The Indications and The Good News about the Honorable Birth of Prophet Muhammad
sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam
We start with the name of Allah. We praise Allah and thank Him for the blessings of Islam. We humbly ask Allah to raise the rank of our Prophet sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, and his kind Al and Companions and to protect his nation from which he fears for it. We ask Allah to grant us the proper intention, the comprehension, and the reward in the Hereafter.
Thereafter:
On the 12th of Rabi^ ul-‘Awal of every year an honored and glorified memory shines over the whole world, and is commemorated by the entire Muslim world. Every honest Muslim participates in celebrating such an honorable memory to praise Allah for the blessing and endowment of Prophet Muhammad.
The Year of the Elephant:
The king of both Yemen and Habashah was a man called ‘Abrahah, who was a non-believer. When he saw that the people were visiting Makkah rather than his countries, and after hearing about the good things that were happening in Makkah he decided to destroy the Ka^bah.*
* The Ka^bah is the cubic structure in the Holy Mosque of Makkah, built first by Prophet ‘Adam peace be upon him in obedience to Allah.
‘Abrahah built a huge temple in order to divert the people from the Ka^bah. He tried to glorify this new temple by decorating it with lots of jewels and precious stones. After that, the king of Yemen and Habashah prepared a huge army with huge elephants led by his men. When the Arabian tribes learned about ‘Abrahah’s intentions to destroy the Ka^bah, they fought to the best of their abilities. The tribes couldn’t stop the elephants or the army. The huge army kept going until they reached the borders of Makkah.
When ‘Abrahah was ready to destroy the Ka^bah, he turned his elephants towards it so they would demolish it, the elephant refused to move and sat idly. They tried to force the elephant to move but they did not succeed. When they changed the direction of the elephant to south and away from the Ka^bah he obeyed. They tried the north, the elephant again obeyed. When they turned the elephant again towards the Ka^bah, it would not move an inch.
The huge elephant refused to destroy the Ka^bah. Allah then sent birds from the sea with rocks placed between their legs and in their beaks. They threw them on that army until they killed them all. Al-Qurtubiyy said that the army was of 60,000 soldiers. For this significant incident people named that year as “The Year of The Elephant”.
In that year Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam was born. He was born in a place called “Suqul-Layl” in Makkah. According to the Roman Calendar it was in the 6th century.
Mother and Father:
‘Aminah Bintu Wahb was the name of the Prophet’s mother. Many good things happened to ‘Aminah during her pregnancy with the Prophet. She never felt the weight of the fetus, which resulted in an easy carriage. She dreamt of a star falling in her lap, and when she sought interpretation, they told her that she will give birth to a master and to the leader of the people.
If she ever sought water from a well, the water itself would rise to her. One time she said: ” While I was half asleep, someone came to me and asked me if I felt pregnant. I answered that I did not. Then he told me that I am pregnant with the master and the Prophet of this nation.” That incident assured ‘Aminah that she was pregnant.
It was also said that when the Prophet’s mother gave birth to him a light came out with him, illuminating what is between the East and the West. The Prophet sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam landed on the ground resting on his hands, with his eyes opened and looking towards the sky.
^Abdullah Ibn ^Abdul-Mutalib, the Prophet’s father, did not live to see his son Muhammad. He died while ‘Aminah was still pregnant. His father didn’t see the best and the last Prophet.
Name and Lineage:
As for the name of the Prophet, many people do not realize how important it is to memorize his name and the name of his grandfathers. It is considered as an Islamic important issue to memorize the lineage of the Prophet up to 20 grandfathers.
He is Muhammad sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, the son of ^Abdullah, the son of ^Abdul-Mutalib, the son of Hashim, the son of ^Abdu Manaf, the son of Qusaiyy, the son of Kilab, the son of Murrah, the son of Ka^b, the son of Lu’aiyy, the son of Ghalib, the son of Fihr, the son of Malik, the son of an-Nadr, the son of Kinanah, the son of Khuzaymah, the son of Mudrikah, the son of Ilyas, the son of Mudar, the son of Nizar, the son of Ma^add, the son of ^Adnan, and after that his lineage goes back to Prophet Isma^il the son of Prophet Ibrahim peace be upon them.
On the Day of Birth:
On the day Prophet Muhammad sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam was born, the huge fire of the fire worshippers which had been lit for 1000 years to that day died out. The water of the Lake of Sawah dried out. Also, the palace of the arrogant dictator Kisra trembled, and 14 of its balconies fell to the ground.
Physical Description:
The Prophet was not extremely tall, nor was he short. He had a white complexion and black hair. The Prophet’s hair was not straight rather it was curly and long down to his shoulders. His aroma was nicer than pure musk itself. He had a clear forehead, long eyelashes, broad shoulders and a firm stomach. The Prophet was fast in his walk, and it was narrated that seeing his face one would think that the sun is rising from it.