The Life of the Prophet Muhammad

The Prophet's Marriage

By the time Muhammad (pbuh) was twenty-five he was famous for hishonesty. He was respected by everyone, even the elders of Mecca. Thepurity of his nature increased with the years. It seemed he had an innerknowledge that other people did not have. He believed in one GodCreator of the world-and he worshipped Him with all his heart and withall his soul. Muhammad (pbuh) was the finest of his people, the mostkind, truthful and reliable person in Mecca. He was known amongQuraysh as 'the trustworthy' (al-Amin) because of the good qualitiesAllah had given him. He spent many quiet hours in a cave in Mount Hira,not far from Mecca, thinking about Allah. Among Quraysh was arespected and wealthy woman named Khadijah. She was involved intrade and on hearing of Mohammed‟s reputation, sent for him and askedhim to take her goods and trade with them in Syria. Muhammad (pbuh)agreed and left for Syria with one of Khadijah's caravans. With him wenther slave, Maysarah, and they spent a great deal of time talking together.Maysarah soon came to admire Muhammad (pbuh). He thought he wasquite different from all the other men of Quraysh. 

Two unusual events took place during this journey which puzzledMaysarah very much. The first happened when they stopped to rest nearthe lonely home of a monk. Muhammad (pbuh) sat under a tree whileMaysarah was busy with some work. The monk came up to Maysarahand asked, 'Who is the man resting under the tree?' 'One of Quraysh, thepeople who guard the Ka'bah', said Maysarah. 'No one but a Prophet issitting beneath this tree', replied the monk. The second event occurred onthe journey back to Mecca. It happened at noon when the sun is at itshottest. Maysarah was riding behind Muhammad (pbuh) and as the sungrew hotter he saw two angels appear above Muhammad (pbuh) andshield him from the sun's harmful rays. The trading was very successfuland Muhammad (pbuh) made more profit for Khadijah than she had everreceived before. 

When they arrived back in Mecca Maysarah told Khadijah everythingabout the trip and what he had noticed about Mohammed's character andbehavior. 

Khadijah was a widow in her forties and as well as being rich andhighly respected she was also very beautiful. 

Many men wanted to marry her but none of them suited her. Whenshe met Muhammad (pbuh), however, she thought he was very special.She sent a friend to ask Muhammad (pbuh) why he was not married.Muhammad (pbuh) said that it was because he had no money, to whichthe friend replied: 'Supposing a rich, beautiful and noble lady agreed to marry you?' Muhammad (pbuh) wanted to know who that could be. Thefriend told him it was Khadijah. Muhammad (pbuh) was very happy,because he greatly respected Khadijah. He went with his uncles, AbuTalib and Hamzah, to Khadijah's uncle, and asked his permission tomarry her. The uncle gave his permission and soon after, Muhammad(pbuh) and Khadijah were married.

Their marriage was a joyful one and Muhammad (pbuh) and Khadijahwere well suited. Their life together, however, was not without somesadness. They were blessed with six children, two sons and fourdaughters. Sadly their firstborn, a son called Qasim, died shortly beforehis second birthday, and their last child, also a son, only lived for a shorttime. Happily, their four daughters-Zaynab, Ruqayyah, Umm Kulthum,and Fatimah-all survived. 

For a few years Muhammad (pbuh) lived a calm and quiet life as amerchant in Mecca. His wisdom benefited many people. One such timewas when Quraysh decided to rebuild the Ka'bah. It was a difficultdecision for them because they had to knock it down before rebuilding itand the people were afraid that Allah might be angry with them forknocking down His sanctuary. At last one of the wise old men of Qurayshdecided to begin, then everybody followed him. They worked until theyreached down to the first foundation that Abraham had built. As soon asthey began to remove the stones of this foundation, however, the whole ofMecca began to shake. 

They were so afraid that they decided to leave these stones where theywere and build on top of them. Each tribe brought stones and they builtthe Ka'bah up until they reached the place where the black stone was tobe set. They then began to argue about who should have the honor ofcarrying the black stone and lifting it to its place in one of the corners ofthe Ka'bah.

They almost came to blows but fortunately, one of the men offered asolution. He suggested that they should be guided by the first person toenter the place of worship. They all agreed and as Muhammad (pbuh)was the first to enter everyone was pleased because they all trusted him.They told him the cause of the argument and he asked them to bring alarge cloak. They did as he asked, and after spreading the cloak on theground he placed the black stone in the centre of it. Then he asked a manfrom each tribe to hold one edge of the cloak and together to raise it to the height where the stone should be see. When this was done, he took thestone off the cloak and put it into place himself. This story shows how allQuraysh respected and trusted Muhammad (pbuh) and how, by hiswisdom and good sense, he was able to keep the peace.