During all this time he proved himself to possess a noble and spotless character, to be an absolute believer in one God, and thoroughly trustworthy in respect of his companionship, help and guidance. The authorities agree in ascribing to the youth of Muhammad (peace be upon him) a modesty of deportment and purity of manners rare among the people of Mecca. Muhammad played an important role in its conclusion and this league exercised a strong moderating influence amongst the different tribes of Arabia. His efforts were confined to picking up the arrows of the enemy as they fell, and handing them over to his uncles.Īt the conclusion of these wars, when peace was restored, people felt the need of forming a confederacy at Mecca for suppressing violence and injustice and vindicating the rights of the weak, the indigent, and the destitute.
In one of these battles the Prophet (peace be upon him) attended on his uncles but did not raise his arm against their opponent. Muhammad was hardly fifteen (2) when the "sacrilegious" wars ( harb al-fijar) - which continued with varying fortunes and considerable loss of human life for a number of years broke out at 'Ukaz between the Quraysh and the Banu Kinanah on the one side and the Qays Aylan on the other. His uncle Abu Talib set out with him quickly and soon reached Mecca on the completion of their trade in Syria. Return to your own country with your nephew, and take care of him against the Jews, for, by God, if they see him and know what I know about him, they will desire evil for great fortune is in store for your nephew. Then he (Bahira) went to his uncle Abu Talib, and said: Then the Messenger of God (God bless and preserve him) set about answering him and what he said agreed with the description of him in Bahira's (book)… So Bahira began to ask him about certain particulars of his condition in sleep. They say that the Messenger of God (God bless him and preserve him) said to him, "Do not ask by al-Lat and al-Uzza for by God there is absolutely nothing I detest so much as these two." So Bahira said to him, "Then, in God's name, answer what I ask you." "Ask what seems good to you," he said. Then, when the party had finished eating and had broken up, Bahira went up to him and said, "Young man! I adjure you by al-Lat and al-Uzza to answer my questions." Bahira said that to him only because he had heard his people swearing by these two. When Bahira saw him he began to eye him keenly and to observe the features of his body so as to find out in him the signs (of prophethood) which he already knew already knew (from the Holy Scriptures). We reproduce below a passage from Ibn Hisham in order to give an idea of what actually transpired between Muhammad and Bahira: On the other hand, we learn that the Holy Prophet in his very first talk showed his utmost contempt for idol-worship that had taken a firm hold on the minds of the people around him. That Bahira met Muhammad is a fact, but the claim that he learnt from the Christian monk the concept of God and hatred against idolatry is absolutely baseless. The authentic records of the life-story of Muhammad (peace be upon him) prove beyond all shadow of doubt that there is not a grain of truth in this deduction.
This meeting has been time and again emphasized by several Christian scholars who deduce that it was from Bahira that he learned to hate the idols. It was during this journey that he is said to have met Bahira, a Christian monk. He clung to him and after a good deal of pleading prevailed upon his kind uncle to take him to Syria along with him. Muhammad was, however, unwilling to remain separated from his uncle. He was reluctant to take Muhammad with him because of the hardships of the journey.
When Muhammad was twelve years old, his uncle Abu Talib who was a trader, undertook a business trip to Syria.