Muslim Australians - Religion Cultural Diversity Resource Manual

Prophet Muhammad
Prophet Muhammad was born
in 570 CE in Mecca. His father was
Abd Allah, a Meccan merchant who
died before Muhammad’s birth.
His mother was Aminah, who died
when Muhammad was just six years
old, so Muhammad was orphaned
at an early age. His grandfather,
Abd al-Muttalib, then took on the
care of Muhammad, but he too died
just two years later. From then on,
Muhammad was brought up by his
uncle, Abu Talib.
Muhammad was known for his
honesty and hard work. In his early
twenties, his reputation brought him
to work for a very wealthy widowed
Meccan businesswoman, whose name
was Khadijah. Muhammad worked
for Khadijah as a merchant in the
caravan trade. Because of his integrity
and honesty, she eventually proposed
marriage to the young man. He
accepted, and they were married for
25 years until Khadijah’s death in 619.
Together, they had two sons and four
daughters.
Muhammad’s reputation
When Muhammad was a young man, the Quraysh decided to rebuild the
ancient sacred building of the Ka`ba. When it was time to replace a special
stone called the ‘Black Stone’, a fight broke out among the different tribes
who all wished for the honour of replacing the sacred stone. Finally an
old man suggested that whoever next walked through the gate to enter the
precinct of the Ka`ba should be asked to arbitrate the dispute.
The very next person to enter was Muhammad, and there was much relief
and satisfaction with this, as Muhammad was known as ‘al-Amin’ or ‘the
trustworthy one’. When the problem was explained to him, he called for
a cloak which he spread upon the ground. Then he put the Black Stone
in the middle and called for each rival clan to hold onto the borders of the
cloak so that all would have the honour of replacing the stone. When they
had done so, Muhammad placed the raised stone into the corner of the
building and the holy Ka`ba was rebuilt. 5
Prophet
Muhammad’s mission
Muhammad was a person who
liked to reflect and meditate.
When he was in his thirties he began
to spend time alone, away from the
busy life of Mecca. He would go to
a nearby cave called Hira, just outside
Mecca. It was there, in one of those
times of reflection, that he received
the first revelation from God.
One day, while in the cave, he heard
a voice addressing him, asking him
to ‘read’ without saying exactly what
to read. The voice asked him to read
three times. Each time, Muhammad
said, ‘I cannot read’. The third time,
the voice said:
Read in the name of thy Lord,
who has created – created Man
out of a germ-cell! Read – for thy
Lord is the Most Bountiful One
who has taught [Man] by the pen
– taught Man what he did not
know! (Qur’an 96:1-5.)
This short passage became the
first revealed verses of the Qur’an,
a collection of the revelations sent
to Muhammad and which Muslims
believe is the word of God.
Muhammad was deeply disturbed
by this experience. He hurried
home to Khadijah who tried to
calm him down and comfort him.
Soon, however, Muhammad realised
what his mission was and what his
obligations were.
5
Martin Lings, Muhammad: His Life Based on Earliest Sources, Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International, 1983, 42.
Muslim Australians:THEIR BELIEFS, PRACTICES AND INSTITUTIONS 13