Muhammad also bore a feeling of ill-will towards the custodians of the Ka’aba. He did not think they deserved to be its guardian, as they were not righteous. He believed that by misusing their authority, they avoided sharing the temple’s revenues with those to whom a part of the revenues rightfully belonged. In his judgment, only the Allah-fearing and those people, who were willing to share the temple’s wealth with poor and orphans, had the right to be its guardian.
The financial independence that his well-paid job brought gave him an opportunity to look back and recount the treatments he had received from the women of Abd al Motallib and Abu Talib’s families. He also recalled his abandonment in Mecca by his mother. Recollection of what he had endured at the hands of the ladies of his grandfather’s and uncle’s homes as well as his abandonment by his mother instilled in his mind a sense of bitterness towards his opposite sex.
The recurrence in his mind of the past humiliations, betrayal, ill-treatments and insults rekindled in him his tribal instincts of retribution. He vowed to avenge his sufferings in a subtle, systematic and effective manner. The treatment of women prescribed in, and the restrictions imposed on them, through the Quran as well as Muhammad’s own treatment of his wives are good examples for proving our point.
På dansk:
Muhammad også bar en følelse af uvilje mod vogtere af Ka'aba. Han syntes ikke, de fortjener at være dens vogter, da de ikke var retfærdige. Han mente, at ved at misbruge deres autoritet, de undgik at dele templets indtægter med dem, som en del af indtægterne rette tilhørte. I sin dom. Kun Allah-frygter og disse mennesker, der var villige til at dele templet rigdom med fattige og forældreløse børn, havde ret til at være dens vogter
Den finansielle uafhængighed, at hans vellønnede bragte job gav ham lejlighed til at se tilbage og fortælle de behandlinger, han havde modtaget fra kvinder Abd al Motallib og Abu Talib's familier. Han mindede også om hans opgivelse i Mekka af hans mor. Erindringen om, hvad han havde været udsat for i hænderne på damerne i hans bedstefars og onkels hjem samt hans opgivelse af sin mor indpodet i hans sind en følelse af bitterhed mod sin modsatte køn.
Gentagelse i hans sind fra fortiden ydmygelser, forræderi, dårligt behandlinger og fornærmelser blusse op igen i ham stammehøvding instinkter gengældelse. Han lovede at hævne hans lidelser i en subtil, systematisk og effektiv måde. Behandlingen af kvinder foreskrevet i, og de restriktioner pålagt gennem Koranen såvel som Muhammads egen behandling af hans hustruer er gode eksempler for at bevise vores punkt.
Som tiden gik, blev Muhammad fast besluttet på at opfylde sin ambition. Jo mere han tænkte om dem, jo mere planerne kom til hans sind. Jo mere han talte til sine venner og bekendte, jo mere input, han fik fra dem på mange af deres fælles problemer. Positive tanker og reaktioner forberedt ham til at gå i offensiven for at indse, hvad han havde sat ud for ham at være hans mål.
Ved en alder af 25, var Muhammad i stand til at færdiggøre alle detaljer af målet, han havde tænkt på at opnå i sin life.This var også moden tid for ham at gifte sig, men han kunne ikke gifte sig med nogen fri og støtteberettigede kvinde , som han ikke har nok antallet af kameler eller en stor sum penge give så dowers til faderen eller værge kvinde, han måtte have besluttet at gifte sig.
Efter at have fuldt hensyn til sin egen situation, kom han til den konklusion, at han havde brug for at finde en kvinde, som han kan gifte sig med ikke blot uden at betale dowers, men hun bør også være i stand til at støtte ham økonomisk, når han vil engagere sig i en virksomhed, der vil blive nødvendigt for ham at opfylde sit livs ambition. Vel vidende, at der ikke var alt for mange kvinder i Mekka og dens kvarterer, som kunne gøre, hvad han forventede hans kommende kone at gøre for ham, besluttede han at vente og se, hvad der kommer hans vej i dag til at komme.
På det tidspunkt Muhammad var på udkig efter en egnet brud, der boede i Mekka en enke ved navn Khudeija, en datter af Khuwalid af stammen af Quraish. Hun havde været to gange gift. Hendes sidste mand, en velhavende købmand, havde for nylig døde, og hun havde brug for at ansætte hjælpe med at styre sin virksomhed interesser.
Khudeija havde en fætter ved navn Waraqa ibn Nofal. Han var en foregivet monotheist og menes at have oversat dele af evangelierne til arabisk. Han svingede meget indflydelse over hans søster Khudeija, hun er påstås at være et fast læser af hans værker. Begge holdt identiske synspunkter om religiøse spørgsmål, men i de tilfælde, hvor de adskiller sig, udtalelsen fra Waraqa altid hersket.
Muhammad var blevet bekendt med Khuzaima, en nevø af Khudeija, under hans forretningsrejser til Syrien. Sidstnævnte havde set den tidligere føre sin forretning på en effektiv og rentabel måde, og han var imponeret. Efter deres hjem, mødte de ofte i og omkring templet Ka'aba, hvor Muhammad elskede at tilbringe sin tid efter at have foretaget, på samme måde som Hajj, syv kredsløb, rundt skrin.
En dag, i løbet af sin samtale med Khuzaima udtrykte Muhammad hans ønske om at finde et job, der ville betale ham mere end hvad han blev betalt af hans nuværende arbejdsgiver. Khuzaima fortalte ham, at hans tante Khudeija var på udkig efter en dygtig agent, og at han kan være en perfekt kandidat til jobbet. Han lovede at tale med Khudeija om ham og også at prøve at arrangere et interview for ham med hende.
Khuzaima holdt hans ord, og han talte med Khudeija. Hun aftalte at mødes den kandidat, så snart det var muligt.
På den valgte dato og tid, præsenterede Muhammad sig før Khudeija. Hun kiggede og fandt en 25 år gammel mand stod foran hendes øjne. Han var af middel Væxt, tilbøjelig til at slimness, med et stort hoved, brede skuldre, og en ellers perfekt proportionerede krop. Hans hår og skæg var tyk og sort, ikke helt lige, men lidt krøllet. Hans hår nåede midtvejs mellem Flige af hans ører og hans skuldre, og hans skæg var af en længde der passer til. Han havde en ædel bredde panden og ovaler af hans store øjne var vidt, med usædvanligt lange vipper og omfattende bryn, let buet og ikke tiltrådt. Hans øjne var siges at have været brune eller endda lys brun. Hans næse var ørne og hans mund var stor og fint formet. Selv om han lod sit skæg gro, han aldrig tilladt hår af hans overskæg at rage over hans øvre læber. Hans hud var hvid, men garvede af solen.
Hans stemme havde et strejf af musik og sætningerne han talte var lige så rytmisk som digte af den berømte arabiske digter Labid. Khudeija var meget imponeret, og hun hyrede Muhammad til at køre sin forretning.
Hun overdrog sit nevø Khuzaima og hendes slave pige Maisara ham, så de kunne hjælpe ham i handlen missioner han ventes at føre til Syrien, Yemen og andre destinationer fra tid til anden. Under alle hans missioner, der udføres han sit hverv mest flittigt, således tjene til sig selv beundring af hans arbejdsgiver. Hun bagefter sendte ham til den sydlige del af Arabien om lignende forfølgelser, i alle, som han opnåede succeser uden for hans arbejdsgivers forventning. Enhver lejlighed Muhammad fik for at bevise sit værd, han gjorde sit bedste for at udmærke sig, så han kunne endear sig til sin arbejdsgiver. Hver gang Khudeija hørt om hans succes, det styrkes i hende ikke blot hans anseelse, men også hans følelsesmæssige.
Mens Muhammad var at anvende alle sine instrumenter for at klatre op ad stigen for succes, Khudeija vendte fyrre, hendes alder har gjort det muligt hende at samle de værdifulde vurdering og erfaring, at det var nødvendigt at føre en vellykket liv. Hun længtes efter en partner, der kunne give hende alt, at hun havde været savnet siden død af hendes sidste mand. Hun overvejede mange sandsynlige kandidater, men i slutningen, hendes valg faldt på Muhammed.
Selv om hendes hjerte længtes efter den friske og tækkelig ungdom, men hun beherskede sig, før du tager skridt til at opfylde hendes ønske. Hun var nødt til at overvinde de gamle arabiske tradition, at forældet kvinder i hendes alder at blive gift, sammen med de klagepunkter, hun forventede fra hendes nærmeste familiemedlemmer. Af særlig interesse for hende var holdningen hos hendes onkel, Amr ibn Asaad, uden hvis godkendelse, som den ville have været umuligt for hende at gifte sig med manden i hendes valg. Hun er nødvendige for at skabe en situation, ville ikke alene gøre manden i hendes valg synes særligt, men også at tvinge hendes onkel til at sanktionere hendes ægteskab med ham så godt.
Snart en lejlighed bød sig for Khudeija at udnytte. En dag ved middagstid, var hun med sine piger uden for hendes hus, at se ankomsten af campingvognen foretages af Muhammed. Da det nærmede sig termineringspunkt, en vildfaren plaster på sky op i horisonten, blokering øjeblik solens stråler i at nå Jorden. Udnytte mulighed, råbte hun til sine piger og udbrød: "Se! Det er elskede af Allah, (dvs. samme guddom for Ka'aba hedningene kaldte "Allah"), som sendte to engle til at våge over ham! "
Hendes Piger anstrengt deres øjne og kiggede ud så langt som de kunne se i deres forsøg på at finde engle, men de så ingen. Under anelse om deres elskerinde lidenskabelige følelser over for hende hjerteknuser, Muhammad, de tiltrådte hænder med hende, og gentagne højlydt, hvad hun havde fortalt dem. Formålet bag sådan en øvelse var at styrke Muhammad's image gennem offentliggørelse, hvad Khudeija havde gjort sig at være en guddommelig fordel samt at advare hende onkel om konsekvenserne fra Himlen skal han afvise Muhammad forslag om at gifte sig med sin niece.
Således at der skabes en henvisning til, at skulle støtte hende forårsage, hun ønskede at spilde tiden og tilbød sig hemmeligt i ægteskab med Muhammad gennem hendes betroede slave, Maisara. Muhammad havde ventet en sådan mulighed for at komme sin vej, og da det kom, han accepterede den uden at spilde nogen tid. Den største succes således opnået, han, som den arabiske tradition kræves, for at fremsætte et formelt forslag om ægteskab med Khudeija onkel Amr ibn Assad, der handlede derefter som hendes værge, der hendes far er tidligere blevet dræbt i en ugudelig krig.
Den arabiske ægteskab traditioner langt adskiller sig fra de, der kunne iagttages af de fleste af de ikke-arabiske muslimer i dag. Som krævet i sin tradition, en arabisk soignere har til at foreslå hans ægteskab med hans vordende brud gennem hendes forældre eller værger, og hvis de accepterer tilbuddet, er han forpligtet til at betale dowers til hans forlovede forældre eller værger for tildeling ham tilladelse til at gifte sig med deres datter eller menighed. Arabian ægteskaber var og stadig er, baseret på en kontrakt, med religion at spille ingen eller lille rolle i dem. Dette er ikke tilfældet med den ikke-arabiske muslimer, især i de indiske subkontinent, hvor næsten halvdelen af verdens muslimer bor, her er det brude, der betaler dowers deres vordende ægtemænd for at tilskynde dem i at gifte sig dem. Denne de gør på trods af deres brændende ønske om at leve deres liv i overensstemmelse med den praksis og traditioner uregerlige og hykleriske beduin arabere af islams hellige land, hvem de er ingenting i dag, men tiggere (miskin) i den tro, at gøre det tager dem tættere på deres elskede profet uden hvis forbøn Allah kan ikke tilgive deres synder på Dommens Dag!
Efter deres traditioner, ledsaget Abu Talib og Hamza, to af Muhammads onkler, deres nevø til Khudeija hus, hvor hun hemmeligt arrangeret en fest. Hun havde ikke synes, fordelt nyheden til hendes onkel, hun bevidst holdt ham uvidende om betydningen af lejlighed. Med deltagelse af alle mænd, Muhammad forsøgte fra Amr ibn Assad hans niece Khudeija hånd i ægteskab, hørelse som den gamle mand rasende og faldt i unionen. Han forklarede, at alt var imod en sådan idé: Muhammad alder, det faktum, at han var i Khudeija's beskæftigelses-og frem for alt havde han ikke penge nok til at retfærdiggøre, at hans ægteskab med en velhavende dame. I hans sind, betød ægteskabet sprede hendes rigdom, i stedet for at holde det i hendes familie. Efterfølgende begivenheder viste, at den gamle mand havde ret i sin tænkning.
Khudeija havde forventet en sådan situation og forberedt sig til at håndtere det på en positiv måde. Hun metodisk tvistet hendes onkel med vin, indtil han var beruset. På cue, leveret Abu Talib en stærk tale, om alle de pragtfulde kvaliteter, at hans nevø havde. Efter ham, gjorde Khudeija sig en flammende tale, der beskriver, hvordan englene havde beskyttet ham mod varme, og også eulogizing alle gerninger, at Muhammad havde udført for hende og familien. I sidste ende formanede hun sin onkel om at anerkende Muhammads favoriserer, og at acceptere ham som hans svigersøn. Efter Khudeija tale, bedt alle de nuværende Amr ibn Assad til at reagere på det.
Inden han vidste, hvad alle handlede om, han holdt sin tale, hvor han godkendte ægteskabet. Waraqa ibn Nofal hurtigt udstationeret, hvorefter, Muhammad på en gang klædt den gamle mand i kjortel, som ifølge den arabiske tradition, en svigersøn gav hans far-in-ret på det bryllup. Khudeija straks havde kontrakten fastlagt, tilkendegiver indgåelse af ægteskab, før hendes onkel kunne indse, at han var narret, og erklærede ægteskabet ugyldigt. Dette ægteskab menes at have fundet sted i 595 e.Kr., da Muhammad var 25 og hans brud fyrre år gammel.
Hændelsen fortælles om Khudeija's ægteskab med Muhammad fortjener en særlig omtale, ikke kun fordi det var en milepæl i livet i den kommende profet af islam, men også fordi det illustrerer den position kvinder besatte i præ-islamiske Arabien. Vi har bemærket, at Khudeija var en selvstændig kvinde, der kørte sin egen forretning, og at det var hende, ikke hendes kommende mand, der først havde foreslået ægteskab. Bortset fra hende, vi ved også, at der var andre kvinder i præ-islamiske dag som ikke kun har deltaget i anliggender Mekka ved siden af deres mænd, de deltog også i virksomhedsprojekter, uden at deres mænd er involveret i dem. De har desuden ofte udøves betydelig indflydelse som prophetesses eller som poetesses. På den årlige messer i nærheden af Mekka, især på messen i Oqhad, er kvinder kendt for at have indgået sammen med mænd i poetiske konkurrencer og fremsagde deres pris-vindende digte før offentligheden.
Ovenstående bemærkninger giver os et glimt af omfanget af frihed, som kvinder i Arabien, der anvendes til at nyde før daggry af islam og ophæve kravet i den muslimske læger, der fortæller os, at det var Islam, som har meddelt kvinder disse friheder, som de har levet deres liv i vores moderne tid. I virkeligheden er det modsatte tilfældet. Det er i sandhed islam, som ikke blot har snappede væk en stor del af kvindernes tidligere frihed og frihedsrettigheder, det har også gjort dem slave til luner og tavler af deres mænd. I synet af islam, er kvinder mangler i hukommelsen. Derfor vil to kvinder er lig med en mand.
Muhammad livsstil efter hans ægteskab med Khudeija
Som Muhammad havde forventet, hans ægteskab med Khudeija ændrede hans liv. Det placerede ham blandt de mest velhavende og indflydelsesrige mænd i hans fødeby. Han var ikke mere en tjener; om det modsatte, blev han ejer af sin kones formue, og af hendes forretning. Folk begyndte at respektere ham. De har også mulighed for ham at deltage i både deres casual og formelle møder, en vigtig privilegium, at de havde været nægte ham før på grund af hans forhold.
I denne periode boede han i en husholdning, hvor det hjemmehørende oracle påvirket ham meget i hans religiøse meninger. Dette var hans kones fætter Waraqa ibn Nofal, en mand af spekulative sind og fleksibel tro, oprindeligt en Jøde, senere en Christian, på samme tid, som er en bedrag af astrologi.
Efter ægteskabet fortsatte Muhammad til at arbejde for sin kone som før, men nu med en frihed, som gives ham meget tid til at bygge hans image før folk i Mekka og dets nabolande. At det lykkes, han førte sig godt socialt. Snart lykkedes ham at etablere sig som en rollemodel blandt folket, ikke kun ved at fjerne favoriserer på bekostning af sin kone, men også ved at behandle dem retfærdigt i situationer, som tilbød ham det eftertragtede muligheder for at få sig involveret . Heri, skal vi beskrive en krise, der involverede Mekka personer, og som, vi får at vide, at han medvirket til at løse i mindelighed, og dermed tjener for sig selv beundring for folket.
I 605 e.Kr., folk Quraish når Muhammad var femogtredive år gammel, besluttede at tag den Ka'aba, som det fremgår, havde hidtil kun bestod af fire vægge uden dækker på toppen. En undersøgelse af murværket viste, at de eksisterende vægge var for svage til at bære vægten af et tag, hvorefter den Mekka besluttet at nedrive hele strukturen, og i stedet for, at bygge et nyt bygningsværk med et tag. Efter at have bygget vægge, mødte folk dilemma for at finde den træplanker og en tømrer til at gøre på taget, for ingen af de to forelå på det tidspunkt i hele landet Arabien.
Under deres situation, så skete det, at et skib, der tilhører en græsk købmand ødelagt, eventuelt på koralrev i Jeddah. Denne ulykke gav desperate Mekka med skibets tømmer til taget, som en egyptisk koptiske. Carpenter, der befandt sig i Mekka på det tidspunkt, forpligtede sig til at opføre på deres befaling.
Historien om tag den Ka'aba viser, at et vigtigt aspekt af Mekka liv på det tidspunkt, hvor Muhammad. Den omstændighed, at templet selv havde ingen tag styrker position for dem, der hævder, at da "House of Allah" havde efter al sandsynlighed, bestod blot af telte omgivet af mure, skal Mekka af tiden også har levet, ud af tvang, i hjemmene uden tag.
En stor sort sten, muligvis en meteorit, var blevet bygget ind i væggen i primitive Ka'aba. Hedningene betragtes det med ejendommelige veneration. Når bygningen af væggene nåede det niveau, hvor den sorte sten havde tidligere været plantet, hver af de klaner af Quraish krævede privilegium at placere stenen tilbage i sin oprindelige position. Spændt og ophedet debat fulgte, og et udbrud af vold, grænsende til blodsudgydelser, syntes overhængende.
På dette tidspunkt, sagde Abu Umaiya skud på stammen af Bani Makhzoom, at være den ældste mand af stammen af Quraish, kom op med et forslag. Han foreslog, at alle nuværende bør enige om, at den første mand, der kom ind i retten i Ka'aba fra det tidspunkt bør anmodes om at bedømme tvisten. Alle var enige om og begyndte at afvente ankomsten af en sådan mand.
Et par minutter senere, så de Muhammad ind i hellige bygninger. Informeret om pagten, at Mekka havde indvilget i at, han kaldte for en kappe, sprede den på jorden og lagde den sorte sten på den. Han spurgte en repræsentant for hver klan til at tage fat i kanten af kappen og hæve de sten sammen til den ønskede højde. Når dette var gjort, han med sine egne hænder, lagde sten på plads i væggen, og dermed løse et dødbringende problem med en strålende tilstedeværelse i sindet. Denne episode siges at have styrket hans statur og anseelse, hvilket fik folk til at henvise deres tvister til ham for beslutningsforslaget.
Opkald fra Allah
I perioden efter Muhammeds ægteskab med Khudeija, men før påbegyndelse af hans forkyndelse af Oneness af Allah, er mange religiøst følsomme mænd i Mekka siges at have trukket sig ud af idol tilbedelse af Ka'aba. Fremtrædende blandt dem var: 1. Waraqa ibn Nofal, 2. Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh, 3. Uthman ibn al-Huwayrith og 4. Zaid ibn Amr. Mange andre Hedninger også konverteres til Monoteisme med erkendelsen af, at deres folk havde ødelagt den religion deres far Abraham, og at stenene, som de cirklede rundt var uden konto. Som konklusion, ønskede de at se en ændring i form og indhold af deres forældede religion. Andre, der har vokset desillusioneret med jødedommen og kristendommen, gik deres måder at søge andre steder i landet, der søger Hanifiya, den rene religion Abraham at undgået afgudsdyrkelse.
De var specielt interesseret i at se Hanifiya indført igen, for de troede, den var baseret på fairness og retfærdighed. Det var ikke Hanifiya, så de regnede grund som vogtere af House of Allah var blevet forvandlet til egoistiske væsner, som ikke brød sig selv for dem, der var abysmally fattige og gik sultne. De ønskede se greb af disse egoistiske personer over Ka'aba fjernet, således at fairness og retfærdighed vil kunne udleveres til alle mennesker i Mekka.
Den manipulerende og opportunistiske Waraqa ibn Nofal, der observeres tæt nogle af Mekka lidelser og desillusionering med idol tilbedelse, følte, at det var det rette tidspunkt til at indføre hans doktrin om One Allah samt begrebet opstandelse til hans målrettede folk. Da han ikke kunne gøre det selv, han begyndte at se ud for en mand blandt de indflydelsesrige Stammer Mekka for at gennemføre sin mission. Han hørte hans søster Khudeija, og se! Begge fundet en kandidat i deres midte ved navn Muhammad Mustafa. Han opfyldte alle kriterier begge anses for nødvendige i en mand til at udføre den vanskelige og risikable opgave, som de planlagte at overlade til ham. Efter betro sig til ham, fandt de ham mere end villig til at forpligte dem med hans samarbejde - ikke blot for deres skyld, men også for hans egen, for han selv nærede en drøm om at høste Ka'aba's vogtere fra deres holdninger sammen med reining i Det Mekka handel community - alle hvem han anses for at være en egoistisk og grådig flok foragtelige mennesker.
Da hans ægteskab med Khudeija havde Muhammad masser af tid til at reflektere over, hvad han havde hørt og lært under sin campingvogn ture og også fra de mennesker, han har haft mulighed for sammenblanding, da de kom til Mekka, enten på pilgrimsrejse eller til handel. Den indoktrinering i eremit Bahira også gentog i hans sind, giver ham den overbevisning, at afgudsdyrkende Hedninger bør gøres for at tilbede kun én sand Allah, hvis nemesis allerede boede i form af en statue i Ka'aba, og at dette Allah bør regel deres hjerter og sind. Muhammad tog navnet "Allah" til at repræsentere sit begreb om en enlig guddom af den grund, at Hedninger allerede var bekendt med ham, og derved bliver det unødvendigt for ham at forklare forfra til dem enlige Guddommen natur og egenskaber.
Således bestemmes, Muhammad ønskede at gennemføre sit begreber og doktriner, hvoraf de fleste havde deres oprindelse i jødedommen og kristendommen, og på bedste beskub gemt i hans hukommelse uden megen forsinkelse. Hans tidlige liv præparater uanset, at han erkendte, at hans mission var lastet med enorme udfordringer at overvinde, som han havde brug for at lære mere om den jødiske Torah samt om den kristne skrifter. Han ønskede at vide så meget som det var muligt om Talmud og Midrash traditioner, så de nuværende blandt de jødiske grupper. Waraqa enige, og de besluttede, at de skal begynde undervisningen, og læring sessioner, straks.
Samlingerne kunne ikke begyndt fra Khudeija eller Waraqa hus, lest det være kendt for befolkningen i byen. Muhammad måske påvirket af de kristne eneboere, som havde han set på sine rejser til Syrien, der bor i huler, valgte en af de huler af Mount Hira til formålet.
Muhammad og Waraqa tog til at bruge det meste af deres tid i hulen, ofte følgeskab af Khudeija, der, som vi har tidligere bemærket, var kendt for at have studeret evangelierne på opfordring af hendes fætter, Waraqa. Waraqa fandt hans studerende at have en ualmindelig skarp og klæbehjerne og en glubende appetit for læring. Han hældte alle de viden om Midrash og Talmud, at han havde, vel vidende fuldt vel, at hans elev, under udbredelsen af sin tro, ville have stærkt afhængige af, hvad han lærte ham under hans vejledning sessioner.
Mens mentorordningen proces fortsatte, Waraqa erkendt, at han ikke alene kunne forberede Muhammad fuldt ud for den betydningsfulde mission, han var snart på vej mod, og at hvis han ønskede at se hans surrogat lykkes, han derefter skal søge hjælp hos en hvis lærdom om de emner, han var bibringe ham var overlegen til sin egen.
Waraqa vidste en munk ved navn Adas, nogle sige hans navn var Suhaib ibn Sinan, der var velbevandret i den ønskede fag, men talte på hebraisk. Waraqa, selv at vide hebraisk godt, hyret hans hjælp, og begge af dem begyndte at undervise Muhammad alt, hvad de vidste om den jødiske og kristne skrifter.
Måske var det samme munk Adas eller Suhaib, hvem Muhammad havde hentydet til, mens gendrive Hedninger der har beskyldt ham for at være lært alt, hvad han talte, herunder oplysninger om himmel og helvede, som et menneske, og ikke, som han hævdede, ved Allah.
As time passed, Muhammad became determined to fulfill his ambition. The more he thought about them, the more plans came to his mind. The more he talked to his friends and acquaintances, the more input he got from them on many of their common concerns. Positive thoughts and responses prepared him to go into offensive to realize what he had set out for him to be his goals.
By the age of twenty-five, Muhammad was able to finalize all the details of the goal he had thought of achieving in his life.This was also the ripe time for him to get married, but he could not marry any free and eligible woman, as he did not have enough number of camels or a large amount of money to give as dowers to the father or guardian of the woman he may have decided to marry.
After giving full consideration to his own situation, he came to the conclusion that he needed to find a woman whom he can marry not only without paying the dowers, but she should also be in a position to support him financially, when he will engage himself in an enterprise that will be necessary for him to fulfill his life's ambition. Knowing that there were not too many women in Mecca and its neighborhoods who could do what he expected his future wife to do for him, he decided to wait, and see what comes his way in days to come.
At the time Muhammad was looking for a suitable bride, there lived in Mecca a widow named Khudeija, a daughter of Khuwalid, of the tribe of Quraish. She had been twice married. Her last husband, a wealthy merchant, had recently died and she needed to hire help to manage her business interests.
Khudeija had a cousin by the name of Waraqa ibn Nofal. He was a professed monotheist and is believed to have translated portions of the Gospels into Arabic. He wielded much influence over his sister Khudeija; she being alleged to be a regular reader of his works. Both of them held identical views on religious matters, but in cases where they differed, the opinion of Waraqa always prevailed.
Muhammad had become acquainted with Khuzaima, a nephew of Khudeija, during his business trips to Syria. The latter had seen the former conducting his business in an efficient and profitable manner, and he was impressed. After their return home, they met frequently in and around the temple of Ka’aba, where Muhammad loved to spend his time after carrying out, in the manner of hajj, seven circuits, round the shrine.
One day, in course of his conversation with Khuzaima, Muhammad expressed his desire to find a job that would pay him more than what he was being paid by his current employer. Khuzaima told him that his aunt Khudeija was looking for a capable agent and that he might be a perfect candidate for the job. He promised to talk to Khudeija about him and also to try to arrange an interview for him with her.
Khuzaima kept his words, and he talked to Khudeija. She agreed to meet the candidate as soon as it was possible.
On the appointed date and time, Muhammad presented himself before Khudeija. She looked and found a twenty-five year old man standing before her eyes. He was of medium stature, inclined to slimness, with a large head, broad shoulders, and an otherwise perfectly proportioned body. His hair and beard were thick and black, not altogether straight but slightly curled. His hair reached midway between the lobes of his ears and his shoulders, and his beard was of a length to match. He had a noble breadth of forehead and the ovals of his large eyes were wide, with exceptionally long lashes and extensive brows, slightly arched and not joined. His eyes were said to have been brown or even light brown. His nose was aquiline and his mouth was wide and finely shaped. Although he let his beard grow, he never allowed the hair of his moustache to protrude over his upper lips. His skin was white but tanned by the sun.
His voice had a touch of music and the sentences he spoke were as rhythmic as the poems of the famed Arabian poet Labid. Khudeija was highly impressed, and she hired Muhammad to run her business.
She assigned her nephew Khuzaima and her slave girl Maisara to him so that they could assist him during the trade missions he was expected to lead to Syria, the Yemen and other destinations from time to time. During all his missions, he performed his duties most diligently, thus earning for himself the admiration of his employer. She afterwards sent him to the southern parts of Arabia on similar pursuits, in all of which he achieved successes beyond his employer’s expectation. Every opportunity Muhammad got to prove his worth, he did his best to excel so that he could endear himself to his employer. Every time Khudeija heard about his success; it enhanced in her not only his esteem, but also his fondness.
While Muhammad was applying all his tools to climb the ladder of success, Khudeija turned forty, her age having enabled her to gather the valuable judgment and experience that was necessary to lead a successful life. She longed for a partner who could give her all that that she had been missing ever since the death of her last husband. She considered many probable candidates, but, at the end, her choice fell on Muhammad.
Although her heart yearned for the fresh and comely youth, yet she restrained herself before taking steps to fulfill her desire. She had to overcome the ancient Arab tradition that barred women of her age from getting married, together with the objections she expected from her immediate family members. Of particular concern to her was the attitude of her uncle, Amr ibn Asaad, without whose approval it would have been impossible for her to marry the man of her choice. She needed to create a situation that would not only make the man of her choice appear special, but also to force her uncle to sanction her marriage with him as well.
Soon an opportunity presented itself for Khudeija to exploit. One day at noon, she was with her maids outside her house, watching the arrival of the caravan conducted by Muhammad. As it approached its termination point, an errant patch of cloud appeared on the horizon, blocking momentarily the sun’s rays from reaching the earth. Seizing the opportunity, she shouted to her maids and exclaimed: “Behold! It is the beloved of Allah, (i.e. the same deity of Ka’aba the Pagans called “Allah”) who sent two angels to watch over him!”
Her maids strained their eyes and looked out as far as they could see in their effort to locate the angels, but they saw none. Having inkling of their mistress’s passionate feelings towards her heartthrob, Muhammad, they joined hands with her, and repeated loudly what she had told them. The purpose behind such an exercise was to boost Muhammad’s image, through publicizing, what Khudeija had made out to be a divine favor as well as to warn her uncle of the consequences from heaven should he reject Muhammad’s proposal to marry his niece.
Thus creating a ground that was going to support her cause; she wished to waste no time and offered herself secretly in marriage to Muhammad through her trusted slave, Maisara. Muhammad had been waiting for such an opportunity to come his way, and when it came, he accepted it without wasting any time. The major success thus achieved, he, as the Arabian tradition required, needed to make a formal proposal of marriage to Khudeija’s uncle Amr ibn Assad who acted then as her guardian, her father having been previously killed in a sacrilegious war.
The Arabian marriage traditions vastly differ from the ones observed by most of the non-Arab Muslims of the present day. As required by his tradition, an Arab groom has to propose his marriage to his would-be bride through her parents or guardians, and if they accept the offer, he is required to pay dowers to his betrothed’s parents or guardians for granting him permission to marry their daughter or ward. Arabian marriages were, and still are, based on contract, with religion playing no or little role in them. This is not the case with the non-Arab Muslims, especially those of the Indian sub-continent, where nearly half of the world’s Muslims live; here, it is the brides who pay dowers to their would-be husbands in order to induce them into marrying them. This they do despite their ardent desire to live their lives according to the practices and traditions of the unruly and hypocritical Bedouin Arabs of Islam’s holy land to whom they are nothing today, but beggars (miskin) in the belief that doing that takes them closer to their beloved Prophet without whose intercession Allah may not pardon their sins on the Day of Judgment!
Following their tradition, Abu Talib and Hamza, two of Muhammad’s uncles, accompanied their nephew to Khudeija’s house, where she secretly arranged a party. She had not, it seems, broken the news to her uncle; she intentionally kept him unaware of the significance of the occasion. In the presence of all men, Muhammad sought from Amr ibn Assad his niece Khudeija’s hand in marriage, hearing which the old man flew into a rage and declined the union. He explained that everything was against such an idea: Muhammad’s age, the fact that he was in Khudeija’s employment and, above all, he did not have enough money to justify his marriage with a wealthy lady. In his mind, the marriage meant dispersing her wealth, instead of keeping it in her family. Subsequent events proved that the old man was right in his thinking.
Khudeija had anticipated such a situation and prepared herself to handle it in a favorable manner. She methodically plied her uncle with wine until he was drunk. On cue, Abu Talib delivered a forceful speech, laying out all the splendid qualities that his nephew possessed. After him, Khudeija herself made a fiery speech, describing how the angels had protected him from heat, and also eulogizing all the deeds that Muhammad had performed for her and the family. In the end, she exhorted her uncle to recognize Muhammad’s favors, and to accept him as his son-in-law. Following Khudeija’s speech, all present prompted Amr ibn Assad to respond to it.
Before he knew what all was about, he made his speech through which he approved the marriage. Waraqa ibn Nofal promptly seconded; whereupon, Muhammad at once clothed the old man in the robe, which according to the Arabian tradition, a son-in-law gave his father-in-law at the wedding. Khudeija immediately had the terms of the contract laid out, signifying the conclusion of the marriage before her uncle could realize that he was duped, and declared the marriage void. This marriage is believed to have taken place in 595 A.D., when Muhammad was twenty-five and his bride forty years old.
The incident narrated concerning Khudeija’s marriage with Muhammad deserves a special mention, not only because it was a milestone in the life of the future Prophet of Islam, but also because it illustrates the position women occupied in pre-Islamic Arabia. We have noted that Khudeija was an independent woman who ran her own business and that it was she, not her future husband, who had first proposed the marriage. Apart from her, we also know that there were other women in pre-Islamic days who not only took part in the affairs of Mecca by the side of their men; they also participated in business ventures without their men being involved in them. They, moreover, often exercised considerable influence as prophetesses or as poetesses. At the annual fairs in the neighborhood of Mecca, particularly at the fair of Oqhad, women are known to have entered along with men in poetic contests and recited their price-winning poems before the public.
The above observations provide us a glimpse of the extent of freedom that the women of Arabia used to enjoy before the dawn of Islam and negate the claim of the Muslim doctors who tell us that it was Islam, which has granted women those freedoms with which they have been living their lives in our modern time. In reality, the contrary is true. It is, in truth, Islam, which has not only snatched away much of women’s previous freedom and liberties; it has also made them slave to the whims and fancies of their men. In the sight of Islam, women are deficient in memory. Therefore, two women are equal to one man.
Muhammad’s lifestyle after his marriage with Khudeija
As Muhammad had expected, his marriage with Khudeija changed his life. It placed him among the most wealthy and influential men of his native city. He was no more a servant; to the contrary, he became the owner of his wife’s wealth, and of her business. People began to respect him. They also allowed him to participate in both their casual and formal meetings, an important privilege that they had been denying him before on account of his circumstances.
During this time, he lived in a household where the resident oracle influenced him greatly in his religious opinions. This was his wife’s cousin Waraqa ibn Nofal, a man of speculative mind and flexible faith; originally a Jew, subsequently a Christian, at the same time, being a pretender of astrology.
After the marriage, Muhammad continued to work for his wife as before, but now with a freedom that afforded him much time to build his image before the people of Mecca and its neighborhood. To succeed in this, he carried himself well socially. Soon, he succeeded in establishing himself as a role model among the people, not only by dispensing favors at the cost of his wife, but also by dealing with them even-handedly in situations that offered him the sought-after opportunities to get himself involved. Herein, we shall describe a crisis that involved the Meccan people and which, we are told, he helped resolve amicably, thereby earning for himself the admiration of the people.
In 605 A.D., when Muhammad was thirty-five years old, the people of Quraish decided to roof the Ka’aba, which, it appears, had hitherto consisted of only four walls with no covering on its top. An examination of the masonry revealed that the existing walls were too weak to support the weight of a roof, whereupon, the Meccans decided to demolish the entire structure, and, in its place, to build a new edifice with a roof. After building the walls, the people faced the dilemma of finding the wooden planks and a carpenter to make the roof, for neither of the two existed at the time in the entire land of Arabia.
During their plight, it so happened that a ship, belonging to a Greek merchant wrecked, possibly on the coral reefs of Jeddah. This accident provided the desperate Meccans with the ship’s timbers for the roof, which an Egyptian Copt. Carpenter, who happened to be in Mecca at the time, undertook to erect at their behest.
The story of roofing the Ka’aba brings to light an important aspect of the Meccan life at the time of Muhammad. The fact that the temple itself had no roof bolsters the position of those who maintain that since the “House of Allah” had, in all probability, consisted merely of tents surrounded by walls, the Meccans of the time must also have lived, out of compulsion, in homes without roofs.
A large black stone, possibly a meteorite, had been built into the wall of the primitive Ka’aba. The Pagans regarded it with peculiar veneration. When the building of the walls reached the level at which the black stone had formerly been planted, each of the clans of the Quraish demanded the privilege of placing the stone back in its original position. Excited and heated debate ensued, and an outbreak of violence, bordering on bloodshed, seemed imminent.
At this juncture, Abu Umaiya of the clan of Bani Makhzoom, said to be the oldest man of the tribe of Quraish, came up with a suggestion. He proposed that all present should agree that the first man who entered the court of the Ka’aba from that moment on should be asked to judge the dispute. All agreed and began to await the arrival of such a man.
A few minutes later, they saw Muhammad entering the sacred premises. Informed of the pact that the Meccans had agreed to, he called for a cloak, spread it on the ground and laid the black stone on it. He then asked one representative of every clan to take hold of the edge of the cloak and to raise the stone together to the required height. Once this was done, he, with his own hands, laid the stone in position in the wall, thus resolving a deadly issue with a brilliant presence of mind. This episode is said to have enhanced his stature and esteem, prompting people to refer their disputes to him for resolution.
Call from Allah
In the period following Muhammad’s marriage with Khudeija, but before the commencement of his preaching of the Oneness of Allah, many religiously sensitive men in Mecca are said to have withdrawn from the idol worshipping of Ka’aba. Prominent among them were: 1. Waraqa ibn Nofal, 2. Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh, 3. Uthman ibn al-Huwayrith and 4. Zaid ibn Amr. Many other Pagans also converted to monotheism with the realization that their people had corrupted the religion of their father Abraham and that the stones they circled around were of no account. In conclusion, they wished to see a change in the form and substance of their antiquated religion. Others, having grown disillusioned with Judaism and Christianity, went their ways in search elsewhere in the land, seeking Hanifiya, the pure religion of Abraham that shunned idolatry.
They were particularly interested in seeing Hanifiya introduced once again, for they believed, it was based on fairness and justice. It was the absence of Hanifiya, so they reckoned, due to which the custodians of the House of Allah had turned into selfish beings, who did not care even for those who were abysmally poor and went hungry. They wanted see the grip of these selfish people over the Ka’aba removed, so that fairness and justice could be dispensed to all the people of Mecca.
The manipulative and opportunistic Waraqa ibn Nofal, having closely observed some of the Meccans suffering and disenchantment with idol worshipping, felt that it was the right time to introduce his doctrine of One Allah as well as the concept of Resurrection to his targeted people. As he could not do it himself, he began to look out for a man from among the influential tribes of Mecca to implement his mission. He consulted his sister Khudeija, and lo! Both of them found a candidate in their midst by the name of Muhammad Mustafa. He fulfilled all the criteria both of them considered necessary in a man to accomplish the arduous and risky task they planned to entrust to him. Upon confiding in him, they found him more than willing to oblige them with his cooperation - not merely for their sake, but also for his own, for he himself cherished a dream to dislodge the Ka’aba’s custodians from their positions together with reining in the Meccan trading community - all of whom he considered to be a selfish and greedy bunch of despicable humans.
Since his marriage with Khudeija, Muhammad had plenty of time to reflect on what he had heard and learned during his caravan journeys and also from the people he had the opportunity of mingling when they came to Mecca, either on pilgrimage or for trade. The indoctrination of the hermit Bahira also recurred in his mind, giving him the conviction that the idolatrous Pagans should be made to worship only one true Allah, whose nemesis already lived in the form of a statue in the Ka’aba and that this Allah should rule their hearts and minds. Muhammad picked up the name ‘Allah’ to represent his concept of a lone deity for the reason that the Pagans were already acquainted with Him, making it thus unnecessary for him to explain afresh to them the lone Deity’s nature and attributes.
Thus determined, Muhammad wished to implement his concepts and doctrines, most of which had their origin in Judaism and Christianity, and haphazardly stored in his memory without much delay. His early-life preparations notwithstanding, he recognized the fact that his mission was loaded with enormous challenges, to overcome which, he needed to learn more about the Jewish Torah as well as about the Christian Scriptures. He also desired to know as much as was possible about the Talmud and Midrash traditions, then current among the Jewish groups. Waraqa concurred, and they decided that they should begin the teaching, and the learning sessions, forthwith.
The sessions could not be begun from Khudeija or Waraqa’s house, lest it be known to the people of the city. Muhammad, perhaps, influenced by those Christian hermits whom, he had seen on his trips to Syria, living in caves, chose one of the caves of Mount Hira for the purpose.
Muhammad and Waraqa took to spending most of their time in the cave, often, joined by Khudeija, who, as we have noted earlier, was known to have studied the Gospels at the urging of her cousin, Waraqa. Waraqa found his student to have an uncommonly sharp and retentive memory and a voracious appetite for learning. He poured out all the knowledge of Midrash and Talmud that he had, knowing fully well that his student, during the propagation of his faith, would have to depend heavily on what he taught him during his tutoring sessions.
While the tutoring process was continuing, Waraqa recognized the fact that he alone could not prepare Muhammad fully for the momentous mission he was soon to embark upon, and that if he wanted to see his surrogate succeed, he then must seek the help of one whose erudition on the subjects he was imparting to him was superior to his own.
Waraqa knew a monk by the name of Adas; some say his name was Suhaib ibn Sinan, who was well versed in the desired subjects, but spoke in Hebrew. Waraqa, himself knowing Hebrew well, enlisted his help, and both of them began teaching Muhammad all they knew about the Jewish and Christian Scriptures.
Perhaps, it was the same monk Adas or Suhaib, whom Muhammad had alluded to, while refuting the Pagans who accused him of being taught all that he spoke, including the details of heaven and hell, by a human being, and not, as he claimed, by Allah.
