Prophet Mohammed's Childhood

People of Quraysh were keen that their newborn babies live with the Bedouins in the desert for a healthy atmosphere. They used to have an agreement with the Buni Sa3d tribe that raised their children for two years in exchange for money.

Prophet Mohammed was an orphan so the Buni Sa3d nurses didn’t want to breastfeed him because they feared of not getting paid however one nurse named Halimah didn’t get a child to care for so she took him.

Hilimah took care of the Prophet for 2 years and saw him grow at a fast rate, she said “My tribe lived in a barren desert, and our herds used to graze in the desert but return with stomachs empty of milk. When Mohammed PBUH arrived, my herd went out to graze and was the only one among all the herds to come back full of milk from which Mohammed PBUH and my son were able to drink. When this happened the other herd keepers used to follow my herd to get their share of the blessings. Mohammed PBUH brought us prosperity."

When the Prophet was 6 years old his mother (Aminah bint Wahab) decided to take him to Al Madinah to visit his father’s grave and on their way back to Mekkah she suddenly became sick and died. The prophet saw his mother die in front of his eyes and observed his maid Um Ayman burying her in the ground. This journey was engraved in the Prophet’s memory because he lost the most precious person in his life.

All this was happening to Prophet Mohammed because God was preparing him to lead mankind and know the meaning of life and death from a young age.

Prophet Mohammed went to live with his grandfather Abdul Mutalib who was about 90 years old and one of the leaders of Quraysh. The Prophet loved his grandfather dearly because his mother Aminah bint Wahab believed he had to have a strong bond with his father’s family.

Abdul Mutablib and the leaders of Quraysh used to meet everyday in the Ka3ba and discuss politics, news and economy of Makkah. The Prophet used to attend this meeting with his grandfather instead of playing with the kids of Mekkah. Abdul Mutalib used to lay down his gown on the ground and let Prophet Mohammed sit on it. He always said “This son of mine will be a great man!”. Abdul Mutalib had a feeling Prophet Mohammed was going to be a great leader.

When the Prophet was 8 years old his grandfather Abudl Mutalib died and he was orphaned for the third time. Abdul Mutalib told his son Abu Taleb the Prophet’s uncle to take care of him and his uncle treated him as his own son. Abu Taleb had 10 children so the Prophet was brought up illiterate.

The Prophet learned many skills in his childhood from all the jobs he had and different events that took place.

Prophet Mohammed worked as a shepherd at the age of 8 because he wanted to help his uncle Abu Taleb since he wasn’t rich and had a big family. He then decided to become a trader at the age of 15 and join his uncle on their trade trips to Al Sham (Syria). Becoming a trader helped the Prophet learn how to communicate and deal with all types of people. He also learned how to fight at the age of 15 when he fought with Quraysh in the Battle of Fojar. In this experience he learned the art of being a strong fighter and the importance of negotiating for peace since Quraysh decided sign a peace treaty with the other tribe.


The Prophet lived in 4 houses
-Mother’s House (Aminah bint Wahab)
-Abu Sa3ds in the desert (Halimah Al Sa3deya)
-Grandfather’s House (Abdul Mutalib)
-Uncle’s House (Abu Talib)

and in each house he learned different things and learned to be independent, responsible, serious, and strong. He also always had someone giving him love and affection. God took his mother however he had his grandfather Abdul Mutalib and his wife Hala who’s a cousin of the Prophet’s mother that loved him and took good care of him. Then had his uncle Abu Taleb who loved him dearly and always supported him although he never became Muslim; also Fatima bint Asad his uncle’s wife who was always kind and caring and loved him very much.

Most Prophets suffered like Nuh (AS) “Noah” who was scorn upon by his people, Ibrahim (AS)“Abraham” who was thrown in the fire, Ya'qub (AS) “Jacob” who went blind from sadness for his son, Yusuf (AS) “Joseph” who lost his father and was thrown in a well, Musa (AS) “Moses” who had to leave his country, Isa (AS) “Jesus” who was hurt by his people, and finally Mohammad PBUH all of who initially faced hardships and were then relieved.

Source:
www.AmrKhaled.net