About Prophet Muhammad

The prophet Muhammad
(Peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)


Many people today are discussing Prophet Muhammad , Who was he exactly? What did he teach? Why was he loved so much by some and hated so much by others? Did he live up to his claims? Was he a holy man? Was he a prophet of God? What is the truth about this man ?
You be the judge.

First before listing the A-Z Facts about Muhammad , let us begin with the very simple historical evidences.
Here are the facts as narrated by thousands of people, many of whom knew him personally.

Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abdul Mutalib (Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, the son of Abdul Mutalib) was born 570 C.E. (Christian Era); died 633 C.E. Muhammad means "praised one" or "praising one"

Muhammad was born from the lineage of Abraham's (Ibrahim in Arabic) peace be upon him, his oldest son was Ishmael (Ismail in Arabic), to the noble tribe of the Quraish who were the leaders of Makkah in those days.

He never fell into the common practice of his tribesmen to worship statues, idols or man-made "gods."

He believed that God ( Allah in Arabic) was truly One God, and as such, and that God was to be worshipped alone, without any other "gods" beside Him.

He held the Name of God ( Allah ) in the highest of reverence and never took God's Name in vain or for any vainglorious purpose.

He despised false worship and all of the complexities and degradation to which it leads.

He insisted on keeping the Commandments of Almighty God, just as prophets of old had done in the past.

He never committed adultery, and he forbid others from doing it.

He forbade usury and interest on money lending, as Jesus, peace be upon him, had done centuries before him.

He never gambled and did not allow it.

He never drank alcohol or strong drink, even though it was a very normal thing for people of his time and place.

He did not engage in gossip and used to turn away from hearing anything related to it.

He offered prayers in the manner and direction (toward Jerusalem, until Allah ordered the change toward Makkah) as was prescribed of prophets in the Bible, standing, bowing, kneeling and prostrating as they had done before him.

He fasted for days at a time to be closer to Almighty God and away from the narrowness of worldly attractions.

He taught that Jesus, peace be upon him, was the immaculate conception and miracle birth of Mary (peace be upon her), and that she (peace be upon her) was the best creation of Almighty God.

He insisted even to the Jews of Al-Madinah, that Jesus, peace be upon him, was the Messiah, the Christ, the one predicted to come in their Torah (Old Testament).

He said Jesus, peace be upon him, did many miracles by the permission of Almighty God, curing the lepers, restoring sight to the blind and even bringing a dead man back to life.

He stated clearly that Jesus, peace be upon him, was not crucified, rather Almighty God had raised him up.

He predicted Jesus, peace be upon him, is going to return again in the Last Days to lead the true believers in a victory over the evil and unrighteous people, and he will destroy the Anti-Christ.

He commanded the payment of charity to the poor and he was the defender and protector of widows, orphans and the wayfarers.

He ordered people to unite with their families and honor the ties of kinship and he restored relationships between family members.

He required his followers to engage only in lawful marriage relationships with women, and forbid sex outside of Almighty God's Ordinance.

He insisted on giving women their proper rights, dowries, inheritance and property.

His patience and humble attitude were exemplary and all who knew him had to admit to these virtues.

A. He never lied, never broke a trust, never bore false witness, he was famous with all the tribes in Makkah and was known as: "Spirit of Truth" (As-Saddiq).

B. He never once engaged in sex outside of marriage, nor did he ever approve of it, even though it was very common at the time.

C. His only relationships with women were in legitimate, contractual marriages with proper witnesses according to law.

D. His relationship to his wife Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) was only that of marriage. He did not marry her the first time her father offered her hand to him in marriage. He did not marry her until she reached puberty and could decide for herself. Their relationship is described in every detail by Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) in the most loving and respectful manner as a match truly made in heaven. Ayesha (may Allah be pleased with her) is considered as one of the highest scholars of Islam and lived out her entire life only having been married to Muhammad , peace be upon him. She never desired any other man, nor did she ever utter a single negative statement against Muhammad .
The prophet Muhammad

E. He forbade any killing until the orders for retaliation came from Allah. Even then the limits were clearly spelled out and only those engaged in active combat against the Muslims or Islam were to be fought in combat. And even then, only according to very strict rules from Allah.

F. Killing any innocent life was forbidden by him .

G. There was no genocide of Jews. He offered mutual protection and forgiveness to the Jews even after they broke their covenants with him many times. They were not attacked until it was clearly proven they were traitors during time of war and tried to bring down the prophet, peace be upon him, and the Muslims at any cost. Retaliation was only to those Jews who had turned traitor and not others.

H. Slaves were common in those days for all nations and tribes. It was Islam that encouraged freeing of the slaves and the great reward from Allah for those who did so. The prophet Muhammad , gave the example of this by freeing slaves and encouraging all of his followers to do the same. Examples include his own servant (who was actually considered like a son to him) Zaid ibn Al Haritha and Bilal the slave who was bought by Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) only for the purpose of freeing him.

I. While there were many attempts of assassination made on Muhammad , his cousin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) took his place in bed while he and Abu Bakar (may Allah be pleased with him) escaped to Madinah, he did not allow his companions to slaughter any of those who had been involved in these attempts. Proof for this is when they entered Makkah triumphantly and his first words were to command his followers not to harm such and such tribes and so and so families. This was one of the most famous of his acts of forgiveness and humbleness.

J. Military combat was forbidden for the first thirteen years of prophet hood. The desert Arabs did not need anyone to tell them how to fight or do combat. They were experts in this area and held feuds amongst tribes that lasted for decades. It was not until the proper method of warfare was instituted by Allah in the Quran, with proper rights and limitations according His Commandments, that any retaliation or combat was sanctioned. Orders from Allah made it clear who was to be attacked, how and when and to what extent fighting could take place.

K. Destruction of infrastructures was absolutely forbidden by him except when it is ordained by Allah in certain instances and then only according to His Commands.

L. Cursing and invoking evil actually came to the prophet, peace be upon him, from his enemies, while he would be praying for their guidance. Classic example is that of his journey to At-Taif where the leaders would not even hear him out nor offer so much as the normal courtesy called for and instead they set the children of the street against him , throwing rocks and stones at him until his body was bleeding so much, blood filled his sandals. He was offered revenge by the angel Gabriel (peace be upon him), if he would give the command, Almighty God would cause the surrounding mountains to fall down upon them destroying them all. Instead of cursing them or asking for their destruction, he prayed for them to be guided to worship their Lord alone, without any partners.

M. The Prophet Muhammad , claimed every person who is born is born in a state of ISLAM (submission to God on His Terms in Peace), as a Muslim (MU-Islam means; "one who does ISLAM" i.e.; submits to God's Will and obeys His Commandments). He further stated, God has created each person in the image that is His according to His plan, and their spirit is His. Then as they grow older they begin to distort their faith according to the influence of the prevailing society and their own prejudices.

N. The Prophet Muhammad , taught his followers to believe in the God of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses, David, Solomon and Jesus, (peace be upon them all) , and to believe in them as true prophets, messengers and servants of Almighty Allah. He insisted on ranking all the prophets up at the highest level without any distinction between them, and ordered his followers to say the words, "Peace be upon him" after mentioning their names.

O. He also taught his companions not only to believe in Islam but also to believe in the divine origins of both Judaism and Christianity the Torah (Old Testament), Zabur (Psalms) and Enjeel (Gospel or New Testament) and that they were all originally from the very same source as the Qur'an, from God ( Allah ) to his prophets ( peace be upon them) via the angel Gabriel ( peace be upon him). He asked the Jews to judge according to their own Book, and they tried to cover up some of it to hide the correct judgment, knowing he , could not read.

P. He prophesied, predicted and foretold of events to come and they happened as he had said. He even predicted something from the past that would come true in the future, and it has.
The Qur'an states Pharaoh was drowned in the Red Sea while chasing after Moses (peace be upon him) and Allah said He would preserve Pharaoh as a sign for the future. Dr. Maurice Bucaille in his book, "The Bible, Qur'an and Science" makes it clear this has happened and the very person of Pharaoh has been.discovered.in.Egypt.and.is.now.on.display.for.all.to.see. This event took place thousands of years before Muhammad and it came true in the last few decades, many centuries after his death.

Q. There has been more written about the prophet Muhammad ,than any other person on earth. He has been praised very high even by famous non-Muslims for centuries. One of the first examples we quote from is from the Encyclopedia Britannica, as it confirms:
(regarding Muhammad) ". . . a mass of detail in the early sources shows that he was an honest and upright man who had gained the respect and loyalty of others who were likewise honest.and.upright.men." (Vol. 12)

R. Another impressive tribute to Muhammad , peace be upon him is in the very well written work of Michael H. Hart, "The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History." He states that the most influential person in all history was Muhammad , with Jesus peace be upon him as the second.
Examine his actual words:
"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular level."
Michael H. Hart, THE 100: A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, New York: Hart Publishing Company, Inc., 1978, page. 33.

S. While we are reviewing statements from famous non-Muslims about Prophet Muhammad , peace be upon him, consider this: "Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we.may.well.ask,.is.there.any.man.greater.than.he?" Lamartine, HISTOIRE DE LA TURQUIE, Paris, 1854, Vol. II, pp. 276-277.

T. And then we read what George Bernard Shaw, a famous writer and non-Muslim says:
"He must be called the Savior of Humanity. I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world, he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it much needed peace and happiness." (The Genuine Islam, Singapore, Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936)

U. Then we found that K.S. Ramakrishna Rao, an Indian (Hindu) professor of Philosophy, in his booklet "Muhammad the Prophet of Islam" calls him the "perfect model for human life." Professor Ramakrishna Rao explains his point by saying:
"The personality of Muhammad, it is most difficult to get into the whole truth of it. Only a glimpse of it I can catch. What a dramatic succession of picturesque scenes. There is Muhammad the Prophet. There is Muhammad the Warrior; Muhammad the Businessman; Muhammad the Statesman; Muhammad the Orator; Muhammad the Reformer; Muhammad the Refuge of Orphans; Muhammad the Protector of Slaves; Muhammad the Emancipator of Women; Muhammad the Judge; Muhammad the Saint. All in all these magnificent roles, in all these departments of human activities, he is alike a hero."

V. What should we think about our prophet Muhammed , when someone with the worldly status such as Mahatma Gandhi, speaking on the character of Muhammad , peace be upon him, says in 'YOUNG INDIA':
"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind... I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."
W. English author Thomas Carlyle in his 'Heroes and Hero Worship', was simply amazed as to:
"How one man single handedly, could weld warring tribes and wandering Bedouins into a most powerful and civilized nation in less than two decades."

X. And Diwan Chand Sharma wrote in "The Prophets of the East":
"Muhammad was the soul of kindness, and his influence was felt and never forgotten by those around him" (D.C. Sharma, The Prophets of the East, Calcutta, 1935, pp. 12)
Muhammad , peace be upon him, was nothing more or less than a human being, but he was a man with a noble mission, which was to unite humanity on the worship of ONE and ONLY ONE GOD and to teach them the way to honest and upright living based on the commands of God. He always described himself as, 'A Servant and Messenger of God' and so indeed every action of his proclaimed to be.