WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.520
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

00:00:03.520 --> 00:00:06.900
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah).

00:00:08.529 --> 00:00:12.449
His childhood, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

00:00:12.449 --> 00:00:17.699
and the incident of the opening of his noble chest.

00:00:17.699 --> 00:00:23.059
And so the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, remained among Banu Sa'd

00:00:23.059 --> 00:00:27.859
until he reached four or five years of age,

00:00:27.859 --> 00:00:30.179
when a remarkable event occurred.

00:00:30.339 --> 00:00:33.380
Namely, that while the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

00:00:33.380 --> 00:00:36.979
was playing with the other boys, Gabriel came to him.

00:00:36.979 --> 00:00:40.659
He took hold of him, laid him down, and split open his chest.

00:00:40.659 --> 00:00:44.500
He extracted his heart and removed a blood clot from it,

00:00:44.500 --> 00:00:48.500
saying, "This was Satan's share in you."

00:00:48.500 --> 00:00:52.659
He then washed it in a golden basin with Zamzam water,

00:00:52.659 --> 00:00:54.179
and restored it to its place.

00:00:54.179 --> 00:00:58.020
The boys came rushing to his foster mother, crying out,

00:00:58.100 --> 00:01:00.579
"Muhammad has been killed!"

00:01:00.579 --> 00:01:06.370
For they had seen the angel come to him, split open his chest, and take out his heart.

00:01:06.370 --> 00:01:13.250
So Halimah and her husband rushed out to inspect where the Prophet, peace be upon him, had supposedly been slain.

00:01:13.250 --> 00:01:17.090
They found him standing upright, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

00:01:17.090 --> 00:01:19.890
yet pale in complexion,

00:01:19.890 --> 00:01:25.489
as this experience was naturally shocking for him, peace be upon him.

00:01:25.569 --> 00:01:30.209
And this was one of the signs of Allah, Blessed and Exalted.

00:01:30.209 --> 00:01:34.670
And Allah, the Majestic and Exalted, has power over all things.

00:01:34.670 --> 00:01:39.549
Thereupon, Halimah feared for the Prophet, peace be upon him,

00:01:39.549 --> 00:01:42.349
and returned him to his mother.

00:01:42.349 --> 00:01:47.329
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah).

00:01:47.329 --> 00:01:54.239
The passing of his mother, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

00:01:54.239 --> 00:01:57.120
When he reached six years of age,

00:01:57.280 --> 00:02:02.799
his mother set out with him to visit his father's grave along the road to Medina.

00:02:02.799 --> 00:02:04.799
She visited his father's grave,

00:02:04.799 --> 00:02:09.439
accompanied on this journey by his grandfather, 'Abd al-Muttalib,

00:02:09.439 --> 00:02:12.240
and her maidservant, Umm Ayman.

00:02:12.240 --> 00:02:14.719
After she had visited his father's grave,

00:02:14.719 --> 00:02:17.120
and while they were on the road back to Mecca,

00:02:17.120 --> 00:02:20.719
his mother passed away, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

00:02:20.719 --> 00:02:23.759
at a place between Mecca and Medina

00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:26.460
called al-Abwa'.

00:02:26.539 --> 00:02:31.259
Thus, after having been fatherless, the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

00:02:31.259 --> 00:02:37.180
became orphaned of both father and mother at the age of six.

00:02:37.180 --> 00:02:39.680
May my father and mother be ransomed for him!

00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:42.849
Then his grandfather took custody of him and raised him.

00:02:42.849 --> 00:02:45.409
But when he reached eight years of age,

00:02:45.409 --> 00:02:48.289
his grandfather, 'Abd al-Muttalib, passed away.

00:02:48.289 --> 00:02:51.810
So his uncle Abu Talib took him in and nurtured him

00:02:51.810 --> 00:02:56.530
until he reached manhood, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

00:02:56.530 --> 00:03:03.490
Abu Talib fulfilled his duty toward our master Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, in the finest manner,

00:03:03.490 --> 00:03:07.250
often favoring him even over his own children.

00:03:21.729 --> 00:03:27.330
When the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, reached twelve years of age,

00:03:27.409 --> 00:03:32.590
he traveled with his uncle Abu Talib to the Levant on a trading expedition.

00:03:32.590 --> 00:03:36.830
The caravan passed by a monk named Bahira

00:03:36.830 --> 00:03:40.110
in a place called Busra.

00:03:40.110 --> 00:03:43.469
When Abu Talib and his companions stopped there,

00:03:43.469 --> 00:03:46.430
the monk treated them with lavish hospitality, and then asked,

00:03:46.430 --> 00:03:48.030
"Who is with you?"

00:03:48.030 --> 00:03:49.629
They said, "Just us."

00:03:49.629 --> 00:03:53.069
He asked, "Is there anyone else with you?"

00:03:53.069 --> 00:03:57.310
They replied, "We have a young boy guarding our provisions."

00:03:57.310 --> 00:03:59.340
He said, "Bring him to me."

00:03:59.340 --> 00:04:03.020
When the Prophet, peace be upon him, arrived

00:04:03.020 --> 00:04:05.340
and Bahira the monk saw him,

00:04:05.340 --> 00:04:07.259
he scrutinized his face.

00:04:07.259 --> 00:04:11.650
For he knew that this was the appointed time for a prophet to emerge.

00:04:11.650 --> 00:04:13.009
He then searched

00:04:13.009 --> 00:04:15.330
and found the Seal of Prophethood:

00:04:15.330 --> 00:04:21.649
an elevated mark on the Prophet's upper back, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,

00:04:21.649 --> 00:04:23.569
about the size of a pigeon's egg.

00:04:23.569 --> 00:04:26.370
Bahira said to Abu Talib,

00:04:26.529 --> 00:04:29.730
"When you approached from the mountain pass,

00:04:29.730 --> 00:04:34.370
not a single rock or tree remained except that it fell prostrate,

00:04:34.370 --> 00:04:37.649
and they do not prostrate except for a prophet.

00:04:37.649 --> 00:04:44.610
I recognize him by the Seal of Prophethood below the cartilage of his shoulder blade, like an apple,

00:04:44.610 --> 00:04:47.329
as we find it described in our scriptures.

00:04:47.329 --> 00:04:48.610
So take him back,

00:04:48.610 --> 00:04:51.569
for I fear for him from the Jews."

00:04:51.569 --> 00:04:54.509
So he took him back to Mecca.

00:04:54.670 --> 00:04:57.069
Al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

00:04:57.069 --> 00:05:00.029
"This hadith is extremely munkar (unacceptable).

00:05:00.029 --> 00:05:02.430
Where was Abu Bakr at that time?

00:05:02.430 --> 00:05:04.589
He would have been ten years old,

00:05:04.589 --> 00:05:10.430
since he was two and a half years younger than the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.

00:05:10.430 --> 00:05:13.790
And where was Bilal at that time?

00:05:13.790 --> 00:05:17.709
For Abu Bakr only purchased him after the Prophet's mission began;

00:05:17.709 --> 00:05:20.300
indeed, he was not even born yet!

00:05:20.379 --> 00:05:21.740
Furthermore:

00:05:21.740 --> 00:05:24.860
if a cloud was constantly shading him,

00:05:24.860 --> 00:05:28.379
how could the tree's shadow be said to lean toward him?

00:05:28.379 --> 00:05:33.819
For the shadow of the cloud would cancel out the shadow of the tree under which he sat.

00:05:33.819 --> 00:05:40.540
Moreover, we never find the Prophet, peace be upon him, ever reminding Abu Talib of what the monk said,

00:05:40.540 --> 00:05:42.939
nor did Quraysh ever discuss it among themselves,

00:05:42.939 --> 00:05:45.740
nor did those elder shaykhs recount it,

00:05:45.740 --> 00:05:50.699
despite their keen interest and motivation to report such things.

00:05:50.699 --> 00:05:52.060
Had it truly occurred,

00:05:52.060 --> 00:05:54.860
it would have become exceedingly famous among them,

00:05:54.860 --> 00:05:59.899
and there would have remained with him, peace be upon him, an awareness of his impending prophethood;

00:05:59.899 --> 00:06:04.540
he would not have been alarmed when the revelation first came to him in the cave of Hira',

00:06:04.540 --> 00:06:07.899
nor would he have gone to Khadijah fearing for his sanity,

00:06:07.899 --> 00:06:14.610
nor would he have sought mountain peaks in distress, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

00:06:14.689 --> 00:06:19.889
Furthermore, if such fear had genuinely affected Abu Talib causing him to send him back,

00:06:19.889 --> 00:06:26.589
how could he later have willingly permitted him to travel to the Levant trading on behalf of Khadijah?

00:06:26.589 --> 00:06:31.870
Moreover, the hadith contains objectionable expressions reminiscent of Sufi lore."

00:06:43.569 --> 00:06:47.649
He, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, also attended the Alliance of the Virtuous (Hilf al-Fudul),

00:06:47.730 --> 00:06:51.730
and that was when he reached fifteen years of age.

00:06:51.730 --> 00:06:56.689
This alliance was convened by Banu Hashim, Banu al-Muttalib,

00:06:56.689 --> 00:07:00.610
Banu Asad, Banu Zuhrah, and Banu Taym.

00:07:00.610 --> 00:07:04.449
They gathered in the house of 'Abdullah ibn Jud'an al-Taymi,

00:07:04.449 --> 00:07:06.610
on account of his seniority and nobility,

00:07:06.610 --> 00:07:10.610
and pledged that they would not find an oppressed person in Mecca—

00:07:10.610 --> 00:07:13.970
whether one of its residents or an outsider—

00:07:13.970 --> 00:07:17.490
without aiding him and securing his rightful dues.

00:07:17.490 --> 00:07:21.490
Later, the Prophet, peace be upon him, would say:

00:07:21.490 --> 00:07:25.410
"I witnessed an alliance in the house of 'Abdullah ibn Jud'an;

00:07:25.410 --> 00:07:28.930
I would not exchange it for the finest red camels,

00:07:28.930 --> 00:07:32.610
and were I invited to it in Islam, I would uphold it."

00:07:32.610 --> 00:07:35.970
Red camels were the most prized camels,

00:07:35.970 --> 00:07:40.129
highly coveted and cherished by the Arabs.

00:07:41.089 --> 00:07:46.779
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah).

00:07:46.860 --> 00:07:53.600
The misconception regarding the Prophet's exposure, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

00:07:53.600 --> 00:07:58.240
In the Sahihayn, it is narrated on the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdillah, may Allah be pleased with them both,

00:07:58.240 --> 00:08:02.319
who related that the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,

00:08:02.319 --> 00:08:05.759
was carrying stones with them for the reconstruction of the Ka'bah

00:08:05.759 --> 00:08:07.680
while wearing his waist-wrapper.

00:08:07.680 --> 00:08:10.079
His uncle al-'Abbas said to him,

00:08:10.079 --> 00:08:11.519
"O my nephew!

00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:16.720
If only you would loosen your waist-wrapper and place it over your shoulder under the stones."

00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:19.040
He said: So he loosened it

00:08:19.040 --> 00:08:21.199
and placed it upon his shoulder,

00:08:21.199 --> 00:08:23.600
whereupon he fell unconscious.

00:08:23.600 --> 00:08:24.800
He said:

00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:28.480
And never after that day was he seen unclothed.

00:08:28.480 --> 00:08:31.199
Now, innovators have raised objections, claiming:

00:08:31.199 --> 00:08:35.039
"How could the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, be uncovered?"

00:08:35.039 --> 00:08:40.240
alleging that this narration is a fabrication against the Prophet, peace be upon him.

00:08:40.240 --> 00:08:44.159
The response to them is threefold:

00:08:44.159 --> 00:08:45.440
First:

00:08:45.519 --> 00:08:49.360
This hadith has an authentic chain of transmission without any defect;

00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:52.799
Imam al-Bukhari recorded it in his Sahih,

00:08:52.799 --> 00:08:54.320
in the Book of Prayer,

00:08:54.320 --> 00:08:58.399
under the chapter: "The Dislike of Uncovering Oneself in Prayer and Otherwise."

00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:03.200
Furthermore, this incident took place before the Prophet's commission, peace be upon him.

00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:05.840
Al-Zuhri, may Allah have mercy on him, said:

00:09:05.840 --> 00:09:08.399
"When Quraysh rebuilt the Ka'bah,

00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:12.669
the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, had not yet reached puberty."

00:09:12.669 --> 00:09:13.950
Second:

00:09:14.110 --> 00:09:17.149
Uncovering is permissible according to scholars

00:09:17.149 --> 00:09:20.750
when justified by an overriding legal interest,

00:09:20.750 --> 00:09:24.110
such as the permissibility of being uncovered during medical treatment.

00:09:24.110 --> 00:09:26.909
Thus, the uncovering of the Prophet, peace be upon him,

00:09:26.909 --> 00:09:29.549
occurred, first of all, before his commission,

00:09:29.549 --> 00:09:31.870
and secondly, it was done for a practical purpose:

00:09:31.870 --> 00:09:34.590
to place his garment upon his shoulder

00:09:34.590 --> 00:09:37.950
to cushion it while carrying heavy stones,

00:09:37.950 --> 00:09:42.110
and for an act of worship dedicated to Allah, the Majestic and Exalted,

00:09:42.190 --> 00:09:44.350
namely, the reconstruction of the Ka'bah.

00:09:44.350 --> 00:09:47.950
A similar situation occurred with the Prophet of Allah, Moses, peace be upon him,

00:09:47.950 --> 00:09:51.230
when his people slandered his physical wholeness,

00:09:51.230 --> 00:09:54.350
“O ye who believe! Be not as those who slandered Moses, but Allah proved his innocence of that which they alleged, and he was well esteemed in Allah's sight.” (33:69)

00:09:54.350 --> 00:09:56.990
as recorded by the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim)

00:09:56.990 --> 00:10:00.110
from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him,

00:10:00.110 --> 00:10:03.870
from the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, who said:

00:10:03.870 --> 00:10:07.070
"The Children of Israel used to bathe unclothed,

00:10:07.070 --> 00:10:09.549
looking at one another,

00:10:09.629 --> 00:10:12.350
whereas Moses, peace be upon him,

00:10:12.350 --> 00:10:14.190
used to bathe alone.

00:10:14.190 --> 00:10:15.629
They said,

00:10:15.629 --> 00:10:17.470
'By Allah, nothing prevents Moses

00:10:17.470 --> 00:10:18.909
from bathing with us

00:10:18.909 --> 00:10:21.309
except that he has a scrotal hernia.'

00:10:21.309 --> 00:10:23.629
Once, he went to bathe

00:10:23.629 --> 00:10:26.029
and laid his garment upon a stone,

00:10:26.029 --> 00:10:28.509
whereupon the stone rolled away with his clothes.

00:10:28.509 --> 00:10:31.549
Moses ran after it, calling out,

00:10:31.549 --> 00:10:33.470
'My clothes, O stone! My clothes, O stone!'

00:10:33.470 --> 00:10:37.070
until the Children of Israel looked at Moses

00:10:37.070 --> 00:10:38.350
and said,

00:10:38.350 --> 00:10:40.990
'By Allah, there is no defect in Moses!'

00:10:40.990 --> 00:10:42.509
He then took his garment

00:10:42.509 --> 00:10:45.070
and began striking the stone."

00:10:45.070 --> 00:10:47.070
Abu Hurayrah said,

00:10:47.070 --> 00:10:51.870
"By Allah, the stone bore six or seven marks from the blows."

00:10:51.870 --> 00:10:53.309
Third:

00:10:53.309 --> 00:10:59.149
The hadith does not state that he was uncovered in the sight of people, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

00:10:59.149 --> 00:11:00.590
Fourth:

00:11:00.590 --> 00:11:03.710
Even when he briefly loosened it before his uncle alone,

00:11:03.710 --> 00:11:06.909
it was not allowed to persist; he immediately collapsed unconscious,

00:11:06.990 --> 00:11:10.720
and he was never seen unclothed thereafter.

00:11:10.720 --> 00:11:17.470
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah).

00:11:17.470 --> 00:11:21.600
Before the Prophetic Mission:

00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:26.799
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, used to tend sheep during that period

00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:30.480
for modest wages from the people of Mecca.

00:11:30.480 --> 00:11:32.480
It is narrated on the authority of Jabir who said:

00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:37.120
We were with the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, at Marr al-Zahran,

00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:39.200
gathering the fruit of the arak tree (al-kabath),

00:11:39.200 --> 00:11:41.120
which is the berry of the arak tree—

00:11:41.120 --> 00:11:42.659
the tooth-stick tree.

00:11:42.740 --> 00:11:46.019
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said,

00:11:46.019 --> 00:11:48.610
"Pick the black ones, for they are the best."

00:11:48.610 --> 00:11:49.730
He said:

00:11:49.730 --> 00:11:51.889
We asked, "O Messenger of Allah!

00:11:51.889 --> 00:11:54.129
Did you use to tend sheep?"

00:11:54.129 --> 00:11:55.899
He said, "Yes."

00:11:55.899 --> 00:11:58.779
And he, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:

00:11:58.779 --> 00:12:02.620
"Allah never sent a prophet but that he shepherded sheep."

00:12:02.620 --> 00:12:04.299
His Companions asked,

00:12:04.299 --> 00:12:05.580
"Even you?"

00:12:05.580 --> 00:12:06.940
He said, "Yes,

00:12:06.940 --> 00:12:11.220
I used to shepherd them for modest wages for the people of Mecca."

00:12:11.379 --> 00:12:12.980
The scholars observed:

00:12:12.980 --> 00:12:18.580
Perhaps the wisdom behind inspiring the prophets to tend sheep prior to prophethood

00:12:18.580 --> 00:12:21.539
was to train them through pasturing them

00:12:21.539 --> 00:12:25.620
for the future burden of guiding and managing their Ummah.

00:12:25.620 --> 00:12:27.779
For in tending sheep,

00:12:27.779 --> 00:12:31.139
they cultivated forbearance and deep compassion;

00:12:31.139 --> 00:12:36.820
since patiently shepherding them, rounding them up when scattered across pastures,

00:12:36.820 --> 00:12:39.139
and defending them from predators

00:12:39.139 --> 00:12:42.340
accustomed them to being patient with the Ummah.

00:12:42.340 --> 00:12:44.340
Sheep in particular were chosen for this

00:12:44.340 --> 00:12:46.980
because they are gentler and weaker than other livestock,

00:12:46.980 --> 00:12:51.700
and they scatter far more easily than camels or cattle.

00:12:51.700 --> 00:12:53.620
Following his time as a shepherd,

00:12:53.620 --> 00:12:57.700
the Prophet, peace be upon him, engaged in trade.

00:12:58.450 --> 00:13:05.259
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah):

00:13:05.259 --> 00:13:12.059
His Marriage, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.

00:13:12.059 --> 00:13:17.980
News reached Khadijah bint Khuwaylid describing the Prophet, peace be upon him,

00:13:17.980 --> 00:13:21.019
and praising his noble character and trustworthiness.

00:13:21.019 --> 00:13:22.779
She therefore sent for him

00:13:22.779 --> 00:13:27.259
and offered him the opportunity to travel to the Levant trading with her merchandise.

00:13:27.259 --> 00:13:31.500
Khadijah was among the noblest of her people from Banu Asad—

00:13:31.659 --> 00:13:36.190
and she sent with him her servant named Maysarah.

00:13:36.190 --> 00:13:41.740
The Prophet, peace be upon him, departed with her wealth and traded on her behalf.

00:13:41.740 --> 00:13:44.139
Upon his return to Mecca,

00:13:44.139 --> 00:13:49.340
Maysarah informed her of what he had observed in the Prophet, peace be upon him:

00:13:49.340 --> 00:13:52.700
his exceptional character, honorable conduct,

00:13:52.700 --> 00:13:57.740
and the extraordinary blessings that accompanied him.

00:13:57.740 --> 00:14:00.860
All of this filled her with deep admiration for him,

00:14:01.019 --> 00:14:05.419
and she shared her high regard for him with her close friends.

00:14:05.419 --> 00:14:11.580
Among them was a dear friend named Nafisah.

00:14:11.580 --> 00:14:16.379
Thereupon, Nafisah approached the Prophet, peace be upon him,

00:14:16.379 --> 00:14:19.899
and suggested that he marry Khadijah.

00:14:19.899 --> 00:14:23.100
He accepted, peace be upon him,

00:14:23.100 --> 00:14:26.779
and went accompanied by his uncles to Khadijah's uncle,

00:14:26.779 --> 00:14:29.100
and the marriage was concluded.

00:14:29.259 --> 00:14:32.940
According to the most well-known view, she was forty years old,

00:14:32.940 --> 00:14:35.899
though it is also said she was twenty-eight,

00:14:35.899 --> 00:14:41.600
while the Prophet, peace be upon him, was twenty-five.

00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:46.720
The Prophet, peace be upon him, loved her with an immense love,

00:14:46.720 --> 00:14:51.070
and he never took another wife during her lifetime.

00:14:51.070 --> 00:14:56.029
His Children with Khadijah, peace be upon him:

00:14:56.110 --> 00:15:00.830
Allah, Blessed and Exalted, blessed him with children through Khadijah;

00:15:00.830 --> 00:15:06.110
she bore him 'Abdullah, al-Qasim, Fatimah, Zaynab,

00:15:06.110 --> 00:15:11.679
Ruqayyah, and Umm Kulthum, may Allah be pleased with them.

00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:14.159
Treasures of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah).