Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) Rejoining the Family

By: Ayatullah Ja'far Subhani
The Almighty has destined every human being for some particular job. If one has been created to acquire knowledge and wisdom, another has been endowed with capability for discovery and invention and a third one for labour and effort. If some are suited to play a role in government and politics, others have been entrusted the task of teaching and training their fellow-men and so on.
The compassionate leaders, who are interested in the prevalence of good order and comfort in their environments, and desire the advancement of the individuals as well as the society, test the taste and talent of a person before entrusting him a job, and give him only that work which accords with his aptitude and capacity. In case this is not done the society is exposed to two disadvantages. Firstly the man concerned does not do what he can and secondly whatever he does proves to he futile. It is said "In every head there is an aptitude. Lucky is he who recognizes his aptitude".
A teacher was advising an indolent student. He was telling him about the evils of sluggishness and the fate of those who do not learn, but spend their lives in idle pursuits. Suddenly he saw that the student, while hearing his words, was also drawing a picture on the ground with a piece of coal. He at once realized that the boy had not been created to study and the hand of nature had meant him to be a painter. He, therefore, summoned his parents and said to them: "Although your child is careless and dull in studies, he has a good taste for painting. It will, therefore, be better if you arrange for his instruction in painting". The parents of the boy accepted the advice of the teacher. He soon began to learn that art and eventually became a great painter of his time.
The early period of the life of the children provides the best opportunity to their parents and guardians to test their inclinations and aptitudes and to gain knowledge about their talents from their acts, manners, ideas and conceptions. This is so, because the thoughts, actions and sweet and gentle words of a child are a mirror of his future and, if proper guidance suited to his faculties is provided, the best possible benefit can be derived from his aptitude.
The study of the ways and manner; of the Holy Prophet, right from his childhood till the commencement of his prophetic mission, draws in our eyes the picture of the background of his life and his sublime thoughts, and the scrutiny of the history of his childhood tells us about his brilliant future. Rather, his brief biography upto the day he was appointed to the prophetic mission, when he declared himself to be the guide of the society, informs us about his future, and makes clear the purpose for which he had been created, and also tells us whether or not his claim to prophethood and leadership accorded with the events of his life. It tells us whether or not his forty years' life and his behaviour, character, speech and the conduct of his long association with the people support his prophethood. Keeping this in view, therefore, we place before the readers a part of the early life of the Holy Prophet.
The kind foster-mother of Muhammad looked after him for five years and did her best to nurse and cherish him. During this period the Holy Prophet learnt eloquent Arabic language and prided himself upon it afterwards. Later Halimah brought him to Makkah and he spent some time under the loving care of his mother and the guardianship of his magnanimous grandfather. This child was the only souvenir left by Abdullah to his bereaved family.[1]

JOURNEY TO YATHRIB
From the day the newly-wedded daughter-in-law of Abdul Muttalib (viz. Aminah) had lost her young and dignified husband she had been waiting for an opportunity to go to Yathrib and to see with her own eyes his last resting-place and in the meanwhile also to see her relatives in that city.
Eventually she decided that the proper time for her journey had arrived and her dear child had sufficiently grown up to accompany her. They made preparations for the journey and left for Yathrib along with Umme Aiman. They stayed there for one month. For the young child of Quraysh this journey was very severe and caused him spiritual pain, because he saw for the first time the house in which his father had breathed his last as well as the place where he was Iying buried and naturally, till that time, his mother had already told him many things about his father.
The pangs of grief were still fresh in his soul when another tragedy took place and gave him a new current of sorrow and sadness, because, while on his way back to Makka, he lost his mother also at a place called Abwa'.[2]
This unfortunate happening made Muhammad all the more dear in the eyes of the members of his family, and the only rose, which had survived this rose-garden, became all the more the object of affection and love of Abdul Muttalib. He loved him more than his own sons and gave him preference over everyone else.
A carpet used to be spread for the ruler of Quraysh (Abdul Muttalib) by the side of the Ka'bah. The chiefs of Quraysh as well as his own sons used to sit in a circle around the carpet. However, as and when his eyes fell on the souvenir of Abdullah he ordered that way might be made for him so that he might accommodate him on the carpet.[3]
The Holy Qur'an mentions the Holy Prophet's period of orphanhood in Surah al-Zuha and says: Did He not find you an orphan and give you shelter? (Surah al-Zuha, 93 6)
The philosophy underlying the orphanhood of the newborn child of Quraysh is not very clear to us. We know only this much that the roaring torrent of accidents indicate a good purpose. In view of this we can guess that Allah willed that before the leader of mankind assumed the reins of affairs and commenced his leadership, he should taste the weal and woe, and experience the ups and downs of life so that he should develop a great forbearing and courageous spirit and with those sufferings should prepare himself to encounter in his later life a chain of hardships and deprivations as well as homelessness.
Allah had willed it that he should not be educated by any person and should not be under obligation to submit to anyone. From the very early days of his life he should be free and independent and procure the means of his advancement and elevation like a self-made man so that the people may realise that the inspiration in his case is not a human inspiration and his parents have had no part to play in moulding his character, way of thinking and bright future and his greatness and excellence have emanated from the fountain of revelation.

DEATH OF ABDUL MUTTALIB
Heart-rending wordly accidents make appearance during the course of human life, one after the other, like huge waves of the sea and hurt the human soul.
The waves of grief still reigned over the heart of the Prophet of Allah when he had to encounter another great mishap. He was not yet more than eight years of age when he lost his grandfather. The death of Abdul Muttalib had so deep an impression on him that he kept weeping upto the very edge of his grave and never forgot him.

GUARDIANSHIP BY ABU TALIB
We shall speak about the personality and greatness of Abu Talib in a specific chapter and shall prove his Islam and faith in the Holy Prophet with authentic evidence. However, for the present, it is only appropriate that we should narrate the events related to the guardianship of the Holy Prophet by Abu Talib.
There were a number of reasons which made it appropriate that Abu Talib should undertake the responsibility and the honour of looking after the Holy Prophet. He and Abdullah, father of Muhammad, were born of the same mother[4] and he was also well-known for his generosity and goodness.
For this reason Abdul Muttalib selected him for the guardianship of his worthy grandson. The services rendered by him in this capacity are recorded in history in golden words and shall be narrated later.
When the Holy Prophet was fifteen years old, he took part in a battle along with his uncle. As this battle was fought in the months during which fighting is prohibited it is called the Battle of Fujjar. Detailed accounts of Fujjar Battles are given in history books.
Notes:
[1] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, page 167.
[2] Seerah-i Halabi, vol. I, page 125.
[3] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, vol. I, page 168.
[4] Seerah-i Ibn Hisham, Vol. I, page 179.