PROPHET MUHAMMAD—PART I

It was unusual for a young man to take this course in the prime of life. He renounced worldly happiness and chose a path fraught with difficulties. He had all means and opportunities for a comfortable life, but his turbulent soul found no satisfaction in them. He could not rest content until he had unravelled the mysteries of life. He sought to delve beyond external appearances, and seek out the reality of life. Worldly gain and loss, comfort and distress, did not concern him; what mattered was the all-important question of truth and falsehood. This phase of the Prophet’s life is referred to thus in the Quran: Did he not find you wandering and guide you? (THE QURAN 93: 7) The word used in this verse for “wandering” (dhallan) can also be used to describe a tree standing alone in an empty desert. The Prophet, then, was like a lone tree standing amidst the vast wilderness of ignorance that was Arabia of the time. The idea of consolidating his position in this society was abhorrent to him. He sought the truth, and nothing less than the truth could satisfy his soul. His quest had reached a point when life had become an unbearable burden. The Quran looks back on that time: Have We not lifted up and expanded your heart and relieved you of the burden, which weighed down your back? (THE QURAN 94: 1-3) God indeed relieved him of his burden. He turned in mercy to His Prophet, illuminating his path and guiding him on his journey. On February 12, 610 AD, the Prophet was sitting alone in his cave. The angel of the Lord appeared before him in human form and taught him the words, which appear at the beginning of the ninety-sixth chapter of the Quran. The Prophet’s quest had finally been rewarded. His restless soul had joined in communion with the Lord. Not only did God grant him guidance; He also chose Muhammad as His Prophet and special envoy to the world. The mission of the Prophet extended over the next twenty-three years. During this period the entire content of the Quran—the final divine scripture—was revealed to him. The Prophet beseeched the Maker of the heavens and the earth for answers to the questions surging in his mind. What is our true role in life? What does the Lord require of us, His servants?