Assalamualaikum and welcome once again to Islam focus. Today’s program inshallah will be our 34th in our series Muhammad, peace be upon blast messenger of Allah. And our topic today will be birth and early childhood of the Prophet on your host we shall be mission here once again from St. Mary’s University is Dr. Gemma. So making records or articles for the benefit of our viewers, could we have a brief summary of last week’s program please? Sure, we began to examine the anticipation of the coming of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him among the Arabs themselves. And we said many have spoken about that
including a person by the name of Zeit nominal Nuffield, who claimed to have heard this from Jews and Christians and give very, very accurate description of what will happen. We made a comparison between that statement by that Arab and what we discussed previously in several programs about the prophecies about the advent of grace Muhammad peace be upon him in the Bible.
We talked about the science of the imminence of his birth, the various visions and observations by several individuals including the vision or dream of his grandfather, his mother, and another side of Halloween inside of us.
In addition to this, we have also given a reference to very authentic reports about the the incident of the elephant and attempt to destroy the Kaaba and how was that foiled. And that was the same year where the Prophet was born.
And then we discussed a little bit as to what happened. At the time of the birth of the prophet or afterwards, we describe briefly the highly unusual event that took place in the Palace of the the emperor of Prussia, and the extinguishing of the fire of the Zoroastrians, which was there for 1000 years. And also, the questions that were raised by a Jewish merchant who was living in Mecca, the night the Prophet was born, because he noted something and he actually indicated that there must have been some
somebody born tonight who will be the last prophet or the prophet of this age.
This is not the only ones actually.
We got cut off this time, and that didn’t give us time to complete your question. In particular about some of the size of the birth or after
of the birth of the Prophet Muhammad, was there anything you want to conclude? Okay, there are a couple of more points and a comment that one scholar made about the science. One of them also happened in Mecca. And the other one in Medina, which was, you know, my enjoy from from, from the birthplace of the Prophet, the one that happened in Mecca is that there are reports of the idols, that the herbs the pagans put inside the cover, you know, the Kaaba was built for the worship of the wrong guy. But of course, they desecrated that by putting those idols. So they said that night, this idols fell off, and we’re not in their proper place. So that seemed to have been also a sort of sign
that tonight is born, the one who’s going to destroy those items, purify the house of God from all this idolatry and destroy it to monotheism.
But the other event that took place in yesterday also was narrated by a very famous companion of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. His name is has sent a metallic who was also a poet and very close companion.
Essentially, that while he was a young boy, about seven or eight years old,
he heard
one Joe, calling his other fellow Jews living in yathrib, or Medina.
Set telling them that tonight the stars of Ahmed Mohammed has appeared he is to be born tonight. I don’t know what the explanation was that any cosmic
change or something unusual that he has seen? This is something we don’t have that much knowledge. I think people in astrology or astronomy might have something to say about that. But we don’t know exactly the nature but he claims to have heard that. That particular narration seem to be confirmed by the fact that when Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him migrated from Mecca to Medina, after persecution, that’s after being a prophet.
As soon as the Sabbath was 60 years old, and the profit was about 53, which was the truthfulness of the story. I mean, the information seemed to match the timeframe and seem to indicate the
This conversation between between the Jews in Egypt actually took place the same night that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him was born. The final point I just wanted to add here is
a number of comments made by Sheikh Mohammed Abu Zahra. One recent scholar who says that we should not evaluate those reports only on the basis as to whether these are usual, are familiar happenings or not. As long as there is no evidence, firm evidence is established that those reports are unauthentic. And he indicated as we indicated also before that the kind of miracles is a matter which is beyond the norm and causative relationship and beyond the comprehension of the human mind, who cannot put it in the laboratory.
The other point that he says is that this events or this science, at the time of the birth of Prophet Muhammad, peace, be upon him, or before,
should not be really taken as something very unusual, especially for
a practicing Christian who believes in his rival, as we find in the New Testament, several references of various unusual events and science, when Jesus peace be upon him was born. And this is a profit, this is a profit, this is a great profit, and this is also a great profit. So what’s so unusual about it? It becomes very strange, really, that he says that, for example, some Christian scholars and writers, for missionaries, orientalist and so on, believe in this in the Bible. But when it comes to Prophet Mohammed, they say no, it must be dismissed because it’s, it’s unusual, it must be superstitious, but they believe in what happened in the birth of Jesus. So he said that
Abilene Christian, we should not find that very strange, really.
But I think there is a difference, however,
there, because, for example, in Christianity, a person who rejects the science of the birth of Jesus peace be upon him, will be rejecting his own holy book. And as such, for many of the mainstream of Christians, they would consider that journey as a sort of really negation of the faith, if you don’t believe what is there in the Bible. But in the case of Islam, however,
those events that we talked about the visions that people saw, and so on, are things which are not in the Quran, which the Muslim accept as the Word of God. And as such, no matter how authentic These reports are, you cannot say that a person is no longer a Muslim, because he rejects this report. So there’s some degree of tolerance there. But this does not mean again, that a scholar would have a good reason to reject such authentic reports unless he proves that they are an authentic solely on the basis of their being
unusual. In fact, there are some respected writers like Sheikh Mohammed, for example, who accept some of those reports others, he does not accept, but he does not reject anything, for example, that pretend to miracle as such, which would be an erroneous kind of approach to take like, like Hakan. So this are issues that perhaps you might say, were very close to the verse of the Prophet, that there are many more that comes during his lifetime. And perhaps in the proper chronology, we might get to some of those unusual things. Now, let us turn to the lineage of the Prophet. How many generations are there between Ishmael and the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon
God knows, the only thing that has been authenticated. And there’s unanimity on there’s absolutely no difference that I know of any of the major sources of the biography of the Prophet,
that the lineage of the Prophet goes quite clearly, and for sure, for about 23 generations to add men. In English, you can like that, like ad and as an admin.
That’s part of the lineage, the lineage between admin, all the way to Ishmael and Abraham,
is not to be taken as certain even though some people try to connect that lineage, but there is no
absolute proof for that. In fact, the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him himself, spoke about himself and trace that lineage to admin. And then he said after that kind of unnecessarily, that’s beyond that. Those who try to establish lineage, they’re not telling the truth. In other words, they are just mere conjecture.
But the interesting thing is that it is also unanimously
agreed that admin was a descendant of Prophet Ishmael, the son of Abraham, and that there is no difference. That’s the lineage of the Prophet, let’s say from his father.
But the lineage also come from his mother.
Actually, we’ll get into that a little later that she also belong to the tribe or clan of admin, a descendant punishment.
The thing that’s also agreed to, without difference that they know of, is that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him came from a novel stuck from a very northern tribe and family. In fact, he himself expressed that as narrated in utter misery, when he said that God has chosen me from the best of the people, and the best of the tribes, and the best of households are clans.
This was also confirmed in another saying of his narrated in Muslim one of the most authentic sources of the saying of the Prophet, that God has chosen kwinana from the children of Ishmael, and chose kurush from Kiana and chose the clan of Benny Hashem, from among kwinana, and chose me from among many Hashem, these are all descendants, ascendance of the Prophet.
So that’s seem to give a clear indication again, of the inability and honor of the family. There’s also sufficient information that the grandfather of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him. His name was Abdullah was a very respected man among his people. They say he was a very good manners, a tolerant person, very hospitable and generous. He was very much beloved by the people, he did not boast of his inability he was very humble with with the people. And a lot of people are residents of Mecca, trusted him so much.
In the meantime, he was a person known to be courageous, and with a very strong determination.
Now, the father of the Prophet also, Abdullah Ahmed, peace be upon him, was a very virtuous upright and in the meantime, very good looking young men,
as well as his mother, the mother of the Prophet, her name was Amina, daughter of one
who also come from a noble family. And as I indicated earlier, she come also from the descendants of Ishmael,
through Adnan, she meets with the Prophet actually in the fifth generation of a sentence.
her reputation was very, very good.
As a very chaste, righteous, and wise woman. In fact, some writers like Zara likens Amina to the version, the mother of Jesus May peace be upon her.
Since we mentioned about him also in the first volume of his work, and on pages 167 through 170
discusses some of the reports that has been attributed to the Prophet peace be upon him. When he was asked about his parents, that’s after he became a prophet, that he said they are in the Hellfire because they died before Islam. And abaza indicate that this report is, is rather weak in terms of chain of narration, and the terms of criticism of the text of the report itself. It seems to be doubtful also because it contradicts the roles in Islam that people cannot be held accountable before a prophet comes. And that those people were people with good characters were honored and honorable people. They were generous people. And the fact that they did not discover Islam is not
their fault, because the Prophet was not commissioned yet or received the revelation. But in any case, to be brief, as far as lineage, it’s obviously from the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abraham, both from the mother side as well as from the Father side and that he grew up in a very Northern and respected family and clan in Arabia.
A clarification of this last point may be useful.
Islam teaches equality of all humans, which it does. Why should the issue of lineage
Okay, first of all, it is quite true that in Islam as a cardinal principle, there is no superiority by belonging to a given family and itself or color or race or richness or being made
or female. It’s very manifestly mentioned in the Quran, especially in Surah, number 49, in passage 13, where it says all mankind, we created you from a single pair of a male and female, and you must apply it you into nations and tribes that you may get to know one another. No, the novelist of your the best of you in the sight of God is one who is most righteous. So righteousness is the only criteria. There’s no question about that this is a very important principle in Islam. But there’s no harm when the righteousness which is the criteria of one human being being better than the other, is also combined with the nobility of the stuck. After all, this was of help, really, in his function
as a prophet and messenger of God. For example, when you speak about prophets like Jacob, Joseph, and their descendants, Moses, Jesus, we praise them very highly, above all, on their own rights, because they were righteous people, they were true and faithful servants of God. But in the meantime, it’s an honor for them, in addition to be also descendants of Abraham, or come from this family, which carried this tradition of spiritual guidance. So you’re right. It’s not a source of security, but there’s no harm when it’s combined with good deeds. But some scholars also like Dr. emetine, Kalyan added, that this also was very much connected with the mission of the Prophet,
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, was raised in a community which has intense tribal loyalty.
And they used to be very proud of that. And if the Prophet came from an unknown origin or lineage,
those who wanted to oppose him could keep pointing the origin and as such, drives people away from listening to him. So at least that removes one of the excuses that you should not listen to that man don’t know, you know what his lineage is. Furthermore, the fact that he came from an honor, that respected tribe might have provided also
some sort of protection in the initial period, that at least he was protected because he belonged to that novel tribe. And that gives the micro determination period, the period, at least initial spread of Islam, which required some sort of security for the time being.
Of course, he was hurt, and he was attacked by others. But still, it could have been much worse if he belonged to less powerful type of tribe or clan. So the idea here is really not pride in nobility of stuck in itself. But it was a help in his mission. And above all, I fully agree with you that the criteria is righteousness, but there’s no harm when both of them are combined. In fact, the inability of the stuck in itself, does not mean that he identified with the rich. In fact, he identified with the Polish with the helpless with the oppressed. He himself actually began his suffering. As soon as he was born, even before even he came to the slave there was already tragedy
in his life.
Now, how did that come about out? Could you explain what were the circumstances? In particular, I’m referring to him being blind, and one
was to begin with, very shortly after the marriage of his father, Abdullah from Amina
Abdullah Abdullah, the father of the Prophet went on a caravan trade caravan to Syria.
At that time, it was only a very, you know, very recent group really, just a few months, perhaps after many eminent
on his way back, coming back to Mecca.
He fell sick. And he stayed with the relatives with some of the relatives of the of m&r in yesterday. And then he died.
Some scholars like I’m editing, speculate that this might have been possibly because of malaria, which might have been spread that time.
That means actually, that the first suffering of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him even began before he was even born, that he lost his father.
The shock, of course, was very great for me.
Just you know, a young woman and her beloved husband who was aspired to by many other women to get married to a few months after her marriage died, but she gives an excellent example of patience and perseverance and acceptance of this very hard reality.
So this is basically what we’re referring to that his suffering really began with that there have been some very weak narrations like in hasn’t that his father died after his birth. But this is not authentic at all, because there is almost virtually unanimity that when Prophet Mohammed is reopening was taken for, for cycling, in went with a cycling mother, other than his mother, he was already orphaned. So the it’s quite clear that he, he was born.
After his birth, his father was dead.
When was he born? What was the year of the Prophet Mohammed? Okay, the most accurate expression of that is to say, like the Arab biographers have always said that he was born in the year of the elephant.
This was very well known
among the Arabs, because that’s where the great event took place when the abrar came to attack the Cabo with elephants. And we talked about that before. So the year of the incident of the elephant was the year of divorce More precisely, several reports say that he was born 50 days after that incident, more specifically in the tools of our, in the Arabic learners months.
What does that or is what equivalent
date is there in the Common Era, there have been a slight difference. Some people estimated the equivalents to be in the year 570, or 571, actually, one Egyptian astronomer by the name was
estimated that to be exactly the 20th of April, in 571, there might be a slight variation in that, but this is the time of the birth. As soon as the Prophet Muhammad was born, his mother Amina, sent to his grandfather and that’s a further evidence that his father was dead, or she sent to his grandfather after mortality, a message that, you know,
a boy has been born to your genetic cost to your son, but you’re now taking care of the Son, Saba metallic came very happy he carried his grandson is extremely excited. He went to the cabin because they still respected the cabin, and kept thanking God and offering grace. He said, those people were strange. They believed in God, they believed in the One God but they took these idols as intermediaries. So at that moment of happiness, he started to thank God for that. And then he returned him to his mother, and said to her, all right, give him the name. Muhammad.
Why did you choose to choose that name? I’m wondering like his grandfather.
Choosing Hammad in particular was a popular one. Okay. Well, he’s he explained it actually, in one narration, that he said, I wanted him to be praised in heaven, and on earth, that you’ll be praised by people, or by angels in heavens, placed by God’s end, and on earth by people. There is a possibility, however, that he might have given that name because of a vision that was also seen by his mother m&r
that she was taught also, she heard the voice previously, that when you give a verse, quote him, Mohammed, she might have told the story to his grandfather. And as such, there was a meeting of understanding that his name should be Mohammed. But in any case, as the Sheikh Mohammed early in page 61, of his book on Sierra, or the lifetime of the Prophet, it is in any case, there is a clear indication that there was some kind of inspiration, or in you know, given possibly, to optimal by God, to give the name, Muhammad so that he would be placed in heavens and earth and he comment on that and he says that there is no other human being who so much was beneficent, and the ability for
the human mind and the human soul, as that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and as such, the first one and heavens on earth is very befitting. And this kind of understanding, seemed to be quite consistent with what has been mentioned in
the most authentic reference about the prophetic saying,
in which the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him was quoted as saying, and this I tried to translate to the best of my ability. He says, Don’t you wonder
how God or Allah has guarded me from the light and cursing of Christ, his tribe? He said, they lighten and curse one who is not praiseworthy, but I am praiseworthy. I am hammered because the named Mohammed means praiseworthy which means that Allah given has given him a name.
One so that all the cursing of Christ actually was the opposite to his name. So that doesn’t really apply to him. So the name then was not just the name, as you see, it’s actually an attribute because the name has the meaning also have of place.
information as to whether to name Mohammed who was known before his birth. When ignition, the most important and reliable source of life of the Prophet does not say anything about that. However, another older reference about that, by Esther Haley, I mentioned him before, narrates that there were only or there was one report of only three persons before the rest of Prophet Muhammad, who were known to have the same name, Muhammad. And he says that the interesting part he said, the reason they were giving the name Muhammad is that their parents were visiting some nearby countries,
or voters in the Christian or Judeo Christian world. And they heard from the people there that there is a prophet who is going to come from Arabia, whose name shall be Muhammad. So those parents when they got out when they beget more children, the three ones they call them hammered in the hope that this might turn out to be the the prophesied about Hassan another one contemporary square also says that this report perhaps needs further verification technical terms of narration, because he says that everybody who heard the name Mohammed when he was born, he found it rather strange and kept asking after metallic, why did you call him Mohammed, which seemed to indicate that probably the
name was not known. He will thank you very much Dr. Better. Thank you all for joining us here in a second focus. As always, your questions and comments will be most appreciated. Our phone number and address will be appearing on your screen for all of us unison focus Assalamu alaikum and we hope to see you next week, inshallah
