28). As an inspirational leader, he has formed one of the major religions in the world. This paper explores ten things aboutProphet Muhammad.

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Prophet Muhammad's father had a hard early life having lost his father before his birth and losing the mother at the age of six years while still living in Medina. According to Gunny, (pg. 43), his grandfather Abu-Talib took custody but later died leaving him under the care of his paternal uncle. The uncle initially had Muhammad take care of his sheep. Then the uncle started to take Muhammad along whenever he went on a trade caravan. Muhammad worked as a camel boy on trade convoys to Damascus. It was at this point that Muhammad became a successful merchant due to his personality.

The prophet got married at the age of 25 to a widow called Khadija, who at 40 years old. Lady Khadija was a merchant and had employed ProphetMuhammad. Lady Khadija was the one who proposed to Muhammad since she is the employer. Their marriage lasted for 24 years considered a loving and happy one, and it was a monogamous marriage, unlike the common practice of polygamy at the time (Gunny, 81). After the death of Khadija, Prophet Muhammad married ten more women and it was solely for a diplomatic reason and secure his base as a leader. His wife Khadija bore his sic children including four girls and two boys, who all passed away at a young age.

Prophet Muhammad completed a mythical journey to the seven heavens called Isra and Miraj. He is believed to have traveled to the seven heavens and came back in one night on a winged horse called Buraq together with angel Jibril. The first part of the journey is called Isra where he traveled to Masjid Aqsa in Jerusalem while Miraj is the second part of the journey where he traveled up to the seventh heaven (Gunny, 162). It is believed that he met other prophets such as Musa and Issa along the journey and it was during this journey that Allah made it compulsory for Muslims to pray five times a day.

Muhammad tended to go and meditate in a cave situated on mount Hira, which was located on the outskirts of medinas since it provides solitude. In the year 610 AD, when the prophet was 40 years old, he was visited by angel Jibril who instructed him to proclaim. This scenario overwhelmed Muhammad, and he became worried and told his wife Khadija (Gunny, 105). Khadija became his first convert since she believed Muhammad and with her support and other angelic visits, he became confident that he is a chosen messenger of Allah and started preaching.

In his first years of preaching Islam in Makkah, the prophet and his followers faced persecutions. It was because the teachings of the prophet were against the ways those living in mecca conducted their lives. He preached against materialism and immorality, pagan polytheism, and repent from evil and worshipAllah. According to Gunny, (pg. 127), the Meccans felt that the prophet was undermining their ways of life and hence persecuted him and his followers. These persecutions began as a mockery at first and later turned into open violence. They were subjected to beatings with sticks, covering in the dirt when they prayed and thrown into prisons.

He is known to be an advocate of the women's rights and institutedreforms to change the views of the society on the role of women. He approved various rights of women that included their rights to own private property, considering the approval of the woman before marriage, getting a unilateral divorce whenever the husband is abusive, as well as ending honor killings (Gonaim, 3066). The prophet alsoadvocated for the education of women when he declared that whoever gives the best education and upbringing to his daughters shall enter paradise.

According to Gonaim, (pg. 4195), theprophet was known to acknowledge his fallibility whenever he committed a mistake. This attribute is notably found in the case of "the Satanic Verses." The prophet had tried to mend the differences existing between his opponents and himself when he acknowledged that their totem gods were intercessors with one supreme God. He later realized that he had been tempted into betraying his principle of associating Allah with no partners, he courageously declared his mistake in public.

The prophet is known to be an easy-going family man. It is reported that the prophet helped his wives by doing the chores in the house and go out when it is prayer time. He is also said to milk the goats, mend his sandals and patch and sew his garments. Another thing is that the prophet left a true legacy of Sunnah and Quran, which are to guide the generations to come (Brown, 18). He also left behind a material legacy, which is a piece of land and he had dedicated for the good of the community.

Works Cited

Brown, Jonathan AC. Hadith: Muhammad's legacy in the medieval and modern world. Oneworld Publications, 2017.

Gonaim, Faiza. "An Analysis of the Life of Prophet Muhammad: Servantleadership and Influence." International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention ISSN (Online) (2016): 2319-7722.

Gunny, Ahmad. Prophet Muhammad in French and English Literature: 1650 to the Present. Kube Publishing Ltd, 2015.

Siddiqi, Muhammad Yasin Mazhar. The Prophet Muhammad: A Role Model for Muslim Minorities. Kube Publishing Ltd, 2016.