Bahairah- The Monk who met
The Messenger Of Allah (Peace and blessings be upon him).

Abu Taalib would often travel to Ash-Sham (Syria and
surrounding regions) and elsewhere for business purposes. On
one such journey, he took the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) along with him; also
accompanying them were Makkah’s chieftains.

When their caravan overlooked the monastery of the monk Buhairah, they
made camp and began to unload some of their supplies.
Meanwhile, to their surprise, Buhairah was coming out to meet
them. What was so surprising was that though they had
frequently stopped beside his monastery on previous business
trips, he would never come out to meet them or even pay any
attention to them at all.

As they were removing some of their things, Buhairah began to
walk among them, until he reached the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings be upon him)
when he stopped, took the Messenger (Peace and blessings be upon him) by the hand, and
exclaimed, “This is the chief of ‘Alaameen (i.e., mankind, jinns,
etc.).

This is the Messenger of the Lord of all that exists. Allah will
send him as a (form of) mercy to all that exists’ The chieftains of
the Quraish said, “And what makes you know this?” He said,
“When you overlooked (this place), as you were arriving from
‘Aqaba, every single tree and stone (in the area) fell down in
prostration, and they do not perform prostration for anyone except
a Prophet. And indeed, I know him from the seal of Prophethood
that resembles an apple (in shape) and that is located below his
shoulder blade’

He returned to his monastery for a while in order to prepare food
for them. When he returned with the food, the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings be upon him) was busy watching over their camels. Buhairah requested that
they call him to join them in their meal. He came to them, and there
was a cloud above him giving him shade. When he arrived, he
found that everyone else had beaten him to the shade of the tree;
nonetheless, when he sat down, the shade moved towards him and
covered him. Seeing this, Buhairah said, “Look! The shade of the
tree has moved to cover him’

Buhairah told Abu Taalib and the other chieftains that they
should return with the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) to their homeland; he
particularly pleaded with them not to take him to the lands of
the Romans, for if the Romans were to know about him and were
to see the signs of his Prophethood, they would certainly kill him.

As he was explaining this to them, he turned around and saw
seven Romans approaching. He went to them and asked them
what they wanted. They said, “News has reached us that the
(awaited) Prophet is coming out during this month. Every road
has been blocked with guards, and we were sent to watch over
this road’ Buhairah said to them, “Suppose Allah wants a matter
to be fulfilled; can any person prevent that from happening?”

They said, “No.” He said, “Then pledge allegiance to him.” They
then joined the chieftains of the Quraish and did no harm to the
Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him)

But by this point, Buhairah was becoming very
worried; he had managed to convince these guards to leave the
Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) alone, but there was no telling whether more guards
were on the way or whether the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) would be identified at
a Roman checkpoint. And so he said to the chieftains of the
Quraish, “I insist that you tell me who his guardian is.” They said,
“Abu Taalib is his guardian.” Buhairah then continued to plead
with Abu Taalib until the latter finally took his advice to heart and
sent the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) back home to Makkah”

The story of Buhairah provides us with many insights into the life
of the Prophet(Peace and blessings be upon him)

First, we learn that not all priests and rabbis distorted their
revealed books. There were some among them, albeit very few in
number, who were sincere and truthful, and who openly
acknowledged that Muhammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) was indeed a Messenger to
all of mankind; they knew this from the signs and descriptions
that they found in their revealed books.

Second, by the command of Allah, inanimate objects would
honour the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) , a fact that is established in various
narrations. Some narrations describe how a particular stone
would greet the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) , one particular narration describes
how a tree wept when the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) stopped delivering sermons
beside it; and the above-mentioned narration describes how trees
and stones performed prostration to the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) as a way of
honouring him.

Third, as precocious as he was by inherent nature, the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him)
also benefited from accompanying his uncle on business trips and benefited from the
experiences and knowledge of wise men from both the Quraish
and foreign tribes.

Fourth, Buhairah knew that if the Romans found out about the
Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) they would kill him. This was significant because, at
the time, the Roman Empire extended into the lands of the Arabs,
particularly Ash-Sham (Syria and surroundings regions). And so
the Romans knew that the awaited Messenger, who was to come
from the Arabs, would bring an end to their imperial control over
the region. Since the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) was a threat to the interests of
their empire, Romans both feared him and ardently desired to
first find him and then kill him.

”Indeed,Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you who have believed, Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect” [33:56]

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Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) worked as a shepherd.

Being of noble lineage does not guarantee financial stability, a fact
that Abu Taalib knew all too well. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was still
young, Abu Taalib was going through a financial crisis; he had
many mouths to feed, and business wasn’t going so well.

To help his uncle get through those hard times, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) worked as
a shepherd. In an authentic Hadeeth, the Messenger of Allah
said, “Every Prophet that Allah sent herded sheep (at one time or
another during his life).”

The Companions said, “And even
you?” He (Peace be upon him) said, “Yes, I herded them upon Qaraareet (Ibn Hajar
said that scholars mention two possible meanings of Qaraareet: it
is either a place in Makkah, or it is a portion of a dinaar or dirham,
in which case the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was mentioning his wages for the
people of Makkah.”

Working as a shepherd allowed the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to work in peace
and quiet, to enjoy the beauty of the desert, and to contemplate the
wonders and beauty of Allah’s creation. Through his work, a
shepherd picks up and develops many wonderful qualities,
qualities that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) needed to lead his nation.

Indeed, Allah most certainly could have provided the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
with wealth and comfort, so that he would not have had to
work as a shepherd. But instead, he was being trained, and his
nation was being taught a lesson: The most honourable way to
live is to eat from what one earns through lawful work.

One who invites others to Islam must especially avoid taking from
what is in the hands of others; he must be independent of all
human beings. A self-sufficient man is dignified in the eyes of
others; whatever good he does, he does for Allah. That every
Prophet worked – as is mentioned in the above-mentioned
Hadeeth – is one of many proofs that refute the accusation that
polytheists leveled against Prophets.

Bukhaaree related from Al-Miqdaam that the Messenger of
Allah said, “No one has ever eaten better food than that which
he eats from what he works at with his hand. And verily, the
Prophet of Allah, Daawood, would eat from the work of his
hand”

When one is self-sufficient, depending upon no one but Allah
one gains the freedom of being able to speak the truth. Because
they are dependant upon the generosity of others, many people
bow their heads low before evildoers, remaining silent about their
wrongdoing because they fear losing their jobs and their
livelihood.

It was certainly easy upon Allah to provide a comfortable and
easy existence for the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
so that he would have no
pressing reason to work all day in the heat of the desert, serving
his flock. But Allah’s Wisdom dictated that the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
and all Muslims – instead learn an important lesson: the best wealth a
person gains is the wealth he earns through hard work.

”Indeed,Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you who have believed, Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect” [33:56]

Click here to read and download the pic of Durood-e-Paak (to send peace and blessings on our HOLY PROPHET (PEACE BE UPON HIM)

Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him) worked as a shepherd.

Being of noble lineage does not guarantee financial stability, a fact
that Abu Taalib knew all too well. When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was still
young, Abu Taalib was going through a financial crisis; he had
many mouths to feed, and business wasn’t going so well.

To help his uncle get through those hard times, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) worked as
a shepherd. In an authentic Hadeeth, the Messenger of Allah
said, “Every Prophet that Allah sent herded sheep (at one time or
another during his life).”

The Companions said, “And even
you?” He (Peace be upon him) said, “Yes, I herded them upon Qaraareet (Ibn Hajar
said that scholars mention two possible meanings of Qaraareet: it
is either a place in Makkah, or it is a portion of a dinaar or dirham,
in which case the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was mentioning his wages for the
people of Makkah.”

Working as a shepherd allowed the Prophet (Peace be upon him) to work in peace
and quiet, to enjoy the beauty of the desert, and to contemplate the
wonders and beauty of Allah’s creation. Through his work, a
shepherd picks up and develops many wonderful qualities,
qualities that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) needed to lead his nation.

Indeed, Allah most certainly could have provided the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
with wealth and comfort, so that he would not have had to
work as a shepherd. But instead, he was being trained, and his
nation was being taught a lesson: The most honourable way to
live is to eat from what one earns through lawful work.

One who invites others to Islam must especially avoid taking from
what is in the hands of others; he must be independent of all
human beings. A self-sufficient man is dignified in the eyes of
others; whatever good he does, he does for Allah. That every
Prophet worked – as is mentioned in the above-mentioned
Hadeeth – is one of many proofs that refute the accusation that
polytheists leveled against Prophets.

Bukhaaree related from Al-Miqdaam that the Messenger of
Allah said, “No one has ever eaten better food than that which
he eats from what he works at with his hand. And verily, the
Prophet of Allah, Daawood, would eat from the work of his
hand”

When one is self-sufficient, depending upon no one but Allah
one gains the freedom of being able to speak the truth. Because
they are dependant upon the generosity of others, many people
bow their heads low before evildoers, remaining silent about their
wrongdoing because they fear losing their jobs and their
livelihood.

It was certainly easy upon Allah to provide a comfortable and
easy existence for the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
so that he would have no
pressing reason to work all day in the heat of the desert, serving
his flock. But Allah’s Wisdom dictated that the Prophet (Peace be upon him)
and all Muslims – instead learn an important lesson: the best wealth a
person gains is the wealth he earns through hard work.

”Indeed,Allah and His angels send blessings on the Prophet: O you who have believed, Send ye blessings on him, and salute him with all respect” [33:56]

Click here to read and download the pic of Durood-e-Paak (to send peace and blessings on our HOLY PROPHET (PEACE BE UPON HIM)

The Death Of His Mother and Then His Living Under The Care Of His Grandfather And Uncle

His mother, Aaminah died when the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam was six years old, and like her
husband before her, she died during a journey. She had traveled to
see her uncles from the Banu ‘Adee ibn Najjaar tribe, and the
purpose of her visit was to show them her son. She died on the way
back in a place called Al-Abwaa, which is situated somewhere
between Makkah and Al-Madeenah, and she was buried there as
well.

Once she died, it was ‘ Abdul-Muttalib who became guardian and
caretaker of the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam. ‘Abdul-Muttalib loved him
a great deal and preferred him to even his own sons – who were
the uncles of the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam. Being in awe of their father, the
Prophet’s uncles did not dare sit on his carpet; in fact, no one
dared to sit with him on his carpet. Yet the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam would do
so, though his uncles would try to make him sit somewhere else.

Abdul-Muttalib took the Prophet’s side in the matter; in fact, he
encouraged the Prophet to sit alongside him, seeing goodness
in him and sensing that he was going to grow up to do great
things.

When ‘Abdul-Muttalib would send the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam on an
errand, he would perform it and then return in a short while; but
one day, ‘Abdul-Muttalib sent him to search out for stray camels,
and he [Peace be upon him] was delayed during the performance of that task. When
the Prophet’s absence became prolonged, ‘Abdul-Muttalib began
to worry a great deal, and even felt very sad, for he loved his
grandson a great deal. As soon as the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam returned with
the camels, ‘Abdul-Muttalib said to him, “O my son, just as a
woman does, I have become sad on your account – with sadness
(that is so extreme) that (it) will never leave me.”

After two years of his guardianship had passed, ‘Abdul-Muttalib
was bidding farewell to the world, and, upon learning of his
irnminent death, ordered that his son, ‘Abu Taalib, should be the
new guardian of the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam.

So at the age of 8, the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam
yet again had a new guardian, one that loved him as much, or
almost as much, as did his previous one.

Allah decreed that His Messenger Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam should be raised as an
orphan. Thus, as a child, the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam did not have parents who
spoiled him or riches that made for a soft and easy upbringing.
The Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam faced many calamities even as a child; in addition
to not having ever met his father, he first lost his mother and then
his grandfather. Such hardships helped make him sensitive to the
pains of others, for sadness purifies the soul from hardness and
arrogance and increases it in softness and humbleness.

His parents died in their twenties not because they were weak in
their physical makeup, but rather because Allah caused them
to die once they had fulfilled the task for which they were
created, so that every orphan can find comfort and consolation in
the early history of the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam.
Despite being an orphan,
the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam had lofty manners and characteristics.

As an orphan, he developed a high level of determination,
so that he depended upon no human being in his affairs. That his
parents could have no influence on his mission and that no
human being could interfere in his training and development are
some of the reasons why the Prophet Sallal laahoo alaihi wassallam was born an orphan.
Since it was Allah Alone Who took care of the Prophet’s
training and upbringing, the Prophet [Peace be upon him] was not influenced in
the least by the beliefs and traditions of pre-Islamic ignorance.
Allah provided the Prophet [Peace be upon him] with the care of his grandfather
and uncle to facilitate his material welfare; but as for his spiritual
welfare and his moral training, it was Allah Who was taking
care of him.

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The incident of the SPLITTING of the Prophet’s CHEST

What happened on that day was from the signs of Prophethood, and
was a clear proof that Allah chose Muhammad for a very
important mission in life.

Imam Muslim related in his Saheeh the story of the Prophet’s chest
being split open. In Imam Muslim’s narration, Anas ibn Maalik
& said, “While the Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings be upon him) was playing with some
other boys, Jibreel came to him, took him, forced him to the
ground, and split him open, revealing his heart. Jibreel extracted
his heart, removed from it a blood clot, and said, ‘This is the
portion of Shaitaan (the Devil) in you.’ He then washed the heart
with Zamzam water in a basin made of gold. He then joined the
heart together, and returned it to its place. The children hurried
off to his mother – i.e., his mother from breast-feeding. They said
to her, ‘Verily, Muhammad has been killed They went to him
and found that his colour had changed (though he was otherwise
fine)

Anas said, “I used to see the marks of that stitching on
his chest.”

Without a doubt, purification from Shaitaan’s influence was more
than an early sign of Prophethood; it was also preparation for
protecting the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) from evil and from worshipping other
than Allah. Only pure Islamic Monotheism was to remain in his
heart.

The above-mentioned incident served its purpose, for even
prior to receiving revelation, the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) never bowed down to
an idol or perpetrated a major sin, even though polytheism and evil
deeds were practiced on a widespread scale among the Quraish.

“It appears that the wisdom behind it was both to announce the importance of the
Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and to prepare him at a very early age for Al-‘Ismah
(protection from major sins, from making a mistake when
conveying the message of Islam, and so on) and revelation.

Physical means were employed (for that preparation) to make it
easier for people to have faith in him and to believe his message.
Therefore, the incident involved spiritual purification, but was
manifested in a physical, tangible manner” The removal of the
blood clot purified the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) from the immaturity, foolishness,
and recklessness of youth. The incident also shows us the degree to which Allah protected the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) and prevented Shaitaan
from having any influence over him whatsoever.

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Haleemah Radi Allahu anha herself related this narration:

And the way in which the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) grew was very different
from the way in which all other children grow: “He grew in a
single day the normal growth of an entire year. When he was fully
two years old, both his father (i.e., his father from breast-feeding)
and I took him to Makkah. We said, ‘By Allah, as long as we are
able to keep him, we will never part from him.

When we met with his mother, we said, ‘By Allah, we have never seen a boy
who is more blessed than he is, and we fear upon him the plague
and diseases that are rampant in Makkah (Aaminah herself was
sick at the time), so let us take him back with us, at least until you
are cured from your sickness. We continued to persist until she
finally gave her permission.

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Haleemah As-Sa’diyyah Radi Allahu anha

The WET NURSE of Prophet Mohammad (Peace and blessings be upon him) and how she got to be his foster mother.

It’s a comparatively longer artcile but its definitely worth a read. DONT MISS THIS

‘Abdullah ibn Ja’far said, “When the Messenger of Allah
was born, Haleemah Radi Allahu anha bint Al-Haarith came among a group of
women from (the tribe of) Banu Sa’d ibn Bakr, all of whom were
looking for infants in Makkah.”

It was common during those times for women who lived in the city to give up their infants for a
while to women who lived in the desert. Those women were
wetnurses; they would rear and breastfeed the infants for a
number of months or years, depending on the child.

Haleemah Radi Allahu anha herself related the rest of the narration:

“I left among the first group of women, riding a female donkey –
which was Qamraa (a colour that is close to either green or white
and that contains some mixture of brownness or dullness in it) –
that belonged to me. With me was my husband, Al-Haarith ibn
‘ Abdul-‘Uzzah, one of the children of Sa’d ibn Bakr, who became
a part of the Banu Naadirah clan.

Our female donkey had become
afflicted with bloody wounds (because of the length of the
journey). I also brought along an old camel, but by Allah, it would
not give forth even a drop of milk. It was a year of drought:
people went hungry, to the point that they became very weak and
emaciated. Also with me was my son, who, by Allah, did not
sleep at night (due to hunger). And I did not even have anything
in my hand with which I could distract him. Yet I hoped for rain
(and relief). We had sheep, and so we wanted rain.

After we arrived in Makkah, the Messenger of Allah was presented to
each one of us, and each one of us disliked (taking) him. We said,
‘He is an orphan, and it is the father who is kind and generous to
the wet nurse. (In the case of this orphan) what can we expect his
mother, uncle, or grandfather to do for us?’ Each one of my female
companions took an infant (except for me). When I found no other
child, I returned to him (the Prophet Peace and blessings be upon him) and took him.

By Allah, the only reason I took him was that I could find no other infant. I
said to my companion (husband), ‘By Allah, I will indeed take this
orphan who is from the children of ‘Abdul-Muttalib; perhaps
Allah will benefit us through him, and I will not return with my
female companions without having taken anything’ He said,
‘You are correct (in your decision)

And so I took him, and returned with him to the place where we
had made camp. By Allah, during the very same evening that I
brought him with me to the campsite, my breasts gave forth milk,
so that I was able to quench his thirst, as well as the thirst of his
brother (i.e., her son, and his brother from breast-feeding).

His father (again, his father from breast-feeding, and not his blood
father) stood up beside the old camel we came with, and he
touched it. It was full with milk! And so he milked it. He gave me
milk, (and I drank) until my thirst became quenched, and then he
drank until his thirst became quenched. He then said, ‘O
Haleemah, you do realize, by Allah, that we have taken a
blessed soul. Allah has given us through that soul what we could
not have hoped for. All of us being full, we spent a good and
blessed night. Previously, we could not sleep at night with our
own child.

Then my companions and I set out for the return journey to our
lands. I mounted my Al-Qamraa female donkey, and I carried him
(the Prophet Peace and blessings be upon him) with me. By the One Who has the soul of
Haleemah in His Hand, I raced past the rest of the caravan; the
women exclaimed, ‘Hold on for us! Is this the female donkey that
you set out with (at the beginning of our journey)? I said, ‘Yes’
They said, ‘But it had bloody wounds (on its legs) when we
arrived, so what happened to it (to cause this change)?’ I said, ‘By
Allah, I am carrying upon it a blessed boy.’

So we continued our journey, and with the passing of every day
Allah increased us in goodness. When we arrived (home), the
lands were afflicted with drought. Our flocks would go out for
grazing, and would then return. The sheep of (the) Banu Sa’d
(tribe) returned hungry; meanwhile, my sheep returned with their
stomachs full and with plenty of milk in them. We would milk
(our sheep) and (then) drink.

They (the rest of the tribe) would
say, ‘What is it with the sheep of Al-Haarith ibn ‘Abdul-‘Uzzah,
and the sheep of Haleemah: they come back full and with plenty
of milk in them. Woe upon you (they would say to one another)!
Go out to pasture where the sheep of their flock go out to pasture
They would do so, but as would happen before, their flocks
would return hungry; meanwhile, my flock would also return as
before (full and with plentiful milk).

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Lessons and Benefits from This Story

1) The student of Seerah sees signs and manifestations of the
Prophet’s blessedness throughout his life; during the
Prophet’s infancy, Haleemah Radi Allahu anha greatly benefited from his
blessedness. Once she took the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him) into her life, she
began to produce a great deal of milk, though previously her
breasts did not have enough milk in them for even a single
child – her son.

Haleemah Radi Allahu anha’ s child would cry a lot, thus
preventing his mother from sleeping at night, a situation that
changed after Haleeman Radi Allahu anha took custody of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him)
Having plentiful milk to drink, both son and mother began to
spend comfortable and relaxed nights.

The Prophet’s blessedness also became manifested in the sheep that
belonged to Haleemah Radi Allahu anha, for they began to
flow with plentiful milk, though previously their udders
would remain dry and empty.

2) What Allah chooses for his obedient slaves is best for them.
Allah chose an orphan for Haleemah Radi Allahu anha, though she did not
want to take the infant, and did so in the end only because she
could find no other. And, of course, Allah’s choice was
supremely best for her. On the very day she took the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him)
with her, she experienced the positive results of that choice.
In this there is a lesson for every Muslim:

Not knowing what is in one’s best interest in the long run, one should be content in
his heart with what Allah decrees for him; and one should
not regret what passes one by in this world; or in other words,
one should not regret missing out on what Allah did not
decree for one to have.