Muhammad the Messenger of Allah

Light of Islam

In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful.

"...and giving good tidings of a Messenger who will come after me, whose name shall be Ahmad;..."

Holy Qur'an (61:6)

"And from among you there should be a group inviting to good and bidding what is right and forbidding what is wrong,..."

Holy Qur'an (3:104)

PUBLISHER'S WORD

Praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings of Allah on Muhammad, his infallible household and on the pious ones among his companions.

Al-Balagh Foundation has, since its establishment, tried to shoulder the heavy responsibility of disseminating Islamic knowledge among the world people irrespective of race, religion, language or colour, by relying on Allah, the Most High and Great. In order to convey Islam's ideas to as many people as possible, our foundation has chosen to put before them Islamic concepts in an easy-to-read and simplified way through various series of books.

The study of the life of Muhammad (s.a.w.) and the Imams of his Household is an advanced means of Islam to introduce its objectives and great concepts.

How truthful are the words of Allah:

"Certainly you have in the Messenger of Allah an excellent exmplar..."

Holy Qur'an (33:21)

"...Allah only wishes to keep away uncleanness from you, O people of the House and purify you (with) a thorough purification."

Holy Qur'an (33:33)

In view of this, Al-Balagh Foundation has decided to publish a new series of book on the life and teachings of Prophet Muhammad, his daughter Fatimah, and twelve Imams who succeeded him beginning from Imam Ali to the last luminary Imam Al-Mahdi (a.s.) -may Allah hasten his reappearance. The lives of these 14 infallibles and the lofty principles they uphold, provide model par excellence for all time. They were torchbearers of guidance, the spring of flowing wisdom, the paragons of perfection and the live paradigms of the divine message.

May Allah guide mankind on the right path, and help the ummah to sincerely tread the footsteps of His last Messenger (s.a.w.) and his blessed progeny.

He is the All-hearing and All-answering.

Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds.

Al-Balagh Foundation

INTRODUCTION

Abridging the life of the Messenger of Allah Muhammad bin Abdullah (s.a.w.) in a small book is by no means an easy task, for his life is, actually spread over thick volumes than can never be condensed to a few pages. The life of the chosen Prophet of Allah (s.a.w.) is great, dazzling and matchless. In it converges the manifestations of victory and strength, submission and piety, ups and downs, heroism and pains.

Concisely, in part one of this book, the reader will be acquainted with the life of the great Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w.) at Mecca, both before being chosen to prophethood and after. In part two we will shed light on the Prophet's life at Medinah where he managed the Muslims' political and social affairs and laid the foundations of the first Islamic state. There his life took a new turn as he and his followers had to engage in military struggle with the idolators. In part three we will study the glorious personality of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), his social life, his traditions, his life among the members of his family and the ummah as well as the legacy of his dynamic thought.

In addition, we will also throw light on the principles of Islamic state as established by the Prophet (s.a.w.), the outlining of its dimensions in the Holy Qur'an, the community its characteristics and its objectives. How did the Prophet of Allah treat the foes of the divine Message? How did he wage his wars? When did he make truce with his enemies? All the answers will be presented in this book. We have attempted only to review the main points in his blessed life in plain words.

Our goal is to show the life of the Prophet (s.a.w.) especially to the youth, so as to acquaint them with the character of the Prophet (s.a.w.), his activities and attitudes before the call to prophethood and afterwards. The reader will get insight into his life, his call towards Allah and the state which he set up.

Al-Balagh Foundation by presenting this study on the life of Holy Prophet hopes to serve the interests of our dear readers.

To Allah we look for success and help.