Who Was Muhammad?

A man of likeable temperament. Hair thick and long. Eyes black and large. Neither tall nor short. His face glowed like the moon. When he walked, he leaned forward. When he spoke, he spoke the truth. He was Muhammad, known to be Al Amin, The Trustworthy.

Orphaned at the tender age of six, Muhammad grew up with his uncle, Abu Talib, who was from a respectable tribe in Mecca, the Quraysh. It was during these years that he gained the title of  "Al Amin" or The Trustworthy. The people of Mecca  respected and trusted him because of his qualities: Sincerity, honesty, generosity, truthfulness, and many more which they lacked. Yet Muhammad was in a crisis himself. When he was nearly 40, he retreated himself to a cave. The Cave of Hira', where he found himself meditating and pondering over the universe. His heart soon became restless about the moral evils and idolatry that was rampant among his people. Little did he know that this detachment was a prerequisite for his soul to come into contact with the Higher Being.

At the age of forty, Muhammad received his first revelation from God, through the Angel Gabriel. (Gabriel, or the Angel of Revelation, is recognized by the People of the Book, ie: Jews and Christians, because Islam is the continuation of God's message to mankind). He was in solitude in the Cave of Mount Hira', when Gabriel seized him in a tight embrace, which he described as suffocating. The Angel commanded, "Iqra!" (Read!). Muhammad replied, "I cannot read". The Angel insisted twice, "Read!". Muhammad replied, "I cannot read" twice again. Finally Gabriel released him, and hence, the first "revelation" of the Qur'an was revealed to him.

“Read in the name of your Lord who created -created man from a clot.  Read: for your Lord is Most Bountiful, who teaches by the pen, teaches man that which he knew not.” (Quran 96:1-5)

Thus, the magnificent story of God's final message to humanity was revealed over the course of 23 years. Muhammad's wife Khadija followed him into Islam, being the first convert of Islam. While many followed Muhammad into Islam because of his trustworthiness, others mocked and maligned the Prophet as they did to the previous messengers of God. Soon, Muhammad and his followers were being tortured and persecuted because of their faith. Yet, the Prophet remained steadfast in his purpose. He was offered wealth, power, and even women to stop him from spreading Islam, but he rejected them all. He started to preach monotheism, free slaves, and work for women's rights; All of which were resented by the Pagan Arabs. As persecution grew fierce, God gave the Muslims the command to emigrate. The emigration from Mecca to Madina, Hijra, marked the beginning of the Islamic calendar.After several years, Muhammad and his followers were able to return to Mecca, where they forgave their enemies for persecuting them. 

Within a century of Muhammad's death, Islam had spread to China in the East, and as far as Spain in the west. Just as it grew rapidly before, Islam is still growing as the fastest growing religion, with over 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. He was one man, still continuing to inspire millions of lives. Inspiring people to care about charity, animal welfare, coexistence, women's rights, the environment, education, poverty, human rights, social justice, health, and equality. 

He was Muhammad. A mercy to mankind. The last prophet of God. May peace and blessings be upon him.