Seerah | Lecture 2 | The Birth & Childhood of the Noble Prophet ﷺ

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was created by Allah as a light (noor) that was passed through the loins of his pure and honorable ancestors, beginning with Adam and continuing through Ibrahim, Abdul-Muttalib, and Abdullah, before entering the womb of Amina. This light was so brilliant that it illuminated the foreheads of his ancestors until the moment of conception, at which point it would vanish from the father and appear in the mother. The Prophet was chosen for prophethood and messengership by Allah before he was sent into the world, and this status could not be attained through human striving or worship.

Upon his birth, the Prophet emerged as a light so bright that his mother could see the palaces of Syria and the East and West of the world. He was born in a state of prostration, declaring the oneness of Allah and his own messengership. Miraculous events occurring before his formal announcement of prophethood at age forty are classified as irhas. These include his birth as a light, his speech at birth, the gathering of stars above his house, and the extinguishing of the sacred fire in Persia that had burned for a thousand years. When he was taken to the Kaaba by his grandfather Abdul-Muttalib, the Kaaba appeared to bow toward him, signifying his superiority over all creation.

Beliefs and Prophethood

• Divine selection of Prophets — the work holds that no one can become a Prophet or Messenger through their own effort; they are fixed and chosen by Allah before they are created ▸27:50
• Superiority of the Prophet — the Prophet is the most superior creation of Allah, and he is superior even to the Kaaba, which is described as bowing toward him ▸33:38
• The nature of the Prophet's light — the Prophet was first created as a noor, which was passed through the loins of his ancestors from Adam to Abdullah ▸29:32
• The Seal of Prophethood — the Mohar of Nubuwwah was a stamp placed on the Prophet's back by angels at his birth, bearing the inscription "Muhammad Rasulullah" ▸34:45
• The status of the Prophet as Ummi — the Prophet was known as Ummi, meaning he was taught directly by Allah and had no human teachers, which protected him from accusations of having been educated by poets or experts of his time ▸35:55

Miracles and Signs

• Definition of miracles — miracles occurring after the announcement of prophethood are mu'jiza, while those occurring before are irhas ▸32:20
• Signs at birth — the birth was accompanied by the extinguishing of the sacred fire in Persia, the drying up of worshipped water, and the shattering of the palaces of Kisra ▸34:00
• The moon's obedience — as an infant, the Prophet would move his finger in the sky, and the moon would follow the direction of his movement ▸36:20
• Healing properties — the Prophet's blessed hand, when placed in milk by his foster mother, imparted a curative quality that healed the sick ▸38:17

Early Life and Fosterage

• Foster mother — the first woman to feed the Prophet was Baraka, also known as Umme Aiman, who was a servant in his household ▸33:55
• Fosterage with the Bani Sa'd — Sayyida Halima was chosen to foster the Prophet, and her household experienced immense blessings, including the abundance of milk and the health of their animals, after taking him in ▸35:35
• Fairness in infancy — the Prophet refused to drink from Halima's left breast, leaving it for his foster brother, Sayyiduna Hamza, demonstrating an innate sense of fairness ▸36:10
• Rapid development — the Prophet's growth was twice as fast as normal children; he walked at five months, spoke full sentences at eight months, and spoke eloquent Arabic at nine months ▸36:00
• Protection from the Jews — Amina kept the Prophet hidden from the public because of warnings from Jews who recognized the signs of the final Prophet and intended to harm him ▸34:30