The Life of Prophet Muhammad: Chapter 6 Summary

Summary of Chapter 6 of Adil Salahi's book 'Muhammad – Man and Prophet' published by Islamic Foundation. The title of the chapter is "A Community in the Making" and it covers the first to third year of Prophethood.

Transcript

1. The Life of the Prophet (ﷺ) Summary of Chapter 6: A Community in the Making (1st to 3rd year of Prophethood)
2. • In the early period, the Prophet was directed by God to keep his message secret • He was only to approach those whom he thought would give a favourable response Early Years of Prophethood
3. • The first to accept the new faith was his wife, Khadijah • She knew him to be of noble heart and upright nature • She trusted her husband and willingly and assuredly declared that she believed in God’s oneness, and that Muhammad was God’s Messenger The First Muslim Woman
4. • Khadijah was to give the Prophet her unwavering support, and comfort him in the years to come when his message was to be met with insults, ridicule and physical assault The First Muslim Woman
5. • The first male to accept Islam was the Prophet’s ten-year-old cousin Ali ibn Abi Talib • He was raised by the Prophet in his home as a favour to his uncle Abu Talib who was a man of limited means and large family The First Muslim Male
6. • The first man to accept Islam after the Prophet was his adopted son, Zayd ibn Harithah • Zayd was kidnapped as a child and sold as a slave once or twice before ending up in the hands of Khadijah, the wife of the Prophet • She gifted Zayd to the Prophet and the Prophet would later adopt him as a son The First Muslim Man
7. • Zayd was known as Zayd ibn Muhammad until adoption was totally forbidden some years later after the Prophet’s settlement in Madinah The First Muslim Man
8. • The first person to become a Muslim outside of the Prophet’s immediate family was his close friend since childhood Abu Bakr • When the Prophet spoke to him about Islam, he did not hesitate for a moment to accept it as truth • He was a merchant by trade, well respected in his community and well known for his kindly and gentle character Abu Bakr
9. • Abu Bakr was one of the most distinguished authorities in Arabia on the tracing of people’s lineage • People loved coming to him and listening to him talk about the history of Arabian tribes and Arabs in general • It was therefore easy for him to select some of the most intelligent and promising of the young people who came to him, to explain to them the message of Islam and to call on them to believe in God and His Messenger Abu Bakr
10. • Soon some individuals began to respond favourably as a result of Abu Bakr’s efforts • The first was Uthman Ibn Affan and others were soon to follow: Al-Zubayr Ibn Al-Awwaam, Abd Al-Rahman Ibn Awf, Sa’d Ibn Abi Waqqas and Talhah Ibn Ubaydillah • When all five had accepted Islam, Abu Bakr brought them together to the Prophet to declare their belief in God’s oneness and in the message of the Prophet The Early Believers
11. • Around 40 people accepted Islam in a period of three years when the Prophet was preaching in secret • What the early converts to Islam lacked in numbers, they compensated for in calibre • These were individuals of leadership and vision The Early Believers
12. • Interestingly, many of the early believers were still very young – some not yet 20 years old • However, it is a mistake to think that idealism was their primary motive – these were individuals of sound judgement and excellent character The Early Believers
13. • The early Muslims did not belong to any single clan or tribe or social class but included people of distinction, former slaves and some who were still in the bonds of slavery • As Muslims, however, they all enjoyed equality and a brotherhood that was real and eclipsed all blood relationships • Hence the universality of Islam was established and practised right from the outset The Early Believers
14. • As headquarters, the early Muslims used the house of one of their number, al-Arqam, in a central position close to the hill known as al-Safa • It became the first Islamic school where the followers of the new religion received instruction direct from the Prophet • Indeed Al-Arqam’s house was a mosque, a school and a meeting-place where the new community discussed its affairs The House of Al-Arqam
15. • Source: ‘Muhammad – Man and Prophet’ by Adil Salahi End