Biography, mission and the message of

 Muhammad - the Prophet of Islam

 

 

 

 


 

 

How did he become a Prophet and A Messenger of Allah?

     At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad (pbuh) received his first revelation from the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as the Qur'an.
     As soon as he began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel, and to preach the truth which God had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution, which grew so fierce that in the year 622, God gave them the command to emigrate. This event, the Hijra, 'migration', in which they left Makkah for the city of Madinah some 260 miles to the north, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar.
After several years, the Prophet (pbuh) and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively. Before the Prophet (pbuh) died at the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia was Muslim, and within a century of his death Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China.

 

Do Muslims worship Muhammad like Christians do Christ?

         Muhammad (pbuh) was only a man among men who received the special favor of God. No true Prophet of God taught that any man must be worshipped, as if any human body could contain the infinite. God instructs us in the Qur'an about him thus: "Muhammad is no more than Messenger. Many were the Messengers who passed away before him..."(3: 144).

 

What distinguishes Muhammad (pbuh) from other Prophets?
 
  • He was the last Prophet of God.
  • God revived through him the same genuine faith which had been conveyed by all the Prophets.
  • This original message was corrupted, and split into various religions by peoples in different ages, who indulged in interpolations and admixture. These alien elements were eliminated by God and Islam, in its pure and original form, was transmitted to mankind through Muhammad (pbuh).
  • Since there was to be no messenger after Muhammad (pbuh), the Book revealed to him was preserved word for word so that it should be a source of guidance for all times.
  • The life of Muhammad (pbuh), and the manner in which he conducted himself, was also recorded in a unique manner by his companions and by later compilers of the Tradition. A more complete and authentic account of the life, sayings and actions of any Prophet or historical personage, has never been compiled.
  • In this way, the Qur'an and the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet together became a reliable source of knowing Islam.

            As Muslims, we believe in all the Prophets who preceded Muhammad (pbuh) But for instruction we turn to Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) alone. Not on account of any prejudice, but because:

  • As the last of God's Prophets he brought us the latest divine dispensation.
  • The Word of God which reached us through Muhammad (pbuh) is pure divine language, free of human admixtures, and preserved in its original form. Its language is a living language, spoken, written and understood by millions of people, and whose grammar, vocabulary, idiom, pronunciation and script have remained unchanged from the time of revelation till today.

             As said earlier, we have a complete historical record of the life, character, conduct, sayings and actions of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), preserved with meticulous care, accuracy and detail. Since this cannot be said of other Prophets we can believe in them, but we cannot emulate them.

 

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