LIFE OF THE PROPHET

SUPERSTITION

There was not much learning among the Arabs at this time. Few people could read or write. Because they knew very little, people believe in all sorts of strange things. They thought that evil spirits lived in places by themselves and spread certain kinds of diseases. To escape having these diseases, people tried to appease these evil spirits with strange sings and dances. People also believed in soothsayers who pretended to know what was to happen in the future.
In the course of a few years Muhammad set the Arab people free from their early customs and beliefs.

THE POSITION OF WOMEN
Women had a very low position in the society. They were not treated any better than the lower animals. A woman was only looked upon as only a piece of property. If her husband or any other relation died, she has no right to any share if his property. Indeed she herself was considered as part of the property of her dead husband, and his heir could do with her as he chose. He could marry her himself, or give her hand in marriage to any one else.
Some of the women had more than one husband, and a husband could have as many wives as he liked.
Considering how bad the position of women was among the Arabs, women today must be thankful to Muhammad SAW, who raised them from the lowest place to a position of great honour. It was he who said to men;
"The best of you is the man who treats his wife the best"
And the Quran says of women(2:228): the same is due to them as from them"
A Muslim wife so far as her property is concerned, is as free as her husband. She may do whatever she pleases with her money, without asking him.

REFUGEES TO ABYSSINIA
In the fifth year after the holy prophet had been called by God to do his great work, he had collected round him a band of more than fifty close companions. Their ill treatments of the Meccans only knit them more closely together. The prophet was so kind that the sight of pain, even the pain of his enemies, always made him sad. How then could he bear to see the sufferings caused to his friends by their enemies? Those friends helped the prophet greatly, he needed every one of them.
Yet when he saw that the enemies were becoming more cruel every day, he advised the Muslims to go away to a place of safety. He was not afraid for himself, but he could not bear to see his companions so cruelly treated. He advised them to go to Abyssinia which ruled by a christian king called Negus.
Most the Muslim men and women left their homes in mecca and went to Abyssinia. Even there they could not get away from the anger of the Meccans. The king of Abyssinia received some meccan people who brought a message asking that the Muslims should be send back to their own of mecca. But this christian king was a ruler who loved justice, when he heard the message, he wished to hear what the Muslims had to say, so they were brought before him.
The king asked them why they were in his country, then one of them, Ja'afar bin Abu Talib, stood up and said;
"Oh king! We were a people of little learning, worshippers of idols, we used to eat dead animals, and do all kinds if evil things. We do not behave as we ought to with our relations, and we ill treated our neighbours. The strong among us robbed the weak, to make themselves rich. At last God send us a prophet to turn us from our evil ways.
The good life of the prophet is well known to us. He called us to the worship if only one God, and to give up our worship of idols and stones. He told us to only speak the truth, to do what was right, to respect our relations and to do all good to all men.
He told us to avoid looting and killing and every kind uncleanliness. He forbade us to use the property of the orphans unlawfully, of to speak disrespectfully of women. So we believed in him, followed him and acted upon his teachings. But our own people began to do us wrong. They ill treated us, thinking that we might give up our faith in the one true God and go back to the worship of idols.
When their cruelty became so great that we could no longer bear them, we cane to look for a place of safety in your country, where we hope that no harm will come to us".
The king liked this speech so much that he refused to hand over the Muslims to the Meccans. The Meccans then went to the noble men of the king's court and gave them money and presents and made secret plans with them against the Muslims, saying that the Muslim spoke ill of Jesus.
The king sent for the Muslims and asked them what they taught if Jesus. The Muslim explained to him what Islam taught about Jesus, that he was a beloved servant of God and a prophet. They would not accept him as God, because God was one. This enraged or infuriated the nobles and they demanded that the king should punish the Muslims.
The king, however said, "According to my own belief, too, Jesus was not more than what the Muslims believe".
He told the noble men that he did not mind their anger, for he would rather please God than be the ruler of his country. So he refused to give the Muslims over to their enemies.
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