The life of Muhammad (peace be upon him)

4-A Thoughtful Boy

“In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, there are signs for men of sense; those that remember God when standing, sitting, and lying down, and reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth.”

-Surah Al- Imran,3:190-191

Muhammadﷺ was a very thoughtful boy. He took good care of his family’s sheep, and played with the other children. But he also spent much time alone, wondering about the mysteries of nature. He thought about the people around him, how they lived and how they behaved. Even when he was a very little boy, Halimah said that she often found him sitting by himself.

There are stories about how, even as a youngster, Muhammadﷺ believed in one God, the God of Ibrahim. He never worshipped idols and refused to swear by them as other Arabs had come to do. Muhammadﷺ troubled by the fact that people always seemed to be struggling for power and money, and that once rich and powerful, they became arrogant and showed no generosity to the poor and needy.

We do not know exactly what Muhammadﷺ looked like, but his cousin, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, has given us some idea.’Ali said Muhammadﷺ was of medium height, broad-shouldered, and had curly hair and a thick beard. His walk conveyed strength and resolution: he walked softly but firmly, with large swift strides, and bent slightly forward. Some say the ground seemed to roll itself up for him, and his disciples had to work hard to keep up with him even when the Prophetﷺ walked at a leisurely pace.

The Prophet’s skin was tawny and his eyes shown light brown from under bushy eyebrows. The Prophet’s eyes did not wander around, looking at this and that. They were usually downcast. But when he did look up at something he would look straight into it.

By the time he was 25 years old, Muhammad ﷺ had a reputation for honesty. He was known among the Quraysh as the bravest and most gentlemanly person. He was a good neighbor, tolerant and always truthful. He always kept aloof from quarrels and quibbles, and never used foul language or abuse. ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib once said, “ All who came close to him grew to love him.”

Knowledge As Your Friend

“Acquire knowledge!” the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to tell his followers. “Seeking knowledge is the duty of every Muslim. It will enable you to be your own friend in the desert, it will be your mainstay in solitude, your companion in happiness, your sustainer in misery, your adornment when you are amongst people and your arrow against your enemies. Whoever goes out in search of knowledge is on the path of Allah until returning.”

Another of the Prophet’s sayings was that if anyone went on his way in search of knowlwdge, God would make it easy for him to find the way to Paradise.