Abu al-Qasim Muhammad ibn Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib ibn Hashim; The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him) is the final messenger sent by Allah, The One, The Most High with the final guidance for entire humanity till the end of time.

Muhammad (pbuh) was born in Makkah in the year 570. Since his father Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Muttalib died before his birth, and his mother Amina bint Wahb died shortly afterwards, he was raised by his grandfather Abd al-Muttalib and later uncle Abu Talib from the respected tribe of Quraysh.

As he grew up, he became known for his truthfulness, generosity, and sincerity, so that he was sought after for his ability to arbitrate in disputes. The historians describe him as calm and meditative. Muhammad (pbuh) was of a deeply religious nature and had long detested the decadence of his society. At the age of 40, while engaged in a meditative retreat, Muhammad (pbuh) received his first revelation from Allah through the Angel Gabriel. This revelation, which continued for twenty-three years, is known as The Quran.

As soon as he began to recite the words he heard from Gabriel, and to preach the truth which Allah had revealed to him, he and his small group of followers suffered bitter persecution which grew so fierce that in the year 622 Allah gave them the command to emigrate. This event, the Hijra, 'migration', in which they left Makkah for the city of Madinah some 260 miles to the north, marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar. After several years, the Prophet and his followers were able to return to Makkah, where they forgave their enemies and established Islam definitively. Before the Prophet died at the age of 63, the greater part of Arabia was Muslim, and within a century of his death Islam had spread to Spain in the West and as far East as China.

What they said about him:

Sir George Bernard Shaw in 'The Genuine Islam,' Vol. 1, No. 8, 1936.

"I have always held the religion of Muhammad in high estimation because of its wonderful vitality. It is the only religion, which appears to me to possess that assimilating capacity to the changing phase of existence, which can make itself appeal to every age.
I have studied him — the wonderful man and in my opinion far from being an anti-Christ, he must be called the Saviour of Humanity.
I believe that if a man like him were to assume the dictatorship of the modern world he would succeed in solving its problems in a way that would bring it the much-needed peace and happiness.
I have prophesied about the faith of Muhammad that it would be acceptable to the Europe of tomorrow as it is beginning to be acceptable to the Europe of today.
If any religion had the chance of ruling over England, nay Europe within the next hundred years, it could be Islam."

The 100, A RANKING OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL PERSONS IN HISTORY, Michael H. Heart, Kensington Publication, New York, N Y. 1992.

"My choice of Muhammad to lead the list of the world's most influential persons may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he was the only man in history who was supremely successful on both the religious and secular levels."

Mahatma Gandhi, young India, 1924

"I wanted to know the best of one who holds today's undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind. I became more than convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for his pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the 2nd volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of the great life."

The criticism of the Holy Prophet's marriage with Lady Ayesha, mother of all believers is a twentieth century phenomena. This blessed marriage was heavenly ordained and source of immense happiness and delight for both parties, the Prophet (pbuh) and the family of Lady Ayesha including herself; and great blessing for Muslim ummah in general.

Like all of the marriage of the Prophet after Lady Khadija, the marriage with Lady Ayesha took place under the intense spotlight focused on the life of the Prophet and both Muslims and non-Muslims watching his every step. Not a single account of criticism from Muslim or non-Muslim of the time and place can be found in history, of any of his blessed marriages, until recent days. Because every single one of his marriages was done in full compliance with the social and cultural norms of the time and place or was done to clear a misconception prevailing in the society.

The Prophet (pbuh) married Lady Ayesha, according to most authentic sources, at the age of six and the marriage was consummate when she reached puberty at the age of nine. We can find direct quoted from our mother, Lady Ayesha in the authentic books of Hadiths.

"Narrated Aishah, may God be pleased with her: The Messenger of Allah said (to me): "You have been shown to me twice in (my) dreams. A man was carrying you in a silken cloth and said to me, 'This is your wife.' I uncovered it; and behold, it was you. I said to myself, 'If this dream is from God, He will cause it to come true.'" (Sahih al-Bukhari)

"Aishah, may God be pleased with her, narrated that the Prophet was betrothed (zawaj) to her when she was six years old and he consummated (nikah) his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years." (sahih al-Bukhari)

The modern-day critics while criticizing the Prophet (pbuh) forget that early marriage for young adults has always been recommended from the ancient times by every culture and every group of people on record. We see numerus such example in The Bible and even today the minimum allowed age of marriage for boys and girls according to Christian cannon law are 16 and 14 and in Jewish Halakah are 13 and 12. Many modern secular countries today set legal age for marriage as low as 13. In Islam marriage can take place as soon as the man or woman has reached sexual and mental maturity regardless their age.

However, it should be noted that marriage with Lady Ayesha was a special case among the marriages of the Prophet (pbuh). Out of all women he married Lady Ayesha was the only one who was not previously married. She was also very special herself, a prodigy who was learned at that young age, could read, and write. She was selected by Allah Himself as a blessing for the Muslim ummah.

Aishah's marriage to prophet Muhammad (pbuh) at an early age allowed her to be an eye witness to the personal details of his life and carry them on the succeeding generations. By being both spiritually and physically near to the Prophet (pbuh) the marriage prepared Aishah to be an example to all Muslims, especially women, for all times. She developed into a spiritual teacher and scholar since she was remarkably intelligent and wise. Her qualities helped support the Prophet's work and further the cause of Islam. Aishah, the Mother of the Believers, was not only a model for wives and mothers, but she was also a commentator on The Quran, an authority on hadeeth and knowledgeable in Islamic Law. She narrated at least 2,210 ahadith that give Muslims valuable insights into the final Prophet's daily life and behaviour, thus preserving the Sunnah of Muhammad, (pbuh).

It is true that Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had many wives and it was not out of ordinary for the time and place he lived in. Also, it is not certainly uncommon in Biblical traditions where many of the previous prophets had many wives.

Insinuation that the many marriages of the Prophet (pbuh) was due to his liking of women is false and an invention of the modern critics. Every single marriage took place under the intense spotlight focused on the life of the Prophet and both Muslims and non-Muslims watching his every step. Not a single account of criticism from Muslim or non-Muslim of the time and place can be found in history, of any of his blessed marriages, until recent days. Because every single one of his marriages was done in full compliance with the social and cultural norms of the time and place or actually to breakdown an un-Islamic social tabu.

Lady Khadija when she was 40-year-old widow. Immediately after this marriage he became a very wealthy merchant in Mecca and if he desired he could have other wives or concubines then, as it was the custom of pre-Islamic Arabia. But for 25 years he was married only to Kadijah and did not take any other partner.

He married other women after Lady Khadija died and each of these marriages were under public eyes and recorded in history. Each of his marriage was either to irradicate a social misconception, or to establish a treaty or to help someone in need. Except for Lady Ayesha, every woman he married was previously married and in many instances much older than himself. He had made no personal gain from any of these marriages either, except blessed pleasure of conjugal life. This cannot be considered a behaviour of a person driven by desire.

Also, the extreme poverty and suffering that he subjected himself and each of his wives makes it unbelievable that it was his desire for women for which he married them. The reason these blessed women, mothers of all the believers, accepted his marriage and remained married to him under such hardship proves they also did not have any desire other than the pleasure of Allah in marrying the Prophet (pbuh). Examining the record of his marriages with the mothers of believers given below will confirm all the point above.

This is a mischaracterization of both the holy prophets of Allah and misrepresentation of both of their approaches.

Firstly, it is wrong to say prophet Muhammad's (pbuh) mission was entirely based on war. From the beginning of his mission and during the13 years of Meccan period no battle was fought. There is no record of any resistance or even raised voice from the part of the Prophet when the pagans were violently persecuting the Muslims and killing them. When more powerful and influential people like Hamza bin Abd al-Muttalib, Umar ibn al-Khattab and many more with much strong tribal backup accepted Islam so Meccan Muslims could dare to openly practice their religion, resisting the persecution and use of force was suggested to the Prophet but he did not accept that suggestion, only because Allah did not command him to use force. Instead, he continued peaceful invitation to the religion of Islam. The persecution did not stop and instead of fighting back the Prophet (pbuh) and all his disciple who could, left their families, homes, and belongings behind and migrated to Medina.

In Median the peaceful propagation continued while the new state of Muslims was being developed and Islam was established on the earth. At this period beside peaceful propagation, fighting was commanded by Allah, and the Prophet carried out the commands. All the battles prophet Muhammad (pbuh) fought in his life were defensive in nature and were conducted under extemporary generosity, kindness, and forgiveness towards his enemies. There was no killing of innocent non-combatants and there was no forced conversion.

Muslims believe in peace and harmony in all their worldly dealings. Islam teaches us to love everyone and deal with all in justice. But when justice is lost and immorality takeover the society or the lives of the people are in danger; Islam allows us to use force as necessary to eliminate that harm.

This is not in contradiction of the traditions of previous prophets and their approach in propagating their messages. In The Bible we find Abraham, Moses, David and many other prophets take part in active battle while their too was message of peace and justice. Fighting and struggle is necessitated by the situation on earth and it matters how one conducts his action in it.

Secondly, it is mischaracterization of Jesus (pbuh) that his only took peaceful approach to propagate his messages. We find evidence in The Bible that he applied force when it was necessary. For example, when Jesus arrived at Jerusalem he overthrew the table of moneychangers, turned over seats of other traders and chased them all out of the temple compound (Matt 21:12-13); we find in The Bible Jesus (pbuh) addressing the elders of the society in derogatory terms (Matt 12:34, 16:4); to get his messaging out. Muslims generally do not agree to these words attributed to a prophet of Allah, but Bible believing Christians should have no problem accepting Jesus applied force when it was necessary.

Of course, he did not fight any battle because he did not have authority over any land and had only a small following but he made it very clear that in his second coming he will do exactly that and subdue his enemies (Luke 19:27 Jesus draws a parallel to the story of a previous king who punished his enemies). Muslims has no problem accepting this narrative that Jesus (pbuh) will subdue his enemies in his second coming.

So, clearly both Prophet Muhammad and Jesus, peace and blessing be upon them adopted loving and peaceful approaches in propagating their messages and applied appropriate force when necessary, as did many other prophets in the past.

Yes, he (pbuh) performed numerous miracles. But not by himself but by the power of Allah.

Muslims generally believe all prophets performed miracles by the will of Allah, but they do not focus on miracles as a proof of prophethood. As The Bible rightly says false prophets too can perform wonders and miracles (Mark 13:22). Muslims believe it is not the miracle but, the message that confirms the truth of prophethood.

Nevertheless, to satisfy common curiosity, specially of Christians, who take miracles as a criterion, a few miracles performed by prophet Muhammad (pbuh) out of numerous accounts given below and we humbly invite you to reach out to us for any further information, clarification or discussion about these miracles or anything else mentioned in this FAQ section by islamqa@quakershillmasjid.org:

• The Holy Quran: is the special miracle given to prophet Muhammad (pbuh) like the magical stuff of Moses and miraculous healing power of Jesus, except the miracles of Moses and Jesus cannot be experienced today but the miracle of The Holy Quran is available for the humanity to witness even today. The Holy Quran is a miracle because:
  • The unlettered Prophet: he could not have produced such a work of exclusive linguistic excellence being an unlettered person. The Quran is still the most eloquent piece of Arabic literature and is the standard of Arabic language and grammar.
  • Free of Error and Contradictions: The Quran sets criteria of a revelled book is to be free of errors and contradiction and challenges to point a single error or contradiction from the entire Quran. A challenge unmet from 1400 years (except lies and misinterpretations spread on the internet by anonymous sources).
  • Inimitability of The Quran: another challenge open for 1400 years unmet by any scholars of Arabic language till today. The Quran challenges if this is not from Allah and produced by the unlettered Prophet then produce something like it. No one succeeded to any degree in trying to imitate The Quran.
  • Historic and Scientific Facts: The Quran mentioned many historic events and scientific facts accurately that was not known to the people of the time of revelation. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) had no way to know any of these.
  • Easy to Memorize: Almighty Allah has promised to make the learning and memorization of The Quran easy for the believers.

    "And We have certainly made the Quran easy to remember. So is there anyone who will be mindful?" (Holy Quran, 54:17)

    We can witness the fulfilment of this promise throughout the history till today. There are several hundred million people who has memorized The Quran cover to cover in all seven dialects. Every year more and more Muslims are completing Quran memorization around the world. The Quran is so easy to memorize for the one who tries, that even non-Arabic specking children of ages nine to twelve memorize the entire Quran in less than a year in many cases. This is a miracle in itself. No other book of this calibre, in the entire human history was ever monomerized and transmitted by so many people. And this has been going on from the first revelation of The Quran.

• Miracle performed by the Prophet (pbuh) and mentioned in The Quran: these miracles are very important to mention because unlike other scriptures which were written down and edited by faithful scribes without any access by the general public, The Quran was revealed verbally without any editorial process and was immediately propagated to Muslims and non-Muslims alike. If The Quran mentioned any false account of any contemporary events, then the non-Muslim and even Muslims of that time could easily point out to the mistake and dismiss it entirely with evidence. But The Quran mentions these miracles and there was no objection or rejection by any person of that time. Couple of them mentioned below:
  • At Battle field if of Badar, the Prophet (pbuh) threw a handful of dust and it hit the entire enemy army of 1000 soldiers in their eyes and disoriented them by Allah's will. This event is mentioned in The Quran.

    "It was not you believers who killed them, but it was Allah Who did so. Nor was it you O Prophet who threw a handful of sand at the disbelievers, but it was Allah Who did so, rendering the believers a great favour. Surely Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing." (Holy Quran, 8:17)

  • Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) split the moon in half at one instance when the disbelievers demanded for a miracle yet rejected him after witnessing it. Contact us for detailed historical evidence for this event. Allah mentioned this in The Quran.

    "The Hour has drawn near and the moon was split in two. Yet, whenever they see a sign, they turn away, saying, "Same old magic!"" (Holy Quran, 54:1-2)

    Besides of these there are numerous prophecies and prediction he (pbuh) made which has come to pass in the past and many we can see to become true in front of our eyes today. for authentic prophecies and details of fulfilment please reach out to us by islamqa@quakershillmasjid.org