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Muhammad: His Character and Conduct. Adil Salahi
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isbn 9780860375685
Автор произведения Adil Salahi
Жанр Биографии и Мемуары
Издательство Ingram
The pursuit of rightness appears to be something implanted in the nature of Muhammad from a very early age. This is clear in the report of his encounter with a Christian monk in Syria when he was still a child of twelve. The report is widely circulated in the sources of Islamic history, but its reliability cannot be absolutely ascertained. Several Orientalists consider it to be an important piece of evidence, and one that supports their claims that Muhammad met Christian clerics and learned from them. We do not need to discuss these claims here: except to say that if this is their evidence, then their case remains weak.
The report in question mentions that at the age of twelve Muhammad clung to his uncle Abū Ṭālib as the latter was about to set on a business trip to Syria with a trade caravan. A soft hearted uncle, Abū Ṭālib took his beloved nephew with him. The caravan route passed close to the hermitage of Baḥīrā, a Christian monk, who invited the people of the caravan to have a meal with him. As he served them, he kept looking at Muhammad. He then took him aside and questioned him about himself. He then asked him under an oath by al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā, two of the main Arab idols. Muhammad interrupted him, saying: “Do not ask me by al-Lāt and al-ʿUzzā, for I hate nothing as I hate them.” Baḥīrā rephrased his question, putting it with an oath by God, and Muhammad answered him normally. After this conversation, Baḥīrā asked Abū Ṭālib what relation Muhammad was to him. When he confirmed that Muhammad’s father died before his birth, Baḥīrā told Abū Ṭālib to take extra care of his nephew as the Jews, in particular, could harm him.
The point here is the hatred expressed by a twelve-year-old to the idols worshipped by his people: this is not an attitude based on any religious principle. At that time Muhammad had no exposure to any religious teachings, other than what was known in Makkah, which was a very low form of idolatry. There were some people in Makkah who rejected idolatry, but none of them showed any inclination to start advocating a new religion. Even those whose rejection of idolatry was well known and reported were either still looking for a better faith, such as Waraqah ibn Nawfal, or were very young, such as Zayd ibn ʿAmr. This was an instinctive dislike based, perhaps, on personal observation that those deities were no more than man-made statutes.
The rejection of idolatry remained with Muhammad throughout his life. He was an adult when the incident of the idol Buwābah (reported in Chapter 1) occurred. As someone who was loved by all his family, he yielded to his aunts’ pressure and went to the festival of that idol, because it meant much to his family. Whenever he came near any idol, he was told to stay away from it. That is an aspect of the Divine protection from anything to do with pagan worship. More relevant here is his refusal to attend this festival year after year despite pressure from his aunts to take part in it. This tells us that he was totally unconvinced by the worship of such idols, as it did not meet his criteria for what was right. To him those idols were useless objects, made by people, placed in position by people and venerated by people: this was absurd to Muhammad, who always looked for what was right.
These are but two examples of a lifetime in which he always steered away from idolatry. At no time in his life before prophethood did Muhammad address himself to any of those deities worshipped by his people. He neither touched any of them nor sought to be blessed by any. He simply removed himself from the rudimentary religion of his people, rejecting it in totality.
If we examine Muhammad’s life before prophethood, we see a man who is dedicated to his family. When he lost loved ones, he passionately grieved; when he was in his uncle’s home, his interaction with the family was that of a caring person; when he was twelve, he clung to his uncle at the point of his departure because he did not want to lose him even for a few weeks; when he got married, he was a model husband and father. He participated in every noble thing his family and clan did, including fighting alongside his uncles. He took part in the alliance to remove injustice. Seeing him so involved with his family and clan, we wonder what reason he could have to absent himself from religious festivals to which his family attached much importance. The only reason for this is that such worship was contrary to his sense of truth and his keen pursuit of right.
When he was in his mid-thirties, Muhammad began to seek solitude as a form of refuge from the disgusting aspects of life in Makkah: its pagan worship and loose morality. He would go to a cave in Mount Ḥirā’, a few kilometres outside Makkah, and stay there for several days in a sort of worship that had no recognized form or pattern. The cave was small and totally isolated, with room for only one person to stand, sit or lie down. At the entrance, the Kaʿbah could be clearly seen at a distance through a small opening at the other end. In front of the cave, there was a small open area shaded from the sun by two large rock masses on two sides, with the fourth side totally open, giving a slight refreshing breeze. There Muhammad would stay for several days, in total devotion. The Arabic term for such devotion is taḥannuth, which means “self purification.” The Prophet did not tell us what sort of worship he used to offer in those days. The Qur’ān, however, tells us that he never expected to receive revelations from on high prior to the moment when the angel came to him with the first revelation.7 It also states that he never read any book nor could he write with his hand.8 During this period, Muhammad had no clear concept of God. As one of those individuals who sought to follow a religion that provided a clear vision, Zayd ibn ʿAmr used to address God and say: “My Lord, I do not know a proper method of how to worship you.” Probably Muhammad would have said the same during that time.
Some Muslim historians say that before prophethood, Muhammad worshipped according to the religion of Abraham. In pre-Islamic days, the Arabs used to take pride in the fact that they were the descendants of Abraham through his son Ishmael. However, the religion their ancestors followed, as taught to them by the Prophet Ishmael, had become so blurred that only some rudimentary aspects of it remained, mostly in connection with the pilgrimage. Even the pilgrimage rituals had been vastly distorted. They continued to believe in God as the Creator of the heavens and the earth, but to them God was distant. Hence, they believed that they needed to worship deities and idols, which would bring them closer to God.9 Therefore, what we understand by the statement that Muhammad in those days of solitude worshipped according to Abraham’s religion is that he addressed his devotion to God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth. He, however, had no clear notion of God or how to worship Him. His devotion was merely an attempt to have a better notion through solitude and contemplation. Hence, we take his periods of solitude, which became more frequent in his late thirties, as consistent with his pursuit of right. What he was after was a correct understanding of man’s position and life.
During one of those periods of solitude the angel came to him for the first time (as related in Chapter 1). This was his first communication with the realm beyond. No human being is ever prepared for such contacts; hence, Muhammad trembled and felt fear. He did not know the nature of the contact, nor the nature of the angel he received. He could not tell anything about it. This explains his speedy flight home, and his appeal to his wife to cover him and wrap him with something warm. Reassurances by his wife did not give him any certainty, however; how could he be certain when she had no knowledge of the matter either? Yet her reassurances were based on the fact that he was of noble character. She said to him: “You are kind to your kinsfolk; you help the weak; you are generous to the poor; you welcome guests.”10 She also said that he always told the truth. She added that a person of such qualities could never be let down by God.
Muhammad was not satisfied with his wife’s reassurance, as it was merely a logical argument, and he wanted more. Hence, he went with his wife to Waraqah ibn Nawfal, a cousin of hers. Waraqah was an old blind man who had travelled far and wide in pursuit of the right faith. He converted to Christianity and was well versed with the Bible. Waraqah listened to every detail of the encounter with the angel before he made his conclusion: “You have met the archangel who used to come to the Prophet Moses.” Waraqah also told him that he would be the Messenger that had been promised in all Divine scriptures. He further stated that Muhammad’s task would be difficult, and