CHAPTER 1 : THE BIOGRAPHY OF THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH (PEACE AND BLESSINGS OF ALLAH BE UPON HIM)
THE BIOGRAPHY OF THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH (PEACE AND BLESSINGS OF ALLAH BE UPON HIM)
And a Report of His Times, His Battles, His Military Campaigns, the Delegations That Came to Him, His Qualities, His Virtues and His signs.
Chapter on Mention of His Illustrious Lineage and the Nobility of His Excellent Origins
Allah, Most High, says, “Allah knows best with whom to place His Message” (Soorah Al-An‘am 6:124) and when Hiraql (Heraclius), the emperor of Rome, asked Abu Sufyan about his characteristics, “What is his family status amongst you?” Abu Sufyan replied, “He belongs to a good (noble) family amongst us.” After asking several more questions, he said, “In fact, all the Messengers come from such families amongst their respective peoples.” That is, from among the noblest of them and the largest of their tribes – may Allah’s Blessings be upon them all.
He is the master of the sons of Adam (Peace be upon him) and the most honorable of them in the life of this world and in the Hereafter: Abul-Qasim and Abu Ibrahim, Muhammad and Ahmad, the Eradicator, through whom disbelief was eradicated, the final Prophet, after whom there will be no prophet, the Gatherer, who gathered the people (to follow) in his footsteps, the Follower (of all other Prophets), the Prophet of Repentance, the Prophet of War, the Seal of the Prophets, the Conqueror, Ta Ha, Ya Seen and ‘Abdullah.
Al-Baihaqi said, “Some of the scholars added that Allah called him a Messenger, a Prophet, Unlettered, a Witness and Bearer of Glad Tidings, a Warner, a Caller to Allah, by His Permission, a Lamp Spreading Light, Compassionate and Merciful, a Blessing and a Guide in the Qur’an.”
He is the son of ‘Abdullah, who was the youngest of his father, ‘Abdul-Muttalib’s children and he was the second sacrifice, who was ransomed for a hundred camels.
Imam Abu Ja‘afar Ibn Jareer – may Allah have mercy on him – spoke at the opening of his Tareekh about this in great detail and in a clear and beneficial manner. A Hadith has been related in which he claimed while on the pulpit that he was descended from ‘Adnan. But Allah knows better with regard to its authenticity. Likewise, Al-Hafiz Abu Bakr Al-Baihaqi narrated on the authority of Abu Bakr Ibn ‘Abdur-Rahman Ibn Al-Harith Ibn Hisham, “The Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was informed that some men from Kindah were claiming that they were from him and he was from them. He said, ‘Al-‘Abbas and Abu Sufyan Ibn Harb only used to say that when they came to Al-Madinah, in order to be given safety there and they were given safety, but we will not deny our forefathers; we are Banu An-Nadr Ibn Al-Kindah.’ He said that the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) delivered a sermon in which he said, ‘I am Muhammad, son of ‘Abdullah, son of ‘Abdul-Muttalib, son of Hashim, son of ‘Abd Manaf, son of Qusayy, son of Kilab, son of Murrah, son of Ka‘b, son of Lu’ayy, son of Ghalib, son of Fihr, son of Malik, son of An-Nadr, son of Kinanah, son of Khuzaimah, son of Mudrikah, son of Ilyas, son of Mudar, son of Nizar. And people do not split into two groups except that Allah has made me the best of them. I have been produced from between my two parents and I am not affected by anything from the iniquity of the Jahiliyyah. I came forth from marriage and I did not come forth from fornication – from the time of Adam until I was born of my parents – and I am the best of you in soul and the best of you in lineage’.” This Hadith is very ghareeb, from the Hadith of Malik. Al-Qudami was alone in narrating it and he is weak. But we shall cite supporting narrations and other sources for it. Among them is the saying of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) that “I came forth from marriage, not from fornication.”
And ‘Abdur-Razzaq narrated on the authority of Abu Ja‘afar Al-Baqir regarding the Words of Allah, Most High: “Verily, there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad) from amongst yourselves (i.e. whom you know well).” (Soorah At-Tawbah 9:128) that it means that he was not affected by anything of the birth of the Jahiliyyah. He said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)
said, “I came forth from marriage and I did not come forth from fornication.” And this is mursal, jayyid. Al-Baihaqi also narrated it, on the authority of Ja‘afar Ibn Muhammad, on the authority of his father. He said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Verily, Allah produced me from marriage and He did not produce me from fornication.”
And it has been confirmed in Saheeh Al-Bukhari on the authority of Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘I was sent from the best of generations of the sons of Adam, generation after generation, until the generation in which I was sent’.”
And in Saheeh Muslim on the authority of Wathilah Ibn Al-Asqa‘ that the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “Verily, Allah chose from Isma‘eel from among the children of Ibrahim and He chose from among the children of Isma‘eel Banu Kinanah and from among Banu Kinanah He chose Quraish and from Quraish He chose Banu Hashim and He chose me from Banu Hashim.”
Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of Al-‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “The Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was informed about some of the things that the people were saying and so he ascended the pulpit and said, ‘Who am I?’ They said, ‘You are the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of
Allah be upon him).’ He said, “I am Muhammad, son of ‘Abdullah, son of ‘Abdul-Muttalib. Verily, Allah created mankind and made me among the best of His creation. And He made them into two groups and He made me in the best group. He created the tribes and He made me in the best tribe. He made them families and He made me in the best family. So I am the best of you in family and I am the best
individual among you.’ May the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him forever, until the Day of Judgment.”
And it has been confirmed in an authentic Hadith that the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, “I will be the leader of the sons of Adam on the Day of Resurrection and (I say this) without boasting.”
And Al-Hafiz Al-Baihaqi said, “These Ahadeeth – although there may be among their narrators those who are not reliable – they confirm each other and the meaning of all of them derives from the Hadith of Wathilah Ibn Al-Asqa‘. And Allah knows best.”
I say: Abu Talib recited these poetic verses, in which he praised the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him),
If Quraish gathered one day in order to boast,
Then ‘Abd Manaf would be their heart and their core,
And if the noblest of ‘Abd Manaf were sought,
It would be found that Hashim were the noblest and oldest,
And if they boasted one day, then Muhammad,
He is the Chosen One from their heart and their nobility,
The lean and the stout among Quraish rallied against us,
But they did not succeed and their dreams came to nought,
Of old, we would not accept injustice,
If they did not turn away from it in contempt,
we would put it right,
And we would guard it (justice) every day against aversion,
And we would turn away from its (injustice’s)
holes those that covet it, Through us the wilted tree is strengthened,
And only by our protection will it become supple and its roots grow.
Chapter on The Birth of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)
He – may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him – was born on a Monday, according to the narration of Muslim in his Saheeh, on the authority of Abu Qatadah (May Allah be pleased with him), who reported that a Bedouin said, “O, Messenger of Allah! What do you say regarding fasting on Mondays?” He said, “On that day I was born and on it the Revelation (first) came to me.”
Imam Ahmad narrated on the authority of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was born on Monday, Prophethood was conferred on him on Monday, he set out as an emigrant from Makkah to Al-Madinah on Monday, he arrived in Al-Madinah on Monday, he died on Monday and the Black Stone was raised on Monday.” Imam Ahmad was alone in narrating this version. Ibn Bukair narrated it on the authority of Lahee‘ah, with the addition: “Soorah Al-Ma’idah was revealed on Monday: ‘This day I have perfected your Religion for you.'(Soorah Al-Ma’idah 5:3) This is how some of them narrated it on the authority of Moosa Ibn Dawood and they also added: “…and the Battle of Badr took place on Monday.” Among those that said this was Yazeed Ibn Habeeb, but it is extremely munkar.
Ibn ‘Asakir said, “It is recorded that the Battle of Badr and the revelation of ‘This day I have perfected your Religion for you’ (Soorah Al-Ma’idah 5:3) took place on Friday.” Ibn ‘Asakir is correct in this assertion.
This is how it was narrated from sources other than this, on the authority of ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with him), that he was born on Monday; and there is no disagreement regarding the fact that he was born on Monday. In addition, the majority of scholars are of the opinion that it took place in the month of Rabee‘ ul-Awwal. It was said that it was on the second day of Rabee‘ ul-Awwal; this was stated by Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr in Al-Istee‘ab. It was also narrated by Al-Waqidi, on the authority of Abu Ma‘ashar Najeeh Ibn ‘Abdur-Rahman. It was also said that he was born on the eighth day of Rabee‘ ul-Awwal. This was related by Al-Humaidi, on the authority
of Ibn Hazm. It was narrated by Malik, Aqeel, Yoonus Ibn Yazeed and others, on the authority of Az-Zuhri, who reported on the authority of Muhammad Ibn Jubair Ibn Mut‘im. Ibn ‘Abdul-Barr transmitted on the authority of the historians that they declared it to be correct. Al-Hafiz Al-Kabeer Muhammad Ibn Moosa Al-Khuwarizmi stated it as an unequivocal fact. It was given preponderance by Al-Hafiz Abul-Khattab Ibn Dihyah in his book At-Tanweer Fee Mawlid Al-Basheer An-Nadheer. It was also said that he was born on the tenth day of Rabee‘ ul-Awwal. This was transmitted by Ibn Dihyah in his book and it was narrated by Ibn ‘Asakir on the authority of Abu Ja‘afar Al-Baqir and it was narrated by Mujalid on the authority of Ash-Sha‘abi, as we have already mentioned. It was already said that he was born on the twelfth day of Rabee‘ ul-Awwal. This was stated by Ibn Ishaq and it was narrated by Ibn Abi Shaibah in his book Al-Moosannaf, on the authority of Jabir and Ibn ‘Abbas (May Allah be pleased with them), who reported that they said that the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was born in the Year of the Elephant, on Monday, on the twelfth day of the month of Rabee‘ ul-Awwal; on that date he was sent (as a Prophet), on that date he was made to ascend to the heaven, on that date he emigrated and on that date he died.” This is what is widely accepted by the majority of scholars. And Allah knows better.
Ibn Ishaq said, “In the year of Al-‘Ukaz, the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was twenty years old.
Ibn Ishaq also said, “Al-Fijar occurred twenty years after the Year of the Elephant. The rebuilding of the Ka‘bah was fifteen years After Al- Fijar and the start of his Prophethood was five years after the rebuilding of the Ka‘bah.” Muhammad Ibn Jubair Ibn Mut‘im said, “ ‘Ukaz was fifteen years after the Year of the Elephant; the rebuilding
of the Ka‘bah was ten years after ‘Ukaz and the beginning of his Prophethood was fifteen years after the rebuilding of the Ka‘bah.” Al-Hafiz Al-Baihaqi narrated on the authority of ‘Abdul-‘Azeez Ibn Abi Thabit Al-Madeeni that he said, “I was informed by Az-Zubair Ibn Moosa, who reported on the authority of Abul-Huwairith that he
said, ‘I heard ‘Abdul-Malik Ibn Marwan say to Qubath Ibn Ushaim Al-Kinani, then Al-Laithi, ‘O, Qubath! Are you older (in years), or is the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) older (in years)?’ He said, ‘The Messenger of Allah is older than I, but I am older in years than him’.”
A Description of His Noble Birth (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him)
‘Abdullah, son of ‘Abdul-Muttalib set out for Ghazzah in Ash-Sham (Syria) with a trade caravan from Quraish and when they finished their trade, they departed for home, passing by Al-Madinah. On that day, ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib was ill and he said, “I will remain behind with my maternal uncles in Banu ‘Adiyy Ibn An-Najjar.” So he stayed with them for a month in a state of ill health. His companions returned to Makkah, where ‘Abdul-Muttalib asked them about his son. They said, “We left him with his maternal uncles in Banu ‘Adiyy Ibn An-Najjar, for he was sick.” So Abdul-Muttalib sent his eldest son, Al-Harith to him, but when he arrived in Al-Madinah, he found that he had died and buried in the house of An-Nabighah. So he returned to his father and informed him of what had happened. When he arrived, he found ‘Abdul-Muttalib in the company of his brothers and sisters and a grandfather. At that time, the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was in his mother’s womb. When ‘Abdullah died, he was twenty five years old.
Muhammad Ibn Sa‘d said, “Hisham Ibn Muhammad Ibn As-Sa’ib Al-Kalbi informed me on the authority of his father, who reported on the authority of ‘Awanah Ibn Al-Hakam that they said that ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib died when the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was twenty-eight months old and it
was also said that he died when he was seven months old. But the first narration, which stated that his wife was still pregnant when he died, is more reliable.”
Az-Zubair Ibn Bakkar narrated on the authority of Ibn Kharraboodh that he said, “ ‘Abdullah died in Al-Madinah, when the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was two months old and his mother died when he was four years old. His grandfather died when he was eight years old and he entrusted him to the care of his uncle, Abu Talib.” Al-Waqidi and his scribe, Al-Hafiz Muhammad Ibn Sa‘d gave preponderance to the view that the father of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) died when he was but a fetus in the womb of his mother – and this is the ultimate in orphanhood and the highest level of it. We have
mentioned previously in the Hadith: “And the vision of my mother, in which she said that it was as if a light was emitted from her private parts when I was born and this light illuminated the palaces of Ash-Sham.”
Muhammad Ibn Ishaq said, “Aminah Bint Wahb, the mother of the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him), said that someone came to her when she gave birth to the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and said, “You have given birth to the master of this nation, so when he is born into the
earth, say, ‘I place him under the protection of the One, from the evil of the envier, from every slave, whether good or evil; a Protector protects me and He is the Praiseworthy, the Exalted, until I see that he has attained his objective. And the sign of that will be that his birth will be accompanied by a light which will fill the palaces of Busra, in the land of Ash-Sham. So when he is born, name him Muhammad, for his name is in the Tawrah: Ahmad – he is praised by the occupants of the heaven and the occupants of the Earth and his name is in the Injeel: Ahmad – he is praised by the occupants of the heaven and the occupants of the Earth; and his name is in the Qur’an: Muhammad.’
This and that necessitate that when she was pregnant with him and she saw, as if when he came out of her, the palaces of Ash-Sham were illuminated for him. Then, when she actually gave birth to him, she saw it with her own eyes, just as she had seen it in her vision.” And Allah knows better.
Muhammad Ibn Ishaq said, “When she gave birth to him, she sent word to Abdul-Muttalib via her slave girl – and his father had already died while she was pregnant. It was also said that ‘Abdullah died when the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was twenty-eight months old and Allah knows better which of them is correct. She said, “A boy has been born for you this night, so come and see him.” So when he came to her, she informed him about what she had seen when she was carrying him and what had been said to her about him and she told him that she had been ordered to name him Muhammad. So ‘Abdul-Muttalib took him to Hubal, which was inside the Ka‘bah, and he stood and supplicated and thanked Allah,
the Almighty, the All-Powerful, saying,
All praise and thanks be to Allah, Who has given me,
This fine, well-proportioned boy,
While still in the cradle, he has become the leader of boys,
I seek refuge for him by the house possessing corners,
Until he has attained manhood,
And until I see him of mature stature,
I seek refuge for him from the one who hates,
From the envier, of deranged mind,
Until I see him raising his voice,
It is you who have been named in the Qur’an,
In confirmed, oft-recited Scriptures,
Ahmad is written on the tongue.
And Al-Baihaqi narrated on the authority of Al-‘Abbas Ibn ‘Abdul Muttalib (May Allah be pleased with him) that he said, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was born circumcised and happy.” He added, “His grandfather, ‘Abdul-Muttalib was amazed by this and saw it as a good omen.” He said, “This child of mine shall certainly have an important position.” And this proved to be the case.” But there is doubt about the authenticity of this Hadith. Al-Hafiz Ibn ‘Asakir narrated it on the authority of Anas (May Allah be pleased with him) and he asaid, “The Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘Among the
virtues bestowed on me by Allah was that I was born circumcised and no one saw my private parts’.”
And Al-Baihaqi narrated on the authority of Mu‘awiyah Ibn Saleh, who reported on the authority of Abul-Hakam At-Tanookhi that he said, “Whenever a child was born among Quraish at night, they would send it to the women of Quraish until the morning and they would invert an earthenware pot over it, so when the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) was born, ‘Abdul-Muttalib sent him to the women of Quraish and they upturned an earthenware pot over him; then in the morning, they came and found that the pot had cracked into two and they found that his eyes were
open and he was staring toward the heaven. Then ‘Abdul Mittalib came to them and they confided to him, ‘We have never seen a newborn like him; we found the earthenware pot had cracked into two over him and we found his eyes open and he was staring at the heaven.’ He said, ‘Take care of him, for I hope that he will have an
important position or that he will attain goodness.’ Then on the seventh day, an animal was sacrificed for him and he invited Quraish to eat. When they had eaten, they said, ‘O, ‘Abdullah! Have you named this son of yours in honor of whom you have invited us?’ He replied, ‘I have named him Muhammad.’ They asked, ‘What caused you to
favor that name over the names of his family members?’ He said, ‘I wanted Allah to praise him in the heaven and His creation to praise him on the Earth’.” The scholars of language said that everything in which all good qualities are combined is called Muhammad, as one of them said,
Toward you – who reject malediction – I directed my she-camel,
The illustrious, the noble master, the Muhammad (i.e. the praised).
One of the scholars said, “Allah, the Almighty, the All-Powerful inspired them to call him Muhammad, because of the praiseworthy characteristics he possessed, so that the name and the deed should agree with each other and so that the name and the person named should correspond in form and in meaning, as his uncle, Abu Talib said,
His name was thus derived in order to honor him,
For the Owner of the Throne is Mahmood and he is Muhammad.
Chapter Pertaining to the Signs on the Night of His Birth
Muhammad Ibn Ishaq said, “on the authority of Hassan Ibn Thabit that he said, ‘I was a young boy of seven or eight years and I understood what I saw and heard. Early one morning, I heard a Jewish man in Yathrib calling out, O, assembly of Jews! So they
gathered to him and I was listening. They said to him, ‘Woe to you! What is wrong with you?’ He said, ‘The star of Ahmad, who has been born this night, has risen.’ And Al-Hafiz Abu Nu‘aim narrated in his book, Dala`il An-Nubuwwah, on the authority of Abu Bakr ‘Abdullah Al-‘Amiri, who reported on the authority of Sulaiman Ibn Saheem
and Rubaih Ibn ‘Abdur-Rahman, both of whom reported on the authority of ‘Abdur-Rahman Ibn Abi Sa‘eed, who in turn reported on the authority of his father that he said, ‘I heard Abu Malik Ibn Sinan saying, ‘I went to Banu ‘Abdul-Ashhal one day to speak with them –and at that time we were at peace with them – and I heard Yoosha’
(Joshuah), the Jew, say, ‘A Prophet, whose name is Ahmad, is about to depart; he will depart from the Sacred Precincts (i.e. Makkah).’
Khaleefah Ibn Tha‘labah Al-Ashhali said to him in tones of mockery, ‘What is his description?’ He said, ‘He is a man who is neither short nor tall. In his eyes there is redness and he wears a turban and rides a donkey. His sword is on his shoulder and he will migrate to this city.’ Abu Malik said, ‘So I returned to my people, Banu Khudrah and I was full of admiration for what Yoosha‘ had said at that time and I heard a man from among us asking, ‘Is Yoosha‘ alone in saying this?’
But they replied, ‘No, all of the Jews of Yathrib are saying it.’ Abu Malik Ibn Sinan said, ‘So I set out and went to Banu Quraizah and I found an assembly who were discussing the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him). Az-Zubair Ibn Bata said, ‘The red star has risen, a star which does not rise except for the departure or the appearance of a Prophet – and none remains except Ahmad, and this is the place to which he will emigrate.’ Abu Sa‘eed said, ‘So when the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) arrived, my father imparted this news to him and the Messenger of Allah (Peace
and Blessings of Allah be upon him) said, ‘If Az-Zubair embraced Islam, his kinsman from the chiefs of the Jews would follow him’.”
Abu Nu‘aim narrated on the authority of Zaid Ibn Thabit that he said, “The Jewish rabbis of Banu Quraizah and An-Nadeer used to speak about the description of the Prophet (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) and when the red star rose, they said that he was a Prophet and that no prophet would come after him, that his name
was Ahmad and that he would emigrate to Yathrib. Then, when the Messenger of Allah (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) arrived in Al-Madinah, they rejected him, were envious of him and disbelieved in him.” This story was transmitted by Al-Hafiz Abu Nu‘aim in his book, from other sources, all praise and thanks be to Allah (SWT).
By Ibn Katheer
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