The birth of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, his early childhood and youth, all are exceptional. His father, Abdullah Ibn Abd al-Muttalib, died a few months before his birth. His mother, Amna, also died when he was 6 years old. So, he was a doubly orphaned child. At this stage, his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib took responsibility, but he also died when Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ was just 8 years old. While on death bed, Abd al-Muttalib assigned the responsibility of his grandson Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ to Abu Talib, who was one of his sons. Abu Talib fulfilled this responsibility with great care and supported his nephew throughout his life.
So, these were the circumstances under which the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ spent his early childhood, unlike the majority of the children of his age. After the death of Abd al-Muttalib, the leadership of the Bani Hashim clan was shifted to his son, Abu Talib. Soon after that, the financial conditions of Abu Talib started deteriorating; hence, young Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ had to support his uncle in many ways. At a very young age, he would look after his uncle’s flocks.
Abu Talib was also a merchant and often had to travel outside Mecca. On one such occasion, he took along his nephew Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ for a trade trip to Syria. This proved to be a great opportunity for the young Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, where he learned a lot about the trade business. Apart from that, the early life of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ was sort of a lonely child, though his uncle Abu Talib and his family loved him too much and took all possible care for his grooming.
As for the family life of Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, it can be divided into two phases, the first with the family of his uncle Abu Talib and the second with his first wife Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا.
Life of Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ with Family of Abu Talib
Abu Talib and his wife Fatima, both loved Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ too much. He lived with the family of Abu Talib, just like one of their own children or perhaps even more than that. He was just 8 years old when he became a member of the family of Abu Talib. Other two uncles of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, the younger brothers of Abu Talib, namely Hamza and Abbas رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُمَا were also involved in his grooming.
Hamza رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ trained him in the art of archery and martial arts. He also taught him the skills of swordsmanship. Abbas رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ trained and provided him the opportunity to lead the trading caravans outside Mecca. Later on, both of them also embraced Islam and remained a powerful support for the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ.
As for the role of Abu Talib in the life of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ during both the phases, before and after his Prophethood, he remained the greatest support for him, moral as well as physical. On the other hand, Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ reciprocated in the same manner. Being a part of his uncle Abu Talib’s family, he worked hard to earn a livelihood for the family by taking care of the herds as a shepherd during his earlier youth.
Despite all that love, affection, and moral and physical support, Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ used to spend most of his time in isolation, away from all the evil practices of the Meccans of that era. In a society filled with corrupt practices, idolatry, unnecessary fighting, deceiving others, and disrespect for women, it was no less than a miracle that the young Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ emerged as a pious, humble, righteous, truthful and trustworthy person.
Above that, he never accepted idolatry and consistently avoided it, typically referred to as “Hanif” (حنيف), a term used for a person who believed in monotheism in the Arab society at that time. Apart from his personal nature and the Will of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, the role of the guardianship of Abu Talib and his wife, Fatima, cannot be ruled out in the grooming of Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ to that stature, where he was eventually got the status of Al-Ameen (Trustworthy) and As-Sadiq (Truthful).
Married life of Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ with Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا
The married life of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ can again be bifurcated into two phases, before and after his Prophethood. Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا extended her full cooperation to him in both these phases.
The young Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ got a good experience in trading business and had developed a reputation of being a trustworthy and honest person. Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا was a rich and well-established woman trader of Mecca. Being a woman, he used to depute different persons to carry her trading goods to other countries on her behalf. When she heard about the honesty and trustworthiness of Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, she decided to entrust her trading missions to him.
The first such trip was successful, even beyond her expectations. At that stage, she was 40 years old, whereas the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ was 25 years of age. Despite the age gap, she proposed to marry Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, which was accepted by him. After the marriage, which was done with the mutual consent of the elders of both families, the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ shifted to the residence of Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا.
This marriage proved successful and beneficial for both of them. Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ lived with Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا for around 24 years and did not marry with any other woman, till her death in 619 CE. His beloved uncle Abu Talib also died soon after that. That’s why he termed this year as the “year of sorrow” (عام الحزن). That reflects the importance of his Uncle Abu Talib and his Wife Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا in his life.
Family of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا was a loving, caring and wise woman. Six children were born to her. Two sons, Qasim and Abdullah, who died as infants. She gave birth to four daughters, Zainab, Ruqayya, Umme Kulsum and Fatima رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا. Meanwhile, the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, Ali رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ also became a part of this family. When the financial condition of Abu Talib deteriorated, the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ suggested to his other uncle Abbas رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ to share the burden of Abu Talib by taking responsibility of his children. Abbas رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ took the responsibility of Jaffar, whereas the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ took Ali رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ under his patronage. At that stage, he just five years old. So, Ali رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ had the privilege of growing up under the care of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ.
After that, another member was added to the family of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ. Zayd Ibn Haritha was a slave who was bought and gifted to Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا by her nephew. Sometime later, she gifted Zayd Ibn Haritha to the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ. The Prophet adopted him as his son. So, he also became a member of this esteemed family.
The family life of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ, before the commencement of his Prophethood, is characterized by true family man. He was wisely assisted by his wife Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا in the success of his early family life. It was based on mutual understanding, love and respect for each other, and extra care for the children.
Post Prophethood Phase
The family life of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ was going on smoothly. Side by side, he continued spending time in isolation and meditation, away from the busy life of the city, in the cave of Mount Hira. He used to go there for several days and nights. In between, he would often come back to his home, around fifteen years passed in this routine.
On one such occasion, when he had reached 40 years of age, a unique incident happened in his life. He was on his routine visit to the cave of Hira when Angel Jibril عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ appeared before him and asked him, “Read.” He replied I cannot read. The Angel again asked him, “Read,” and he again replied I cannot read. After the third attempt, the Prophet was finally able to recite what the Angel was asking for. These were the first 5 verses of Surah Al-Alaq, which formed the first divine revelation and formal commencement of his Prophethood.
اِقْرَاْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِيْ خَلَقَ
Recite in the name of your Lord Who created
خَلَقَ الْاِنْسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
created man from a clot of congealed blood
اِقْرَاْ وَرَبُّكَ الْاَكْرَمُ
Recite: and your Lord is Most Generous
الَّذِيْ عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ
Who taught by the pen
عَلَّمَ الْاِنْسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ
taught man what he did not know
The Prophet was scared of this incident. He immediately went back home and apprised his wife Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا of the whole incident. She, being a wise woman, pacified him. Then she consulted this happening with her cousin Waraqah Ibn Nawfal, who was an expert on the old scripture. He suggested that it was the Angel who brought the Message of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ and that Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ will be a Prophet and Messenger of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ.
Eventually, Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ settled down and his wife Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا became the first person to embrace Islam. She assisted the Prophet to spread the Message of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ firstly to the close family members and friends. Resultantly, Ali رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ also embraced Islam. Abu Bakar رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ, who was a close friend of the Prophet, also entered into the ambit of Islam. The adopted son of the Prophet, Zayd Ibn Haritha, was the fourth person who accepted Islam.
With the help and assistance of these four persons, the Prophet started spreading the Message of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ among the people of Mecca. The role of the family members of the Prophet, especially his wife Khadija رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا and cousin Ali رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ was exceptional in his endeavor of spreading Islam among the Meccans and even out of Mecca. His wife used to help the poor new Muslims, both financially as well as morally. So, the family of the Prophet played a significant role and assisted him in every possible way in spreading the Divine Message. Similarly, his uncle Abu Talib, though he did not practically accept Islam, helped him a lot, especially against the oppressions of the Quraysh.
After the sad demise of his wife and uncle in the “year of sorrow,” life in Mecca was even more difficult for the Prophet. Eventually, on the Command and Will of Allah سُبْحَانَهُۥ وَتَعَالَىٰ, he migrated to Medina. At this crucial stage, Ali رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ accomplished the most important and sensitive task by staying back in Mecca, as advised by the Prophet. Later on, he also migrated to Medina.
With this, the second phase of the family life of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ ended and he started a new phase of his life in Medina. He married her beloved daughter Fatima رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهَا with his beloved cousin Ali رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ. He also married his daughter Ruqayya to one of his close associates, Uthman رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ. After her death, the Prophet married his second daughter, Umme Kulsum, with Uthman رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ.
The overall early family life of the Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى ٱللَّٰهُ عَلَيْهِۦ وَسَلَّمَ had been exemplary in many ways for the Muslims. He was a caring and loving head of the family, compassionate with the children and affectionate with his wife.
