Qalam Seerah: Life of the Prophet (pbuh)

Episode 16: Bhaira The Monk Welcome to Seerah Pearls, which aims to highlight some tantalising learning points from each episode of the Seerah- Life of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Another well-konown incident is the meeting of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) with Bhaira the monk. There is a difference in narrations as to the age of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) when this happened: the minority report that he was 9 years old i.e. that this happened soon after he came under the care of Abu Talib. The majority report he was 1 2 years old. Abu Talib was a businessman and he decided to go on a business trip to Ash-Sham. At that time in history, Ash-Sham was ruled by the Romans, with a strong Christian presence. Travel was very difficult and initially, Abu Talib planned to leave the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) behind in Makkah. However, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) cried profusely and asked not to be left behind. Finally, Abu Talib agrees he can join the business caravan. While travelling, they stop near a place called Busra, which was the usual stopping place for the Quraysh. Here, there was a temple inhabited by Bhaira ar-Rahib. The majority say he was Christian, but some accounts say he was Jewish. That temple had always been inhabited by academic scholars of the Jewish-Christian tradition. The locals would stay away from Bhaira as he did not like interacting with people. When the Quraysh arrived, he would usually have nothing to do with them. This time, with the arrival of the Quraysh caravan, something catches the attention of Bhaira: he sees that a cloud is moving along with them. When they stop, the cloud stops. He notices a boy breaks apart from the group and the cloud follows him. Sitting under a tree, the branches seem to move to provide shade for the boy. Bhaira recognises the signs of the last Messenger of all times. Bahira becomes very intrigued and decides to invite the Quraysh for a feast at the temple. The group is surprised by his pleasant behaviour. They leave the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to look after the precious merchandise. Bhaira does not see the boy at the feast and asks if they brought everyone. After this, they bring him to the feast too. Whilst the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) is eating, Bhaira studies him intently. He shows a lot of affection towards the boy, as he wanted to show his hospitality to the boy that he believed to be the Prophet of the last times. Bhaira speaks to Abu Talib, sharing his concerns that this special boy should not be taken further into Ash-Sham: he feels that other people may recognise what Bhaira himself recognised, but they may not be so merciful towards the boy. Thus, Abu Talib decides the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) should return to Makkah. There are three narrations as to what happens next: A small minority mention that Abu Talib decides to take the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) with him to Ash-Sham, but he shortens the business trip. The majority mention Abu Talib returns to Makkah from Busra and he takes the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) home himself. Another account mentions that some young people were with the caravan, including Abu Bakr and Bilal the slave. Others in the business caravan do not want to lose Abu Talib’s company on the trip and suggest that the 3 young people go together to Makkah.

Episode 15: With His Loving Grandfather & Uncle Welcome to Seerah Pearls, which aims to highlight some tantalising learning points from each episode of the Seerah- Life of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). This episode looks at the time the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) spent with his grandfather and uncle. It is interesting to note that Allah never deprived him of the presence of a loving, caring individual, despite him losing his father and mother. These individuals were always people of great character and ethics. Abdul-Muttalib, his grand-father, was incredibly loving towards the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). He was always looking for him and would check on him before going to sleep. There was a cushion for Abdul Muttalib to sit on under the shade of the Ka’ba, where he would meet and greet people, with his back against the Ka’ba. This seat was especially reserved for him and no-one dared to sit on it. His sons would sit immediately around him: even his own children would not dare sit on that seat out of respect for him. However, the Prophet, aged 6, would come and sit on that seat. His uncles would grab him and move him out the way: when Abdul-Muttalib would see them moving him, he would say to leave the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) alone. When the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) reached the age of 8, his grandfather passed away. Abdul-Muttalib called all his family and emphasised the importance of taking care of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). He asked Abu Talib to talk care of him, whereas as Abbas was given the responsibility of the well of Zam Zam and arranging water for the visitors of the Ka’ba. Abu Talib was the most closely related to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), as he had the same mother as Abdullah, the father of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). A simple man, Abu Talib took great care him: he would not eat food until the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) had eaten, and would check upon him before going to sleep. He truly loved him more than his own children.

Episode 14: Death of the Prophets Mother Welcome to Seerah Pearls, which aims to highlight some tantalising learning points from each episode of the Seerah- Life of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) went back to being in the care of his mother, Amina, in Makkah. Amina decided to make a trip to Yathrib, which later became the blessed city of Medina. Some say his mother wanted him to meet the extended family members; others report it was because she wanted to visit the grave of her husband, Abdullah, who died in Medina. The two were accompanied by Umm Aiman (Barakah), one of the milk mothers of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). They spent time in Quba and Yathrib, staying for about one month. They left Yathrib and travelled to a place called Abwa: it is here that Amina passed away due to an unknown illness. Umm Aiman buried the mother of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and embraced Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), who was 6 years old. Some reports say she returned to Yathrib with the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), where they stayed for a few days until his grandfather, Abdul-Muttalib, came to take him home. Other reports mention Umm Aiman returned to Makkah with Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) alone. Once, the Sahabah were with the Prophet at a place near Abwa. The Prophet asked them to wait until he came back, requesting that no-one followed him. He returned looking ill and heavy-hearted. He then explained that he went to the grave his mother. Initially, the Prophet had forbidden the visiting of graves, to distance people from idol worship. However, when they had become secure in their faith, he then allowed them to visit graves. Another narration shows the shear sadness of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) from these memories of his mother. Some Sahabah are reported to have accompanied the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to a grave, where he sat down and cried profusely, to the point where he choked up and lost his breath. The Sahabah also started crying. Umar comforted the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and asked why he was crying so much, to which the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) replied that the grave was that of his beloved mother. This story shows the human, emotional side of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).

Episode 13: Splitting of his Chest Welcome to Seerah Pearls, which aims to highlight some tantalising learning points from each episode of the Seerah- Life of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). This episode recounts the story of the splitting of the Prophet Muhammad’s (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) chest. His brother Abdullah came running one day to his parents looking petrified, crying ‘My brother, my brother!’ He mentions that two men came wearing white clothes, lay the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) down on his back and split his chest open. It was at this point Abdullah went running for help. A cut was made from the hollow of his neck to his navel. They removed the heart, split it open, and took a black blood clot out and threw it away. They had a dish made of gold, and they washed the heart in ZamZam with ice. The heart was then returned again to the chest. These men were actually angels: they were seen to come from the sky. A conversation takes place between the two angels, which reports that the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) would outweigh the whole Ummah. Halimah and her husband were very worried by this event, and thus they immediately set out to Makkah to return the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to his mother. His mother realised something had occurred, and reassured them that Shaytaan would never be able to get a hold of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). She recounts the miraculous events during her pregnancy e.g. she did not feel any burden whatsoever during the pregnancy. In respect of the the heart being cleansed, the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) encounters a similar event at the time of Isra and Mi’raj.

Episode 12: Halimah’s Blessing Welcome to Seerah Pearls, which aims to highlight some tantalising learning points from each episode of the Seerah- Life of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). This episode discusses Halimah Sadiya, another lady who breast-fed the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). The Arabs in Makkah preferred their children to spend their early years being raised in the desert, where it was felt they were safer from diseases and pollution rife in the city, as well as having the opportunity of learning pure, eloquent Arabic. Women from desert tribes would come to Makkah to collect the children, in return for financial incentives. Halima was married and had three children of her own. She and her family made an arduous journey to Makkah, recounting that it was a year of drought. Her camel was not able to give milk, thus her own milk dried up. Their mule was very slow, thus they fell behind the group. They did not sleep all night due to hunger and the wailing of their hungry child. Eventually reaching Makkah, they found that all the other women in the tribe had already secured babies from good families with good financial incentives. The one chid left was the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Halima was reluctant to take him, worried that he was an orphan, but she also did not want to return empty-handed. As soon as Halima collected the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), miracles started: her milk flowed abundantly; the mule suddenly became fit and active; the camel produced milk; their land became green and the livestock grazed to their fill, also producing abundant milk. When a child reaches 2 years, it is usually time to return them home again. Halima did not want to return the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) because of the blessings he brought, as well as the close attachment that had developed.: she convinced his mother to allow him to return with her, thus he stayed a further time of between 6-18months.

Episode 11: The Women Who Cared for the Prophet Welcome to Seerah Pearls, which aims to highlight some tantalising learning points from each episode of the Seerah- Life of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). This episode discuses the infancy of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was nursed by his own mother, Amina, as well as some other women. When a child is nursed by a women other than the mother, it establishes a relationship such that it is forbidden to marry that  person i.e. she becomes a milk-mother; he also cannot marry her daughters. The lives of two milk-mothers are explored: a) Barakah (Umm Ayman) Barakah was originally from from East Africa and a slave. First owned by Abdul Muttalib, she was given to Abdullah, and thus ended up in the home of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam): he inherited her from his mother, and when he married Khadijah, he freed her, but she remained close to the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Barakah accepted Islam and performed Hijrah. She accompanied the Muslims in some of the battles. Ayman, her son, was born from a previous marriage and was a believer. Her husband also accepted Islam, and was martyred in a battle. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) proposed that whoever would like to marry a women from the people of paradise, that man should marry Umm Ayman. Zaid ibn Haritha, the adopted son of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), chose to marry her. They had a son together called Usama ibn Zaid. Barakah died 20 days after the death of Umar Al-Khattab. b) Thuwaybah Thuwaybah was a slave-girl owned by Abu Lahab. When the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was born, she came running to Abu Lahab to inform him of the  good news. Abu Lahab was so overjoyed that he freed her on the spot. It is mentioned that Abbas the uncle of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), saw Abu Lahab in a dream and asked him what happened after death. Abu Lahab said he had been punished non-stop, but every Monday, he was given a break because when the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was born he freed Thuwaybah. Thuwaybah also nursed the Prophet’s uncle, Hamza, and Abu Salamah. She accepted Islam, and died in 7AH.

Episode 10: Birth of the Messenger Pt 2 Welcome to Seerah Pearls, which aims to highlight some tantalising learning points from each episode of the Seerah- Life of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Several miraculous events are said to have happened around the time of the birth of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). The issues with the authenticity of these reports are discussed. It is mentioned that the palace of Kisra, in Persia, shook on the night of the birth of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). Fourteen balconies broke and fell off the palace. A sacred fire, which was the central object of worship in the region, that had not blown out for 1000 years, became extinguished. The Tigris river levels became very low, so that water stopped flowing to some regions. With these events, the king gathered his people and council. He was advised that that there are suggestions of something interesting going on towards Arabia. The king thus sent a man in the direction of the Arabs to find out what was happening. The leaders of Sham were also found to be asking the same question: what was happening in the direction of the Arabs? An individual who was knowledgable about prophecies reported that these events signified that the man who was to be the Prophet of the last times had been born. He details a prophecy that the reign of the Kisra would see only fourteen more emperors until its demise. Other prophecies around the person to be the last Prophet include: – he would be born on a Monday, given Prophethood on a Monday and die on a Monday – a star would be present that was also seen the night previous Prophets were born – he would be an orphan – on his back, between his shoulder blades, was a birth mark like a cluster of moles with hairs growing (the seal of Prophethood) – he would not live to see the age of 70 years.

Episode 9: Birth of the Messenger Pt 1 Welcome to Seerah Pearls, which aims to highlight some tantalising learning points from each episode of the Seerah- Life of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). This episode discusses the birth of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). The majority of scholars say he was born during Rabbi Al-Awwal. The date has a variety of narrations, including the 2nd, 8th, 10th and 17th. The 12th is the popularly known date mentioned by Ibn Ishaaq. His birthday corresponds to the date 25th April 571 CE. Narrations are explored of miraculous events that occurred during the pregnancy and birth. Amina reports that throughout her pregnancy, she did not feel any discomfort: even the labour was pain-free. She saw a dream where light from her uterus was illuminating the palaces of Syria and Sham. After the birth, Abdul Muttalib took his grandson to the Kaba and made dua for him. He named him Muhammad, ‘the abundantly praised’, which at the time was a rare name. The Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) other names are also discussed. Finally there are discussions around the circumcision of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and also about celebrating the Prophet’s birthday (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).

Episode 8: The Prophets Parents Welcome to Seerah Pearls, which aims to highlight some tantalising learning points from each episode of the Seerah- Life of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). This episode explores the immediate family of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam): 1) his great-grandfather Hashim, 2) his grandfather Abdul Muttalib, 3) his mother Amina, and 4) his father Abdullah. 1) Hashim inherited the responsibility of giving water to those who visited the Kaba. He extended this hospitality to include giving food. His name was actually Amr, but the name Hashim occurred as a result of his crushing bread into the broth for the visitors. Hashim also established the economy of the area by starting travelling business caravans in both summer and winter. Whilst on a journey, Hashim married the great-grandmother of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) in Madina, named Salma bint Amr from the tribe of Banu Najjar. Thus, the Prophet’s (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) lineage is split between Makkah and Madina. 2) Hashim died in Gaza, Palestine whilst on a trade journey. Salma was expecting Abdul Muttalib, the grandfather of the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). His original name was Shaybah, meaning ‘little old man’, as he had some white hair at birth. He grew up in Madina, as his mother had kept the birth secret from his paternal family in Makkah, for fear of them taking him away. Eventually, the brother of Hashim goes to Madina to retrieve Shaybah once he discovers his existence. Salma reluctantly agrees for her son to go to Makkah. On their arrival in Makkah, people assume the young boy is the slave of Muttalib, hence the name ‘Abdul Muttalib’. 3) When Abdul Muttalib discovered Zam Zam, he vowed to Allah that if he were to be blessed with 10 sons, he would sacrifice one of them for his sake. Once his prayer was realised, he drew lots to determine which son would be sacrificed: every time the name of his most beloved, Abdullah, would arise. Abdul Muttalib was determined to fulfil his oath, despite everyone’s attempt to make him change his mind. A fortune-teller offered a solution to the dilemma: she advised drawing lots between the name of Abdullah and 10 camels- the lots would be drawn until the camels were drawn, with the compensation of 10 camels being totalled up each time Abdullah’s name was picked. The final compensation was 100 camels to avert the sacrifice of Abdullah. 4) Abdullah married Amina bint Wahab. Soon after, Abdullah went on a business trip. He stopped in Madina, where he died. In Makkah, Amina was pregnant with the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). This episode also explores the commonly asked question as to the fate of people, such as the parents of the Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), in the hereafter.

The invasion of Makkah by Abraha and his elephant army is a captivating tale of faith and divine intervention. Abdul Muttalib impressively negotiates with Abraha over stolen camels, asserting that the Kaaba has a protector. As the attack looms, the inhabitants flee to the hills while he earnestly prays for the Kaaba's safety. Just as the assault begins, a flock of tiny birds drops stones on Abraha's forces, illustrating the power of divine protection. This event holds profound significance in the context of the Prophet's imminent arrival.