Prophet Muhammad's birthday

Global peace by applying Prophet Muhammad's examples:

M. Y. M. MEEADHU

Muhammad, son of Abdullah, son of Abdul Muttalib of the tribe of Quresh was born at Mecca fifty years before the Hijrah. His father passed away before he was born and he was looked after first by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib and after his grandfather's demise by his uncle, Abu Thalib.

As a young boy, he went on journey with his uncle in the merchants' caravan to Syria and some years afterwards repeated the same travel in the service of an affluent widow named Khdijah.

When the latter was highly impressed by Muhammad's faithful transaction of her trading and the excellent report of his conduct and morals about which she heard from her old faithful servant who had gone with him, she soon afterwards entered marital life with her young agent who was only25 years of age while she was 40 years old.

This marriage was happy and successful in spite of the fact that Khadijah was fifteen years older than Muhammad was. It is historically evident that Muhammad remained devoted to her throughout the twenty six years of their conjugal life together.

It is reported that prophet Muhammad used to recollect the loving memory of his first wife Khdijah with the greatest love and reverence even after her demise when he took other wives such as Aysha, Ummu Salma and others.

In fact, Muhammad's marriage with the rich influential lady, Khadijah brought him recognition and lofty rank among the Notables of Meccan city while his unblemished morality earned for him the surname,' Al-Ameen',"the trustworthy".

It was still known as the Home or house of Allah but there were 365 idols as objects of worship and some of them were called the daughters of Allah and intercessors. But there lived a group of people few in number who felt disgust at this Idolatry which had been worshipped for centuries.

This enlightened group longed for the unblemished religion of monotheism strictly followed by Abraham and made endeavours to discover what had been its pure teachings or precepts. Such seekers of pure truth were historically known as"Hunafa" (sing. Hanif) a term originally meant," those who turn away" (from the existing idol worship) but coming in the end to have the sense of "upright or by nature upright" because such persons held the way of truth to be the right conduct. The Hunafa did not form a community.

They were the Agnostics of the day each seeking truth by the light of his own inner consciousness. According to Quran English translator, Marmaduke Pickthall, Muhammad, the son of Abdullah became one of the seekers of truth about God and His creatures through self reflection and meditation.

Thus it was the practice of Muhammad to retire with his family for a month of every year to a cave called Al-Hira place of retreat in the desert for deep meditation. It was a desert hill not far from Mecca and his chosen month was Ramadan-the month of heat; This practice continued once a year and it was there one night towards the end of his quiet month the first Wahy-the revelation from Allah came to him when he was accurately forty years old.

He was asleep or in a trance (a condition in which one is insensible to things of this world.) when he heard a voice, say:Iqra'-Read!. He replied,"I can not read". The voice again repeated, "Read! He again said: " I can not read." A third time the voice more terrible commanded, "Read! He said:What can I read?" The voice said: " Read! In the name of thy Lord who createh Createth man from a clot.

Read!: And it is thy Lord the most bountiful who teacheth by pen

"Teacheth man that which he knew not". (Quran 96:1-5)

When he awoke. the words remained, as if inscribed upon the heart" He went out of the Hira cave on to the hill side and heard the same awe inspiring voice say," O Muhammad! Thou Art Allah's Messenger and I am Gabriel ". Then, he raised his eyes and caught sight of the Angel in the likeness of a man standing in the sky above the horizon and again the dreadful voice said, " O Muhammad! Thou Art Allah's Messenger and I am Gabriel".

He remained thus a long while till at length the Angel disappeared. When he returned in great distress of mind to his beloved wife Khadijah, she did her best to console or reassure him saying that his conduct had been such that Allah- God would not let a harmful spirit come to him and that it was her hope that he was to become the prophet of people.

The words which came to him, when in a state of a trance, are held sacred by the Muslims are never confounded with those which he spoke when no physical change was apparent in him.

The former constituted the Sacred Book-the Quran -The Tatter, the Hadith or Sunnah of the Prophet. The Sacred Book is known as Al-Quiran, " The Reading, "the Reading of the man who did not know how to read-because the Angel Gibrael on Mount Hira bade him Read!- insisted on his Reading though he was illiterate.

Therefore, let all Muslims commemorate the Birthday of Prophet Muhammad Rabiul Awwal 12th Day (today) and take a determined step towards the achievement of global peace by applying his universal teachings based on his practical examples in life.