MUHAMMAD,THE LAST PROPHET

Muhammad (pbuh) was born in AD 570 into the clan of Hashim (Banu Hashim) of the tribe of Quraysh, who at that time was the most powerful and prestigious tribe in Mecca. The birth of the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) and the dawn of his prophethood was not the birth of a Prophet alone, nor was it the rise of a new nation, or the beginning of a new era. It was the genesis of a new world which was destined to last till the end of time when all shall he returned to their Lord and Master. The influence of Muhammad's prophethood is visible in everything that the world now contains, the beliefs and the patterns of thought, culture and civilization, the morals and modes of living, the knowledge and learning.



His final spiritual awakening and call to prophethood occurred when he was about forty. The event of the full revelation was as dramatic and sudden as it was transformative. The human frame was too frail to absorb the shock of the infinite unveiled Light of Reality, so for the next twenty-three years of his life the revealed message of the Qur'an descended upon the Prophet through the angelic medium of Gabriel. There is no doubt that neither the occasion nor the content of the revealed message was under Muhammad's (pbuh) conscious control. The sequence of the revelation followed an organic pattern dictated by the occasion, but Muhammad (pbuh) already knew the form of the whole Qur'an, which he clarified after it was fully revealed before his death. The particular night that the Qur'an descended upon the Prophet's heart is described as the "Night of Destiny" (Qur'an Qadr 97:1-5), symbolizing the full descent of the Book of Knowledge in contrast to the years it took for it to be outwardly manifested.
Another night of note which is regarded as a significant experience in the Prophet's life was the "Night of Ascent", laylat al-mi`raj (Qur'an Bani Israel 17:1), in which the Prophet (pbuh) actually experienced a heavenward journey that included a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. Natural physical limitations were overcome and the soul's journey to its Lord took place. This event is symbolically reflected in the transportation of the believer's soul during his or her daily prayers.

The great prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was the most noble, most patient, and the most sacrificing Prophet: “No prophet has ever been hurt as I had”. Allah distinguished him with commendation and honoring to the extent that He had never before distinguished any prophet before him "And most surely you conform (yourself) to sublime morality"