There was great happiness amongst Abd al Muttalib's family, not to mention his tribe, and the day−to−day life resumed once more. Shortly after this significant event, Abd al Muttalib started to make plans for Abdullah's future. Abdullah was now eighteen years of age and his father thought it was time for him to marry, so he started to search for a suitable match. After much consideration he came to the conclusion that Amina, the orphaned daughter of Wahb, would be the most compatible bride for his son. Amina was of noble birth, her father, Wahb had been the chief of the Zuhra −− a branch of the Koraysh −− but upon his death, her paternal uncle, Wuhayb had become its new chieftain and taken care of her. His own daughter, Halah, was of similar age and so the two girls had grown up together like sisters. Among Amina's many qualities she was known for her honorable, endearing character and to compliment these characteristics she was very intelligent. Years later, Prophet Muhammad, (sa) confirmed her status when he told his companions, "I have been chosen from the most choice." During Abd Al Muttalib's search for a suitable bride for his beloved son, it came to his notice that Wuhayb's daughter, Halah, was also of marriageable age, so he asked his permission to marry her himself. A proposal such as this was indeed a great honor and through these kind of arrangements essential inter−tribal ties were often strengthened. Upon his return, Abd Al Muttalib told Abdullah that he had found the perfect match for him. Abdullah was overjoyed when he heard all the wonderful things his father had to say about Amina and so preparations for a double wedding were made. As soon as the wedding preparations had been finalized, the bridal party set out for the house of Wahb. On the way to the celebration, people came out of their houses to greet the procession and wish them well. Abdullah had always been handsome, but that day he looked more handsome than ever. As the party passed the homes of the Bani Asad, Abdullah's cousin, Kutaylah, sister of Warakah, called to him and with the permission of his father he stopped to speak with her. Kutaylah had noticed something very special about Abdullah that day, she had seen a radiant light upon his face, the like of which she had never seen before. On impulse she asked Abdullah to marry her, offering him the same number of camels that been sacrificed in order to save him. Abdullah was astonished by the proposal but decline her offer and the bridal procession continued on its way. In those days it was the custom to stay in the house of the bride for several days after the marriage and then take her to her new home shortly afterwards. However, a few days after Abdullah and Amina's marriage, it was necessary for Abdullah to return home. On his way he met Kutaylah who told him that she was no longer interested in him because the radiant light she had seen on his face was no longer there. Amina conceived on the first night of their marriage and the young couple were very happy together. Everything his father had told him proved to be true, and Abdullah was as delighted with Amina as she was with him. Two months after their marriage Abdullah joined a trading caravan destined for Al Shams. Today, Al Shams is a conglomerate of several countries known to us as Syria, Jordan and Palestine. On the return journey, Abdullah was taken seriously ill in Yathrib. Abdullah had many relatives in Yathrib and so the caravan left him in their care and continued on to Mecca without him.
THE DEATH OF ABDULLAH
A messenger bearing news of Abdullah's illness was sent on in advance of the caravan and as soon as Abd Al Muttalib heard the disturbing news he sent his eldest son, Harith, to Yathrib to bring Abdullah home. Harith was not destined to see his brother again as Abdullah died before he reached Yathrib and so he was buried near his cousins, the children of Adiyy, the son of Najjar in Yathrib. Harith returned to Mecca and conveyed the saddening news to his father and Amina whereupon great sorrow fell upon the entire family.
LADY AMINA'S PREGNANCY
Allah, the Most High, made Lady Amina's pregnancy easy for her, in fact she commented that she didn't feel any different from her usual self. However, as her pregnancy progressed Lady Amina became aware of a light shinning from within her. One night in particular, the light was so spiritually, intensely bright that she had the ability to see the castles and turrets of far away Basra in Al Shams. During her pregnancy Lady Amina had many visions concerning her unborn baby. On one such occasion she heard a voice telling her, "You are carrying in your womb the master of this nation. When he is born say, 'I place him under the protection of the One from the evil of every envier; call him Muhammad.'"
THE MEMORABLE YEAR OF THE ELEPHANT
Fifty days before Muhammad was born, an event occurred which every person in Mecca would remember for the rest of their life. It was an attempt by Abraha, the governor of Yemen, to destroy the Sacred Ka'ba with an elephant's might. Before that time the Arabs paid little attention to the passage of years, although each month was recognized by the new moon. From that year onwards the Arabs would refer to events as being either before the year of the elephant or after it. At that time, Yemen was under the rule of Abyssinia. The King of Abyssinia, called the Negus, had appointed a governor named Abraha to govern Yemen in his absence. The Negus was a Nazarene who followed the true teachings of Prophet Jesus and not the trinitarian teachings of Paul, and Abraha, anxious to promote himself still further in the eyes of his king, decided he would build a magnificent church with the intent of luring pilgrims from Ka'ba to it. The church was built in Sanna with marble pillaged from the ruined palaces of Sheba, whilst its interior was embellished with gold and silver, and its pulpit carved from ivory and ebony. Upon completion, Abraha sent word to the Negus that he had built a magnificent church in his honor and mentioned his underlying intention. Abraha bragged so much of his intention to lure pilgrims away from the Ka'ba that word spread like the fury of a violent sandstorm throughout Arabia. As could be expected the Arabs were enraged by the whole affair to the extent that a man from the tribe of Kinanah, a branch of the Koraysh, was so incensed by the audacity of Abraha that he set out for Sanna determined to defile the church. When he reached Sanna night had fallen so he crept unseen into the church and defiled it with trash and filth. Having accomplished his mission he left undetected. When news of the defilement reached Abraha his anger was so great that he swore to take revenge and to lead an army to would destroy Ka'ba once and for all. Immediately, orders were issued to his army and they prepared themselves for the long march across the hot and sandy desert to Mecca. He also gave orders that an elephant should lead them as a sign of his might. As soon as the preparations were complete Abraha gave the order to march with the canopied elephant leading the way. Not far out of Sanna the army encountered resistance from a small band of Arabs, but they were greatly out numbered and fled. Their leader, Nufayl, from the tribe of Khathan, was captured and in fear for his life offered to guide Abraha and his soldiers on to Ka'ba. The news of Abraha's march to destroy Ka'ba reached Ta'if ahead of their arrival, so a delegation from the Thakif, fearing Abraha might mistake their temple of Al Lat for Ka'ba, rode out to meet him and offered to be Nufayl's co−guides, and Abraha accepted. At a place called Mughammis, a few miles outside Mecca, Abraha decided to strike camp and it was there that Nufayl died and was buried. Meanwhile, Abraha sent his spies on in advance to the outskirts of Mecca. On their way they came across a herd of camels belonging to Abd Al Muttalib together with some other animals so they seized them together with anything else they could lay their hands on and sent their plunder back to Abraha. In the meantime, Abd Al Muttalib, together with other Korayshi chieftains and chiefs from neighboring tribes met together to discuss how they might best defend their beloved Ka'ba. After much deliberation all concluded that Abraha's army was so great in number that they did not stand a chance against him, so Abd Al Muttalib decided it was best for the people of Mecca to seek refuge on the slopes of Mount Thabir saying, "O people of Koraysh, you will be protected," and assured them that Ka'ba would be unharmed saying, "Abraha and his army will not reach the Holy Ka'ba because it has a Protecting Lord." As the people of Mecca made their way to the mountain, Abd Al Muttalib supplicated saying, "O Allah, it is customary for one to protect his possessions, so please, protect Yours." Soon after, Abraha sent his envoy into Mecca inviting their leader to visit him in his camp and so Abd Al Muttalib, together with one of his sons accompanied Abraha's envoy back to the camp. As Abd Al Muttalib approached, Abraha was greatly impressed by his noble composure and rose to greet him. Abraha then told Abd Al Muttalib of his intent to destroy the Ka'ba and asked him if there was any favor he might grant him. Abraha was extremely surprised by Abd Al Muttalib's reply, he expected him to plead with him to spare Ka'ba but instead Abd Al Muttalib asked for the return of his herd of camels. Abraha scoffed at his request but the wise, trusting, Abd Al Muttalib replied, "I am the lord of my herd of camels, so I must protect them. The Lord of Ka'ba will protect His House." After this totally unexpected reply, Abd Al Muttalib and his son returned to Mecca. Soon after this Abraha gave the order to advance on Ka'ba and the soldiers took their marching positions behind the elephant. Now that all was ready the elephant was given the command to rise and march, but it refused and sat still. Its handlers tried to tempt it, but when that failed they beat it, driving iron hooks deep into its flesh, but still the elephant refused to march on Ka'ba. Then, one of its handlers had an idea to trick the poor elephant by turning it around to face the direction of Yemen, then, as soon as it started to walk to turn it around to march on Ka'ba. His deception worked for a while. They succeeded to get the elephant to stand, and even take a few steps in the direction of Yemen, but when he tried to turn it around to march on Ka'ba, the elephant, with all its might, sat down and despite the renewed extreme cruelty it endured the elephant still refused to march on Ka'ba. Suddenly, the sky became blackened with flocks of birds named "Ababil". Each bird carried three stones, one in each claw and another in its beak. When the birds reached Abraha's army they pelted the soldiers with them. As soon as a soldier was struck by a stone he died −− not one single stone missed its mark. As for Abraha, he did not die instantly, the stones that hit him brought about a painfully slow death that caused his bones to crumble thereby bringing about the agonizing collapse of his ribs. These miraculous affairs were witnessed by all the citizens present in Mecca that day, and as a result the year became known as the "Year of the Elephant." As for the grave of Nufayl, the guide who had led Abraha to Ka'ba, the Koraysh took stoning it. Unfortunately, there are some misguided people who promote the theory that the stones carried by the birds were not in fact stones but rather microbes or germs. Their knowledge of the Words of Allah is indeed pitiful, because their theory is in direct contradiction to the unchangeable word Allah, Himself, uses in the Koran to describe the event. The word Allah uses is "Hijaratin" which means "stones" −− and the knowledge of Allah is the truth. Allah sent down the following chapter confirming the event:In the Name of Allah, the Merciful, the Most Merciful. Have you not seen how Allah dealt with the companions of the Elephant? Did He not cause their schemes to go astray? And He sent against them flights of birds pelting them with stones of baked clay, so that He made them like straw eaten (by cattle). Chapter 105, The Elephant
THE PROPHECY IS FULFILLED
On Monday, 12th of Rabi−al−Awwal −− 570 years after Jesus ascended into heaven to await his return before the end of the world −− Lady Amina gave birth to her blessed son in the house of Abu Talib. Ash−Shaffa, the mother of Abd Al Rahman, attended his birth and as Lady Amina gave birth her blessed baby was delivered prostrating upon his tiny hands and knees, then sneezed and said, "Al Hamdulillah" −− praise be to Allah −− whereupon a voice from the heavens replied, "May Allah have mercy upon you." As Ash−Shaffa looked out into the night sky the horizon became illuminated so that the very distant castles of Greece became clearly visible to her. Incidentally, "Al Hamdulillah” wasthe same praise Prophet Adam offered as he sneezed upon reaching earth. The beautiful baby was born without a trace of dirt upon him, and a sweet aroma caressedhis perfect little body. Lady Amina remembered the instruction she had been given in her vision and supplicated to Allah with it for her little son, then gave him to Ash−Shaffa, the mother of Abd Al Rahman to hold. News that Lady Amina had given birth to a son was sent straight away to Abd Al Muttalib. As soon as he heard the good news he rushed to see his new grandson. When he reached the house his heart was filled with joy and tender loving care. He cradled the sweet baby wrapped in a white cloth in his arms and then took him to the Ka'ba where he offered a prayer of thanksgiving to Allah for the safe delivery of his grandson. Before returning his new grandson to Lady Amina he went home to show him to his own family. Standing at the door waiting for his father's return was his three year old son Abbas. Lovingly, Abd Al Muttalib told his son, "Abbas, this is your brother, give him a kiss," so Abbas, who was in reality his uncle, bent over and kissed his new baby brother. After everyone had admired the baby, Abd Al Muttalib returned to Lady Amina and in accordance with her vision and a vision Abd Al Muttalib had seen, the sweet baby was named Muhammad. When people asked why they had named him Muhammad they replied, "To be praised in the heavens and earth." Before that time the name Muhammad was unknown and no other child had ever been given that special name. Abu Talib's house, the house in which the Holy Prophet (sa) was born exists today and is used to house an Islamic library.
SPECIAL EVENTS DURING THIS BLESSED NIGHT
Ash−Shaffa was not the only person to witness miraculous events of this very special night. As Othman, the son of Abi As's mother gazed up into the night sky she witnessed the stars lower themselves and a light so brilliant appeared at the time of his birth that she could see nothing except light. In the kingdom of Chosroes, fortifications shook and balconies collapsed, whilst the waters of Lake Tiberias ebbed, and the famous flame of Persia, which had not been extinguished since it was lit a thousand years before, was suddenly quite unexplainably extinguished. In the heavens, meteors were commanded to be on guard so as to prevent the satans from listening to the news the angels bore about the events of this very blessed night.
THE KNOWLEDGEABLE JEW
Amongst the citizens of Mecca were several Jews, one of whom was knowledgeable of the scriptures. He knew from his learning and the signs of the time that the birth of a new prophet was imminent and anxiously awaited his arrival. On the night Prophet Muhammad, (sa) was born, a strange feeling came over him that prompted him to rush to the door of his house and ask some Koraysh tribesmen, who happened to be passing, if they had heard of any births that night. The tribesmen replied that they knew of none, so he asked them to go and find out then bring word to him. He felt sure that this was the night in which the new prophet had been born, and if his feelings were correct he knew he would indeed be able to recognize him by a special, prominent mark on his skin that lay between his shoulders. Sometime later, the tribesmen returned to the expectant Jew and told him that a son had indeed been born to Lady Amina, the widowed wife of Abdullah, son of Abd Al Muttalib. The Jew asked them to take him to see the newly born and his mother, so in haste they made their way to Abu Talib's house. When they arrived, Lady Amina presented her darling son to them and as the cloth that covered him was gently rolled back the Jew saw the unmistakable mark and fainted. When he regained consciousness he announced the prophethood had been taken away from the Children of Israel and said, "O people of Koraysh, by Allah, he will conquer you in a way that the news will traverse both east and west." The mark the Jew referred to was circular and read, "There is no god except Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet", and it was from this identifying mark that the sweet aroma of musk exuded.
THE DECISION OF LADY AMINA AND ABD AL MUTTALIB
Abdullah was a young man when he died and therefore had very little to leave his wife and unborn baby. All he was able to leave them was an Abyssinian maid named Barakah, which means blessing, a few camels and some goats. Barakah was also known by the name Umm Ayman. During the first days of our beloved Prophet's life, Barakah helped his mother to take care of him, and Thuwaybah, who attended his birth, became his first wet−nurse. In those days it was the practice of noble and well−to−do families to entrust their newly born infants to the care of good families living far from Mecca where the infant would be less likely to contract the many diseases that all too often accompanied the pilgrims. Among the many advantages of sending a newly born to be raised in the desert was that it was there that Arabic in its purest form was spoken, and the accomplishment of speaking pure Arabic was a most sought after quality. Youngsters also learned the essential art of survival through the mutual love and care for one another that in turn lead to excellent manners and a chivalrous nature. With this in mind Lady Amina and Abd Al Muttalib decided to send Muhammad to be raised in the desert.
HALIMA
Soon after his birth, several Bedouin families made their twice yearly journey to Mecca in search of a child to foster. No fee was requested by the foster parents as one might suppose, rather, the intent was to strengthen ties between noble, well−to−do families and perhaps receive a favor from its parents or relatives. Amongst the prospective foster mothers was a lady called Halima, the daughter of Abdullah Al Sadiyyah from the tribe of Banu Hawazin. Halima's family had always been poor, and that year in particular had been harsh for them on account of the drought that devastated the area. Halima had a young baby of her own, so together with her husband, Abi Kabshah, and baby they traveled in the company of other families from their tribe to Mecca. Halima carried her son as she rode upon their donkey whilst her husband walked by her side and the sheep ran along beside them. When they set out, the sheep's milk had been a constant source of nourishment for them, but the strain of the journey took its toll and its milk dried up. Halima's own milk was insufficient to satisfy her baby, and many a time her baby cried itself to sleep out of hunger. Before reaching Mecca, there was another setback, Halima's donkey started to show signs of lameness, so they proceeded slowly at their own pace whilst the others went on ahead. Because of the delay, Halima and her family were the last of the prospective foster parents to reach Mecca. By the time she arrived each of the other prospective foster mothers had visited the homes of parents wishing to send their newly born to the safety of the desert, and chosen a baby. However, the planning of Allah was that all had declined the offer to take Lady Amina's baby on account of him being an orphan, and so when Halima arrived he was the only one available. As Halima entered Lady Amina's house she found the tiny baby sleeping upon his back wrapped in a white woolen shawl under which a green piece of silk had been placed. Instantaneously, with just one glance, in the same way that the wife of Pharaoh’s heart had been filled with love for the baby Moses, Allah filled Halima’s heart with overflowing love. Halima was overcome by his beauty, and as she bent down to pick him up she smelt the delicate fragrance of musk. Fearing she might disturb him, she placed her had over his chest and as she did he smiled, then opened his eyes and from his eyes beamed a radiant light. Gently, and lovingly she kissed him between his eyes and offered him her right breast and immediately felt a surge of milk, he accepted her breast and suckled away contentedly. After a little while she offered him her left breast but even at this very tender age fairness was inherent in his nature and he declined leaving it for his new suckling brother. Later on that day, Halima returned to her husband and told him that there was no doubt in her mind that she wanted to foster Lady Amina's baby −− it was of no consequence to her that the baby was an orphan, or that future favors may not be possible −− the baby had completely captivated her heart. THE BONDING It is through the nourishing milk a foster mother gives to her charge that the baby gains an extended family into which marriage to its siblings is not permitted. And so it was that Halima's foster child would refer to her in later years as his mother, and to her children as his brothers and sisters. Right from the very beginning, the bonding between Halima and her foster child proved to be a very great blessing for not only her family but the entire tribe. And it was because of this very close relationship that her people were, in the years that followed, protected and led to Paradise.
THE PEACEFUL NIGHT
Whilst Halima was nursing Lady Amina's baby, her husband, Abi Kabshah, went to tend his sheep and was very surprised to find its udder full of milk. When he milked it there was so much milk that there was more than enough to satisfy the entire family, that night they drank their fill and slept peacefully. When they awoke, Abi Kabshah exclaimed, "Halima, by Allah, I see you have chosen a blessed spirit, did you notice how we spent such a blessed night and are enjoying its benefits?"
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