Ethical Communication: Moral Stances in Human Dialogue

19. Muhammad: Honor-Centered Morality

136 Muhammad Honor-Centered Morality Mohammad A. Siddiqi “I’ve been sent for perfecting the good morals.” Muhammad, the son of Abdullah, was born in Makkah (now in Saudi Arabia) in 570 AD1 to Aminah in the house of his grandfather Abdul Muttalib, the leader of the tribe of Quraish. His father Abdullah had passed away in Madinah six months before Muhammad’s birth. His mother died when Muhammad was about six. Thereafter his grandfather took charge of him and later his uncle Abu Talib became his guardian. However, he spent much of his early childhood in the house of his wet nurse Haleema, to whom he was entrusted according to the Arab custom. Haleema lived in a desert village away from Makkah. The pristine and rugged desert environment contributed to his quick growth, sound health, and disciplined manners. Muhammad was twelve or thirteen years old when his uncle, Abu Talib, started taking him on business trips to Syria (Sham) as well as to many nearby markets. During these trips, Muhammad not only proved to be an honest and smart trader but also learned about Byzantine and Christian history. He met with many monks and religious personalities, including the famous monk Bahirah at Busra (now in Iraq). Bahirah informed Muhammad that he was going to be a great reformer and prophet of God and told his uncle to take good care of him.2 While at home in Makkah, Muhammad was a herdsman, 1 9 1. Muhammad Husayn Haykal, The Life of Muhammad, 48. 2. Safi-Ur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri, Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtoom (The Sealed Nectar). Biography of the Noble Prophet, 60. .   137 Muhammad which provided him plenty of time to ponder and to contemplate. From an early age people of Makkah called Muhammad the truthful (Al-Sadiq) and the trustworthy (Al-Ameen). They invited him to settle disputes and to provide guidance in solving their problems. Muhammad was fifteen when he saw his first war between two major Arab tribes. Later he played a very positive role in the treaty of AlFudoul that not only brought the war to an end but also produced a permanent charter for peaceful coexistence among various warring factions of Arabs. At the age of twenty-five a wealthy Arab widow, Khadijah, hired Muhammad to lead her trade caravan to Syria. He returned from Syria with unprecedented profits. His good manners, honesty, sincerity , and acumen impressed Khadijah. She asked her uncle to take her marriage proposal to Muhammad’s uncle. Khadijah was forty and Muhammad twenty-five when they got married. Khadijah bore all his children, four daughters and two sons, except Ibrahim. All of Muhammad’s sons died quite young. Three of his daughters also died during his lifetime. Muhammad did not marry any other woman until the death of Khadijah twenty-five years later. He also avoided gambling, wine, and idol worshipping. At thirty-five, he intervened in a clash among tribal Arabs that occurred during the rebuilding of the holy house of God, the Ka’bah. Muhammad spent most of his spare time contemplating and meditating at the top of a mountain overlooking Makkah in the cave of Hira. One day while he was in the cave, he heard a voice commanding him to read. Muhammad answered in surprise,“What shall I read?” He felt as if he was squeezed and then again ordered to read. Muhammad said, “I can not read.” He was squeezed twice more and commanded to read. Then he heard the voice saying, “Read in the name of your Lord, who has created (all that exists); has created human being from a clot (a piece of thick coagulated blood). Read and your Lord is most gracious.” This was the beginning of revelation and these verses are now part of chapter 96 of the Qur’an. Muhammad repeated these words after they were said to him. He was told that the messenger was the angel Gabriel. Thus began an overwhelming experience that Muhammad went through for the remaining twenty-three years of his life in which the entire Qur’an was revealed to him. It was after this revelation that Muhammad proclaimed prophethood at the age of forty in 710 AD. Thereafter, he lived for thirteen more years in Makkah. His life in Makkah was full of struggle, pain, 138 . Mohammad A. Siddiqi and suffering. The pagan leaders could not tolerate a direct threat to...