Biography of Prophet Muhammad by Amr Khaled (عمروخالد)
As a Christian learning more about Islam, I will be posting a lecture given by Amr Khaled on the biography of prophet Muhammad. My hope is to learn more about Islam from a Muslim who is non-Western and Arabic speaking. 1A useful English and Western perspective on prophet Muhammad’s biography is found in the Encyclopaedia of Islam. It is a lengthy article, but here is what it says about the sources behind prophet Muhammad’s biography,
The earliest attempts to report events of Muhammad’s life could hardly be called biographies in the modern sense. They include what are called maghazi works that treat Muhammad’s military expeditions and campaigns, which from an early date were merged with sira works that sought to preserve stories about the Prophet, tafsir writings that sought to preserve traditional interpretations of verses of the Kuran, and eventually hadith accounts that sought to preserve sayings of and about Muhammad. Early works in all these categories contain what can be classified as mutawatir (handed down successively) or mashhur (well-known or widely known) material that was transmitted by oral tradition for generations before it was written down. None of these types of writings in its early forms, including the maghazi and sira works, had as its purpose the recording of the life of Muhammad. Each report or story must thus be evaluated in terms of its purpose, and as many versions of the same story and similar stories as possible need to be consulted, since most of the accounts occur in numerous, often widely differing forms.
The most widely used sources for the life of Muhammad, in addition to the Kuran, date from the 3rd and 4th centuries of the Islamic era. Among these the most highly respected is the Maghazi or Sira of Ibn Ishak (d. 151/768), which is not extant in its original form, but has been preserved in at least two recensions, one by Ibn Hisham (d. 218/833) that is widely used, and another by Yunus b. Bukayr (d. 199/814-15) that exists only in manuscript form (for a description and summary of the contents of Yunus’s recension, see Alfred Guillaume, New light on the life of Muhammad, Manchester n.d.). We also have extensive quotations from Ibn Ishak’s work, including sections that Ibn Hisham and Yunus b. Bukayr omitted, in historical works that cover much more than just the life of the Prophet. Among these the most valuable is the Ta’rikh al-rusul wa ‘l- mulåk by al- •abarÊ (d. 310/922-3), which contains other material on the life of Muhammad, notably reports from Urwa b. al-Zubayr (d. 94/712-13), a very early source. Alfred Guillaume has provided an English translation of an attempted reconstruction of Ibn Ishak’s work, produced largely by translating what Ibn Hisham reports from Ibn Ishak, adding quotations from the latter that are included by al-Tabari (mainly the material that Ibn Hisham omitted) and placing Ibn Hisham’s comments on Ibn Ishak’s work in the back of the translation in a section called “Ibn Hisham’s Notes”. These page numbers suggest that Ibn Hisham’s comments constitute about 15% of his recension of Ibn Ishak’s ‘s work, but it should be kept in mind that he may have omitted this amount or more of the original. After Ibn Ishak’s work the sources most widely used are the Maghazi by al-Wakidi (d. 207/822-3), which is often criticised by Muslim writers who claim that the author is unreliable, and the Kitab al-Tabakat al-kabir by al-Wakidi’s secretary, Ibn Sa’d (d. 230/844-5), who appears to be more highly respected than his employer.
Other useful sources for the life of Muhammad include the Sahih by al-Bukhari (d. 256/870), the Sahih by Muslim (d. 261/875), and the Musnad by Ahmad b. Hanbal (d. 241/855). (“Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam” in Encyclopaedia of Islam) Amr Khaled fits these criteria; in fact, he is one of the most famous Muslim preachers in the world:
- Time Magazine called Amr Khaled the Billy Graham of Islam and one of the top 100 people in the world whose power, talent or moral example is transforming the world (The Time 100).
- The New York Times called Amr Khaled “the world’s most famous and influential Muslim television preacher”.
- Amr Khaled’s website – amrkhaled.net – is one of the most popular from Egypt to Morocco to Oman.
At various points throughout these postings on the biography of prophet Muhammad, I will be comparing Muhammad’s biography and Muhammad’s prophethood with the Christian Scriptures. I invite you to learn with me – whether it be learning more about Muhammad and Islam or learning more about Jesus and Christianity.
This is the first of 7 videos. In this episode Amr Khaled discusses the following about Prophet Muhammad:
- Prophet Muhammad’s Physical Appearance
- Prophet Muhammad’s Miracles and how they were unlike the miracles of other prophets like Moses
I will be comparing:
Amr Khaled gives greetings to his viewers and he gave greetings from his viewers to Muhammad at Prophet Muhammad’s grave
0:00-1:18
In the Name of God, praise be to Him and His peace be upon his Messenger. Welcome to a new program on the Biography of the Prophet (PBUH).” Amr Khaled then gives his welcome and greetings…
The second point that has made me happy is that after yesterday’s program, some youths called me or sent me emails entrusting me with sending their greetings to Prophet Muhammad. Actually, the last thing I do before coming here is go to the Prophet’s grave to greet him so I may realize that I am bearing a great responsibility. Thenk I would keep looking at the house of Muhammad; I did something that should appeal to all our viewers i.e., I addressed the Prophet saying all our viewers are greeting him! While saying so, I felt the Prophet would receive all our greetings and he (PBUH) would answer our greetings too. So, I sent all your greetings to the Prophet!
Amr Khaled explains the purpose of the show: to discuss Prophet Muhammad’s boyhood and adulthood till marriage
1:19-1:37
In today’s program, there will be an introduction, then a question, then handling the Prophet’s boyhood, then his adulthood till marriage. Tomorrow we will handle the beginning of the Prophet’s Message, but today we will focus on the aforementioned points.
Amr Khaled discusses Prophet Muhammad’s appearance
1:38-3:03
Hair from Prophet Muhammad’s Beard
First, let’s start with a spiritual introduction so it may help us remember Muhammad (PBUH). Today’s introduction will be about the Prophet’s physical appearance; can you describe his appearance? Surely, we all wish we could have seen Prophet Muhammad, and known his physical appearance. In fact, many books described the Prophet’s physical appearance saying Prophet Muhammad was of medium height; if he stood among tall people, he would not appear to be short and if among short people, he would not look so tall.
Amr Khaled related three stories about Prophet Muhammad’s appearance
First story of prophet Muhammad’s appearance related by Abdulla ibn Salam
3:04-4:00
The first story was of a man called Abdulla ibn Salam who was a Jew living in Medina. Abdullah ibn Salam was told that the Arab Prophet would come to Medina; so he prepared 10 questions to ask Prophet Muhammad. Ibn Salam was a Jewish scribe and he knew the description of the last Prophet. So, he prepared 10 questions to ask Muhammad so he would know if he was a Prophet or not via the answers!
He took his son and went to meet Muhammad; when he looked at Muhammad’s face, he knew he was God’s Messenger. He did not ask his questions to the Prophet, but he knew he was a Prophet from his face.
Second story of prophet Muhammad’s appearance related by Jabir ibn Abdullah
4:01-4:47
“The second story was with Jabir ibn Abduallah. Jabir narrated that he was walking in Medina on a moonlit night and he was looking at the Moon that fascinated him. He added while he was looking at the Moon, Prophet Muhammad came from the direction where Jabir was looking at the Moon! Then Jabir ibn Abdullah kept looking up and down. He said, “I compared him to the Moon…” Seems there was a point of similarity between them! Then Jabir said, “…I…found that, for me, he was better than the Moon.””
Third story of prophet Muhammad’s appearance related by Abdullah ibn Rawaha
4:48-6:51
“Listen to the third story that will help visualize all the Prophet’s features. Abdullah ibn Rawaha was an eloquent Arab poet; a man who had not seen the Prophet asked Abdullah to describe him! By the way, ibn Rawaha died before Prophet Muhammad!”
“He was asked to describe the Prophet; he gave an interesting answer. He said some words that would help you visualize the Prophet; he said, “Had you seen him, you would have felt the Sun was shining!””
“Of course, you know how the sky looks at sunrise; that was what ibn Rawaha implied! Surely, some of you must have witnessed sunrise; it arouses wonderful feelings inside you! Prophet Muhammad’s coming from afar was like sunrise; I hope you will have visualized his face by now!”
“God’s peace be upon Muhammad. Now you love him, right?”
“The Prophet (PBUH) must have walked in the place where we are sitting now and his house was near the minaret you are seeing now on the scrreen. Hopefully, this introduction will help you visualize his face!”
“Imagine the Prophet might embrace you on Doomsday or hold your hand to show you your palace in Paradise or your palace might be next to his! You might be able to see the Prophet through the windows of your palace.”
“Ibn Rawaha’s saying the Prophet’s coming from afar was like sunrise has to do with an amazing story! Known when the Prophet was born? He was born on Rabi’l, 12! [Monday, 12th Rabi’ al-Awwal, Year, AD 570 {see also the Timeline of Prophet Muhammad’s life]. 2The date of prophet Muhammad’s birth is a matter of controversy Know the hour of his birth? Many do not know the answer; it is said he was born at the sunrise of Rabi l, 12! His face was shining like the rising sun; he was born at sunrise! God willed the Prophet to be born at sunrise in particular; this implies he was a light that would flood the Earth! Just like the Sun rises everyday, Muhammad’s birth is like sunlight flooding the Earth till Doomsday. God’s peace be upon Muhammad!”
Prophet Muhammad’s Miracles
The prophet Muhammad and miracles. Amr Khaled says the prophet Muhammad’s miracles did not change the course of events like the miracles of Moses.
6:52-9:51
After this introduction, let’s see the question posed by some youths; I asked the youths to meet me on the Internet so we would exchange views on the last program. They sent many questions; a question was repeated most: I said the miracle of Abraha’s army destruction was the last tangible miracle and after Muhammad’s birth, miracles stopped and the age of science started, 3“The Christian ruler of a south Arabian kingdom founded by the Abyssinians, whose name is traditionally associated with the interpretation of q 105, where there is a description of God smiting the People of the Elephant. Although he is not mentioned in the qurʾānic text, his name is regularly given in the commentary literature. Epigraphic evidence, the writings of the Byzantine military historian Procopius as well as ecclesiastical sources provide independent historical attestation for this figure, but his association with the sūra is limited to Muslim sources, especially historical and exegetical texts.” “The standard account of the Islamic Abraha may be found in the early pages of Ibn Isḥāq’s Sīra, the most commonly cited biography of the Prophet. It is repeated or summarized in many subsequent commentaries (cf. Ṭabarī, Tafsīr, xxx, 299-303; Ṭūsī, Tibyān, x, 409-11; Rāzī, Tafsīr, xxxii, 96). Read as an extended commentary on q 105, the story forms part of a larger account of Yemeni history in the generations immediately preceding the birth of Muḥammad. Its earliest segment is clearly framed as the annunciation of “an apostle who will bring truth and justice among men of religion and virtue” (Ibn Isḥāq-Guillaume, 6). As his portion of the story unfolds, Abraha is presented as seizing power of the Abyssinian-controlled territory in the Yemen by a coup and then cleverly defusing the sworn revenge of the Abyssinian ruler, the Negus (al-Najāshī). To mollify him further, Abraha builds a magnificent church in Sanʿāʾ and then pledges to divert Arab pilgrimages to this new sanctuary. Angered by a Meccan of the tribe of the Banū Kināna who defiles the church — by defecating in it, according to some exegetes (cf. Rāzī, Tafsīr, xxxii, 96; Qurṭubī, Jāmiʿ, xx, 188) — to prevent its use as a pilgrimage site, Abraha, in turn, vows revenge on the Meccan sanctuary and marches toward the Ka’ba at the head of a vast army. Abraha’s defeat involves miraculous animals, including an Abyssinian battle elephant that kneels before the Kaʿba and refuses to fight and flocks of birds who rain stones down upon his assembled troops. Variants of this narrative abound, some offering as an additional explanation for Abraha’s advance upon Mecca the destruction of a Christian church in Abyssinia by a cooking fire carelessly abandoned by some Arab traders (Muqātil, Tafsīr, iv, 847; Qummī, Tafsīr, ii, 442-3; Ibn al-Jawzī, Zād, ix, 232; Qurṭubī, Jāmiʿ, xx, 192-5).” “Abraha’s advance upon Mecca acquired additional importance in the Muslim sources as a point of chronological calculation for the birth of Muḥammad. Dates in pre-Islamic Meccan history were reckoned from the Year of the Elephant(ʿām al-fīl)and the key dates in the life of the Prophet were coordinated with this year. Although Abraha’s invasion and Muḥammad’s birth are often dated to a year equivalent to 570 c.e., the commentators record no unanimity on this matter. Qurṭubī (Jāmiʿ, xx, 194) is representative in presenting sources that equate the Year of the Elephant with that of Muḥammad’s birth as well as those that place Abraha’s attack 23 or 40 years earlier. Western scholars have also long questioned the accuracy and historical reliability of these chronologies…” (Jane Dammen McAuliffe, “Abraha” Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān). but what about his Night Journey and Ascension to Heaven & the Moon Split. Those who asked that question and I are both right!” “True there were miracles at Muhammad’s time, but such miracles did not change the course of events; got this point? Such miracles did not lead to a decisive victory; they were not like Moses’ Cane that split the sea so the believers could cross it or like the Flights of Birds that destroyed the army of Abraha!” “The Prophet’s miracles were not like that; they were not like Noah’s Ark!” “What was the aim of Muhammad’s miracles? They aimed at supporting the believers; the Night Journey relieved the Prophet after being harmed by At-Ta’if people and the Moon Split proved his Prophethood, but they did not change the course of events or results as they had to be changed due to the efforts of Muslims, and that is the real miracle!” “The Prophet’s miracles aimed at strengthening Faith and not at changing the results of battles! The angels descended to the battlefield in Badr Battle, but it was not they who achieved the decisive victory then, for it wa Muslims who achieved that victory!” “Never think I am denying Prophet Muhammad’s miracles, but I am saying this so we can imitate the Prophet’s success experience so none would say he succeeded as he was backed by the Revelation and we will not rise as there is no more Revelation!” “Why handle Prophet Muhammad’s life story if we cannot benefit from it?! Had Muhammad’s success story been miraculous, it would have been useless to relate it. As Muhammad is the Last Prophet, his miracle is his followers themselves!” “Moses’ and Jesus’ miracles did not continue after their deaths, but the miracle of the last Prophet had to be an everlasting one; so his miracle is the Muslim men and women who follow in his footsteps.” “Thus, the Prophet’s miracles did not aim at changing the course of events, rather he had to plan to achieve success. The Revelation acted only as guidance; the Qur’an was revealed to guide us to stick to God’s Path! I had to answer that crucial question! None should say we cannot imitate him as he was backed by the Revelation; the Revelation was but a guidance to him and it will remain as a guidance to Muslims! The Prophet had to set plans, exert great efforts and many sacrifices were made and so he could attain victory!
Prophet Muhammad and Jesus’ Appearance
The date of Jesus’ birth is celebrated December 25 or January 7, but the actual date is not known. Jesus’ birth was in conjunction with an astronomical phenomenon which led others to worship Him (Matthew 2:1-2). The Scriptures don’t describe Jesus’ earthly appearance, but it seems to have been insignificant (Isaiah 52:14; Isaiah 53:2). However, the Scriptures emphasize Jesus’ divine glory hundreds of years before the Incarnation (John 12:41 with Isaiah 6:3-5; Psalm 45:1-2) and His appearance after His resurrection and glorification (Revelation 1:14-18; 2:18; 19:12; cf. Acts 22:6-11; 26:12-15 [Paul’s conversion]; Matthew 17:2 [Jesus’ transfiguration]).
This highlights a major difference between Jesus and Muhammad’s physical appearance:
What does Muhammad’s physical appearance look like today?
Prophet Muhammad, Miracles and Jesus’ Miracles
One of Jesus’ great and lasting miracles is His empty tomb. Jesus has risen from the dead; ascended into heaven; and is everlasting King (Isaiah 9:6-7). One of the lasting signs of Jesus’ kingship was the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in AD 70.
Next Amr Khaled Post about Prophet Muhammad’s biography
Biography of Prophet Muhammad Part 2
Articles you may be interested in:
Video:
The claim that the angel Gabriel spoke to Muhammad is a historic claim. But does the historic evidence justify Muhammad’s claim? Is there historic evidence against it? This video looks at two Islamic hadiths and how they relate to Muhammad’s claim that his message came from the angel Gabriel.
References for Prophet Muhammad’s biography (sirah)
Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A Biography of the Prophet (1991).
_____________, and Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time (2006).
Bint al-Shati [ʿĀʿishah ʿAbd al-Raḥmān]. The Wives of the Prophet. Translated with an introduction by Matti Moosa and D. Nicholas Ranson. Lahore, 1971. Translated from the Arabic, Nisāʿ al-Nabī. Cairo, 1961. Expanded ed. Cairo, 1973. Buhl, Frants, and Alford T. Welch. “Muḥammad.” In Encyclopaedia of Islam, new ed., vol. 5, pp. 360–376.
Deepak Chopra, Muhammad: A Story of the Last Prophet
Crone, Patricia, Meccan trade and the rise of Islam, Princeton 1987
Horovitz, Josef, The Earliest Biographies of the Prophet and their Authors, edited by Lawrence I. Conrad
Ibn Ishaq, Life of Muhammad, translated by Professor Alfred Guillaume. An abridged version of Ibn Ishaq’s biography of Muhammad: Sirat Rasoul Allah H. Motzki (ed.), The biography of Muḥammad. The issue of the sources, Leiden 2000. Oxford Islamic Studies, “Life of the Prophet” Safiur-Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar: The Biography of the Noble Prophet), Riyadh, 1996.
Muslim, ibn al-Ḥajjāj al-Qushayrī. Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: Being traditions of the sayings and doings of the Prophet Muḥammad as narrated by his companions and compiled under the title al-Jāmiʿ al-Ṣaḥīḥ. 4 vols. Translated by ʿAbdul Hamid Siddiqi. Lahore, 1976.
Prophetic Biography – Wikipedia
Schimmel, Annemarie. And Muhammad Is His Messenger: The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety. Chapel Hill, N.C., 1985.
Tabari, Muhammad ibn Jarir al-. The History of al-Tabari (Tārīkh al-rusūl wa-al-mulūk) in 40 volumes. Edited by Ehsan Yar-Shater. Albany, N.Y., 1989–2007.
Musa b. ʿUqba al-Asadi (ca. 55-141/675-758) – only a fragment of his work on the expeditions of Muhammad (maghazi) has survived and is quoted by Ibn Ishaq.
Ibn Saʿd Muhammad b. Saʿd (168-230/784-845), Akhbār al-nabī, the life and times of the Prophet. This is the first extant full biography of Prophet Muhammad after Ibn Ishaq’s. Ibn Sa’d’s Kitab Al-Tabaqat Al-Kabir, trans. S. Moinul Haq and H.K. Ghazanfar, Karachi, vol. 1, 1967, vol. 2, 1972 (Pakistan Historical Society Publication Nos. 46, 59) Ibn Warraq, The Quest for the Historical Muhammad. Watt, W. Montgomery, Muhammad at Mecca. Oxford, 1953.
_________________, Muhammad at Medina. Oxford, 1956.
_________________, Muhammad: Prophet and Statesman. London and New York, 1961.
Websites about Prophet Muhammad
Description of Prophet Muhammad PBS Timeline of Prophet Muhammad’s life
References
| 1. | ↥ | A useful English and Western perspective on prophet Muhammad’s biography is found in the Encyclopaedia of Islam. It is a lengthy article, but here is what it says about the sources behind prophet Muhammad’s biography,
|
| 2. | ↥ | The date of prophet Muhammad’s birth is a matter of controversy |
| 3. | ↥ | “The Christian ruler of a south Arabian kingdom founded by the Abyssinians, whose name is traditionally associated with the interpretation of q 105, where there is a description of God smiting the People of the Elephant. Although he is not mentioned in the qurʾānic text, his name is regularly given in the commentary literature. Epigraphic evidence, the writings of the Byzantine military historian Procopius as well as ecclesiastical sources provide independent historical attestation for this figure, but his association with the sūra is limited to Muslim sources, especially historical and exegetical texts.” “The standard account of the Islamic Abraha may be found in the early pages of Ibn Isḥāq’s Sīra, the most commonly cited biography of the Prophet. It is repeated or summarized in many subsequent commentaries (cf. Ṭabarī, Tafsīr, xxx, 299-303; Ṭūsī, Tibyān, x, 409-11; Rāzī, Tafsīr, xxxii, 96). Read as an extended commentary on q 105, the story forms part of a larger account of Yemeni history in the generations immediately preceding the birth of Muḥammad. Its earliest segment is clearly framed as the annunciation of “an apostle who will bring truth and justice among men of religion and virtue” (Ibn Isḥāq-Guillaume, 6). As his portion of the story unfolds, Abraha is presented as seizing power of the Abyssinian-controlled territory in the Yemen by a coup and then cleverly defusing the sworn revenge of the Abyssinian ruler, the Negus (al-Najāshī). To mollify him further, Abraha builds a magnificent church in Sanʿāʾ and then pledges to divert Arab pilgrimages to this new sanctuary. Angered by a Meccan of the tribe of the Banū Kināna who defiles the church — by defecating in it, according to some exegetes (cf. Rāzī, Tafsīr, xxxii, 96; Qurṭubī, Jāmiʿ, xx, 188) — to prevent its use as a pilgrimage site, Abraha, in turn, vows revenge on the Meccan sanctuary and marches toward the Ka’ba at the head of a vast army. Abraha’s defeat involves miraculous animals, including an Abyssinian battle elephant that kneels before the Kaʿba and refuses to fight and flocks of birds who rain stones down upon his assembled troops. Variants of this narrative abound, some offering as an additional explanation for Abraha’s advance upon Mecca the destruction of a Christian church in Abyssinia by a cooking fire carelessly abandoned by some Arab traders (Muqātil, Tafsīr, iv, 847; Qummī, Tafsīr, ii, 442-3; Ibn al-Jawzī, Zād, ix, 232; Qurṭubī, Jāmiʿ, xx, 192-5).” “Abraha’s advance upon Mecca acquired additional importance in the Muslim sources as a point of chronological calculation for the birth of Muḥammad. Dates in pre-Islamic Meccan history were reckoned from the Year of the Elephant(ʿām al-fīl)and the key dates in the life of the Prophet were coordinated with this year. Although Abraha’s invasion and Muḥammad’s birth are often dated to a year equivalent to 570 c.e., the commentators record no unanimity on this matter. Qurṭubī (Jāmiʿ, xx, 194) is representative in presenting sources that equate the Year of the Elephant with that of Muḥammad’s birth as well as those that place Abraha’s attack 23 or 40 years earlier. Western scholars have also long questioned the accuracy and historical reliability of these chronologies…” (Jane Dammen McAuliffe, “Abraha” Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān). |
