Muhammad: Man and Prophet: A Complete Study of the Life of the Prophet of Islam

854 Pages·2010·1.01 MB·english

by  Adil Salahi

Muhammad
Man and Prophet
A Complete Study of the Life of the Prophet of Islam
Adil Salahi
THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION
Published by
THE ISLAMIC FOUNDATION
Markfield Conference Centre,
Ratby Lane, Markfield, Leicestershire LE67 9SY, United Kingdom
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.islamic-foundation.com
Quran House, PO Box 30611, Nairobi, Kenya
PMB 3193, Kano, Nigeria
Kube Publishing Ltd.
Tel: + 44 (0)1530 249230, Fax: + 44 (0)1530 249656
E-mail: [email protected]
© Revised Edition, Adil Salahi 2002/1423 H,
2nd impression, 2005/1426 H
3rd impression, 2006/1427 H
4th impression, with corrections and an added appendix, 2008/1429H
5th impression, 2010/1431 H
All right reserved.
First published in the UK in 1995 by Element Books Limited
The right of Adil Salahi to be identified as the author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,
1988.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Salahi, M.A., Muhammad: Man and Prophet: a complete study of the life
of the Prophet of Islam—Rev. ed.—1. Muhammad, Prophet, d. 632—
Biography 2. Muhammad, Prophet, d. 632—Prophetic office 3. Islam—
Origin
I. Title II. Islamic Foundation
297.6’3
ISBN 978-0-86037-327-8
ISBN 978-0-86037-322-3
Cover design by Suhaib Salahi
Typeset by Nasir Cadir and N.Qaddoura
Dedication
TO MY PARENTS who have taught me that loving the Prophet
Muhammad could only be demonstrated by following his
teachings, not by singing his praises.
To Amr, Suhaib and Zaid, my children, and to their generation of
English-speaking Muslims. I hope this effort will make it easier for
them to follow the Prophet’s guidance.
And to Hayfa… She knows why.
Preface to the Present Edition
THIS EDITION BENEFITS by a major change introduced in
Chapter 26, where a certain event is reported in a new light that
totally negates what has been held as true by most people,
including the present author. The case of the Qurayzah Jews and
the judgement passed on them when they surrendered to the
Prophet is thus placed under fresh scrutiny. The majority of sources
on the history of the period report that the Qurayzah men were
executed and their women and children were taken slaves. Across
the centuries, authors were at pain to explain that this was the right
judgement, considering their treachery that could have led to the
eradication of Islam and the Muslim community. I previously
followed in the same tradition, arguing the same case. Now I praise
God for enabling me to see the event in question in its true light.
It is not an easy task to go against traditional wisdom in
explaining events of history, particularly when you stand at odds
with your most reliable sources. In the case of the fate of the
Qurayzah Jews, all sources, old and contemporary, rely on Ibn
Ishaq’s report. They practically produce it verbatim. Ibn Ishaq
himself was a scholar of high merit, but he was not immune to
misjudgement. In this case, he is clearly in the wrong. Islam stands
for absolute justice to all. It does not accept that a single person
may be treated unfairly under any circumstances. The Qur’an lays
down a great principle: “Never allow your hatred of any people to
lead you away from justice. Be just, this is closer to righteousness.”
(5: 8) This is coupled with a similarly important principle: “No soul
will bear the burden of another.” (35: 18) Thus, collective
punishment, whereby a group of people are punished for the crimes
committed by some of their numbers, could never be sanctioned.
No consideration of political expediency can outweigh the
importance of justice, even when dealing with our most hostile
enemy. The injunction to uphold justice is repeated many times in
the Quran and by the Prophet.
I am indebted to a scholarly paper by the late Professor Walid
Arafat which questions the case and throws doubt on the report by
Ibn Ishaq. This set me on a course of investigating the case anew.
My findings are outlined in Chapter 26 of this edition. I seek God’s
forgiveness for not undertaking such an investigation earlier, and I
praise Him for enabling me to clarify the picture concerning this
event.
The other major change in this edition is the appendix
concerning [A’ishah’s age at the time of her marriage to the
Prophet. This has always been a cause of unease for Muslims. They
try to explain it in different ways, but I have always felt that the
common notion concerning her age is wrong. I have only put in
writing what I have long argued in private and public discussions.
London Adil Salahi
December 2008
Transliteration Table
Consonants. Arabic
initial: unexpressed medial and final:
Vowels, diphthongs, etc.

Contents
Preface
Introduction to the First Edition
1. A Glance Back in History
2. The Early Years
3. From Youth to Maturity
4. The Makkan Scene at the Start of Prophethood
5. Up There in the Mountain
6. A Community in the Making
7. The Call to Islam Goes Public
8. Objective Containment
9. Misrepresentation
10. Moving Out
11. Hope and Despair
12. Difficulties in Abundance
13. A Major Breakthrough
14. The Journey to Madinah
15. Madinah