The Life of Muhammad

by M. Husayn Haykal

  “O God, please consider my weakness, my shortage of means, and the little esteem that people have of me. Oh, most Merciful God, You are the Lord of the oppressed, and You are my Lord. To whom would You leave my fate? To a stranger who insults me? Or to an enemy who dominates me? Would I that You have no wrath against me! Your pleasure alone is my objective. Under the light of Your faith which illuminates all darkness and on which this world and the other depend, I take my refuge. I pray that I may not become the object of Your wrath and anger. To You alone belongs the right to blame and to chastise until Your pleasure is met. There is neither power nor strength except in You.”

  ‘Addas, the Christian

  For some time, the sons of Rabi’ah watched Muhammad until a feeling of compassion and sympathy for him began to stir within them. They sent their Christian servant, ‘Addas by name, with a bunch of grapes. Before Muhammad partook of the grapes, he said: “In the name of God.” ‘Addas was surprised and said, “That is not what the natives of this country usually say.” Muhammad then asked him about his religion and his country of origin, and when he learned that he was a Christian from Nineveh, he said, “Are you then from the City of the Righteous Jonah, son of Mathew?” Still more surprised, ‘Addas asked, “What do you know about Jonah, son of Matthew?” Muhammad answered, “That was my brother; he was a true prophet and so am I.” Moved with emotion, ‘Addas covered Muhammad with kisses. The two sons of Rabi’ah were surprised at what they saw although they remained unmoved by Muhammad’s religious claims. When their servant returned to them they counseled him: “O ‘Addas, do not allow this man to convert you from your faith. Your faith is better for you than his.”

  Muhammad Offers Himself to the Tribes

  The news of the injuries inflicted upon Muhammad lightened the hostility of the tribe of Thaqif, but it never succeeded in moving them to follow him. The Quraysh knew about this expedition and increased their injuries. Nothing, however, could dissuade Muhammad from continuing his call. At every season, whenever the tribes of Arabia came to Makkah, he offered himself and his cause to them, informed them that he was a commissioned prophet, and asked them to believe in him. His uncle ‘Abd al ‘Uzza, son of ‘Abd al Muttalib, otherwise known as Abu Lahab, would not let him; he would follow Muhammad everywhere he went to dissuade the people from listening to him. Muhammad, for his part, did not only preach his religion to the tribes in the pilgrimage season in Makkah, but sought those tribes in their own quarters. He visited the tribe of Kindah and the tribe of Kalb, of Banu Hanifah, Banu ‘Amir ibn Sa’sa’ah, each in its own province. None of them responded favorably to him, and they all repudiated his call sometimes with insults, as did the tribe of Banu Hanifah. The tribe of Banu ‘Amir felt more ambitious and imagined that they could assume a position of leadership should the cause of Muhammad triumph. But when Muhammad told them, “The matter belongs wholly to God; He places leadership wheresoever He wishes,” they turned away and repudiated his call like the rest.

  Did all these tribes repudiate Muhammad’s call for the same reasons for which Quraysh did before them? We have seen the disappointment of the tribe of Banu ‘Amir upon the frustration of their ambition of leadership and power. As for the tribe of Thaqif, they had a different opinion. In addition to the cool atmosphere and vineyards which made it a summer resort, the city of Ta’if was the center of worship of al Lat, for it was in its midst that the idol stood and on its account the city had become a place of pilgrimage. Should the tribe of Thaqif follow Muhammad, the goddess al Lat would lose her place of worship, the city its pilgrimage site, and ensuing hostility with Quraysh would soon cut off all summer visits by the Makkans. Every tribe had thus its own reason, economic or other, for which it refused to accept Islam besides the personal attachment to the religion of the fathers and the worship of old idols.

  Muhammad’s Engagement to ‘A’ishah

  The rejection of Muhammad by the tribes increased his isolation, as the doubled and redoubled injuries of the Quraysh increased Muhammad’s pain and grief. The period of mourning for Khadijah passed, and Muhammad thought of marrying again in the hope of finding consolation in a new companion. He also thought that marriage might even furnish a new occasion for strengthening the bond of brotherhood and commitment between himself and the earlier converts to Islam. He therefore asked Abu Bakr for the hand of his daughter, ‘A’ishah. Since she was still too young to marry, the engagement was announced, but the marriage was postponed for three more years until ‘A’ishah reached the age of eleven. In the meantime, Muhammad married Sawdah, the widow of one of the Muslim companions who emigrated to Abysinnia but died upon his return to Makkah. In both these instances, it is hoped that the reader will have a glimpse of the principle regulating Muhammad’s later domestic life which we shall discuss in a forthcoming chapter.

  Al Isra’ (621 C.E)

  It was during this period that al Isra’ and al Mi’raj had taken place.[Al Isra’ means the night journey the Prophet was reported to have taken from Makkah to al Masjid al Aqsa, the distant mosque, or Jerusalem. AL Mi’raj means the Prophet’s ascension to heaven and his visit to paradise and hell, later to serve as model for Dante’s La. Diutna Comedia. See M. Asin Palacios, La. evcatologia musulmana en la Divina Comedia, Madrid, 1919; 2nd edition, Madrid, 1943. -Tr.]. On the night of al Isra’. Muhammad was staying in the house of his cousin, Hind, daughter of Abu Talib, who was also called Umm Hani’. Hind related that “The Prophet of God spent the night in my quarters. He recited his night prayers and went to sleep. Just before dawn, the Prophet of God awoke us and we all prayed the dawn prayer together. When the prayer was through, he said, “O Umm Hani’, I prayed with you the night prayer in this place; then I went to Jerusalem and I prayed there, and. as you see, I have just finished praying with you the dawn prayer.’ I answered, ‘O Prophet of God, do not tell this to the people for they will belie you and harm you.’ He said, ‘By God I shall tell them.’”

  Was al Isra’ in Body or in Soul?

  Those who claim that al Isra’ and al Mi’raj of Muhammad-may God’s peace be upon him had taken place in soul rather than in body refer to this report of Umm Hani’. They also refer to another report by ‘A’ishah which says, “The body of the Prophet of God-may God’s peace and blessing be upon him was never missed from his bed. Rather, God caused him to travel in soul alone.” Whenever Mu’awiyah ibn Abu Sufyan was asked about al Isra’ of the Prophet, he used to answer, “It was a true vision from God.” Those who share such a view confirm their claim with the Qur’anic verse, “The vision which We have shown you is but a trial to the people.”[Qur’an, 17:60] According to the other view, al Isra’ from Makkah to Jerusalem took place in body. In confirmation of this, they mention that Muhammad had related what he saw in the desert on the way hither and add that his ascension to heaven was in soul. Others hold that both al Isra’ and al Mi’raj were in body. As a result of this great controversy, thousands of books have been written on the subject. We have a view of this matter which we shall give shortly, a view that somebody else may have held before us. Before we proceed, however, we shall give the story of al Isra’ and al Mi’raj as it was reported in the biography books.

  Al Isra’ as Given in Literature

  The Orientalist Dermenghem has reported the following eloquent story culled from a number of biography books. We shall quote it as he related it

  “In the middle of a solemn, quiet night when even the night-birds and the rambling beasts were quiet, when the streams had stopped murmuring and no breezes played, Mahomet was awakened by a voice crying: ‘Sleeper, awake!’ And before him stood the Angel Gabriel with radiant forehead, countenance white as snow, blond hair floating, in garments sewn with pearls and embroidered in gold. Manifold wings of every colour stood out quivering from his body.

  “He led a fantastical steed, Boraq (‘Lightning’), with a human head and two eagles’ wings; it approached Mahomet, allowed him to mount and was off like an arrow over the mountains of Mecca and the
sands of the desert toward the North . . . The Angel accompanied them on this prodigious flight. On the summit of Mt. Sinai, where God had spoken to Moses, Gabriel stopped Mahomet for prayer, and again at Bethlehem where Jesus was born, before resuming their course in the air. Mysterious voices attempted to detain the Prophet, who was so wrapped up in his mission that he felt God alone had the right to stop his steed. When they reached Jerusalem Mahomet tethered Boraq and prayed on the ruins of the Temple of Solomon with Abraham, Moses, and Jesus. Seeing an endless ladder appear upon Jacob’s rock, the Prophet was enabled to mount rapidly to the heavens.

  “The first heaven was of pure silver and the stars suspended from its vault by chains of gold; in each one an angel lay awake to prevent the demons from climbing into the holy dwelling places and the spirits from listening indiscreetly to celestial secrets. There, Mahomet greeted Adam. And in the six other heavens the Prophet met Noah, Aaron, Moses, Abraham, David, Solomon, Idris (Enoch), Yahya (John the Baptist) and Jesus. He saw the Angel of Death, Azrail, so huge that his eyes were separated by 70,000 marching days. He commanded 100,000 battalions and passed his time in writing in an immense book the names of those dying or being born. He saw the Angel of Tears who wept for the sins of the world; the Angel of Vengeance with brazen face, covered with warts, who presides over the elements of fire and sits on a throne of flames; and another immense angel made up half of snow and half of fire surrounded by a heavenly choir continually crying: ‘O God, Thou hast united snow and fire, united all Thy servants in obedience to Thy Laws.’ In the seventh heaven where the souls of the just resided was an angel larger than the entire world, with 70,000 heads; each head had 70,000 mouths, each mouth had 70,000 tongues and each tongue spoke in 70,000 different idioms singing endlessly the praises of the Most High.

  “While contemplating this extraordinary being, Mahomet was carried to the top of the Lote-Tree of Heaven flowering at the right of God’s invisible throne and shading myriads of angelic spirits. Then after having crossed in a twinkling of an eye the widest seas, regions of dazzling light and deepest darkness, traversed millions of clouds of hyacinths, of gauze, of shadows, of fire, of air, of water, of void, each one separated by 500 marching years, he then passed more clouds of beauty, of perfection, of supremacy, of immensity, of unity, behind which were 70,000 choirs of angels bowed down and motionless in complete silence. The earth began to heave and he felt himself carried into the light of his Lord, where he was transfixed, paralyzed. From here heaven and earth together appeared as if imperceptible to him, as if melted into nothingness and reduced to the size of a grain of mustard seed in the middle of a field. And this is how Mahomet admits having been before the Throne of the Lord of the World.

  “He was in the presence of the Throne ‘at a distance o f two bows’ Length or yet nearer’ (Koran, liii), beholding God with his soul’s eyes and seeing things which the tongue cannot express, surpassing all human understanding. The Almighty placed one hand on Mahomet’s breast and the other on his shoulder to the very marrow of his bones he felt an icy chill, followed by an inexpressible feeling of calm and ecstatic annihilation.

  “After a conversation whose ineffability is not honored by too precise tradition, the Prophet received the command from God that all believers must say fifty prayers each day. Upon coming down from heaven Mahomet met Moses, who spoke with him on this subject:

  “ ‘How do you hope to make your followers say fifty prayers each day? I had experience with mankind before you. I tried everything with the children of Israel that it was possible to try. Take my word, return to our Lord and ask for a reduction.’

  “Mahomet returned, and the number of prayers was reduced to forty. Moses thought that this was still too many and made his successor go back to God a number of times. In the end God exacted not more than five prayers.

  “Gabriel then took the Prophet to paradise where the faithful rejoice after their resurrection an immense garden with silver soil, gravel of pearls, mountains of amber, filled with golden palaces and precious stones.

  “Finally, after returning by the luminous ladder to the earth, Mahomet untethered Boraq, mounted the saddle and rode into Jerusalem on the winged steed.” [Emile Dermenghem, The Life of Mahomet, New York: Lincoln MacVeagh, 1930, pp. 132-135.]

  Ibn Hisham’s Report about al Isra’

  Such is the report of the Orientalist Dermenghem concerning the story of al Isra and al Mi’raj. Every item he reported may be readily found, perhaps with greater or lesser detail, in many of the biographies. An example of the fertility of the reporters’ imagination may be read in ibn Hisham’s biography. Reporting on Muhammad’s conversation with Adam in the first heaven, ibn Hisham wrote: “Then I saw men with lips like those of camels. In their hands were balls of fire which they thrusted into their mouths and collected from their extremities to thrust into their mouths again. I asked, ‘Who are these, O Gabriel?’ He said: ‘These are men who robbed the orphans.’ I then saw men with large bellies, the likes of which I have never seen before even on the road to the house of Pharaoh where the greatest punishment is meted out to the greatest sinners. These are trodden upon by men who when brought to the fire run like maddened camels. Those whom they tread upon remain immobile, unable to move from their place. I asked, ‘Who are those, O Gabriel?’ He answered, ‘Those are the usurers.’ I then saw men sitting at a table loaded with delicious and fat meat as well as spoilt and stinking meat. They were eating of the latter and leaving the former untouched. I asked, ‘Who are these, O Gabriel?’ He answered, ‘These are men who left their own women whom God had permitted them to enjoy and ran after other women illegitimately.’ I then saw women hanging from their breasts and asked, ‘Who are these, O Gabriel?’ He answered, ‘These are women who fathered on their husbands children not their own.’ . . . He then took me into Paradise where I saw a beautiful damsel with luscious lips. As I was attracted by her I asked her, ‘To whom do you belong?’ She answered: ‘To Zayd ibn Harithah.’ The prophet of God-may God’s peace and blessing be upon him announced this glad tiding to Zayd ibn Harithah.”

  Whether in ibn Hisham’s or in other biographies of the Prophet or in the books of Qur’anic exegesis, the reader will find many details besides the above mentioned. It is certainly the historian’s right to question how closely these reports have been scrutinized and investigated by their collectors, with the view to finding out how much of them may be truly ascribed to the Prophet and how much was the invention of the fancy of the Sufis and others. Although there is no room here to undertake such investigation, nor to decide the issue of whether or not al Isra’ or al Mi’raj were both in body or in soul or the one in body and the other in soul, there is still no doubt that every one of these views has reasons which their advocates claim to be legitimate. There is no a priori reason why one may not adhere to one of these views rather than another. Whoever wishes to hold the view that al Isra’ and al Mi’raj were in soul and not in body, could turn to the evidence of the reports we have already cited as well as to the Qur’anic emphasis that “I am but a human like you unto whom a revelation is, given that your God is one God;” [Qur’an, 18:110] that the book of God is the sole “miracle” of Muhammad; and that “God does not forgive any association of aught with Him but He forgives to whomsoever He wishes anything else.”[Qur’an, 4:48]

  Whoever holds a view of al Isra and al Mi’raj such as this is perhaps better entitled to inquire about the meaning of these ideas. And that is precisely the issue to which, perhaps for the first time ever, we want to address ourselves in the following sections.

  Al Isra’ and the Unity of Being

  As phenomena in the spiritual life of Muhammad, al Isra’ and al Mi’raj carry great and noble meanings that are greater than the foregoing descriptions have suggested much of which being the product of pure imagination. In the moment of al Isra’ and al Mi’raj, Muhammad grasped the unity of being in all its totality and perfection. In that moment, neither space nor time could prevent his consci
ousness from encompassing all being; whereas our consciousness, determined by weaker perceptive and rational faculties, is incapable of transcending the limitations of space and time. In that moment, all frontiers fell before Muhammad’s insight; and all being was, as it were, gathered in his soul. In that moment, he came to know totality from beginning to end and represented this totality as the self-realization of the forces of goodness, truth, and beauty in their struggle against and conquest of evil, untruth, and fraud. All this happened to Muhammad by God’s grace.

  No one is capable of such transcendent vision except by means of superhuman power. If any of the followers of Muhammad were unable to match him in his struggle to rise to or to achieve such vision and perception, there should be neither blame nor surprise. Men’s degrees of endowment differ, and their vision of the truth is always determined by these limitations which our ordinary powers are unable to transcend. There is perhaps an analogy between Muhammad’s understanding of the universe at that moment and that of any other person who has risen to the highest level of consciousness possible for man. It is that of the story of the blind men who, upon being brought into contact with the elephant, were asked to identify it. It will be remembered that the first thought it was a long rope because he had touched its tail; the second, a thick tree because he had touched its leg; the third, a spear because he had touched its ivory; and the fourth, a moving round tube because he had touched its trunk. These views are to the unimpaired view of the elephant as the understanding of most of us to that of Muhammad, implied in al Isra’ and al Mi’raj, of the unity and totality of being. In Muhammad’s vision, the finitude of space and time disappeared, and he beheld the universe all “gathered up” and present. Men capable of such great moments of consciousness see the details of space-time and problems of worldly living as mathematical atoms appended to the person without ever affecting him. None of them affect in the least the life of his body, the beat of his heart, the illumination of his soul, the enlightenment of his consciousness, nor his vibration with energy and life. For by existing, such a person enters into communion with all existence and all life, as it were, ipso facto.