Part One: SEERAH (Biographical Sketch) CHAPTER

C:\Users\Admin\Dropbox\The Message - Material of Maulana\16. Books and Review\Apa's Books\Life And 13 Muhammad returned to his mother after five years of desert life. Then Aminah took him to Madinah to meet her uncles, the Banu al-Najjar. She was accompanied by Umm Ayman, her servant, on that trip. After a stay of a month in Yathrib, Aminah was on her way back to Makkah, when passing through a village called Abwah, she fell ill and died there. She was buried in Abwah. It fell to Umm Ayman to bring Muhammad back to Makkah. Therefore, the orphan Muhammad was taken care of by his grandfather Abdul Muttalib, chief of the clan of Banu Hashim. He looked after him with great affection. As leader of the Quraysh, he used to sit on a cushion in Kabah, whenever Muhammad joined him, he was allowed to sit on that cushion. If anyone tried to stop him, his grandfather would say, “Leave him alone. By God, he is very important.” (Ibn Hisham) Abdul Muttalib died when Muhammad was eight years old. Now the guardianship of Muhammad passed to Abu Talib, his uncle, who was a merchant. Once when Abu Talib was preparing to go to Syria on a trading journey, Muhammad expressed a keen desire to accompany him. Though he was very young to undertake such a difficult journey, Abu Talib was so full of affection for him that he could not refuse, and agreed to take him on the journey. Their trade caravan halted in the city of Busra in Syria. There was a Christian monk by the name of Bahirah living there in a monastery. He had read in the ancient books about the emergence of an Arab prophet. He recognised in Muhammad the signs of prophethood. He knew at once that he was the boy who had been destined to become the last of the prophets. The monk invited the whole caravan to his monastery and asked Abu Talib, “In what way are you related to this child?” He said, “He is my son.” Bahirah said, “It cannot be. His father should not be alive.” Then Abu Talib informed him that his father was no longer alive. Bahirah advised him to return with his nephew immediately and to protect him from enemies. He said, “By God, if he is recognised, he will surely be harmed.” Ibn Ishaq writes, “Muhammad entered his adulthood as if God Himself was protecting him from the widespread evils of the period of ignorance.” By